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The Official 2008 Game of the Year Media Picks Thread

AkuMifune

Banned
Darunia said:
From here on out I love: Gamespy, Gamasutra, Yahoo games

I have a new appreciation for them as well. :D

And I guess I have to play Far Cry 2? So many differing opinions on that one...
 
Based on what I saw of the Game Critics Awards for 2007, I'm only looking forward to theirs, and maybe GameInformer's. They had the best list and got the GOTY right (BioShock).
 
Looks like Fallout 3 and GTA4 are winning the big ones. I don't consider GameSpot big anymore after they lost their soul with all the departures after Gertsman Gate.
 

FrankT

Member
VentureBeat: Gears 2

http://venturebeat.com/2008/12/29/deans-top-ten-games-of-2008/


Just got my latest OXM. There pick: Fallout 3

OXM Staff says;

No other experience was as deep or varied as Fallout 3's in 2008, and we never got tired of seeing enemies' heads explode in fountains of slow-mo gore with the V.A.T.S. pinpoint-targeting system. Yes, it had an abrupt, definitive end-unlike Oblivion-and maybe that's one of the only negative things we call to mind. But the game is relentlessly cheeky, intelligent, and revolting-in all the best way and all at the same time. The massively single player role playing game belongs to Bethesda alone, and Fallout 3 stands at the top of that and any other genre for 2008.

p. 72 Feb Issue 09
 
Thanks again.

Current standings...

Fallout 3 - 6
Grand Theft Auto IV - 6
LittleBigPlanet - 4
Fable II - 2
Far Cry 2 - 1
Gears of War 2 - 1
Metal Gear Solid 4 - 1
 

gofreak

GAF's Bob Woodward
LATimes: GTAIV

Surprised at the Eurogamer pick after they '9/10-ed' it ;) The comments from the editors therein make it seem almost grudging too, but I guess the aggregate of their writers disagreed.
 
GTAIV takes the lead! Thanks for the links as always.

Current standings...

Grand Theft Auto IV - 8
Fallout 3 - 6
LittleBigPlanet - 5
Fable II - 2
Far Cry 2 - 1
Gears of War 2 - 1
Metal Gear Solid 4 - 1
 

Woo-Fu

Banned
Looks like the mainstream press is sticking with their guns. To back anything other than GTAIV at this point would be tacit admission that their previous hyperbole was perhaps not an accurate representation of the game in question.
 

steoc4

Member
I really had to laugh at the FC2 quote:

Here is a game that breathes without breathing down my neck. It's not afraid to let me roam without making the gameplay equivalent of idle chit-chat. It does a tremendous job of getting out of my way

Really? Really? Of all the games I played this year, no game made life as difficult for me as Far Cry 2, with the infinitely respawning checkpoints and patrols making just getting to the location of your mission a more difficult prospect than doing the mission itself.

That said, I'm glad the game got some recognition. It wouldn't be my game of the year because of some annoying niggles, but it did more to push the genre forward than every Halo, Call of Duty and Resistance game combined.
 
Jtyettis said:
Threw in a few more for ya Cheese.

Much obliged, as always!

Current standings...

Grand Theft Auto IV - 9
Fallout 3 - 6
LittleBigPlanet - 5
Fable II - 3
Left 4 Dead - 2
Metal Gear Solid 4 - 2
Far Cry 2 - 1
Gears of War 2 - 1
 
Looks like Kotaku dropped the ball on Friday.

Current standings...

Grand Theft Auto IV - 10
Fallout 3 - 8
LittleBigPlanet - 6
Fable II - 3
Gears of War 2 - 2
Left 4 Dead - 2
Metal Gear Solid 4 - 2
Far Cry 2 - 1

Thanks as always.
 
Yeah, it looks like GTAIV is going to run away with it.

Current standings...

Grand Theft Auto IV - 11
Fallout 3 - 8
LittleBigPlanet - 6
Fable II - 3
Gears of War 2 - 2
Left 4 Dead - 2
Metal Gear Solid 4 - 2
Far Cry 2 - 1
 
Awesome to see that Far Cry 2 is getting some love.

I've had this relationship with the game kinda like a girl you start to go out with, but are pretty uncertain about it. "It'll just be a date or two, just for fun." Then, you start liking her, but feel kind of guilty about it, like you shouldn't like her but you do. And then, suddenly, without even realizing it, you become super defensive about her towards your friends and savor all of your time spent together.

And that's my review of Far Cry 2.
 

aku08

Member
that giantbomb podcast they had when they picked game of the year was pretty epic. i was stoked when ryan and brad were pulling for MGS4 (my GOY as well), but alas, its jeff's website and ryan eventually succumbed to the pressure and picked GTA4 as well. then it was 3 to 1 so brad had no choice.

proud of you brad, you put up a good fight.
 

AkuMifune

Banned
aku08 said:
that giantbomb podcast they had when they picked game of the year was pretty epic.

I think they made excellent cases for both games actually. Anyone ragging on GTA IV as GOTY should give that a listen. Afterwards I was convinced those were the two clear choices this year, until I remembered my own was Fallout 3.:lol
 
1cesc said:
Are you still updating this? Here are two more (edit: oops, just one, you already have Kotaku):

Joy**** - Fable II

Yes, of course I am. It seems like Fable II is a long shot at this point, though. Slim to none.

Grand Theft Auto IV - 11
Fallout 3 - 8
LittleBigPlanet - 6
Fable II - 4
Gears of War 2 - 2
Left 4 Dead - 2
Metal Gear Solid 4 - 2
Far Cry 2 - 1
 

AppleBlade

Member
I can't belive Fable II has 2 times as many GOTY awards as Metal Gear Solid 4. Fable II is not even on the same tier as MGS IV to me. Fable II is typical Fall release "big" game, while MGS 4 is a once or twice a console generation kind of game. I mean I would easily put my money on MGS 4 being the best stealth game this entire generation, while Fable II was not even the best western rpg to come out this fall (Fallout 3) and last year's best western rpg (Mass Effect) is likely considered to be better by most people as well.
 

jjasper

Member
I guess I should give GTA 4 another try maybe I am missing something. I have played every game on the list except L4D (which I know I would love) and GTAIV is the only one I didn't like.
 

aku08

Member
AkuMifune said:
I think they made excellent cases for both games actually. Anyone ragging on GTA IV as GOTY should give that a listen. Afterwards I was convinced those were the two clear choices this year, until I remembered my own was Fallout 3.:lol

its funny that the best two games that came out this year (for me), came out early in the year. and i agree, only fallout 3 is the only one that came close to those two (again, for me) among the fall games.
 
With IGN's pick, Fallout 3 is giving GTAIV a run for its money.

Current standings...

Grand Theft Auto IV - 11
Fallout 3 - 9
LittleBigPlanet - 6
Fable II - 4
Gears of War 2 - 2
Left 4 Dead - 2
Metal Gear Solid 4 - 2
Far Cry 2 - 1
 
Darn it... I though Fallout 3 won after the IGN award! Stupid GTA IV, the game is just so boring. I rather MGS4 win but Fallout 3 is my second choice and the old chance!
 

GhaleonEB

Member
Jtyettis said:
When is up 1up doing there GOTY? Any clue? We have most of them outside of that really.
EGM was in the midst of their voting rounds when everyone was laid off. IIRC someone in the GAF thread said they would not finish it, but I don't know if anyone left at 1up will do awards this year.
 

AniHawk

Member
Would it be fair to say that Bioshock and Grand Theft Auto IV won more recognition than their runner-ups because they were trying to be Hollywood movie productions and not video games? I think both cases were games that were supposed to be examples of games becoming 'art' or something.
 

Firestorm

Member
GameFAQs gives GOTY to Brawl >.>

AniHawk said:
Would it be fair to say that Bioshock and Grand Theft Auto IV won more recognition than their runner-ups because they were trying to be Hollywood movie productions and not video games? I think both cases were games that were supposed to be examples of games becoming 'art' or something.
Well, Bioshock in my opinion took game narrative and presentation in a direction that only games can take. That's what really set it out in my mind. It wasn't an interactive movie. You just could not do the type of storytelling it did in a movie. I keep calling it environment-driven storytelling (as opposed to character-driven storytelling) but there might be a term already created for it.
 

AniHawk

Member
Firestorm said:
GameFAQs gives GOTY to Brawl >.>

MGS would probably win here if it was like that anyway, but that's why I dislike that particular method. Go back a couple days, and you'll find MGS4 actually beat SSBB for that particular day.

Firestorm said:
Well, Bioshock in my opinion took game narrative and presentation in a direction that only games can take. That's what really set it out in my mind. It wasn't an interactive movie. You just could not do the type of storytelling it did in a movie. I keep calling it environment-driven storytelling (as opposed to character-driven storytelling) but there might be a term already created for it.

This could be just the way I see it, but it felt like that's all they gave it praise for. Yeah, it did something different (sorta. I don't think the story was presented much differently than what the first Metroid Prime did... except for scanning, you have tapes). The actual game part of Bioshock was nothing special, and didn't deserve to be called one of the best games of 07.
 

Firestorm

Member
I agree that it was very much like Metroid Prime. They are two of my top ten games of all time. Bioshock was my GOTY for 2007 but I always look at games as a package and experience rather than concentrate on pure gameplay mechanics. The gameplay really was lacking in some regards, but the level and environment design was fantastic.
 
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