Definitely. And the non-AAA space wasn't exactly awash with greatness.
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Giant Bomb GOTY 2014 - Destiny Has Brought Us Here
- Thread starter daydream
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Definitely. And the non-AAA space wasn't exactly awash with greatness.
Especially if you didn't have a PC or a Wii U.
D
Deleted member 30609
Unconfirmed Member
Weirdly, I've been completely sold on Fract OSC.
Kotetsu534
Member
I don't play DOTA 2, but I do play LoL, and I'm assuming the game changes about as much each year as LoL does. I can very well understand why the massive gameplay overhauls could influence your enjoyment of a MOBA from year-to-year - comparing LoL from 2011 to today's game is simply comparing two different games (gameplay, champions, graphics, music, etc. are all completely different) that happen to share a name and history - the changes are bigger than those between most sequels in major franchises. I certainly don't see why Riot's and Valve's work on their games shouldn't be eligible for end-of-year acknowledgement.
MOBAs are certainly the genre where "one game, one release date" is most unapplicable, but expansion packs and long-term support have been around for some time.
MOBAs are certainly the genre where "one game, one release date" is most unapplicable, but expansion packs and long-term support have been around for some time.
Weird. I managed to make a list of 10 games I loved and had several more that I could have included as well. Seems like it was okay to me.
Askherserenity
Member
I think there were some great games...but it was just split up all over the place. And I just feel like the guys just play the same stuff all the time. Only one I can really commend on going out there and looking for good new shit is Patrick. He plays everything. If I was stuck playing AAA PS4 games all the time, I would be bored as well. But they sure like their comfort food.
chaobreaker
Member
Any year that has this amount of broken AAA games would always be a terrible year for gaming, even if there we're a lot of great games released..
I think Dan's been pretty good at expanding the site's palate as well.
Finally got around to listening to the most recent segment in its entirety...
That Smash segment was terrible. Glad Dan slapped down that tautology loop that Jeff created on "chaotic".
Someone explain to me what edition of Mario Kart 8 GB played where 4-player "becomes unplayable" at locked 30 FPS... the industry standard. That part was just stupid hyperbole.
That Smash segment was terrible. Glad Dan slapped down that tautology loop that Jeff created on "chaotic".
Someone explain to me what edition of Mario Kart 8 GB played where 4-player "becomes unplayable" at locked 30 FPS... the industry standard. That part was just stupid hyperbole.
Askherserenity
Member
Oh, for sure! Not sure how I didn't mention him. Dan has been absolutely great for that. Like, just look at how mesmerized Drew is about Metal Gear. He would have never been able to experience that if it wasn't for Dan and trying out new shit. Love Dan!
That is just silly. Yeah, there were some broken games but taking those in to consideration against the good/great games released is insane. There are really shitty games released every year.
I don't mind that Brad put DOTA2 on his list, but his argument is dumb. His main reason is because of the consistent updates and the cash shop. That is a feature of nearly every game in the entire MOBA genre. SMITE has changed dramatically over the past year and is free to play and has a cash shop. I imagine the same can be said of League of Legends, Heroes of the Storm, etc. And cultural relevance is subjective. TI can be important to him, but how is it important to anyone who doesn't play DOTA or any games in the genre? Just say, I really love playing DOTA and it was a bad year for games, so that's why DOTA is here.
Man, so many things you guys could be complaining about (like, yo, what about the fact that the cast doubled in size yet the overall involvement is mostly stemmed by ~4 people) and you get fixated on Brad's top 10.
Here's the recipe for your happiness: Take Dota off the list (in your mind, I mean) and bump up every entry by one, then add one of the games he mentions in his preamble - boom.
Here's the recipe for your happiness: Take Dota off the list (in your mind, I mean) and bump up every entry by one, then add one of the games he mentions in his preamble - boom.
disastermouse
Banned
Nah...it was pretty shitty...nothing approaching Mass Effect/Skyrim/P4G/Fallout levels of greatness. The games that should have saved the year (Destiny, Titanfall, Dark Souls 2, Watch Dogs) didn't.
Messofanego
Banned
Checked the voting thread and guessed right; you didn't vote for 10 games this year. Not even a reserved post. At least if you had a list, and still said the year was terrible then I wouldn't dismiss this post. If the most cynical of GAFers can make a top 10 list with their high standards, anyone can unless if the only subgenre you can ever physically play are 3D platformers.
It's like when people shit all over the albums of the year or movies of the year threads with blanket statements that it was a terrible year. Or it could be you didn't even try different things.
I had to cut down from 15 to 10, and in my opinion every year is different and exciting. Last year, my GOTY was indie, this year it's AAA. I didn't even dabble in any of the RPGs that came out (Divinity, Might and Magic X, Wasteland 2, Child of Light, Dragon Age, Transistor, The Banner Saga) and yet still had a fantastic year.
chaobreaker
Member
There are great games released every year as well.
TheBaronOfNA
Banned
... That's is the silliest counter point I have read in a while. There were great games in every platform, exclusivity be damned, and more choices in each console. Is a bad year for AAA publishers that claimed to be the second coming.
1) Why would I reserve a spot? It's not like the later votes count for less.
2) Voting isn't over for several more weeks. I'm still playing some games that might make a list.
3) My list isn't ten games long, and won't be. It's three right now that deserve consideration, along with a bunch more drivel that doesn't.
But thanks for the condescending, high-and-mighty tone.
If you dismiss everything after a couple of tries because "I didn't care for it", no wonder you have troubles filling up a list. Jeff can put whatever he wants in his personal list, no problem with that. But his constant dismissal of everything on the goty discussions is a bit jarring, it just seems he never gave anything a fair chance.
Yep. There were a lot of high profile disappointments (WD, Destiny...) but if you're open to different genres and are not stuck on a single platform there was more than enough quality games to fill the year.
Problem is, so many people aren't willing to try more niche, experimental or difficult genres, and stick to games that make big splashes and are in their comfort zone.
People like Jeff for example.
Since when is Skyrim the barometer for greatness? Sure, it had an interesting open world yet it was filled with NPCs that all shared a pool of 5 voice actors, generic quests and awful combat. I'm far more likely to replay Dark Souls 2. Yeah, those games fell short of where people expected them but to say that the year was shitty because it didn't have an all time great game is hyperbole.
This year had some fantastic games. Sorry you hated them all.
So what you're saying is that we all forgot one last thing to write on the WiiU chalkboard!
WiiU will be saved when all AAA entirely implodes and only internal studios and indies are left to float the consoles...!
Askherserenity
Member
disastermouse
Banned
Skyrim was pretty awesome when it came out. It was a 'thing'. There really wasn't anything like that or the other games I mentioned that came out this year that was superb. It was a year of massive disappointments, HD(er) remakes, flat out broken games, and sequels that weren't as good as previous games in the series.
I'm not saying they were all awful, but there was nothing that made me think, 'Ah yiss! This is why I love vidya gaems!'
Except maybe Nintendo, but I don't yet own a Wii U.
MOBAs change like MMOs do, except MMOs still call their major updates expansions so you can pinpoint exactly when the game changed. If DOTA 2 had changed its main menu to say "DOTA 2: A Line in the Sand" earlier this year I don't think it'd be that weird to vote that in as a "new game".
But every single thing you've just said about Skyrim is subjective opinion based on what you think. Skyrim isn't an objective standard of quality. Not even close.
I think Skyrim is fucking garbage. There were several games that I thought were more "pretty awesome", "a thing", "superb" and "Ah yiss! This is why I love vidya gaems!" than Skyrim in 2014.
End of year lists always boil down to opinion and nothing more. It's why I like Giant Bomb's (and to an extent, GAF's) approach of deciding them as they take so many different opinions into account.
sammyCYBORG
Member
So many games come out now it's easy to find 10 that are decent to pretty good.
Amazing though? Not this year, for me at least.
I'm still waiting for the next gen consoles to deliver those games which justify the leap. So far we have none after a year.
I really hope 2015 changes that.
Amazing though? Not this year, for me at least.
I'm still waiting for the next gen consoles to deliver those games which justify the leap. So far we have none after a year.
I really hope 2015 changes that.
Nestunt
Member
If you only play on consoles and like the controls of a game like Mordor and its setting, well, the PS360 versions are kinda crap
Berserker976
Member
Let me preface this by saying I think Giant Bomb is great, I've had a premium membership since it was available, I think Brad is a cool dude, and I think he has produced some great content. This comes from a place of love.
That being said, I think his GOTY 2014 list is extremely problematic. Mainly because of both his "honorable mentions," and his top 2 games.
The problem I see is that these two things seem to be related. It's not that he didn't have the time to play the games listed in his honorable mentions (except for maybe Dragon Age, but even then it's flimsy), it's that he chose to play a bad to mediocre game with a great gameplay hook and an old MOBA he is addicted to in lieu of playing those other games.
He says after the honorable mentions part that you can only judge the games your natural interests led you to play. Frankly I don't think that's true, at least not for someone whose job it is to keep up to date with and play video games. If this were the list of someone who did something else for a living I might find it more justifiable, but at some point you have to acknowledge that it's their job to play a lot of different video games.
In conclusion, I love you Brad, don't ever change.
That being said, I think his GOTY 2014 list is extremely problematic. Mainly because of both his "honorable mentions," and his top 2 games.
The problem I see is that these two things seem to be related. It's not that he didn't have the time to play the games listed in his honorable mentions (except for maybe Dragon Age, but even then it's flimsy), it's that he chose to play a bad to mediocre game with a great gameplay hook and an old MOBA he is addicted to in lieu of playing those other games.
He says after the honorable mentions part that you can only judge the games your natural interests led you to play. Frankly I don't think that's true, at least not for someone whose job it is to keep up to date with and play video games. If this were the list of someone who did something else for a living I might find it more justifiable, but at some point you have to acknowledge that it's their job to play a lot of different video games.
In conclusion, I love you Brad, don't ever change.
Maybe change this one thing.
There are plenty of people who believe that Skyrim was 3 out of those 4 things.
sammyCYBORG
Member
Technically they have superior games (though I have a high end PC so eh) but there hasn't been anything new, ya know. Like Gears, COD4, etc etc.
It's just prettier versions of the type of games we had last gen so far.
Ew.
Nestunt
Member
Transitions are always that way
And I would argue that the Nemesis System is something new. Is it mind blowing? Of course not. But if you only play on consoles and like that type of game and its theme I would recommend a PS4 to a friend for it. Like I would recommend a Wii U for Bayonetta with the caveat that you must like those Nintendo characters a whole lot if you plan on only playing on one console
It might look and sound like GB are not passionate but the smart ones are playing for Day Five. Jeff is stopping any game he dislikes getting a bit of fair mention so that come GOTY he's not cornered.
"Smash is a good local multilayer game sure but it's not the best local multilayer GOTY"
Meanwhile many of the rest don't want to argue. Patrick has been fucked too many times so it will be funny to see him fight Brad style for Bayonetta 2.
Though you may note Brad and Jeff put some negatives to their feelings last episode so as they could not be drawn away from their own faves.
Claiming they are not passionate is a but unfair when we are dealing with what is basically the B-tier awards, who gives a fuck? GOTY is where it's at.
"Smash is a good local multilayer game sure but it's not the best local multilayer GOTY"
Meanwhile many of the rest don't want to argue. Patrick has been fucked too many times so it will be funny to see him fight Brad style for Bayonetta 2.
Though you may note Brad and Jeff put some negatives to their feelings last episode so as they could not be drawn away from their own faves.
Claiming they are not passionate is a but unfair when we are dealing with what is basically the B-tier awards, who gives a fuck? GOTY is where it's at.
sammyCYBORG
Member
I disagree. I feel this is the first gen where the first year has been boring and not full of new stuff. But that's a discussion for a different topic.
Askherserenity
Member
I feel the same, man. I love the guys but damn. I look at some of the other featured lists and they're way more varied and interesting than some of the duders and some don't even work in the games industry whatsoever. I know it is part of the Giant Bomb charm that they pretty much only play what they want to play and aren't forced to play everything out there on the market...but if they could just be a bit more open minded in this case. I mean, it kinda (KINDA) is part of their job I guess.
Nestunt
Member
The most boring in terms of AAA games. I give that to you
There are still to come those games I can show my friends who only play Fifa and Cod.
But indies? I had so much fun with small games this year. Its a new era, and unless the publishing policies change we are not turning back. In the last generation this only really started with Braid and Limbo
Yeah it does seem kind of a bullshit criticism given the nature of the awards being discussed today (which was kind of a lull after the first few days). Or the very fact they're doing an 11 hour podcast series means they've got some passion
That said, I don't have any contexts for the dudes from that YouTube clip. They might be exaggerating for comic effect like the Bombers do. I wouldn't want to pre-judge them without knowing their styles.
Nestunt
Member
I dont think it is. At least thats not why I pay silver membership
I go to Giantbomb to hear about the tons of hours they spent in ONE game they love. Not the end of 10 hour playthrough for review the other sites do
If I want variety I will go to big outlets with huge staff. Throughout the years I see Jeff, Brad, Vinny, Ryan, Alex, Patrick as their tastes, and I expect to hear their opinions based on that. Its a personality driven site. Dont change. Its a niche, but a very successful niche that resonates with a lot of people. They wont play games just for the sake of having Dragon Age on their top ten like every other site. And if Dragon Age is not there is probably because it is a bit overrated
The problem with indies going forward is going to be oversaturation you are already seeing it with steam being so flooded with terrible games that it is hard to find the great games. I also remember reading an article on gamasutra where a dev stated the only things that sell on steam are AAA games, survival games, weird simulator/joke games and games nominated for igf awards. Valve don't want to do any curation and let the community handle it but if they are not careful steam will just be like the app store.
Nestunt
Member
Thats why I see PSN and Plus as the best curation. Like Xbox Live was back in the day
Hot Coldman
Banned
Dota 2 ain't the same game it was last year... or at least I haven't seen anyone say otherwise. Seems fair.
Brad's ability to resist not giving Destiny the sorta-top-spot as a fuck you to Bungie is amazing, though. I feel like even if I liked that game, I'd keep it well away just as a show of mutual disrespect.
Brad's ability to resist not giving Destiny the sorta-top-spot as a fuck you to Bungie is amazing, though. I feel like even if I liked that game, I'd keep it well away just as a show of mutual disrespect.
On PC its been an amazing year (like every year). PC scene stay winning.
Misterinenja
Member
Oh god this Mario Kart 8 discussion on Day 4.
I can't even😑😑😑
I can't even😑😑😑