I played Arkham Asylum, but I didn't really like it. Dini's storyline was pretty uninteresting, the boss battles were generally mediocre, the detective bits were style over any challenging substance, etc. Decent game, but not GOTY material for me.
Without a doubt in my mind, Uncharted 2. If any other game wins it, it'll be simple highway robbery. No other game is so gorgoeus with such a perfectly paced campaign and story from start to finish. Multiplayer should be a nice plus, and it has that down too. It's basically non-disputable unless you just don't like action games, or you don't have the means to play it (no PS3).
Runner-up nod I'd give to Batman probably.
MW2 has too much lacking in SP campaign to be seriously considered. Borderlands is solid, but it does quickly get repetitive (i'd put it at number 3 on my list though, there are a few glaring flaws that, if fixed, would have made it SO much better). Demon's Souls, while very good, is entirely too much of a niche title to really deserve GOTY.
" Demon's Souls - Beautiful, deep story, punishing gameplay and just fantastic in a world of easy games.Dragon Age: Origins - Haven't finished yet but great story, great characters and returning to the roots of old school Fantasy RPGs.Uncharted 2 - Visually impressive, fantastic characters, improved on the original but is a sequel and I don't feel sequels should earn GOTY personally. So i'll have to give to Demon's Souls for being so anticipated and doing well despite being a niche title from a smaller publisher. Most likely Demon's Souls will not win it and DA:O is more of chance for RPG of the year. Haven't touched MW2 yet (it's on my desk) but heard the SP is easy on Veteran and that's disappointing and well I am so into DA:O that I won't touch MW2 SP before then, maybe i'll install it for some MP on PC to see if I can enjoy it. "
Whoa whoa, its by no means easy, just easier than COD4, which in my opinion is a good thing.
So far Its Batman: Arkham Asylum. Its a big deal that they finally made a great Batman title. But seeing as I'm about to play Borderlands and Dragon Age starting tomorrow, this is subject to change.
I always base my sort of "Game of the Year nominees" on what I feel have been the biggest games for each system, multiplatform, PC, handhelds, and a couple wildcards.
360 exclusive, Halo 3: ODST, wonderful campaign accompanied by a beautiful melodic score. PS3 exclusive, Uncharted 2, I actually wasn't a big fan of the first game, but the sequel really took things to an experience usually only seen on a cinematic level. Wii exclusive, Metroid Prime Trilogy, one of the greatest game collections ever, though it's a shame that the Wii GotY nominee right now belongs to something that is ultimately not new. PC exclusive, The Sims 3, because it's one of the few PC exclusives I played this year, ha. DS exclusive, Mario and Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story, a PHENOMENAL RPG experience that is insanely humorous and wonderful. PSP exclusive, Half Minute Hero, some of the best ways 30 seconds have been spent in an RPG, or any game, ever. DLC game, Shadow Complex, who cares if it was a Super Metroid and Castlevania ripoff, it was awesome. Multi-Platform choices: - Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, haven't played it, but guessing it's phenomenal. - Borderlands: One of the best multiplayer experiences of the year, I can't wait to get my hands on a 360 copy. - DJ Hero: Totally came out of left field and blew me away with how great the gameplay is.
Right now, I'd really be leaning toward either Uncharted 2 or Borderlands, in all honesty. DJ Hero is close.
Borderlands -Invention of basically a whole new genre, iv played this game more than any other so far this year.
Batman Arkham Asylum -The most pollished and fun Super Hero game I have ever played and never a dull moment.
Modern Warfare 2 Umm....yeah
Street Fighter IV To bring back into the spotlight the most beloved fighting franchise ever, and actually making it good is a pretty awesome accomplishment. Bringing it back to its roots with adding great new elements.
Havent played DAO yet because, god damn that game is huge, and with MW2 Borderlands and Forza 3 taking up my time idk when i would play that game.
Also, why the hell are people trying to say that liberty city stories are game of the year material ??? are you serious. This is DLC for one thing, and second its adding onto a game that came out over a year and a half ago that hasn't aged particularly well. Personally, I dont think GTA is even the game of the year for 08, most likely number 5 on my top five. So I dont understand why people think DLC should even be considered for game of the year. Dont get me wrong, Im not sayin that stuff isnt good but game of the year...mmmmm no way.
Usually I'd pick a game that I have actually played but I'm going to go ahead and say Demon's Souls. It seems to do some interesting things in the RPG genre and I'd even say it comes off as being ambitious which I don't find bad at all. I can' t say more of course because I've never played it, only watched others play it.
1. Dragon Age: Origins 2. Borderlands 3. Batman Arkham Asylum
I've yet to play uncharted 2 as I do not own a PS3, and my thoughts on MW2 are mixed at this point. The single player ultimately left me disappointed, and the competitive multiplayer just isn't really my thing. L4D is one of my favorite games in recent memory and from what gathered from the demo L4D2 is going to be even better so it will most likely crack my top 3.
Borderlands and Batman AA are great games, but Dragon age has really blown me away. It's just so deep, so expansive, and so staggeringly massive for a single player game. I can't pull myself away from it, and the more I play, the more I get sucked into the world of Ferelden. Bioware has yet to disappoint me and this is easily their strongest offering yet. Mass Effect 2 is going to be incredible, no doubt.
Wet. Sex sells. Killzone 2. Given the opportunity to butt, gun, finger, knife, pistol and grenade rape the ISA on multiplayer. Dead Space. The gameplay is speechless.
Sorry to whinge, but with all the variety of gaming out there to choose from, you guys all seem to have played the same 5 games this year. All of which came out within the last month.
If I had to pick one game this year, it would be Flower.
" Wet. Sex sells. Killzone 2. Given the opportunity to butt, gun, finger, knife, pistol and grenade rape the ISA on multiplayer. Dead Space. The gameplay is speechless. "
How can Wet even be nominated for GOTY? Anywhere? It's not even sex, so your argument is invalid.
" Wet. Sex sells. Killzone 2. Given the opportunity to butt, gun, finger, knife, pistol and grenade rape the ISA on multiplayer. Dead Space. The gameplay is speechless. "
How can Wet even be nominated for GOTY? Anywhere? It's not even sex, so your argument is invalid. "
Aren't we all entitled to our opinion? Let me rephrase, a sexy game sells.
" Sorry to whinge, but with all the variety of gaming out there to choose from, you guys all seem to have played the same 5 games this year. All of which came out within the last month.
If I had to pick one game this year, it would be Flower. "
What about Flower made it better than MW2, Dragon Age, Uncharted 2 or even ODST?
It was different, and very artsy.. but Game of the Year? I wouldn't even consider it best indie game of the year, when it's going up against Shadow Complex, 'Splosion Man, Fat Princess and Tales of Monkey Island. Yes, a lot of these games were released in the past few months, but that's a fault of the game industry, for trying to save all their big releases for around the holiday season.
I can appreciate what Flower was, but trying to call it GoTY is the equivelant to those film snobs that mock every big movie released and instead only watch black and white, silent French films. With no subtitles.
So far I would say Uncharted 2 hands down. Dragon Age is a possible runner up. But for as many hours I have put into Borderlands I just don't feel like its GoTY material. And I have yet to play Batman but I have heard very good things about it.
If I had to pick right now and only pick games that I'd finished my top 3 would be:
inFamous
Batman : AA
Uncharted 2 : Electric Boogaloo
But these are seriously just the ones off the top of my head. I'd have to go home and check the shelf to make sure I'm not missing anything. This list could also change with the last releases slipping in (or I get more into MW2's MP) but I'm pretty confident that these these are pretty solid. Seems this year the PS3 really came into it's own with it's first party release (about time). If only the Wii could claim the same distinction.
" Sorry to whinge, but with all the variety of gaming out there to choose from, you guys all seem to have played the same 5 games this year. All of which came out within the last month.
If I had to pick one game this year, it would be Flower. "
What about Flower made it better than MW2, Dragon Age, Uncharted 2 or even ODST? It was different, and very artsy.. but Game of the Year? I wouldn't even consider it best indie game of the year, when it's going up against Shadow Complex, 'Splosion Man, Fat Princess and Tales of Monkey Island. Yes, a lot of these games were released in the past few months, but that's a fault of the game industry, for trying to save all their big releases for around the holiday season. I can appreciate what Flower was, but trying to call it GoTY is the equivelant to those film snobs that mock every big movie released and instead only watch black and white, silent French films. With no subtitles. "
Why does a game like Flower need special dispensation to be a contender? Why do indie games need their own sub-category of GOTY? What's wrong with liking black and white French films better than Hollywood blockbusters - why is that snobbery. rather than just a subjective choice?
I was so skeptical of MW2, but after putting in some serious hours, something I never got myself to do with Call of Duty 4, I have to say MW2. That multiplayer is a beast and completely blew away my expectations
" I'm guessing it'll be either:Batman Borderlands Dragon Age Hopefully it won't go to Modern Warfare 2 or ODST. "
MW2 will probably be the GOTY for most sites, unfortunately. Or Uncharted 2. But probably MW2. "
Why is that unfortunate? "
After what I've experienced this year, MW2 will probably end up GOTY. And sure, it's a great game but it has so much more marketing money behind it compared to let's say Shadow Complex or Torchlight. I think that smaller games should not be equally compared to bigger games in terms of GOTY; that award should go to the game wich has been the most fun or interesting game in the whole year.
While MW2 could easily scrape together these two essences, that is probably credited to the heavy investment in the game, while smaller developers will have to be satisfied with what they can produce with the amount of money they have behind it. You never see Braid or Battlefield 43 being mentioned in GOTY lists, because people think of them as less of an experience, while it's truly not.
To sum it up, heavier, more expensive to make games should not be compared to the smaller ones, at least not by the scale the GOTY games go through currently. There is no chance for an XBLA title to make it up there with say AC2 or Dragon Age. Which is a shame.
I was actually thinking about this last night as I drifted off to sleep. My top 3 of the year are: 1) Batman: Arkham Asylum 2) Dragon Age: Origins 3) Modern Warfare 2
With Borderlands nipping at the heels. I can't wait to try out AC2, to see it shakes my list up a bit.
I think that Uncharted 2, Borderland, and Assassin's Creed 2 should get GTOY. I personally think that MW2 should not get this GOTY because of the simple fact that it's judged purely for it's MP aspect. I think that a game should also be judged according to how good the SP story was and not just by how popular the MP is. As Jeff said in his video review the SP got a little bit stale after a while. However, since all the guys are massive MW2 fans I think that they will give it their GOTY and you know what? I am fine with that. it's their damn web site and they can give the award to which ever game they damn please no matter how undeserving it is.
" Sorry to whinge, but with all the variety of gaming out there to choose from, you guys all seem to have played the same 5 games this year. All of which came out within the last month.
If I had to pick one game this year, it would be Flower. "
What about Flower made it better than MW2, Dragon Age, Uncharted 2 or even ODST? It was different, and very artsy.. but Game of the Year? I wouldn't even consider it best indie game of the year, when it's going up against Shadow Complex, 'Splosion Man, Fat Princess and Tales of Monkey Island. Yes, a lot of these games were released in the past few months, but that's a fault of the game industry, for trying to save all their big releases for around the holiday season. I can appreciate what Flower was, but trying to call it GoTY is the equivelant to those film snobs that mock every big movie released and instead only watch black and white, silent French films. With no subtitles. "
Why does a game like Flower need special dispensation to be a contender? Why do indie games need their own sub-category of GOTY? What's wrong with liking black and white French films better than Hollywood blockbusters - why is that snobbery. rather than just a subjective choice? "
It's snobbery because it's usually done to be different and to stand out, not because of geniune interest in the film.
Indie games don't necessarily need to have their own special category, but it seems only fair. There are very few I'd judge to be as good as full retail releases, because they're developed by a much smaller team on a much smaller budget. That of course doesn't make them bad of course, as I said before, I'd consider 'Splosion Man and Fat Princess to be among the best games released this year, despite the fact they're all smaller indie games. But generally speaking, I wouldn't consider most of them to be as diverse and as engaging as something like Dragon Age.. because they're not designed to be.
If your honest opinion is that Flower is the best game released all year, then fair enough. I'd be interested in how you think why.
Borderlands, followed by Red Faction: Guerrilla are brilliant games, and I've had more fun with them than any others so far this year. Those two are definitely my favorites of the year, and L4D2 will probably be up there, as well.
It's snobbery because it's usually done to be different and to stand out, not because of geniune interest in the film.
I take your point, but I completely disagree. A French black and white film has every right to be better than a Hollywood blockbuster. I'd take L'Atalante over Transformers and The Dark Knight anyday - it's not snobbery, I just think it's an infinitely better film. Of course there are hundreds of bad French movies as well, but they are much less likely to be marketed abroad.
Indie games don't necessarily need to have their own special category, but it seems only fair. There are very few I'd judge to be as good as full retail releases, because they're developed by a much smaller team on a much smaller budget. That of course doesn't make them bad of course, as I said before, I'd consider 'Splosion Man and Fat Princess to be among the best games released this year, despite the fact they're all smaller indie games. But generally speaking, I wouldn't consider most of them to be as diverse and as engaging as something like Dragon Age.. because they're not designed to be.
I think all games are designed to be engaging. They are designed to be good games full stop - the baggage you are applying to them is completely made up in my opinion. I have put more hours into Fat Princess than almost any major release this year - I think it's a better game. I think it's infinitely replayable. I think it's totally original. I love its style.
To take a more mainstream film example, should The Blair Witch Project have been barred from film awards, because it cost little to make and wasn't filmed on traditional film cameras? And didn't have that Hollywood gloss? How unfair that would be.
I think there should be a level playing field. I don't think you should judge one game beneath another because of the retail price or the size of the team that made it, or indeed what platform it appears on.
If your honest opinion is that Flower is the best game released all year, then fair enough. I'd be interested in how you think why. "
Because it blew me away - it's the most riveting experience I've had with a game this year. Because it takes such a light touch with narrative. Because it's intrinsically beautiful. Because it tells a touching story without any dialogue. Because the premise and control system are utterly unique. Because it's about SOMETHING, the relationship between man and his environment, but it isn't heavy-handed with it. For all Uncharted 2's brilliance (and it is brilliant and I do love it), it is about NOTHING.
" I'm guessing it'll be either:Batman Borderlands Dragon Age Hopefully it won't go to Modern Warfare 2 or ODST. "
MW2 will probably be the GOTY for most sites, unfortunately. Or Uncharted 2. But probably MW2. "
Why is that unfortunate? "
After what I've experienced this year, MW2 will probably end up GOTY. And sure, it's a great game but it has so much more marketing money behind it compared to let's say Shadow Complex or Torchlight. I think that smaller games should not be equally compared to bigger games in terms of GOTY; that award should go to the game wich has been the most fun or interesting game in the whole year. While MW2 could easily scrape together these two essences, that is probably credited to the heavy investment in the game, while smaller developers will have to be satisfied with what they can produce with the amount of money they have behind it. You never see Braid or Battlefield 43 being mentioned in GOTY lists, because people think of them as less of an experience, while it's truly not. To sum it up, heavier, more expensive to make games should not be compared to the smaller ones, at least not by the scale the GOTY games go through currently. There is no chance for an XBLA title to make it up there with say AC2 or Dragon Age. Which is a shame. "
So now we can't give awards to bigger games, that sounds a bit eletist.
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