• Hey, guest user. Hope you're enjoying NeoGAF! Have you considered registering for an account? Come join us and add your take to the daily discourse.

NeoGAF Games of the Year 2014 Awards

Morfeo

The Chuck Norris of Peace

Is this really correct? In the document I opened, your list was like this:

1. Ansatz (109) http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showpost.php?p=143576878&postcount=129
2. linko9 (107) http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showpost.php?p=144331234&postcount=840
3. E-phonk (106) http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showpost.php?p=143683168&postcount=427
4. Draconian (105) http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showpost.php?p=147843689&postcount=1884
4. Hatty (105) http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showpost.php?p=145443244&postcount=1100
6. Deactivision (104) http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showpost.php?p=146113729&postcount=1276
6. H2intensity (104) http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showpost.php?p=146069626&postcount=1230
8. Hobbestetrician (103) http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showpost.php?p=146615984&postcount=1362
8. ShockingAlberto (103) http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showpost.php?p=145050373&postcount=982
10. BY2K (102) http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showpost.php?p=143574544&postcount=92

Edit: Sorry for the double, figured this moved way faster.
 

hatchx

Banned
Okay, so this is kind of weird but I just checked the 2004 list, how did Minish Cap do that well before it was released in the US :lol? Did that many people import it or did a lot of GAFers just play GBA games on emulators back then or something?


Minish Cap came out January 10 in North America, but in Novemer 2004 in Europe and Japan. I imagine a lot of fans voted having only had it a couple days in January + Europe.

What's weirded to me is seeing New Super Mario Bros DS rank so high in 2006. And Twilight Princess at #1? ugh.
 

AniHawk

Member
my top ten and game rankings:

28. p.t.
32. super smash bros. for nintendo 3ds
112. nes remix 2
10. shovel knight
16. danganronpa
24. danganronpa 2
39. hyrule warriors
123. yoshi's new island
122. pushmo world
2. mario kart 8
 

10k

Banned
IMO Nintendo's win has more to do with the mediocrity of the games released on the other systems than it does the quality of their titles.
ky4FYGd.jpg
 

olimpia84

Member
I'm not surprised that Nintendo got the top 3 spots, the quality of their output has been simply outstanding. 2015 should be another good year for them with Xenoblade X and Zelda U.
 
Okay, so this is kind of weird but I just checked the 2004 list, how did Minish Cap do that well before it was released in the US :lol? Did that many people import it or did a lot of GAFers just play GBA games on emulators back then or something?

There's always been alot of Yuropians and J-GAF used to be huge on here with dozens of people liable to import Japanese games or buy them in Japan.
 

Owensboro

Member
Ladies and Gentlemen, congratulations on making me say "Wooooooow" out loud multiple times as I scrolled through the list. I mean, damn. Nintendo everywhere, Dark Souls being rememberd for being good, Wolfenstein not getting snubbed, AND Shovel Knight making the top 10? Simply amazing.

Love reading everyone's knee jerk reactions to the list too, especially the immediate negativity towards any game the poster didn't like (despite it obviously being good enough to get enough votes to make the list). Looking at this list, I think it's pretty easy to say this wasn't a crappy year for people who just like to have fun while playing games. I guess the downside was just the lows this year were just as great as the highs. Thank God for fun games to balance it all out!

Can't wait for 2015 to kick into gear!
 

Marjar

Banned
I will say, even though I really didn't like Wolfenstein at all, I am glad it beat the other FPS games this year.

Even though I was extremely disappointed in it, I could at least tell it was made with a lot of love.
 
Holy shit at all the people who can't seem to comprehend or refuse to entertain the idea that Nintendo can still make/publish fantastic games.

All of the Nintendo games on the list absolutely deserve their spot, and they'd deserve their spot with tougher competition as well. Deal with it.
 

Marjar

Banned
Holy shit at all the people who can't seem to comprehend or refuse to entertain the idea that Nintendo can still make/publish fantastic games.

All of the Nintendo games on the list absolutely deserve their spot, and they'd deserve their spot with tougher competition as well. Deal with it.

GOTY threads are always great for their astronomically high sodium levels.
 

Kssio_Aug

Member
Me as a owner of both PS4 and XB1, and that have none of the Nintendo consoles this gen (no WiiU and neither 3DS), can only say that, by what was released on 2014, imho, except for 3 or 4 titles, there was nothing really that good for XB1 or PS4. So I can easily understand why Nintendo is dominating this year GotY, there are really a bigger number of interesting and well done exclusive titles.

I voted only in FH2, but I forgot to update with Metro Redux, InFamous SS and Sunset Overdrive. And there was no other title that I can remember to deserve a GotY nomination this year in these platforms. So many broken games, or false promises, that I would never support with a vote.
 
Me as a owner of both PS4 and XB1, and that have none of the Nintendo consoles this gen (no WiiU and neither 3DS), can only say that, by what was released on 2014, imho, except for 3 or 4 titles, there was nothing really that good for XB1 or PS4. So I can easily understand why Nintendo is dominating this year GotY, there are really a bigger number of interesting and well done exclusive titles.

I voted only in FH2, but I forgot to update with Metro Redux, InFamous SS and Sunset Overdrive. And there was no other title that I can remember to deserve a GotY nomination this year in these platforms. So many broken games, or false promises, that I would never support with a vote.

Pretty much this. Wii U hit its stride, Xbone and PS4 are still getting going. Still, this year looks big for Wii U again. X and Zelda look huge.
 
Fantastic work timetokill and Cheesemeister! It's awesome how much detailed information there is. And holy cow, Nintendo Took the top 3! Man I need to get a Wii U; so many amazing games on it. To me, it seems like a really great list overall. I'll definitely refer back to it over this year and try to play all the ones that I missed playing in 2014.

Regarding fighters: I'm happy to see Guilty Gear Xrd ranked as the 3rd best fighting game right behind Smash (which totally deserved the top 2 spots. I can't believe how much Nintendo put into those games!). Xrd did better than I thought it would've considering how late in the year it came out, and it's not even out in Europe yet, sadly... Glad that Nidhogg did well too; I really gotta pick that up sometime soon.

The #1 game that was recommended to me was Danganronpa 2: Goodbye Despair. I don't have a Vita though, so I won't be playing that anytime soon :( #2 was Bayonetta 2, which I'll certainly buy when I get a Wii U. #3 was Shovel Knight, yep, gotta get that too. and #4 was... Danganronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc (Still no Vita :( ) Apparently, I need to buy a Vita along with the Wii U.
 

Game4life

Banned
IMO Nintendo's win has more to do with the mediocrity of the games released on the other systems than it does the quality of their titles.

Seriously? In which world was any of what they released last year not high quality?

On topic - Congratulations to Nintendo! Well deserved!
 

Stat!

Member
I'm disappointed people didn't give Unity more of a chance. Having just completed the DLC, I think there are major issues with regards to story (objectively missing extreme holes in the plot) and game design (too many useless side missions and collectibles) but the world created was on par with GTAV for the best open world. Playing through Unity has made me realize how much I appreciate a well-design but graphically brilliant and dense world.

Thought this year was extremely weak for games (but I don't own a WiiU).
 

Geg

Member
Very nice list, satisfied with that top 3.

Since I'm new to gaf, what's with everyone saying that MGS4 won game of the year twice?
 
Very nice list, satisfied with that top 3.

Since I'm new to gaf, what's with everyone saying that MGS4 won game of the year twice?

'We' held another 2008 GOTY in 2012. It was just a fun, retrospective thing.

If only we knew the consequences...

Edit: Those who want a look-see:
2008 Edition: http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=347324
End-of-the-World Edition:http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=463726

Look how much we've grown! 23 pages in 2 days versus 10 pages just shy of 9 months.
 

randomkid

Member
Is less than 200 that significant? Not as strong of an argument for 2014.

The 2014 vote count actually includes 119 ballots that would have been disqualified in 2012, I think they decided that was too many votes to throw away so everything was counted this year. Also considering GAF has added probably like 50000 new members since then, I'd say there's definitely an indication that there was less interest or excitement about voting in 2014.

Even anecdotally, many of the mods and posters who usually make the most interesting ballots decided not to vote this year too. I'm still waiting for a good list of lists post in case I missed any particularly neat votes cuz there were fewer than usual in my browsing this year.
 
D

Deleted member 125677

Unconfirmed Member
Is this really correct? In the document I opened, your list was like this:

Edit: Sorry for the double, figured this moved way faster.

Shhh, i'm trying to court The Xtortionist!
Will check it out! :p
 

geordiemp

Member
Holy shit, 4 Wii U games out of the first 10! Top 3 exclusively Nintendo games!

GAF I'm proud of you, giving credit where it's due.

Now, think about it: the system with the three best games of 2014 is selling like shit, people are saying Nintendo should drop dead and go third party or become an iOS developer.

Im dying here, so funny. You realise that to get 1200 points you need approximately 300 people to vote for a game as 'best'.

300. Three hundred. Now think about that.

No Nintendo should not go Third partyimo, but 300 Bayo 2 fans does not change the trajectory of the game which sold what, 135,000 ? (to put in context, 13 million played Destiny.) Most people have not played Bayo 2 (even If every owner let 10 friends play it)

So, although its nice for Bayo 2 to win a thread popularity contest, it has no meaning other than fun for those that participate. If your favourite game is 1 or 100, makes no difference, does not mean its better or worse.

The people making statements about subjective game quality based on this is just fantastic...even better on what companies should do with their global strategy for games and consoles.
 
Very surprising results, didn't see this coming. Also wow at Nintendo, great job! I'm glad that South Park, Destiny and DRIVECLUB made it to the top 20.
 
Now, think about it: the system with the three best games of 2014 is selling like shit, people are saying Nintendo should drop dead and go third party or become an iOS developer.
You mean: The system with the three games that NeoGAF's community liked best is selling like shit.
There isn't a real contradiction here.

Im dying here, so funny. You realise that to get 1200 points you need approximately 300 people to vote for a game as 'best'.

300. Three hundred. Now think about that.

No Nintendo should not go Third partyimo, but 300 Bayo 2 fans does not change the trajectory of the game which sold what, 135,000 ? (to put in context, 13 million played Destiny.) Most people have not played Bayo 2 (even If every owner let 10 friends play it)

So, although its nice for Bayo 2 to win a thread popularity contest, it has no meaning other than fun for those that participate. If your favourite game is 1 or 100, makes no difference, does not mean its better or worse.

This.
 
I just realised I misspelt Danganronpa's title in my list. I spelt havoc with a k instead of a c.

I made a fancy graphic and everything. How embarrassing.

:(
 

Riposte

Member
The 2014 vote count actually includes 119 ballots that would have been disqualified in 2012, I think they decided that was too many votes to throw away so everything was counted this year. Also considering GAF has added probably like 50000 new members since then, I'd say there's definitely an indication that there was less interest or excitement about voting in 2014.

Even anecdotally, many of the mods and posters who usually make the most interesting ballots decided not to vote this year too. I'm still waiting for a good list of lists post in case I missed any particularly neat votes cuz there were fewer than usual in my browsing this year.

I hadn't realized what you said about discounted votes; I guess you are saying the 2012 or 2013 figures on that chart don't include them? In any case, I think if you really want figure out what's going on (whether fewer regulars voted or who are the regulars or how many new members participate or have been banned lol), you probably need to look deeper and study the differences.

As far as using that judgment to decide whether a year is "weak" or not, that sort of weakness is going to be relative, especially when the drop is ever relatively large, or relatively small in the case of 2014 if the figure wasn't the result of a uneven boost. (On the flip side, certain years may just be abnormally popular.) I guess if it comes down to voters being drawn by a number of discrete elements that appeal to them, then a strong year would be defined as one that has the most number of them rather than having the elements that appeals to the person saying it. Even so certain genres may be underrepresented on GAF despite it being a strong year for it within that community, as Durante was saying for CRPGs.

Funny you mention a collected list though, because I wrote one to be added to my voting post(s) featuring 16 or so people (from a larger list of 25), but all limited to my own personal appeal. Most of them are familiar faces to me. Seeing iconoclast, Semblance, and Nocturnowl do a list after skipping a year or two gives me the opposite impression, but only for a smaller, more specific group of voters (anecdotally). Dark Schala is the only person I saw in the thread saying they would not do a list (besides myself, which turned out false lol).
 

Ikon

Member
Shout outs to my affinity peeps! Will try to check through you guys' post history to find some game recommendations:

Here is my list in relation to the final GAF GOTY list for all you people complaining about the Nintendo sweep:
1. Bayonetta 2
2. Mario Kart 8
3. Super Smash Bros for Wii U
37. Diablo III: Ultimate Evil Edition
28. The Binding of Isaac: Rebirth
7. Wolfenstein: The New Order
47. Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance
38. Plants vs. Zombies: Garden Warfare
44. Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare
19. The Last of Us: Remastered

I find this at least slightly interesting, these are my top 5 recommended games, and they are ones I've already decided to play:
1. [NWU][3DS][PC] Shovel Knight (Platform) = 12 points
2. [NWU] Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze (Platform) = 9 points
3. [PC] Divinity: Original Sin (RPG) = 5 points
4. [360][XB1][PS3][PS4][PC] Dragon Age: Inquisition (RPG) = 5 points
5. [360][XB1][PS3][PS4][PC] The Evil Within (Horror) = 4 points
 
The 2014 vote count actually includes 119 ballots that would have been disqualified in 2012, I think they decided that was too many votes to throw away so everything was counted this year. Also considering GAF has added probably like 50000 new members since then, I'd say there's definitely an indication that there was less interest or excitement about voting in 2014.

Even anecdotally, many of the mods and posters who usually make the most interesting ballots decided not to vote this year too. I'm still waiting for a good list of lists post in case I missed any particularly neat votes cuz there were fewer than usual in my browsing this year.

Generally we include a lot of ballots that would be disqualified. Every year we have a large number of invalid ballots and we do extra work to include the majority of them, we just make the stipulation that if you don't follow the rules we don't guarantee your ballot will be counted, and furthermore that you may be subject to a ban because list threads aren't allowed, and not reading the OP can subject you to a ban as well.

The commentary on it this year relates to the number of people who had invalid ballots (most typically, not formatting comments correctly) and they didn't get recommendation or affinity data because of it. Cheesemeister went above and beyond to help these poor unfortunate (illiterate? :p) souls.

Looking too deeply into participation rates beyond the graph I posted is really going to subject yourself to a large amount of confirmation bias.
 

zashga

Member
I'm glad to see Wii U get its due this year, but it's tough to shake the sense that 2014 was pretty weak overall. Should be interesting to see how 2015 shakes out. There's a lot of stuff coming...
 
Not really many issues with the winners. I would go Dragon Age of Bayo2, but both are fantastic. Especially happy for DanganRonpa! The quality stats are interesting, seeing as Dragon Age is #2 and I see it get heavily criticized much more than praised.

I have to laugh at Ubisoft being the 2nd highest rated Publisher, lol.

And who voted for the Crew?
 

ShutEye

Member
Interesting to see Nintendo do well. I didn't play a single release from 2014 last year. Desperately trying to clear backlog. I wonder, seeing the voting historical stats how many other people were in the same position.
 

Ashes

Banned
Looking too deeply into participation rates beyond the graph I posted is really going to subject yourself to a large amount of confirmation bias.

Yeah, there's no real pattern when you look at voting thread replies and views either.

Code:
Year	Replies Views
2010 	1,726	93, 653
2011 	2,379	157,706
2012 	1,897 	170,095
2013 	2,253 	214,707
2014	1,968 	163,297
 

geordiemp

Member
What happened to all the uproar over Last of Us? It didn't even make a dent into the top ten it seems.

So in a thread for those that chose to participate for free 150 people might of voted for the no 10 spot as their preferred game ? What does that mean ?

Means nothing. For products people vote with their wallets, as much as it pains many to think this. TLOU passed 7 million sales 8 months ago, so would guess its near 10 million now with all the bundles and Ps4 release.

10 million means TLOU is very popular and more so than any of the top 10 list in this thread, but not to the people in this thread. That's all it is. Numbers ........
 

Ashes

Banned
So in a thread for those that chose to participate for free 150 people might of voted for the no 10 spot as their preferred game ? What does that mean ?

Means nothing. For products people vote with their wallets, as much as it pains many to think this. TLOU passed 7 million sales 8 months ago, so would guess its near 10 million now with all the bundles and Ps4 release.

10 million means TLOU is very popular and more so than any of the top 10 list in this thread, but not to the people in this thread. That's all it is. Numbers ........

I wasn't questioning TLOU's popularity in terms of sales and critical acclaim - that much is assured.
What I meant was that there was a pre-voting thread to gage opinion on voting methodology this year. Regardless of the op's intent in that thread, it came off as trying to negate the possibility that TLOU and other re-releases could do well; but it seems not to have made any significant impact anyway.
 
Top Bottom