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[TharpDaddy]

Skyrim has its flaws, but there's still something magic about it to me. Few games have made me feel so immersed in a world. It was beautiful to look at, I had the wonderful music of Jeremy Soule accompanying my adventures, the combat isn't anything great but it was good enough for me. The flaws of the game don't make me love it less. It deserved that GotY.

 

[imBask]

Doom ain't winning.

that's stupid, you're stupid

 

[mnz]

what was the wikipedia argument again?

BEast hadn't finished it at that point so Jeff looked up the ending of Life is Strange on wikipedia and said they wouldn't like it.

 

[Tubobutts]

what was the wikipedia argument again?

Jeff read the story summary of Life is Strange and said it was bad and shouldn't be on the list.

 

[Johndoey]

Jeff read the story summary of Life is Strange and said it was bad and shouldn't be on the list.

Holy shit.

 

[AuthenticM]

BEast hadn't finished it at that point so Jeff looked up the ending of Life is Strange on wikipedia and said they wouldn't like it.

Jeff read the story summary of Life is Strange and said it was bad and shouldn't be on the list.

omg I forgot. That was some bullshit. The ending of that game was amazing.

 

[kai3345]

Jeff read the story summary of Life is Strange and said it was bad and shouldn't be on the list.

lol that shit was so ridiculous

 

[mnz]

omg I forgot. That was some bullshit. The ending of that game was amazing.

Yeah the ending is actually pretty good, that's the best/worst part about it.

 

[Zaph]

That's nothing compared to the Wikipedia argument he pulled

nah, it's an entirely story based game and the two plot points Alex and Vinny said they were looking forward to seeing resolved go absolutely nowhere and instead the story leans into what they said they weren't enjoying. Go back and listen and you'll see that Jeff was correct in predicting they'll be disappointed based on what they just talked about.

That game is the definition of wasted potential.

 

[Sleeping Lesson]

omg I forgot. That was some bullshit. The ending of that game was amazing.

I thiiiink the impetus of his argument was that the game doesn't "make good" on the

Spoiler

big storm coming and space-time being rendered apart or something

. Still, one of the most laughable magic moment of GB GotY!

nah, it's an entirely story based game and the two plot points Alex and Vinny said they were looking forward to seeing resolved go absolutely nowhere and instead the story leans into what they said they weren't enjoying. Go back and listen and you'll see that Jeff was correct in predicting they'll be disappointed based on what they just talked about.

That game is the definition of wasted potential.

Yep you're right, like I said above. I still don't think it was a good point of argument but was rather a desperate (if effective) attempt to neuter the game from contention.

 

[CheDominik]

omg I forgot. That was some bullshit. The ending of that game was amazing.

I loved LiS but the last episode was definitely the weakest, it felt rushed and disjointed.

 

[Human Trashcan]

nah, it's an entirely story based game and the two plot points Alex and Vinny said they were looking forward to seeing resolved go absolutely nowhere and instead the story leans into what they said they weren't enjoying. Go back and listen and you'll see that Jeff was correct in predicting they'll be disappointed based on what they just talked about.

Yeah but they still liked it. If they'd finished it it would have made the list, I'm pretty confident. Regardless, it's a very stupid and reductive way to keep it off. But hey, that's 90% of these podcasts.

fwiw (nothing) I loved the ending and the final episode.

 

[Ohnonono]

I thought the LiS wiki thing was pretty silly too, but I come to GB because it is like a bunch of my friends having a dumb argument at GOTY time. I still know how the east coast felt about that game and I feel like they still got it across.

I also like Jeff being that guy, because everyone has that guy around. Just like everyone knows a Brad that can filibuster like a pro. They all have their quirks and they are all good/bad at derailing each others arguments. GOTY is the most complicated game of Pokemon where the trainer is fighting itself. I for sure will miss Austin though because I think he was VERY good at negotiating in a way that was interesting and helped with some of the stubborn stuff that comes from a dumb pod-casting marathon. His Invisible Inc. moment is the stuff of legends.

If Jeff does not say something/someone is stupid or Brad gives up easy then fuck it. New Years will never come and we will be stuck in shitty 2016 forever.

 

[imBask]

hey but at least we won't have a 20min monologue on Invisible Inc this year!

It's a good game Austin, but man chill out

 

[TharpDaddy]

I loved LiS but the last episode was definitely the weakest, it felt rushed and disjointed.

While I agree some of the stuff in it was rough like the odd stealth stuff, I really liked the

Spoiler

weird nightmare that Max ended up in with the birds hitting the window and stuff. I'm a sucker for weird time and reality funkery. Also the super dark Dark Room stuff was great.

 

[Sleeping Lesson]

Yeah but they still liked it. If they'd finished it it would have made the list, I'm pretty confident. Regardless, it's a very stupid and reductive way to keep it off. But hey, that's 90% of these podcasts.

Yep, it's not like they finished the game and went "Oh noo, Jeff was right!" It seemed to totally work for them.

Wikipedia should not be an acceptable tool for discussion when you haven't played the game in question.

 

[Johndoey]

The LiS ending ain't s*** but still what a dumb argument.

 

[BreezyLimbo]

Jeff did nothing wrong.

 

[Gurrry]

Really tough to say what their GOTY is.

Overwatch deserves to be in the conversation, but the only person I see fighting for it is Dan and Jason. Stardew Valley should also make the top 10 but Dan is one of the only ones to play it and he isnt going to fight for it that hard. I also hope they dont forget The Witness. That game took over gaming conversation for nearly a month. It deserves a spot as well.

Im thinking it ends up being 1.Titanfall 2, 2. Hitman, and 3. Doom. Then the rest shake out as they may. This definitely isnt the list I would make though.

 

[TharpDaddy]

Jeff did nothing wrong.

The gloves come off in GotY. You do what you gotta do.

Im thinking it ends up being 1.Titanfall 2, 2. Hitman, and 3. Doom. Then the rest shake out as they may. This definitely isnt the list I would make though.

I think you have to switch around 1 and 3. The only argument against DOOM will be the weak multiplayer, and the staff has almost unanimous praise for it.

 

[ShadowSwordmaster]

hey but at least we won't have a 20min monologue on Invisible Inc this year!

It's a good game Austin, but man chill out

But we will get a 30min monologue about The Last Guardian.

 

[Chuck]

One thing I'm not looking forward to is the "I put this game on the list, I don't think it needs to stay on but I just wanted to mention it because blah blah blah but I'm okay taking it off now I just wanted to say it and give it some love blah blah blah but we can take it off. "

Mostly from Alex.

 

[kai3345]

I also hope they dont forget The Witness. That game took over gaming conversation for nearly a month. It deserves a spot as well.
.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zQP9rWop8es

 

[imBask]

But we will get a 30min monologue about The Last Guardian.

it would only take 15 min if the monologue wasn't running at 15fps for cinematic purposes

 

[strafer]

Jeff read the story summary of Life is Strange and said it was bad and shouldn't be on the list.

What did he think of the ending to TLOU?

 

[Ohnonono]

hey but at least we won't have a 20min monologue on Invisible Inc this year!

It's a good game Austin, but man chill out

I don't care what game he was talking about, that was a moment of clarity in an abyss of chaos and I thought it was a very cool moment. The reaction when he pulled out his notes was also funny. Things like that break the tension and I feel like it was a good segment. What makes GB cool though is that it is pretty personality based so you typically get something for everyone.

 

[Zaph]

Yeah but they still liked it. If they'd finished it it would have made the list, I'm pretty confident. Regardless, it's a very stupid and reductive way to keep it off. But hey, that's 90% of these podcasts.

fwiw (nothing) I loved the ending and the final episode.

It wasn't reductionist at all.

They explained what they liked so far, those elements do not pan out at all, so the only safe assumption is a negative one. It's GOTY, you can't just give an entirely story-based game the benefit of the doubt that you'll like where the story goes if the thing you said you like doesn't go anywhere.

And the ending was terrible. They ran out of money, couldn't wrap any of the more ambitious plot points up, so they went for the most basic and generic friendship story they could. It's only well regarded because the bar for video game writing is so low.

 

[KillerDark]

Really tough to say what their GOTY is.

Overwatch deserves to be in the conversation, but the only person I see fighting for it is Dan and Jason.

I feel like their GOTY is going to be Doom for sure, but I do think Alex and Vinny will fight for OW as well. They both enjoy it a lot and Alex is still playing it currently (at least from what he has said on the beastcast).

 

[Dineren]

I thought Jeff was fine, he didn't spoil the story for them. He just told them that the part of the story they were most interested in at the time went nowhere (which was true). They ended up liking the game quite a bit anyway for different reasons, but that is the risk you take when you don't finish a game you're trying to argue onto a list.

 

[Catvoca]

One thing I'm not looking forward to is the "I put this game on the list, I don't think it needs to stay on but I just wanted to mention it because blah blah blah but I'm okay taking it off now I just wanted to say it and give it some love blah blah blah but we can take it off. "

Mostly from Alex.

I like those bits! It's a way to acknowledge those games that do some cool things but maybe aren't one of the top 3 in their category.

 

[LiK]

Reading a wiki is just as bad as listening to music on their phone speakers outta context for a game to determine if the OST is any good. It's all very dumb and just a quick way to fill up the picks.

 

[Gurrry]

The gloves come off in GotY. You do what you gotta do.



I think you have to switch around 1 and 3. The only argument against DOOM will be the weak multiplayer, and the staff has almost unanimous praise for it.

The reason I put TF2 at #1 is because Jeff will probably fight hard for it. I dont think it deserves #1 for me personally, but every time Jeff talks about it you can tell he really loves it and will probably push for it to be at the top.

I havent really sat down and thought about it much but my top 3 would probably be Overwatch, Stardew Valley and The Witness. But if you ask me tomorrow, that list could be totally different.

Really good year for games. You could almost say its the... best time to be playing video games....

 

[Ohnonono]

One thing I'm not looking forward to is the "I put this game on the list, I don't think it needs to stay on but I just wanted to mention it because blah blah blah but I'm okay taking it off now I just wanted to say it and give it some love blah blah blah but we can take it off. "

Mostly from Alex.

I like it because they get to talk about more games and explain why they are interesting. The list at the end is what it is, they podcast for a million hours in order to have conversations. Alex, Vinny, and Drew make lots of great contributions that way.

I also don't want Dan to NOT talk about Stardew Valley just because no one else really played it like him. I don't think its making the list but I am sure he will talk about it for a bit.

 

[TharpDaddy]

And the ending was terrible. They ran out of money, couldn't wrap any of the more ambitious plot points up, so they went for the most basic and generic friendship story they could. It's only well regarded because the bar for video game writing is so low.

I disagree. I think

Spoiler

it was a great way to have the story go. You are constantly saving Chloe in the story and over time it is causing more and more damage, and it all culminates in Max having to come to terms with her best friend dying, that she can't keep manipulating time to avoid that outcome. It didn't feel like a "basic and generic friendship story" to me. I thought it was well done.

 

[mnz]

I really don't think the ending of LiS was terrible. And that last episode had to have been the most expensive just through sheer volume of effects alone. Don't agree at all here.

 

[kai3345]

Reading a wiki is just as bad as listening to music on their phone speakers outta context for a game to determine if the OST is any good. It's all very dumb and just a quick way to fill up the picks.

dan trying to convince everyone that the donkey kong: tropical freeze soundtrack was this masterpiece was such a great segment

 

[Gurrry]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zQP9rWop8es

Damn. Well at least we know Alex wont be fighting for it. If the witness came out in october and not so early in the year, I feel like it would probably end up alot higher on everyone's list.

 

[Infinite Justice]

People still rustled by that Jeff move LOL.

It was a legitimate strategy *shrug*


I can see the possible top 3 being Doom, Titanfall 2 and Overwatch with one of those taking it.

 

[Ohnonono]

dan trying to convince everyone that the donkey kong: tropical freeze soundtrack was this masterpiece was such a great segment

For sure. It was never going to convince anyone, but it was funny and in the end a fun moment.

 

[hamchan]

hey but at least we won't have a 20min monologue on Invisible Inc this year!

It's a good game Austin, but man chill out

I know right. Austin's brand of actually preparing and having good, convincing arguments does not belong in Giant Bomb GOTY. Imagine having that every year. The others wouldn't be able to handle getting shook that much on the regular. Good riddance to Austin.

 

[daveo42]

The LiS ending was pretty great imo, though was I invested in the characters and story. I don't blame Jeff tho...GBEast had their chance to play and finish the game and didn't. In terms of their discussion, the game didn't have a leg to stand on because no one played it in its entirety.

 

[AuthenticM]

Tropical Freeze was so robbed. That soundtrack was beautiful. The gang has something against the Donkey Kong Country games and it morphed into a dismissal of David Wise. You could feel it when someone sent an email making them blindly listen to Wise and Kirkhope. And then Brad became a hypocrite last year when he made his speech about how they always chose soundtracks that were super energetic and electronic-y over orchestral stuff and how it pissed him off. Dude, you did that the year prior.

 

[stump sock]

doesn't matter because doom is walking away with best soundtrack without even blinking.

someone will make an argument for thumper and will be roundly ignored. the end.

 

[TharpDaddy]

NMS had issues but I hope the OST gets recognized if they have a soundtrack award. Been listening to it on Spotify while studying and it's great.

 

[hamchan]

MGSV nearly winning soundtrack of the year based off including a bunch of retro hits and the Peace Walker main theme.

 

[Liquid Shake]

MGSV nearly winning soundtrack of the year based off including a bunch of retro hits and the Peace Walker main theme.

It should have won for this track alone

 

[Sleeping Lesson]

I know right. Austin's brand of actually preparing and having good, convincing arguments does not belong in Giant Bomb GOTY. Imagine having that every year. The others wouldn't be able to handle getting shook that much on the regular. Good riddance to Austin.

I don't think his argument was convincing in the least. It made the list but that felt to me like them throwing him a bone more than anything

NMS had issues but I hope the OST gets recognized if they have a soundtrack award. Been listening to it on Spotify while studying and it's great.

Definitely. Best part of that game.

MGSV nearly winning soundtrack of the year based off including a bunch of retro hits and the Peace Walker main theme.

Agreed, that random smattering of Top 40 hits does not make it a good soundtrack. It fit in well with the game though.

 

[mnz]

Have they ever given best soundtrack/music to anything orchestral? All I remember are basically high energy tracks you can listen to like a song.

 

[Maiorum]

It's going to be hard to listen to them knock Hitman down to #2 because of "jank".

I don't think his argument was convincing in the least. It made the list but that felt to me like them throwing him a bone more than anything

Yeah. They couldn't make a counter argument because none of them had played it, so they just shrugged and moved on. I don't blame them for not caring all that much about the bottom of the list, though.

 

[Ohnonono]

MGSV nearly winning soundtrack of the year based off including a bunch of retro hits and the Peace Walker main theme.

I loved the music and sound design in that game. That being said I think a lot of the trailers and stuff are really what color my memory of the music in that game. The music category is always gonna be weird and I see it as being ripe for blowing up into a couple of segments if they feel the need. Sound Design/Original Soundtrack/Song ect.