Great GotY discussion, as always. For some reason, I didn't remember how common this Brad/Jeff disagreement is every year, until I saw this, from Crashdown at NeoGAF:
Jeff vs. Brad Scorecard
2008 - Jeff (GTA4) over Brad (MGS4)
2009 - Brad (Uncharted 2) over Jeff (Batman: Arkham Asylum)
2010 - Jeff (Mass Effect 2) over Brad (Red Dead Redemption)
2011 - Brad (Skyrim) over Jeff (Saint's Row the Third)
2012 - No contest (Consensus: X-COM)
2013 - Brad (The Last of Us) over Jeff (anything but The Last of Us/THE GUNPOINT ROPE-A-DOPE)
2014 - No contest (Consensus: Shadow of Mordor)
2015 - Jeff (Super Mario Maker) over Brad (MGS5)
2016 - Jeff (Hitman) over Brad (Doom)
It is really amusing how often they have conflicting opinions about the games, which I guess is why these discussions are as entertaining as they are. If everyone was like Vinny or Drew and just tried to compromise all the time, it just wouldn't be the same.
I agree with the decision though. Not only because Hitman is better game than DOOM, but because I agree with Jeff on having to consider the whole package in this category. Other categories are there for a reason: so you can highlight a game that has one aspect that shines above the rest. GotY #1 should be above everything else as a whole.
It's easy enough to say that the SP is great, ignore the MP. But if you get a plate of food at a restaurant with amazing steak, delicious roasted potatoes and some rotten vegetables - even though you can ignore the vegetables or sweep them off the plate, they will still have a negative impact on your feelings regarding that plate of food. None of Hitman's flaws were big enough to equate them to rotten vegetables, for me anyway.
What if, instead of an amazing steak, it was one of the best steaks you've had in your entire life? (Doom campaign). I think that's the argument. What if it was a top 3 steak you've EVER had? Even with the rotten vegetables, the meal as a whole would still triumph (at least for me).
I feel like Jeff's dislike of Inside (as a game in general) clouded his judgement when it came to the game's look. Everyone entitled to their opinions though, it was a great video overall.
freetacos's comments