Lurker > Lightning Strikes

I think Hades is an easy number 1. I think Animal Crossing makes the list, Spiritfarer makes the list, FFVIIR makes the list, Ghost of Tsushima makes the list, Yakuza Like a Dragon makes the list, THPS1+2 makes the list if its eligible. And beyond that Im not sure!

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Snake5555555555 posted...

Weird I thought they had put out a statement saying they were going to continue to support PS4 for a good long while too.

Software-wise its probably true.

However, Sonys messaging on this very issue has been terrible. We believe in generations, no more PS4 games!, Nah, just kidding, heres some cross-platform games., Were discontinuing the PS4..

I guess they do believe in generations after all!

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Did you play the interlude? Because that makes a real difference. All the interludes except maybe the one between III and IV turn out to be kind of essential, but especially that one.

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I said this before but man, the next contest is going to have so many good election memes.

Leonhart4 posted...

I just realized we didn't see 13 Sentinels in a poll either, and I could see that as a game this site would take to.

Thats a very good point. It feels like this year would have actually been a better year to have platform awards (combining the two gens) than last year. Yakuza would probably win an Xbox poll which is funny.

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banananor posted...

Yeah, i thought i had messed up somehow and not played the right section or something

It's art, whatever

Exactly, feels like an epilogue where another act should have been. I understand that this style is common in five act plays. However, the flow of the narrative seemed to shift very abruptly, you finish Act IV and the interlude then suddenly the story is over.

I am a bit torn. Overall, this is a great game. And Act V is a moving piece of art - but I feel I am disappointed in it as a conclusion to Kentucky Route Zero.

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Really, really good showing from Tsushima. Pretty decent from Hades (which Id say overlaps with AC as its a Switch console exclusive).

Regarding New Leaf vs. New Horizons, the latter is obviously stronger, but given the timing its hard not to imagine New Leaf not just acting as a New Horizons proxy in the last contest.

Disappointed in so few polls this year, but at least we should get at least one more. At least bring back the expansion poll from last year, there were certainly enough to qualify (and both Xenoblade and Pikmin 3 would fit there - also Doom Eternals DLC). Well, it was a weird year, maybe well see more next time.

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Jakyl25 posted...

But for real though, I hope the Trump message of the November election in Georgia was illegitimate accidentally depresses loyal Trumper turnout

Totally different country, but in Turkey they reran the Istanbul mayoral election when the left-leaning opposition narrowly beat Erdogans party, citing irregularities, and the result of the rerun was a near-landslide for the opposition - it totally backfired on Erdogan. People do not like when parties guilty of shady business themselves claim that an election they lost was not legit. However, its the moderates who would flip in this scenario.

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I dont want to risk biasing your opinion, so Ill use spoilers, but I must say:

I love this game.

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If you put the two versions side by side its clear which is better. Additionally, its not like the original hasnt aged well and needs an update for the younger generation. They can just watch the original, and its like its still new.

Also Mulan wasnt great, but its passable. At least its clearly distinct from the original, its not trying to be the same. Thats good. Ironically the original holds it back as all the Wuxia action needs to be totally family friendly, and it feels impactless as a result. But you know, its doing something new, it looks pretty decent, some alright performances. The witch was... an odd story choice. But Id take it over TLK any day!

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Now what was up with that?

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If possible, I would like to swap Fall Guys snd Paper Mario on my list, then insert Kentucky Rote Zero between them (so it goes Paper Mario, Kentucky Route Zero, Fall Guys).

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20 minutes into Mulan now, I do not have final thoughts but I will have absolutely none of this The Lion King was better or The Lion King is over hated malarkey. The Lion King was terrible. I went in with heavily tempered expectations after hearing the response and it was still comfortably below those. It is just a shallow reflection of a great film, but every scene is worse. At least Mulan is trying to be its own film.

There are only two good live action Disney remakes: The Jungle Book and Cinderella. I think Mulan is conceptually a lot more interesting than the rest but there are some issues already.

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Shantae also does not have a physical version on DS/3DS.

However, this isnt a physical vs. digital issue, its a good digital maintenance issue, which you shouldnt expect from console makers who need to push their new hardware and thus leave the old hardware (and their digital storefronts) behind. Hopefully with backwards compatibility becoming the norm this will change. Only Xbox are fully committed to aiming to have the entire library available though.

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I think your count for 2014 is a bit off, using the NA release dates which the contest used:

2014:

Bravely Default
Danganronpa 2
Shovel Knight
Donkey Kong Country Tropical Freeze
Dragon Age: Inquisition
South Park: The Stick of Truth
Destiny
The Binding of Isaac Rebirth
The Talos Principle
Mario Kart 8
Hearthstone
Bayonetta 2

12 games in total.

You were right for 2016 though - incidentally 2014 has a lot of games that got NA releases that year but had their original release that year (and Hearthstone, which came out of early access), while the opposite was true for 2016 - if you went by original release dates 2014 would have fewer and 2016 would have more. And to that point I think it was Minecraft that tripped me up regarding 2011. So 2011 is second least. I also forgot another significant snub, Mortal Kombat, which many would have preferred over MK11.

On the snubs, I don't think Skyward Sword is the OoT or the LttP of its generation. I think ALBW is the bigger deal. I think FFXIV is a much bigger deal than FFXIII and indeed FFXV. But I also wouldn't compare FFXIII to Skyward Sword - Skyward Sword gets dunked on these days but it got an average score of 93 and a bunch of game of the year awards, not so for FFXIII. I think if there is no franchise limit (which was never confirmed IIRC), FFXIII does not necessarily make it in. I actually think one of the stories of this decade has been some of those previously guaranteed smash hits falling shorts while the smaller games rise.

But there are also franchises with only one game that you might expect to see more from - Pokemon most notably, but also Uncharted (I don't even like Uncharted 3, but it probably should have got in), Mortal Kombat (definitely a case of nomination splitting), and so on. I think whatever rules were at play were probably fairly flexible.

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Mac Arrowny posted...

Is it that niche? It sold a million copies in its first week.

Yes, Hades is not niche at all. Its pretty mainstream.

KamikazePotato posted...

I'm not sure what other games need to show up that didn't. It was a slow year.

In addition to the games mentioned above, Xenoblade Chronicles Definitive Edition, WoW Shadowlands (both could have been in an expansion poll), Genshin Impact (would fit in a mobile poll), Star Wars Squadrons, Astros Playroom... It wasnt that slow it just didnt have a lot of big RPGs and first party Nintendo games, though to be fair thats what GameFAQs likes.

Actually, speaking of Nintendo, Pikmin 3 Deluxe wasnt in Remakes/Remasters either - it is weird that neither of the two really good Nintendo rereleases got in but the less well received ones did.

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Im relatively bullish on Hades. Not like a worldbeater, but I think it easily beats Bastion already, give it a few years to get stronger and come out on more platforms and I think it will be the strongest indie. People really love that game.

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Well yeah, thats what Im saying, if its a game of the year poll Id rather choose from the best games rather than the strongest. I think KHIII could have replaced CTR in the PS4 poll though, as thats a remaster.

Also, is it just me or is this FFVIIR performance kind of underwhelming? Its a pretty weak poll, and FFVIIR is doing only 6% better than Tsushima which likely had better competition. It still certainly wins this year easily but not one of the strongest winners. If course its also possible that Tsushima is just legit, or this poll is stronger than it seems.

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Based on GOTD2: DOOM, Dark Souls III, and Uncharted 4. DOOM in particular just needed time for more people to play it, it looked quite good in the contest. In the GotY polls it lost to Overwatch.

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I think Baba is You made sense, as it was a new game that rode a bit of hype on release, and it didnt do too badly all things considered. You are right about fighting games - the traditional series really took a beating this past decade (though Tekken 7 got SFFd).

Team Rocket Elite posted...

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/poll/7550-with-three-months-gone-what-is-your-pick-for-the-best-game

In that poll KH3 is beating one of the three games that made the GotY semifinal and only trails behind the eventual champion. GameFAQs actually liked KH3 quite a lot as far as 2019 games go.

Well thats the point - trading on name power alone shouldnt be enough. And bear in mind that that poll is from March. Sekiro is eight days old at that point - that result does not repeat.

When polls are being run without distance franchise power matters a lot more. The perfect case study is FFXV in 2016 - if you reran that year, would it even reach the final 3? I really doubt it. All this is to say Id rather we vote on a curated selection of the best games rather than just the big franchises.

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A combination of two things:

1) Licensing as others have said - you have to use the songs you have a deal for, even if they dont fit. This can mean you have no idea what youre gonna get in advance.

2) Openings and endings usually have deliberately contrasting tones - that means you often get an upbeat, exciting opening and a downbeat, relaxing ending, especially with action series. It pumps you up then it cools you down. Bleach does this constantly, and mostly effectively - Happy People jars not because of the tone of the song, but because of the lyrics.

Sometimes you get cases where there is a band licenced to write a theme for the show, and these fit the best. Popular examples are One Punch Man and Attack on Titan.

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Carla Thomas - B-A-B-Y

I unironically love that Raffi song.

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Hey Zen whats up with that Batman Death in the Family movie that puts it on the bottom? I havent seen it, I forgot it was even coming out, I was just wondering. It always struck me as odd that they even made it as they adapted that story in 10 minutes in the Under the Red Hood film.

Anyway, I also did not see as many new films this year. The VoD options are different here - a lot of films actually got theatrical releases during the summer/autumn, but only Tenet was in the window of feeling comfortable enough to go. As such there is stuff thats not on VoD here that was in NA. However, I didnt realise that Wolfwalkers, which was in cinemas here, is on VoD here now! That will definitely end up on my list.

I think my #1 is probably The Trial of the Chicago 7, which I liked a lot but wouldnt be it in a normal year. However, I have to give a recommendation to a film on Amazon called The Vast of Night - great, great, moody sci-fi.

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Axl_Rose_85 posted...

Where the fuck is Xenoblade DE if Persona 5 Royal was allowed in? Seriously what is this?

Typical of Allen to exclude obvious entrants for absolutely no reason (Kingdom Hearts III in 2019) and make contest ruining decisions like the 2 games per series rule which in turn let a 100 fodder indie games in GotD2.

I'm scratching my head at this format as well. The system by system poll works much better for our GotY polls.

Kingdom Hearts 3 had a very good reason for not being in the GOTY polls last year - it wasnt well received enough. Its not entitled to get into a poll just because it has the words Kingdom Hearts in the title. Perhaps it should have been a better game if it wanted GotY consideration!

Thats not the case with Xenoblade Chronicles Definitive Edition though. Its one of the best reviewed games of the year and a lot if people here played it, so it is an odd exclusion. Last year however, there was an expansion poll, and it could qualify for that through Future Connected, so maybe thats why.

On indies almost all of the indie games were either games that would have made it in regardless or modern classics with 90+ review scores and loads of awards. The only eyebrow raising ones I can recall were Slay the Spire and the Talos Principle... If you want to talk about games that shouldnt have been there, look at the likes of Dying Light.

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Not voting isnt the same as antivoting. Neither game has been antivoted because they are ten option polls. A game with a dedicated fanbase like Yakuza obviously benefits more from a ten option poll than a more mainstream game. We wont know how TLOUII would do with fewer options for a long time.

Either way its crazy the effect the leak had. That could be something that has an effect on other games in the future.

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TLoUII probably wins straight up for that very reason though. Probably.

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The 90s music video is glorious, and I am so happy it introduced me to that Eiffel 65 Playstation song.

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I think the sequels to 2000s games released in 2011 are a lot more different than those released in 2010. Arkham Asylum and Arkham City are much less similar than Galaxy and Galaxy 2 for example.

I also think this is a cracking year filled with great games, and also huge games as well. However, despite that itll be probably not take you as long because this year had the fewest entrants of sny year in GotD. Not because there were fewer good games, but because this was the year of the snubs. Skyward Sword, Uncharted 3, Super Mario 3D Land, LA Noire, Battlefield 3, The Witcher 2, a lot of big snubs. Looking at what you mentioned for 2010 it stands out - if FFXIII had made it thats a damning indictment of these contests. However, I definitely dont think indies are to blame - the indies in the contest were either big names that would make it regardless, or classics. If anything stood out as unusual its more the likes of Destiny and Ys VIII.

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charmander6000 posted...

I guess tomorrow will be the Best Remake poll. I wonder if we'll have an overall poll or will SBAllen just go straight to the final of Ghost of Tsushima vs. Animal Crossing: New Horizons vs. Final Fantasy VII Remake. GoT and ACNH won by enough that doing an overall poll might be redundant.

There will be an indie poll Im sure, and probably others. Like a mobile poll with Genshin Impact in it maybe.

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Well thats the tricky thing about Miles Morales, will it get treated as an expansion or not? It is effectively an expansion, but got treated like a full game by the marketing push.

I think Hades will only build strength from here and potentially be the strongest indie in a couple of years. That game is a big deal.

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Top to bottom:

1. Hades
2. Animal Crossing New Horizons
3. The Last of Us Part II
4. Final Fantasy VII Remake
5. Fall Guys Ultimate Knockout
6. Paper Mario: The Origami King
7. Doom Eternal
8. Super Mario 35
9. Cyberpunk 2077

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Yeah Corrik, what you said is true because America is a right wing country. Just the fact that incredibly mild social democrat Bernie Sanders is as far left as it gets shows that.

Thats just top level politics though, there is a lot of support for left policies among the American public - Id say more that 23% oppose free market capitalism for instance!

Also strong hatred of Republicans doesnt make you left. Hell where I live there was a deep hatred between the two main parties for a century until recently, and they are ideologically the same, that hatred being because of the civil war.

And stuff like calling for boycotts and supporting socially liberal CEOs is liberalism. Its trying to affect change through the free market.

Theres a joke from a comedian, I think it might be Dara OBrien, but it goes In America youve got the Democrats, who are right wing, the Republicans, who are really right wing, and the Tea Party, who are mad.

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I cant say anything about those specific issues, but none of that is left/right stuff. In fact Id say a lot of that is more in keeping with the right and even far-right. Like the racism/power thing you mention - that line of thought is designed to excuse antisemitism, which usually punches upwards. Apologism for racism has no place on the left.

But at the end of the day the social side is largely irrelevant to the left/right spectrum. Economically they are pretty to the right, supporting big companies, supporting corporate expansion, there was even a poll recently that had a huge majority (something like 77%) say they support capitalism and oppose public ownership of the means of production. That is not left wing.

You might say that they take aspects from the left and right, which is centrism! You can call them liberal, but not left.

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Resetera isnt left, let alone extreme left. I wouldnt even call it centre-left. Its neoliberal and centrist at most. Board 8 is definitely far to Reseteras left. Afaik, this place is overwhelmingly pretty anti-capitalist, supports public ownership and the welfare state, and is socially liberal. Resetera only has the last one (mostly) but thinks thats enough to be left. Just look at the way they act towards companies.

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Ed Harris and Ice Cube are in there as well. Its probably the starriest cast for a CoD campaign, before they just had one big name ad the baddie or putting them to the side in other modes.

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On the GameFAQs stuff... This specific board has gotten much better, not worse. I remember a decade ago this board would constantly get derailed by trolling and the horrible anti-feminist crowd. Now the worst have left and everybodys wise to the trolls that remain. Its funny that someone said that GameFAQs forums are a home for Gamergaters given that here I think it was an inflection point that resulted in that horrid crowd leaving or getting ignored. I think as a community, Board 8 has come a long way and is a genuinely pleasant, progressive place. Of course, the site as a whole has a huge majority of progressives, but I think other boards are more prone to getting derailed by far-right trolls. It sounds like CE is still a dumpster fire though!

Of course, I finally ignored Vlado, so I dont know what hes up to! Might still be making openly fascist topics and getting away with it because everyone has him on ignore.

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I think:

Final Fantasy VII Remake
Animal Crossing: New Horizons
Ghost of Tsushima
The Last of Us Part II
Hades
Spider-Man: Miles Morales
Cyberpunk 2077
Ori and the Will of the Wisps
Yakuza: Like a Dragon
Resident Evil 3

The two I am fairly unclear on are Miles Morales and Ori. I am feeling pretty good about GoT being fairly strong, and you all underestimated Hades. The thing is GameFAQs users are pretty keyed in to how games are received usually, so even in cases of low playrate well received games can do better than a more well known one.

Hence RE3 at the bottom!

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Advanced Warfare is good actually! Probably the best of the post-peak CoD (4-Blops) pre-Battle Royale (Blops 4-current) era. Though Spaceys presence would make it awkward to revisit. I think CoD is kind of fascinating to look at the trajectory of because its been running on creative fumes since at least Advanced Warfare and really since Ghosts and sales have been trickling downwards, but it keeps having the occasional spike. Blops 4 and MW2019 were a lot better than what came before and breathed a bit of life back into the series, but Blops Cold War seems to have drained it again. Meanwhile WWII was not well regarded at all but was the highest selling for ages, then sales declined again even though the next games were a more exciting direction for the series.

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Bad

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Black Ops is basically the last vestige of the time when CoD was critically very well regarded (not just high selling), and its the highest selling of all of them. It makes sense that that would be the one that makes it.

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Hitman 3, though I will probably wait a bit.

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SSBM_Guy posted...

It's cool that we got separate experiences. I definitely remember my first route of the game was Luna route. The one where the lock appears after seeing a cameo of the Director Room and having all of these flashbacks to such an insignificant thing. It was such a wild experience, I was on high alert the entire game. I also remember getting Tenmyoji ending really quickly. It may actually be my very first ending. Again, it really changes how you experience the rest of the game.

My very first route in 999 was literally the Coffin Route, so maybe I just have an eye for cinematics.

I had the exact same experience with both games. Getting those endings first really sets up the rest of the game nicely in both cases.

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This comparison gets made for a lot of things but it has never seemed more appropriate than here:

999 is Alien
VLR is Aliens

100%

ZTD is kinda Prometheus, which I mean as a good thing!

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Finished my main project which will have a major public good, and got a couple of papers done (one published, one awaiting publication).

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The only one of those that raises an eyebrow is Halo 4.

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Christmas bump?

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LiquidOshawott posted...

Huh I had no clue Death Stranding won so many awards last year

Its mainly from small outlets and some fan votes. Incidentally other aggregators give it to RE2. It kind of shows why these aggregators arent great, because Death Stranding won 0 major awards.

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I mean there are three games that actually did win an overall majority of GOTY awards: Skyrim, The Witcher 3, and Breath of the Wild. GameFAQs got all of those!

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I mean it did not win a majority of the awards (unless you only meant readers choice), but regardless it came third here. Thats fine.

If you reran it, it would be a close race between DOOM and Dark Souls 3.

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GotY and contests are different though! GotY is a recent snapshot, contests give things time to settle. Nintendo doesnt dominate that much for recent fare, and I struggle to think of a place where classic Nintendo games wouldnt be the dominant force among older games. The actual issue is that its 90sFAQs and those older games dominate because were all old gits.

Also, I would not be surprised if the reason TLOU2 won at TGAs over Hades was the fan vote. Hades has won a lot of the panellists awards but there is a percentage thats the fan vote for each category (separate to the peoples choice awards). If it was close that could push TLOU2 over.

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God of War II is great! Storytelling aside perhaps.

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