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[WhyMe6]

Some interesting results, definitely in line with what was expected. Regarding the results, points of interest for me were:

- Kid Icarus did damn well, and based on its place on the "High Quality Award" list people who played it usually loved it. I'm so pleased with this!

- Binary Domain did bloody well considering it was a pretty under-the-radar game. I have only played a little of my copy, so its ranking will definitely push me to finish it.

- Great job Theatrhythm for charting so high! I loved the game and I really hope to see Square-Enix take the formula and apply it to another IP in the future. Chrono Trigger, I'm looking at you.

- Interesting to see Fez so low. Not personally - I've put the game down since buying it as the game world and map are frustratingly obtuse, making navigation hell - but just based on huge media positivity of the title.

~~~~~

As expected, my affinity data wasn't too powerfully aligned. My username was not featured on anyone else's list, either. The range was very small, too - what a tight-knit group of barely like-voters:

WhyMe6
1. Gooster (62)
1. Prinny (62)
3. Dr.Palutena (59)
4. Baleoce (58)
4. laika09 (58)
4. nckillthegrimace (58)
7. Apdiddy (56)
7. Kesagiri (56)
7. Mauricio_Magus (56)
10. Dragonzord (55)

What do I take from this? My tastes really were not aligned to many this year. Typically, I usually actively dislike many of the games from the Top 20, and this year is the first year since 2009 where I really didn't like the number one voted title - how's that for misalignment :/ Overall, 2012 was quite a weak year. Yes, there were some fantastic titles, but very little, if anything, that was unique, mindblowing, or potentially unable to be overtaken by a sequel, that I will go on the value and treasure in the decades to come. Still, it will be interesting to see if any new game recommendations can come from this data.

Thanks for running these awards timetokill and Cheesemeister! I always enjoy them.

 

[duckroll]

That better explains the issue, then; you think stealth isn't a genre of gaming, and I do. Finally, we can agree to disagree!

Well, it would be pretty weird to complain that a game isn't in a given genre when the genre you believe that it is in isn't considered a main genre by the poll right? If there is a "Best Stealth Game of 2012" in the OP, and Mark of the Ninja was not there, but in "Best Platformer of 2012" instead, I would totally agree with you. But such is not the case. In a similar way, I consider FTL a "roguelike" and not a "simulation" game. But since there is no "Best Roguelike of 2012", simulation seems the closest they have grouped the game in.

It would be silly to prioritize subgenres over main genres for something like this, since there is no telling how many games of a given subgenre will even be made every year. On the other hand, main genres are pretty reliable in terms of output. If there were a "Best Stealth Game of 2012", wouldn't it basically just be.... Dishonored and Mark of the Ninja? Lol.

 

[Nocturnowl]

Was this like a sequel to the Madison Square Garden incident? lol

That would be one hell of a callback but really it's just that Team Hell No is all about the hugs.
Maybe WWE13 would be worth an honourable mention for allowing me to have old Kane versus New Kane in a custom made Kane Arena, but it still plays like arse so no chance in hell.

On a side note if my memory is correct I think you stole my highest ranking affinity buddy from last year (or at least one of the highest), i've passed on the Electivirus!

 

[braves01]

A pretty bad year overall IMO, not much I was interested in looking at the top 20.

 

[Dyni Crippler]

I actually thought XCOM would've ended up higher with all the votes it got. Good list.

 

[Ridley327]

Well, it would be pretty weird to complain that a game isn't in a given genre when the genre you believe that it is in isn't considered a main genre by the poll right? If there is a "Best Stealth Game of 2012" in the OP, and Mark of the Ninja was not there, but in "Best Platformer of 2012" instead, I would totally agree with you. But such is not the case. In a similar way, I consider FTL a "roguelike" and not a "simulation" game. But since there is no "Best Roguelike of 2012", simulation seems the closest they have grouped the game in.

It would be silly to prioritize subgenres over main genres for something like this, since there is no telling how many games of a given subgenre will even be made every year. On the other hand, main genres are pretty reliable in terms of output. If there were a "Best Stealth Game of 2012", wouldn't it basically just be.... Dishonored and Mark of the Ninja? Lol.

Don't forget Stealth Bastard Deluxe!

Hey, I never said it was a productive year for stealth games, unless Vita owners somehow managed to miss out on MGS2 and MGS3 before the collection hit that system.

 

[mr stroke]

WOW at the lack of Diablo 3 love

Yes it wasn't as good as 2, but really guys? not even in the top 20?

The game is flawed but still fucking fantastic.

 

[Haunted]

Another year of my goty not making the Top 20.


Ok list, overall. Too much emphasis on "good" big titles for my liking in a year with great smaller ones, but eh.

1. RealDeadOne (114)
2. Atilac (107)
3. Omikaru (98)
4. mxgt (96)
4. saveweyard (96)
6. Lime (95)
7. Unison (94)
8. Remk (93)
9. Meatvillain (92)
10. The Illiterati (90)

I don't know any of you, but y'all are alright dudes.



Thanks to timetokill and cheesemeister's parser for their hard work!

 

[ohlawd]

lol wat you used my quote for Pokemon Black/White 2?

This was a great year. I'm happy to see Kid Icarus: Uprising and Xenoblade up there.

 

[AOC83]

1. Goldenroad (115)
2. Dyno (99)
3. Kritz (96)
4. JerkShep (92)
5. I NEED SCISSORS (90)
5. vferrel (90)
7. haikira (85)
8. codhand (82)
8. JehutyRunner (82)
10. Sidzed2 (81)

How does this work? Just the higher the better?

 

[Tookay]

Solid list overall, though the top two's dominance is really worrying.

But I suppose this topic has been hashed out enough the last couple weeks (and into the future).

 

[CecilRousso]

oh dear, what a terrible year it has been

Bullcrap. It's was a great year with lots of great games.

 

[Haunted]

How does this work? Just the higher the better?

The higher the number, the closer your lists were to each other. 90-120 seems to be the usual range.

 

[AOC83]

The higher the number, the closer your lists were to each other. 90-120 seems to be the usual range.

Ah ok thanks.

So Goldenroad were are you? ;-)

 

[Conflict NZ]

Wow 17 points between first and second. Congratulations to Journey and TWD, both are fantastic. Also take that people who whine about them being Non Games, the community has spoken!

 

[Corto]

The higher the number, the closer your lists were to each other. 90-120 seems to be the usual range.

Higher than that and we have an alt account detector. hehe

 

[Snowden's Secret]

I think the problem here is that we've having totally different conversations. I don't believe "stealth" is a genre, but an objective context. The stealth doesn't matter to me when considering a genre.

Thief is an action-adventure game (genre). It's also a first person game (perspective). Deus Ex is a RPG (genre). It's also a first person game (perspective). Mark of the Ninja is a platformer or an action game (genre). It is also a sidescroller (perspective). Stealth doesn't factor into this because it's just a context of the objective in the game.

Metal Gear Solid is an action game (genre), and it is either a top down (MGS1) or a third person 3D game (perspective). While one of your objectives in stealth games is not to be seen while completing the goals of the game, how you carry out those goals is what defines those genres.

If you spend the majority of the game running and jumping between platforms to get to the goal, it is a platformer. Mirror's Edge is a first person platformer. Thief is not. In Mark of the Ninja you jump, climb on walls, and hop from platform to platform to avoid active traps and things which would kill you if you you fail to evade them. Totally a platformer.

is RPG even a genre anymore? Everything has an experience based progression system these days, and that was the only thing tying the genre together.

 

[Cheska]

Wow, you guys did a wonderful job putting this all together so quickly! Glad to see some underdogs make it out in the top 10.

 

[tim.mbp]

I didn't contribute this year. I had a lot of fun with a lot of different games - namely Journey, Mass Effect 3, and Max Payne 3; and to a lesser extent Halo 4 and Xenoblade. But nothing really absolutely WOW'd me outside of Mass Effect 3, and so I just couldn't be willed to make a nominations list for games that were good but didn't have a lasting effect on me.

With all that said, my take-aways are:

1) Yes, Journey was great. It's a splendid title that has a lot neat vistas and a very cool gimmick. And certainly, TWD has a great story. But it really is sad that the two highest rated games are titles with some of the least amount of gameplay this year. Then again, I love MGS, so ho-ho me.

2) Like I mention in my first paragraph - I see a lot of games that are good in the Top 20; but very few that will go down as classics of the gen. Overall, an extremely weak year, IMO. Stuff like Dishonored or Far Cry 3 or Spec Ops could very easily be lost in the shuffle any other year. Even stuff like Sleeping Dogs strikes me as a good open world game with a fun city to explore - but nothing spectacular.

3) Halo didn't even break the Top 10. Strange days we live in. But can't say I can argue - the game is a lot of fun; a great game, actually. But it's a terrible Halo game.

4) Glad that Gravity Rush got some attention - such a "different" game on a lolVita system that it's nice to see people are recognizing it as a breath of fresh air.

5) AMAZING OP, and thank you for all the work that went into this. This is an awesomely put together thread.

http://m.neogaf.com/showpost.php?p=45903280

I think I may play around with the order - and I'll add descriptions in a bit. But I want to at least start toying with my list.

1. Mass Effect 3
2. Journey
3. Halo 4
4. Gravity Rush
5. Forza Horizon
6. Kid Icarus Uprising
7. Max Payne 3
8. Xenoblade Chronicles
9.
10.

Did you forget? Your list was disqualified.

 

[Dark Schala]

Bullcrap. It's was a great year with lots of great games.

A few of us were discussing it earlier but compared to 2010 and 2011, for some of us 2012 felt a little lacking. That might have shown up in the voting/the amount of ballots (because we were down about 23-24% this year), and maybe which games came out on top?

This year marked a year of experiences, and I'm not saying this personally because my list is kinda full of point and click games, not necessarily traditional fare. That might have diminished the games released this year for some people.

I personally thought that 2011 and 2010 were stronger in terms of releases, but that's just me.

 

[Riposte]

Max Payne 3 and Akai Katana Shin in the same category lol. Forgot how silly genres can be in this.

For me, 2012 was a great year. Lots of quality titles.

Wow 17 points between first and second. Congratulations to Journey and TWD, both are fantastic. Also take that people who whine about them being Non Games, the community has spoken!

I'll continue to disregard what a "community" thinks. Like any sane person does.

Riposte
	1. Tain (66)
	2. Semblance (62)
	3. Dambrosi (55)
	4. Augemitbutter (50)
	5. Codeblue (48)
	6. Burning Justice (47)
	7. Clairvoyance (44)
	7. DarkLordMalik (44)
	9. BubblegumCrisis (41)
	9. Sojgat (41)

hmm, can't say the top 3 surprises me. If Riposte->Tain is 66 and Tain->Riposte is 65, what does that mean?

EDIT: I agree with Duckroll in saying "Stealth" is not a genre. You can also add: "RPG", horror, and survival.

 

[Ridley327]

is RPG even a genre anymore? Everything has an experience based progression system these days, and that was the only thing tying the genre together.

Think of it this way; 3D Zelda games find the time to include a stealth sequence, but you would never consider them to be stealth games. Tomb Raider doles out experience for picking your nose and making you feel kinda bad about it when your rub the snot onto a few blades of grass, but no one is going to call Tomb Raider a RPG just because of that. RPGs on both sides of Pacific still have pretty distinct qualities about them that distinguish them from games other than XP bars (namely, the scope of the adventure itself and the much more focused storytelling aspects), but there are certainly some notable exceptions where the line blurs, such as the case of the Mass Effect series.

 

[timetokill]

Well, it would be pretty weird to complain that a game isn't in a given genre when the genre you believe that it is in isn't considered a main genre by the poll right? If there is a "Best Stealth Game of 2012" in the OP, and Mark of the Ninja was not there, but in "Best Platformer of 2012" instead, I would totally agree with you. But such is not the case. In a similar way, I consider FTL a "roguelike" and not a "simulation" game. But since there is no "Best Roguelike of 2012", simulation seems the closest they have grouped the game in.

Yeah, let me just say that placing games into genres is often very difficult. Most games nowadays are hybrids between multiple genres, and we just have to do the best we can organizing them into the genre selection we've chosen. Genre overkill is something I'd prefer to avoid, which is actually one reason why I've killed the Action-Adventure genre.

So in the end, we have what we have and I'm always willing to hear suggestions but I think the genre set we have is pretty solid and covers the range of games well enough without getting too picky.

 

[Dawg]

Dawg
1. Corto (89)
2. SleazyC (88)
3. Kyonashi (85)
3. saveweyard (85)
5. Kritz (84)
5. Maragidyne (84)
7. Haunted (83)
7. Tunic (83)
9. Berto (82)
10. carbonbased (81)

mah bros

 

[Neiteio]

I'll continue to disregard what a "community" thinks. Like any sane person does.

Yep. Apply the "what's popular is best" rule to other media and you end up one of the millions watching "Here Comes Honey Boo Boo," lol.

 

[Nert]

Interesting that you say that. If we accept that the world of The Walking Dead is mercilessly harsh and there's no chance that things will ever get better, then what difference does it make whether Lee safeguarded Clementine throughout the game if she's as likely to die as all the other characters down the line? Please don't misunderstand me, I'm not saying a happy ending was necessary, but for there to be narrative value in survival, there has to be some chance for positive experiences at some point, whether that's hope for a better future or at least moment-to-moment happiness. Where TWD stumbled in my opinion was not allowing for either, diminishing the importance of survival. Hell, dying might be better in the world of TWD because at least you stop being miserable.

I think we would agree that, given the ending, the legacy of Lee's relationship with Clementine comes down to

Spoiler

how the lessons he passed on to her before his death will prepare her for survival throughout the rest of her life

. I think that the game kept enough characters' fates open-ended

Spoiler

(Lily, Glen, Omid, Christa, Ninja Girl, Hershel)

to imply that one could survive, and assuming that the zombie outbreak is a worldwide phenomenon, there are all sorts of places that could have fared better than Georgia.

With that in mind, the dark atmosphere of the game makes it clear that survival isn't going to be easy, or even the most likely outcome. This ongoing tension adds weight to everything you tell Clementine, because she is young and likely to take your guidance to heart. Since you are not advocating for a "happy" ending, the distinction we're drawing here is a pretty subtle one.

Are you serious about giving it a try? I have one extra Chivalry key in my Steam inventory and I'd like to give it to someone who is truly interested in playing it.

I absolutely want to give it a try some day, but I have enough of a backlog that I'd want to work through first that I wouldn't want to ask for your key. Thank you for the generous offer, though!

 

[Snowden's Secret]

Think of it this way; 3D Zelda games find the time to include a stealth sequence, but you would never consider them to be stealth games. Tomb Raider doles out experience for picking your nose and making you feel kinda bad about it when your rub the snot onto a few blades of grass, but no one is going to call Tomb Raider a RPG just because of that. RPGs on both sides of Pacific still have pretty distinct qualities about them that distinguish them from games other than XP bars (namely, the scope of the adventure itself and the much more focused storytelling aspects), but there are certainly some notable exceptions where the line blurs, such as the case of the Mass Effect series.

Mass Effect is a good example, as it was the first game to make me question the genre. I was playing the second game and realized that CoD was more of an RPG than ME could ever pretend to be.

 

[Riposte]

If you spend some time really grinding down what is a RPG really and took away what belongs in other genres, your conclusion might look something like this:

Role-playing = changing the "plot" (e.g. dialogue choices with effects). This is something you can put into any videogame. This can include games with barely any mechanics (i.e. Visual Novels or Text Adventures), let alone ones using some arbitrary model which imitates the narratives and sub-systems of Dragon Quest or Baldur's Gate.

NeoGAF is still free to spend all of eternity spinning arguing which tactics games, RTS, FPS, TPS, platformers, etc etc are exclusively RPGs. All because the tech a few decades back was too limited to create a true D&D adaptation. That's all I'll say on it for this topic though.

 

[CecilRousso]

A few of us were discussing it earlier but compared to 2010 and 2011, for some of us 2012 felt a little lacking. That might have shown up in the voting/the amount of ballots (because we were down about 23-24% this year), and maybe which games came out on top?

This year marked a year of experiences, and I'm not saying this personally because my list is kinda full of point and click games, not necessarily traditional fare. That might have diminished the games released this year for some people.

I personally thought that 2011 and 2010 were stronger in terms of releases, but that's just me.

I didn't say it was the best year either. But there is quite som difference between "terrible" and "not the best".

The first six months were slooooow, but then there were a lot of great games during the other six months.

Overall, there wasn't much released in the RPG genre, so I can understand those who are dissapointed with that, but other than that, I'm not sure exactly what kind of games people are missing from this year. Maybe I will look in previous pages here to see you're discussion, but right now I can't see last year as terrible when it comes to games release.

 

[Felix Lighter]

Yep. Apply the "what's popular is best" rule to other media and you end up one of the millions watching "Here Comes Honey Boo Boo," lol.

I think that is a little bit of a stretch. Here Comes Honey Boo Boo would not rate as the number one tv show in a community devoted to television shows.

 

[Nert]

I didn't say it was the best year either. But there is quite som difference between "terrible" and "not the best".

The first six months were slooooow, but then there were a lot of great games during the other six months.

Overall, there wasn't much released in the RPG genre, so I can understand those who are dissapointed with that, but other than that, I'm not sure exactly what kind of games people are missing from this year. Maybe I will look in previous pages here to see you're discussion, but right now I can't see last year as terrible when it comes to games release.

I tend to enjoy platformers and RPGs, and 2012 wasn't a sterling year for either. Now that I think about it, my list had a lot more genre diversity than usual:

1) FPS
2) Roguelike/Sim
3) Platformer/Stealth
4) Point and Click Adventure
5) Strategy
6) Point and Click Adventure (although dialogue trees are the central mechanic)
7) Puzzle
8) Whatever the hell genre Dikembe Mutombo would be
9) Platformer
10) Murder Puzzle Simulator?

2012 pushed me out of my comfort zone to find good games, for better or worse.

Spec Ops should've placed a lot higher.

*Nods*

 

[Grassclipper]

Spec Ops should've placed a lot higher, otherwise I guess I can agree with this list even though I haven't played all the games. Sad to see that SSX got shunned but that was kinda expected.

 

[gutterboy44]

Solid results and some equally amazing and fun data you have complied. Big thanks to all those involved. The affinity data is particularly interesting.

111. Frog Fractions. I'll take it

Bummer that Kerbal Space program is DQ'd for now, maybe next year. Such an amazing game.

 

[CecilRousso]

Bummer that Kerbal Space program is DQ'd for now, maybe next year. Such an amazing game.

DQ'd?

 

[Busaiku]

Well, didn't expect Kid Icarus Uprising to make it to top 5, but still, nice to see it in top 10.
Hopefully more people check it out.

 

[DeadTrees]

If you spend some time really grinding down what is a RPG really and took away what belongs in other genres

"I spent a lot of time and effort coming up the following, so you dumb mooks better take it seriously, no matter how wrong it is."

Role-playing = changing the "plot" (e.g. dialogue choices with effects). This is something you can put into any videogame. This can include games with barely any mechanics (i.e. Visual Novels or Text Adventures), let alone ones using some arbitrary model which imitates the narratives and sub-systems of Dragon Quest or Baldur's Gate.

There have been many, many, many RPGs with no ability to change the plot, and there will continue to be many, many, many RPGs with no ability to change the plot for a long, long, long time.

The term of art you're actually reaching for is "interactive fiction".

 

[WrenchNinja]

Crewnh
1. Toki767 (102)
2. Phoenixazure (98)
3. anddo0 (94)
4. mxgt (93)
5. CronoShot (85)
6. irriducibile87 (83)
7. Noi (82)
8. Gunloc (81)
9. Omikaru (79)
10. firehawk12 (78)

Recognize a lot of Persona GAF regulars and some others as well. Very cool!

 

[Huff]

Guess I'm surprised that a game with broken controls is ranked so highly

 

[BadAss2961]

Looks like GAF did a good job. Some good games, but 2012 was a really off year for AAA heavy-hitters.

 

[Ridley327]

Looks like GAF did a good job. Some good games, but 2012 was a really off year for AAA heavy-hitters.

One can hope that the AAA publishers take note of why people liked the smaller digital releases more this year, instead of going "clearly, RE6 needed a more exotic art style!" and calling it day.

 

[BruiserBear]

Spec Ops should've placed a lot higher, otherwise I guess I can agree with this list even though I haven't played all the games. Sad to see that SSX got shunned but that was kinda expected.

SSX deserved to be shunned.

 

[subversus]

as usual I agree with GAF awards choice even though they may not mirror mine. Winners have deserved this. Gonna play Journey this weekend.

 

[TheDarkKnight774]

Looks like GAF did a good job. Some good games, but 2012 was a really off year for AAA heavy-hitters.

I agree. I also expect the vocal GAF members to turn on this years GOTY as fast as all the others. They're just so edgy!

 

[Hot Coldman]

as usual I agree with GAF awards choice even though they may not mirror myself. Winners have deserved this. Gonna play Journey this weekend.

For the first time? If so, give yourself two hours to play it all in one go- it's the only way to play.

 

[subversus]

For the first time? If so, give yourself two hours to play it all in one go- it's the only way to play.

yep, I'll do it in one sitting!

 

[WrenchNinja]

SSX deserved to be shunned.

I forgot SSX even came out last year. I thought the demo was alright but lack of split screen kind of killed my excitement for it.

 

[Relax.MX]

I don't played enough games of 2012 im honest was a year of LTTP

 

[I NEED SCISSORS]

Awesome, the top 5 was pretty much my top 5 with a slight re-ordering.

I have good taste, confirmed.

 

[The Elite]

Very interesting list this year.

My one disappointment is that MLB The Show isn't even in the top 5 of Sports Game of the Year.

 

[Verendus]

I am surprised that Journey did beat Walking Dead (mostly because Journey was PS3 only). But 1 and 2 are also my personal 1 and 2 for the year, so I agree with this list. Congrats to thatgamecompany.

Also nice to see some love for Sleeping Dogs, hopefully we see a successor.

MGS4 won GOTY in 2008 and Uncharted 2 won GOTY in 2009. Both of those were PS3 only too.

I think what's more surprising about Journey winning is that it was a downloadable title. I'm glad though as I voted it my number one.