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GOTY 2009 Poll: Nominations needed!
mcc
glitchRegistered User, ClubPA regular
glitchRegistered User, ClubPA regular
Hey.
So for the last few years I have been doing a Game of the Year poll on this forum. People seem to enjoy it when it happens so I would like to do it again this year.
There are a lot of Game of the Year polls out there, but the thing that makes this one interesting (in my opinion) is that most GOTY polls give you a list of maybe five of the best-selling games from the last year, and ask you to choose your favorite. This poll, however, gives you a list of EVERY game that came out in the last year (more or less) and asks you to vote for [up to] your top 20, ranked by how much you liked them. Here's last year's poll if you want to see how this works. We actually wind up with a serviceable ranking of the top hundred or so games from the last year, with blockbusters, obscurities and cult hits mixed in side by side.
I'm going to start this poll on January 1, and run it for one week. But before I can do this I need a nominations list. Remember, the point of this is to have the most comprehensive list of games possible! So any game that anyone might POSSIBLY put in their top 20 deserves to go on the list. There are only a couple of rules.
1. The game has to have been legally released IN AMERICA for the first time this year.
2. No ports, no expansion packs (unless that expansion pack is truly huge). It has to be an actually new game. (Sometimes it's hard to tell whether this rule applies; see the post immediately underneath this one.)
3. I need to know the systems that any game you nominate were released on. I would also like to know if a game was exclusively released as a digital download (I mark download-only games with asterisks* below.)
Here's my nominations list so far (thanks Tofenheimer). If I am missing anything or there are any mistakes (in particular I have zero idea which PC games were steam-only), please let me know. Thanks! I am sorry the nominations thread is going up so late this year.
So for the last few years I have been doing a Game of the Year poll on this forum. People seem to enjoy it when it happens so I would like to do it again this year.
There are a lot of Game of the Year polls out there, but the thing that makes this one interesting (in my opinion) is that most GOTY polls give you a list of maybe five of the best-selling games from the last year, and ask you to choose your favorite. This poll, however, gives you a list of EVERY game that came out in the last year (more or less) and asks you to vote for [up to] your top 20, ranked by how much you liked them. Here's last year's poll if you want to see how this works. We actually wind up with a serviceable ranking of the top hundred or so games from the last year, with blockbusters, obscurities and cult hits mixed in side by side.
I'm going to start this poll on January 1, and run it for one week. But before I can do this I need a nominations list. Remember, the point of this is to have the most comprehensive list of games possible! So any game that anyone might POSSIBLY put in their top 20 deserves to go on the list. There are only a couple of rules.
1. The game has to have been legally released IN AMERICA for the first time this year.
2. No ports, no expansion packs (unless that expansion pack is truly huge). It has to be an actually new game. (Sometimes it's hard to tell whether this rule applies; see the post immediately underneath this one.)
3. I need to know the systems that any game you nominate were released on. I would also like to know if a game was exclusively released as a digital download (I mark download-only games with asterisks* below.)
Here's my nominations list so far (thanks Tofenheimer). If I am missing anything or there are any mistakes (in particular I have zero idea which PC games were steam-only), please let me know. Thanks! I am sorry the nominations thread is going up so late this year.
1 vs. 100 (360*)
50 Cent: Blood on the Sand (360,PS3)
A Boy and His Blob (Wii)
A Witch's Tale (DS)
ARMA 2 (PC)
AaaaaAAaaaAAAaaAAAAaAAAAA!!! - A Reckless Disregard for Gravity (PC*)
Afrika (PS3)
Afro Samurai (360,PS3)
Aion: The Tower of Eternity (PC)
Altitude (PC)
America's Army 3 (PC)
Anno 1404 (PC)
Ar tonelico II: Melody of Metafalica (PS2)
Assassin's Creed II (360,PS3)
Assassin's Creed II: Discovery (DS,iPhone)
Assassin's Creed: Bloodlines (PSP)
Avalon Code (DS)
Band Hero (360,DS,PS2,PS3,Wii)
Batman: Arkham Asylum (360,PC,PS3)
Battlefield 1943 (360,PS3)
Battlefield Heroes (PC)
Bionic Commando (360,PC,PS3)
Bit.Trip Beat (Wii*)
Bit.Trip Core (Wii*)
Bit.Trip Void (Wii*)
BlazBlue: Calamity Trigger (360,PS3)
Bookworm Adventures Volume 2 (PC*)
Boom Blox Bash Party (Wii)
Borderlands (360,PC,PS3)
Brütal Legend (360,PS3)
Burn Zombie Burn (PS3*)
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 (360,PC,PS3)
Call of Juarez: Bound in Blood (360,PC,PS3)
Canabalt (iPhone)
Captain Forever / Successor (Flash)
Castlevania: The Adventure ReBirth (Wii*)
Champions Online (PC)
Class of Heroes (PSP)
Colin McRae: Dirt 2 (360,DS,PC,PS3,PSP,Wii)
Continuity (Flash)
Contra ReBirth (Wii*)
Critter Crunch (iPhone,PS3*)
Crimson Gem Saga (PSP)
Cross Edge (PSP)
Cryostasis: Sleep of Reason (PC)
Damnation (360,PC,PS3)
Dead Rising: Chop Til You Drop (Wii)
DJ Hero (360,PS2,PS3,Wii)
DJ Max Fever (PSP)
Darkest of Days (360,PC)
Deadly Creatures (Wii)
Dead Space: Extraction (Wii)
Defense Grid (PC)
Demigod (PC)
Demon's Souls (PS3)
Dissidia: Final Fantasy (PSP)
Divinity 2 (360,PC)
Dokapon Journey (DS)
Doodle Jump (iPhone)
Don't Look Back (Flash)
Don't *** Your Pants (Flash)
Dragon Age: Origins (360,PC,PS3)
Dragon Ball: Raging Blast (360,PS3)
Dragon Ball: Revenge of King Piccolo (Wii)
Dragon Ball Z: Attack of the Saiyans (DS)
Dragon Quest V (DS)
Dragonica (PC)
Droplitz (360*, PC*, PS3*)
Eat Lead: The Return of Matt Hazard (360,PS3)
Edge (iPhone)
Empire: Total War (PC)
Enviro-Bear 2010: Operation Hibernation (iPhone)
Excitebots: Trick Racing (Wii)
Excitebike World Rally (Wii*)
F.A.S.T. (iPhone)
F.E.A.R. 2: Project Origin (360,PC,PS3)
Fat Princess (PS3*)
Fight Night Round 4 (360,PS3)
Fighting Fantasy: The Warlock of Firetop Mountain (DS)
Final Fantasy 4: The After Years (Wii*)
Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: Echoes of Time (DS,Wii)
Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: My Life as a Darklord (Wii*)
Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: The Crystal Bearers (Wii)
Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon (DS)
Flower (PS3*)
Flower, Sun, and Rain (DS)
Football Manager 2010 (PC,PSP)
Forza Motorsport 3 (360)
Geneforge 5: Overthrow (PC)
Ghostbusters: The Video Game (360,DS,PC,PS2,PS3,PSP,Wii)
Gradius ReBirth (Wii*)
Gran Turismo PSP (PSP)
Grand Slam Tennis (Wii)
Grand Theft Auto IV: Episodes from Liberty City (360)
Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars (DS,PSP)
Gratuitous Space Battles (PC)
Guitar Hero 5 (360,PS2,PS3,Wii)
Guitar Hero: Metallica (360,PS2,PS3,Wii)
Guitar Hero: Van Halen (360,PS2,PS3,Wii)
Gyromancer (360*,PC)
Half-Minute Hero (PSP)
Halo 3: ODST (360)
Halo Wars (360)
Harvest Moon: Animal Parade (Wii)
Harvest Moon: Sunshine Islands (DS)
Hearts of Iron III (PC)
Henry Hatsworth in the Puzzling Adventure (DS)
Holy Invasion of Privacy, Badman! (PSP)
Home [by increpare] (PC)
Home [by Sony] (PS3)
Hook Champ (iPhone)
House of the Dead: Overkill (Wii)
I MAED A GAM3 W1TH Z0MB1ES!!!1 (360*)
Indiana Jones and the Staff of Kings (DS,PS2,PSP,Wii)
Infamous (PS3)
Jak and Daxter: The Lost Frontier (PS2,PSP)
Katamari Forever (PS3)
Kenka Bancho: Badass Rumble (PSP)
Killing Floor (PC)
Killzone 2 (PS3)
King's Bounty: Armored Princess (PC)
Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days (DS)
Knights in the Nightmare (DS)
League of Legends (PC)
Leave Home (360*)
Left 4 Dead 2 ((360,PC)
Legend of Princess (PC)
Lego Indiana Jones 2: The Adventure Continues (360,DS,PC,PS3,PSP,Wii)
Lego: Rock Band (360,DS,PS3,Wii)
Lips: Number One Hits (360)
LittleBigPlanet (PSP)
Little King's Story (Wii)
LocoRoco 2 (PSP)
LocoRoco Midnight Carnival (PSP)
Lode Runner XBLA (360*)
LostWinds: Winter of the Melodias (Wii*)
Lucidity (360*,PC)
Machinarium (PC*)
MadWorld (Wii)
Madden NFL 10 (360,iPhone,PS2,PS3,PSP,Wii)
Magic: The Gathering - Duels of the Planeswalkers (360*)
MagnaCarta II (360)
Majesty 2: The Fantasy Kingdom Sim (PC)
Mana Khemia 2: Fall of Alchemy (PS2)
Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story (DS)
Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games (DS,Wii)
Mario vs Donkey Kong: Minis March Again (DS*)
Marvel: Ultimate Alliance 2 (360,DS,PS2,PS3,PSP,Wii)
Mega Man Starforce 3 (DS)
Might & Magic: Clash of Heroes (DS)
Mighty Flip Champs (DS*)
Miner Dig Deep (360*)
Mirror Stage (DS)
MLB Front Office Manager (360,PC,PS3)
Molly the Were-zompire (360*)
MotorStorm: Arctic Edge (PS2,PSP)
Muramasa: The Demon Blade (Wii)
MX vs ATV Reflex (360,DS,PS3,PSP)
My World, My Way (DS)
NCAA Football 10 (360,PS2,PS3,PSP)
NHL 10 (360,PS3)
Naruto Shippuden: Clash of Ninja Revolution 3 (Wii)
Need for Speed: Nitro (DS,Wii)
Need for Speed: Shift (360,iPhone,PC,PS3,PSP)
New Super Mario Bros. Wii (Wii)
Ninja Blade (360,PC)
Noby Noby Boy (PS3*,iPhone)
Nostalgia (DS)
NyxQuest: Kindred Spirits (Wii*)
Opera Omnia (PC)
Operation Flashpoint: Dragon Rising (360,PC,PS3)
Osmos (PC)
Overlord II (360,PC,PS3)
Overlord: Dark Legend (Wii)
Overlord: Minions (DS)
Outrun Online Arcade (360*, PS3*)
Painkiller: Resurrection (PC)
Patapon 2 (PSP)
Phantasy Star 0 (DS)
PictoBits (DS*)
Pixeljunk Shooter (PS3*)
Plants vs. Zombies (PC)
Pokemon Rumble (Wii*)
Prinny: Can I Really Be the Hero? (PSP)
Professor Layton and the Diabolical Box (DS)
Precipice (DS*)
Prototype (360,PC,PS3)
Pulseman (Genesis)
Puzzle Quest: Galactrix (360*,DS,PC,PS3*)
Punch-Out!! (Wii)
Rabbids Go Home (DS,Wii)
Race Pro (360)
Raiden IV (360)
Ratchet & Clank Future: A Crack in Time (PS3)
Red Faction: Guerrilla (360,PC,PS3)
Resident Evil 5 (360,PC,PS3)
Resident Evil: The Darkside Chronicles (Wii)
Resistance: Retribution (PSP)
Retro Game Challenge (DS)
Rhythm Heaven (DS)
Risen (360,PC)
Rock Band Unplugged (PSP)
Rogue Warrior (360,PC,PS3)
Rune Factory Frontier (Wii)
Runes of Magic (PC)
Saira (PC)
Scribblenauts (DS)
Section 8 (360,PC)
Shadow Complex (360*)
Shattered Horizon (PC)
Shatter (PS3*)
Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Summoner 2: Raidou Kuzunoha vs. King Abaddon (PS2)
Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Survivor (DS)
Silent Hill: Shattered Memories (Wii)
Skate 2 (360,PS3)
Small Worlds (Flash)
SMT: Persona (PSP)
Solium Infernum (PC)
Sonic and the Black Knight (Wii)
Soulcalibur: Broken Destiny (PSP)
South Park Let's Go Tower Defense Play! (360*)
Space Invaders Extreme 2 (DS)
Space Invaders Infinity Gene (iPhone)
Spider (iPhone)
Splosion Man (360*)
Spore: Galactic Adventures (PC)
Spyborgs (Wii)
Squareball (iPhone)
Star Guard (PC*)
Star Ocean: The Last Hope (360)
Steal Princess (DS)
Steambot Chronicles: Battle Tournament (PSP)
Street Fighter IV (360,PC,PS3)
Style Savvy (DS)
Suikoden Tierkreis (DS)
Super Robot Taisen OG Saga: Endless Frontier (DS)
Tales of Monkey Island (PC,Wii)
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Smash-Up (PS2,Wii)
Tekken 6 (360,PS3,PSP)
Tenchu: Shadow Assassins (Wii)
The Beatles: Rock Band (360,PS3,Wii)
The Bigs 2 (360,DS,PS2,PS3,PSP,Wii)
The Chronicles of Riddick: Assault on Dark Athena (360,PC,PS3)
The Conduit (Wii)
The Dark Spire (DS)
The Dishwasher: Dead Samurai (360*)
The Godfather II (360,PC,PS3)
The King of Fighters XII (360,PS3)
The Lord of the Rings: Conquest (360,DS,PC,PS3)
The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks (DS)
The Saboteur (360,PC,PS3)
The Sims 3 (iPhone,PC)
The Void (PC)
The Wizard of Oz: Beyond the Yellow Brick Road (DS)
Tiger Woods PGA Tour 10 (360,iPhone,PS2,PS3,PSP,Wii)
Time, Gentlemen, Please! (PC*)
Tom Clancy's HAWX (360,iPhone,PC,PS3,Wii)
Torchlight (PC)
Trash Panic (PS3*)
Trials HD (360*)
Trine (PC,PS3*)
Trivial Pursuit (360,PS3,Wii)
Tropico 3 (PC)
Twin Blades (360*)
Unbound Saga (PSP)
Uncharted 2: Among Thieves (PS3)
Upgrade Complete (Flash)
Valkyrie Profile: Covenant of the Plume (DS)
Valkyrie Sky (PC)
Virtua Tennis 2009 (360,PC,PS3,Wii)
WET (360,PS3)
Wanted: Weapons of Fate (360,PC,PS3)
Way of the Samurai 3 (360,PS3)
Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War II (PC)
WarioWare: Snapped! (DS*)
Watchmen: The End Is Nigh (360,PC,PS3)
Wheelman (360,PS3)
Wii Fit Plus (Wii)
Wii Sports Resort (Wii)
X-Blades (360,PS3)
X-Men Origins: Wolverine (360,DS,PC,PS2,PS3,PSP,Wii)
Yosumin! (360*, PC)
Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D's Stardust Accelerator: World Championship 2009 (DS)
Zen Bound (iPhone)
Zeno Clash (360,PC)
Zenonia (iPhone)
Zombie Driver (PC)
Zuma's Revenge! (PC)
mcc on
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Ever since I started doing this poll, there has been a "no ports, no expansion packs" rule. The intent of the rule is that each game that is made should get one crack at scoring on the poll; if a game gets ported and then is voted on again, that gives it two bites at the apple. In recent years, this rule has become basically impossible to enforce, what with tons of remakes that blur the line between "port" and "remake" almost completely, and stand-alone expansion packs, and DLC as a standard feature of the landscape. At one point I was trying to set up byzantine rules for whether a particular borderline case counted or not. At this point I've basically given up and the rule is: Either I'll rule to include it or not, and I'll probably make mistakes. Sorry.
Nevertheless, the general rule I'm trying to work on here is: If the "expansion" or DLC could be believably sold and marketed as a new stand-alone game that just happens to share the same engine as its predecessor, then it should go in. DLC or "special editions" which are just like a new dungeon or some new missions or something however should not count. Try to keep this in mind when nominating things.
Special rulings so far:
- The two GTA4 expansions count. Not sure yet whether to count them as a unit.
- Metroid Prime Trilogy is rejected
- Ninja Gaiden Sigma 2 is rejected
- SMT: Persona and the Monkey Island "remake" I'll have to look into.
- The Sega Channel does not count as "being released" (Pulseman)
- Jumpman is banned from entry.
Also, in case you're wondering: iPhone games get no asterisks even though they're all digital downloads. If I can't cleanly sort out which PC games were download-only (though I intend to at least try) I may just remove the asterisks from the PC games as well.
Also, I have a stack of contenders I have yet to play so I always have trouble voting :?
because that was the best game out this year.
You are out of PM space so I am putting this here. The last couple years you cross-posted this over at 360a. Well, we moved and now you can find the old 360a folks over at http://www.thearcadians.net/forum
Thanks!
Thanks! I will post over there when the voting starts.
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I can probably speak for everyone and say we appreciate that you're doing this every year, mcc. It feels like it has become a tradition on this forum.
Shame that Bayonetta is only a few days off. Would have loved to see where it'd end up when it's fresh in people's minds.
Both XBLA.
dream a little dream or you could live a little dream
sleep forever if you wish to be a dreamer
Also Noby Noby Boy and Trine are both Download only on the PS3.
The Dishwasher: Dead Samurai (360). Otherwise known as the best goddamn thing on XBLA.
edit: Pretty sure some people liked Gyromancer (PC, 360).
edit2: I don't know if we're counting Ninja Gaiden Sigma 2 (PS3). It's pretty radically different from NG2 on the 360, what with all the content changes, base mechanical changes, and coop.
All right, people. It is not a gerbil. It is not a hamster. It is not a guinea pig. It is a death rabbit. Death. Rabbit. Say it with me, now.
Yup, for purposes of the poll American release date is "the" release date.
For the record, here's the complete backlog of years:
2008
2007
2006
2005
2004
"Best Game Ever" (2004)
I'd also like to nominate SMT: Persona for the PSP. It's a remake, but it's a fabulous one - redone translation, redone music, redone cutscenes, rebalanced gameplay w/multiple difficulty levels, modern interface, and about twice as much content as the version we originally got. Plus the load times & overall speed which made the game barely playable in the original PS1 version have been fixed so the game is very fast now.
EDIT: I'd also like to add Leave Home to the nominees. It's an XBox Live Indie Game. Leave Home is like the Pac-Man:CE of space shooters with a presentation style that puts the Bit.Trip guys to shame.
Steam ID : rwb36, Twitter : Werezompire,
Mcc, did you do the alternate tabulations for 08, because there's no "see more information link" on that pages results. I actually love those.
EDIT: FOUND IT
Double Edit: LOL "Best game of 2008 which somehow nobody considered to be their #1 pick: #33, Spore"
Also, as a point of contention I would pair up the GTA 4 expansions under the Episodes from Liberty City name, as to not split votes.
Or does that count as a re-release despite the new/improved controls?
Also the following:
Bookworm Adventures 2
XBLA Lode Runner
XBLA Magic the Gathering
Deadly Creatures (WII)
South Park Let's Go Tower Defense Play!
I also didn't see Machinarium on there, which would be a shame.
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Yeah, MCC did a good job sorting this out, considering the expansions came out in disc form without needing GTA4 to play.
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Also Lucidity (360*, PC).
Unless any portion of the original story was considerably different, I say no.
I think Metroid Prime: Trilogy doesn't have enough new things to count as it's just a compilation of games with a new control scheme. Secret of Monkey Island HD, I would probably count since they completely redid the presentation with all new graphics and added voice acting. It's a borderline case though since as far as I know the gameplay is identical to the original version.
Steam ID : rwb36, Twitter : Werezompire,
- Not counting Metroid Prime Trilogy or, I think, Ninja Gaiden Sigma 2. Sorry.
- Not sure about SMT: Persona, let me look into that one.
Okay, so to clarify, were they actually commercially sold under that name? My rule for "episodic" games is I list them as a unit only if there was a way to go somewhere and purchase the unit as a unit. So for example last year I counted Strong Bad's Cool Excellent Game For People eps. 1-5 as a single game because Telltale released a box set, but the two Rain-Slick Precipice games as 2 games because no such offer existed. (Note in theory the 20-votes mechanism is designed to prevent vote splitting from being a problem, I don't think most people use all 20 slots.) From what I saw (bus ads) the 2 Liberty City episodes were being marketed separately.
edit: Beat'd. Kinda.
Otherwise I would probably go for dragon age. Man, does anyone else feel like this has been kind of a weak year?
that's why we call it the struggle, you're supposed to sweat
Looking at the fully list of everything that came out; No, not in the slightest.
I thought Shadow Complex was a bit overrated myself - it's a good game and much better than the developer's previous work, but it's not as good as Super Metroid or most of the later Castlevanias.
As for the year itself, I thought it was fine. Any year with Batman: Arkham Asylum, Plants vs. Zombies, Half-Minute Hero, Torchlight, Rock Band Unplugged, and Splosion Man has done fine by my standards.
Steam ID : rwb36, Twitter : Werezompire,
Burn Zombie Burn (PS3*)
Damnation (360,PC,PS3)
Holy Invasion Of Privacy, Badman! (PSP)
LittleBigPlanet (PSP)
LocoRoco: Midnight Carnival (PSP*)
Patapon 2 (PSP)
Way of the Samurai 3 (360,PS3)
LocoRoco: MC is a completely seperate game from LocoRoco 2 in case you were wondering.
I've been constructing my top 20 in my head for about a week now
I'm almost willing to bet money that when all is said and done, the forum-wide win will go to Batman
Pretty sure I'm closer than ever to filling up all 20 of those slots. And there's still great stuff (even stuff I already own) that I might get around to before the vote starts. And even more stuff I desperately want to play but lack the requisite platform.
All right, people. It is not a gerbil. It is not a hamster. It is not a guinea pig. It is a death rabbit. Death. Rabbit. Say it with me, now.
Yeah, typically I can fill up roughly 30 and then knock off a few 'cause they were just bad games.
This year I've played 36 games and I have to knock off...ten, maybe?