Board 8 > The Giant Bomb 2018 Game of the Year Deliberations

(+) Yeah! (+)

I'll concede because it was just a joke in the first place that got blown up.
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Yuri_LowelI posted...

Did you hate BOTW?

Yes, worst mainline Zelda.

Though I'm not a big Zelda guy to begin with.
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lol all those reassurances to Jason that Monster Hunter World won't fall off the top ten
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Shadow Dino posted...

lol all those reassurances to Jason that Monster Hunter World won't fall off the top ten

t deserves to be in the top 10. I'm not a huge fan of that series until this one. I fucking hated how they played on Handhelds. This is the first time i cared about it and amazingly enough Jeff liked it.

DBZ also getting in the top 10 ahead of COD4 makes this list even better.
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I did not expect Dan to be the person I disagreed with most this year.

I have 20 minutes left then I can read through this topic and post my full thoughts.
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Seeing Dan with the big beard for the first time in this Smash video and he looks like a different human being.
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davidponte posted...

I did not expect Dan to be the person I disagreed with most this year.

I have 20 minutes left then I can read through this topic and post my full thoughts.

He barely had anything to say in Best game. Most dissapointing went his way but when it came to best game the guy barely said much outside of a few reactions.
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Has these discussions made anyone want to play games they otherwise wouldnt?

I feel like buying into the breach on switch for 10 bucks and also maybe get Obra din. Although I might wait for a sale on that one.
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Alex made me more excited to play Assassin's Creed Odyssey but I'm like 7 games behind in that series will be a long time before that happens
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ninkendo posted...

Alex made me more excited to play Assassin's Creed Odyssey but I'm like 7 games behind in that series will be a long time before that happens

You dont need to play any of the others. Every AC game bar revelations/brotherhood and 3 can be played individually.

Odyssey is a good game to start actually.

If you played origins last year odyssey feels too similar

They are different to olderAC games. More open world with revamped combat.
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Overall, a fantastic top 10 list and easily my favourite in years (maybe ever?). There are 9 games on the list that I have either played/am going to play/want to play because of these discussions, and I could see my own list being very similar in terms of the games on it.

Heading in, I knew that Red Dead had no chance of winning, but would have called top 3 a win, so I'm a little disappointed it fell just short.

I actually agree with a lot of the criticism that was presented about Red Dead despite it being my GOTY. I played it more as a "game" and less in the way that Alex/Vinny/Brad described, and also got annoyed with how literally slow it was in places, but I don't think those "faults" were enough of an annoyance to have it effect how powerful the rest of it was for me.

The only two points I took issue with in the entire Best Game deliberations were:

1. Ben's idea that the game was worse off because he didn't play it the way it asked. "The game is giving me instructions and I'm choosing to ignore them, I can't believe I am failing because of it, this is terrible design" What? Doesn't nearly every game ever present you with instructions that must be followed? Yes, obviously in a lot of cases a game will present you with an objective and give you the freedom to approach it how you see fit, but there are multiple times that happens in Red Dead when you can choose how to approach a firefight, for example. When the game is saying, "hey, push this cart and protect your friends", I don't think it's unreasonable that you need to push the cart to protect your friends in order to succeed. There's a time for "go crazy and find a way to beat this guys", and a time for "follow our instructions in order to succeed because they are important to the narrative".

2. Vinny's "I tried to play the game but then it forced me to play the story and that is not what you described", when Brad literally talked about how his own "separate" game of exploring with Arthur connected with the "game" presented through the mission structure. He did add in an "I'm not an idiot, I know you need to play the game", but it seemed like a really weird, unnecessary point to make to undermine the approach of Alex/Brad.
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Yuri_LowelI posted...

ninkendo posted...

Alex made me more excited to play Assassin's Creed Odyssey but I'm like 7 games behind in that series will be a long time before that happens

You dont need to play any of the others. Every AC game bar revelations/brotherhood and 3 can be played individually.

Odyssey is a good game to start actually.

If you played origins last year odyssey feels too similar

They are different to olderAC games. More open world with revamped combat.

No I do I have to play every game in release order no matter what to see the evolution of the gameplay
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ninkendo posted...

Yuri_LowelI posted...

ninkendo posted...

Alex made me more excited to play Assassin's Creed Odyssey but I'm like 7 games behind in that series will be a long time before that happens

You dont need to play any of the others. Every AC game bar revelations/brotherhood and 3 can be played individually.

Odyssey is a good game to start actually.

If you played origins last year odyssey feels too similar

They are different to olderAC games. More open world with revamped combat.

No I do I have to play every game in release order no matter what to see the evolution of the gameplay

Thats your own prerogative. Im saying you never will because theres too many and some are just bad like unity.

Also the evolutin in gameplay is the same from 2 to syndicate.

Origins and odyssey are rpgs with completely different combat.
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Heaven Will Be Mine from Waypoints, but I don't think any ody on GB has heard that game exists.

Obra Din for sure.

Sadly both are PC only right now so it's not happening.
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davidponte posted...

Overall, a fantastic top 10 list and easily my favourite in years (maybe ever?). There are 9 games on the list that I have either played/am going to play/want to play because of these discussions, and I could see my own list being very similar in terms of the games on it.

Heading in, I knew that Red Dead had no chance of winning, but would have called top 3 a win, so I'm a little disappointed it fell just short.

I actually agree with a lot of the criticism that was presented about Red Dead despite it being my GOTY. I played it more as a "game" and less in the way that Alex/Vinny/Brad described, and also got annoyed with how literally slow it was in places, but I don't think those "faults" were enough of an annoyance to have it effect how powerful the rest of it was for me.

The only two points I took issue with in the entire Best Game deliberations were:

1. Ben's idea that the game was worse off because he didn't play it the way it asked. "The game is giving me instructions and I'm choosing to ignore them, I can't believe I am failing because of it, this is terrible design" What? Doesn't nearly every game ever present you with instructions that must be followed? Yes, obviously in a lot of cases a game will present you with an objective and give you the freedom to approach it how you see fit, but there are multiple times that happens in Red Dead when you can choose how to approach a firefight, for example. When the game is saying, "hey, push this cart and protect your friends", I don't think it's unreasonable that you need to push the cart to protect your friends in order to succeed. There's a time for "go crazy and find a way to beat this guys", and a time for "follow our instructions in order to succeed because they are important to the narrative".

2. Vinny's "I tried to play the game but then it forced me to play the story and that is not what you described", when Brad literally talked about how his own "separate" game of exploring with Arthur connected with the "game" presented through the mission structure. He did add in an "I'm not an idiot, I know you need to play the game", but it seemed like a really weird, unnecessary point to make to undermine the approach of Alex/Brad.

RDR2 got way too much coverage compared to other games. Yes it was divisive but I think they went on about it way too much. god of war and dead cells was above it and they barely spoke about it. Dead cells barely got any mentions in that list. Yet it finished 2nd.
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LapisLazuli posted...

Heaven Will Be Mine from Waypoints, but I don't think any ody on GB has heard that game exists.

Obra Din for sure.

Sadly both are PC only right now so it's not happening.

Obra din can be run on a 12 year old system. I would be shocked if that didnt come to switch.
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Yuri_LowelI posted...

ninkendo posted...

Yuri_LowelI posted...

ninkendo posted...

Alex made me more excited to play Assassin's Creed Odyssey but I'm like 7 games behind in that series will be a long time before that happens

You dont need to play any of the others. Every AC game bar revelations/brotherhood and 3 can be played individually.

Odyssey is a good game to start actually.

If you played origins last year odyssey feels too similar

They are different to olderAC games. More open world with revamped combat.

No I do I have to play every game in release order no matter what to see the evolution of the gameplay

Thats your own prerogative. Im saying you never will because theres too many and some are just bad like unity.

Also the evolutin in gameplay is the same from 2 to syndicate.

Origins and odyssey are rpgs with completely different combat.

This sounds like a challenge for 2019
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ninkendo posted...

Yuri_LowelI posted...

ninkendo posted...

Yuri_LowelI posted...

ninkendo posted...

Alex made me more excited to play Assassin's Creed Odyssey but I'm like 7 games behind in that series will be a long time before that happens

You dont need to play any of the others. Every AC game bar revelations/brotherhood and 3 can be played individually.

Odyssey is a good game to start actually.

If you played origins last year odyssey feels too similar

They are different to olderAC games. More open world with revamped combat.

No I do I have to play every game in release order no matter what to see the evolution of the gameplay

Thats your own prerogative. Im saying you never will because theres too many and some are just bad like unity.

Also the evolutin in gameplay is the same from 2 to syndicate.

Origins and odyssey are rpgs with completely different combat.

This sounds like a challenge for 2019

Sure. But dont ignore the plethora of quality games coming out early 2019. Leave it to the latter half of the year. Its stacked as fuck. Kingdom hearts 2 RE2 remake and Sekiro alone will last me until the summer.
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The revelation that Sekiro has zero progression of any kind completely killed the hype for me.
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ChaosTonyV4 posted...

The revelation that Sekiro has zero progression of any kind completely killed the hype for me.

Youre being a bit crude on that info. Yes theyre stripping away some of the RPG mechanics but the combat looks as good as ever.

I dont want another souls clone. Im done with souls clones and those types of games. It needs a break.

This game looks more streamlined and is a straight up action adventure game with that level of difficulty and Im all for that.

Yes i can see why its a concern for some and urn off the RPG fans from the souls games but I honestly think this could be something amazing.
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2019 games I care about so far:

Trails of Cold Steel I and II
Judgement Eyes (never played a Yakuza)
RE2
DMCV
Persona 5 Red (cheating)
Ace Attorney Trilogy (also cheating)
Vesperia Definitive (oops more cheating)
Danganronpa Trilogy (maximum cheating)
Travis Strikes Again
Sekiro
Babylon's Fall (theoretically)
Bayonetta 3 (hopefully)
Catherine: Full Body
Code Vein
Fire Emblem
Indivisible
Hades
Last of Us 2

And maybe...Caligula Effect Overdose?

I can't believe Days Gone is still a game that's coming out.
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LapisLazuli posted...

Heaven Will Be Mine from Waypoints, but I don't think any ody on GB has heard that game exists.

Obra Din for sure.

Sadly both are PC only right now so it's not happening.

Worst Girls Games previous game We Know the Devil just came to mobile so youve got a chance there in the future for Heaven Will Be Mine
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Is that one any good?
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Actually I'm not seeing that one here either...

I did just get Florence.
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OH I got it confusedHeaven Will Be Mine is the one that just came out on mobile. Might be iOS only though
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People gotta stop releasing games exclusively for that pretend phone.
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I got most of the rest of the top ten in the wrong order (or just plain wrong) but at least I got #1.

I really underestimated Obra Dinn. Buying it now.
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Giant Bomb listening to RWBY music for over a minute straight, life is complete.
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https://gotypicks.blogspot.com/?m=1

Over 100 media outlets and some reader/user awards from those sites. Giant bombs Goty is only picked by one other. Last year they picked PUBG which only won goty on that site if I recall.

Currently GoW has over 60 RDR 2 has over 50. 20 odd for everything else.

Imo GoW deserves it but in another few weeks another 50 will be added. Could go either way.

At least its competitive this year. Zelda dominated last year.
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well I guess I know what its not, now
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Man Brad sure didn't play a lot this year huh.
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LapisLazuli posted...

Man Brad sure didn't play a lot this year huh.

He played a lot of destiny again though.

Seriously like its not even he disliked the fans like Jeff who straight up says he was done with the games. He just doesnt finish them. Like dude part of your job is to play games but he plays the same 3-4 every year. I kinda lost some respect for the guy.
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Yuri_LowelI posted...

https://gotypicks.blogspot.com/?m=1

Over 100 media outlets and some reader/user awards from those sites. Giant bombs Goty is only picked by one other. Last year they picked PUBG which only won goty on that site if I recall.

Currently GoW has over 60 RDR 2 has over 50. 20 odd for everything else.

Imo GoW deserves it but in another few weeks another 50 will be added. Could go either way.

At least its competitive this year. Zelda dominated last year.

PUBG won a few but was like sixth, in a year without many options because Zelda was (deservedly) so dominant. Giant Bomb has consistently made small minority picks since 2015. Before then the game they picked was always one of the most common winners. The closest to an exception is XCOM, and that still won about as many critics' awards as Mario Maker, Hitman, PUBG and Tetris Effect combined.

It's clear that their GotY has transitioned from "the consensus best game" to "the game that meant the most to the site". That's good, in many ways, but should just be acknowledged as such. Last year in particular, calling a game that barely worked better than incredible feats like Breath of the Wild, Nier Automata, and Mario Odyssey seems insane. But did it mean more to the site? Absolutely.
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Last year in particular, calling a game that barely worked better than incredible feats like Breath of the Wild, Nier Automata, and Mario Odyssey seems insane. But did it mean more to the site? Absolutely.

PUBG was a legitimate cultural phenomenon. Considering how it started the Battle Royale wave that gave us Fortnite and a bunch of others it's probably the actual most significant game released last year.
I like those other games you mentioned more, but I think there's definitely merit to giving PUBG the award in a sort of Time Man of the Year way.
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It's a good thing I already watched it all because I guess we don't care about spoilers anymore.
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only 1 hour into Day 5 it really sucks working every day for the rest of the year
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They say Florence spoilers were coming so I went and played it. Enjoyed it very much.
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Holy shit is Vinny crying?
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I can say, I played Florence today, beat it in 40 minutes, and am thoroughly confused that anyone enjoyed it. It was ugly, terrible and boring as hell.
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BlAcK TuRtLe posted...

I can say, I played Florence today, beat it in 40 minutes, and am thoroughly confused that anyone enjoyed it. It was ugly, terrible and boring as hell.

This confirms to me that it is a great game based on all of your other opinions.
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Lol you didn't play Florence, who do you think you're gonna fool there?

You even went on How Long To Beat so you could pretend you knew how long it was.
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Florence was good.

And it sucks tetris is VR only. Would love to play that on switch
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you can play it without VR!

but it's also really good in VR!
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LapisLazuli posted...

Holy shit is Vinny crying?

Wait what? Where?
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hey I beat Giant Bomb's Game of the Year Deliberations

now to not do it again for another 51 weeks
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i wish they talked more about why the top 3 is their top 3, but yeah, brad is just such a force in these proceedings that whatever game he's obsessed with will dominate the discussion every single time.

way off the mark with how i thought they felt about celeste based on my initial predictions! didn't even crack the top 10. i also thought their general "okayness" with spider-man was going to make it the uncharted 4 of this year, but brad, and abby to a lesser extent, surprised me in their support of it.

second year in a row where their goty is a game i haven't played and maybe never will!
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I got Tetris Effect as a result of the discussions. Guided by the fact that I also got a PSVR. It's cool Tetris alright! And probably worth it without VR.
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ChaosTonyV4 posted...

LapisLazuli posted...

Holy shit is Vinny crying?

Wait what? Where?

When he was describing the Best Moment for Florence I think he was getting close
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TVontheRadio posted...

i wish they talked more about why the top 3 is their top 3, but yeah, brad is just such a force in these proceedings that whatever game he's obsessed with will dominate the discussion every single time.

way off the mark with how i thought they felt about celeste based on my initial predictions! didn't even crack the top 10. i also thought their general "okayness" with spider-man was going to make it the uncharted 4 of this year, but brad, and abby to a lesser extent, surprised me in their support of it.

second year in a row where their goty is a game i haven't played and maybe never will!

Its a PS4 exclusive bizarrely. If this came out on switch or pc more people would play it.
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Vinny was choking up about Florence during best moment. I'm not knocking him for it, it was powerful, just unexpected. Maybe it connected with him in a way he didn't want to get into?

For gm

GB's #1, for the second year in a row its a game that means absolutely nothing to me. I have no affinity for Tetris at all and playing it has never had any impact on me. I can see why they as a site would pick it, it's a very Giant Bomb GotY if that makes sense.

Unlike all the other games they talked about save for RDR2, though, they brought out absolutely zero interest in me to ever touch it. They're operating on a very different fundamental idea that Tetris is inherently fun to begin with and a best game ever contender, while to me it's just another old game I don't care about, so we're just not gonna line up here. I doubt I ever interact with Tetris Effect.
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