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NeoGAF Games of the Generation Awards

Bl@de

Member
Yeah I agree with that ... If I take into consideration that this is a console forum first.
I was PC/Gamecube only at that time so my list obviously would look different^^ But I couldn't decide what to pick.
 

Regiruler

Member
I wonder if the recent re-release of trilogy had any sort of notable benefit towards prime's position. It's not unfeasible that getting it fresh in people's memory might make people rank it higher.

I do not think it's undeserving, but it's moreso a curiosity.
 

sappyday

Member
Something must be wrong with me when I've tried to play RE4 so many times but can't get passed the first 30 minutes.



There isn't though. The game just isn't for me.
 
It was my #2, didn't expect to see it very high though. Didn't sell well.

Before the HD rerelease this game had a ton of momentum behind it. I feel like it gathered a massive cult following in the 2005 timeframe. Sad to see it not represented it really is the best Zelda game of the generation.
 

jetsetrez

Member
Man, what a great generation that was. I feel like the gaming landscape was so much more exciting back then. :(

Surprisingly solid list. I'm pretty much okay with everything on there except Smash Bros, Halo 2, and Twilight Princess. I would add Shenmue 1 and 2, JGR, PSO, Yakuza 1 and 2, Ico, Persona 3, and maybe a few others, and change the order a bit, but still, pretty great list. Kind of surprised by almost no Dreamcast showing.
 

jakomocha

Member
I only own 11 of the top 25 games (and I'm including HD remakes like WWHD)...
and I've only played 2 of them for a significant amount of time.

Well, I better step up my game.
 

Pappasman

Member
The fact that FFX even made this list made me sad. One of the shoddiest stories of any of the Final Fantasies, some of the wackest characters, and a fucking terrible minigame in Blitzball. But at least a decent talent system.
I played it for the first time on the HD collection and was shocked.

That was what people raved over? It was a giant disaster of a game somewhat kept afloat by its battle system and sphere grid.
 

Dad

Member
It was honestly about what I expected, especially the top 15 or so. What did you find surprising?
Red and Blue placing in at number 14 while Heartgold and Soulsilver comes in at the absolute bottom of the list is nuts. It's just as weird seeing the original DKC crush DKC2. I know a lot of these list come down to how many people played the games in the first place, but I thought these were pretty widely held as fan favorites in their respective series.
 

CassSept

Member
Narrowing down the selection to ten games was really hard but the results are mostly great.

Top 3 is perfect.
Vice City over San Andreas (if only by honorable mentions)
WoW, Deus Ex and Baldur's Gate 2 all made it into Top 20.
Though Burnout 3 should have been higher and THPS3 should have been WAY higher.

But, all things considered, the list worked out pretty well, great job Ani. I'm surprised Halo 2 barely made it into Top 25.
 

Firemind

Member
Metroid Fusion above Metroid Zero Mission and Metroid Prime 2 hurts me.
For once, I agree with GAF. I stopped playing Echoes because it was so fucking tedious and dull. Fusion has amazing atmosphere, great pacing and some of the best bosses in the series.

Twilight Princess probably didn't get as many votes as it could, because as mentioned, the player base was divided into GC and Wii. I played the GC version, but I'd have voted for Wind Waker regardless. It has a slightly tighter package and while the triforce quest was definitely padding, the whole game in Twilight Princess was padding between dungeons.
 

Moonkid

Member
Cool to see Ever 17 high up on its respective genre list, didn't know there were many fans of the game here on Gaf.
 
Red and Blue placing in at number 14 while Heartgold and Soulsilver comes in at the absolute bottom of the list is nuts. It's just as weird seeing the original DKC crush DKC2. I know a lot of these list come down to how many people played the games in the first place, but I thought these were pretty widely held as fan favorites in their respective series.

Oh yeah DKC2 getting crushed by DKC1 was my biggest head-scratcher. I figured the only Pokemon game that could catch Red/Blue was Gold/Silver and it was at least in the vicinity. There was no way the majority of people would vote for the remakes over the originals, regardless of improvements.
 
I'd say Final Fantasy is a touch over rated. I suspect it just comes down to a large number of members playing it first and having a strong emotional reaction to it. Otherwise stellar list.
 

Koh

Member
Beyond forum preference towards consoles, it also was significantly harder to vote as a primarily PC gamer. It's much easier to remember if you played a game on a specific console compared to whether you played a game within a timeframe.

I didn't want to spend hours doing research so i just posted my top 3. I'm happy to see some great games on the list so obviously enough people took the time to validate release dates.

This isn't a complaint, just pointing out why PC participation was likely lower. A problem you can't remedy due to lacking of distinct generations.

Great work and awesome idea with this thread!
 

Kayant

Member
Wow there is a lot of games I haven't played before... Added to my non-decreasing backlog.

Very nice list and awesome work OP.
 

Jimrpg

Member
Beyond forum preference towards consoles, it also was significantly harder to vote as a primarily PC gamer. It's much easier to remember if you played a game on a specific console compared to whether you played a game within a timeframe.

I have no evidence to support my claim, but Nintendo fans are very vocal so I'm not surprised to see a lot of Gamecube games make the top 10. For example PS2 games should theoretically win by a landslide considering 150m consoles sold vs Gamcube 20m sold. PS2 games rightly gets the most number of votes, but the Gamecube votes are concentrated on a few certain key games (Metroid, F-Zero, Zelda, RE 4, Melee) and seems like all Gamecube owners play the same games.
 

Raitaro

Member
Good list overall GAF! I am surprised about a few games being so high up there though, like FFX (thought people found it not holding up so well). Seeing Outrun 2 and 2006 being on the racing list as well as F-Zero GX is heartwarming though, as are the two WarioWare games in the Puzzle list. (Nintendo/Sega: you know what to do!)

Fighting
1. Super Smash Bros. Melee (Gamecube)
2. Soul Calibur (Dreamcast)
3. Virtua Fighter 4 (Arcade, PlayStation 2)
4. Soul Calibur 2 (PlayStation 2, Gamecube, Xbox)
5. Marvel vs. Capcom 2: New Age of Heroes (Dreamcast, PlayStation 2, Xbox)
6. Tekken 5 (Arcade, PlayStation 2)
7. Street Fighter III: Third Strike (Dreamcast)
8. Guilty Gear XX (Arcade, PS2)
9. Capcom vs. SNK 2 (Arcade, Dreamcast, PlayStation 2, Gamecube, Xbox)
10. Tekken Tag Tournament (PlayStation 2)

This does seem a bit "wrong" though. With all the renown its gotten over the years I really thought 3rd Strike would win the fighting category, or be in the top 3 at least. Also, shouldn't this be SFIII (Dreamcast, Arcade) (with the Arcade version being the best one)?

One other thing I find weird is that Half Life 2 is not listed in the PC only top 10 when it is the winner of the general FPS list. Is this really the case or was something miscounted there perhaps? Edit: crap, forgot about it not being PC exclusive!

Interesting also that the platformer list is so heavily focused on 3D platformers. They were a staple of those times of course but I still would have hoped to see a 2D/2.5D game being on there (from the GBA for instance, like Wario Land 4).
 

jaina

Member
One other thing I find weird is that Half Life 2 is not listed in the PC only top 10 when it is the winner of the general FPS list. Is this really the case or was something miscounted there perhaps?

Half-Life 2 is not PC-only.
 

petran79

Banned
Beyond forum preference towards consoles, it also was significantly harder to vote as a primarily PC gamer. It's much easier to remember if you played a game on a specific console compared to whether you played a game within a timeframe.

I didn't want to spend hours doing research so i just posted my top 3. I'm happy to see some great games on the list so obviously enough people took the time to validate release dates.

This isn't a complaint, just pointing out why PC participation was likely lower. A problem you can't remedy due to lacking of distinct generations.

Great work and awesome idea with this thread!

At that time PC gaming was at a turning point. Drop of Windows 9x/DOS and migration to Windows NT architecture. Massive failure of Windows Millenium. Lots of compatibility issues. Developers and genres moving to consoles, omitting PC. For me PC gaming back then was at a chaos. Emulators were the only exception. Only recently does PC gaming remind me of the golden era of the 90s.

That generation was basically the last where it was worth owning a console for exclusives.
With PS3/Xbox360/Wii later on that gap did narrow significantly and a lot of titles had also a PC release.

I played games both on Dreamcast/Windows XP/Arcades. Hence why I voted only at the games I played back then. Had I voted based on the information and knowledge I gathered after almost 15 years, list would have been different. I also saw RE4, MGS3 and Shadow of the Colossus on PS2, but primarily as a viewer. My friend was playing and I was watching or giving advice. For the better. I would have been bored if I played those games but it was amazing watching someone else playing the games.

This does seem "wrong" though. With all the renown its gotten over the years I really thought 3rd Strike would win the fighting category, or be in the top 3. Also, shouldn't this be Dreamcast, PS2 and Arcade (with the Arcade version being the better one)?

Back then 3S wasnt that popular compared to SC, MvC2, CvsSNK2 and 3d fighters. It only took off after the EVO 2004 moment.
 

Wazzy

Banned
Decent list! I would have wanted MSG2 booted from top 10 and Persona 4 slotted in but overall it's a lot better than I was thinking.

I can't say I agree with RE4 as the number one, though.

Also happy to see my FF X write up included in OP. :D
 

Toxi

Banned
This does seem "wrong" though. With all the renown its gotten over the years I really thought 3rd Strike would win the fighting category, or be in the top 3.
Street Fighter III: 3rd Strike has a small, dedicated fanbase.

Super Smash Bros Melee has a massive dedicated fanbase that's still hosting tournaments with over a thousand participants over a decade after its release. Not to mention it was the highest selling game on the Gamecube and was a casual favorite.

I think it was pretty obvious Melee was going to win the fighting category.
 

Mr. Sam

Member
A pity I missed out on the voting but I can say, having replayed them all recently, that the top three deserve to be revered that much.
 

Mortemis

Banned
I don't know why I voted tbh, I did it in a rush so I was basically writing down games I remember best at that current moment rather than a solid list. If I wrote my list now almost everything would be different, with games not even in my honorable mentions making the top five.

I am so disappointed in GAF putting Kingdom Hearts in 60th place.

I had it high in my list, then dropped it down, then put it back up but ultimately dropped it lower. :/ I regret my list.
 
Terrible list. Do never dare to make fun again about IGN and other publications list's with taste like that GAF. Thank god I didn't vote.

But good job putting it together guys.
 
What I find interesting is that the top 10 are all quite flawed in their own way:

1. RE4 - One of the best first halves of a game ever, with the second half falling away and providing several tedious sections.

3. MGS3 - One of the best second halves of a game ever, with the first half spent battling the controls and going through some areas which are not particularly interesting.

4. Shadow of the Colossus - Plagued by technical issues.

6. Half Life 2 - Forced you to use Steam (people might laugh, but it was a huge deal at the time).

7. MGS2 - Where to begin...

9. Halo - Dumbed down the fps genre for ... all the years to come so far

10. Final Fantasy X - Tidus.

The last two might be a stretch and I didn't play the Nintendo offerings. I think the point is that great games get away with a lot because of the immersion they create. Extending this point, is why VR isn't an automatic big hit. Unless it comes with "great games" extra immersion just isn't a selling point.

The best games ever will already suck you in and never let you go.
 

Conduit

Banned
rEaljBn.png

Horror
1. Resident Evil 4 (PlayStation 2, Gamecube)
2. Silent Hill 2 (PC, PlayStation 2, Xbox)
3. Resident Evil (Gamecube)
4. Eternal Darkness: Sanity's Requiem (Gamecube)
5. FEAR (PC)
6. Silent Hill 3 (PC, PlayStation 2)
7. Fatal Frame II: Crimson Butterfly (PlayStation 2, Xbox)
8. Resident Evil: Code Veronica (Dreamcast, PlayStation 2)
9. Fatal Frame (PlayStation 2, Xbox)
10. The Suffering (PC, PlayStation 2, Xbox)

Is this a joke? How RE 4 can be a Horror Game???!!! It isn't in any possible way.
 

Snuggles

erotic butter maelstrom
DerZuhälter;154127204 said:
Terrible list. Do never dare to make fun again about IGN and other publications list's with taste like that GAF. Thank god I didn't vote.

But good job putting it together guys.
Let's see your top ten.
 

myco666

Member
rEaljBn.png

Horror
1. Resident Evil 4 (PlayStation 2, Gamecube)
2. Silent Hill 2 (PC, PlayStation 2, Xbox)
3. Resident Evil (Gamecube)
4. Eternal Darkness: Sanity's Requiem (Gamecube)
5. FEAR (PC)
6. Silent Hill 3 (PC, PlayStation 2)
7. Fatal Frame II: Crimson Butterfly (PlayStation 2, Xbox)
8. Resident Evil: Code Veronica (Dreamcast, PlayStation 2)
9. Fatal Frame (PlayStation 2, Xbox)
10. The Suffering (PC, PlayStation 2, Xbox)

Is this a joke? How RE 4 can be a Horror Game???!!! It isn't in any possible way.

Well it is horror game is it not? It also was voted to be the best game of the generation so of course it also tops horror list. Sure it wasn't best at horror but it is still the best game out of those games IMO.
 

LOCK

Member
I didn't vote but this is a good list.

I've played every game in the top 25 and all deserve to be on there. All those games deserve to be played. Plus more.

Actually it's not till I get to around the 180's that I start to question quality. I've also played every game in the top 135. Dang.
 

RooMHM

Member
SotC way too high. Halo too. HL2 deserves 2nd if not top spot. Also, Deus Ex probably deserves a lot better too.

The comment for Halo CE is absolutely right. The game ultimately influenced almost every game of the genre... in a bas way and leading to the death of competitive arena shooters.
 
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