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[Xeteh]

that's not true at all,

Spoiler

he's said that he's played a ton of hitman since their video series ended

Yeah, that is what I was saying.

Spoiler

He only played it for the videos until after they had seen it all before he played it on his own time. If the game had hooked him instantly he would have played it earlier, which is why it isn't shocking that he ranked Doom higher.

 

[LurkerPrime]

I like how the narrative in this thread has moved from Vinny and Dan being team Overwatch and pushing it to win to Jeff trying to torpedo DOOM

it isn't going to happen. accept DOOM into your hearts

It seems inevitable... Like, Doom seems likely at this point, but stranger things have happened. At the very least, Inside, the Witness, Overwatch, Titanfall 2, and SuperHOT will keep the top ten interesting. Then there's wildcards that each of the crew have, like I imagine Stardew Valley will chart.

...Dan must fulfill his destiny.

 

[Tubobutts]

I don't think the results of Best Surprise can be extrapolated into GOTY.

Spoiler

The gulf of expectations between DOOM and Hitman was absolutely massive. While both had bad PR going in, DOOM was naturally assumed to be a trash fire for months. Like, an actively disgusting mark on that series' legacy. For it to turn around and be the best that series has ever been - that was a massive shock. Bethesda spent all their time with that game hyping multiplayer & SnapMap... making people assume the solo mode was going to be even more underwhelming than those two modes.

Hitman had the luxury of coming from an esteemed developer, who had at least made decent Hitman games in the previous decade. The release stuff seemed clunky, but the game itself always looked like a good take on Hitman. For that game to be great isn't a huge shock.

I'm not sure if Hitman can walk away with GOTY. Jeff clearly likes it, but will throw it under a bus for Superhot. Vinny clearly gets it, but might not be willing to go the extra distance. Dan loves it, but it isn't even topping his personal list. DOOM seems like a more natural consensus choice right now, though I feel like it suffers from some of the same flaws that can be lobbied at SuperHot (namely being a one-note experience). If GOTY gets heated, I could see that angle coming into play.

I was talking about his personal list.

 

[ScientificPizza]

Yeah, that is what I was saying.

Spoiler

He only played it for the videos until after they had seen it all before he played it on his own time. If the game had hooked him instantly he would have played it earlier, which is why it isn't shocking that he ranked Doom higher.

oh, right i see what you mean. sorry, i misunderstood!

 

[Metroidvania]

Then there's wildcards that each of the crew have, like I imagine Stardew Valley will chart.

...Dan must fulfill his destiny.

For that to happen, Dan will actually have to make a concise argument for its inclusion.

There are probably one or two 'open' spaces in the top 10 that people aren't gonna fight for as hard, but I don't know if he'll swing getting it up there.

 

[Aselith]

For that to happen, Dan will actually have to make a concise argument for its inclusion.

There are probably one or two 'open' spaces in the top 10 that people aren't gonna fight for as hard, but I don't know if he'll swing getting it up there.

He's going to tag in his dad to charm them into putting Stardew on top. Their combined "aw shucks" charm is impossible to resist.

 

[TheYanger]

I like how the narrative in this thread has moved from Vinny and Dan being team Overwatch and pushing it to win to Jeff trying to torpedo DOOM

it isn't going to happen. accept DOOM into your hearts

that's not true at all,

Spoiler

he's said that he's played a ton of hitman since their video series ended

The narrative though is that Jeff will push down on Doom even though it's getting 1 because he wants to use the conversations around it to point out how amazing TF2 is, not because he's trying to actually get Doom down the list. Jeff plays high level chess while everyone else is stuck playing Checkers.

 

[RecRoulette]

It seems inevitable... Like, Doom seems likely at this point, but stranger things have happened. At the very least, Inside, the Witness, Overwatch, Titanfall 2, and SuperHOT will keep the top ten interesting. Then there's wildcards that each of the crew have, like I imagine Stardew Valley will chart.

...Dan must fulfill his destiny.

His destiny of falling at the hands of Drew, the Stardew Killer

 

[Antiwhippy]

I'm just surprised at such a pushback against the time mechanics of stardew. It's so slight honestly.

Filthy casuals. Every game should have the time structure of the atelier games.

 

[XANDER CAGE]

nobody knows what art direction is

 

[BreezyLimbo]

nobody knows what art direction is

and apparently doom has the best of it

 

[leng jai]

Their obsession with Doom is just baffling to me, though I suppose Neogaf froths over that game 24/7 as well.

 

[LurkerPrime]

On the bright side, if GB does Best Multiplayer, Doom will actually get cut during the second round.

For that to happen, Dan will actually have to make a concise argument for its inclusion.

There are probably one or two 'open' spaces in the top 10 that people aren't gonna fight for as hard, but I don't know if he'll swing getting it up there.

His destiny of falling at the hands of Drew, the Stardew Killer

Aghh.. I keep forgetting that Drew is the real hitman this year.

But think about it: Dan doesn't need to actually out-argue anyone, he just needs to keep it in the discussion (i.e. placate Drew) long enough that it's a shoo-in. Because it's absolutely GotY material, let alone top ten fodder.


Can't believe I'm saying this, but... things would be going quite differently if Drew had never played SDV.

 

[Twin Tails]

jeff will join drew in the stardrew purge

 

[KalBalboa]

Man, the hesitation some had with Uncharted 4 in the best looking category was a surprise to me.

I mean, just look at that game.

 

[LiK]

Just started watching the rest of the Hitman videos. I only watched the Beta video way back. I'm catching up and this is hilarious.

 

[Tubobutts]

I think Stardew will be somewhere on the list just because it's Dan's number 1 and he's loud.

 

[Blitzrules240]

Doom vs Hitman: The Thread.

But seriously, I rented Doom due to the GB quick look and yeah, it was fun and gory. but calling it a GOTY is well safe. I haven't thought about the campaign since I finished it. Sure I enjoyed it but...

Hitman is goddamn endless possibilities.

And the Elusive Targets always spice things up and it'll have content well into 2017. Doom isn't doing any single player expansion (which is a shame) but damn.

Doom: I rented it and forgot about it.
Hitman: I played the beta, bought the Intro pack and was hooked ever since.

*looks at icon*

Sure, I love Agent 47. He is a man of many talents (as you see hilariously in future episodes)

But fuck, Hitman was a treat.

Best game of 2016 despite some flaws.

I'm ready to accept Doom as our winner but it should be Hitman.

Also I was totally in the Saints Row: The Third over Skyrim camp in 2011.

 

[Volotaire]

Doom vs Hitman: The Thread.

But seriously, I rented Doom due to the GB quick look and yeah, it was fun and gory. but calling it a GOTY is well safe. I haven't thought about the campaign since I finished it. Sure I enjoyed it but...

Hitman is goddamn endless possibilities.

And the Elusive Targets always spice things up and it'll have content well into 2017. Doom isn't doing any single player expansion (which is a shame) but damn.

Doom: I rented it and forgot about it.
Hitman: I played the beta, bought the Intro pack and was hooked ever since.

*looks at icon*

Sure, I love Agent 47. He is a man of many talents (as you see hilariously in future episodes)

But fuck, Hitman was a treat.

Best game of 2016 despite some flaws.

I'm ready to accept Doom as our winner but it should be Hitman.

Also I was totally in the Saints Row: The Third over Skyrim camp in 2011.

Spoiler

Too easy.

 

[gogosox82]

Day 2 finished. How Battlefield wasn't one of their best looking games and Doom was is beyond me. I loved Doom but it didn't look that good while Battlefield was one the best looking games all year. Hell, they even admit that technically Battlefield is a great looking game but they let Doom because reasons? Seriously what was there reason? They liked playing Doom more? Kind of a dumb reason when we are discussing best looking game not game I like to play more. Are they seriously going to try to shove Doom into every category this year? Because that's what it feels like.

 

[Brakke]

hey, we like video games and we like fan fiction. There's no better place for this combo than this thread.

Actually the best place for that combo is with our fine friends over at digitalpyramids.com.

 

[Hypnopompy]

I like Disturbed's sound of silence

 

[LurkerPrime]

Speaking of Day 2, their XCOM 2 comments of "it is just another one of those" was blowing my mind--XCOM 2 is the exact opposite of the first one! It flips everything on its head, from the set-up, to the gameplay, and is an intensely refreshing experience. Like, instead of being reactive and defensive, it's all about aggression and taking the fight to the enemy. While the core mechanics are familiar, it takes every opportunity to betray the player's expectations.

I can get being disappointment about performance or just the launch in general, but I can't believe how much they misunderstood XCOM 2 as a game.

 

[Oreoleo]

I'm definitely on the Hitman side of the fence. Doom is fan-fucking-tastic, but you 'only' get a solid 15 hours out of it and move on, and to me, longevity matters a lot for GOTY. I'll never have a 2-4 hour game that I beat in a day or two as my Game of the *YEAR* (Unless it's a really shit year for games). I'm 30 hours into Hitman and only on the 3rd level. Even if Doom made me flex and feel like a badass in ways that Hitman doesn't, the depth of content, the variety in gameplay, the thoughtfulness in design of Hitman puts it leagues above Doom for me. Doom might be one of the best FPS campaigns ever, but it's still *just* a FPS.



And for whoever asked Superhot will totally be in Jeff's personal top 3. There's no game he's gushed over so far like he has that one.

 

[Antiwhippy]

Longevity is honestly a really dumb way to judge a game's quality.

 

[Oreoleo]

Longevity is honestly a really dumb way to judge a game's quality.

Well I'm convinced.

I also didn't say it's the only factor, but it matters.

 

[gogosox82]

Speaking of Day 2, their XCOM 2 comments of "it is just another one of those" was blowing my mind--XCOM 2 is the exact opposite of the first one! It flips everything on its head, from the set-up, to the gameplay, and is an intensely refreshing experience. Like, instead of being reactive and defensive, it's all about aggression and taking the fight to the enemy. While the core mechanics are familiar, it takes every opportunity to betray the player's expectations.

I can get being disappointment about performance or just the launch in general, but I can't believe how much they misunderstood XCOM 2 as a game.

I honestly don't think any of them played it besides Dan tho and Dan seems like he barely remembered playing it so its not surprised they were dismissive of it honestly.

 

[Tainted]

And for whoever asked Superhot will totally be in Jeff's personal top 3. There's no game he's gushed over so far like he has that one.

This is my 'Jeff top 4' prediction...just based on his enthusiasm levels upon each game's release:

1. Doom
2. The Witness
3. Titanfall 2
4. Superhot

 

[LurkerPrime]

Longevity is a kind of weird thing. It isn't hugely important, or it can be the key factor to a game. Like, story/progression-based games are all about hitting "the right" length to best deliver the story or content on offer, versus a multiplayer/arcade-y game that is all about the replayability it can deliver. In other words, the former can be too long or short, whereas there's never too much of the latter.

Directly comparing these two types of longevity is tough, because it's really hard to translate that kind of value into something measurable. There will be shorter games that are worth infinitely more (to some individuals) than even the longest games out there by sheer virtue of how powerful they are as an experience, and vice versa. I reckon it's really up to the individual how they compare.

tl;dr clickers are the worst.

I honestly don't think any of them played it besides Dan tho and Dan seems like he barely remembered playing it so its not surprised they were dismissive of it honestly.

Ah, I see. I didn't consider the "Quick Look" factor.

 

[patapuf]

Longevity is honestly a really dumb way to judge a game's quality.

I don't think so. There's merit to one offs like telltale games or uncharted that rely on the novelty to make the experience truly good but if anything, there's not enough recognition for games that are designed so well you can just keep playing them forever without them becoming boring.

That's a pretty good sign that a game is well designed.

 

[Jintor]

I understand them grousing about large day one patches and not having games available on launch because of downloads, and I'm glad they threw a bone to people in other countries with slower or capped internet. But it hurt when Vinny was like "an extra two hours!" when I literally just spent three days downloading doom

 

[hamchan]

hey, we like video games and we like fan fiction. There's no better place for this combo than this thread.

The impression I got from this thread is that everyone hates video games.

 

[kiguel182]

Leaving people with bad internet behind isn't good but at the same time there's only so much devs can do and stopping patches because of that would be dumb.

Games will get bigger and bigger and in some places internet will not grow with it but they can't just stop because of that.

I say this as someone with good internet and no data caps so I understand I'm speaking from a place of privilege but I think the idea is to improve internet speeds instead of decreasing games sizes.

 

[Felix Lighter]

The conversation was more about a single type of patch. The massive planned day one patch that is a result of intentionally submitting an unfinished build for cert to try and hit a marketed release date. That was not a thing until now. For me, I'm basically 100% PC now and 100% digital so it doesn't impact me but I completely understand the issue and it's something worth beating up publishers for. They are shipping discs with incomplete games fully intending to leverage their customers internet service and time to finish the game, leaving many in a shit situation when they buy their game.

 

[Mexen]

Brad's list LOL

 

[erawsd]

Jeff may personally prefer Titanfall to take it over Doom, but he won't fight the entire staff over it like he did with Mario Maker. His love for TF isn't like Mario Maker at all, and he loves Doom just as much as Brad does (didnt Jeff mention having played through Doom like 3 times or something?).

His personal list might show TF2 on top (though I dont think that's a given), but he won't die on a hill to keep Doom from number one. He loves it way too much, and knows how much of a miracle it is that Doom is as good it was.

Yeah, I expect thisll be like that year TLOU won where they spent an hour arguing over 2-10 and then just crowned TLOU with no resistance. Even Jeff didnt bother despite hating the game.

 

[TheYanger]

Leaving people with bad internet behind isn't good but at the same time there's only so much devs can do and stopping patches because of that would be dumb.

Games will get bigger and bigger and in some places internet will not grow with it but they can't just stop because of that.

I say this as someone with good internet and no data caps so I understand I'm speaking from a place of privilege but I think the idea is to improve internet speeds instead of decreasing games sizes.

Again though, what were they doing for the previous "all of human history" that they aren't doing now?

Nobody is saying patches shouldn't be a thing, but somehow it went from 'patches are acceptable' last gen to 'patches are a legitimate method for us to finish our dev cycle on going gold when the game isn't actually done' which is entirely a management/budgetary/publisher decision. It's not even that games have to be delayed any more than they used to be, because they used to do EXACTLY what ev eryone is asking for.

If every now and then a game is 80 gigs and needs a patch (MCC for example) for multiplayer, that wouldn't be the end of the world, but when it's 90% of games or more something is just flat out wrong.

 

[nubbe]

DooM will be GOTY, it's not like they slobber over anything else.

And yet they played Monster Hunter Generations.... fools

 

[| Praxis |]

I like Disturbed's sound of silence

I'm sorry.

 

[leng jai]

How did Recore get in the top 3 for most disappointing and FFXV not even get discussed?

 

[kiguel182]

Again though, what were they doing for the previous "all of human history" that they aren't doing now?

Nobody is saying patches shouldn't be a thing, but somehow it went from 'patches are acceptable' last gen to 'patches are a legitimate method for us to finish our dev cycle on going gold when the game isn't actually done' which is entirely a management/budgetary/publisher decision. It's not even that games have to be delayed any more than they used to be, because they used to do EXACTLY what ev eryone is asking for.

If every now and then a game is 80 gigs and needs a patch (MCC for example) for multiplayer, that wouldn't be the end of the world, but when it's 90% of games or more something is just flat out wrong.

Something called the internet happened. There's a certification process on consoles that takes time. This way games can release sooner (with a day one patch) and developers can keep working on the game instead of sitting on their hands.

I get why it bothers some people, those with bad internet the most, but the solution is to have devs not do anything from cert to release date and delay every game. Day one patches solve that.

I'm not saying is a good thing per se but I don't find it that bad but, as I said, I'm speaking from a place of privilege and I can understand some people have crappy internet connections.

 

[funkystudent]

How did Recore get in the top 3 for most disappointing and FFXV not even get discussed?

No one played ff15.

 

[Turin Turambar]

Speaking of Day 2, their XCOM 2 comments of "it is just another one of those" was blowing my mind--XCOM 2 is the exact opposite of the first one! It flips everything on its head, from the set-up, to the gameplay, and is an intensely refreshing experience. Like, instead of being reactive and defensive, it's all about aggression and taking the fight to the enemy. While the core mechanics are familiar, it takes every opportunity to betray the player's expectations.

I can get being disappointment about performance or just the launch in general, but I can't believe how much they misunderstood XCOM 2 as a game.

Usually, when someone dismiss a game saying something like 'it's another one of those', they are dismissing the entire genre: 'it's another one of those, there are soldier, and aliens, and research, and turn based tactics. Same shit'.

In other words, it indicates they aren't very interested in the entire genre.

Imagine if with Dark Souls someone would say 'it's another one of those, third person fantasy medieval action rpg games, meh".

 

[erawsd]

How did Recore get in the top 3 for most disappointing and FFXV not even get discussed?

Because no one in that room played more than 5minutes of it, they had to get the gamespot guy to do the quicklook for them. Plus, I doubt anyone expected it to be a good game anyway. Meanwhile, they had been talking about how cool Recore looked to them since it was revealed.

Usually, when someone dismiss a game saying something like 'it's another one of those', they are dismissing the entire genre: 'it's another one of those, there are soldier, and aliens, and research, and turn based tactics. Same shit'.

In other words, it indicates they aren't very interested in the entire genre.

Imagine if with Dark Souls someone would say 'it's another one of those, third person fantasy medieval action rpg games, meh".

I think that was Austins argument against Bloodborne last year.

 

[Bumhead]

I'm definitely on the Hitman side of the fence. Doom is fan-fucking-tastic, but you 'only' get a solid 15 hours out of it and move on

I know your use of 'only' suggests you acknowledge this anyway, but 15 hours for an FPS campaign in 2016 is pretty bold. Single player campaigns, not just FPS ones, rarely hit those marks anymore. For DOOM to not only do so, but also last the pace and not outstay its welcome, is an achievement in terms of modern game design. The only other single player campaign I can say that about in years is Alien Isolation, but plenty of people do think that outstayed its welcome and has pacing issues. Far fewer seem to think so of DOOM.

 

[strafer]

Man, the hesitation some had with Uncharted 4 in the best looking category was a surprise to me.

I mean, just look at that game.

The Last of Us is more impressive than this to be honest.

 

[Hexagon!]

Rhythm Heaven Megamix for Best Music.

Spoiler

Accounting for Worst Game.

 

[serenewarfare]

The only reason I am starting to think Doom isn't a lock for GOTY is that Jeff very clearly said today that he's not giving the game a pass for the multiplayer and that you have to look at the "full package" when judging it. I think if that is his argument, then Hitman better fits that bill than Doom does. I know Jeff will likely argue for TF2, but the door opening for something not-Doom is more than I thought we'd see.

 

[Bowlie]

VA-11 HALL-A has the best soundtrack this year

if only Austin was there

 

[oti]

Man, the hesitation some had with Uncharted 4 in the best looking category was a surprise to me.

I mean, just look at that game.

I think this year it made it pretty clear to me as much as they say "it's not best technical or best artistic graphics!" it pretty much is. They were hesitant about Uncharted because it was "one of those" (™ by Brad) and because it was "just" technically good.

And why on earth (or hell) is DOOM on that list?

GOTY Deliberations were a mistake.