Best & Worst of 2004

[Administrator]

Anticipation doesn't describe something that most people have been waiting for since 1987. Just in time for Christmas, f13.net announces what made 2004 special...and what games are taking the shortbus into 2005.



View all the grisly details here.

[SirBruce]

You left out Sid Meier's Pirates! you fools.

Bruce

[schild]

No, We left out the best remake category.

Heyeargh. C&P fails me again.

Edit: Best remake category added in.

[Hanzii]

I don't get the hate for HalfLife2 and I don't get the love for Bloodlines... the latter is probably (hopefully) because I'm not far into it. So far the story has yet to manifest itself, it's just standard goth angsty VtM fare (never one of my favourite pnp rpgs) with shoddy voice acting, adequate writing and a shoe in if you make a "worst use of excellent engine"-category. If this is how HL2 mods will loook, then nevermind.
Hopefully the story will soon show up, and I'll look past the bad animation and hard to manipulate environment.

Oh, and Battle for Middle Earth seems ok fun to me. Not hard, not innovative but nice looking and fun so far.

[schild]

I don't get the hate for HalfLife2 and I don't get the love for Bloodlines... the latter is probably (hopefully) because I'm not far into it. So far the story has yet to manifest itself

You're setting the bar too high. The last game with an excellent story came out over a year ago (Beyond Good & Evil).

Oh, and Battle for Middle Earth seems ok fun to me. Not hard, not innovative but nice looking and fun so far.

You're setting the bar too low.

[Ironwood]

Yup, I really think we've set our phasers on 'goth' for that one.  Vampire is an ok game, but you have to really look past the bugs and it's still just 'ok'.  Give it the scariest level award if you like, since the haunted house was fantastic, but best story ?  Hell, only if it jumps up about ten gears in that last level I can't be bothered getting to...

That being said, best game of the year would be a hard one for me to choose, so if I can't do any better I'll shut ma mouth.

[sinij]

 Give it the scariest level award if you like

Thief: Deadly Shadows by far has scariest level - Orphanage/Asylum freaked my out. I had to play it with sound off.

As to pocket kingdoms getting a mention - imo that game has no redeeming qualities other than being advertiser here.

Also awards should be organized better – how about Action, FPS, RTS, RP, mmorpg, puzzle, advertisers.

[Paelos]

I liked the nod to Rome:TW, I agree that it deserves recognition as the awesome game that it is. I haven't played Bloodlines yet, mostly because vampires don't interest me. This logic also applies to City of Heros. I really don't care how good the gameplay is on a game which has a meh setting to me. Needless to say I'll take your word on it being "OMG BEST GAME EVAR!!11" because I'll never play it.

PS - Ninjas are cool.

[stray]

Bloodlines is almost unplayable. I'm trying to get past the bugs, but so far it isn't that great. It's decent. But I'm putting it on the bottom of my list just because it's broken. GTA: SA goes on top.

I think I'm in a unique position to judge too. There was a time in my past where I've had plenty of firsthand experience with thugs. I was in a gang myself during the early 90's when this game takes place in....but I've always had close ties with punks and goths as well. I have no bias against one culture or the other, so I'll judge the games as games....Instead of giving irrelevant reasons like "I hate rap" or "goth culture is tacky".

Also, DoW should have gotten at least an honorable mention imo. Not necessarily innovative, but it's a solid game.

[Paelos]

I have no bias against one culture or the other, so I'll judge the games as games....Instead of giving irrelevant reasons like "I hate rap" or "goth culture is tacky".

When it comes to games, and movies for that matter, setting/culture does play a pretty damn important part to people liking it. Not exactly irrelevant despite the fact that the mechanics worked out well.

[stray]

Yeah, I didn't mean irrelevant. It is important, isn't it? I guess all I'm saying is that I can appreciate (and have a disgust for) both cultures, and I have no problem with either game on that level.

As for the entertainment value brought about by the games themselves though (not the cultures), Bloodlines isn't even comparable imo. It's almost comical to even think so. I don't dislike it or anything. It's OK, but definitely not "game of the year" material. But even if that wasn't enough reason, it's also a broken piece of shit.

[Xilren's Twin]

Yup, I really think we've set our phasers on 'goth' for that one.  Vampire is an ok game, but you have to really look past the bugs and it's still just 'ok'.  Give it the scariest level award if you like, since the haunted house was fantastic, but best story ?  Hell, only if it jumps up about ten gears in that last level I can't be bothered getting to...

Well, you have to remember what you're comparing it against as well.  Storywise, gameplay choice wise, setting, side quests, it all adds up to a great game, despite the bugs and occasional graphical issues, plus you get to use a flamethrower.  Probably the last single player RPG of a similar nature I actually would want to replay was KoToR just so you could do the whole light side dark side comparison. Reminded me a lot of SS2.

In this game I went with a combat heavy character first, and am now going through it again as a sneaky seductive Malk.  The conversations differences alone make it worth the replay but I am interested to try some other clans just to see how the other disciplines work (like blood magic) and I know I missed some side quests and extras.  Not to mention, this seems like a game aimed at adults, not just for language and gore, but the themes and innuendo would go right over most angsty teenagers heads.  I actually chuckled out loud at some of the in jokes.

BTW, if you hadn't finished it, the ending (at least if you choose Anarchs) I thought fit the whole double-dealing backstabbing cat's paw vampire world theme nicely.  Makes me wish for a sequel just to see where it goes next or who the hell I ended up "working" for.

I'd concur. My game of the year choice as well.

Xilren

[Rasix]

Well, I put my vote in for games I actually played.  I did not play a single PS2 game this year (I don't own one) nor did I play Halflife 2.  I doubt either would have garnered my vote because although I did like the GTA3 and Vice City, I didn't consider them GOTY material. Their luster faded fast for me (not a big fan of driving, real life or not).  And I didn't care much for the orginal Halflife, so I don't think I'd give much of a shit about its sequel.  I also have yet to play KOTOR2 (which honestly could get my vote), but it was numero uno on my Christmas list.  Free shit is nice.  

To me this year, there were two winners.  Bloodlines and Rome:TW.  In fact I was split down the middle on my choice. One game was horribly buggy, one game could get horribly boring.  If Bloodlines was more technically polished, it would have won hands down for me, easily.  It was just that good otherwise.  If they could have removed some of the tedium and more annoying aspects of Rome:TW, that could have won as well.

Really, this was a great year for gaming, and I'm sure a number of different titles would win for a number of different people.  To me, there was just no "OMFG, I MUST PLAY THIS FOR 99 HOURS STRAIGHT" game.  There were a lot of outstanding titles, however, and that's what's going to make this type of a choice a lot less clearcut than people think it should be.

[Ironwood]

  Well, you have to remember what you're comparing it against as well.  

Hold the phones here :  If you're giving it game of the year, you're comparing it to Everything Else that year.  I'm just saying that it's not that great nor original a game given the comparison.  Further, you have to factor in the very real fact that the game itself is broken.  It doesn't work.  It crashes.  It's got some very bad bugs.  The spelling's atrocious (!)

All in all, I just disagree with the award.  But it's a random vote on a random web board, so who really cares ?

I'm going to get to some of that sweet replayability eventually, but one thing's for damn sure :  It'll be after a fraggin patch has been released.

[HaemishM]

As to pocket kingdoms getting a mention - imo that game has no redeeming qualities other than being advertiser here.

Play it, or shut the fuck up. The game IS that good. YMMV.

EDIT: It should probably win a lot of things, like "Best Game on a System No one has or Cares About" or "Best Game to Play in Line at Wal-Mart." If it was on the GBA, it'd compare with Final Fantasy Tactics and some of the other good strategy games out there. It's on this list because both Schild and I played it and liked it, and really couldn't imagine anything other than scorn and derision for it before we played it.

"Most Surprising Game of the Year?" Another good accolade for it.

It ain't baby jesus, but I imagine he's playing it while Saint Peter waves people through the gates.

As for HL2, I don't have hate for it, I just haven't played it. UT2k4 I did play, and it was very good, and didn't have Steam issues or bugs holding it back. I defer to the folks who have actually played Bloodlines.

[Fargull]

Two boob shots does not make the best thread ever.

Agree with most of the picks.

[Xilren's Twin]

Hold the phones here :  If you're giving it game of the year, you're comparing it to Everything Else that year.  I'm just saying that it's not that great nor original a game given the comparison.  Further, you have to factor in the very real fact that the game itself is broken.  It doesn't work.  It crashes.  It's got some very bad bugs.  The spelling's atrocious (!)

I don't disagree with the problems you mentioned.  Hard to enjoy a game you can't get to run, but despite 2 or 3 crashes and some engine slowdown, I was able to play and finish it on a lower end machine.  Had the game been less enjoyable, it would have been punted early on.  There are few games I've played this year I didn't want to end (and a lot that couldn't be over soon enough), so for me, it wins.

I do think it just goes to show you how hard it is to pin down that elusive "fun" factor.  Some titles have it, where it shines through despite their attempts to screw it up with poor quality control and playtesting (i.e. Vamp).  Some don't despite their techincal stability or bevy of features (i.e. Doom3).  And of course, it's all subjective anyway.

Sadly, a game like this will only fuel the "release now, patch later" mentality, which I hate.

Xilren

Xilren

[Fabricated]

For me HL2 was game of the year, but I'm Valve's whore.

Bloodlines wins after that due to the great voice acting (fuck you if you don't like it), plot, and believe it or not the gameplay. I have some bias though in that I never once experienced a crash playing Bloodines. It got slow at times and there was the odd graphical error (best one I remember: The sky in one of the areas turned into the CoH Login Screen graphic), but no crashing.

KOTOR 2 is also shaping up to be really good, but I had actually beaten Bloodlines before this article.

GTA:SA...eh. It's fun for about 10 minutes, and then I got tired of driving.

[schild]

  Well, you have to remember what you're comparing it against as well.  

Hold the phones here :  If you're giving it game of the year, you're comparing it to Everything Else that year.  I'm just saying that it's not that great nor original a game given the comparison.  Further, you have to factor in the very real fact that the game itself is broken.  It doesn't work.  It crashes.  It's got some very bad bugs.  The spelling's atrocious (!)

All in all, I just disagree with the award.  But it's a random vote on a random web board, so who really cares ?

You care, so give us another damn game with a reason it should be best game of the year. Look at the games we put Bloodlines in league with at the end of the paragraph. Are you denying that they are some of the best games ever? Do you just NOT remember the sheer amount of bugs that the PC Games in that list were released with? Put up or shutup.

As for you Sinij, Pocket Kingdom was not picked because it's an advertiser. The game blindsided us and most people who play it. It's quite goddamn fun and for all intent and purposes - shouldn't be. It's on a shitty little phone and has no inventory control. But even I still played it for a while there - even while not being able to connect to NGage Arena from my house. We didn't give it the _winner_ because it ISN'T the winner. City of Heroes is. But I'll tell ya, it surprised us more than WoW. And on the most base levels, was more engrossing. ^_^

[Dark Vengeance]

GTA:SA...eh. It's fun for about 10 minutes, and then I got tired of driving.

Jesus Christ, you managed to take a title with as much breadth as anything on the market, and reduce it into "meh, driving is boring" in all of 10 minutes? You may want to consider upping the dosage.

And although I own and enjoy ESPN NFL 2k5, it is a must-own because it is a $50 football title at a $20 price point. It arguably wasn't even the best football title of the year...and having played both, I'd gladly debate that with anyone. And I still don't feel that 'must own' = best. I've dumped a ridiculous amount of time into Tiger Woods 2004, and enjoyed it enough to pick up golf IRL....this is far and away the best sports title of 2004, IMO.

On a related note, one I didn't expect you folks to pick up on what with the staunch anti-EA tone, was the Innovative Marketing Gimmick of the Year that was Abandoned All Too Soon (IMGOTYTWAATS), which I would award to the EA Sports Bio. Great little gimmick that was capable of instilling brand loyalty, and sparked enough curiosity to entice me to rent EA's entire 2004 lineup. Sadly, the Bio was abandoned in the 2005 lineup.

Bring the noise.
Cheers............

[schild]

GTA:SA...eh. It's fun for about 10 minutes, and then I got tired of driving.

Jesus Christ, you managed to take a title with as much breadth as anything on the market, and reduce it into "meh, driving is boring" in all of 10 minutes? You may want to consider upping the dosage.

Morrowind has as much breadth as anything else on the market and it's pretty easy to reduce to "Meh, walking aimlessly is boring."

Just sayin' is all.

[Dark Vengeance]

GTA:SA...eh. It's fun for about 10 minutes, and then I got tired of driving.

Jesus Christ, you managed to take a title with as much breadth as anything on the market, and reduce it into "meh, driving is boring" in all of 10 minutes? You may want to consider upping the dosage.

Morrowind has as much breadth as anything else on the market and it's pretty easy to reduce to "Meh, walking aimlessly is boring."

Just sayin' is all.

Yeah, but you can't go on pimping missions in Morrowind either. Nor can you shoot cops in the face with RPGs, perform drive-bys to the tune of Willie Nelson's "Crazy", play all manner of casino games (not to mention pool, and the classic game ripoffs found on the arcade machines), walk around the hood graciously liberating drug dealers from their heads for fun and profit (sawn-off shotgun 4tw), nor go on a extended police chase while riding a BMX bicycle or piloting a Harrier. And to top it all off, the eating element of the game supports both anorexia and bulimia.

GROVE STREET FOR LIFE and whatnot.

Bring the noise.
Cheers............

[Margalis]

I think GTA is immensly boring. The driving feels terrible, as does the fighting. When you drive it feels like your car is made out of styrofoam. I played The Getaway before I played a GTA game, it was quite a shock.

I can see why people like it, but for me it sucks. I couldn't stand playing it for more than 20 minutes or so.

[stray]

When you drive it feels like your car is made out of styrofoam.

Well, that's because it is. I think it'd be hard to enjoy the game the way it's meant to be enjoyed if one car lasts even after a single trip (Ideally, murdering 20-30 people in the process of doing it).

So you played for 20 minutes? What'd you do? Find two cool cars and spent all that time parking them neatly in the garage to keep them safe? I guess that could be a game in and of itself, but I agree, not very fun.

[Fabricated]

Jesus Christ, you managed to take a title with as much breadth as anything on the market, and reduce it into "meh, driving is boring" in all of 10 minutes? You may want to consider upping the dosage.

I tried really hard to get to the fun, but I can only perform so many drive-bys and car chases (which fucking suck since the computer drives on a fucking rail and most of the fast vehicles are impossible to control) before I get bored.

The drive-bys fucking suck by the way. It's called a drive by because you DRIVE BY AND DON'T COME BACK, but in order to complete most of them, you need to either coast by at 5MPH so your friends can actually finish the job (nevermind going this slow gets your car blasted to pieces), or drive by, and have to BACK UP to finish the job.

The gang war element sucked as well, since you couldn't walk 2 feet out of your hood without an army of rival gang members decending upon it.

It was huge, had good music, and had tons of shit to do, it's just that fucking off and running over people for 10 minutes is more fun than actually progressing through the game.

[Jain Zar]

Ive got to go with City of Heroes for best game.  Lots of love for CoH.  KOTOR2 is great too, but its a well made expansion pack with framerate issues and not a whole new game.  Not that this stops me from loving other sequels that have done this, but still.

[Rodent]

Since Bloodlines sported the voice actor of Bender Bending Rodriguez, the game deffinatly deserves game of the year.

Glad to see CoH wasn't forgotten in the wake of WoW and EQ2, even happier it dominated them. Also happy to see Chronicles of Riddick was mentioned, if only all movie-licensed games were that good, hell if only most games were that good.

Only game I really missed on the list was Warhammer 40k: Dawn of War. While Rome: TW was the better game DoW deserves an honerable mention I think. If for no other reason than it's the first Games Workshop game for the pc that doesn't look and play like ass.

[HaemishM]

I will have to admit, I forgot about Dawn of War, but yes, it probably does deserve an honorable mention.

[Margalis]

When you drive it feels like your car is made out of styrofoam.

Well, that's because it is. I think it'd be hard to enjoy the game the way it's meant to be enjoyed if one car lasts even after a single trip (Ideally, murdering 20-30 people in the process of doing it).

My problem is not the durability it's the weight. My car weighs 15 pounds.

Seriously, play The Getaway then play GTA. Driving in The Getaway is fun. Driving in GTA isn't. (Fighting on foot isn't fun in either game...)

[daveNYC]

DoW should get an award for the opening movie.

[Samprimary]

Should Halo 2 be mentioned anywhere, or am I just crazy?

Dawn of War was fun. I like the originality, like with the space marines which aren't the Allilance, the chaos marines that aren't the undead, the eldar which aren't the night elves, and the orcs which are the orcs but don't have tauren. The comparisons are nigh non-inescapable!

[Shockeye]

Should Halo 2 be mentioned anywhere, or am I just crazy?

Why? Because every other whore site falls all over themselves over it?

[Samprimary]

Should Halo 2 be mentioned anywhere, or am I just crazy?

Why? Because every other whore site falls all over themselves over it?

I don't know. I haven't really been keeping up with the gaming press on this one. I just thought that it was a decent game which was good fun for fans of the genre and made a worthwhile addition to the X-Box library.

Gotta be worth something, right?

[Rasix]

Should Halo 2 be mentioned anywhere, or am I just crazy?

Well, it was one of the better console games I played this year. But, it was easy to put down. Excellent game, just really easy to put aside.  

Now, this isn't like Doom 3, where I just chucked it to the side do the overwhelming stinkitude of the game, it just didn't enthrall me and started collecting dust once WoW hit the shelves. UT2K4 was more fun, in my book, even without a single player mode.  

I dunno, for a FPS to win for me, it would have to be something very special.  Like Max Payne (1 or 2) or Deus Ex. It wins my "best X-box game of the year" trophy (no category, sorry), but that's just because I still don't have my mits on KOTOR2.

[Shockeye]

It wins my "best X-box game of the year" trophy (no category, sorry), but that's just because I still don't have my mits on KOTOR2.

How quickly people forget the gem that is "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 2: Battle Nexus".