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NeoGAF Games of the Year 2014 Awards

AniHawk

Member
AniHawk
http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showpost.php?p=147737558&postcount=1719
1. [NWU] Bayonetta 2 (Action) = 21 points
2. [3DS] Persona Q: Shadow of the Labyrinth (RPG) = 8 points
3. [PS3][PSV] Hatsune Miku: Project DIVA F 2nd (Rhythm) = 5 points
4. [360][XB1][PS3][PS4] Destiny (FPS) = 4 points
5. [3DS] Theatrhythm Final Fantasy: Curtain Call (Rhythm) = 4 points
6. [360][XB1][PS3][PS4][PC] Diablo III: Reaper of Souls (RPG) = 3 points, 1 honorable mention
7. [PS4] Infamous: Second Son (Action) = 3 points
8. [PC] Divinity: Original Sin (RPG) = 3 points
9. [360][PS3][PC] Dark Souls II (RPG) = 2 points
10. [3DS] Fantasy Life (RPG) = 2 points
11. [PS3][PS4][ARC] Guilty Gear Xrd -SIGN- (Fighting) = 2 points
12. [PSV][PS4][PC] Nidhogg (Fighting) = 2 points
13. [360][XB1][PS3][PS4][NWU][PC] Watch_Dogs (Adventure) = 2 points
14. [PS4][PC] Transistor (RPG) = 2 points
15. [3DS] Professor Layton vs. Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney (Puzzle) = 1 point, 1

okay i have bayonetta 2 and persona q and i haven't played them. i would probably never touch a project diva game, and destiny being there is interesting because i hate halo's single-player campaign but enjoyed its arena multiplayer. i have curtain call and put serious time into it. i also own phoenix wright and watch_dogs interestingly enough, and haven't gotten into those either. while i have no interest in dark souls ii, i think divinity and fantasy life might be right up my alley.
 

GhaleonQ

Member
It feels very weird to not have voted or cared, but from what I gathered from media, this is an interesting list. Nice work, NeoGAF!
 

AniHawk

Member
Will those Nintendo fans ever get off their bias? Just because Miyamoto made Bayonetta 2 doesn't mean you have to slobber all over it. It's like you just worship everything he makes.

okay first off, it wasn't miyamoto, it was hideki kamiya. second, it wasn't nintendo, it was capcom.
 

Sayter

Member
Will those Nintendo fans ever get off their bias? Just because Miyamoto made Bayonetta 2 doesn't mean you have to slobber all over it. It's like you just worship everything he makes.

Miyamoto made Bayonetta 2? I didn't know this! :eek:

My slobbering worship for him has now gone up ten fold.

Thanks, buddy. ^.^
 
It feels very weird to not have voted or cared, but from what I gathered from media, this is an interesting list. Nice work, NeoGAF!

I'll be hurt if you no show the soundtrack thread as well (in fact partly your soundtrack thread?) the clock is ticking!

Or people are fans of good games. I don't remember Brawl or Mario Kart Wii winning anything on GAF and those games sold gangbusters.

Looking things up out of curiosity and Mario Kart Wii ranked waaay back in 22nd place.
Brawl meanwhile just about made the top 10.
2014 was a much better outing for both franchises than their much more divisive 2008 entries.
 
Bayonetta 1 made it into 4th place in 2010 when it was voted here. The three games it lost to are Mass Effect 2 (1), Red Dead Redemption (2), and Super Mario Galaxy 2 (3). What gave Bayonetta 2 the GoTY win is more likely due to a vacuum of competition than anything else. Add in the opinion that the game is better than the first and there you go.
Haha wow what a year. Obviously not nearly as much competition for the #1 spot this year.

Which reminds me, will we be voting on Game of the Generation any time soon? I know stuff like this probably takes a lot of effort from the vote counters.
 

AniHawk

Member
Looking things up out of curiosity and Mario Kart Wii ranked waaay back in 22nd place.
Brawl meanwhile just about made the top 10.
2014 was a much better outing for both franchises than their much more divisive 2008 entries.

in 2008, those were pretty much the best offerings from nintendo. it was a slow year for them. so if you were passionate about anything it was probably those games.

2014 had more releases that were well-regarded, and as such, turnout was higher for those games. 3ds turnout was better in 2013 than 2014 for this reason too, and ps3 exclusives did better in 2009 than any other year as well.

it's all about who feels compelled to talk about their favorite game. if voting was mandatory, dragon age or dark souls ii probably would have taken the top slot just out of sheer numbers. but this is a voluntary vote based on passion, so the results are skewed that way.
 

AniHawk

Member
Haha wow what a year. Obviously not nearly as much competition for the #1 spot this year.

Which reminds me, will we be voting on Game of the Generation any time soon? I know stuff like this probably takes a lot of effort from the vote counters.

i would like to head up a game of the generation vote for the dc/ps2/gba/gc/xbox era. it's a complete generation now and the ds/psp/360/wii/ps3 era is not. there's still stuff coming out for those platforms this year.

plus i think it's too soon. for instance, if we did the goty for the ps2 generation in 2007, we'd probably get god of war 2 a lot closer to the top than we would if we voted now. time has a way of rearranging things.
 
i would like to head up a game of the generation vote for the dc/ps2/gba/gc/xbox era. it's a complete generation now and the ds/psp/360/wii/ps3 era is not. there's still stuff coming out for those platforms this year.

plus i think it's too soon. for instance, if we did the goty for the ps2 generation in 2007, we'd probably get god of war 2 a lot closer to the top than we would if we voted now. time has a way of rearranging things.

Good point, some time to reflect probably helps a lot. And the PS2 gen was awesome so that would be fun to see the results.
 

Bricky

Member
If you had told me a year ago that Titanfall would end up 23rd for GOTY, I wouldn't have believed you.

Yeah, considering the hype (and the fact the game arguably lived up to it qualitywise) that is a surprising outcome.

Main reason for it being somewhat forgotten about is probably the lack of content which made most people lose interest fairly quick. On top of that it being exclusive to the Xbox One (I think it is safe to say the PS4 and Wii U are the most popular current-gen systems on GAF) killed its chances to get higher on the list.
 

DevilFox

Member
okay first off, it wasn't miyamoto, it was hideki kamiya. second, it wasn't nintendo, it was capcom.

The director was Hashimoto, Kamiya was just a supervisor. Sometimes I think people are so blinded by Kamiya's.. "awesomeness" that key people like Hashimoto or Inaba get totally overshadowed, they're rarely mentioned and it's a shame. :\
 

BY2K

Membero Americo
The director was Hashimoto, Kamiya was just a supervisor. Sometimes I think people are so blinded by Kamiya's.. "awesomeness" that key people like Hashimoto or Hinaba get totally overshadowed, they're rarely mentioned and it's a shame. :\

AniHawk
Cranky. Very cranky.
Rather sarcastic to boot.

(Today, 03:18 PM)
 
in 2008, those were pretty much the best offerings from nintendo. it was a slow year for them. so if you were passionate about anything it was probably those games.

2014 had more releases that were well-regarded, and as such, turnout was higher for those games. 3ds turnout was better in 2013 than 2014 for this reason too, and ps3 exclusives did better in 2009 than any other year as well.

it's all about who feels compelled to talk about their favorite game. if voting was mandatory, dragon age or dark souls ii probably would have taken the top slot just out of sheer numbers. but this is a voluntary vote based on passion, so the results are skewed that way.

True enough, Wii in particular had a pretty weak 2008 that I sometimes see as its more negative perception turning point based on my own experience at least, Mario Kart Wii and Brawl seen as underwhelming by some being contributors to this.

I'm also of course for your game of the dc/ps2/gba/gc/xbox era generation idea, funnily enough or possibly just due to recency I have a stronger top 10 formed in my mind for the generation just gone by as opposed to that one, I'd need to give it some thought.
 

geordiemp

Member
in 2008, those were pretty much the best offerings from nintendo. it was a slow year for them. so if you were passionate about anything it was probably those games.

2014 had more releases that were well-regarded, and as such, turnout was higher for those games. 3ds turnout was better in 2013 than 2014 for this reason too, and ps3 exclusives did better in 2009 than any other year as well.

it's all about who feels compelled to talk about their favorite game. if voting was mandatory, dragon age or dark souls ii probably would have taken the top slot just out of sheer numbers. but this is a voluntary vote based on passion, so the results are skewed that way.

Nice post, wish mine was a eloquent and not so rambling trying to say the same last paragraph.

Being MS / Sony don't care platform player (and will have next Nintendo as main platform if its a stronger console than Ps4 for multiplats, I just want the strongest multiplat console period). If there was a £ 600 apple home console with decent controller I would have that.

I just don't feel that passionate about any game, they are all enjoyed, some more than others, but we are a multiplat online coop appreciating house with 2 consoles for 2 games and 2 Tv's..

I did come to vote, and on first page I read all the passionate lists with pictures and memes and decided not to bother, it was clear where it was headed. I am probably not alone.
 

Aeana

Member
i would like to head up a game of the generation vote for the dc/ps2/gba/gc/xbox era. it's a complete generation now and the ds/psp/360/wii/ps3 era is not. there's still stuff coming out for those platforms this year.

plus i think it's too soon. for instance, if we did the goty for the ps2 generation in 2007, we'd probably get god of war 2 a lot closer to the top than we would if we voted now. time has a way of rearranging things.

I hope you do this. I would really enjoy it.
 

Ellite25

Member
I've been playing my Wii U a ton lately catching up on games I missed. Nintendo had a great 2014 and is looking to have a great 2015 as well. So glad I picked this console up.
 

Sayter

Member
What a silly statement. The games aren't even remotely similar so comparing them mechanically is absurd. It's even more absurd when you consider the fact that, mechanically speaking, Destiny is one of the best shooters out there, and even people who dislike the game will say as much.

Maybe there were some folks who have played Destiny but enjoyed Bayo 2 more?
 

Sadist

Member
I did come to vote, and on first page I read all the passionate lists with pictures and memes and decided not to bother, it was clear where it was headed. I am probably not alone.
I'm sorry, but reading your post... what is what you want then?

You do realise we're on a enthousiasts messageboard and it's pretty normal for folks around here to be passionate about their favourite games right? That's one of the reasons why the voting thread is a fun read; folks posting why they like the games they do.

And your final argument is so lame, come on. If you and all of the other people who decided not to vote weren't happy, you could have done something about it but you chose not to do so. That's your own fault.
 

AniHawk

Member
I did come to vote, and on first page I read all the passionate lists with pictures and memes and decided not to bother, it was clear where it was headed. I am probably not alone.

well if there is any way to have your thoughts heard, this was one way to do it. my game of the year was p.t., which wound up at #28 for neogaf. actually only two of my top ten games wound up in neogaf's top ten. plus, it can be a resource for yourself sometime down the road if you want to refer back to what you might have been thinking back then, or simply feel like using it as an example of your tastes.
 

AniHawk

Member
I hope you do this. I would really enjoy it.

my only holdup is actually on the pc side of things. otherwise i've actually been working on the ruleset and trying to get everything as close to done as possible. really, the range is pretty much set as starting in 1998, when the dreamcast launched, but i don't know if i should extend it to 2004 or 2005. 2004 makes more sense to me, since the next year saw pc games that were mostly ported to ps360wii generation, where the 1998-2004 stuff was mostly on the generation prior.

i would even allow ports of old games as long as they were the first time those games would have been experienced. could the gc version of resident evil 2 been someone's favorite game? sure. no reason to leave it out.

i don't think it's likely for those kinds of games to receive a lion's share of support though.
 
my only holdup is actually on the pc side of things. otherwise i've actually been working on the ruleset and trying to get everything as close to done as possible. really, the range is pretty much set as starting in 1998, when the dreamcast launched, but i don't know if i should extend it to 2004 or 2005. 2004 makes more sense to me, since the next year saw pc games that were mostly ported to ps360wii generation, where the 1998-2004 stuff was mostly on the generation prior.

i would even allow ports of old games as long as they were the first time those games would have been experienced. could the gc version of resident evil 2 been someone's favorite game? sure. no reason to leave it out.

i don't think it's likely for those kinds of games to receive a lion's share of support though.
er....so when do you plan to get that thing rolling then :p
 
i would like to head up a game of the generation vote for the dc/ps2/gba/gc/xbox era. it's a complete generation now and the ds/psp/360/wii/ps3 era is not. there's still stuff coming out for those platforms this year.

plus i think it's too soon. for instance, if we did the goty for the ps2 generation in 2007, we'd probably get god of war 2 a lot closer to the top than we would if we voted now. time has a way of rearranging things.
I like this, you should do it. I'd like to go back and revisit a lot of the games from that generation.
 

Majmun

Member
my only holdup is actually on the pc side of things. otherwise i've actually been working on the ruleset and trying to get everything as close to done as possible. really, the range is pretty much set as starting in 1998, when the dreamcast launched, but i don't know if i should extend it to 2004 or 2005. 2004 makes more sense to me, since the next year saw pc games that were mostly ported to ps360wii generation, where the 1998-2004 stuff was mostly on the generation prior.

i would even allow ports of old games as long as they were the first time those games would have been experienced. could the gc version of resident evil 2 been someone's favorite game? sure. no reason to leave it out.

i don't think it's likely for those kinds of games to receive a lion's share of support though.

Some of the best Ps2/GC games were released after 2004...

Oh wait, this is regarding pc games.
 

Dark Schala

Eloquent Princess
i would like to head up a game of the generation vote for the dc/ps2/gba/gc/xbox era. it's a complete generation now and the ds/psp/360/wii/ps3 era is not. there's still stuff coming out for those platforms this year.
Hm... if you ever do it, let me know. I'll set up the soundtrack of the generation vote for that era at the same time.
 
Haha wow what a year. Obviously not nearly as much competition for the #1 spot this year.

Which reminds me, will we be voting on Game of the Generation any time soon? I know stuff like this probably takes a lot of effort from the vote counters.

The last thread discussing a GOTG vote was the Pacific Ocean to this thread's shaker salt-wise. I expect some real hilarity.

Nice post, wish mine was a eloquent and not so rambling trying to say the same last paragraph.

Being MS / Sony don't care platform player (and will have next Nintendo as main platform if its a stronger console than Ps4 for multiplats, I just want the strongest multiplat console period). If there was a £ 600 apple home console with decent controller I would have that.

I just don't feel that passionate about any game, they are all enjoyed, some more than others, but we are a multiplat online coop appreciating house with 2 consoles for 2 games and 2 Tv's..

I did come to vote, and on first page I read all the passionate lists with pictures and memes and decided not to bother, it was clear where it was headed. I am probably not alone.

This was the first year I did banners and pre-wrote my entry text (SoL's GOTY list: now with 90% less grammatical errors!), but now I'm scared I contributed to this. This ain't a dick-measuring contest. You get out what you put into it (advice that goes well with no commentary parse-busting format entries, too), therefore you don't get anything if you don't put in.
 

Son Of D

Member
my only holdup is actually on the pc side of things. otherwise i've actually been working on the ruleset and trying to get everything as close to done as possible. really, the range is pretty much set as starting in 1998, when the dreamcast launched, but i don't know if i should extend it to 2004 or 2005. 2004 makes more sense to me, since the next year saw pc games that were mostly ported to ps360wii generation, where the 1998-2004 stuff was mostly on the generation prior.

i would even allow ports of old games as long as they were the first time those games would have been experienced. could the gc version of resident evil 2 been someone's favorite game? sure. no reason to leave it out.

i don't think it's likely for those kinds of games to receive a lion's share of support though.

Random question, what about cross gen games? Stuff that was either on PS1/PS2 or PS2/Xbox 360? Whilst I doubt those games will be high on "Games of the generation" lists, I'm just curious as to how those will be handled.
 
Let's just say it's not "Wii U fans" that look insecure in this thread.

This was a great year for games, and Bayonetta 2 is a fantastic game.


I did come to vote, and on first page I read all the passionate lists with pictures and memes and decided not to bother, it was clear where it was headed. I am probably not alone.

I doubt that very much, considering that Dragon Age was competing for or held the lead on the first pages. And since your jimmies were so rustled about Bayo in the voting thread, and your history, I think there's something else at play here.

Furthermore, I'm not sure what you'd want people to vote for if not the games they're passionate for.

There's no conspiracy. People vote for the games they love. You don't have to agree with them. That's it.
 

Neiteio

Member
Inspired by Mario Kart's second place finish, I played single-player Versus, 32 tracks, Random order. Wish there was an option to play all 40 in random order (and all 48, when another eight tracks hit this spring). The creativity, craftsmanship and attention to detail, along with the airtight handling and smart balance, and the Pixar-esque audiovisual flair, makes this game soooooo addictive.
 
I did come to vote, and on first page I read all the passionate lists with pictures and memes and decided not to bother, it was clear where it was headed. I am probably not alone.

I'm entering that post-GotY "I should have written more" phase but honestly, I've come to find it very difficult to write about games that I don't find interesting in a meaningful way. Out of my top five (Tropical Freeze, Bayo 2, Smash Wii U, Dark Souls 2, Evil Within), I only ended up writing about Tropical Freeze. That may be a bit hypocritical, as the game isn't much more than a higher fidelity Returns with infinitely better music, though I suspect it was a way to make up for not writing for Returns in its GotY year (either I didn't see the thread or wasn't approved, can't remember). Bayo 2 and Smash are fantastic games that I don't find especially "interesting" in the slightest. Bayo 2 is Bayo 1 without the bullshit and expected sequel additions (more enemies, weapons). Smash is Brawl without the bullshit (marginally improved physics, no tripping), expected sequel additions (more modes) and functional online. Those are two amazing games that I absolutely couldn't muster up the motivation to talk about; I suppose I didn't feel that I could add anything significant to the conversation. Kudos to those that felt differently.

Looking back, Dark Souls 2 and Evil Within deserved some discussion. That was probably a mistake.
 

GamerJM

Banned
my only holdup is actually on the pc side of things. otherwise i've actually been working on the ruleset and trying to get everything as close to done as possible. really, the range is pretty much set as starting in 1998, when the dreamcast launched, but i don't know if i should extend it to 2004 or 2005. 2004 makes more sense to me, since the next year saw pc games that were mostly ported to ps360wii generation, where the 1998-2004 stuff was mostly on the generation prior.

i would even allow ports of old games as long as they were the first time those games would have been experienced. could the gc version of resident evil 2 been someone's favorite game? sure. no reason to leave it out.

i don't think it's likely for those kinds of games to receive a lion's share of support though.

Eh, I'm not sure about 1998 for PC. I mean, you can do what you want, I see why you'd want to start that early, but it's tricky. Games like Age of Empires 2 and Planescape Torment were released as late as 1999, and I don't traditionally see games like that being talked about in reference to gen 6.
 

Lunar15

Member
Honestly, before the DLC, I don't know if I would have agreed with MK8's placement, but the DLC made a huge difference. I think those tracks are the best in the whole game and really make the whole thing fleshed out.

However, those came at an additional cost to the base game, so tough call. Still, the base game is the best MK I've ever played.
 
Hm... if you ever do it, let me know. I'll set up the soundtrack of the generation vote for that era at the same time.
The ride never ends, so many tomes.

Inspired by Mario Kart's second place finish, I played single-player Versus, 32 tracks, Random order. Wish there was an option to play all 40 in random order (and all 48, when another eight tracks hit this spring). The creativity, craftsmanship and attention to detail, along with the airtight handling and smart balance, and the Pixar-esque audiovisual flair, makes this game soooooo addictive.
Shame they don't let you do more than 32, it'd make Double Dash's All Cup Tour look like a cakewalk.

I'm entering that post-GotY "I should have written more" phase but honestly, I've come to find it very difficult to write about games that I don't find interesting in a meaningful way. Out of my top five (Tropical Freeze, Bayo 2, Smash Wii U, Dark Souls 2, Evil Within), I only ended up writing about Tropical Freeze. That may be a bit hypocritical, as the game isn't much more than a higher fidelity Returns with infinitely better music, though I suspect it was a way to make up for not writing for Returns in its GotY year (either I didn't see the thread or wasn't approved, can't remember). Bayo 2 and Smash are fantastic games that I don't find especially "interesting" in the slightest. Bayo 2 is Bayo 1 without the bullshit and expected sequel additions (more enemies, weapons). Smash is Brawl without the bullshit (marginally improved physics, no tripping), expected sequel additions (more modes) and functional online. Those are two amazing games that I absolutely couldn't muster up the motivation to talk about; I suppose I didn't feel that I could add anything significant to the conversation. Kudos to those that felt differently.

Looking back, Dark Souls 2 and Evil Within deserved some discussion. That was probably a mistake.
Smash was something of a pain for me to tackle in a similar vein, it was a tough one to think of what to say seeing that its one of those games I love yet know could still be handled a fair bit better. Effectively better Brawl with more characters which makes for a fine game but not one that I have much to say about that isn't already well tackled by simply having played previous entries.
Sometimes Xtortionist you just gotta dig deep to think of particular reasons why the game resonated with you, for instance Smash Wii U does finally let me and my best friend who I've been battling with and against since SSB64 finally play as a team online together on the same console and that's something small that I could've used as an angle to springboard from now I think about it.

Honestly, before the DLC, I don't know if I would have agreed with MK8's placement, but the DLC made a huge difference. I think those tracks are the best in the whole game and really make the whole thing fleshed out.

However, those came at an additional cost to the base game, so tough call. Still, the base game is the best MK I've ever played.

I only picked up the DLC in late December myself and it did help make the games case that much stronger. Dragon Driftway alone tempted me to switch its place with SSB on my list but in the end Smash formula wins out for me, really intrigued to see what they're cooking up in the next batch now.

This leads into another point about how some games only get stronger the longer they've been out be it through patches improving the small details and noteworthy DLC, had Dark Souls Artorias DLC been out before my 2011 vote It'd probably have jumped to the top spot for me.
That in mind some games on my 2014 list may indeed get stronger still which is nice, still yet to tackle Dark Souls 2 DLC, Shovel Knight and Mario Kart are set to expand further as well.
 

Neiteio

Member
I didn't vote for Smash, although it is an EXCELLENT game. This year I just wanted to focus in-depth on six titles I found especially memorable. Smash would've been my No. 7.
 
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