Game of the Year 2011: Giant Bomb's Top 10

great list!

@wkz:

Skyrim is impressive and Bethesda have certainly built on the good work they achieved with Fallout 3, but much of the 'awe' comes down to the sheer volume of content rather than actual depth I feel. Personally I'd of been happier with a game world half the size, but with greater attention paid to bringing the notable NPCs (especially the companions) to life so that I actually gave a shit about them truth be told. I'm not expecting (or demanding for that matter) Bioware levels of character depth, but a bit more conversational and contextual dialogue wouldn't have gone amiss.

I also find it slightly tragic that Bethesda themselves (judging by the email I received off them the other day) are using the 'arrow in the knee' meme, but don't seem to quite realize it's repetitiveness ingame is a large part of the joke.

The other irony is that although GB have named Skyrim GoTY, if it was a discussion on RPG of the year then I'm not sure necessarily it would beat out The Witcher 2 (or even DA2 come to that) when you get down to the whole storytelling aspect.

In all honesty the more I think about it the more I feel the GB crew needed to perhaps mark out their prime candidates as the year advances and ensure everyone puts some time in.

@Branthog said:

So, it went down exactly like I said it was going to happen.

Duders have long drawn out discussion on how Skyrim was severely broken, severely glitchy, very repetitive, often very mundane and lacking variety, full of really underwhelming combat, and very much just a prettier and longer version of what you'd expect from a good modern RPG. (They also could have touched on the terrible character models and shitty voice acting, but that's okay). Attitude seems to be that it's great, but imperfect and the reason it gets a pass so often is that people approach it as "they're giving me what nobody else really is, right now". In other words "yeah, he beats me, but I can't find anyone else who loves me".

Duders have long drawn out discussion on how amazing Saints Row 3 is. It's fun, it has a ton of variety. It's insane. It's a blast to play. Great voice acting. Great absurd story. Clever self-aware writing. Tons of content. A game that you found yourself going back to repeatedly, even a good deal after you finished it.

... gives award to Skyrim, because internet ...

Fucking retarded.

What? Most of the discussion was about SR3 lacking in gameplay. Whenever combat or repetitiveness in Skyrim was brought up, Brad went "but STORY" and immediately turned around and ragged on all the boring gameplay in SR3 that led to the awesome stuff the game shows you that is the reason it is on this list.

...A point I agree with him on. Also I think you missed Ryan talking about how he didn't come back to the game after he finished it, or at least ran out of things to come back for.

I have basically read all the comments now, and the biggest problem with this list, or rather, how it was "made", was the fact that most people didn't play all the games on the list, and finish them.

The fact that the witcher 2 scored so high, even though only 1 (or was it 2?) who played it, is amazing imo, even more amazing is it that dead space 2 scored so high, didn't expect that. Even though I loved it myself.

I wish Dark Souls was up there, but then again, only of them truly plays the souls series ^^

Thanks Vinny for introducing me to the souls series, one of the best experience I have had this year!

Also, the fact that skyrim won, doesn't bother me that much, but based on the comments I see here, I think I will skip listening to the GOTY podcast.

A game I like didn't get the placement I wanted in someone else's opinion of their top ten, WAAAH :*(

I think it's because Ryan is Bobby Kotick IN DISUGUISE.

I will never have respect for them again for having an opinion I did not expect them to have.

Listened to 4 hours of podcast, at least 1 of that was SR3 vs Skyrim. It felt a little one sided in that Brad was really the only one refusing to at least acknowledge that SR is a great game. Every time someone bought up a valid point he'd just shoot it down with "SKYRIM IS BETTER". I put a lot of hours into Skyrim until the launch of SR3. After I finished SR I tried to go back to Skyrim but I just couldn't. It's slow, repetitive and dare I say boring.

They're both great games but I don't think I'd put Skyrim at #1. I don't think I'd even have it at 2.

I played Skyrim 70 hours and I think it wasn't too good. Ask yourself these questions: was there any character in the game you cared about? Was there any questline which appealed to you? Did everything feel like too much of the same? For me the answers are no, no, yes! I think the time I spent with the game was alright but I definitely won't pick it up a second time. I would rather be arguing for Saints Row instead of against Skyrim but I haven't played the game yet. However, I can't see how such a flawed game can beat proper titles like Portal 2 or Bastion.

All my heroic actions in Skyrim had no impact on the world or the inhabitants (except for some schizophrenic responses from NPCs who insult me the one second and praise me in the next) - that's not how rpgs work... and no matter how well Brad defends the framework and the open world setup I had a lot more fun playing Dead Island, true story.

This only convinces me further that Whiskey Media deserves it's own television network.

Oh man, the #6,Brad vs. Patrick...hand-off...face-off...is EPIC.

@Branthog said:

I am completely baffled at skipping The Witcher 2, also. I don't see how Skyrim achieves more than The Witcher 2 does and it could be argued that other than some initial control/fighting confusion (early in the game), it is far more polished, better looking, and has a better story. Nobody is saying that Skyrim isn't a really good game, but saying something is the best game of the year requires more than "it's an RPG! And it's big! And it's on the PC!". Or, in this case, it feels more like "SKYRIM BECAUSE INTERNET". As far as I'm concerned, GB made it clear that SR3 was the best game in their minds, but that wouldn't fly with THE INTERNET, so it had to be Skyrim. (And Vinny made a valiant attempt to push Witcher, of course).

Agreed. It really seems to me that they should of had either more Ringers in who'd played the games to proffer opinions on the GoTY itself (like Alex, Will or Gary who after all used to be a games journo) or they should have made more of an effort to all put some time into the strong front runners. That only Vinny really played TW2 is kind of tragic really.

I go along with your suggestion that it would of been better to have named SR3 as GOTY and make Skyrim becomes 2012's "2011 GOTY", as that's the one they'll be naming come next time.

@Branthog: I agree, I was thinking this the whole time listening to the podcast. My issue wasn't so much that Skyrim was chosen as GOTY, it was that Jeff and Vinny clearly won the argument and yet Skyrim was still chosen. I remember the part where Jeff was complaining about getting the ice boss every single time and Brad was like "I've never had that problem"; Jeff seemed so pissed off and I felt him cause no one I know hasn't had that problem. Then Ryan's argument against Saint's Row of "I played it for 30 hours and wanted more so I resent it for that" just made me go wtf. That's not a valid argument at all, plus he hadn't even played much of Skyrim so how could he be sure he wouldn't have had the same problems with it as Jeff AND Saint's Row was on his personal GOTY list. The whole discussion made zero sense to me (also every year Brad seems to be the one who fights tooth and nail for everything, which I respect but it comes off as asshole-ish sometimes).

Fantastic! - I have really enjoyed all the work you have put into this years GOTY awards. The categories were a little more unique than the average GOTY offerings from other sources but everything was covered fairly. Thanks for all your effort guys. Happy new year!

Nothing to see here, they just went with the popular choice. Can't not appeal to the majority of this website.

@Humanity said:

@Unchained said:

I really agree with that list. Skyrim deserves it. I loved Saint's Row, but Skyrim was easily the clear winner for GOTY. It really seems like those who are pissed that it won are just wanting to be contrarian.

You really shouldn't say everyone is automatically a contrarian if they don't like Skyrim.

But Skyrim is the greatest game ever created, nobody could ever dislike it. Best combat ever, best writing ever, best animations ever, best voice acting ever, best dialog ever, best choices and best consequences for those choices ever.

It's a real shame that Dark Souls didn't make the list. It could have easily taken the place of GoW3. FU Blezinski!

@djaoni said:

@Humanity said:

@Unchained said:

I really agree with that list. Skyrim deserves it. I loved Saint's Row, but Skyrim was easily the clear winner for GOTY. It really seems like those who are pissed that it won are just wanting to be contrarian.

You really shouldn't say everyone is automatically a contrarian if they don't like Skyrim.

But Skyrim is the greatest game ever created, nobody could ever dislike it. Best combat ever, best writing ever, best animations ever, best voice acting ever, best dialog ever, best choices and best consequences for those choices ever.

The scariest thing is that despite knowing better, you're never REALLY sure if comments like those are serious or not.

A lot of ppl are talking about the lack of impact you have on the world in Skyrim and the lack of notable NPC.. What impact or notable NPC are there in Saints?? You followers cant die, they just fall down and if you dont get there in time you fail and restart with them. So where is the importance in saving them? Humour is very subjective, and I get the the tone of Saints fit with the GB crew. But for me, I dont understand how playing as a toilet or hitting ppl with a dildo is funny, but teabagging someone at the VGA's gets an article on how lame it is..

@TadThuggish said:

@FoxMulder said:

The final GOTY podcasts really fueled my dislike of Ryan to 100%. He almost deliberately stayed silent as Brad vs Jeff happened, with Vinny and Patrick as back-up. He already knew going it that it was gonna be him who decided it no matter what. His only argument was that Saints Row ends, which is the dumbest fucking thing EVER. He even said he got 30 hours out of it which is more than most of the games on the list! I love Skyrim as much as the masses do, but Saints Row is "Giant Bomb's" GOTY. Skyrim may be GOTY, but Saints Row became really one of the defining characteristics of GB in 2011. All of the podcast really made me lose all respect for Ryan, what little I had in the first place. It is a shame that he is always the host of everything and is just a plain asshole. Everyone at GB can be assholes in a fun sort of way, but Ryan Taswell Davis is a straight up fucking asshole. I came to GB from following Mr Jeff Gerstmann, and he was really the only reason I ever went to Gamespot. Jeff is truly the best part about the site. Brad and Vinny are aweome in their own right and are great additions. Patrick....well he is the younger hipster of the group who hasn't found his place. Now I concede this to be my final rant over GOTY because in the end who cares. I know that deep down Saints Row is the TRUE GOTY for Giant Bomb.com.

CUT MY LIFE INTO PIECES

THIS IS MY LAST RESORT

LOL

Surprised to see Batman so low on the list and no mention of Uncharted. But hey, these lists don't mean a thing and are always going to cause debate. I'm still playing MineCraft :)

These giantbomb GOTY deliberations and top 10 shows just how much they care about gamers who received a POS job from the PS3 version. Very dissapointing... And laughable when you go back and listen to Jeff wanting Dead Souls out of the top 10 because of message translations being poor or imprecise. How about an entire game unplayable for a platform? Classy!

What;s with all the Shoemaker hate?

I loved everything about the GOTY videos and podcasts. Really stellar work. Makes this stuff a lot more exciting than the dry affair GOTY can be. Keep it up! :D

@3eeve said:

What;s with all the Shoemaker hate?

Simple. He's very stubborn and surprisingly rude to his co-workers when they have these kinds of discussions. He usually ignores their opinions and repeats his over and over, sometimes in a loud voice, until people give up arguing with him. It's fine having a passionate perspective on something, but when Jeff and Vinny dissect his criticisms on Saints Row and apply them to Skyrim, Brad basically goes into fanboy mode and won't concede a single fault of the game. It's also just weird considering the rest of the year he's usually sleeping on these podcasts or asking if it's time to go home yet.

These comments are all so stupid. Why does everyone get so pissed over this GOTY stuff, its all just for fun. "OMG I can't believe Skyrim won its broken on PS3 and all you do is the same stuff over and over. OMG  Saints Row is so much better, you hit people with dildo's and shoot stuff, but its nothing like any other game because its so crazy omg its GOTY. " Both games are just better versions of the same formula we have seen time and time again.
 
Then you have the people who are claiming "they wanted Saints Row to win, but they have to keep the internet happy" like its some kind of conspiracy. Yeah, Jeff was fighting pretty hard for Saints Row but Skyrim was also #2 on his list, so it could have went either way. If they did things like "kept the internet happy" I don't think Jeff would have gave Catherine 2 stars. People crying about Saints Row not winning are more mad then Jeff is (Jeff probably doesn't care/ or agrees Skyrim should have won).
And Ryan stayed out of the argument because he hadn't played Skyrim, so he was being fair. And everyone whos saying "I've lost respect for Ryan because he didn't argue for Saints Row" are just saying that because they have some strange need for Saints Row to win, not because they want a fair argument for both sides. How do you know if Ryan played Skyrim he wouldn't have liked it better than Saints Row? Not saying its likely, but its possible.
 
And to everyone saying they all need to play all the potential top 10 games....in a perfect world of course this would be nice. In real life, its not possible. They want to play the games they like/are interested in first then whatever else they have time for. This website is their job, they have responsibilities and then they also have lives outside of work. Demanding that they should all have to play every single "good" game is ridiculous. 
 
Just enjoy the content people! And make your own top10 lists if you want.

@thebazel:

@3eeve said:

Simple. He's very stubborn and surprisingly rude to his co-workers when they have these kinds of discussions. He usually ignores their opinions and repeats his over and over, sometimes in a loud voice, until people give up arguing with him. It's fine having a passionate perspective on something, but when Jeff and Vinny dissect his criticisms on Saints Row and apply them to Skyrim, Brad basically goes into fanboy mode and won't concede a single fault of the game. It's also just weird considering the rest of the year he's usually sleeping on these podcasts or asking if it's time to go home yet.

What;s with all the Shoemaker hate?

It seems like those criticisms could be labeled at any of the bunch, though I would agree that Jeff and Brad are the most vociferous of the bunch.

I really do agree with Patrick though that there seemed to be a philosophical difference separating the one and two slots. Both are excellent games, I've played the hell out of Skyrim and no doubt I will do the same when I get to Saints' Row. Though Skyrim is my favorite game of the year, I really wouldn't have minded if it went the other way.

I finally got around to watching everyone's individual top 10s. Jeff, Ryan & Vinny chose SR3 while only Patrick & Brad chose Skyrim, yet Skyrim wins?

@Humanity said:

The scariest thing is that despite knowing better, you're never REALLY sure if comments like those are serious or not.

Indeed.

Our society has a mindset that second place is the first loser. When something we enjoy so much gets that second spot, we tend to lash out against the top spot, or against those that have a opinion against our favorite. This mindset is what has always driven the Console Wars, and comes out at times like this.

Personally, I had more fun with Saint's Row The Third and Batman, and would put them two on my personal list ahead of Skyrim. I can also sit back and see why Skyrim would sit at the top of another person's list. In the end, this is Giant Bomb's top ten list. The approach to how they list their games are different than myself, and different than anyone else that has let their opinion known about this topic.

There is no be all, end all game of the year award. People will always have their own opinion on the matter, and like lists that line up with their interests more often then not.

Hey Giantbomb staff, I love all of you guys and while I don't agree with everything on the list, I don't care because I know at the end of the day it comes down to personal preference and I'm am not going to sit here and bitch because bastion, my GOTY, didn't win. At the end of the day, I know that it doesn't matter. Your GOTY choice doesn't affect the fun I have with video games and if I disagree with what was said on the podcast I'm a rational human being who knows that I don't have to listen. Thank you giantbomb crew and please, do everything exactly the same way cause it is awesome.

Well, I must say, that was a pretty jacked up list. But at least you made the right choice for #1.

Also, nice guns Vinny.

That video was sheer madness. Way to go Bomb crew.

I'm very surprised the BG community jumped on the Saints Row: The Third bandwagon as hard as they did. GB loves crazy, but sometimes some restraint needs to be taken and actually evaluate a game based on its own merits and not what others you want to follow have placed on it. Think of how you would have thought if the GB crew's reaction to the game didn't exist. I doubt people would argue that its deserves GOTY if it was based solely on their own opinion. To be honest I would go as far to say that if Jeff and Ryan hadn't pushed SR3 so hard during the year, the majority of the GB community would have thought it was trying way too hard and a bit lame. Think about a giant dildo bat as an in game weapon, is that really not considered lame and pandering?

Did everyone already have it in their mind that they wanted SR3 to win just because it felt like GB's game? I am still unsure of what GOTY means to the GB crew. Their favorite game or what they feel is the best game.If it was favorite game and they were very explicit about this in both the name and description of the award I could get behind SR3. But calling it GOTY gives the impression that its the best game in terms of quality. If that's the case I cant go with SR3. I just dont think the GB crew even know what their GOTY means.

In the future, please have a base agreement on what the games "in the argument" will be so each member on the podcast can play them and make sure they have an opinion.

I don't really understand whats so great about SR3.

I played through it and enjoyed it, but it is not a very great game. The gameplay is extremly boring most of the time, at least I felt that way. Yeah, you have weird weapons and shoot at weird things but it is just visual. If you could replace the textures there would be almost nothing special about the game. It's not like f.e. Just Cause 2 were you have extremely fun gameplay mechanics. The only thing setting SR3 appart from other games is the great amount of weirdness in it, but the actual gameplay and story were not that great. At least that's how I felt.

However I don't like Skyrim that much either, but guess what: I don't care.

Some people tend to take these lists waaaaaaaay to serious

So glad Saint's Row didn't win; as good as that game is technically it is a poor reflection on modern society that people enjoy the negative themes it constantly pushes. GTA has similar themes but the moral repercussions are there making for good plots and well employed satirical wit on the crime genre as a whole. Saints Row just says "fuck it" and throws every sense of decency out the window. Perhaps that's what people want in their fantasy entertainment lives but I think it's incredibly sad. There's no consequences to anything and while I'm not igniting the "videogames are evil" debate at all -- there isn't one -- it's that I find it depressing that we've come to a point where people openly express their enjoyment and desire for excessive, random ultra-violence, over the top sexual themes & exploitation of women, needless profanity, the worship of wealth and excess and so forth.

While there is undoubtedly a pandering for 16 year old boys going on here I don't agree with just constantly pushing the boundaries just because someone dares to. Once even 16 year old boys found this content questionable but we just seem to carry on regardless to who knows what. If this where we're headed then why not openly face racism, the insulting of minorities, the handicapped and poor, insulting historical atrocities and crises, the murder of children etc. as suitable topics to virtually reproduce as acceptable forms of entertainment. For some reason we've come as far as to accept the earlier things as OK so why not keep going?

I think SR3 crossed the line and it shouldn't have; the line as far as I'm concerned shouldn't go any further than it already is. The boundaries of taste change over time but I really think we've come to the point where the reins need to be pulled.

I listened to the the podcast but was so giantbombed by the end of it that the details of this top ten are blurry, worth watching this just to catch up hahaha...

Bah, no list for those of us who can't watch a video at this time?

@MagikGimp said:

So glad Saint's Row didn't win; as good as that game is technically it is a poor reflection on modern society that people enjoy the negative themes it constantly pushes. GTA has similar themes but the moral repercussions are there making for good plots and well employed satirical wit on the crime genre as a whole. Saints Row just says "fuck it" and throws every sense of decency out the window. Perhaps that's what people want in their fantasy entertainment lives but I think it's incredibly sad. There's no consequences to anything and while I'm not igniting the "videogames are evil" debate at all -- there isn't one -- it's that I find it depressing that we've come to a point where people openly express their enjoyment and desire for excessive, random ultra-violence, over the top sexual themes & exploitation of women, needless profanity, the worship of wealth and excess and so forth.
While there is undoubtedly a pandering for 16 year old boys going on here I don't agree with just constantly pushing the boundaries just because someone dares to. Once even 16 year old boys found this content questionable but we just seem to carry on regardless to who knows what. If this where we're headed then why not openly face racism, the insulting of minorities, the handicapped and poor, insulting historical atrocities and crises, the murder of children etc. as suitable topics to virtually reproduce as acceptable forms of entertainment. For some reason we've come as far as to accept the earlier things as OK so why not keep going?
I think SR3 crossed the line and it shouldn't have; the line as far as I'm concerned shouldn't go any further than it already is. The boundaries of taste change over time but I really think we've come to the point where the reins need to be pulled.

True that, also during development time the game's original title was Saints Row: A Political Commentary, but in the end Saints Row: The Third seemed to just roll off the tongue easier.

I think you need to go outside and get some fresh air every once in a while. The fact that you are calling Saints Row a "fantasy entertainment life" instead of something along the lines of "a videogame" not only admits that Saints Row: The Third went way over your head, but the scariest part is that based on what you go on to say in the rest of your post; I can't really shake the eerie feeling that that very well could have been a Freudian slip and that you weren't just being dramatic.

Then again, coming from a guy named "MagikGimp" I'm going to assume you're trolling (and frankly that's a lot more comforting than the unnerving alternative) and I'll give you props that that little tirade was almost masterfully done.

@MrOldboy said:

I'm very surprised the BG community jumped on the Saints Row: The Third bandwagon as hard as they did. GB loves crazy, but sometimes some restraint needs to be taken and actually evaluate a game based on its own merits and not what others you want to follow have placed on it. Think of how you would have thought if the GB crew's reaction to the game didn't exist. I doubt people would argue that its deserves GOTY if it was based solely on their own opinion. To be honest I would go as far to say that if Jeff and Ryan hadn't pushed SR3 so hard during the year, the majority of the GB community would have thought it was trying way too hard and a bit lame.

The same thing could be said for the incredible, incredible amounts of hype surrounding Skyrim. Yes, I know it's easier to just tell yourself that everyone else are "sheeple" who are just easily swayed - because it gives ourselves self worth and makes us feel more distinguished than the "mindless masses" - but could it be that Saints Row the Third is actually a great game as well? Could it actually be that people have different opinions about what constitutes a fun, refreshing, and engaging game; and that these people aren't simplistic and easily entertained, but rather are on equal footing intellectually with those who think Skyrim is better? Could it be that people have preferences on what they think is fun?

I understand and respect other peoples' opinions, and even though I opposed Skyrim winning GOTY (because of the awful bugs), it was not because it was a bad game. I recognize that it is a damn great game, even if I never got to play it for more than a few hours. Even though I wanted SR3 to beat it, I don't make presumptuous statements about it. It's extremely discouraging to see people who have never actually played the game snobbishly turning up their noses at Saints Row and dismissing it just because it's designed around having wacky, dumb fun.

Implying that Saints Row The Third is lowbrow humor for the lowest common denominator like saying Skyrim is for super serious basement dwelling shut-ins who like to have fantasy entertainment lives and roleplay elves. They're both ignorant statements that are completely untrue.

@MrOldboy said:

Think about a giant dildo bat as an in game weapon, is that really not considered lame and pandering?

I'm really glad you mentioned the dildo bat, because I know you were trying to do there, but you unintentionally touched upon a perfect example of why the humor in Saints Row The Third is so good. If you put it like that, you're right. Removing everything else from the equation and looking at just having a giant dildo bat as an in game weapon is a bit lame and "trying too hard". But it's context is different in Saints Row. It's not Family Guy humor. People don't go "Hey, are you walking around with a giant dildo bat? Oh man, that's so crazy!" and do a funny reaction.

Let me explain:

You get the dildo bat as a weapon after you rescue a character from a BDSM club, and there's no fanfare around it. You just get it at the end of the mission unlock screen. That's what makes it so funny. That's what makes the writing so good - it's just so damn self aware and genre-savvy. It knows its a videogame, and it knows that we know its a videogame, and more importantly what we normally expect to happen in a videogame. It just takes that and runs with it on a level that I have not seen before in the industry, like ever. It's done so well that I stand by my opinion that the game is funnier than a lot of comedies out there.

A lesser game would have had a token scene or two where all of the characters react to having a dildo bat as a weapon. You know its coming. Ultimately, it would have been entitled to have that kind of a scene, because hey, you did just get a dildo bat. Even though it would have been predictable and a bit contrived, with the kind of humor that's in the popular comedy shows/movies today, it's just expected. I mean, hey, who doesn't love a good dick joke, right? That Saints Row The Third just averts this entirely this speaks a lot about the quality of not only the humor, but the writing. It's the meta-humor that SR3 knows that it could go there (and get away with it); it knows that you know that; and yet deliberately chooses not to that makes the impressive kind of clever. It's that kind of Inception-esque joke within a joke that makes the whole game so endearing.

People who haven't played it just see a few things (such as the dildo bat and that you can run around in a furry suit) and they write it off deeming themselves above it, while the delicious irony of it all is that there's a good chance that these very same jokes would go over their heads.

The writing is brilliant and the story is damn compelling, which people really seem to not give enough credit to because the theme of the story is so goofy and lighthearted. Yes, the story is not as serious or dramatic or emotional as Red Dead Redemption or Mass Effect, but that should not be the criteria for having great story. The same way I believe that Pixar has some of the best writers in the world; they work with the genre they have to deliver an experience/emotional impact that often times is more powerful than most R-rated movies that with all of their bells and whistles and cinematic freedom cannot deliver.

Because of that, I'm more attached to the characters of Saints Row The Third than any other title from 2011. They're fun to be around, I enjoy their personalities and they're memorable as characters. I'm genuinely excited when Pierce or Oleg or Kenzie come on the screen, because I know that this is going to entertain me. A lot of games go to great lengths to make characters relatable and empathetic to the player to make them attached to the characters, with varying degrees of success, but there's more than one way to make the player care about the characters.

There's no instance in Saints Row where you have to go visit Pierce in therapy who is wracked with guilt about all the innocent people he's killed and you learn about his tragic upbringing and how he puts on this carefree attitude to hide how vulnerable and scared he is. You don't nod knowingly to your television screen next time you go on a mission with him and Shaundi, having seen him at his weakest and watched him grow as a person. Fuck no, you guys sing along to "What I Got" while driving on the sidewalk mowing down God knows how many people while police cars are chasing you. Saints Row realizes its a videogame and doesn't spend all its time trying to get its characters to be "human" to the player, it spends its time making them "enjoyable", and the end effect is that I genuinely care about the characters of SR3 more than I enjoyed Adam Jensen or Geralt, which is a pretty incredible achievement.

The characters, the story, and the charismatic feeling (for lack of a better word) of it all were so good that the main complaint Ryan raised against it was that it ended. That's how good it was.

It seems like in this day and age where the industry is constantly trying to deliver the most realistic, serious, and dramatic experience it's like we've forgotten that you're never above just having some damn fun.

Arkham City is number 1 to me.

I loved all the character types... but dubstep Patrick was hilarious. Never speaks. I love it where Brad conjures him. Good stuff.

@DrMcKittrick said:

I'll be so glad when 2012 gets here so Giant Bomb can get off Bastions cock.

Seriously. Even as someone who played and enjoyed that game the thought of it being in the list of top 10 games of the year is just fucking stupid. It doesn't deserve it. It's just a bias because they're really good friends with those guys. I refuse to believe other wise.

@Branthog said:

So, it went down exactly like I said it was going to happen.

Duders have long drawn out discussion on how Skyrim was severely broken, severely glitchy, very repetitive, often very mundane and lacking variety, full of really underwhelming combat, and very much just a prettier and longer version of what you'd expect from a good modern RPG. (They also could have touched on the terrible character models and shitty voice acting, but that's okay). Attitude seems to be that it's great, but imperfect and the reason it gets a pass so often is that people approach it as "they're giving me what nobody else really is, right now". In other words "yeah, he beats me, but I can't find anyone else who loves me".

Duders have long drawn out discussion on how amazing Saints Row 3 is. It's fun, it has a ton of variety. It's insane. It's a blast to play. Great voice acting. Great absurd story. Clever self-aware writing. Tons of content. A game that you found yourself going back to repeatedly, even a good deal after you finished it.

... gives award to Skyrim, because internet ...

Fucking retarded.

Yeah and I find everything about Saints Row The third average at best and wouldn't even put it on my top 20 of the year. Skyrim is a better game so it won, you mad?

People still aren't getting, when Giant Bomb chose their games of the year, they didn't choose what other sites said was the best, they chose what they felt was the best, you ALL know that or else why would you be here? (other than the sites great content I suppose)

@ABK_92 said:

@Branthog said:

So, it went down exactly like I said it was going to happen.

Duders have long drawn out discussion on how Skyrim was severely broken, severely glitchy, very repetitive, often very mundane and lacking variety, full of really underwhelming combat, and very much just a prettier and longer version of what you'd expect from a good modern RPG. (They also could have touched on the terrible character models and shitty voice acting, but that's okay). Attitude seems to be that it's great, but imperfect and the reason it gets a pass so often is that people approach it as "they're giving me what nobody else really is, right now". In other words "yeah, he beats me, but I can't find anyone else who loves me".

Duders have long drawn out discussion on how amazing Saints Row 3 is. It's fun, it has a ton of variety. It's insane. It's a blast to play. Great voice acting. Great absurd story. Clever self-aware writing. Tons of content. A game that you found yourself going back to repeatedly, even a good deal after you finished it.

... gives award to Skyrim, because internet ...

Fucking retarded.

Yeah and I find everything about Saints Row The third average at best and wouldn't even put it on my top 20 of the year. Skyrim is a better game so it won, you mad?

Yeah, see, you lose me with that kind of logic when you compare facts (Skyrim being broken in some instances, lots of glitches, bug problems ranging from light to severe) to opinions (you finding everything about SR:TT average).

I personally was surprised that they omitted the PS3 version of Skyrim and saying that it wouldn't have even placed if they didn't remove it, but listening to the 2009/2010 GOTYs, weren't there several instances where this wasn't excusable? One of the examples being that Bayonetta wasn't nominated because of the crappy PS3 verison.

Also surprised at how the discussion went as well. Patrick made a good argument for Skyrim and brought up some good points, but I am beside myself at how unprofessional Brad was throughout the whole thing, even to the point where it started to get on my nerves. Someone should talk to him about how to debate and argue on radio without looking like an uncompromising douche. Jeff presented the best argument and while I saw where Vinny was going on a few points, he never really fleshed them out enough to make a good argument, but looking back on it I wonder if he knew that it wouldn't matter anyway. Ryan played it smart for theatrics sake and held his tongue as the tiebreaker so we could get some 2v2 debate in, but I didn't understand. It seemed like everyone had their mind made up from the beginning and the only purpose the hour debate served was to... I don't know what, really.

In the past GOTY debates, I've always come out of listening to it with an understanding why that particular title won. They should have edited out the debate, because that debate didn't make me feel like Skyrim deserved the GOTY at all. Jeff and Vinny talked circles around Brad and dismantled his arguments almost systematically with only Patrick putting up a good defense. Even when Ryan chimes in to break the tie, one of his main arguments against SR:TT is that it ended too soon, which would be valid if "too soon" didn't mean around 30 hours, which almost is like he's arguing in favor of SR:TT at that point.

I don't know, I feel like that they should have done the debate and then heavily edited it. I should be encouraged and stoked to go out and pick up the GOTY like the past two years, but it with how that podcast went it makes Skyrim's win feel really undeserving.

Not that GOTY awards have any true value - they're all done in the name of fun - I think GB still has some duty to clarify that only the 360 and PC versions of Skyrim get their nod as the best game this year. I know they made that clarification in the podcast, but that addendum should be displayed anytime Skyrim is acknowledged as Giant Bomb's GOTY 2011. The good job Bethesda did in executing those two versions should be met with equal criticism of how they botched the PS3 version.

I have a hard time deciding between Bastion, Saints Row, and Skyrim for my own number 1.

Dubstep Patrick should be the final boss in Saint's Row 4

Either that or a homie.

@Delex: Yes its not proper debate. But picking a game of the year isn't mathematics or science . There's no absolute formula. (I'm lying, its actually size_of_game_world + quest_lines + faces_quality/xbox360_bugs). It's all opinion dude!

A game can be more broken, yet still more 'fun' than a polished similar product. We human beings are weird people.

I guess if you're only able to play one game on that list (and so far, I am), better make it the #1 game, right? I'm enjoying it so far.

Brad should have won that final battle since he DID win the final battle.