In late February 2009 Street Fighter 4 was released. Leading up to its launch I had listened intently to everything the bombcast had said about it to get hyped up for it. At the time I was a fan of fighting games but only casually I had never watched one be played or anything like that (I don’t even think I really knew was Evo2k was) and I was generally pretty bad at them and never understood how to combo anything and for the most part mashed (Soul Caliber comes to mind here) After hearing everything to be said about Street Fighter 4 I decided it was a must buy and pre ordered the collector’s edition. On February 28 (I think) 2009 I went to pick up my copy. I haven’t been the same since.

                Street Fighter 4 started out slow for me I got mad a lot broke a head set because of how broken some things seemed to me. But for the most part I stuck with it. Blanka was my main for the most of this time (even now he’s my main) I had decided to play him before the game had come out because of how different he looked. I was not let down. Blanka has scored me a lot of easy wins during my time with Street Fighter 4 and I acknowledge that, but there have also had some real nail bitters that make me appreciate Street Fighter 4 even more.

 Now almost a year later I am still fully invested into Street Fighter 4 more than I have even been invested into a game before. To me a perfect game should make you experience a full range of emotions while playing it weather that’s threw story or gameplay. While playing SF4 I have experienced happiness, sadness, anger, bewilderment, astonishment, and so much more. These were all achieved because of one thing, the gameplay. I’ve played all the great RPG’s that have come out in the past few years, and the games that people said were a “roller coaster ride of emotions” but I have never felt what I feel when I play Street Fighter 4. Whether it’s a clutch win or a heartbreaking loss I love it all, honestly I think SF4 has touched me more than any story in a game ever can. Each moment in a fighting game is like its own mini story that rivals that of any RPG. It’s truly amazing.

Finally, since SF4 came out I became aware of the tournament scene and since finding it I have followed every major tournament that happened this year and loved every moment. I’ve stayed up until 5am for some and had to stop myself from yelling and cheering. SF4 is more entertaining than any sport has ever been for me. If someone pulls off something clutch I GET HYPE and yell and scream about it for days. I love it. My last day of summer was spent staying up will 3am watching a SF4 tournament and while watching it I thought to myself, is this really what I want to me doing right now? Shouldn’t I be out getting drunk or something dumb? No, this is where I want to be I don’t want to be anywhere else, was my answer. I still believe that.

So to wrap this wall of text up. Last year I could not for the life of me pick a Game of the Year, not that they were shitty none of them screamed game of the year to me. This year was easy, Street Fighter 4 all the way baby. Nothing compares to the experience I have had with it and honestly I don’t think anything ever will...except maybe Super Street Fighter 4.

Get Hype.

In late February 2009 Street Fighter 4 was released. Leading up to its launch I had listened intently to everything the bombcast had said about it to get hyped up for it. At the time I was a fan of fighting games but only casually I had never watched one be played or anything like that (I don’t even think I really knew was Evo2k was) and I was generally pretty bad at them and never understood how to combo anything and for the most part mashed (Soul Caliber comes to mind here) After hearing everything to be said about Street Fighter 4 I decided it was a must buy and pre ordered the collector’s edition. On February 28 (I think) 2009 I went to pick up my copy. I haven’t been the same since.

                Street Fighter 4 started out slow for me I got mad a lot broke a head set because of how broken some things seemed to me. But for the most part I stuck with it. Blanka was my main for the most of this time (even now he’s my main) I had decided to play him before the game had come out because of how different he looked. I was not let down. Blanka has scored me a lot of easy wins during my time with Street Fighter 4 and I acknowledge that, but there have also had some real nail bitters that make me appreciate Street Fighter 4 even more.

 Now almost a year later I am still fully invested into Street Fighter 4 more than I have even been invested into a game before. To me a perfect game should make you experience a full range of emotions while playing it weather that’s threw story or gameplay. While playing SF4 I have experienced happiness, sadness, anger, bewilderment, astonishment, and so much more. These were all achieved because of one thing, the gameplay. I’ve played all the great RPG’s that have come out in the past few years, and the games that people said were a “roller coaster ride of emotions” but I have never felt what I feel when I play Street Fighter 4. Whether it’s a clutch win or a heartbreaking loss I love it all, honestly I think SF4 has touched me more than any story in a game ever can. Each moment in a fighting game is like its own mini story that rivals that of any RPG. It’s truly amazing.

Finally, since SF4 came out I became aware of the tournament scene and since finding it I have followed every major tournament that happened this year and loved every moment. I’ve stayed up until 5am for some and had to stop myself from yelling and cheering. SF4 is more entertaining than any sport has ever been for me. If someone pulls off something clutch I GET HYPE and yell and scream about it for days. I love it. My last day of summer was spent staying up will 3am watching a SF4 tournament and while watching it I thought to myself, is this really what I want to me doing right now? Shouldn’t I be out getting drunk or something dumb? No, this is where I want to be I don’t want to be anywhere else, was my answer. I still believe that.

So to wrap this wall of text up. Last year I could not for the life of me pick a Game of the Year, not that they were shitty none of them screamed game of the year to me. This year was easy, Street Fighter 4 all the way baby. Nothing compares to the experience I have had with it and honestly I don’t think anything ever will...except maybe Super Street Fighter 4.

Get Hype.

SF4 hasn't had quite the effect on me as it has on you it seems, but I'd probably agree with it being GOTY.
 
The only other game that I would probably consider replacing it with is MW2, but I haven't played very much of that yet. 

Yeah it's a tie between that and plans VS  zombies for me :)

That was an enjoyable read. It's good to hear that SFIV has been such an awesome experience for you. I can certainly agree that it can b a roller coaster ride of emotions for myself as well (though I can't say I've ever been brought to tears or emotionally moved by it, like many RPGs do for me). Hehe I broke a controller because of it, myself, and I'm really not a violent person, honest! =X
 
This year is going to be tough for me to decide a GotY as there were no good rpgs. Okay, okay, Dragon Age is great but the engine is just bleah. That game wins for characters and dialogue, but it just doesn't feel like my personal GotY. If I were to base my GotY on time spent playing, it would easily be SFIV as I've sunk so many hours into it, but then it also has flaws, such as a weak online mode (the netcode is great, and 2 bars + usually means very little lag), such as the things that should have been released already like team matches and lobbies won't be out till SSFIV =/ 
 
However, queuing up for online matches via the arcade mode was brilliant and should be a staple of all fighting games, and it says something when the biggest game of the year (MW2) takes and uses the titles and icons concept right out of SFIV.
 
Augh, so tough for me to come to a decision, but I'm glad you were able to make your own GotY decision easily :D

You people are all stoned. Game of the year clearly belongs to Pretty Pretty Princess: Lets Feed our Unicorns for the Wii. Get with the program people, you are a disgrace to the gaming community.
 
I bid thee good day.

" You people are all stoned. Game of the year clearly belongs to Pretty Pretty Princess: Lets Feed our Unicorns for the Wii. Get with the program people, you are a disgrace to the gaming community.  I bid thee good day. "

My decision will be a bit harder.  As much as I really enjoy SF4, I don't know if its my personal GotY.  It should be easy, as I've spent far more time with SF4 than anything else, and have had a very enjoyable time of it.  I even made a good bit of money over the summer making custom arcade sticks and shells, so wrapped up in the community etc I was.  On the other side of the coin, no other game has been so controller-chuckingly frustrating.  I dont exaggerate when I say I've had to consciously stop myself from throwing a $200 piece of hardware at a wall.  A combination of 1 frame links, tight timing combos, and execution heavy choice for a main character have made my time with the game....  well, its been a bittersweet relationship.  The run to G1 was not fun, and took so long It was way more grindy than anything eles i have done in a game since I quit WoW.  Hitting G1 basically ended my time with SF4.
 
Games I've played less of I remember more fondly.  I would have an extremely hard time picking anything over Batman:Arkham Asylum because I have not had another game simply glue me to the couch for 3 days.  Story, Gameplay, Voice work, all superb.  Borderlands while light on story is incredible, and drives me to keep playing by appealing to my inner loot whore.  MW2 I have only played at a friends house(althoguh I have played a LOT of COD4, so yeah, I know its good), but i could see making a strong argument as well.  And Forza for just being a damn good driving game, and because painting cars has become a passtime in itself to me.  This obviously doesn't account for the big PS3 releases because I don't have one.  
 
As much as I really *did* love Sf4, I dont think its my GotY, but Im glad some people really did like it that much!

" @Stang said:

" You people are all stoned. Game of the year clearly belongs to Pretty Pretty Princess: Lets Feed our Unicorns for the Wii. Get with the program people, you are a disgrace to the gaming community.  I bid thee good day. "

1-4 stang 1-4 "

I enjoyed reading your blog post and while I understand how you feel, and how much this game has touched you, I can't agree on giving a fighting game a GOTY title. For me personally, fighting games are really bland and I don't find much enjoyment to be had in them.

FUCK YEAH!! GET HYPE!! THIS GAME IS WAY BETTER THEN MODERN WARFARE 2!!!!!!  THAT GAME IS TRASH AND THIS GAME IS GOD!!!!!!!!!

But is anyone surprised?

I guess the only thing is because of time (from life and SF4 sucking up my gaming hours) I havent been able to try the games I might consider contenders (demon souls, dragon age)

I'm definitely with you on that one. Although there was a brief time I said F this game, I hate learning links and lag issues and what not, eventually I always come back to it. As long as I don't take it too seriously, SF4 is my GOTY as well.

Brother, I am eternally hype.

I never played Street Fighter 4 (for my lack of funds to spend on a joystick/not wanting to put up with the inaccuracies of the Xbox 360 controller), but this is not the first blog post I've seen declaring it someone's GotY.  I may need to get over my cheapness and check it out...

I guess i can feel the same way. It is surely one game that me and my friends play alot to this day. 
and we are stoked about SSFIV. 

While I love the game, it lacks aspects on what I think a GOTY should have, being a fighting game.

" While I love the game, it lacks aspects on what I think a GOTY should have, being a fighting game. "

" @LiquidPrince said:

" While I love the game, it lacks aspects on what I think a GOTY should have, being a fighting game. "

BS. That is your opinion, not some universal truth. "

" @Stang said:

" @LiquidPrince said:

" While I love the game, it lacks aspects on what I think a GOTY should have, being a fighting game. "

BS. That is your opinion, not some universal truth. "

What the fuck is wrong with people on the forums these days...? I said WHAT I THINK clearly in the sentence, and never did I assert that it was some objective truth so why don't you calm the hell down... "

i really enjoyed SF IV despite me being AWFUL at it (i once had a 20 losing streak online) but at one point i kicked ass at it. SF IV did piss me off a lot (because i was bad at it) and i wasn't having much fun being raped by Sagat all the time, but the experience was awesome. I haven't really had much fun with a fighting game since Dead or Alive 3 and while i'm not too fond on the "Game of the Year" title, it was for sure one of the games i enjoyed more this year. 

" @LiquidPrince: Looks like you are the one that needs to calm down a bit, seeing as you are the one using naughty language and CAPS!
 
Please explain to us why a fighting game (SF in particular) is not allowed that honor? Could it be graphics? Nope. Could it be replayability? That is a giant fuck no. All that is truly missing is a cohesive story, but really, do many games have this? Also, what other game as of late has united so many knuckle heads like SFIV? 
 
From what I hear Batman is an awesome game, do you play that every day still? Are there any large communities out there dissecting the game, and pushing each other to get better? I doubt it, but surely this game is in contention, right? 
 
@Jeffsekai: Damn straight! :) "

Surprise...surprise. 
 
Personally, Jeff, I think you win avatar of the year!

" @Stang: Let me start by reiterating what I said before, and that was that this is obviously my opinion. A game for me to be considered game of the year needs to have every part of the game be polished, especially, a story. No one can deny the weak story that Street Fighter has, and the weak presentation of that story. However, I don't think it needs it for the type of game that it is. But that is exactly why I don't think the game deserves to be game of the year; it does what it does, really well, but it just doesn't do more then that. A game like Uncharted 2 (which is what I would consider my game of the year) has an unbelievably strong single player portion, fun co-op and equally addicting multiplayer. Street Fighter 4 to me only satisfies one of those things, and even if it does it really well, it just doesn't stand up to other games. "

I already did this.

" I already did this. "

" @demontium said:

" I already did this. "

Did what? "

hmm, i guess this does bring up the point that ive played sf4 more then any game this year
 
SF4 GOTY 2009!

" @Jeffsekai said:

" @demontium said:

" I already did this. "

Did what? "

he already did this man, CMON.  "

SFIV is my game of the year. And hopefully SSFIV will be next year.

Good read, I entirely agree SFIV is a great GOTY choice. Good to hear you enjoyed yourself with it so much. I still dunno what I would consider GOTY for me, I enjoyed a lot of games this year. I doubt I will actually decide on one and call it so, though, since that doesnt bother me not actually choosing something like this to settle on.

Your opinion is quite well thought out, but I must disagree.  As polished and excellent as Street Fighter IV is, I have to give my nod, the best fighting game of the year at least, to BlazBlue.  The game truly isn't as chaotic as Jeff and Ryan seemed to make it out to be in their Quick Look.  There's a style of strategy to the game that doesn't really apply to the style of SFIV that feels fresher, at least to me.  It also doesn't hurt that the online code and offerings in BlazBlue are hands-down superior to the online functionality of SFIV, and that, yes, I believe the story, including its presentation and the way its presented in the game, is better than SFIV's playing it safe.

" Your opinion is quite well thought out, but I must disagree.  As polished and excellent as Street Fighter IV is, I have to give my nod, the best fighting game of the year at least, to BlazBlue.  The game truly isn't as chaotic as Jeff and Ryan seemed to make it out to be in their Quick Look.  There's a style of strategy to the game that doesn't really apply to the style of SFIV that feels fresher, at least to me.  It also doesn't hurt that the online code and offerings in BlazBlue are hands-down superior to the online functionality of SFIV, and that, yes, I believe the story, including its presentation and the way its presented in the game, is better than SFIV's playing it safe. "

BlazBlue is a fighting game for people who like anime and don't like fighting games. In other words? It's not very good. Ten different things going on at the same time does not mean the game will be exponentially better. I very much enjoyed Street Fighter IV, but my Game Of The Year may go to Borderlands. I was also ready to give it to King Of Fighters XII, but they fucked the online up severely.

I was trying to think about what my GotY was and I totally forgot SFIV came out this year.  Total wrench in the equation now.