Your Game of the Year?

Zaxxon · Post by **Zaxxon** » Mon Jan 31, 2005 11:36 am

I don't believe this thread topic has been posted yet (at least a cursory search didn't turn anything up), so here we go. What is your 2004 Game of the Year, and why?

I'll go first. I didn't play very many games in 2004, which ordinarily would make me think twice about qualifying myself to judge a possible game of the year. However, this year the reason I played few games was that one game took up all of my free gaming time--Unreal Tournament 2004. UT2004 took a mediocre base of UT2003, and turned it into the true follow-up to UT99. Fast-paced, multiplayer FPS utopia. As the stats bear out, a whole ton of us spent way too much time on the server (take TML and Red_Fox, for example--their server time comes out to 32 minutes/day, EVERY day, since the game hit shelves in early spring).

UT2004 has given me well over 100 hours of fun, and shows no signs of dying just yet. It's far and away my game of the year.

Kohan 2 gets mu runner-up nod, for taking my favorite RTS of the past several years and updating it, adding some great new features without losing the core gameplay that made the game so addicting.

Half-Life 2 would be my runner-runner-up. It's a quality title in its own right, but just doesn't stand up to UT IMO, either in longevity or in pure 'fun' factor.

What are your thoughts?

infoghost · Post by **infoghost** » Mon Jan 31, 2005 11:42 am

WoW all the way for me.

Dcurse · Post by **Dcurse** » Mon Jan 31, 2005 11:44 am

Thats a pretty short list to poll us on Game of the Year. How about some more options...

I voted other. My game fo the year 2004 was Rome: Total War.

Blackhawk · Post by **Blackhawk** » Mon Jan 31, 2005 11:44 am

Now, Boss, you know this goes in the General forum!

Zaxxon · Post by **Zaxxon** » Mon Jan 31, 2005 11:47 am

What can I say? I r dum.

Eduardo X · Post by **Eduardo X** » Mon Jan 31, 2005 12:22 pm

R:TW.
And this was posted before.

philosophist · Post by **philosophist** » Mon Jan 31, 2005 12:23 pm

Doom 3

Zaxxon · Post by **Zaxxon** » Mon Jan 31, 2005 12:29 pm

Eduardo X wrote:R:TW.
And this was posted before.

The answer is simple: the other thread was unworthy, and mine is supreme. I post on direct authority of the Supreme Overlord of the Octopi. DO NOT CHALLENGE ME!

Zaxxon · Post by **Zaxxon** » Mon Jan 31, 2005 12:32 pm

philosophist wrote:Doom 3

Seriously? Did you pay any other games? :p

JSL · Post by **JSL** » Mon Jan 31, 2005 2:40 pm

Although I think UT2K4 is awesome, it isn't my game of the year. That would have to go to Gish.

The Preacher · Post by **The Preacher** » Mon Jan 31, 2005 2:42 pm

It's WOW. No question for me.

JayG · Post by **JayG** » Mon Jan 31, 2005 3:00 pm

I posted other. Vampire was my game of the year, followed up by Thief 3. Guess I'm just a RPG'er by heart.

Torfish · Post by **Torfish** » Mon Jan 31, 2005 3:22 pm

Absolutely World of Warcraft.

Far Cry is second

philosophist · Post by **philosophist** » Mon Jan 31, 2005 3:32 pm

Zaxxon wrote:
philosophist wrote:Doom 3
Seriously? Did you pay any other games? :p

Mostly older games, although I did try HL2 (after Doom3) but couldn't finish. Perhaps I'm burned out on FPSes. I also played UT2004, RTW, Pirates, and Far Cry. All good games, but none as intense as Doom 3. I haven't played a game that intense since System Shock 2 or, perhaps, Undying.

Oh, and WoW. Great game, but ultimately I prefer the single-player experience.

CeeKay · Post by **CeeKay** » Mon Jan 31, 2005 6:46 pm

Zaxxon wrote:
philosophist wrote:Doom 3
Seriously? Did you pay any other games? :p

We have to pay the games now? when did this happen? I'll never pay my games! never!! They're mine, I own them, they get no pay!

CSL · Post by **CSL** » Mon Jan 31, 2005 6:58 pm

I'd have to say Rome: Total War.

Zaxxon · Post by **Zaxxon** » Mon Jan 31, 2005 7:00 pm

CeeKay wrote:
Zaxxon wrote:
philosophist wrote:Doom 3
Seriously? Did you pay any other games? :p
We have to pay the games now? when did this happen? I'll never pay my games! never!! They're mine, I own them, they get no pay!

<-- Cat Butt!

SuperHiro · Post by **SuperHiro** » Mon Jan 31, 2005 7:05 pm

Bejeweled 2

Grifman · Post by **Grifman** » Mon Jan 31, 2005 9:33 pm

Zaxxon wrote:What are your thoughts?

You have too few choices and they're crap

You don't have Rome: Total War up there, which is a total crime. Those are my thoughts.

Hrnac · Post by **Hrnac** » Mon Jan 31, 2005 10:14 pm

I vote for NRA Varmit Hunter.

A title this good might be the game of the decade. If I had to pick a runner-up, I guess it would be WoW, but with the shadow of Varmit Hunter hanging over the gaming community, it is really hard to consider any other games.

-Hrnac

bluefugue · Post by **bluefugue** » Mon Jan 31, 2005 10:56 pm

My GOTY was Rome Total War which made it onto my "top ten all time" list. Amazingly, WoW might be in the running to dethrone it -- though I didn't actually play WoW *in* 2004. The two of them are the most addictive & mind-absorbing gaming experiences I've had in years, and between them they instantly make 2004 a banner year -- amazingly converting Half Life 2 to the status of "gravy" (never thought that would happen). Throw in UT2k4 and Thief 3, and I'm only just realizing what an awesome year it was for PC games.

My revised "10 favorite computer games of all time" is looking something like this...

Ultima III
Half Life
MULE
Ultima V
Baldur's Gate 2
Rome: Total War
Tetris
Avernum 2
World of Warcraft
Unreal Tournament

With honorary mentions to Civ 2, Archon, and Age of Empires II.

yossar · Post by **yossar** » Mon Jan 31, 2005 11:14 pm

Hrnac wrote:I vote for NRA Varmit Hunter.

Seconded.

disarm · Post by **disarm** » Tue Feb 01, 2005 12:35 am

UT2K4 gets my vote for all the reason zaxxon mentioned...great game that never gets old, no matter how much i play. i really don't think i've ever had a game that i've enjoyed for so long.

i'd say HL2 comes in second on the list. i'm playing Vampire right now, and really enjoying it as well. lots of great games in 2004 8)

Odin · Post by **Odin** » Tue Feb 01, 2005 12:44 am

This is a tough one for me. I played WoW almost to death, racking up over 100 days of in-game time (I'm still waiting for someone to express some appreciation for that number by the way. I'm going to keep mentioning it until SOMEONE's impressed). At the end, though, I lost interest and stopped playing, which doesn't sound to me like the mark of a Game of the Year. I also quit near the end of Half-Life, getting annoyed with some jumping puzzles near some reactor-thingy. I wasn't even having trouble doing them, I just didn't want to. I lost my save-games in a HDD reload and so far I've felt no inclination to reload the game. That also doesn't seem like GotY material. I like KotOR a lot, but that game's old news to everyone but me. I spent a lot of time with Civ III, but that's old, too. And I think those are all the games I played in 2004. Good thing I'm not obliged to award GotY, as I think I'll just withhold it this time.

Sith

Dhruin · Post by **Dhruin** » Tue Feb 01, 2005 3:39 am

Vampire: Bloodlines, hands down.

naednek · Post by **naednek** » Tue Feb 01, 2005 9:22 am

Zaxxon wrote:
philosophist wrote:Doom 3
Seriously? Did you pay any other games? :p

The same question should be given to you....

UT2004? Seriously, did you play any other games?

Ralph-Wiggum · Post by **Ralph-Wiggum** » Tue Feb 01, 2005 9:35 am

Sith Lord wrote:This is a tough one for me. I played WoW almost to death, racking up over 100 days of in-game time (I'm still waiting for someone to express some appreciation for that number by the way. I'm going to keep mentioning it until SOMEONE's impressed). At the end, though, I lost interest and stopped playing, which doesn't sound to me like the mark of a Game of the Year.

Sith

So a game has to remain interesting for over 2400 hours to be considered for GoTY? That's a pretty tall order.

philosophist · Post by **philosophist** » Tue Feb 01, 2005 9:55 am

Ralph-Wiggum wrote:
Sith Lord wrote:This is a tough one for me. I played WoW almost to death, racking up over 100 days of in-game time (I'm still waiting for someone to express some appreciation for that number by the way. I'm going to keep mentioning it until SOMEONE's impressed). At the end, though, I lost interest and stopped playing, which doesn't sound to me like the mark of a Game of the Year.

Sith
So a game has to remain interesting for over 2400 hours to be considered for GoTY? That's a pretty tall order.

Exactly. I'm lucky if I stay interested 100 hours!

The Meal · Post by **The Meal** » Tue Feb 01, 2005 11:03 am

I like GotY Polls that aren't dominated by "Other."

~Neal

Bad Demographic · Post by **Bad Demographic** » Tue Feb 01, 2005 11:30 am

I don't even feel like I can vote in this - I only played two new games last year: Thief 3 and UT2004. And being a Thief fanatic, you can guess which one I'd pick...

Rincewind · Post by **Rincewind** » Tue Feb 01, 2005 11:37 am

This is a toughie. A month ago I would have said WoW hands down. Right now, however, I am leaning towards Half-Life 2 or Halo 2. Give me a bit and I will think on this more and make a final decision.

Eduardo X · Post by **Eduardo X** » Tue Feb 01, 2005 12:48 pm

I wish somebody would give Far Cry a nod. I loved that game!
Joint Operations is another that sucked my time away, as well as many others, but none did so as easily as R:TW.
And sorry for being snappy, Supreme Overlord Zaxxon.
Just know that I, for one, will be welcoming our Octopi Overlords with open arms when they dethrone you! AHAHAHAHAHAHA!

Beer Goggles · Post by **Beer Goggles** » Tue Feb 01, 2005 1:19 pm

Thief 3 for the win!

yossar · Post by **yossar** » Tue Feb 01, 2005 2:16 pm

philosophist wrote:
Ralph-Wiggum wrote:
Sith Lord wrote:This is a tough one for me. I played WoW almost to death, racking up over 100 days of in-game time (I'm still waiting for someone to express some appreciation for that number by the way. I'm going to keep mentioning it until SOMEONE's impressed). At the end, though, I lost interest and stopped playing, which doesn't sound to me like the mark of a Game of the Year.

Sith
So a game has to remain interesting for over 2400 hours to be considered for GoTY? That's a pretty tall order.
Exactly. I'm lucky if I stay interested 100 hours!

Lately I've been lucky to hit 10...

bluefugue · Post by **bluefugue** » Tue Feb 01, 2005 3:23 pm

I played WoW 8 hours straight yesterday. Can't remember when I had a session like that in recent times.

"I don't need 7 hours of sleep, 6 will do."

"I don't need 6 hours of sleep, 5 will do."

Fortunately I resisted bargaining down to 4.

YellowKing · Post by **YellowKing** » Tue Feb 01, 2005 4:36 pm

EverQuest 2 for me (surprise).

It's not my first pick, necessarily. I was almost positive that Half Life 2 would be my eventual GOTY, but unfortunately I haven't even completed it because it crashes on my system every 5 minutes and Steam was a royal pain in the ass. HL2 went from the best game of the year to the most burdensome, bug-ridden game I've played in the past TWO years.

WoW and EQ2 were close. WoW provided a more polished gaming experience right out of the box, and was easy and fun to play. However, over two months later the game I'm still playing on a nightly basis is EQ2.

Despite WoW's fun, it never really challenged me the way EQ2 has. WoW felt like a massively multiplayer single player game. EQ2 feels like a true MMORPG. I found it telling that when asked about why the quest journal in EQ2 wasn't as specific as the one in WoW, the developers said it was intentional so that you spent time playing the game and not the journal. After I read that I realized that in WoW, I had indeed been "playing the journal." EQ2's not as casual, it's not as friendly, and at times it can be nail-bitingly frustrating. But ultimately that's what makes it a more rewarding game experience to me and deserving of my Game of the Year.

qp · Post by qp » Tue Feb 01, 2005 4:56 pm

Picked WoW, might've picked Far Cry if it was on the list, hard to compare a MMO to a FPS though!

Zaxxon · Post by **Zaxxon** » Tue Feb 01, 2005 5:26 pm

naednek wrote:The same question should be given to you....

UT2004? Seriously, did you play any other games?

Seriously? Unable to appreciate a good FPS, eh?

My poll sucks. I will bow to my Overlord masters for punishment now.

Odin · Post by **Odin** » Tue Feb 01, 2005 5:27 pm

Woo hoo! Recognition for the 100 days!

The thing about WoW is that by the time I stopped playing, I wasn't just bored with it, rather I wasn't enjoying it anymore, which is different. Between the changes they were making (many of which I didn't like) and the influx of "B.Net Kiddies" which really just means a broader range of players, which included a substantial number of boneheads. As such, I'm left with a somewhat negative feling about the game. Unlike so many others that I've been inclined to go back and re-play over and over (HL2, Unreal, Doom2, Deus Ex, Thief/Thief2, Civ III, HOMM II/III, etc.), I have no desire to play WoW again. So while I liked the game a LOT for a long time, I don't like it anymore. Makes it hard to give it a label like Game of the Year.

Sith

bluefugue · Post by **bluefugue** » Tue Feb 01, 2005 6:00 pm

Despite WoW's fun, it never really challenged me the way EQ2 has. WoW felt like a massively multiplayer single player game.

That's kinda what I like about it... I'm basically playing it like a single player CRPG with occasional co-op sessions (haven't even dabbled in PVP thusfar), elivened by the sense of "living world/relevance" that the MMO factor provides. Of course there are downsides, i.e. the "living world" is more of a metagaming chatroom than a believable fantasy universe. But overall I have found the experience intoxicating so far and am in the throes of fierce addiction. I suspect the burnout will come swift and brutal, but in the meantime WoW is roxoring my boxorings.

I was singularly unimpressed with WoW's graphics when I first saw it some months back, but now I really love the way it looks. The Dwarven region (esp. the approach up to Ironforge nestled in the mountains) is just gorgeous and has the true Tolkienesque epic aura.

Octopus Overlords

Your Game of the Year?

My Game of the Year nod goes to...

Your Game of the Year?

Re: Your Game of the Year?