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NeoGAF Games of the Year 2011 Awards (Up: bunch of extra data, check it out!)

good list, if I had a Wii and also found time to play Dark Souls my list would probably match the results pretty closely

I liked Skyrim as my GOTY. If Bethesda knew how to program for the PS3 or just didn't release it for the PS3 outright, I imagine it would have trounced Portal 2.
 

d00d3n

Member
People that find video games interesting enough to discuss on a forum (and also, people that find them interesting enough to write about for a living) are more likely to appreciate the games that push interesting boundaries in some way. Video games, perhaps more than any other medium, is highly iterative. Each new game has small improvements over the last. Enthusiasts enjoy seeing this process of improvement and their tastes are based to a large degree on what has come before.

Social games and phone games exist mostly outside of this process. They're not a part of the evolutionary process that video game enthusiasts have been following. They can be fun, but votes on a message board of this nature will always skew towards improvements on what has come before, rather than mere fun.

This seems true to me.
 
Opened thread and saw the Skyward Sword art in the top Left of the OP, and for just a second I was like,

351532046_Nooooooo_answer_2_xlarge.jpeg



Then I kept reading and was like,


kypaf.jpg.gif
 
I find the TACTICS OGRE exclusion very troubling, especially since, as you said, OCARINA was counted.

I really hope Cheesemeister has an explanation for this.

I have the votes nearly all tabulated, including those of Tactics Ogre. Some votes were hidden by perceived gaps in ballots due to titles that I thought were ineligible. For example, Akai Katana -- a rather old game -- has a new version called Akai Katana Shin. The first person to vote for it simply listed Akai Katana, so I disqualified the game before seeing the other votes for the proper title. This hid most of the Muchi Muchi Pork votes.

I'll get all of the votes ironed out, hopefully in 12-18 hours. Thanks for your patience.
 
I've noticed this "Opiate is a robot" meme several times recently, and I'm not sure I follow it. I'm a passionate person; I love my girlfriend, I have many close friends, I'm passionate about my interests (Astrophysics, Neuroscience, Behavioral Economics, Game Theory), I run my own charity, and I try to very hard to be kind and considerate to other people. Can you explain precisely what you mean by this? Because I believe there is strong evidence that I feel things like compassion and love, if you were suggesting their absence.

It's pretty simple -- people tend to speak more colloquially on a forum like GAF. If you were to read your posts aloud and imagine a person speaking to you that way, they would come across as "stuffy" or even robotic to many people. And your posts tend to lack emotional phrasing.

Please note that I don't mean any of this as a slam on you. I enjoy your posts, and I appreciate the attempts to raise the discourse. But that's my perception on why people might say that.
 

Forkball

Member
This almost makes up for Mass Effect 2 winning last year.

Almost.

Seven of my top ten were in GAF's top ten, so I can't complain. I wish Pushmo would've placed though, but I can understand a 3DS eShop exclusive getting overlooked.
 

kswiston

Member
Please note that I don't mean any of this as a slam on you. I enjoy your posts, and I appreciate the attempts to raise the discourse. But that's my perception on why people might say that.

The forum needs more of that at times. GAF could do with less hyperbole.


Sad that more people didn't try Radiant historia ..Overall i disagree on many points but Gfa has spoken ...

Being in a niche genre, being a new IP, AND being a handheld title is going to limit a game's GAF audience.
 
This is another consistent and obvious preference in the GAF community relative to the community at large; that is, a preference for console games, over either dedicated portables or phone gaming.

It would also be interesting to see how GAF preferences for social game mechanics rate relative to the general populace; I think they are profoundly less popular here than amongst the consumer base as a whole.
I think you're over thinking this. Enthusiasts (e.g. gaffers) simply like good software. A sizable proportion of the top talent in the industry works on consoles because they simultaneously afford a certain level of technical fidelity and large user bases. You're talking about this "obvious preference", but neglecting to mention the equally obvious reasons for that preference. Of course dedicated hobbyists are going to have different priorities than the schmo who plays apps on their phone top kill a few minutes during their morning commute just because they can. Who needs hard and fast statistics to tell which way the wind blows?
 

Haunted

Member
I'm a bit bummed that Alice somehow passed by this board. Highly underrated.

Among the best art direction. Solid blend of action and 3D platforming. Does some interesting stuff with hair physics (how many people have complained about the ridiculously plastic-looking hair this generation?).

The best game developed in China this year.
 

Nert

Member
I'm a bit bummed that Alice somehow passed by this board. Highly underrated.

Among the best art direction. Solid blend of action and 3D platforming. Does some interesting stuff with hair physics (how many people have complained about the ridiculously plastic-looking hair this generation?).

The best game developed in China this year.

I agree with all of this, and I gave the game an honorable mention, but even more than Skyward Sword, it's a game that desperately needs to be shorter. Or, if not shorter, at least more varied. Some of the levels (Chapter 5) felt like they just went on and on, and it wasn't as if each new combat arena or platforming section was doing anything particularly different from the last one.
 
I'm a bit bummed that Alice somehow passed by this board. Highly underrated.

Among the best art direction. Solid blend of action and 3D platforming. Does some interesting stuff with hair physics (how many people have complained about the ridiculously plastic-looking hair this generation?).

The best game developed in China this year.
I had it on my list (#8), but I can see how it fell by the wayside. I really, really liked the art direction, but the repetitive gameplay dragged it down a bit for me after a few chapters. There are also too many cock teases where it seemed like you were going to fight a cool boss, only to be treated to an anticlimactic 10 second cutscene instead. It's a good game, but definitely flawed.
 

KorrZ

Member
Thursday 2pm Eastern on their Facebook page.

They're doing a pre-launch conference for the 360 port on the 26th (three days from now), so you might found out then.

edit - damn Seda and his fast internet

Thanks for the info, hopefully they announce a close release date. I've been waiting to play this for a long time.

You got the firepower, use it!

(Even if your computer sucks, get it anyway.)

My computer chokes up even when playing The Old Republic, I think Witcher 2 would actually give it a heart attack.
 

Apdiddy

Member
I'm a bit bummed that Alice somehow passed by this board. Highly underrated.

Among the best art direction. Solid blend of action and 3D platforming. Does some interesting stuff with hair physics (how many people have complained about the ridiculously plastic-looking hair this generation?).

The best game developed in China this year.

I had the game on my list as well -- but Chapter 5 was such a confusing, long mess. And I wished there were some boss fights at least.
 

tc farks

Member
I enjoyed the Dark Souls endgame. Due to me usually getting to games later than others, and the huge community that formed around the game, I ended up reading about these places before I was even playing. I heard a lot of mixed opinions but for the most part I came away with post Anor Lando is weaker than the 1st halfish of the game. And that is true to an extent, but I never had to force myself to play or to finish this game during the endgame. In fact, I played it more frequently than ever...

Duke's and Crystal Cave were beautiful areas that started off in a surprising fashion. It was also home to Seath, an awesome character in the lore of the game, and the tail of which was one of the most challenging things I did all game. Also, completing Big Hat Logan's quest line was a great moment, when I got his spells and literally said Fuck Yeah Dark Souls, get some.

Catacombs gave me one of the most oh fuck moments I had in the entire game. It wasn't that long prior that I was in the Painted World, and ran into my most hated enemy yet, the pinwheel skeleton. I'm cruising along and well, you know. I'm in a zigzagging sprint of what I assume to be sure death only to barely escape by inches. If I could have flipped them off afterwards I would have.
I was ready for Tomb of Giants, light wise. Getting that divine ember out of that room full of giant skellies was palpitating, as I was suicide running for it in a tiny room that I hadn't really planned for at all. Then I run into the dogs and realize no matter how powerful I get my character to be, this game will put me back into my place at a moment's notice.

New Londo Ruins was fascinating to me, the ghosts literally made me jump on more than 1 occasion, and gave me an unnerving feeling at times in places that oozed atmosphere. Followed up possibly the coolest boss battle in the game.

Had no problems with Demon Ruins or Lost Izalith. The latter of which being so short that I sat there surprised and saying, that's what everyone was complaining about? Running across that lava for my life was nerve-wracking, and the bitchness of the boss battle there was made less annoying due to the ease of getting back.

Then I got to end things. And damn was I satisfied.

I'm not going to change anyone's opinions who experienced it. But I have felt that the From needed to finish the game argument to fall short in many ways. Just my humble opinion.
 

SamuraiX-

Member
I know Deus and Dark are so high on the list because of GAF's "niche" tastes and they deserve to be there..but something irks me about Dark not being #3 and Deus #4. By only a few votes too! Damnit people..this is all your fault.

And who said the voting extension was meaningless? :p
 

GeoramA

Member
I'm a bit bummed that Alice somehow passed by this board. Highly underrated.

Among the best art direction. Solid blend of action and 3D platforming. Does some interesting stuff with hair physics (how many people have complained about the ridiculously plastic-looking hair this generation?).

The best game developed in China this year.
I played it for an hour (PS+ trial) and it just didn't click with me. I found the level design completely awful and out-dated.
 
Then I got to end things. And damn was I satisfied.

I'm not going to change anyone's opinions who experienced it. But I have felt that the From needed to finish the game argument to fall short in many ways. Just my humble opinion.

Totally agree with you. It was compelling for me throughout.

I actually liked the second half, and the end boss was just perfect IMO. Dat soundtrack.
 

legend166

Member
Hmm, I've only played six of the top 20, although I have Ghost Trick sitting on a desk waiting for me to go on a long flight to play it.

I'm sure I'll get around to 5-6 more this year.

I didn't vote, but as it stands I'd put my top 3 as:

Portal 2
Skyward Sword
Gemini Rue
 

Amir0x

Banned
I've noticed this "Opiate is a robot" meme several times recently, and I'm not sure I follow it. I'm a passionate person; I love my girlfriend, I have many close friends, I'm passionate about my interests (Astrophysics, Neuroscience, Behavioral Economics, Game Theory), I run my own charity, and I try to very hard to be kind and considerate to other people. Can you explain precisely what you mean by this? Because I believe there is strong evidence that I feel things like compassion and love, if you were suggesting their absence.

Opiate is not a robot. I can attest to this! He is an advanced bio cyborg, a fusion of DNA and synthetic functions that make him superior to both human and robot. He is something more.

More seriously, Opiate, if you don't mind me making an observation here, I love your style of posting. I think some people just find you a tough nut to crack emotionally, perhaps due to the way you seem to measure your words. That's part of what immediately made me attracted to your posting style, though. It's like you're weighing every word as if there's a huge case to be made to the world, as if every syllable means your life. I love this. In basic terms, it just mean you're highly intelligent and you take the time to put effort into your posts... which is a foreign concept to many GAFers. You actually consider the implications of a question at hand and you give very serious answers to them; in fact you almost always take people's questions super super seriously, so seriously that it might occasionally even seem humourless. But it's not. And you shouldn't change a thing.

But, as far as I can see, that's why some people thoughtlessly say "Opiate is a robot". That's my theory.
 
I don't vote, just a personal preference. Certainly appreciate the work that has gone into this though, many thanks for such interesting and detailed results and the writeups provided in the voting process were also a wonderful read.

For a while I was concerned that Skyrim could have won, and given that one of its major platform releases was a fraudulently misrepresented completely broken piece of software selling for a high price, seeing it in the top spot would have certainly left a bitter taste.

However, Portal 2 is an absolutely excellent game and my favourite Valve production. It has possibly the greatest sound design I've ever experienced in a game, it looks beautiful and floods the player with some incredible atmosphere. It tells history through environmental progression like no other, controls like a dream, has one of the most memorable conclusions in all of video gaming, contains some of the best writing and voice acting in the industry and is of course, very very funny. I adore it, and think the members of GAF made a brilliant decision.

Meanwhile, Deus Ex Human Revolution appears to becoming somewhat of a priority to actually play.
 
Opiate only comes off as robotic if you're unfamiliar with people applying logic and reasoning to their opinions. Which is apparently around 97% of GAF.
 
D

Deleted member 81567

Unconfirmed Member
I actually expected Witcher to be higher.
 
Opiate only comes off as robotic if you're unfamiliar with people applying logic and reasoning to their opinions. Which is apparently around 97% of GAF.

Lots of posters do that, but no-one calls, say... stumpokapow robotic. It's just the way Opiate types. I have a friend who I find impossible to chat to via text or IM because he types in a similar fashion, and my usual style of conversation is just incompatible with his.

Also, Opiate's posts are nearly always really fucking good. You could say there is a machine-like precision to his posts. :p
 
A five dollar indie game and a ten dollar iOS game were by far the hardest and most complex games I played this year. Kind of makes the $150-ish bucks I spent on the other three games on my list feel like a pretty shit value.

What are the two games you're referring to?
 

kswiston

Member
Opiate only comes off as robotic if you're unfamiliar with people applying logic and reasoning to their opinions. Which is apparently around 97% of GAF the net.

Fixed for accuracy.

I agree though. The internet's culture of memes, catch phrases, and hyperbole doesn't exactly lend itself to intellectual debate at times.
 
Lots of posters do that, but no-one calls, say... stumpokapow robotic. It's just the way Opiate types. I have a friend who I find impossible to chat to via text or IM because he types in a similar fashion, and my usual style of conversation is just incompatible with his.

Also, Opiate's posts are nearly always really fucking good. You could say there is a machine-like precision to his posts. :p

It's probably more the latter point I reckon, he is so consistently insightful and interesting whereas Stumpy breaks it up with some lulzy posts. Plus Stump is Captain Haddock, while Opiate is a Calvin Klein model.
 

fernoca

Member
Darn nice list overall.
And glad that Mortal Kombat for Fighting Game of the Year in here too. :)

And great job with everything timetokill, Cheese and those involved.
 
It's probably more the latter point I reckon, he is so consistently insightful and interesting whereas Stumpy breaks it up with some lulzy posts. Plus Stump is Captain Haddock, while Opiate is a Calvin Klein model.

Real pic January has not helped my immense sense of inferiority to the mods :( :( :(
 

shintoki

sparkle this bitch
It's probably more the latter point I reckon, he is so consistently insightful and interesting whereas Stumpy breaks it up with some lulzy posts. Plus Stump is Captain Haddock, while Opiate is a Calvin Klein model.
I think its simple actually.

Words come out of Opiate like how they come out of a Scholar. Well refined, intelligent, and sounding like fact even if the first thing he states is the work is an opinion piece. It just being his natural way of posting compared everyone else(Well there are two others).
 
Real pic January has not helped my immense sense of inferiority to the mods :( :( :(

They are indeed as handsome as they are insightful. A veritable stable of Randian supermen.

I think its simple actually.

Words come out of Opiate like how they come out of a Scholar. Well refined, intelligent, and sounding like fact even if the first thing he states is the work is an opinion piece. It just being his natural way of posting compared everyone else outside two others here.

I said in the real pic thread about his photo that it looks exactly like his posts: calm and thoughtful. You're right, they're very scholarly attributes.
 

Wallach

Member
What are the two games you're referring to?

Dungeons of Dredmor and King of Dragon Pass. The latter is the iOS game, which is a modified version of an older PC game. The other three games on my list were the top 3 from this year (which I had at 2/4/5).
 

Riposte

Member
IDK, worrying about inefficiencies when it comes to consuming entertainment seems like a machine failing to understand human nature with a flawed algorithm. "Why play single player games when X dollars > Y fun?" Out of the few times I've seen Opiate post I usually get bored with the subject in them or at least the way they cover the subject. He's probably super bright, but comes off as utterly tedious.
 

LuchaShaq

Banned
It really is wild. I mean, there are enough PC dudes here for Witcher 2 to make top ten, yet the best first person shooter in 17 years comes out (and is a Real Deal PC Game, no less), and nobody plays it! Ridiculous stuff.



talkin' about bad combat, man, that Bastion. Not a good time! The visuals are pretty much the only redeeming thing about Bastion, and even they have some issues.

I don't think anything in the top ten besides deadspace 2 has combat even nearly as good as Bastion (haven't played witcher 2 yet though) along with some of the best looking art, and the best game soundtrack I've ever heard.
 

Duffyside

Banned
I've noticed this "Opiate is a robot" meme several times recently, and I'm not sure I follow it. I'm a passionate person; I love my girlfriend, I have many close friends, I'm passionate about my interests (Astrophysics, Neuroscience, Behavioral Economics, Game Theory), I run my own charity, and I try to very hard to be kind and considerate to other people. Can you explain precisely what you mean by this? Because I believe there is strong evidence that I feel things like compassion and love, if you were suggesting their absence.

Because you say things like "I'm passionate about my interests, mmmnnn yes, like astrophysics and neuroscience." It's not the thought, but the way you say the thought that's the problem.

Here, try this; "Yo son, astophysics are fucking dooooope!!!!!" Or, if you'd prefer, "Awwww SHIT! We be talkin' about neuroscience and shit all up in here? Whawhat!?"

Edit: You should also try posting stupid (and HI-LARIOUS) .gifs.
 
IDK, worrying about inefficiencies when it comes to consuming entertainment seems like a machine failing to understand human nature with a flawed algorithm. "Why play single player games when X dollars > Y fun?" Out of the few times I've seen Opiate post I usually get bored with the subject in them or at least the way they cover the subject. He's probably super bright, but comes off as utterly tedious.

I'm sorry but this the NeoGAF mods of the year awards, if you're not happy with the results you should vote sooner next year.
 
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