Game of the Year 2012: Brad's Top 10

@Brad I know it's not really possible to do, but would you have put ME3 at the top, much less on, your list without the DLC?

Kind of surprised D3 didn't make it. But it's still an awesome list.

GGGGGGGAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I'M SO ANGRY THAT SOMEBODY ELSE LIKED A GAME I DIDN'T! Good to see Mass Effect 3 getting it's due despite some flaws in the original product.

@Brad said:

@ILuvMsMarvel: I'd recommend skipping Omega -- $15 is too much for what you get, and it adds nothing to the larger ME3 storyline. You sure get a lot of war assets out of it, though. All the other DLC is crucial.

Dang Brad, great list! You have to respect it too, glad you didn't wuss out on ME3 just for the flak it has gotten. Good man.

@RoyCampbell said:

@shadowwolf9 said:

People who badmouth ME3 are really a bunch of crybaby bandwagoners. I'm glad Brad chose what he truly believed to be GOTY. I'm not sure if ME3 would be my GOTY, but it's a fantastic game regardless.

Uhh, no. I think they're people with opinions, just like the opinion you expressed. Rude.

Let me rephrase. That's more toward the people who claimed Brad was outright wrong for choosing it as his GOTY. I still think those who moan about the ending are a product of the bandwagon effect, but they are certainly entitled to the opinion. And BOY do they feel entitled.

@Brad said:

@phrosnite said:

Great list. I'm kind of surprised Far Cry 3 wasn't higher on the list though.

If that game had managed to tell a good story all the way through, it would have been an easy #1 for me. You broke my heart, Far Cry 3.

The story just completely loses any momentum or intrigue by the time you get tot he second island. Really disappointing. Great game regardless, just don't play it for the story.

Very cool video. Leave it to Shoemaker to pull so many art house games and downloadables. I pretty much expected all the games that wound up on this list. The real shocker was seeing Mass Effect 3 as number 1. I mean it's on my list too but as Brad points out he played a very different game from people like me.

I'm happy you qualified your #1 choice. You should have made a similar statement for Asura's Wrath, though. I ended up watching the real ending they made DLC on youtube.

At the very least Brad doesn't care about public opinion. I can always respect people that say "Oh, so everybody in the world hated this? Well FUCK ALL OF YOU I loved it and that's why I put it on Number 1!"

@Brad: Fair enough on Omega. I already have everything story wise except for Leviathan. I got the CE so From Ashes is already in there for me. On that note I also agree with you putting him in the running for best new character. He didn't win but hey. They spent years building up the Protheans then he shows up and flushes it all out the airlock the second time you talk to him. He's a dick, but one you want to have along with you just to see what he'll say during the missions.

Suprised by Brad's top game and really bummed that I'll never get to play it with those three key DLC's.

BRAD FIGHT THE POWER

Well i played ME3 with what it had at launch and it was fucking fantastic. Cant say i can agree with the requiring dlc in order to be good, thats crazy talk.

Wow, honestly was not expecting Mass Effect 3 to be at the top. During the podcasts, he seemed to be agreeing with everyone that the way they presented the DLC was bullshit. Well, I guess he did agree with them, but it didn't really come off that he loved the game so much.

@Rio: Its more that without that DLC the game is much less of an experience.

I could tell what Brad's #1 choice would be by the way his eyes were sparkling right the way through the countdown. The ultimate troll...

Was Frog Fractions ever discussed on the bombcast? I just don't recall hearing about this game prior to the top ten discussions

Just saying: having the Madden 13 menu music playing behind this is so epic.

I wonder how many trolls on here talking shit about ME3 actually played it through(and have the achievements to prove it). The whole ending fiasco that has persisted since 2 days after release makes me wonder how many people actually played it, and how many people are just jumping on a hate bandwagon. I'm not saying it didn't have flaws, but you can't really argue with Brad's justification, and to do so is so fucking petty I can hardly stand it.

I'm not sure if the Return of the King analogy works in this case. The argument was that the oscars held off awarding The Lord of the Rings until the final film was released but this didn't happen with Mass Effect. The 2nd one won many a goty awards (maybe not Brads). It leaves a bit of a sour taste in the mouth but at the end of the day, it's just an opinion.

Probably the Top Ten that is most in-line with mine. Pretty great!!

@Paulie_P said:

I'm not sure if the Return of the King analogy works in this case. The argument was that the oscars held off awarding The Lord of the Rings until the final film was released but this didn't happen with Mass Effect. The 2nd one won many a goty awards (maybe not Brads). It leaves a bit of a sour taste in the mouth but at the end of the day, it's just an opinion.

It doesn't work at all.

Did not expect Mass Effect 3 at number 1, good choice Brad, I had the same Mass Effect 3 experience as you, I bought it on release day but finished it with all the DLC about the same time as you
 
Mass Effect 3 was an amazing game

"but wait you have to go deeper" is an awesome play on words. Props to Brad. Also having to give a reason why it's your GOTY seems to me like he knows he should have picked Walking Dead. At the end of the day it's his list so whatevs. TEAM JAKE SPRAGUE!!

Oh wow, Mass Effect 3? I enjoyed it as well.

I really wish Dust: An Elysian Tale would come to PC /=

@Brad Beautifully said Brad. Loved your top ten list not just for the contents, but for the way you gave your opinion on each game and why it was there. Shoot, I haven't even played half the games up on there, but you definitely got my attention on them.

@bennym6 said:

@probablytuna Who cares about spoilers for an old game. Jeff would hate you.

Well me, obviously.

@deano546 said:

I think #TeamBrad should be disbanded, after his questionable choice for GOTY.

That.

Fuck you Brad. Mass Effect has gotten plenty of recognition, you don't get to name the weakest one in the GOTY list just because you waited until they addressed all the issues well after release.

Mass Effect 3 was good. Not my number 1, but good.

Bravo, Brad. People got so caught up in the ending bullshit and their hate for EA, that they forgot what an incredible ride the ME trilogy was.

Words cannot describe how much I admire and respect Brad Shoemaker right now. I am very happy to see that Brad loved Mass Effect 3, as much as I did. I feel like I need to download From Ashes and Leviathan when I start a new playthrough next year.

Also, that was a very unique personal list he made. Well, done, Brad.

Sweet lord, these videos are awesome.

Great list, Brad.

I understand why he loves ME3, and I honestly believe its a good game.... but GOTY?

Seriously? Why give a game that was broken and unfinished on release a GOTY award? That's just a reason for more publishers/developers to pull out this kind of crap.

no diablo? come on

@Taters: GOTY should be based on what game did you most enjoy. Not what game had the smoothest launch. Giving it a GOTY award doesn't tell developers/publishers they can pull off this stuff. Because Brad didn't award it GOTY because of its great launch. It tells developers/publishers to make games that have really enjoyable content. I'm sure no one is looking at the Mass Effect 3 launch and say to themselves "Yeah lets do that."

Mass Effect 3 is the ultimate argument against pre-ordering and buying games at release. Apparently if you wait 9 months, you get not only a much better game, but the price will probably have been cut too.

Frog Fractions, went deeper, I regret nothing!

@Hurricrane said:

@deano546 said:

I think #TeamBrad should be disbanded, after his questionable choice for GOTY.

That.

Fuck you Brad. Mass Effect has gotten plenty of recognition, you don't get to name the weakest one in the GOTY list just because you waited until they addressed all the issues well after release.

Umm yes he does get to do that acutally, because it's HIS list, not anyone else's list. Where do you get off telling someone that their choice is wrong just because you can't get off your high horse?

Im so jealous of brad if only I had waited to play ME3

@Hurricrane said:

@deano546 said:

I think #TeamBrad should be disbanded, after his questionable choice for GOTY.

That.

Fuck you Brad. Mass Effect has gotten plenty of recognition, you don't get to name the weakest one in the GOTY list just because you waited until they addressed all the issues well after release.

How arrogant.

I really liked Brad's comparison of Mass Effect to Lord of the Rings. I think it is true that some stories can't be truly appreciated until they are completed. I think that is something that we saw with, the cult favorite TV series, Firefly. Joss Whedon needed to finish that series and, while it wasn't the best way to end the series, he needed to have that closure; as much so as the fans even.

As a small aside, I wish that he would have said the same thing about Asura's Wrath. Having heard that the DLC is mandatory to complete the end of the game, it seems that Asura's Wrath and Mass Effect 3 are examples of the recent industry trend to sell the "real" endings of the series.

Does this signal an increase in game prices for the next generation?

What 3 expansions to ME3 was Brad referring to? Omega, Leviathan, and what's the final one?

@ttocs: Presumably From Ashes.

Wait. Did Diablo 3 come out this year? I would've thought that would be somewhere on this list. Shows what I know I suppose.

I never comment. But Mass Effect 3 as Game of the Year? That demands a comment.

Its predecessor was one of my favourite games of all time.

ME3, well...was not.

I know this is all subjective, etc. but I literally couldn't disagree more with Brad's choice.

I have gained profound respect for Brad's intelligence over the past two years of hanging out on giantbomb. He is the quiet strong type of the group, but he is raizor sharp and confident. I admire him greatly now. First personal list I went to watch.

Good job duder.

@ttocs said:

What 3 expansions to ME3 was Brad referring to? Omega, Leviathan, and what's the final one?

Leviathan, From Ashes, Extended Cut. Omega is skippable.