2011 Community GOTY Results!

mr_n00b wrote:

I wonder what the PBR of video games is.

IMAGE(http://www.foodiggity.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/09/ecto-cooler-slimer-hi-c.jpg)

DSGamer wrote:

50 Cent: Blood on the Sand

Okay, I was taking a jab at the typical age group for gamers, but I like this one better.

TrashiDawa wrote:

The best part of the GOTY voting is seeing who the gaming hipsters are (which is defined by not including Skyrim on their list).

I don't have Skyrim.

Mostly because I refuse to pay $60 on another Bugthesda game loaded with stoic faces and repetitive dungeons and 1998 A.I. and... *goes on and on and on*

Budo wrote:

No Shogun 2: Total War love?

Someone recently joked about getting "yet another Total War game and only playing through the tutorial and then quitting". That's me. I want to love Total War games, the battles are awesome, but sadly I find the strategic portion to be very dry and boring.

I would love it if we offered other categories, like "best graphics, music, character, story" Not that these need to be ranked, but if people can provide their personal awards, that would be awesome.
For example, I really liked Deus Ex: HR even though I wouldn't give it a GOTY award, but it absolutely had the best music all year for me.
Wheatley and Cave Johnson deserve a prize just for being who they are.

Wheatley and Cave Johnson have to be voice actors of the year. For music, Bastion's soundtrack is fantastic, as is The Witcher 2's.

Best graphics is Crysis 2, hands down for me, assuming you're on PC and have the DX11 and 64-bit textures installed. It's astounding, and extremely optimized. I loved Bastion's artistic style, and Arkham City's brooding nightscape, and a very gothic Gotham City. For sound effects, I'd go with Crysis 2 again.

1. Saints Row The Third
2. Dungeon Defenders
3. Deus Ex: Human Revolution
4. LA Noire
5. Frozen Synapse
6. Magicka
7. Orcs Must Die
8. Bastion
9. Nitronic Rush
10. Dawn of Discovery / Anno 1404 (put it last since it's not a 2011 game)

[edit]

Totally forgot that Magicka was a 2011 game (seems so long ago), so I added it to the list since I originally only had 9 titles.

Better put a hipster asterisk next to my list, in that case; the only reason Skyrim made it on there at all is because I really didn't get a chance to play as many games this year.

TrashiDawa wrote:

The best part of the GOTY voting is seeing who the gaming hipsters are (which is defined by not including Skyrim on their list).

I'll wear that badge with pride if that's the criteria. I played Skyrim. It's still sitting on my shelf. But I got bored after a couple of hours and never put it back in.

We're a long way from tallying things up for a final count, but I think Saint's Row already deserves recognition for one thing: of the nine people who have included it on their list, seven of those people have it as their #1 game. That's a better rate than Skyrim, Deus Ex, Portal 2, or any of the other GOTY contenders.

Also, a note: if you edit a previous list, would you mind posting a separate note to let me know what you changed? The forums make it very difficult to see when an entry on a previous page has been edited.

ccesarano wrote:
TrashiDawa wrote:

The best part of the GOTY voting is seeing who the gaming hipsters are (which is defined by not including Skyrim on their list).

I don't have Skyrim.

Mostly because I refuse to pay $60 on another Bugthesda game loaded with stoic faces and repetitive dungeons and 1998 A.I. and... *goes on and on and on*

HIPSTER CONFIRMED.

The main list:

1. Skyrim
This has to be the easiest choice on this list, and for that matter in years. While it is still a Bethesda game with all the flaws that come with that fact, it's the BEST game they've ever made. I'm hard pressed to think of a game I've enjoyed this much in recent years that wasn't called Mass Effect.

2. Forza 4
Another easy choice. Best game in the series, and arguably in the genre of console racing sims as a whole.

3. Xenoblade
The best JRPG of this generation, as long as you don't count Persona 3 and 4 as being in this generation. Not saying much, I know, since the genre has been on a serious decline, but it's still a wonderful game. Very glad to see that Nintendo decided to pull their heads out of their asses and release it here in the US next year, because more people ought to play it.

4. Portal 2
More Portal, plus co-op. Hard to argue with that formula.

5. Witcher 2
Got to love those crazy Europeans and their insistence on keeping hardcore PC gaming alive.

6. Dead Space 2 (and 1)
I skipped Dead Space 1 when it came out, and I would now regret that fact if it hadn't resulted in me basically marathoning both these games back to back for the entire month of January this year, and loving every second. Points go to Dead Space 2 since I'm probably the only one who played the first game for the first time this year, and in my mind I have the games registered as a single experience.

7. Batman Arkham City
I really missed the very tight Metroidvania design from the first game -- it's a trope that is rarely done well -- but even still its impossible to deny that this game was every bit as good, even if I was slightly less delighted by the new open world approach.

8. Bastion
This game was like an amazing vacation to the past, evoking everything that was great about the 16 bit generation of gaming while also benefiting from the last 15 years in design evolution. Neither the game nor its amazing soundtrack are to be missed by any self respecting gamer.

9. Dragon Age 2
I wasn't nearly as bothered by the design shifts from Dragon Age 1 as many people seemed to be -- especially since the shifts were mostly towards Mass Effect, and I think that Mass Effect is Bioware at their best. Regardless, Dragon Age 2 was not Bioware at their best, but even Bioware half assing it results in a brilliant game.

10. Saints Row 3
All the hype around this game proved one thing to me: far too many people skipped Saints Row 2. 90% of what people were raving about regarding this game were elements that were present in Saints Row 2 (or even 1!). That said, even if to me the game felt like more Saints Row 2 with an extra dash of insanity, this series is still amazing and embodies the spirit of careless fun that is all too often missing from games.

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Haven't played enough of yet, but shaping up well:
Zelda Skyward Sword
I still hate motion controls, but at least so far (3 dungeons in) this is shaping up to be the game that Twilight Princess should have been. Depending on how it pans out in the end, I could easily end up wishing I had bumped something else off my list in exchange for this.

Dark Souls
I skipped Demon's Souls because every conversation I heard about the game convinced me I would not have fun with it, and at first I felt exactly the same about this one. Eventually I heard enough ridiculous praise for it that I decided I would at least have to give it a try so I bought it for cheap on Black Friday. So far I've only played about two or three hours a few nights ago when events prevented me from playing Skyrim and Zelda, but already I think I might see what the raving is about.

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Worthy of mention, but tinged with disappointment:
Child of Eden
Unquestionably the best implementation of Kinect technology other than Dance Central, and unquestionably the spiritual successor to Rez. However, Rez it is not. Rez is a mind blowing, cohesive experience from start to finish, and culminates with a level that I readily submit as evidence in any "games as art" discussion. Seriously, play it in the dark on a big TV with surround sound and with haptic feedback (either the PS2 vibrator thingy or better yet, three extra Xbox controllers on Rez HD) and you will know what a game can do. Child of Eden hinted at that brilliance at the best of times, but in no way lived up to it.

Uncharted 3
My wife and I basically marathoned this over the weekend it came out, sitting on the couch with silly grins on our faces the whole time. It's packed with charm, and features some of the best realized character presentation in video games. However, at the end of the amazing action movie roller coaster I stepped away and sort of said meh, which I did not expect after the lasting impact that Uncharted 2 had. Also, the combat in the series still sucks -- more Tomb Raider, less Gears of War next time please.

LA Noire
It's impossible not to admire the technology on display, and playing the game was a fun enough experience. Ultimately though it felt like a half assembled, somewhat empty tech demo that had one too many acts. Still very glad I played it, though. Also, CODE 4, TARGET IS DOWN.

Gunstringer
I f*cking love Twisted Pixel. Like the creators of the Saint's Row games and the Just Cause series, they very clearly relish in creating games that embody the insane fun that video games can be but often aren't. That said, they rarely make games with fully baked and fun gameplay, and Gunstringer is no exception to that rule.

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Played a hell of a lot of, but don't qualify for the list
WoW
Modded Oblivion
Modded Fallout New Vegas
Forza 3

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Haven't played yet, but might have made the list if I had
The Old Republic
Deus Ex: Human Revolution
Trine 2
Assassin's Creed Revelations

ClockworkHouse wrote:

We're a long way from tallying things up for a final count, but I think Saint's Row already deserves recognition for one thing: of the nine people who have included it on their list, seven of those people have it as their #1 game. That's a better rate than Skyrim, Deus Ex, Portal 2, or any of the other GOTY contenders.

I wonder if part of that might be the "shiny new thing" issue when it comes to Saint's Row.

As for Skyrim, I think for most people here, you gotta treat it as skeptically as asking a bunch of people what their favorite activities are and ten of them list "Snorting Crack Cocaine". It can't be healthy, and they can't be answering with quite a clear head.

Or so sayeth the hipster.

zeroKFE wrote:
ccesarano wrote:
TrashiDawa wrote:

The best part of the GOTY voting is seeing who the gaming hipsters are (which is defined by not including Skyrim on their list).

I don't have Skyrim.

Mostly because I refuse to pay $60 on another Bugthesda game loaded with stoic faces and repetitive dungeons and 1998 A.I. and... *goes on and on and on*

HIPSTER CONFIRMED. :P

What can I say? If I wanted nothing more than an open-world that plays like it was made on a shoe-string budget I'd play Minecraft.

ClockworkHouse wrote:

Also, a note: if you edit a previous list, would you mind posting a separate note to let me know what you changed? The forums make it very difficult to see when an entry on a previous page has been edited.

My edit occurred before there was a new page, but I'll make a note here anyway by copy-pasting my explanation on my original post.

MeatMan wrote:

Totally forgot that Magicka was a 2011 game (seems so long ago), so I added it to the list since I originally only had 9 titles.

ccesarano wrote:

I wonder if part of that might be the "shiny new thing" issue when it comes to Saint's Row.

As for Skyrim, I think for most people here, you gotta treat it as skeptically as asking a bunch of people what their favorite activities are and ten of them list "Snorting Crack Cocaine". It can't be healthy, and they can't be answering with quite a clear head.

I understand what you're saying, but I can honestly say without a shadow of doubt that SR3 was the best and most enjoyable game I played this year.

Bolded because there are several (high profile) games that I'm sure are very good, but I have not played them (yet).

MeatMan wrote:
TrashiDawa wrote:

The best part of the GOTY voting is seeing who the gaming hipsters are (which is defined by not including Skyrim on their list).

I haven't bought it yet, so it's not on my list. Hipster accusation avoided.

Yeah, well, I didn't buy Skyrim way before everybody else suddenly discovered how cool not buying Skyrim was. I'm gonna go drink some PBR and comb my muttonchops now.

ccesarano wrote:
ClockworkHouse wrote:

We're a long way from tallying things up for a final count, but I think Saint's Row already deserves recognition for one thing: of the nine people who have included it on their list, seven of those people have it as their #1 game. That's a better rate than Skyrim, Deus Ex, Portal 2, or any of the other GOTY contenders.

I wonder if part of that might be the "shiny new thing" issue when it comes to Saint's Row.

As for Skyrim, I think for most people here, you gotta treat it as skeptically as asking a bunch of people what their favorite activities are and ten of them list "Snorting Crack Cocaine". It can't be healthy, and they can't be answering with quite a clear head.

Or so sayeth the hipster.

Portal 2 lacked re-play-ability for me. Played it twice, didn't get to play any co-op, but all-in-all, a solid puzzler with great characters. Kind of short, though, and with my low re-play-ability, it just wasn't as good as I'd hoped.

Deus Ex: HR was quite good, but the story and ending weren't nearly as strong as I'd hoped.

I'm in the middle of my second play-through of Saints Row 3, considering what I might do differently in my third. The only game I had played this past year to consider against this, that I really enjoyed, was Dragon Age 2. I'm still anticipating my second play-through of that once they give us some DLC sales.

trueheart78 wrote:

Portal 2 lacked re-play-ability for me. Played it twice, didn't get to play any co-op, but all-in-all, a solid puzzler with great characters. Kind of short, though, and with my low re-play-ability, it just wasn't as good as I'd hoped.

I can see a lot of that, and it's probably one of the reasons I didn't put Portal 2 at the top of my list. Hell, the fact that half the game felt like retreading the first one, just with new toys, was part of that as well. The levels I loved the most weren't testing facilities, but where you were simply navigating a world that happened to have hazards that required the learned skills in order to avoid. Kind of like the ending half/third of the original Portal.

I'm debating whether I should open up Vanquish, Majin and the Forsaken Kingdom or Deus Ex tomorrow, though. I need to move on in my pile, and those games are giving me the stink-eye.

Dead Rising 2 is, as well, now that I think about it.

1. Bastion
2. Saints Row: The Third
3. Portal 2
4. Dark Souls
5. Rift
6. Panzer Corps: Wehrmacht

1. Dark Souls
2. Battlefield 3
3. Saints Row: The third
4. The Witcher 2
5. Terraria
6. Red orchestra 2: Heroes of Stalingrad
7. Gears of War 3
8. Portal 2
9. Skyrim
10. Forza 4

Dark Souls is not only my game of the year, but game of the decade. The last game that engrossed me this much was the original Deus Ex. The fact it's a complete package with no bullsh*t costume DLC and such makes it feel that much more elegant.

That said, 11 and 12 would be Street fighter 4: Arcade Edition and Ultimate Marvel Vs Capcom 3 for me (Capcom being the biggest criminal in bullsh*t DLC), but both have such solid gameplay I see myself playing them well into next year.

Top 10 (all PC)
1. Dragon Age: Origins
2. Terraria
3. Cities in Motion
4. Dragon Age 2
5. Need for Speed Hot Pursuit
6. Far Cry 2
7. Mass Effect
8. Assassin's Creed
9. Flight Control HD
10. Dawn of Discovery

Dragon Age was one of the best gaming experiences I've ever had. Enthralling from end to end. Just the fact that I finished it is saying a lot for me. I rarely get through an RPG. Having said that. . .

EriktheRed wrote:

Also, if I could I would put Team Fortress 2 on the list. I have probably played this more than any other game this year, and with all the new content being added it still feels fresh.

I second that emotion.

The thing about Portal2 is that it would be impossible to exactly recreate the magic of the first one, or the experience of coming to something genuinely new again. Another thing is it would just be a level pack.

Instead they changed it a bit, it's not just more P1. It's got a bigger story, a different type of story, told differently. It's a different atmosphere, with less solitude and more response to and communication with the player, but if you feel like ignoring it all it still operates as a great puzzle game.

Oh, and co-operative mode, which has it's own story. A full half of the game, not tacked on.

As much as you can't erase the solutions from your mind after going through it once, so the replayability isn't there, you could say the same about many other games once you 'solve' them.

I won't deny that about Portal 2, but unlike the games that get the replay value for me, it doesn't allow any character customization. There is a solution that is not defined by what you have decided to do, but by what the developers had in mind with the limited equipment you have.

DSGamer wrote:
TrashiDawa wrote:

The best part of the GOTY voting is seeing who the gaming hipsters are (which is defined by not including Skyrim on their list).

I'll wear that badge with pride if that's the criteria. I played Skyrim. It's still sitting on my shelf. But I got bored after a couple of hours and never put it back in.

Did you get bored or did you run out of room in your inventory for brooms and cabbages?

Here is my list (with token console games to avoid the revised hipster label)

1. The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim (PC - modded up the wazoo)
2. The Witcher 2 (PC)
3. Star Wars: The Old Republic (PC)
4. Battlefield 3 (PC)
5. Deus Ex: Human Revolution
6. Dragon Age II (PC) - loved it despite the changes (DA 3 needs to be more like the Witcher though)
7. Dark Souls (XBOX)
8. Fallout New Vegas - DLC (PC - heavily modded)
9. Red Orchestra 2 (PC) - quite broken but still has the market cornered on gratifying bolt action rifle kills
10. Dead Space 2 (PC)

Game I enjoyed that didn't make the cut:

  • Batman: Arkham City (PC)
  • Uncharted 3 (PS3)
  • Portal 2 (PC)
  • Bulletstorm (PC)
  • Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine (PC)
  • Rift (PC)
  • Shogun Total War (PC)
  • Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 (PC)
  • Crysis 2
  • Homefront (PC)
  • Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War II - Retribution (PC)

    I must say it was a hell of a year for gaming!

  • trueheart78 wrote:

    I won't deny that about Portal 2, but unlike the games that get the replay value for me, it doesn't allow any character customization. There is a solution that is not defined by what you have decided to do, but by what the developers had in mind with the limited equipment you have.

    That's kind of the nature of the game, isn't it? That seems to me to be faulting Quake because you can only defeat enemies by shooting them. That said, this is the thread for personal preferences.

    Top Ten
    1. Skyrim - Just brilliant! Everything I love about TES games, even the parts people complain about. I love that you can be over-powered in it if you want to. I love the wacky stuff that sometimes happens. That's part of what makes TES games great. Add in a deep world with lots to see, do, and explore and I will be playing this for a long long time.
    2. Deus Ex: Human Revolution - Just a really great game experience. I loved the world and all the ways the game gave you to overcome obstacles.
    3. Portal 2 - A little too long but still a really great time. The MP is a blast too.
    4. Pride of Nations - Huge grand strategy that's not afraid to be sprawling, dense, and demanding of the player. I find its channeling events into semi-historical outcomes to be more interesting and compelling than Victoria 2.
    5. Alpha Protocol - Once I figured out that this was not a shooter but an RPG masquerading as a shooter, I had a really really great time with it.
    6. Borderlands - Great fun shooting it up with friends in MP!
    7. Just Cause 2 - Pure and simple, this is fun. So many things to do and dudes to tether to airplanes.
    8. Dungeons of Dredmor - Really great modern take on Roguelikes. Just a fantastic time rolling through the dungeon killing stuff and getting loot.
    9. Sengoku - Despite not being as deep as I would have liked, Paradox more than made up for it with great AI. So many plots, backstabs, and revolts.
    10. Blood Bowl - So the SP game sucks, but the GWJ leagues make me glad to have finally gotten into this.

    Others
    The Witcher 2 - I made it through the introduction and made it to the first town then set it aside. For some reason, the combat is annoying to me. I'm sure I could get used to it but just haven't wanted to for some reason. I will get back to it though.
    Avodon - Nice old-school RPG with interesting story and world to explore.
    Panzer Corps - Scratches the light strategy itch pretty well but ultimately becomes a puzzle game. And once you see that it is a puzzle game, it makes it hard to go back to feeling like it is a true war game.
    Saints Row 2 - I can see the good game in there past the jacked up PC controls. I want to love it but the controls won't let me.
    Magicka - SP just never grabbed me. Had one good MP session then people stopped playing it.
    Duke Nukem Forever - I don't hate it as much as most people seem to, but Lord it was pretty bad.

    Games I didn't play enough of form an opinion
    Eschalon 2 - Another old-school RPG that got kind of lost in everything else this year. I will get back to it.
    Orcs Must Die! - Just started playing this, seems quite fun. I think I will like this but it gets quite hard quite quickly, at least for this old man. Which makes me not want to play it.
    Europa Universalis: Rome - Looks like this could be quite interesting but I need some time to sit down and play with it for a while. Maybe in February (Damn! That's when Crusader Kings 2 comes out - well maybe some time next year I will get to this with the attention it deserves).

    Special Longevity Award: TF2. Over 1000 so far after 4 years. Still so fun!

    Nightmare wrote:

    Magicka - SP just never grabbed me. Had one good MP session then people stopped playing it.

    Hey there are a few of us that still play it. I will keep you in mind next time we are looking to do some MP. Also feel free to hit me up on Steam if you want to get a game started.

    Didn't get around playing too many games this year...

    1. The Binding of Isaac
    2. Bastion
    3. To The Moon
    4. Frozen Synapse
    5. Superbrothers: Swords & Sworcery
    6. The Witcher 2
    7. Portal 2
    8. Jamestown

    1. Bastion
    2. Portal 2
    3. The Binding of Isaac
    4. Arkham City
    5. The Witcher 2
    6. Trine 2
    7. Magicka
    8. Dragon Age 2
    9. Frozen Synapse
    10. Deus Ex: Human Revolution

    Bastion and Portal 2 are both games that exhibit exquisite craftsmanship in all aspects. The Binding of Isaac is very minimal but completely engrossing, a remarkable piece of game design. Arkham City gave me more of what I loved from Arkham Asylum, but its new additions didn't really add to the formula. The Witcher 2 may have placed higher on this list but its second frustrating boss battle put it on the backburner for me for now. I've only played a little bit of Trine 2 so far but it looks like more gorgeous Trine which is enough to earn its spot on my top ten. Magicka was a flawed gem redeemed by its unique magic system and tongue in cheek humor. Dragon Age 2 was also flawed but was pulled through by its charming cast of characters. Frozen Synapse was a marvelous system but the campaign was too long and repetitive for me. Human Revolution had a lot of cyberpunk flavor in its opening hours but eventually fatigue from stealth and reading pointless emails set in.

    Honorable Mentions: Jamestown, Atom Zombie Smasher, SpaceChem, Gemini Rue, Costume Quest, Limbo

    This is a tough year. So much stuff came out I've even forgotten about the earlier releases of the year. Definitely going to have to go home and make a huge nominees list then cull that down to 10.

    1) Witcher 2
    2) Skyrim
    3) Red Orchestra 2
    4) Portal 2
    5) Saints Row the Third
    6) Battlefield 3
    7) Dead Space 2
    8) Bulletstorm
    9) Driver: San Fransisco
    10) Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood

    Man, what a great year in gaming.

    Edit: You think there's any desire to create a separate thread for most disappointing game of the year? I feel like there would be quite a few nominees.

    I think Dead Space 2 might get the "Bridesmaid of the Year Award"