GB Community Game of the Generation - Mass Effect 2

Checked the list, saw Dark Souls at the top, stopped reading. Wrap it up, that's the winner.

Hmm...should Heavy Rain be in this? The game was unique when it came out as a sort of modern take on Dragon's Lair-style games, but the story, the reason that David Cage wants people to play his games, is done in by hamfisted writing that is only more pronounced due to the importance placed on it.

My favorite game (Dragon's Dogma) isn't even on the list. :(

Dark Souls. Discussion ended, yo.

Seems like the sort of thing that'll sort itself out in voting. It is a pretty critically acclaimed game with a pretty large fanbase.

It absolutely should not be. The game is bad. It gets points for being ambitious, but the main crux of the game, the story, is filled with plot holes, is written by someone who doesn't understand English and has just bizarre voice acting. If I could choose one game from the list that absolutely should be removed, it's this one! I mean there's no Halo in there, no World of Warcraft, no Rayman, no Binding of Isaac, no Vanquish, no God of War... just lots of stuff that should be in there that had way more influence and "generation defining".

Asura's Wrath is another I'd take out. The story is pretty awesome, but it loses a ton of points for how gross they made the business end, and the game when not a QTE game is awful.

Mirror's Edge gets points for ambition, but too much in my opinion. We should get rid of it and add something that actually attained its high aspirations.

Almost forgot Deadly Premonition... I mean... come on...

I almost suggested removing it in favour of Valkyria Chronicles but I felt it does enough things differently and could leave a big enough impact that others could be removed instead.

@hailinel: I'd definitely leave it, the fan base is big enough to warrant it being in the voting.

At seeing how even the preliminaries are going already, I thought to myself: what am I even doing, fuck this popularity contest, suckered again, should have known better. :/

Though the effect it'd have on the efficiency of this process is immense, using a hard and fast "one entry per series" rule is totally unreasonable.

Take Mass Effect, for instance. Sure, Mass Effects 2 and 3 are fundamentally the same game. But there's a relatively stark chasm between Mass Effect 1 and Mass Effect 2.

Now, obviously, we use our good judgments to identify when a game is truly influential versus when it is iterative. But that doesn't mean it has to be black and white.

Also, this.

I can get on board with this - certainly Dark Souls is the better game, and the more popular one; you could definitely argue its greater popularity equaled a greater effect on players and developers (Dragon's Dogma, Deep Down?). I guess what I wanted to say was that Demon's Souls felt like a landmark title, if that makes any sense. Demon's Souls planted the flag - Dark Souls took it home?

The Bad: The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion is not on the first draft bracket. This is a travesty. I think the improvements they made in Skyrim made people forget how fucking amazing Oblivion was in 2006. It's hands-down one of the best games of the generation, and was much more critically, popularly, and commercially successful, and influential in the industry, than games like Asura's Wrath and - sorry GB - Deadly Premonition.

The Good: I love that Crusader Kings II is on the list. That game needs to be recognised for what it is: possibly the best strategy game of the generation. It won't get past the first round, if it's included at all, and that's a crying shame.

Whoa Brotherhood won over AC2 by one percent. Talk about close but those really are 2 fantastic games.

Don't let me down Giantbomb community, Nier and Dark/demon soul lets gooooooooooo!'

Edit: Also WTF no Nier on this list? You guys let me down.

I have a real problem with the downloadble games on this list. An INTENSE problem.

Braid, Bastion, Fez, Super Meat Boy and Spelunky?

Hotline Miami, Guacamelee! and FTL are all better in my opinion.

@mracoon Maybe we can have some sort of downloadble poll? Or just a roguelike poll for Super Meat, Spelunky, Hotline, FTL, Rogue Legacy, etc.

@shinjin977: I think you'll find that in the other top games of the generation thread (the one where everyone ranks their top 10) that Nier isn't going to break the top 100. It's not a good game.

You're keeping the polls open for less than 24 hours? that seems awfully short if you actually want to make this representative of the community.

I can't believe Brotherhood won, 2 was winning for most of the day.

This ain't wrong, even if its a little depressing. Admittedly I've played several thousand hours of LoL so far.

Well I have managed to vote against majority opinion every time and I thought Assassin's Creed 1 was the best in the series. That means I'm cool now right?

And I would throw Bad Company 2 into the mix. I think it's one of the best multiplayer shooters this generation along with Halo 3 and.....COD4 I guess.

Also what is Far Cry 3 doing on that list? Far Cry 2 was the superior game. I want a poll damn it!

EDIT: Argh you all have terrible opinions!

@mracoon: I'm going to be really fucking disappointed if To the Moon, STALKER, and Arma aren't on the list. If you are going put on stuff like Spelunky and Geometry Wars then you can make room for these games.

Is it worth doing a preliminary for Oblivion vs. Skyrim? Apart from that the only other franchise that I can think of that might need a preliminary is Gears of War.

In thinking that it never gets above the level of good is very subjective and dependent on personal preference. The way the game did combat was actually very unique since it wasn't just all out shooting but it required dodging attacks in a fashion similar to character action games wherein you can time it perfectly and get a "perfect" dodge while at the same time requiring the skill set of being able to effectively get accurate shots to take out foes in order to not waste ammo. The story itself was great and I thought the combat and gameplay mechanics was something I thoroughly enjoyed since it made combat encounters tense and exciting and being able to pull off a dodge perfectly and then proceeding to light up enemies prior to shooting them felt very satisfying compared to GTA IV wherein the shooting didn't feel as good though in fairness the shooting isn't the game's strongest attribute and they are both different games. Out of all the games this generation, I found Alan Wake to be pretty unique in that respect where it combined really satisfying, suspenseful combat with a unique and riveting, supernatural story.

I know this won't win but I really liked Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit. It did start the whole autolog leaderboard thing!

There I fixed it for you!

I feel people will tear each other apart trying to decide game of the gen as its so a personal taste thing. That said it's obviously Skyrim.

Why can there be both Bioshock and Bioshock Infinite, but not Mass Effect and Mass Effect 2? Can we eliminate one of them to give another franchise/game a shot?

Bioshock Infinite was very different from the original, both in terms of gameplay and atmosphere, no? Infinite was virtually all arena fights with waves of enemies. I remember Bioshock being very different but it's been a while.

Journey

Proposed preliminaries based on the bracket:

• Left 4 Dead vs. Left 4 Dead 2
• LittleBigPlanet vs. LBP 2
• Dead Space vs. Dead Space 2 (ehh, I just love the 2nd game too much not to suggest this)
• Gears of War vs. Gears of War 3
• The Witcher vs. The Witcher 2 (I fucking LOOOVE the original and I've come to realize I think the second while a superior game to play, 2 is something like 1 star less in my heart due to story and attachment. I don't think it would hurt)
• Geometry Wars vs. Geometry Wars 2
• Halo 3 vs. Halo Reach

Games worth omitting from the bracket currently

• Half-Life 2: Episode 2 - as much as I enjoyed this and think its worth discussing, very few people will go into its corner to defend it and probably doesn't deserve keeping a slot over other titles
• Fable II - I wonder if this is worth omitting because opinions on the series and even specific games are very divisive and ultimately inconsistent over time. I highly doubt it will last very long in the running and looking to both the audience and the staff, my guess is that this game doesn't stand up compared to others.
• Dragon Quest IX - I...didn't know this was popular enough or good enough to warrant a slot. Maybe I'm wrong but I feel like Dragon Quest just sorta happened and wasn't much mentioned. I do remember people liking it and I totally get the argument that we need to be wary of ignoring Japanese games but there are a few Japanese games I'd prefer over this
• Valkyria Chronicles - Like with Dragon Quest, I think this is a case of a good game that I feel would have little representation or precedent in the community. It's a sticky issue, to lean into games that seem to represent the interests of many and not the few, but I can't see this trumping the games I would suggest at all. I just don't see enough people batting for this one to warrant it on there.
• Hitman: Blood Money - While in light of Absolution, Blood Money was a good game, I don't think it necessarily trascends into greatness and into the level of game that might compete with these other titles. However if the previous three get the ax and this remains, I'm not going to cry over it. That or if people start threatening to remove Just Cause 2 (which I will start rioting if they do), I will leave this one in.

Games Worth Including

• Rayman: Origins - I absolutely think this game deserves a slot in this. As a breath of fresh air, a wonderful 2D game (despite my trepidations with the design/difficulty), and one that people love, this one should go in there. Also, I think if it does go in, then a good prelim would be Rayman: Origins vs. Legends.
• FTL - Another game where I might not love it but so many other people do and do so deeply I think it deserves a slot. Besides, it's one of the first kickstarter games that ended up successful and proved that crowdfunding games can work. Otherwise this would be the token downloadable slot that games like Hotline Miami, VVVVVV, Double-Fine games, Machinarium, Trine, Terraria etc. would occupy
• PAC-MAN: CHAMPIONSHIP EDITION DX - HOW IS THIS NOT IN THERE. IT'S THE BEST PAC-MAN GAME SINCE MS. PAC-MAN COME ON. Sorry for the all-caps but man realizing this wasn't in there brought it out of me.
• Amnesia: The Dark Descent - If there is ONE horror game to represent the generation and one game that alongside The Walking Dead brought out more intense emotions than anything I played from this generation, this one is it man. FTL excepting, I think it's a crime that this game along with the others would not be considered as part of the generation.
• Dirt 2 - This is the only other racing game that I think hit for a LOT of people and would stand up besides Forza.
• Battlefield: Bad Company - It might not get the publicity it deserves relative to its accomplishments but both as the game that introduced the amazing sound design and destructibility now in regular Battlefield, and the only military shooter with truly great humor and writing, it should get consideration. Would accept a Bad Company vs. Bad Company 2 prelim.
• Mark of the Ninja - As much as it pains me that Dishonored doesn't get as much love as I want, Mark of the Ninja game single-handedly refined stealth to a whole new level. Much like Amnesia, this game was genre defining and will have impact for years to come.

Out of all these games, if the games I mentioned got axed and had to get replaced, I would go with Rayman, Pac-Man, Mark of the Ninja, and Amnesia.

For what it's worth though, this has been a reminder of how many great games came out within this time span.

Dragon Quest IX is one of the generation's best RPGs on any platform. Some of its trappings are old school, but the game is one of the best, most charming RPGs to come out in years, with a story that handily meshes lighter and darker moments with ease. There's a lot more that I could get into about it than I really have room for here, but suffice it to say, it deserves a spot in this bracket far more than some of the other entries I see.

I mean, Far Cry 3? I know that Vaas is popular and all, but how else does Far Cry 3 actually stand out among its peers in the FPS genre to a notable degree? Any time someone mentions Far Cry 3 these days, it's generally in reference to Blood Dragon.

I'm going to throw a few names out there since I didn't spot them on the initial draft list or mentioned in the thread already:

Crackdown. Bulletstorm. Eternal Sonata.

I think World of Warcraft definitely deserves spot on the list, it has certainly had a lot of impact.

This isn't a popularity contest, however (in the sense of counting player numbers or total sales). If it was, we could just do a vote between Angry Birds, Candy Crush Saga and whatever Chinese MMO is the biggest these days and call it a day!

@mracoon: thinking about this I realized I'm not sure how to vote in these polls.

Am I supposed to vote for which game I enjoyed the most or which game I think is objectively the best?

Am I supposed to vote for the game that's the most well made or the one that's most innovative?

Yeah I guess I just didn't like the combat very much. Enemies would come seemingly out of nowhere and hit you, which contributed to the tension but was completely unfair. I thought the "shine the light on shaking possessed objects to exorcise them" mechanic was dumb and frustrating. Shining the light on the enemies to break their "shield" was a cool mechanic, though. As for the story, I can see why some people would like it as a Stephen King-esque mystery/thriller/horror tale, but it left me kind of unsatisfied. Maybe if they had included the DLC, things would be different on that front.

All of this is of course completely subjective, there's never any objectivity in things like this. If the combat and story resonated strongly with some people, that's awesome and good to know. I like when people like things. Put it on the list. To me, though, it seemed merely good and not great.

Hmm, Demon's Souls or Dark Souls. Technically they not of the same franchise, but I think it's safe to say there wouldn't be a Dark Souls without Demon's Souls.

It's interesting to see how these polls are turning out. A lot of it looks to be coming down to whether you prefer the more refined game or the original spark. In most cases however I've found the earlier games to be better on a whole, despite lacking the improvements from the later iteration.

Demon's Souls is a closer call, but would edge out Dark Souls for me.

If Valkyria Chronicles makes it past the first round, then we, as a community, have completely fucked up.

@l33t_haxor: I think one could make a similar argument for Mass Effect and Mass Effect 2. I think it kind of sucks the only franchise that's going to have multiple representations in this list could potentially be Bioshock. There are other franchises with games that could make a similar argument for additional games on the list, so I say take one of the Bioshocks off and let another franchise have a shot.

Why is Skyrim not replaced by Oblivion or Morrowind?? I demand a preliminary for it!!

Morrowind was an Xbox game, not Xbox 360.

No, no we will have not.

I think the game that embodies GiantBomb as a community would definitely have to be Saints Row III. I don't think it'll win - but man, it should.

Red Dead Redemption not being on the list is a horrid miscalculation.

Where's Super Mario Galaxy 1 vs 2? COME ON!!!

It is on the list.

@hailinel: Then I rescind my previous comment! Thanks for pointing out how ridiculous it was.

This... Wii Sports practically sold the Wii to a lot of people. It was also the game that brought a lot of new people into playing games this generation.

Was it the best game of the generation? Probably not, but it's a game that will be remembered when looking back at the generation.

Good lord, that Fallout 3 vs New Vegas discussion was heartbreaking. Hearing people talk about how they don't play Fallout games "for the writing" despite that ALWAYS being one of the biggest focuses of the series, talking about how there wasn't as much to find in New Vegas despite it having almost double the number of questlines, half the comments admitting they only played 3. Life goes on, and i'm just glad a Fallout game got on the list, but god damn does New Vegas deserve a spot in Underrated Community Game of the Generation.

Also, No More Heroes really should have gone on the list. It's the best game that ever came out for the Wii, and certainly more notable than Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts and Bolts or Spelunky.

Dead Rising deserves to be on this list. It was completely unic, still is to this day and with Gears of War and GRAW one of the first "true" next-gen games. Also, where the hell is GRAW 1 or 2? And F.E.A.R 1 or 2 guys... guys?