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[TheRedSnifit]

I'd rather list the games I thought were the best this year (commercially released this year no less), rather than concoct some artificial list for the sake of looking 'original' (which is a joke when you see how many sequels will be in the top 20).


It's not some sort of unassailable truth at the best of times.

I think it's daft to disqualify a title commercially released in 2014. Simple as. Obviously it's going to happen though, so that's that.

Your "commercial release" line is completely arbitrary; why shouldn't I be able to vote for the best game that I played in 2014, period? I played Super Metroid for the first time this year, but you're saying it shouldn't be eligible because it didn't happen to be remastered this year.

The point of GOTY is to establish the most popular game in that year only. Extending it to games that have already been out for years breaks the spirit (and now the rules) of the contest.

 

[Bumhead]

that's why the LTTP award exists

seriously people, this isn't a new concept

But I wasn't late to the party.

I bought both on their release this year.

 

[Zeouterlimits]

I think remasters and ports should count.

 

[Trigonometrize.]

I didn't play The Last of Us or GTA V in 2013.

They were released as new on a platform I did actually own in 2014, I bought them as new in 2014, and played them for the first time in 2014.

Why shouldn't I be allowed to vote for them? They were 2 of the best games I played this year.

Becuase the situation is more similar to me playing Super Metroid for the first time this year and calling it 2014 GOTY than playing a game released in 2014 and voting for it, ultimately.

But I wasn't late to the party.

I bought both on their release this year.

You were LTTP. Everyone played virtually similar versions of those games in 2013.

...

Seriously guys, in the age of the remaster it's more important than ever to have this rule. The awards would be boring if were are all voting for the same games as last year.

 

[Savantcore]

But I wasn't late to the party.

I bought both on their release this year.

You bought re-releases of last year's games. LTTP.

 

[Aeana]

But I wasn't late to the party.

I bought both on their release this year.

Suikoden 2 is being released on PSN this week. A lot of people will play it for the first time ever, because it's been extremely rare until now. Would you agree to Suikoden 2, a 1998 PSX game, being eligible for the GotY 2014 awards because of this?

 

[timetokill]

Out of curiosity, what are this year's tentative rules looking like at the moment? I care way less about this remaster stuff (which won't affect my vote either way) than my own personal hobbyhorse, the fan translation rule.

That rule in particular hasn't been discussed so at the moment I doubt it will be changed. I'm not at all sure yet though. I'm presently going through a rewrite of the rules to make them clearer and hopefully shorter and more straightforward.

ttk just hates Based TLOU and Naughty Gods. This would never be a problem on Yahoo.

<3
Yahoo would've forced you to rate 1000 games in order of confidence or something!

 

[Bumhead]

Becuase the situation is more similar to me playing Super Metroid for the first time this year and calling it 2014 GOTY than playing a game released in 2014 and voting for it, ultimately.

But Super Metroid didn't come out this year.

Or, maybe it did (virtual console or something?), but the voting rules say you'd be allowed to do exactly that if the original came out the previous year. Which Super Metroid didn't. So no, those aren't the same.

 

[charlequin]

I didn't play The Last of Us or GTA V in 2013.

They were released as new on a platform I did actually own in 2014, I bought them as new in 2014, and played them for the first time in 2014.

Why shouldn't I be allowed to vote for them? They were 2 of the best games I played this year.

You may vote for ONE (1) game from last year as a "LTTP" (late to the party) type of vote. These are games you would have put on your ballot last year had you played it in time. To vote for a "LTTP" game, number it "2012."

PORT RULE: Games that released in your region in 2012 BUT NO EARLIER and have been brought to a new platform in 2013 are eligible, as long as you didn't vote on it last year.

Again, unless the rules have changed more than ttk has so far suggested, both would be eligible either as your LTTP vote or as carryover titles under the port rule.

 

[StuBurns]

Again, unless the rules have changed more than ttk has so far suggested, both would be eligible either as your LTTP vote or as carryover titles under the port rule.

He said you can't vote for remasters, so clearly that rule no longer exists.

Ports are out.

 

[Trigonometrize.]

But Super Metroid didn't come out this year.

Or, maybe it did (virtual console or something?), but the voting rules say you'd be allowed to do exactly that if the original came out the previous year. Which Super Metroid didn't. So no, those aren't the same.

I'm not saying they're the same. But that situation is more reminiscent of Last of Us in 2013 and then 2014 than an original game in 2014.

...

Huh, I went back and read the rule in question, and you're right. It should be eligible. This is my first year with GAF GOTY so I'm rather unfamiliar with the rules. Also, why does that rule exist?

 

[ShockingAlberto]

Also, I guess before it comes up next year, I don't think Street Fighter 4 should count.

 

[JinjoUnchained]

There's already a LTTP category in GAF GOTY and that's where remasters belong, not in the actual top 10.

Also, let's not be pedantic about the rules. This is the first year that 1 year old remasters have become so prevalent. It would be appropriate to remove that "2 years remasters" rule to fit the times.

 

[mdubs]

Of course they count. Re-releases also count in movies. Critics just don't vote for them, because they shouldn't win.

The only way that re-releases would win is if you don't value originality at all -- which, frankly, is a current sharp criticism of the mainstream gaming industry; highly stagnant, conservative, and reliant on classic methods. Take that concept to the extreme, and you get games being re-released with a resolution bump winning "best game of the year."

So, it can win. It's allowed to, just like updated versions of films can win best film of the year. It would make us look very, very silly if it won, however.

This post should be added to the OP of the GOTY thread when it happens

 

[Drago]

Not really the same thing but I was thinking to myself, would I be able to put Vib Ribbon in my top 10 since I live in North America and the game has never seen an official release here until this year? I think I remember people in Europe voting for EarthBound last year so the same rule applies here no?

 

[Theognosis]

If remasters are allowed, then GAF might as well do the same for DLC's and new versions of the same game.

I'll vote now and name League of Legends 4.20 as game of the year.

 

[Napalm_Frank]

So where do we draw the line then? Can I vote for KH2.5 that has major content never released outside Japan until now with remastered soundtrack and everything? Can I vote for Binding of Isaac: Rebirth (my personal GOTY) that is sort of remake but far from original/Resident Evil Remake territory?

 

[StuBurns]

I'm not saying they're the same. But that situation is more reminiscent of Last of Us in 2013 and then 2014 than an original game in 2014.

...

Huh, I went back and read the rule in question, and you're right. It should be eligible. This is my first year with GAF GOTY so I'm rather unfamiliar with the rules. Also, why does that rule exist?

It's so things like Shovel Knight coming to PS4/Vita after having been Wii U/Steam exclusive can be counted.

 

[The Wheel of Fortune]

The rules will be updated this year. Don't expect to vote for remastered games.

Then it seems like the rules will be similar to those of past years (things like ORAS and BoI:R counting, but others like GTA and TLOU not). I'm perfectly fine with this.

People really do complain about anything, huh.

 

[TheRedSnifit]

But Super Metroid didn't come out this year.

Or, maybe it did (virtual console or something?), but the voting rules say you'd be allowed to do exactly that if the original came out the previous year. Which Super Metroid didn't. So no, those aren't the same.

I'm not saying they're the same. But that situation is more reminiscent of Last of Us in 2013 and then 2014 than an original game in 2014.

...

Huh, I went back and read the rule in question, and you're right. It should be eligible. Also, why does that rule exist?

People are forgetting that the LTTP vote is its own separate thing:

... ADDITIONAL AWARDS

LTTP Award
The Top 20 games from yesteryear that people played in 2013.

01. Persona 4: The Golden (38)
02. Sleeping Dogs (24)
03. XCOM: Enemy Unknown (22)
03. Zero Escape: Virtue's Last Reward (22)
05. Far Cry 3 (20)
05. Journey (20)
07. Dark Souls (19)
08. Hotline Miami (18)
09. Dishonored (16)
10. Xenoblade Chronicles (11)
11. The Walking Dead (10)
11. FTL: Faster Than Light (10)
11. Borderlands 2 (10)
14. Spelunky (9)
14. Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed (9)
14. New Super Mario Bros. U (9)
17. Kid Icarus: Uprising (8)
17. Spec Ops: The Line (8)
19. Dragon's Dogma (7)
20. Gravity Rush (6)
20. Fez (6)
20. Forza Horizon (6)
20. Super Hexagon (6)

TLoU and GTAV are eligible for the LTTP vote, but not the real GOTY vote now that the (extremely stupid) "port rule" has presumably (finally) been axed.

If remasters are allowed, then GAF might as well do the same for DLC's and new versions of the same game.

I'll vote now and name League of Legends 4.20 as game of the year.

TF2 GOTY.

 

[tim.mbp]

MGS4 should be count since its getting its first digital release in NA this month.

 

[Seanspeed]

Not literally no one, of course, but it wouldn't be a contender.

Do you not have an opinion on what you think the rule should be, irrespective of what the rules were last year?

 

[Opiate]

First: According to Rules 2 and 3 of the official Academy Awards Rules, a film must open in the previous calendar year, from midnight at the start of 1 January to midnight at the end of 31 December... So, no.

Which doesn't prohibit re-releases, as noted.

Second: How is your appreciation of an old game not play into the perception of gamers you suggested we should avoid?

Just as there isn't a problem appreciating citizen kane. The issue would be if we appreciated citizen kane XVII.

Third: And being interesting is nothing to do with being the best. GotY is about the best game, not most interesting, or most original, etc.

The most interesting is the best, to me. "Nothing to do with it" seems like the thinnest of hairs to split here.

And I don't think I am superficial, but even if I am, I completely fail to see what this has to do with the rule change. I don't want TLoU or GTA to win, I wouldn't vote for them even if they were allowed, that's not the point.

I didn't deny TLoU and GTA being the reasons I think the change is bad though, so I don't see your point.

You've certainly struck me as particularly superficial on this forum. In this context, it's not really even intended as a criticism.

 

[Bumhead]

Suikoden 2 is being released on PSN this week. A lot of people will play it for the first time ever, because it's been extremely rare until now. Would you agree to Suikoden 2, a 1998 PSX game, being eligible for the GotY 2014 awards because of this?

I guess at it's most basic level, I think it should be up to the community to decide what they want to vote for the game of the year, as long as that product released in some form in 2014.

If enough people played Suikoden 2 and decided it was so good they wanted to vote it their GOTY, then who are we to arbitrarily decide they can't cast that vote? I think that would be a poor reflection on the quality of "new" games releases this year, but hey.. if that's the situation..?

That said, this makes it clearer and more agreeable;

People are forgetting that the LTTP vote is its own separate thing:



TLoU is eligible for the LTTP vote, but not the real GOTY vote now that the (extremely stupid) "port rule" has been axed.

 

[BloodMoney]

I vote no.
Let them have their own sub-category or something.

 

[Mr. Nice_Guy]

Absolutely not, doesn't make any sense, would only take spots away from new games that deserve it.

 

[SmokyDave]

Absolutely not, doesn't make any sense, would only take spots away from new games that deserve it.

If they deserve it, those spots wouldn't be taken away.

 

[theprodigy]

If they deserve it, those spots wouldn't be taken away.

even under the old rules, it's not like your potential revote for GTA V would count

 

[StuBurns]

Do you not have an opinion on what you think the rule should be, irrespective of what the rules were last year?

I actually think the rule last year is what I'd choose.

If it's a port (regardless of it is called a 'remaster' or not) of a game only released the previous year, it should be counted, as long as the person hasn't already played it.

I think even with a flat port, that's no better with nothing new it should count. TLoU doubling resolution and framerate, and including DLC from this year, certainly should count. And GTA, the first person mode, all those aesthetic improvements, etc.

I think of the GotY voting as for the people voting. If someone made the decision to skip both of these games because the performance was rough, and they played the ports and loved them, I think they should be able to vote for them.

The 'previous year' rule is just a reasonable artificial line in the sand, I'd have chosen the same one, just for simplicity's sake.

You've certainly struck me as particularly superficial on this forum. In this context, it's not really even intended as a criticism.

Would you vote for a game you consider to be original, and bad?

And if you weren't insulting me, I doubt you'd have edited it out.

 

[JinjoUnchained]

Here's an alternate thought: cross gen remasters go into LTTP category, but this year you can give them a number corresponding to where they would go if allowed in your top 10 ( inside parentheses). And that would be any LTTP, not just remasters. Then someone crunch the numbers both ways. It would be cool to see OOT or Resident Evil 4 crack the "alternate top 10".

 

[TheRedSnifit]

If they deserve it, those spots wouldn't be taken away.

Fair point. Undeserving Vita ports aren't going to be stealing any spots.

 

[Trigonometrize.]

If they deserve it, those spots wouldn't be taken away.

They don't necessarily deserve it in the sense that they are better than 2013 games, but they do deserve to be recognized as the best of what 2014 has to offer, not 2014 + the shadow of 2013 that already had its chance in, you know, 2013. GOTY awards are about recognition over all else after all. Picking a game as a whole for the second time is not recognition, it's redundancy.

 

[SmokyDave]

even under the old rules, it's not like your potential revote for GTA V would count

I guess I see things differently because I don't attach massive importance to the winners and losers of these awards. I know for certain that my (eligible) GotY probably wouldn't make the top 100, and that's fine. I just would've liked to have offered up a genuine list of the ten best games that I played this year, all of which were ultimately first made available in 2014. It doesn't sit right that I can vote for Senran Kagura: SV (that I first played 18 months ago), but not TRE (that I first played on the day it released, this year).

It's clear which way the wind is blowing though, so I'll just deal with it.

Fair point. Undeserving Vita ports aren't going to be stealing any spots.

...sigh.

 

[Anth0ny]

I hope not. Either way I won't be voting for them, I consider GTA and TLOU 2013 games, 2014 remaster doesn't change that. That even applies to games like wind Waker HD and ocarina of time 3d, which had many years between them and the original game.

 

[Bumhead]

Picking a game as a whole for the second time is not recognition, it's redundancy.

But this isn't about people voting for them for a second time. Even under the old rules, that wouldn't count. Only first time voters.

So the flip side to that, on the subject of recognition, is somebody who wants to give those games recognition upon only getting to play them on their 2014 release, being unable to due to an arbitrary decision on what counts as "new" or not.

EDIT: Suspect you meant the GAF vote at large and not individuals when you said "as a whole" so potentially discount that..

 

[Loakum]

TLOU and GTA were the best games I played this year.

and last year.

 

[Mr. Nice_Guy]

The only people I see here having an issue with this are fans of rereleases they want to vote for.

Everyone else seems to understand that it makes no sense for games with some graphical upgrades and a few new additions to be considered new games eligible for an award for a year they weren't originally released in.

 

[EGOMON]

People afraid of GTA V and TLoU winning again shows how weak this year games are.
Looks like I'll have to find another game to vote for as my goty

 

[Grexeno]

They should not count for the GOTY award. Asking to vote for them this year, even if you didn't vote for them last year, is essentially the same as saying that I should be able to vote for Bioshock Infinite this year since I didn't get around to playing it until this year (this is a hypothetical.)

 

[GuessMyUserName]

Agree. There will be lots of people that didn't play TLoU last year because they didn't have a PS3. Or didn't play GTAV because they were holding out for a likely next gen version. Yet these peoples' votes do not count if they would pick one of those games?

This is silly reasoning because it's hardly at all different from LTTP voting.

 

[Storm360]

They shouldn't count.


Remasters are just a rerelease of a game that's been complied for a different platform, GTA V is still a 2013 game.


A game doesn't count if it has a GOTY edition release, I don't see why a port should.

 

[CrichtonKicks]

Which doesn't prohibit re-releases, as noted.

How does that differ from the situation with The Last Seduction (1995)? Linda Fiorentino was found not to be eligible for the Best Actress Oscar Nomination because the film premiered on HBO prior to its theatrical release. Yet you seem to be seeing that any theatrical release (in LA and NY) makes it eligible? That's just not true.

And how does this also compare to Foreign Language films which only have a window of two years of nomination eligibility max:

Motion pictures that are nominated for the Foreign Language Film award shall not be eligible for Academy Awards consideration in any category in any subsequent Awards year. Submitted pictures that are not nominated for the Foreign Language Film award are eligible for Awards consideration in other categories in the subsequent year, provided the pictures begin their seven-day qualifying run in Los Angeles County during that calendar year."

 

[Ampersands]

The important part of the NeoGAF GOTY 2014 Awards is the 2014. We should be commemorating original content released in 2014.

 

[Bgamer90]

What voting for a re-release would suggest of the "hardcore" gaming community is that we place little or no value or originality and creativity, which is a criticism that is already leveled at us, as we approach Final Fantasy XV and MGS5 and GTAVI and Call of Duty 473.

I don't think giving weight to those beliefs is a particularly good idea.

But many people in here are saying that they wouldn't vote for remasters in the first place (or at least implying it by saying they shouldn't be eligible). I doubt it would have much weight either way.

And as someone else mentioned, the fact that we are even having this discussion could also show how disappointing this year was in innovation/originality in the opinions of "hardcore" gamers. It wouldn't necessarily be hypocritical (at least in my opinion).

Edit: Also, NO remasters would be on my list -- there are definitely 10 non-remasters that I enjoyed this year that I would put in my top 10 list but I still think that people should have a choice at putting them in their list if they want to.

 

[Haunted]

Great original non-remaster/non-remake/non-port games that came out this year, IN MY OPINION.

-Driveclub (IMO)
-Crypt of the Necrodancer
-Shovel Knight
-Lovely Planet
-Bravely Default
-Transistor
-Sunset Overdrive

And this is just off the top of my head right now. 2014 was insane for games with tons of original titles, it would be silly to count remasters of games that came out just 1-2 years ago with no real changes when tons of great original games came out this year. 2014 was amazing to me contray to popular belief.

Removed the sequels and entries in long-running, established franchises just for fun. (That said, I have a different set of new and original games populating my list, so 2014 was pretty ok in that regard. Few truly remarkable games, but lots of good ones).

 

[SargerusBR]

The rules will be updated this year. Don't expect to vote for remastered games.

JUSTICE

 

[Trigonometrize.]

EDIT: Suspect you meant the GAF vote at large and not individuals when you said "as a whole" so potentially discount that..

You are correct. I'm assuming that's what a lot of people planning to vote for TLOU and GTAV want for GAF GOTY 2014 to be. Not LTTP vote.

 

[Jonboy]

My vote, FWIW, would be 'no.'

 

[Haunted]

So where do we draw the line then? Can I vote for KH2.5 that has major content never released outside Japan until now with remastered soundtrack and everything? Can I vote for Binding of Isaac: Rebirth (my personal GOTY) that is sort of remake but far from original/Resident Evil Remake territory?

The rules (have) allowed for a lot of leeway and that was why this was usually decided on a case-by-case basis.

Isaac Rebirth certainly deserves eligibility, it is its own release and game. If the new rules disqualify Rebirth, someone will get into trouble.

 

[Floridian]

Yeah, GTA V is my goty like it was last year. Gaming this year has been slow.