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[SolidusDave]

While I think Portal 2 should have had much more rooms similar to the ones in Portal, I still prefer it mainly for having two different campaigns (sp and coop).

Though my buddy and I almost rage-quit several times in the latest levels when we each were like yelling into the microphone "nooo, come here, I know how this works" *doesn't work" "great idea..." "FUCK YOU"

 

[Chinner]

a recount! i demand a recount!

 

[Combichristoffersen]

a recount! i demand a recount!

We didn't get a recount for the blame space vs. timedog thread (where the result was obviously rigged), so we won't get one for this either.

 

[overcast]

I didn't participate because I have to beat a lot of games. Going through Portal 2 right now, it seems to deserve that #1 spot. Incredibly charming game.

My GOTY was Arkham City out of what I played. Little disappointed to see it out of the top 5, but overall.. great looking list.

 

[web01]

Disappointed to see Skyrim on the list pretty embarassing imho.
Shows that GAF is just as mainstream as other gaming sites despite many users here that try to claim we are better informed / better taste in games.

Apart from that its a decent list but Dark Souls should have been higher and certainly above Skyrim.

 

[Riposte]

Disappointed to see Skyrim on the list pretty embarassing imho.
Shows that GAF is just as mainstream as other gaming sites despite many users here that try to claim we are better informed / better taste in games.

Apart from that its a decent list but Dark Souls should have been higher and certainly above Skyrim.

If you wanted to observe the taste of those "many users" you would look at their personal lists.

 

[Misterinenja]

Portal 2 was special because of co-op. Had so much with it.

 

[Papercuts]

Disappointed to see Skyrim on the list pretty embarassing imho.
Shows that GAF is just as mainstream as other gaming sites despite many users here that try to claim we are better informed / better taste in games.

Apart from that its a decent list but Dark Souls should have been higher and certainly above Skyrim.

I know, man. It's completely absurd to accept the notion that some people might have differing opinions on specific games.

 

[web01]

If you wanted to observe the taste of those "many users" you would look at their personal lists.

Those users make the claim about this community as a whole. All im saying is they clearly do not represent the majority and that the tastes of Neogaf as a whole are no different to the mainstream.

 

[NBtoaster]

Those users make the claim about this community as a whole. All im saying is they clearly do not represent the majority and that the tastes of Neogaf as a whole are no different to the mainstream.

There's nothing wrong with having opinions like the "mainstream" (though there is really plenty of diversity).

 

[Raitosaito]

Disappointed to see Skyrim on the list pretty embarassing imho.
Shows that GAF is just as mainstream as other gaming sites despite many users here that try to claim we are better informed / better taste in games.

Apart from that its a decent list but Dark Souls should have been higher and certainly above Skyrim.

Is this a joke post?

 

[Snuggles]

Those users make the claim about this community as a whole. All im saying is they clearly do not represent the majority and that the tastes of Neogaf as a whole are no different to the mainstream.

NeoGAF as a whole? what does that even mean? are we going to be melded together? is it gonna hurt?

 

[cr_blah_blah]

Those users make the claim about this community as a whole. All im saying is they clearly do not represent the majority and that the tastes of Neogaf as a whole are no different to the mainstream.

So the fuck what?

 

[Raitosaito]

NeoGAF as a whole? what does that even mean? are we going to be melded together? is it gonna hurt?

oh hey snug. Your weird cat has return, now I can be at peace.

 

[Salacious Crumb]

The arrogance and condescending tone of some of Skyrims detractors is pretty astonishing.

 

[Diamond]

I don't think it's obvious that this is what you meant; many people here truly seem to think casual games suck and are for loser dumb dumb heads who aren't smart enough to play works of true genius like Mass Effect and Metal Gear.

I tend to agree with your assessment; I definitely agree that this stems from tradition -- it is very akin to children of the 70s still preferring 70s music, or kids of the 80s thinking Kurt Kobain killed great music, or 90s kids who think Britney Spears and Lady Gaga are total crap. People experience inertia, and they tend to like what they grew up with because that's what they are accustomed to. Even in the gaming realm itself, you can often see this with many console gamers who choose not to game on PCs because it feels strange and alien to them, and relatively simple tasks (like installing a game) seem complex when you've never done them before.

So the reason why this is interesting to discuss, in my opinion, is that these preferences are likely to change over time. As the current crop of GAF users age and a new generation either joins them or displaces them, we're likely to see a gradual migration of tastes away from the current preferences (cinematic, single player games) and towards the new generation of tastes (Facebook and casual social multiplayer along with competitive multiplayer like WoW, or CoD). That is my prognostication, in any case.

That's an interesting analysis, however I don't think you can strictly apply to gaming the same reasoning you used with music, or movies, etc.

Games are more diverse : you have social games like WOW where the game can be a canvas to meet and socialize with people. You have party games, which can be compared to board games like Monopoly. You have competitive multiplayer games, which are close (in spirit and approach) to sports. You have interactive fiction which is more like litterature. You have cinematic, story-driven games that are more like movies.

I'd add that all these genres can potentially be mixed, creating new types of experiences. Meanwhile, a book is always a book. A movie is always a movie. A song is always a song. And you usually use these mediums because you are searching for something specific yourself.
What I'm trying to say is that, to me, there's a reason why gaming enthousiasts seem to prefer cinematic, single player games. They want to explore worlds, they want to interact with interesting characters, they want to be told interesting stories. You'll never quite have the same appeal in mobile games, or MMOs (until mobile phones can actually run high quality adventure games or things like that). They are different experiences for different people, and I think part of the audience is always going to enjoy solo adventures, not because it's something they grew up with and are used to, but because the fundamental appeal of these games are different.

I don't have anything against mobile games, or facebook games. I even try and enjoy a lot of them. But in their current state, the vast majority of them just don't stay with me like a good solo adventure with a well crafted world and/or story. It would be a little sad if next generations were oblivious to things like that.

 

[Grimmy]

I have the votes nearly all tabulated, including those of Tactics Ogre. Some votes were hidden by perceived gaps in ballots due to titles that I thought were ineligible. For example, Akai Katana -- a rather old game -- has a new version called Akai Katana Shin. The first person to vote for it simply listed Akai Katana, so I disqualified the game before seeing the other votes for the proper title. This hid most of the Muchi Muchi Pork votes.

I'll get all of the votes ironed out, hopefully in 12-18 hours. Thanks for your patience.

Thanks Cheesemeister - I for one will be waiting....

Spoiler

and judging

 

[Christine]

NeoGAF as a whole? what does that even mean? are we going to be melded together? is it gonna hurt?

Only the first time. The last true gestalt was shortly before you signed up, and I unfortunately didn't have a very good time of it because I lacked the will to impose any of my own opinion during the joining. I hope to have a more prominent imprint on the overpsyche in the next scheduled melding.

 

[Tain]

I have the votes nearly all tabulated, including those of Tactics Ogre. Some votes were hidden by perceived gaps in ballots due to titles that I thought were ineligible. For example, Akai Katana -- a rather old game -- has a new version called Akai Katana Shin. The first person to vote for it simply listed Akai Katana, so I disqualified the game before seeing the other votes for the proper title. This hid most of the Muchi Muchi Pork votes.

I'll get all of the votes ironed out, hopefully in 12-18 hours. Thanks for your patience.

To clear it up, the first home version of Akai Katana WAS released this year, under the name Akai Katana Shin. They're one in the same when it comes to voting. I was probably the dude who messed up and simply called it Akai Katana, though!

 

[Amir0x]

To be honest, I forgot about Alice. Damn solid game.

I actually did too. I only made a 4 game list this year, but if I made a top ten it would have probably been at 9 or 10.

 

[thepotatoman]

You know, for all the complaints about MK beating out UMvC 3, I still haven't heard a great argument for why its so obviously better. I know it's because the multiplayer is better according to them but I personally enjoyed MKs multiplayer far more.

Almost every character in MK has moves that can instantly close in on a character to attack keeping things pretty interesting no matter where the two characters are. That allowed things to flow between close range and long range fights super quickly, and it swapped between close range and long range fights multiple times per battle very seamlessly. It made for very dynamic fast paced back and forth fights. Then if you get bored of straight up fighting or the skill differences are too far apart you can head into Test Your Luck and have some good old fashioned silly fun.

Approaching an opponent in MvC3 seemed far more abstract often leading to a dash in low light/launcher, or a short jump dash light overhead. After the approaching phase, whoever gets the first good hit in has a huge advantage to continue the aggression for a large amount of time using the combo system and the far larger knock down advantage.

And you absolutely have to know your combos in MvC to be good but combos in MvC are just insane and really takes a fighting game veteran or a long time in the training room to really get good. Spending time in the training room practicing combos is just not my idea of fun, and asking people to spend tons of time doing work before it gets fun isn't going to be game of the year worthy for most people.

Watching MvC might be more fun since it's graphics and combos are more flashy, and aggressor advantage is so huge that if that advantage switches then you can see a flashy looking come from behind victory, but as a player having to deal with that stuff really isn't very fun.

 

[pslayer666]

Portal 2, well deserved!!!

I'm quite pleased to see GAF giving some love to a great and genuinely funny game like Portal 2.

The co-op was a fucking blast too. And FREE DLC on top of that!!! ^_^

 

[Fredescu]

So the reason why this is interesting to discuss, in my opinion, is that these preferences are likely to change over time. As the current crop of GAF users age and a new generation either joins them or takes their place, we're likely to see a gradual migration of tastes away from the current preferences (cinematic, single player games) and towards the new generation of tastes (Facebook and casual social multiplayer along with competitive multiplayer like WoW, or CoD). That is my prognostication, in any case.

I'm not so sure. I think the types of games to get discussed a lot on a forum are the games that are particularly memorable. In a similar discussion I linked this TED talk about memory and experience and the guy makes a point that an overall good experience can be ruined in your memory by one little thing at the end. I think those highly repetitive games usually don't leave us with a very good memory of them. Game Dev Story was an example of this for me, where I just seemed to run out of game a lot earlier than I'd hoped. While it was fun for a while, if I'm looking back at the end of the year to place it among my other experiences, it wouldn't rank very highly compared to another game that was fresh all the way through. Many games of the Farmville ilk are like this only worse. Single player cinematic games can be crafted to be memorable, so while they might only last 10 or so hours, the memory of them can be that much sweeter. I don't want to play the Portal 2 single player again, but my memory of it remains positive, and it would be my game of the year.

Games like WoW are interesting, because while they are highly repetitive, they can result in a huge payoff. Some of my most memorable video game experiences are from Everquest, which was much more grindy than WoW, but when you end up in a guild with friends and you all take down a major target together, those memories stay with you forever. I think those games for me became all about chasing the memories.

I think we discount CoD a bit too much. CoD4 and MW2 both made the GAF top 10. I think the series suffers mostly from genre fatigue among those placing it amongst their favourite games of the year, which I can empathise with. I play every iteration of FIFA and always have a lot of fun with it, but rarely do I vote for it because while it may have improved upon itself, the fun I have with it starts to feel a bit inevitable. I think being surprised that a particular game turned out so well can have a positive effect on your memory of a game, and I think the converse is true too, not being surprised at enjoying a game, despite enjoying it, places it a bit lower if we are to rank our games at all.

GAF is a place where people think about the games that they play and then come to discuss them. I think certain types of games lend themselves to this than others. I contend that games like Farmville and Angry Birds aren't just a generational shift away from being discussed on GAF as much as Skyrim or Portal 2 is. There's something fundamental to those kinds of games that make them conducive to appreciation and discussion.

 

[Nocturnowl]

I'm going to be daring and suggest that perhaps the reason Alice didn't rank in as high as some would like is because it was in fact a pretty average game, I tried to like it but it didn't do anything spectacular and felt very by the numbers bar its art direction. The praised platforming is nothing more than chutes of air, moving platforms, springy shrooms and pointless invisible platforms for the most part extended across lengthy repetitive sections. Hidden areas are usually the same old keyholes to shrink through containing nothing that's truly worth the trip for. Loved the way they did cutscenes though. If you like the game that's fine and all but I don't think there's much reason for surprise that it isn't higher.

Anyway the list itself is very stellar, i've actually yet to play Portal 2 in single player though i've done a few of the co-op stages, being the cheap man I am i'm still waiting for a price drop as I felt i got enough mileage out of portal puzzles in the first game but it seems that there is more to the sequel than I thought, plus I need a good co-op game as well.

Part of me wanted to go and edit my list to give shadows of the damned a mention but I didn't want to drop anything out of my top 10, Ghost Trick did well so my work is done, hopefully my rip roaring recommendation has garnered it at least one more sale.

 

[acheron_xl]

The arrogance and condescending tone of some of Skyrims detractors is pretty astonishing.

People like what they like and hate the things they dislike that other people love. That's the way the internet works.

I have no complaints with the list (other than Tiny Tower). Most of my picks were well represented.

 

[Your Excellency]

Neogaf, Your Excellency has been vindicated.

When people in this thread were voting dogshit and catshit games above Portal 2, I was the one who called them out on it. What did I get in return? Banned.

Well understand this: Neogaf stands with me. Neogaf was behind me all the way. Sure, there were some people who voted Skyrim out of duty, ignoring the fact that it was a fucking mess on the PS3 (and I am now unable to play it any longer as it's essentially in an unplayable state and I'm not going to restart my campaign on the PC now and re-do everything).

Sure, there were some people who voted for Dark Souls, because of their belief that it constituted 'hardcore gaming', yet ignoring the fact that it was, at best, equal to its predecessor and at worst, worse, and certainly not deserving of a GOTY award.

Sure, there were some people who voted Zelda, because the idea of voting a non-Nintendo game was outrageous to them, or they simply hadn't played Portal 2 because they'd rather play Mario Kart 72 (which - hey - is exactly the same as every other Mario Kart!).


Ultimately, the cream rose to the top. Portal 2 is so monumentally towering in it's gameplay that it shows up the vast limitations and issues with old classics like Ico.. Portal 2 is now widely recognised as one of the great works of mankind, standing up alongside Botta's Santa Maria degli Angeli on Monte Tamaro, Andrei Rublev, and Chopin's Nocturnes. So EXCUSE ME for calling people out when they state that LA Noire is a better game than Portal 2. LA fucking Noire.


In an age where offline multiplayer experiences are too 'difficult to make', Portal 2 took it on and mastered it. In an age where gaming storylines are incomprehensible dogshit (Uncharted 3 had a brilliant Nate-Sully character storyline but the adventure plot was rubbish, the less said about Skyrim the better, and only Deus Ex showed professionalism and skill), Portal 2 knocked it out of the park.

I'd like to thank Neogaf for redeeming themselves by voting Portal 2. I consider us the premier gaming tastemakers and so I love the fact that people here recognise that Portal 2 is the direction that gaming is headed in the future: gameplay as king, a story which adds to immersion and enjoyment - rather than merely filling in the set-pieces - with great offline multiplayer, playable with girlfriends+kids+parents, funny, not too easy, not stupidly hard, easy to learn, something that real life can't compete against, polished so hard I can see my face in it, made with love, with immense skill, and with great dynamic music and tested to really ensure everyone who played it had a uniformly fantastic experience.


And understand this: I will never apologise for calling people out for voting LA Noire above Portal 2. I was banned for it once before and I'm not ashamed of standing up for what I believe in.

 

[Gomu Gomu]

Fantastic List. GAF does it again.

 

[Deleted member 30609]

.

You need to get laid.

Like, real bad.

 

[Your Excellency]

You need to get laid.

Like, real bad.

I frequently have sex. I don't understand how that relates to Portal being the gaming equivalent of the Rape of Proserpina, but whatever.

 

[Riposte]

If Your Excellency gets banned for that post, I'll never say a bad thing about Skyrim again.

EDIT: Proserpina

 

[Your Excellency]

EDIT: Proserpina

??

 

[Fredescu]

When people in this thread were voting dogshit and catshit games above Portal 2, I was the one who called them out on it. What did I get in return? Banned.

You were the one sending PMs to people asking them why they didn't vote for it. You don't get to claim moral superiority for that.

 

[JaseC]

Your Excellency
Banned
(Today, 08:32 PM)

That was quick.

 

[duckroll]

If Your Excellency gets banned for that post, I'll never say a bad thing about Skyrim again.

The moderation team is holding you to that.

Spoiler

J/k.... or am I?

 

[Deleted member 30609]

I wonder whose alt that was

 

[Riposte]

The moderation team is holding you to that.

Spoiler

J/k.... or am I?

F-...fuck.

 

[Electivirus]

Well, that was entertaining.

Hrm. I really should play the top three, at least.

 

[JaseC]

I wonder whose alt that was

Kittonwy's, only sporting an infatuation with Portal 2 instead of UNCHARTED!!!!1111

 

[Osu 16 Bit]

Mortal Kombat is a great competitive fighting game. The mechanics and systems are designed well, the cast is balanced in the best way possible(everyone is ridiculous in their own unique way), you don't feel like you're getting screwed by dumb comeback mechanics. It's not a given that Marvel is a better game. MK at Evo 2012, deal with it haters.

 

[qizah]

Great list.

What an amazing year for gaming in general, lots of variety as well.

Also glad I got quoted in OP, lol .

 

[Hot Coldman]

You need to get laid.

Like, real bad.

:lol

And, yes, Electivirus, yes you fucking should. Otherwise why are you here

 

[Riposte]

Well, that was entertaining.

Hrm. I really should play the top three, at least.

Actually you should play the top four and skip

Spoiler

REDACTED

.

 

[Fredescu]

Neither social nor mobile games are designed in a vacuum.

That's not really want I was trying to say, so perhaps calling them evolutionary branches isn't the best language to use. I know Farmville and the like have their basis in MMORPGs, but you wouldn't say they were in the tradition of MMORPGs and the MUDs that they sprang from. If someone said they were looking for a new MMORPG to play, you probably wouldn't direct them to Cityville.

I think the real reason these games tend to get so little traction with GAF is that they're aesthetically so removed from GAF's interests.

If you include game mechanics as part of aesthetics then I agree. I don't think that's too farm removed from what I was saying.

 

[Amagon]

You need to get laid.

Like, real bad.

Co-signed

Your Excellency
Banned
(Today, 08:32 PM)

That was quick.

Thank you duckroll

 

[Radec]

lol. what the fuck happened here?

 

[Amagon]

lol. what the fuck happened here?

Fanboyism

 

[Data West]

I'm happy that Deus Ex got third.

I'm not at all surprised that people are whining about Dark Souls being below Skyrim or MK being best fighter.

 

[Electivirus]

Actually you should play the top four and skip

Spoiler

REDACTED

.

I actually have played a bit of Deus Ex, but I'm not very far in and haven't played since ~October. >.>

 

[Corto]

I was expecting your excellency post since the fourth page of this thread! It's done. Totally worth the wait.

 

[krYlon]

Well, if nothing else, you've got to admire Your Excellency's tenacity.

He just never gives up.