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[NBtoaster]

Disappointing that Crysis 2 and Resistance 3 were only mentioned once under fps games. Resistance 3 should have at least been in PS3 games of the year.

The placement of the top two games doesn't matter IMO, both are equally fitting of the GOTY title, though I voted Skyrim. The way some people are relieved it didn't win seem ridiculous to me, but whatever.

 

[SolidusDave]

Mh, this year I haven't played most of the top20 games...
(though I also don't have all the platforms)

I'm looking forward to see the full list, want to see the ranking of some of the games I voted for.


btw do I get a cookie?
http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?p=33838560#post33838560
(though it was not close at all)

 

[madkiller]

Ghost Trick in the top 20. Excellent.

 

[MRORANGE]

So do Valve get a GAF GOTY trophy or something now?

 

[Corky]

So do Valve get a GAF GOTY trophy or something now?

I'll be sent to the Valve offices as gaf's representative. I shall then proceed to kiss Gabe on the lips.

 

[d00d3n]

Sucks that Saints Row: The Third didn't make the top 10. I think it's more a problem of not enough people playing it though.

I think non-placement for Saint's Row: The Third was fair. The game is not without merit, but if you reject the meta theorizing about how conscious the game is about the games industry there is not much left to warrant GOTY status. I find it logical that the neogaf users (who are under no obligation to find new "interesting" perspectives on games) value the game less than the games press. The same goes for Serious Sam 3.

 

[Foliorum Viridum]

I think non-placement for Saint's Row: The Third was fair. The game is not without merit, but if you reject the meta theorizing about how conscious the game is about the games industry there is not much left to warrant GOTY status. I find it logical that the neogaf users (who are under no obligation to find new "interesting" perspectives on games) value the game less than the games press. The same goes for Serious Sam 3.

Judging by the OT, most people appreciated how cool a lot of the meta stuff was in SR3, but that was overshadowed by how painfully average the game was.

 

[JaseC]

I think non-placement for Saint's Row: The Third was fair. The game is not without merit, but if you reject the meta theorizing about how conscious the game is about the games industry there is not much left to warrant GOTY status. I find it logical that the neogaf users (who are under no obligation to find new "interesting" perspectives on games) value the game less than the games press. The same goes for Serious Sam 3.

Serious Sam 3 is more a case of the game flying under many a GAFers radar - the OT isn't even 8-and-a-half pages long.

 

[Andiie]

Well deserved #1.
Great list all-round. Well done putting it all together.

 

[The Elite]

Great list!

Too bad Alice: Madness Returns didn't get in.

 

[derFeef]

Great! I agree with GAF (mostly).

 

[The Librarian]

First of all, thanks so much timetokill and cheesemeister for putting all of this together..

Portal 2 at number one is totally, completely deserved. A masterpiece of gaming.

But seriously, thanks to both of you for getting this together.

I think this list is one of the best in recent years.

Definitely. It's my most agreeable GOTY list.

Great thread. I'm very satisfied with the list. The pre-deadline extension breakdown will be interesting.

And Portal 2 is the Mitt Romney of GOTY candidates.

You've said this before, so I'll just say it again here: You're forgetting that people actually like Portal 2.

Valve's tech demo .5 followed by Bugs Galore V.

What a smelly human!

I am glad Deus Ex: Human Revolution did so well, but Portal 2 for GOTY annoys me. I feel slightly nauseous when I imagine "comedy game" enthusiasts rejoicing over this victory. Yes, Portal 2 had some funny lines of dialogue, but the core gameplay of sequence breaking with portals was gimped to make the game accessible to a wider audience. You never got the strong sensation of breaking the rules and finding original solutions to problems that you got in Portal 1. The design of the puzzle rooms in Portal 2 is very good, but there are many games with static puzzles that fulfil this criteria, including many indie games in recent years. Puzzle games with organic solutions like Portal 1 and World of Goo are the way forward for the genre as I see it. The lack of originality should make Portal 2 ineligible for GOTY in a year when Deus Ex: Human Revolution and Dark Souls were released.

You're saying Portal 2 should be ineligible for lack of originality, then you name two sequels as examples of originality? What? Somebody needs a pony farm.

 

[Corto]

Somewhere in banland NEOGAF your excellency is listening to Carmina Burana O Fortuna toasting with a fine Chateau Lafite to Portal 2 victory.

edit: he's back!

 

[Phonomezer]

Decent top 10. Dark Souls and Portal 2 should swap places.

 

[daevv]

Portal 2! I knew GAF is the place I belong!

 

[No_Style]

I'm most impressed with the turnaround time of this post. Great job to all who helped put this together.

 

[tim.mbp]

Thanks Cheesemeister & timetokill!

 

[Itchy//Tasty]

Sonic was robbed! And Deus Ex's position mystifies me...did not enjoy that game at all.

 

[d00d3n]

You're saying Portal 2 should be ineligible for lack of originality, then you name two sequels as examples of originality? What? Somebody needs a pony farm.

Sequel status is a bad parameter if you want to evaluate the overall originality of a game. I would argue that both of the games that I mentioned are very original, both compared to their predecessors and compared to current competing games. I am sure you can think of more sequels that are original, but just to remind you: Resident Evil 4, Super Mario 64, Zelda: OoT, Half-Life 2.

 

[The Librarian]

Sequel status is a bad parameter if you want to evaluate the overall originality of a game. I would argue that both of the games that I mentioned are very original, both compared to their predecessors and compared to current competing games. I am sure you can think of more sequels that are original, but just to remind you: Resident Evil 4, Super Mario 64, Zelda: OoT, Half-Life 2.

Then so is Portal 2 with its introduction of new mechanics and its focus on the adventure and puzzles rather than the puzzles only.

You still sound like someone who needs a pony farm.

 

[d00d3n]

Then so is Portal 2 with its introduction of new mechanics and its focus on the adventure and puzzles rather than the puzzles only.

You still sound like someone who needs a pony farm.

I would argue that Portal 1 had a strong adventure element (finding the secret rooms, slowly unraveling the mystery, the ending) that was more engaging and less reliant on unnecessary exposition than Portal 2. The changes they made in the sequel do not constitute originality to me.

Regarding the pony farm: Probably.

 

[Ricker]

Alice Madness Returns and Dead Island better be in the top 30 at least jesus...good top 10,can't argue with that.

 

[JaseC]

Alice Madness Returns and Dead Island better be in the top 30 at least jesus...good top 10,can't argue with that.

It is, by a few hairs:

The full results will be released later by Cheesemeister, but I can tell you that Alice came in 26th place, with 163 points.

 

[The Librarian]

I would argue that Portal 1 had a strong adventure element (finding the secret rooms, slowly unraveling the mystery, the ending) that was more engaging and less reliant on unnecessary exposition than Portal 2. The changes they made inte the sequel do not constitute originality to me.

Regarding the pony farm: Probably.

Not really. Portal 1 was all about the puzzles and the portal concept; the newness of it all. It doesn't really get adventurous until the end, and it's not that long, and it doesn't approach the level of it that Portal 2 achieves. Portal 2, all throughout the game, transcends the puzzles, which is partly why Portal 1 feels like a demo now.

Sorry, man, but a game shouldn't be disqualified just because it's not "original enough." Portal 2 is a fantastic game and completely, utterly deserves it.

I do like your style, kid. Hustle could use some work though.

 

[Jucksalbe]

One thing: why isn't Muchi Muchi Pork/Pink Sweets on the Shooters list? It got, as far as I can tell, 13 points and 1 honorable mention. Which, thankfully, puts it over the iOS Cave games.

Also, Strania got 19 points, I think. Should be on that list as well.

While it's strange they're not there (if you counted correctly), Deathsmiles and DDP are not necessarily the iOS game since both games came out on the 360 in 2011 in Europe.

 

[Dyni Crippler]

Ghost Trick in the top 20. Excellent.

Hoped it would have been higher, though.
Too bad.

 

[Combichristoffersen]

It is, by a few hairs:

Only 26th? Better than nothing, I guess. Still, the game was robbed.

 

[Aeana]

It's nice to see Trails in the Sky get at least a little bit of recognition. I couldn't vote for it comfortably since it was a 2004 game for me, but it isn't like my vote would have made much of a difference anyway.

 

[The_Darkest_Red]

That seems like a pretty solid list to me... well done GAF! I'm especially happy to see Deus Ex: HR and Dark Souls so high on the list, those were the two stand-outs of 2011 (and this generation) for me.

The only game I'm sad to see missing is Tactics Ogre but I guess I should have expected it given that it's a PSP game.

Big thanks to timetokill and Cheesemeister for putting all of the work into this, it turned out exceptionally well and this thread is really a satisfying way to seal the deal on 2011. It was a fantastic year for me, first year on GAF and probably my favorite gaming year of all time!

 

[Mistle]

Well deserved. I feel like replaying Portal 2 now.

I'm a bit sad Zelda didn't rank in the top 3, but I knew it wouldn't. Opinions of it were way too polarising on gaf.

 

[ElyrionX]

Mortal Kombat beat Ultimate MvC3 for fighting game of the year? smh

 

[lowrider007]

Really wanted to vote this year but I just haven't played/completed enough games during 2011 to justify it, I've only played 3 out of the top 20 games which surprises me tbh.

 

[Moaradin]

Mortal Kombat beat Ultimate MvC3 for fighting game of the year? smh

In terms of actual content and being feature complete, yea it's better. MvC3 is definitely the better competitive fighting game, but I wouldn't call it a better game. It's so barebones.

 

[Yagharek]

Fantastic to see Portal 2 win, such a great game. Bit disappointed Zelda didn't do better, but its clear that community opinion is a bit divided on that one. Understandable.

Might have to give dark souls and deus ex a go soon.

 

[Cornbread78]

Dammit forgot to get my votes in over the weekend. I wanted to get White Knight Chronicles II at least 1 vote... Game is much better than GAF impressions.

 

[orion434]

Nice 4 of my top pics are in the top 20! Played Deus EX right at the end of the year, glad I did

 

[stalker]

I like the handheld TOP 10, a lot. The global TOP 20 is not very good to be honest.

 

[SykoTech]

Predictable yet solid results. Then again, I did originally expect Zelda and Uncharted to walk aay with everything at first, but that was before the backlash they got after release.

Rayman being in the Top 20 is probably the best part.

 

[krYlon]

The only game I'm sad to see missing is Tactics Ogre but I guess I should have expected it given that it's a PSP game.

Tactics Ogre got a LOT of votes. It's clear that it hasn't been counted, probably because it's a remake.

Frankly though, it had much more of an overhaul than Ocarina did, at least gameplay/mechanics wise. So I find it very strange.

Also, Corpse Party should be in the top horror games category. That needs to be changed.

 

[Always-honest]

I don't think i could ever enjoy Skyrim, but i agree with the rest of the list.
Portal 2 is my game of the year.

 

[Sho_Nuff82]

Great list this year. I really need to pick up Portal 2 and eventually Rayman. I got into Skyrim to late to add to its vote total, but it would be in my top 10 now for sure.

 

[Raitosaito]

I think this is a pretty agreeable list, and GAF as a whole has pretty predictable taste.
Though in a year it'll be "GAF has bad taste. MGS4 and Portal 2 winning GOTY is a joke."

 

[SaitoH]

Great list as usual GAF. I guess I'll have to get Deus Ex now.

 

[Stumpokapow]

My taste diverged pretty wildly from the mainstream this year, hahaha.

1. Hamilton's Great Adventure <-- presumably got very few votes
2. Adventures of Shuggy <-- presumably got no votes other than me
3. Bastion <-- GAF's #14
4. You Don't Know Jack <-- got a few votes other than me
5. Tiny Tower <-- got a few votes other than me
6. Stacking <-- presumably got no votes other than me.
7. Bulletstorm <-- didn't make top 20, but got a pretty good number of votes
8. Portal 2 <-- GAF's #1
9. ilomilo <-- presumably got no votes other than me
10. Ascension: Chronicle of the Godslayer <-- presumably got no votes other than me
(My ballot: part 1, part 2)

I have noticed that despite finishing like 50+ 2011 releases, I haven't played many of the highly ranked games, so I'll have to check some of them out. In particular I regret missing Ghost Trick, and I look forward to Xenoblade.

 

[Madrical]

I am very okay with this. Portal 2 is one of the best games I've ever played.

 

[Vulcano's assistant]

Great results, Portal 2 was my GOTY. And Year of the RPG for this gen it seems.

Edit: Oh and hell yes, Deus Ex at #3

 

[krYlon]

My taste diverged pretty wildly from the mainstream this year, hahaha.

1. Hamilton's Great Adventure <-- presumably got very few votes
2. Adventures of Shuggy <-- presumably got no votes other than me
3. Bastion <-- GAF's #14
4. You Don't Know Jack <-- got a few votes other than me
5. Tiny Tower <-- got a few votes other than me
6. Stacking <-- presumably got no votes other than me.
7. Bulletstorm <-- didn't make top 20, but got a pretty good number of votes
8. Portal 2 <-- GAF's #1
9. ilomilo <-- presumably got no votes other than me
10. Ascension: Chronicle of the Godslayer <-- presumably got no votes other than me
(My ballot: part 1, part 2)

I voted for Stacking and ilomilo. Infact ilomilo was 3rd on my list.

 

[Lothars]

It's a good choice I am more than happy that Portal 2 won even though I prefered Skyrim but It will be interesting to see the backlash Portal 2 will get in a years time.

 

[ShaneB]

So glad to see Portal 2 win, it is such an incredible experience. Great pacing, absolutely perfect dialogue and such incredible voice work that brings humour and chilling moments when the situation arises.

I rarely am able to marathon games these days, but when I was home for the holidays, I was enthralled with Portal 2 and couldn't stay away.

I still need to play the co-op stuff though

 

[Augemitbutter]

Tactics Ogre got a LOT of votes. It's clear that it hasn't been counted, probably because it's a remake.

Frankly though, it had much more of an overhaul than Ocarina did, at least gameplay/mechanics wise. So I find it very strange.

damn, you're right. game is very different from its original release. it's pretty much a recalibration with tons of added content. i don't understand the decision.