Which of these mouse-and-keyboard marvels drew us in most in 2009? You're so close to finding out that you can practically taste it! Gross!
While the release of Windows 7 certainly grabbed a lot of headlines, there were also plenty of games out in 2009 that really took special advantage of the benefits that being on a PC brings. But none took better advantage of that extra power and control than our PC Game of the Year!
It's pretty fitting that the best PC game of 2009 is a game that, if not for its impressive graphics, feels like it could have been released on the platform a decade ago. No other 2009 release felt more like a PC game than Dragon Age: Origins. Hell, even if you were playing BioWare's latest on the PlayStation 3 or Xbox 360, you probably still felt like you might be able to Alt-Tab away to a browser to read up on spell combos. And you know what? That's awesome.
There's a reason why party-based, strategic, 50-hour epics were fun ten years ago, and that reason is why Dragon Age still works today. That part wasn't really much of a surprise, though. It was the ease at which this type of game shed its Dungeons and Dragons backdrop and ruleset and fully embraced a whole new world that really made it work. BioWare came up with something that not only kept the complexity of its lineage, but made it accessible to a new crop of high-fantasy players. That's pretty hard to do when you consider the game's main audience were the same people that ripped Fallout 3 to shreds last year.
Similar parallels could be drawn to Dawn of War II, which proved that the PC is still the only place you really want to play a real-time strategy game, even when it removes the need to manage dozens of on screen troops like the latest Warhammer 40k game did. Both titles showed that old tricks still work, and work even better with a new perspective.
lol you're right.. then what are we talking about here? best PC game not necessarily an exclusive? Kay. hey paa "
They probably decided the PC did not have enough big name AAA exclusives to have a PC-only award. The PC has a ton of exclusives but they are mostly smaller titles like Zeno Clash or League of Legends, nothing that gets the mainstreamers excited. "
There were a few actual exclusives that sold 'mainstream' numbers this year (GB reviewed at least 4 of them and scored them all 4 or 5), but I can maybe see why they handled the PC category the way they did. Technically, it would be wrong to call Dragon Age a PC exclusive, but the difference in how it plays between the console version and the PC version is perhaps enough to to treat them as different games. I think this was the best way to give the award to the game they felt deserved it, without people bitching about it not being an exclusive. (I haven't watched the video yet, so apologies if they address this issue).
Dawn of War 2 is PC GotY for me, exclusive or non-exclusive - it may even prove to be the most mechanically influential game released this year on any platform. I think you could release a game not dissimilar to DoW2 on the consoles and it would play fine and be relatively successful. I think they invented a console-friendly RTS/RTT, without it being patronising and shit.
I'm just replaying it now and I'm loving it. Got all the variables worked out and building up perfecto characters. Definitely a strong contender for GOTY across all platforms!
Fantastic! This is my personal GOTY. I found myself making decisions I normally wouldn't just to gain favor with certain party members. Rarely am I that invested in a game and its characters.
WTF! So the PC GotY, and one of the runners up, are multi-platform games? Even if it is best on PC, what with the controls etc., you can play them on other systems. And where the hell is the Torchlight love?
lol you're right.. then what are we talking about here? best PC game not necessarily an exclusive? Kay. hey paa "
They probably decided the PC did not have enough big name AAA exclusives to have a PC-only award. The PC has a ton of exclusives but they are mostly smaller titles like Zeno Clash or League of Legends, nothing that gets the mainstreamers excited. "
There were a few actual exclusives that sold 'mainstream' numbers this year (GB reviewed at least 4 of them and scored them all 4 or 5), but I can maybe see why they handled the PC category the way they did. Technically, it would be wrong to call Dragon Age a PC exclusive, but the difference in how it plays between the console version and the PC version is perhaps enough to to treat them as different games. I think this was the best way to give the award to the game they felt deserved it, without people bitching about it not being an exclusive. (I haven't watched the video yet, so apologies if they address this issue). Dawn of War 2 is PC GotY for me, exclusive or non-exclusive - it may even prove to be the most mechanically influential game released this year on any platform. I think you could release a game not dissimilar to DoW2 on the consoles and it would play fine and be relatively successful. I think they invented a console-friendly RTS/RTT, without it being patronising and shit. "
I am a PC-only gamer and honestly other than Strategy games I can't think of any AAA PC exclusives this year. Empire and Dawn of War 2 were great games but I can't see limiting the GotY honors on PC to one genre. As you say, I am sure they did it this way to be able to give it to Dragon Age, which definately was a PC game despite being ported elsewhere as they say in the video.
"I wish I could be more interested in PC games but I don't have gaming PC. Anyways its nice to see PC games recognized by the staff. "
You could... you know... buy one. Or more intelligently build one.
I don't get why console-only gamers act like they could never play games on a PC. You can build a modest gaming PC for the price of a console and be right there in the thick of it, it's not hard. I am a PC only gamer but I know I could go get a PS3 if I wanted to, I have that option, I don't say things like "I wish I could be a console gamer too!" I could be, anyone could be, just as anyone could be a PC gamer.
I looooooooooooved it when they started talking about the resting in older, dnd-esque videogames. God, that really was terrible. I love BG2, but man... resting. ugh.
L4D2 is almost exactly the same game on 360 and PC, there is not enough distinction to make it the PC-only GOTY. Dragon Age is in it's very core an oldschool PC RPG game, that's the whole point.
" Why aren't the PC games exclusives, like in the other platform awards? "
Because there were no PC exclusives worthy of GOTY, as in really exclusive. Also, listen to the latest bombcast guys, Jeff explains it right at the beginning.
There were a few actual exclusives that sold 'mainstream' numbers this year (GB reviewed at least 4 of them and scored them all 4 or 5), but I can maybe see why they handled the PC category the way they did. Technically, it would be wrong to call Dragon Age a PC exclusive, but the difference in how it plays between the console version and the PC version is perhaps enough to to treat them as different games. I think this was the best way to give the award to the game they felt deserved it, without people bitching about it not being an exclusive. (I haven't watched the video yet, so apologies if they address this issue). Dawn of War 2 is PC GotY for me, exclusive or non-exclusive - it may even prove to be the most mechanically influential game released this year on any platform. I think you could release a game not dissimilar to DoW2 on the consoles and it would play fine and be relatively successful. I think they invented a console-friendly RTS/RTT, without it being patronising and shit. "
I am a PC-only gamer and honestly other than Strategy games I can't think of any AAA PC exclusives this year. Empire and Dawn of War 2 were great games but I can't see limiting the GotY honors on PC to one genre. As you say, I am sure they did it this way to be able to give it to Dragon Age, which definately was a PC game despite being ported elsewhere as they say in the video. "
'AAA' is pretty meaningless, which is why I didn't use it. In terms of games with 'mainstream sales' - in addition to Empire and DoW 2 - I was thinking also of Wrath of the Lich King (2.8m sales in 24 hours) and Sims 3 (~4 million to date). Granted, Wrath is an expansion, but game content is sold in all kinds of different forms nowadays, discounting it for that seems pretty arbitrary.
I'm not suggesting Wrath, Sims or Empire should have made Giant Bomb's final three, but there were definitely massively successful PC exclusives this year, and not all strategy by any means. I would have no hesitation in saying the top 3 (selling) PC exclusives of '09 handily outsold the PS3's top 3 exclusives, and probably even the 360's.
No problem with Dragon Age winning it but it's very close between Dawn of War II and Dragon Age for me. I'll concede to Dragon Age because while the campaign was excellent and innovative in Dawn of War II, the multiplayer was very traditional and I didn't even bother with it. Here's hoping they bring the same approach to their multiplayer in the future.
There were a few actual exclusives that sold 'mainstream' numbers this year (GB reviewed at least 4 of them and scored them all 4 or 5), but I can maybe see why they handled the PC category the way they did. Technically, it would be wrong to call Dragon Age a PC exclusive, but the difference in how it plays between the console version and the PC version is perhaps enough to to treat them as different games. I think this was the best way to give the award to the game they felt deserved it, without people bitching about it not being an exclusive. (I haven't watched the video yet, so apologies if they address this issue). Dawn of War 2 is PC GotY for me, exclusive or non-exclusive - it may even prove to be the most mechanically influential game released this year on any platform. I think you could release a game not dissimilar to DoW2 on the consoles and it would play fine and be relatively successful. I think they invented a console-friendly RTS/RTT, without it being patronising and shit. "
I am a PC-only gamer and honestly other than Strategy games I can't think of any AAA PC exclusives this year. Empire and Dawn of War 2 were great games but I can't see limiting the GotY honors on PC to one genre. As you say, I am sure they did it this way to be able to give it to Dragon Age, which definately was a PC game despite being ported elsewhere as they say in the video. "
'AAA' is pretty meaningless, which is why I didn't use it. In terms of games with 'mainstream sales' - in addition to Empire and DoW 2 - I was thinking also of Wrath of the Lich King (2.8m sales in 24 hours) and Sims 3 (~4 million to date). Granted, Wrath is an expansion, but game content is sold in all kinds of different forms nowadays, discounting it for that seems pretty arbitrary.
I'm not suggesting Wrath, Sims or Empire should have made Giant Bomb's final three, but there were definitely massively successful PC exclusives this year, and not all strategy by any means. I would have no hesitation in saying the top 3 (selling) PC exclusives of '09 handily outsold the PS3's top 3 exclusives, and probably even the 360's. "
You're right of course, but I have to say if Sims 3 or Empire won game of the year it would have annoyed me, they're just not of that caliber. Sales does not mean quality, even Dawn of War 2, which I loved, got mostly in the 8 range. To give the GotY to a game that was really excellent they needed to step outside the PC-only thing.
"Playing this on the 360 but DAM, the PC version looks so much better "
The longer the 360 and PS3 are the newest consoles the more PC graphics will move beyond them. It's happening late this generation because of console dominance, but it is still happening. I can't wait to see Mass Effect 2 on PC, I have a feeling the difference will be just as much there.
Because if it was, Dragon Age wouldn't win. Which would be a shame, since it really is amazing the best PC game of the year. And this is coming from someone who wasn't hyped for it in the slightest.
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