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Sky
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Reply #35 on: January 05, 2010, 01:01:14 PM

Tebonas
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Reply #36 on: January 05, 2010, 01:29:33 PM

I think the consoles had a good year, Red Faction, Batman, Demon's Souls, Assassin's Creed II, and of course Borderlands, which has been by far my best "bang for the buck" game of the year.

Your comment makes no sense, Demons Souls was the only console exclusive of the lot. It was a great year for PC gaming as well.
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Reply #37 on: January 05, 2010, 02:49:49 PM

It was a terrible year for PCs and Consoles on the whole. Saying otherwise just means your standards are low. Having low standards isn't a bad thing, I wish I were more easily entertained, but it certainly does NOT mean it was a good year for gaming. That list above is what I'd expect on any given week in any given November, let alone the whole year. February 2010 is more impressive than all of 2009. That doesn't even include the fabulous end of January and March.
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Reply #38 on: January 05, 2010, 03:57:34 PM



God damn it, spoiler that stuff... Even with the chain, I still did not know...   awesome, for real

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Reply #39 on: January 05, 2010, 04:12:09 PM

It was a terrible year for PCs and Consoles on the whole. Saying otherwise just means your standards are low. Having low standards isn't a bad thing, I wish I were more easily entertained, but it certainly does NOT mean it was a good year for gaming. That list above is what I'd expect on any given week in any given November, let alone the whole year. February 2010 is more impressive than all of 2009. That doesn't even include the fabulous end of January and March.

It was a year of good sequels.. and zombies.

Actually some of these zombie games probably came out in 2008. That said, I never thought I'd see so many.

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Reply #40 on: January 06, 2010, 08:02:19 AM

Your comment makes no sense, Demons Souls was the only console exclusive of the lot. It was a great year for PC gaming as well.

I guess that's true! Many games I feel are more at home on console so I frequently don't even consider the PC version and forget it even exists.

As far as standards, you could either say some people's are too low, or some too high. Or, maybe certain people just try to justify their personal preferences with sweeping generalizations.

And honestly, any list that wants to marginalize Batman AA for being a clone, then at the same time claim Dragon Age as best single player game (because it is so original, rite?) is a joke.
« Last Edit: January 06, 2010, 08:04:48 AM by AcidCat »
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Reply #41 on: January 06, 2010, 08:34:17 AM

And honestly, any list that wants to marginalize Batman AA for being a clone, then at the same time claim Dragon Age as best single player game (because it is so original, rite?) is a joke.

 Ohhhhh, I see.

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Reply #42 on: January 06, 2010, 10:42:36 AM

And honestly, any list that wants to marginalize Batman AA for being a clone, then at the same time claim Dragon Age as best single player game (because it is so original, rite?) is a joke.

You might be on to something.
Quote
User: Is Batman just Sam Fisher with a cape?

Cleverbot: Oh lord, thats a difficult question.

User: Ok, well, if you take away the cape, is Batman just Sam Fisher?

Cleverbot: If I took over the industry, I would not have a boss.

User: Ok, but if you had a boss would it be Sam Fisher with a cape?

Cleverbot: Stop asking me these stupid questions, I'm not here for small talk.

User: Serious question: Is Batman just Sam Fisher with a cape? Yes or no?

Cleverbot: No.

User: Then who is the Batman?

Cleverbot: You.

User: Ok, let's say I'm not the Batman, is Sam Fisher?

Cleverbot: A clever computer program.

User: Yes, video games are clever computer programs. Now, answer the question: Is Sam Fisher the Batman?

Cleverbot: Yes. THE Batman.

User: Thanks for clearing that up, Cleverbot.
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Reply #43 on: January 06, 2010, 11:45:10 AM

Entertaining dialogs aside, I think the main difference is that I was never able to finish a Splinter Cell game.

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Reply #44 on: January 06, 2010, 05:45:47 PM

Entertaining dialogs aside, I think the main difference is that I was never able to finish a Splinter Cell game.

If Batman AA had button-mashing combat and thousands of items with a different color palette that were DEX 1 AGI 2 or AGI 2 DEX 1 ad ininfitum and less story to get in the way of the button mashing, everyone here would be all over it. 

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Reply #45 on: January 06, 2010, 05:46:45 PM

Entertaining dialogs aside, I think the main difference is that I was never able to finish a Splinter Cell game.

If Batman AA had button-mashing combat and thousands of items with a different color palette that were DEX 1 AGI 2 or AGI 2 DEX 1 ad ininfitum and less story to get in the way of the button mashing, everyone here would be all over it. 
Awesome argument, dude.

If Batman AA were a completely different game everyone here...

Oh wait.

Don't be a retard.
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Reply #46 on: January 06, 2010, 07:32:34 PM

I haven't played Batman AA, but I think a Batman game that plays like Splinter Cell is a long time coming. What more could you want? I mean it's kind of sad that many games like Splinter Cell have the Batman thing down, while Batman games don't. Might not be "innovative", but it fits the bill. That said, I don't know how well it's done to warrant "Best of the Year" type of listings. Just my 2c
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Reply #47 on: January 06, 2010, 11:17:04 PM

Batman: AA is the best Batman game to date and has some great features to it. However, it is exactly three different types of gameplay (stealth, fighting, platform) repeated with slight variations, has some very annoying bits that just slow you down (e.g. any kind of 'detective' bit, Killer Croc's lair), is completely linear and you learn more in the Challenge sections outside of the game about what Batman can do than inside the game.

Haven't played Demon Souls since I don't own a PS3. Dragon Age is on my list to get. I didn't play enough games released in 2009 to have an opinion on GOTY other than I hoped it would be better than Batman: AA. 

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Reply #48 on: January 07, 2010, 04:29:21 AM

From what I hear, Assassin's Creed 2 is also a good Batman game.  Oh ho ho ho. Reallllly?

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Reply #49 on: January 07, 2010, 05:23:49 AM

From what I hear, Assassin's Creed 2 is also a good Batman game.  Oh ho ho ho. Reallllly?


And thus, by extension, just a crappy port of a Splinter Cell game.

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Sky
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Reply #50 on: January 07, 2010, 06:26:18 AM

Garrett is just a Sam Fisher knockoff. Thief sucked.
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Reply #51 on: January 07, 2010, 09:18:17 AM

Batman: AA is the best Batman game to date and has some great features to it. However, it is exactly three different types of gameplay (stealth, fighting, platform) repeated with slight variations, has some very annoying bits that just slow you down (e.g. any kind of 'detective' bit, Killer Croc's lair), is completely linear and you learn more in the Challenge sections outside of the game about what Batman can do than inside the game.

Haven't played Demon Souls since I don't own a PS3. Dragon Age is on my list to get. I didn't play enough games released in 2009 to have an opinion on GOTY other than I hoped it would be better than Batman: AA. 

Thank you for posting this.  It makes the last few posts hurt my brain less.

So, everyone else, what's your GOTY?  What sort of platform, special or "very special" award would you give?  Seriously, what made 2009 for you?  (Yes, now I actually care about your opinion.)

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Sky
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Reply #52 on: January 07, 2010, 10:17:43 AM

Tough to say, I don't generally play too many games the same year they're released. Right now I'd be torn between DA:O and Anno 1404. DA:O is just a great Bioware rpg, maybe not groundbreaking, but as someone who enjoys the lore, it was a lot of fun (and I liked the Fade alot). Otoh, Anno 1404 pretty much perfected the formula of the Anno games and that's definitely something to celebrate.

Just started Batman:AA, it may be attributable to other titles for inspiration, but so far it's a very fun game. Maybe I need to try out Splinter Cell on the PC, I had a bad experience on a console and thumbsticks. Shoulda steamed it!

Borderlands blew it with the shitty port, the limited loot descriptions and wonky multiplayer.

Drakensang was great, but I'd give the nod to DA:O in the same category. Burnout: Paradise is a hell of a lot of fun, but I'm not sure it counts as this year's release (the complete edition I bought came out this year). King Arthur looks to have some potential, and maybe Armored Princess (really enjoy HoMaMalikes).

I guess I'd give the nod to DA:O with Anno 1404 a close second.
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Reply #53 on: January 07, 2010, 10:27:01 AM

I, um, not to shit up the thread with questions about the actual games, but what is Anno 1404? I saw pictures of buildings and pretty cities. I like buildings.

But that Captain's salami tray was tight, yo. You plump for the roast pork loin, dogg?

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Reply #54 on: January 07, 2010, 10:28:25 AM

Dawn of Discovery in America. It's a resource management/empire building/light warfare game.
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Reply #55 on: January 07, 2010, 10:47:47 AM

Gotcha - yeah, I researched the website and saw that it kept referring to it as Dawn of Discovery, so I was able to find that on Steam.

I like building empires! I want to try this when it is not 50 dollars.

But that Captain's salami tray was tight, yo. You plump for the roast pork loin, dogg?

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[20:42:41] The spirit touches you and you feel drained.
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Reply #56 on: January 07, 2010, 11:15:53 AM

If Batman AA had button-mashing combat and thousands of items with a different color palette that were DEX 1 AGI 2 or AGI 2 DEX 1 ad ininfitum and less story to get in the way of the button mashing, everyone here would be all over it. 

You just described Too Human, so... probably not.

Although I liked it.  Somewhat.

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Reply #57 on: January 07, 2010, 12:09:26 PM

So, everyone else, what's your GOTY?  What sort of platform, special or "very special" award would you give?  Seriously, what made 2009 for you?  (Yes, now I actually care about your opinion.)

Well, as Schild said, 2009 was kind of a shitty year for games.

So, short list:

GOTY: Dragon Age
Sequel of the Year: Assassin's Creed 2. It's an improvement over the original in almost every way.
Sports Game of the Year: Fight Night Round 4

Shittiest Sequel of the Year: Super Mario Bros Wii. In my defense I got it purely to play with my daughter but damn is Nintendo getting lazy and just shitting out retreads!
Shittiest RPG of the Year: Sacred 2. My wife got it for me so we'd have a co-op game to play. *sigh* Thankfully it was recent so she only spent $20 on it instead of $60. And honestly, the price ended up being a major factor for her.

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Reply #58 on: January 07, 2010, 02:30:28 PM

My ability to make lists ilke these is always compromised by the fact that half the games or more that I play came out in prior years. So, for example, its hard for me to think of 'this year's games' without thinking of Mount & Blade, because I first played it this year and it was new to me.

Dragon Age is pretty easily my GOTY winner.

I enjoyed Batman, maybe because I don't play a lot of games in that genre so things that felt lame to people were fairly fresh mechanics for me. Also I'm pretty sure I like being Batman more than I'd like being some dude with a gun and nightvision goggles. Borderlands and Torchlight have their good points but too many flaws. Torchlight's character powers/trees are just way too shallow, Borderlands has some console port issues and isn't too exciting single player. I was ultimately a bit disappointed by Dawn of Discovery (I went into it hoping for a more historical sort of game, oops) and Majesty 2 (it just lacks a lot of the character of the original.)

I think the new Monkey Island episodes deserve some mention since they're pretty funny, the voice acting is good, and it is nice to see someone still working in that genre at all.

Hearts of Iron 3 gets the Gives Me a Headache Victoria Memorial award.

Alpha Protocol gets my Most Annoying Ship Date Slip award, because I really want to know whether Obsidian is going to be able to put everything together in the same title.

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Reply #59 on: January 07, 2010, 03:06:22 PM

There were a lot of "servicable" games in 2009, so it's not so bad that I feel like I'm out of options. There were only two games I felt really compelled to play - Demon's Souls and Dragon Age, but then a bunch of stuff that's good once you're in the mood for it. Killzone 2, Forza 3, SFIV, BlazBlue, Uncharted 2, Skate 2.. Hell, even Need for Speed. Not to mention the other good looking stuff I haven't bought yet, like Assassin's Creed 2, LFD 2, and Crack in Time. Not really a bad year, unless you're an RPG fan. [edit] That's without mentioning all of these PC titles some of you guys list off.  
« Last Edit: January 07, 2010, 03:08:07 PM by stray »
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Reply #60 on: January 07, 2010, 03:09:08 PM

I'm not sure why there's even discussion as to whether or not it's a bad year. Particularly given that most people here are arguing about either 1. The Lack of Dragon Age as GOTY, 2. AA being called a reskin, or 3. Thinking I Just Pulled the List Out of Thin Air.
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Reply #61 on: January 07, 2010, 03:15:06 PM

skate 2 was really disappointing for me.  Hard to put my finger on why, but it just didn't have the same magic as the first did.   My top sports title for 2009 oddly would have to be the UFC 2009.  Not much of a sports gamer though.

I think the new Monkey Island episodes deserve some mention since they're pretty funny, the voice acting is good, and it is nice to see someone still working in that genre at all.

I completely forgot about them.  I finished the first chapter, but the rest are still waiting for me.  They were multi-platform, which would have made them a hard fit into what we did here.  Would this year's Heavy Rain fit into the genre?  I'm not sure; never played Indigo Prophecy.

Quote
Alpha Protocol gets my Most Annoying Ship Date Slip award, because I really want to know whether Obsidian is going to be able to put everything together in the same title.

That's more optimism than I can manage for Obsidian.  Maybe they'll bother to do an ending this time.

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Reply #62 on: January 07, 2010, 03:16:43 PM

Indigo Prophecy and Heavy Rain are most certainly Adventure titles.

The new Monkey Island had terrible art. Absolutely zero of the charm of the original character art.
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Reply #63 on: January 07, 2010, 03:20:59 PM

I know you didn't pull the list out of thin air.. It was a staff/contributor thing, right?

If we're talking about Batman though, the reason I haven't bought it yet isn't because of mechanics.. it just seems claustrophobic. "Arkam Asylum". That shit should be a level or two. Not an entire game. Someone convince me otherwise. The idea of Splinter Cell is quite alright with me. It's the idea of not whooping ass throughout Gotham that seems unappealing. And I'm fairly consistent about that gripe. While I didn't hate it, I started getting bored with Bioshock for similar reasons too.
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Reply #64 on: January 07, 2010, 03:45:36 PM

I know you didn't pull the list out of thin air.. It was a staff/contributor thing, right?

We established this earlier, but it was staff.

AA could have benefited from a more varied setting, but the expanse of Arkham was rather impressive.  Ditching the detective vision would be a massive upgrade for any sequel and would probably liven the spirits of the poor art staff.


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Reply #65 on: January 07, 2010, 04:27:17 PM

I played through the Tales of Monkey Island stuff and I didn't think it warranted a mention; the writing was largely bland with a few good cracks here and there. It certainly wasn't as clever or witty as the old stuff, largely because it's trying to walk a tightrope with the rabid MI1/MI2 fans on one side and People Younger Than Dirt on the other. They keep making so many nods and references back to the puzzles and plots of the original games that they simply cannot break new, interesting ground.

Having had a few weeks' distance from DA:O, I also agree with our decision to not give it GOTY; while it's a good PC RPG, and it's a nice revival of that particular type of game, it just seems to lack the vibrance that the BIS/Bioware collaborations had. The world and plots feel more dead and flat to me, for some reason. It's a good game, but I couldn't argue in good faith for the top spot.

My only gripe has been and remains the disinclusion of L4D2, but I don't think I'll ever see eye-to-eye on that with anyone who doesn't regularly play Versus in a LAN setting.
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Reply #66 on: January 07, 2010, 05:09:34 PM

That's more optimism than I can manage for Obsidian.  Maybe they'll bother to do an ending this time.

NWN2 had an ending, but the game itself was mostly just OK; KOTOR2 had the screwed up ending but was otherwise a great game, better than KOTOR1. The first NWN2 expansion had great characters but was short, etc. I still have enough goodwill towards Avellone & co. that I'm looking forward to AP still, if just to see if they manage to get things together. My main worry is actually that I'm going to find the game politically unpalatable, being a left wing sort of guy.

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Reply #67 on: January 07, 2010, 05:26:29 PM

I didn't nominate Crack in Time mostly because of that intangible lack-of-charm that is mentioned here.  Although I considered that I might just be jaded as shit.  In any case, CiT was better than ToD but I still didn't feel like they gave 100% in the design.  90%, sure, but that's not GOTY-level when compared to Demon's Souls, especially in light of From Software's track record.  Cinderella story if I ever saw one.

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Reply #68 on: January 07, 2010, 05:29:34 PM

90%, sure, but that's not GOTY-level when compared to Demon's Souls, especially in light of From Software's track record.  Cinderella story if I ever saw one.

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Reply #69 on: January 07, 2010, 05:30:09 PM

Oh, i haven't played through it all, but I still didn't mean to construe that CiT was GOTY material either. I just think 2009 was ok, if a bit heavy on sequels.
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