Giant Bomb's Game of the Year Thread: Skyrim? Skyrim? Skyrim? Skyrim? Skylanders!

Drama! <3 Brad Shoemaker, so much. He can be kind of annoying on these things though. Dark Souls is the far & away GOTY for me(unless you count Minecraft, which would probably be a close second. also I obviously don't <3 Brad because I agree with his tastes) so I don't have much stake in this. Skyrim and Saints Row are pretty cool.
 
I think you're missing the point in that just because someone else made a terrible post doesn't mean you should do the same in response. Sorry I didn't specifically quote that other poster? It doesn't make your original post any less hyperbolic though, just because it was in response to another bad post. If you had made this kind of post earlier, didn't even have to be as detailed, but something more than a blanket statement, I wouldn't have picked out your quote.

Your condescending post was equally as bad as the others. You didn't point out why Skyrim wasn't bad in any regard or why Saints wasn't good. Further still going out of your way to highlight people responding to the original post yet avoiding the one that started it all shows you're not actually making a point of people making hyperbolic posts, just that a game you like can't be shit for no specified reason. Which is much like people responding to that fist post not liking when somebody said their game was shit for no specified reason.
 
I'm kinda surprised the choice is getting so much controversy here.

Saints Row 3 was fantastic with its story and writing but it was so scaled back from Saints Row II. Less Clothing, less weapons, less customizing. Then you have all this cool stuff coming out as DLC right after release making it look very suspicious.

In the end the games feels kinda rushed and lacking and while I enjoyed it for what it was, I can see why Skyrim should win instead.
 
Your condescending post was equally as bad as the others. You didn't point out why Skyrim wasn't bad in any regard or why Saints wasn't good. Further still going out of your way to highlight people responding to the original post yet avoiding the one that started it all shows you're not actually making a point of people making hyperbolic posts, just that a game you like can't be shit for no specified reason. Which is much like people responding to that fist post not liking when somebody said their game was shit for no specified reason.

I don't think you can call ANY game shit for no specified reason. I saw 3 posts making the same short comments about Skyrim and picked them out. I don't see whats so hard to understand about that. The difference being that my comment was shitting on the hyperbolic posts, not throwing comments around about either of the games.
 
I'm so glad I decided to listen to the podcast before watching the video today. Still listening, in fact. Started laughing my ass off when Jeff started talking up Saint's Row against everyone else. Then I look and see there are still 50 minutes left O.O
 
"Hey guys, Saints Row is my favorite game of the year! I just absolutely love it! I haven't played Skyrim. I'm not even going to argue for Saints Row for one second; Skyrim is the game of the year."

Really disappointing final hour of the podcast.

Yeah, Ryan doing that was so weird...
 
Ryan: We cut Deus Ex Human Revolution.

Patrick: Yea, I agree

Ryan: Yea, there it is bitch...

ROFL, good lord. Ryan kills me sometimes. XD
 
Ryan: We cut Deus Ex Human Revolution.

Patrick: Yea, I agree

Ryan: Yea, there it is bitch...

ROFL, good lord. Ryan kills me sometimes. XD

I do have to say, Ryan was hilarious in this episode. He just wanted some 'blood' and a fight to happen.
 
I'm kinda surprised the choice is getting so much controversy here.

Saints Row 3 was fantastic with its story and writing but it was so scaled back from Saints Row II. Less Clothing, less weapons, less customizing. Then you have all this cool stuff coming out as DLC right after release making it look very suspicious.

In the end the games feels kinda rushed and lacking and while I enjoyed it for what it was, I can see why Skyrim should win instead.

I don't think it's necessarily the actual winner that has people talking, so much as how it came to be that way, for two reasons.

Reason 1) 3 of the 5 participants picked game A as their Game of the Year. 2 of the 5 picked game B. Game B wins.

Reason 2) Brad has the most obnoxious method of "debate" among the Giant Bomb crew. Sorry Brad, I like you most of the time, but every year on these game of the Year discussions, at least one, and usually several categories come down to Brad digging in his heels, sticking his fingers in his ears and refusing to concede any point while the others are able to separate themselves from the fray and actually consider both sides.

In addition, he has a tendency to throw out nonsense argument after nonsense argument, knowing that if he throws out 4 of them and the others immediately reject one, that the other 3 usually go unckecked.
 
Seems to be a huge focus on games that excel in presentation/story by the entire site's staff, as well as the guest-writer devs. I don't visit GB really, is this a common occurrence there in terms of general tastes?
 
edit: actually, can I ask to anyone who listened to their final dilberations, did they at least bring up the whole Skyrim PS3 thing? did they say why that didn't factor into their decision?

I haven't gotten that far, but in Jeff's top 10 where he gave it #2 he said it was specific to the 360 and PC versions as he had spent dozens of hours playing it on 360 and a significant amount of time with it on the PC and he then said "I haven't had any problems at all" and that sadly the PS3 version is busted.
 
I don't think it's necessarily the actual winner that has people talking, so much as how it came to be that way, for two reasons.

Reason 1) 3 of the 5 participants picked game A as their Game of the Year. 2 of the 5 picked game B. Game B wins.

Reason 2) Brad has the most obnoxious method of "debate" among the Giant Bomb crew. Sorry Brad, I like you most of the time, but every year on these game of the Year discussions, at least one, and usually several categories come down to Brad digging in his heels, sticking his fingers in his ears and refusing to concede any point while the others are able to separate themselves from the fray and actually consider both sides.

In addition, he has a tendency to throw out nonsense argument after nonsense argument, knowing that if he throws out 4 of them and the others immediately reject one, that the other 3 usually go unckecked.

That's not really the case though or Skyrim wouldn't have won. The only reason it won was because Ryan chose to side with Skyrim instead of Saints Row. It was basically Brad & Patrick debating for Skyrim and Jeff & Vinny debating for Saints Row. Ryan was the tiebreaker and a PLOT TWIST happened.
 
That's not really the case though or Skyrim wouldn't have won. The only reason it won was because Ryan chose to side with Skyrim instead of Saints Row. It was basically Brad & Patrick debating for Skyrim and Jeff & Vinny debating for Saints Row. Ryan was the tiebreaker and a PLOT TWIST happened.

I'm talking about the personal top tens that were posted beforehand.

Ryan's flip-flop is absolutely baffling, and I can only assume he's trolling or just didn't want to deal with getting bradwalled.
 
I don't think you can call ANY game shit for no specified reason. I saw 3 posts making the same short comments about Skyrim and picked them out. I don't see whats so hard to understand about that. The difference being that my comment was shitting on the hyperbolic posts, not throwing comments around about either of the games.

I don't know why it's hard for you to understand that they only existed because of the original shot at Saints row that they responded to in an identical fashion, and that you post was bias because you totally omitted that original post. I don't understand how you managed to miss the post that most of them quoted unless you weren't motivated by you disdain towards "hyperbolic" post in general, but because those posts were directed towards a game you like.
 
That's not really the case though or Skyrim wouldn't have won. The only reason it won was because Ryan chose to side with Skyrim instead of Saints Row. It was basically Brad & Patrick debating for Skyrim and Jeff & Vinny debating for Saints Row. Ryan was the tiebreaker and a PLOT TWIST happened.

I kinda felt Ryan only did that to make the discussion more interesting. If Ryan had stood by his own top 10 list the discussion would have been over before it started and Skyrim would have stood no chance.
 
ArjanN said:
I kinda felt Ryan only did that to make the discussion more interesting. If Ryan had stood by his own top 10 list the discussion would have been over before it started and Skyrim would have stood no chance.

I can see that, but it baffles me why if it was just for the sake of discussion why he didn't just do a fake "oh! Jeff and Vinny your argument has won me back over, I'm back on the SR3 train!" If it was purely for the sake of letting a discussion take place.


I don't know why it's hard for you to understand that they only existed because of the original shot at Saints row that they responded to in an identical fashion, and that you post was bias because you totally omitted that original post. I don't understand how you managed to miss the post that most of them quoted unless you weren't motivated by you disdain towards "hyperbolic" post in general, but because those posts were directed towards a game you like.

Last time I'm going to say this because you really don't seem to get it. Dude made a bad post about Saints Row, I'm not debating that. Instead of recognizing this though, you decided to respond by doing basically the exact same thing he did. You took a jab at Skyrim because he took a jab at Saints Row. 2 wrongs don't make a right. I picked your 3 posts because they were the ones I looked at. Which is again, irrelevant anyways because what you were responding to doesn't change the quality of those 3 posts I quoted.
 

?

There is absolutely nothing any more complex or fantastical or magical or unbelievable or some amazing far flung design mechanic they're using that any other modern open world RPG doesn't or has in the past or is or at some point was using. The only thing "complex" about Bethesda games is the shitty fucking engine they keep trotting out that they refuse to properly code on the PS3.
 
Giant Bomb had a chance to make a statement with MK for Best Story and Saints Row 3 for GOTY, and balked at both.

Not like they have to make a statement, but still would have been fun.
 
I can see that, but it baffles me why if it was just for the sake of discussion why he didn't just do a fake "oh! Jeff and Vinny your argument has won me back over, I'm back on the SR3 train!" If it was purely for the sake of letting a discussion take place.

I really think it's because there was an underlying "we can't let that dumb game win" feeling for at least a couple of them. It's too bad, because I think they let a boring, bad game win instead, because it "should." It's a lingering problem for most of the games press, but this is particularly disappointing because it was such a perfect opportunity for Giant Bomb.
 
On Mortal Kombat "A back of the box feature like online was completely broken for months. Let's cut it for that. But it's working now!"

Meanwhile Skyrim is completely unplayable on one platform and broken on others with resistances not working. : /
 
I really think it's because there was an underlying "we can't let that dumb game win" feeling for at least a couple of them. It's too bad, because I think they let a boring, bad game win instead, because it "should." It's a lingering problem for most of the games press, but this is particularly disappointing because it was such a perfect opportunity for Giant Bomb.

I agree, this is why Ryan wasn't in favor of SR3 being the overall GOTY despite it being his personal #1. And he was right.
 
On Mortal Kombat "A back of the box feature like online was completely broken for months. Let's cut it for that. But it's working now!"

Meanwhile Skyrim is completely unplayable on one platform and broken on others with resistances not working. : /

Vinny actually asks at one point during that discussion if MKs online was broken on all platforms or just one. So I honestly think that was something they would have taken into consideration, and kept MK if it was only busted on one.
 
On Mortal Kombat "A back of the box feature like online was completely broken for months. Let's cut it for that. But it's working now!"

Meanwhile Skyrim is completely unplayable on one platform and broken on others with resistances not working. : /

Brad gives his reason why he gives Skyrim a pass on this. I don't agree with it, and I think Jeff should have been more forceful about calling him out. Basically his reasoning is that the if you want the game to release bug-free, a game of that scope will never be released. Which might even be true, but is a false dichotomy, I think. There isn't just 'really busted' and 'bug-free'. 'Less busted' is an option too.
 
Vinny actually asks at one point during that discussion if MKs online was broken on all platforms or just one. So I honestly think that was something they would have taken into consideration, and kept MK if it was only busted on one.
That's not really consistent with how they've acted last year with Bayonetta. Plus you can't just pretend the PS3 version of Skyrim doesn't exist. It does, and it doesn't work.
 
On Mortal Kombat "A back of the box feature like online was completely broken for months. Let's cut it for that. But it's working now!"

Meanwhile Skyrim is completely unplayable on one platform and broken on others with resistances not working. : /

Wasn't MK fucked on all (two) platforms though? Effectively screwing everybody over? That's probably why they brought it up.

That's not really consistent with how they've acted last year with Bayonetta. Plus you can't just pretend the PS3 version of Skyrim doesn't exist. It does, and it doesn't work.

But they haven't been pretending the PS3 version doesn't exist. They've all acknowledged at some point that they're aware the PS3 version is broken (Jeff specifically brought it up in his top ten list), they've just decided to not let the fact that one of the three versions - and likely the least-popular version - is crappy cause them to automatically yank the game out of all nominations. And as Brad said, the game is not anymore "broken" on the PC and 360 than Fallout 3 or Oblivion were.

I think in their minds (and in my own, admittedly) what helps Skyrim's case in the end is that, when the game works, it works fucking fantastically and offers an experience that few have ever rivaled and it's the sort of game that defines a genre. When viewing a game from that perspective it's shockingly easy to put aside it's most blatant flaws.
 
That's not really consistent with how they've acted last year with Bayonetta. Plus you can't just pretend the PS3 version of Skyrim doesn't exist. It does, and it doesn't work.

Which is why they mentioned specifically that the award was given for the 360/PC versions. I think they've made the point that if you only have access to a PS3, Skyrim is not a game you should play.

The way Saint's Row vs Skyrim worked makes me wonder when their Top 10 lists were finalized. SR3 was #1 on 3 of their personal lists, and I thought Brad stated a few times that Bastion was "at the top of his personal list", despite it not actually being #1 for him.

Not that it really matters which games win, these podcasts are great to listen to regardless.
 
Love those deliberations every year. It's unfortunate that they can't play all of those games but still makes for a great conversation. Loved Jeff's hate for Dark Souls, Patrick's defense of Rayman and him saying that Dead Space 1 >> Dead Space 2 but other than that I was totally expecting MK to make top10 and Saints Row to win, it was such a fitting title to win goty on their site.
 
That's not really consistent with how they've acted last year with Bayonetta. Plus you can't just pretend the PS3 version of Skyrim doesn't exist. It does, and it doesn't work.

They don't. They say they're not giving it any awards or praise. Holding the PS3 problems against the 360 version of Bayonetta is wrong, and I'm glad they didn't do that again this year.
 
Is Ryan just a character? He's said some pretty weird stuff before but the whole Skyrim winning because it the most game blew my mind. The only other explanation is that he just gave in earlier to Brad, which frankly is understandable.

But other than that, it was tense and enjoyable final 4 hours. The Russian Roulette of cutting games was great.
 
Which is why they mentioned specifically that the award was given for the 360/PC versions. I think they've made the point that if you only have access to a PS3, Skyrim is not a game you should play.

I think that works in a review, giving the appropriate score for the platform but for GOTY, you have to look at the whole picture and where the game can be played.
 
Is Ryan just a character? He's said some pretty weird stuff before but the whole Skyrim winning because it the most game blew my mind. The only other explanation is that he just gave in earlier to Brad.

But other than that, it was tense and enjoyable final 4 hours. The Russian Roulette of cutting games was great.

Yeah Ryan is just a voice that Jeff does. It's really impressive when they need to have "Ryan" on camera, especially when Jeff is on camera at the same time.
I think that works in a review, giving the appropriate score for the platform but for GOTY, you have to look at the whole picture and where the game can be played.

Are you the fucking GOTY Regulations Board? They are giving non-existent awards to video games, their aren't any rules they need to follow.
 
I think that works in a review, giving the appropriate score for the platform but for GOTY, you have to look at the whole picture and where the game can be played.

You do have to look at the whole picture, and that's why I don't think it would be right to discount it for 1 version of the game when 2 work perfectly fine.
 
I think that works in a review, giving the appropriate score for the platform but for GOTY, you have to look at the whole picture and where the game can be played.

It's the other way around. A GB review is a buyer's guide, so reviewing the PS3 version might help people know just how shitty it is. GOTY is about what game they enjoyed the most (well, except for Ryan, apparently). None of them played the PS3 version, why should that influence their decision?
 
Yeah Ryan is just a voice that Jeff does. It's really impressive when they need to have "Ryan" on camera, especially when Jeff is on camera at the same time.

After seeing the GotY videos, I would not be surprised if Jeff, Vinny and the Giantbomb crew managed to pull off something that crazy.
 
Which is why they mentioned specifically that the award was given for the 360/PC versions. I think they've made the point that if you only have access to a PS3, Skyrim is not a game you should play.
Yeah, I know. I'm wondering why they felt they could dismiss Bayonetta because of that last year, or why they're not specifying platforms for every other game they're doing on the list. I get that they all really liked Skyrim (apart from Ryan who hasn't even played it but felt the need to agree with Brad) but it's not a good excuse to have it on the list. Then go on to dismiss Mortal Kombat for having issues, even if it had broken online for a couple of months (and hey it's been fixed for a while now), while ignoring the PS3 version of Skyrim and the patches that have broken things on PC and 360 (which are broken right now).

Saint's Row III actually works on all of its platforms unlike Skyrim.
 
Are you the fucking GOTY Regulations Board? They are giving non-existent awards to video games,their aren't any rules they need to follow.

I know that.

You do have to look at the whole picture, and that's why I don't think it would be right to discount it for 1 version of the game when 2 work perfectly fine.

They do?

It's the other way around. A GB review is a buyer's guide, so reviewing the PS3 version might help people know just how shitty it is. GOTY is about what game they enjoyed the most (well, except for Ryan, apparently). None of them played the PS3 version, why should that influence their decision?

Yeah, that makes sense. I'm just surprised no one brought it up in the podcast.
 
I platinum'd LA Noire and bought all the DLC's. It has no buisness being higher than anything like Zelda, Dark Souls, Uncharted 3, or many other games that didn't make their list. Shit got monotonous a few cases in and it never changes.
 
Vinny: What's ground breaking about Skyrim that doesn't just make it iterative of Oblivion?
Brad: They did it! They got it right!
Vinny: So did Saint's Row the third!
Brad: Just a little bit righter than a bunch of other people.

Oh my god this is hilarious
 
edit: actually, can I ask to anyone who listened to their final dilberations, did they at least bring up the whole Skyrim PS3 thing? did they say why that didn't factor into their decision?

Seems to be a lot of this going around (not just on Gaf) that Skyrim shouldn't be getting any accolades at all because the PS3 version is broken; No, the PS3 VERSION shouldn't be getting any accolades. Bethesda majorly dropped the ball with this version, and they deserve to have consequences for that... in the form of the title rotting on retailers shelves and being returned to the company as defective. But the busted PS3 version doesn't suddenly make the 360 and PC versions not great games. Why should a 360/PC gamer care at all that the PS3 version is broken? It doesn't make the game any less enjoyable for them. I have no problems with sites raining praise on Skyrim, as long as they make it clear to stay far, far away from the PS3 version.
 
Vinny: What's ground breaking about Skyrim that doesn't just make it iterative of Oblivion?
Brad: They did it! They got it right!
Vinny: So did Saint's Row the third!
Brad: Just a little bit righter than a bunch of other people.

Oh my god this is hilarious

Yeah, there is literally no criticism lobbed Saints' way in that discussion that can't be said more so of Skyrim.
 
But the busted PS3 version doesn't suddenly make the 360 and PC versions not great games. Why should a 360/PC gamer care at all that the PS3 version is broken? It doesn't make the game any less enjoyable for them.
That goes both ways.

Continued apathy towards this and rewarding Bethesda for it is just poor form.
 
Seems to be a lot of this going around (not just on Gaf) that Skyrim shouldn't be getting any accolades at all because the PS3 version is broken; No, the PS3 VERSION shouldn't be getting any accolades. Bethesda majorly dropped the ball with this version, and they deserve to have consequences for that... in the form of the title rotting on retailers shelves and being returned to the company as defective. But the busted PS3 version doesn't suddenly make the 360 and PC versions not great games. Why should a 360/PC gamer care at all that the PS3 version is broken? It doesn't make the game any less enjoyable for them. I have no problems with sites raining praise on Skyrim, as long as they make it clear to stay far, far away from the PS3 version.

Even if a gamer shouldn't care, shouldn't these gaming "journalists" care? Shouldn't they be the ones that hold companies like Bethesda accountable? Of course not, because in the gaming industry the journalists are just PR reps and free advertising. Putting aside opinionated lists, it's more a travesty that the entire community didn't rise up and say what the fuck to Bethesda. But the PC/360 gamers flippantly not caring about it doesn't help either.
 
That goes both ways.

Continued apathy towards this and rewarding Bethesda for it is just poor form.

How so? Why should I, as a 360/PC gamer not play a great game because the version on a platform I don't game on is broken? I just shouldn't buy it so I make a statement to the company? It's the PS3 gamers jobs to do that... Beth left an awful lot of money on the table for by burning those PS3 gamers, not to mention even if they make things right they lost a lot of good will with them as well. PS3 players should be returning and/or avoiding this game and they will take notice of that for sure.

I don't think it's poor form at all for a review site to award 360/PC as they see fit, as long as they write "AVOID PS3 VERSION AT ALL COSTS" in giant flaming letters across the sky. That's probably even more damaging to Beth at any rate, because at least lots of people are reading/watching GOTY awards. If Skyrim wasn't even in the running because of the PS3 version, that is so many less people that would even know about it.
 
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