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[Zen_Arcade]

I think that after a few hours of listening to the crew talking about these games, Dragon Age and Smash were basically confirmed not to appear on the final list. I'm not saying the final list is good or that Destiny is better than any of those games, but the push for it was clearly big enough from Brad and even (somehow, weirdly) Jeff.

Let's face it, those eleven hours were filled with people shoehorning their favorites in certain categories (Dan with MGS on best story, Alex with Jazzpunk in every category ever, Jeff with Luftrausers). Brad never really fought for anything outside of Destiny, he let go of South Park and Sunset in a lot of categories. That's why I'm even more suprised that people are infuriated over Destiny taking a super unimportant 10th place.

Well, not that surprised. It's Destiny and this is GAF after all.

The difference is, people laughed at Dan when he brought up MGS for best story. It didn't even get runner up. Jazzpunk only had two mentions in any of the final lists, and it was for Best Styyyyle and Frog Fraction 2, two joke categories. Luftrausers didn't get in any mention in the top three for anything but music (And Styyyle, again, a joke category).

Sure Jeff brought up Luftrausers or Alex brought up Jazzpunk for a bunch of categories, but people rightfully shot them down for most of those categories, so who gives a shit? They didn't shoehorn it in where it didn't belong and in a place where there were obvious better choices like Brad did with Destiny.

 

[NumberThree]

You're a joke category.

 

[Real Hero]

It is pretty funny how the ubisoft open world was in PLEASE STOP yet Shadow of Mordor won GOTY.

 

[Reedirect]

Sure Jeff brought up Luftrausers or Alex brought up Jazzpunk for a bunch of categories, but people shot them down for most of those categories, so who gives a shit? They didn't shoehorn it in where it didn't belong and in a place where there were obvious better choices like Brad did with Destiny.

Where it did or didn't belong is subjective, but honestly, I don't think any of the so called "better choices" didn't have that big of a push from anyone (except maybe Alex for Wolfenstein). Either people didn't play them, didn't finish them or just didn't care for them THAT much as Brad did for Destiny.

 

[tchocky]

Where it did or didn't belong is subjective, but honestly, I don't think any of the so called "better choices" didn't have that big of a push from anyone (except maybe Alex for Wolfenstein). Either people didn't play them, didn't finish them or just didn't care for them THAT much as Brad did for Destiny.

It was Drews game of the year.

 

[TheYanger]

I don't like to read people hating on the guys here, it sucks, and I like Brad's passion, but holy shit it bothers me when he's VEHEMENTLY arguing points that are oftentimes flat out wrong.

Listening right now in bed and hearing him say Destiny's loot is forgivable because it's 'hand crafted' even though there is barely any, and that Diablo and Borderlands are randomly generated? Give me a break Brad, any 'unique' weapon in any of those games is 'hand crafted' with interesting effects, you just didn't fucking play them enough to pay attention. Go look at the Diablo 3 uniques Brad! Just a quick google search tells me there are FIVE HUNDRED AND NINETY fucking uniques in Reaper of Souls. Like 500 of those have actual unique effects and art. Get over it, Destiny is a pile of shit, you just HAPPENED to get addicted to it while better games exist all around it that do the exact same thing but better.

 

[chaobreaker]

Brad should have just cut his losses and hope Destiny 2 would be the top 10 worthy game everyone wanted. Now I don't think Jeff and co. will ever let that happen.

 

[bigwinnerx]

I don't like to read people hating on the guys here, it sucks, and I like Brad's passion, but holy shit it bothers me when he's VEHEMENTLY arguing points that are oftentimes flat out wrong.

Listening right now in bed and hearing him say Destiny's loot is forgivable because it's 'hand crafted' even though there is barely any, and that Diablo and Borderlands are randomly generated? Give me a break Brad, any 'unique' weapon in any of those games is 'hand crafted' with interesting effects, you just didn't fucking play them enough to pay attention. Go look at the Diablo 3 uniques Brad! Just a quick google search tells me there are FIVE HUNDRED AND NINETY fucking uniques in Reaper of Souls. Like 500 of those have actual unique effects and art. Get over it, Destiny is a pile of shit, you just HAPPENED to get addicted to it while better games exist all around it that do the exact same thing but better.

Should've stopped after your first couple words, Mr. I Don't Like to Read People Hating On The Guys Here.

 

[hamchan]

After many years of Brad filibusterin' and mind trickin' the others to get games on the GOTY lists, I just find the whole thing hilarious and awesome. Brad Shoemaker holding so much power is glorious and you will all bow down to his will.

 

[Zen_Arcade]

Where it did or didn't belong is subjective, but honestly, I don't think any of the so called "better choices" didn't have that big of a push from anyone (except maybe Alex for Wolfenstein). Either people didn't play them, didn't finish them or just didn't care for them THAT much as Brad did for Destiny.

First off, I'm not even talking subjectivity, I'm talking logical inconsistencies within their own deliberations. It makes zero sense that a game that got called one of the top three disappointing games of the year can get called one of the ten best by the same group of people. It makes zero sense that Far Cry 4 can get into the top three, when they had a whole section of the podcast shitting on the template that Ubisoft games use (And I'm saying this as a huge Far Cry 4 fan who would put it at least in his own top five of the year). Even within their own deliberations their logic doesn't follow. I'm not talking about my personal opinion here, their own logic for these lists makes zero sense when compared to each other.

Then they shouldn't even bother doing the list. If the groups frame of reference for the releases that came out this year is so small that they can't make a top ten list without using one of their own top three disappointing games of the year then they should just stick to their own personal top tens.

 

[Nibel]

The "good gameplay fundamentals" defense for Destiny doesn't really hold up for me.

I can see appreciating the controls and guns in and of themselves, but somewhere along the line they needed to make an actual game out of them.

Imagine if Nintendo made a Mario game that controlled exactly like Super Mario World (or whichever your favorite Mario game is) but instead of using those controls and abilities to have the player advance through a series of increasingly-difficult platforming segments, the game was a dozen boring, rote, banal platforming stages which had to be repeated 300 times each in order to advance deeper into the game.

That's what Destiny is. Sure the controls are good, but the overall game design is a giant wet pile of nostril goo from a runny nose that just won't go away.

The argument that 'shooting feels so good' is so dumb; like, of fucking course it does, it's not like Bungie worked on any other genre these past years.

 

[erawsd]

It is pretty funny how the ubisoft open world was in PLEASE STOP yet Shadow of Mordor won GOTY.

Isnt the thing people hate about Ubi open world is that there are 1000 .collectibles all over the map? Mordor is no where near as egregious in that way.

 

[TheYanger]

Should've stopped after your first couple words, Mr. I Don't Like to Read People Hating On The Guys Here.

I'm sure it's fun to run around every GB related thread and sass anyone that disagrees with any member of the crew, but I think there is a big difference between "I think Brad is an asshole" which I do hate to see people say, and "I think it's problematic when people are legitimately using falsities to advance their own personal agendas during these debates".

Sorry for discussing something on a discussion forum on the internet. If it's ok to filibuster the podcast I think it's ok to call it out as bullshit when it is.

 

[hamchan]

Isnt the thing people hate about Ubi open world is that there are 1000 .collectibles all over the map? Mordor is no where near as egregious in that way.

It's pretty much a lighter version. Still the same game design of collecting and completing a bunch of repetitive, kinda meaningless tasks, but on a lighter scale. Instead of taking 40 hours to plat it takes 20.

 

[Gandie]

It is pretty funny how the ubisoft open world was in PLEASE STOP yet Shadow of Mordor won GOTY.

That's because SoM actually did open world right.

 

[Basileus777]

That's because SoM actually did open world right.

If Mordor is open world done right, this genre is in dire straights.

 

[erawsd]

It's pretty much a lighter version. Still the same game design of collecting and completing a bunch of repetitive, kinda meaningless tasks, but on a lighter scale. Instead of taking 40 hours to plat it takes 20.

Every open wrld has that stuff though. What sets Ubisoft apart is the over abundance of it.

 

[Reedirect]

First off, I'm not even talking subjectivity, I'm talking logical inconsistencies within their own deliberations. It makes zero sense that a game that called one of the top three disappointing games of the year can get called one of the ten best by the same group of people. Even within their own deliberations their logic doesn't follow. I'm not talking about my personal opinion here, their own logic for these lists makes zero sense when compared to each other.

Then they shouldn't even bother doing the list. If the groups frame of reference for the releases that came out this year is so small that they can't make a top ten list without using one of their own top three disappointing games of the year then they should just stick to their own personal top tens.

You're right about that. This has only been my first year listening to all the podcasts and not only watching the recaps, and I can already see that the format needs a major change-up.

 

[mrklaw]

It's funny how Brad's logic for getting rid of Mario Kart was because there had been seven MK games already. How many AssCruds and Batmans were released last-gen? Right.

Seven previous MKs. since 1996. Divided between home and handheld.

As far as milking goes, it's not exactly OTT

 

[Maastricht]

I think the impact of pre-release hype on proper appraisal of what a game actually is has gotten too big, just like the impact of games released on non-overlapping platforms. I understand it, sure, I mean, if I look at all the praise for Bayonetta, I can't help but wonder why that game is better than God of War III (I prefer the latter in looks, gameplay, everything), but for most people who have a Wii U they don't care about God of War 3. DriveClub may feel limited coming from Forza Horizon 2, but it's also a different game on a different platform and both these games are exclusives.

And then of course a lot depends on taste. A great driving model, fantastic implementation of motion controls and beautiful and thanks to the great dynamic lighting and clouds ever changing scenery made DriveClub one of the highlights of my year, which is obviously very different from most reviewers here. And good luck even finding a review that mentions the motion controls, because reviewers don't even feel like they need to try this.

I respect reviewers the most when they remain conscious of their own preferences, rather than making blanket statements like 'it's just not a good game'.

 

[tchocky]

Every open wrld has that stuff though. What sets Ubisoft apart is the over abundance of it.

Games like GTA have tons of collectibles, stunt jumps etc but you have to find them by exploring or look at a faq which most people wont bother with. Ubisoft put all the icons on the map which is good if you are a completionist like Vinny but terrible if you are like Patrick and have no interest in collectibles.

 

[danm999]

Every open wrld has that stuff though. What sets Ubisoft apart is the over abundance of it.

And the grossness of some of it. The Unity Companion App collectibles were rightly called out.

 

[mnz]

After many years of Brad filibusterin' and mind trickin' the others to get games on the GOTY lists, I just find the whole thing hilarious and awesome. Brad Shoemaker holding so much power is glorious and you will all bow down to his will.

Maybe next year the new guys will be prepared for it and put up more of a fight.

 

[erawsd]

Games like GTA have tons of collectibles, stunt jumps etc but you have to find them by exploring or look at a faq which most people wont bother with. Ubisoft put all the icons on the map which is good if you are a completionist like Vinny but terrible if you are like Patrick and have no interest in collectibles.

I could swear Patrick actually said he liked the collectibles in Mordor and he 100% it.

 

[tchocky]

Maybe next year the new guys will be prepared for it and put up more of a fight.

Lets hope they hire Cara and Brad has to argue why his favourite time sink of the year is better than her favourite sex game.

I could swear Patrick actually said he liked the collectibles in Mordor and he 100% it.

Did he I know he said he loved the collectibles in Valiant Hearts because they were written well and interesting as well as teaching about history. I don't recall what he said about Mordors.

 

[Empty]

Every open wrld has that stuff though. What sets Ubisoft apart is the over abundance of it.

on the flipside ubi games mostly actually have beautiful worlds worth exploring for that. unlike mordor which is the most boring place in a game this year.

i think the main difference is that ubi skimp on the core mechanics and missions so it feels like the game is about collecting, whereas mordor is actually fun to play with the nemesis system successfully compensating for the shitty mission design.

 

[Jimmyfenix]

Vinny in favor of destiny

 

[GoodlifeX]

I have to remember its this specific group's opinions but it gets annoying when Jeff just dismisses things regardless of what the majority of the group while we seemingly get a Brad filibuster every year.

 

[Neoweee]

That's because SoM actually did open world right.

It's not "done right", but it is without some of the Ubisoft MO's biggest problems.

 

[Heroman]

Problem I gave with destiny was that everyone hated beside brad, and if it hated by most if the crew it shouldn't be on the list.

 

[lol51]

Brad complaining about not having instant access to the war table in Dragon Age, meanwhile Destiny tower is basically a walkable menu.

 

[tchocky]

Problem I gave with destiny was that everyone hated beside brad, and if it hated by most if the crew it shouldn't be on the list.

Patrick loved Danganronpa but gave up on it because he knew no one else cared same with Vinny and The Fall both games where no one else had an opinion on them but Brad
will not give up on Destiny even though half the room hates the game.

This isn't even a DOTA situation where he can argue it's an important game doing great things with a previously despised business model.

 

[nobodyshero]

But it didn't. And that's disappointing because that's never, ever happened before.

Unity was saved by the expectation portion of the category. Since there have been so many inconsistent or flawed entries in the Assassin's Creed series (at least in the opinion of the GB staff), you don't expect the same sort of pedigree from the franchise that you did back in the days of Brotherhood.

Halo's online has always worked very well. It's Microsoft's flagship franchise for their consoles. The idea it would come out, be broken, then rebroken, then rebroken, etc is just so surprising it trumps the reveal that this year AC is on the downward slump again.

None of that is wrong, but it's all moot because the Hottest Mess category exists, which Halo won anyway. It just seemed odd to me that Halo squeaked on there solely for the reasons that would end up winning it the Hotest Mess, and nothing else. Unity had all that same shit, PLUS it was a disappointing game. I mean it is what it is, just struck me as odd

 

[Neoweee]

Patrick loved Danganronpa but gave up on it because he knew no one else cared same with Vinny and The Fall both games where no one else had an opinion on them but Brad
will not give up on Destiny even though half the room hates the game.

This isn't even a DOTA situation where he can argue it's an important game doing great things with a previously despised business model.

Destiny at least appeared on two of their lists. Only 15 games had appeared on multiple individual top 10 lists, and of those that appeared on two lists, it had a decent average.

 

[Heroman]

Patrick loved Danganronpa but gave up on it because he knew no one else cared same with Vinny and The Fall both games where no one else had an opinion on them but Brad
will not give up on Destiny even though half the room hates the game.

This isn't even a DOTA situation where he can argue it's an important game doing great things with a previously despised business model.

I also didn't like how he added it way late in the discussion

 

[Courage]

Can someone explain how Patrick loved Danganronpa when he gave it a 3/5? Is it just something that grew on him?

 

[danm999]

None of that is wrong, but it's all moot because the Hottest Mess category exists, which Halo won anyway. It just seemed odd to me that Halo squeaked on there solely for the reasons that would end up winning it the Hotest Mess, and nothing else. Unity had all that same shit, PLUS it was a disappointing game. I mean it is what it is, just struck me as odd

Hottest Mess doesn't really have an expectation component. It's purely about how fucked up something is, regardless of what you expected before launch. That's the key to how MCC got on the list and Unity didn't.

Basically, the divide between expectation and reality was greater for Halo MCC than it was for Unity, even if Unity is ultimately the more irredeemable product. That's why it got the nod to be nominated.

Or, to put it another way, if you told me earlier in the year that this year's Assassin's Creed would suck and be not good for a variety of reasons, I'd believe you. If you told me Halo MCC would have totally busted matchmaking and they'd release several patches that didn't fix the problem and broke the game in new ways, I wouldn't believe you because I'd believe Microsoft would treat their biggest IP with more care and caution.

 

[nynt9]

I also didn't like how he added it way late in the discussion

It was clearly a tactic to protect it from the first few rounds of elimination.

 

[Bacon]

I also didn't like how he added it way late in the discussion

There was definitely some fuckery going on there

 

[Kelas]

 

[Dany]

I also didn't like how he added it way late in the discussion

sneaky brad

 

[LiK]

Well done Brad. Happy he got Destiny in the list, lol

Can someone explain how Patrick loved Danganronpa when he gave it a 3/5? Is it just something that grew on him?

He mainly complained about the lack of gameplay and some of the fanservice stuff but he loved the story.

 

[Cheesewheel]

Patrick loved Danganronpa but gave up on it because he knew no one else cared same with Vinny and The Fall both games where no one else had an opinion on them but Brad
will not give up on Destiny even though half the room hates the game.

It's not just the rest of the room hating the game, Brad himself points out numerous flaws in Destiny during their discussion, like having to slog 15 hours through the game's poorly designed missions to get to the end game.

 

[Dany]

I don't get how anyone is okay that the grind in destiny is playing the same 15 missions you played ten times before.

There is literally not enough variety.

 

[Neoweee]

It's not just the rest of the room hating the game, Brad himself points out numerous flaws in Destiny during their discussion, like having to slog 15 hours through the game's poorly designed missions to get to the end game.

You can get to endgame in like, 7 hours, without doing ANY of the game's missions. There's enough in just doing the Crucible and bounties.

 

[hamchan]

I have to remember its this specific group's opinions but it gets annoying when Jeff just dismisses things regardless of what the majority of the group while we seemingly get a Brad filibuster every year.

Maybe next year the new guys will be prepared for it and put up more of a fight.

I think it's pretty clear at this point that Brad and Jeff hold all the power in these GOTY casts and I don't think anyone will ever break that.

Can someone explain how Patrick loved Danganronpa when he gave it a 3/5? Is it just something that grew on him?

He loves the story, dislikes the fan service and the gameplay.

 

[LiK]

I don't get how anyone is okay that the grind in destiny is playing the same 15 missions you played ten times before.

There is literally not enough variety.

Mainly to level up for the gear and weapons. It's actually quite addictive.

 

[tchocky]

It's not just the rest of the room hating the game, Brad himself points out numerous flaws in Destiny during their discussion, like having to slog 15 hours through the game's poorly designed missions to get to the end game.

My favourite was "yeah I thought the missions were bad as well but once you play them 5 or 6 times and accept what they are, they can be fun"

 

[nobodyshero]

I guess I'm just happy that three Wii U games (if you include Shovel Knight) made the list.

 

[witness]

I also didn't like how he added it way late in the discussion

Yeah that was pretty shitty because you know Alex would have tried to get rid of it right away. I just can't believe it made it to #10 over so many other better games that don't have mindless, repetitive, boring, game design. How my times did you run through the same environments endlessly in that game? People crucified Dragon Age 2 for that shit. It's shocking to me. I have faith that Bungie can actually design a fun and bombastic, with actual set pieces other than enemies swarm in, single player experience for Destiny 2. Will they get their head out of their ass to see the problem though? It really is my most disappointing game, ever.

Glad Mordor won, that last quick look of it was fantastic and Vinny showed why it's so great.