GotG Final: Dark Souls vs. Mass Effect 2

@theht: More salt in here than on Salty Bet.

It's a goddamn popularity contest guys. Who cares who wins. They're both great games.

Fuck that shit. The winners invalidate the losers' opinions.

PRAISE MY DICK

I dont get the love for ME. It just feels generic to me. Everyone gushes over the story, chars, and the world. I think the Reapers are fucking stupid. The chars are pretty bland all around. The universe is ok, its serviceable, but I dont get the love for it. I never went to any location and felt like it was a real place. It felt like a set piece with obvious gaming level design from 10 years ago. There is just something I cant really put my finer on in the overall presentation that just yanks the immersion away from me, and leaves a prop set in its place.

Forgive me Mass Effect. Dark Souls lit the bonfire in my heart.

Dark Souls beats Mass Effect 2 in nearly every way.

• Combat? Dark Souls.
• RPG Mechanics? Dark Souls.
• Level Design? Dark Souls.
• Multiplayer? Dark Souls by default.
• Replayability? Dark Souls.
• Story? Dark Souls. Yes, I said it. I'd post a rant here but fuck it.
• Binary moral decisions that are pretty much already made for you, because you decided you wanted to play the game with a certain spec? Mass Effect, I guess.
• "Consequences" that nobody ever experiences, because you damn well know everyone in this thread reloaded their save games if they lost someone on that final mission? Mass Effect.

This is an easy choice, because I like games with good stories. Dark Souls.

Dear god, it goes back and forth. This is too much for me, I'm going to bed.

Oh wow, been watching this bracket and kinda can't believe it's come down to this?

Please end in a tie.

I will say. One of my favorite parts of this poll series is showing how completely broken the poll system is on these forums. it's currently 51% to 50%.... UH.....

BALANCE ACHIEVED (FOR NOW)

Mass Effect twooooooooooo.

As far as I'm concerned, Mass Effect 2 is a brilliant game, but it is not the best game of the generation. It's not the best RPG of the gen either. It's not even the best BioWare game of the gen. Fuck, it's not even the best Mass Effect game of the gen.

But it's a far better choice for Giant Bomb GOTG than Dark Souls, that's for damn sure. And I don't say that because I hate Dark Souls - I played enough of it to have a certain respect for it, along with an acknowledgement that it's not my cup of tea - I say it because if Dark Souls win it'll feel too much like the whole contest has come down to the recent visibility of the game on the site, along with the fact that it's championed by Vinny, the most popular GB duder. Every single one of the Giant Bomb crew loved ME2, including Vinny.

Whichever way you want to vote - favourite game, biggest impact, widest appeal, most loved by GB staff - Mass Effect 2 wins. It's the correct choice.

@yyziggurat said:

I've only beaten ME2 but I really loved Demon's Souls. And I have beaten that. So I voted for Dark Souls.

This isn't a great picture if you have your head in the gutter.

Man I truly am shocked that Dark Souls made it this far. I knew that that game had people who loved it but...

I hope Mass Effect 2 takes it, as I do really believe that it's one of the best games this generation, but I'm not going to fight anyone over it.

50/50, oh god I'm actually nervous about this.

Mass Effect 2!!!!

Such a close poll so far. I'm curious to know how many have played both, not just either of the games. I feel like Dark Souls is too divisive for it's own good and can never truly be a game of the generation. It's the kind of game that asks you to earn everything, from story to progress, even multiplayer. While Mass Effect is way less obtuse and up front about what you get and do. That sort of thing is entirely preference and what makes these sort of things difficult.

I really enjoyed this guys lore videos. He does a good job of separating facts gathered from game and his interpretations.

love both games... but damn think dark souls has the edge for me.

Sorry Dark Souls but Mass Effect 2 is assuming direct control of this contest!.... and this hurts you!

You are so bitter.

Then again, a lot of people seemed confident that Mass Effect 2 would just walk away the winner after curb-stomping Dark Souls. No dice.

And my vote push Mass Effect to a 51-50 lead!

Wait, what?

Half of the people in this thread are guilty of not being in space.

YOU'RE GOING DOWN MASS EFFECT

DEFENSE! DEFENSE!

Half of the people in this thread are guilty of not praising the say.

I think most people thought Mass Effect 2 would just run away with it because that's basically what happened for all the other matchups against Mass Effect 2. Still crazy how close this poll is.

That's a bold statement.

Also, neither of them has had any noticable impact at all. ME2 is game that's been formed by other games, not the other way around. And while Dark Souls might've had some impact on the community it's not like we've seen many developers (big or small) trying to copy it. Ironically if you're looking at the 3 last categories you're suggesting neither of these games would probably be top contenders.

Both of these games are pretty good you guys...

Dark Souls never had a chance for me. I love Dark Souls, but Mass Effect 2 makes up an integral part to one of my favorite franchises.

Tell me this is some sick joke.... 744 votes and both are sitting at 50%. Would be pretty funny if there were so many split votes that you had to have someone from engineering tell you which one actually won due to rounding issues.

Also... Praise the sun.

Now I just want this to be split 50/50 forever so we can do the whole lame "EVERYONE WINS" thing at the end, leaving no one satisfied until we all just get in an arena and engage in mortal bloodsport.

Ok people need to stop generalizing Mass Effect fans as bitter haters of anything that isn't Mass Effect , I mean some people are saying those who played Mass Effect haven't even played andy of Souls games come on!, can't you like both? (I like Demon's Souls because that's the one I played, but voted for Dark Souls in all the other polls) people taking this seriously is the real bummer about it, this is suppose to be fun so keep posting jpgs and stuff I love it!.

Overall RDR is my GOTG. I loved Mass Effect 2 and had fun playing through it. Dark Souls holds a special place in my heart though. DS just had way more replayability for me and I'm a total lore nerd so it gets my vote here.

We'll just settle it in the poll that really matters:

CHARACTERS OF THE GENERATION!

I'll say the best thing to come out of these posts has been the stunning Dark Souls propaganda posters.

This is really a case where everyone wins, regardless of which game comes out on top. Mass Effect 2 is so so very good! But in the end, I'm still praising the sun. I leave you with the Tribe, fight on, brave tribesmen.

Your future space dancing cannot defeat The Fresh Prince of Lordran!

@getwimmy: This video is so meta. I'm sure it will sway some peeps.

Yeah, I don't see how ME can win over DS. Dark Souls wasn't an action game with toned-down RPG elements at the demands of the EA overlords - it was a true evolution of what Demon's Souls had begun, with improvement in nearly every area and an atmosphere EA developers could never touch.

I've said enough by now. Dark Souls is one of the most mechanically honed and sharpened games ever released, and stands out even more nowadays for the dearth of that sort of experience. There isn't a game I'll come back to more often once this generation fades away

Wait what? Are you saying that half the people in this thread actually live in space? WHOAH!

This poll is bonafide madness.

Seems like ME2 is indeed winning now. Only 770 votes or so is pretty depressing. This site gets over 1k unique visitors a day easily.

This is the awkward part where I've never played either game. I did play Demon's Souls but, it is not even close to being my favorite game. I really don't know which game will win this.

I love this gif.

Fart Souls

There's always next generation, Dark Souls. Bow out gracefully.

@colourful_hippie: Ass Effect

*2

Two of my favorite games from the last ten years? I'm okay with either one! Both were significant improvements in every way upon their predecessor, and both had me completely absorbed. Also I have an S-rank in both. Hmmm...

So Super Mario Galaxy should win. COME ON!