Board 8 > Here's how every GotY winner reviewed

(+) Yeah! (+)

(Using Metacritic for the lead platform)

Final Fantasy VIII - 90
Final Fantasy X - 92
Metroid Prime - 97
The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker - 96
Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas - 95
Resident Evil 4 - 96
The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess - 95
Super Mario Galaxy - 97
Super Smash Bros. Brawl - 93
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 - 94
Mass Effect 2 - 96
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim - 95
Borderlands 2 - 89
The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds - 91
Super Smash Bros. for Wii U - 92
The Witcher III: Wild Hunt - 92
Final Fantasy XV - 81
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild - 97
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate - 93
Resident Evil 2 - 91
Final Fantasy VII Remake - 87
Metroid Dread - 88

Do we laugh at FFXV for being the lowest reviewed by so much or ourselves for it winning? The answer is both.

What else came out that year? That's a surprising result

_stingers_ posted...

What else came out that year? That's a surprising result

Only 3 of the best FPS games of the century (DOOM, Titanfall 2, Overwatch)

Nah, better give it to mediocre final fantasy game ?_?

Lightning Strikes posted...

Do we laugh at FFXV for being the lowest reviewed by so much or ourselves for it winning? The answer is both.

we laugh at the critics for giving it ridiculously high scores

FFXV did not deserve reviews that good, especially at release.

_stingers_ posted...

What else came out that year? That's a surprising result

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/poll/6574-best-of-2016-game-of-the-year

Not much, Pokemon Sun/Moon almost won which has a metacritic result of 87

2016 was a good year its just that the site generally doesnt care about the type of games that were around then (Uncharted 4, Doom, Hitman etc)

Although I actually think Doom would win a Doom/FFXV match

_stingers_ posted...

What else came out that year? That's a surprising result

Dark Souls III (89), DOOM (85), Uncharted 4 (93), all of which would beat FFXV now. Pokmon Sun&Moon (87) nearly did at the time.

I still can't believe Borderlands 2 and a Call of Duty game won GotY here.

Modern Warfare 2 was basically CoD at its peak

Like that summer MW beat Galaxy! I forget what caused gamers to turn on it, whether it was when they kicked out the designers at IW or if there was just overexposure, or just both.

Borderlands 2 is pretty fun but I really dont know how it beat Xenoblade other than the really limited Wii run it had

Yeah, Xenoblade just wasn't widespread enough at the time to win.

Borderlands 2 still would if you exclude Xenoblade (and Persona 4 Golden but rereleases rarely do that well in GotY polls)! Its also not especially odd - it is a very GameFAQs kind of game really, a big budget Action RPG just with a FPS sheen. Also still considered to be at the top of that subgenre.

Call of Duty was a weird one even at the time. The poll was split three ways and there was no final, final poll. I doubt it beats either Dragon Age or Uncharted 2 one on one even in 2009. These days Arkham Asylum crushes that poll for sure. Of course CoD4 did incredibly well and was really strong before the backlash started!

GameFAQs was a different place back then. Sure we didn't love Halo/CoD/GTA as much as the rest of the internet, but they had respectable performances

I still love you FFXV! <3

CoD dropped a lot more than the other two. GTA is still pretty good. Halo is not terrible. CoD is terrible now. To put it in a different way, the strongest Halo game of the last decade did the same on Breath of the Wild as the strongest CoD game did on Bloodborne, while in the peak Halo year of 2007 CoD4 best Halo 3 convincingly.

With that said I think CoD is a lot less popular across the internet than it was, likely not that different from here. I have a hard time seeing CoD Vanguard not being fodder anywhere. Modern Warfare 2 was also not that common a pick back in 2009 - the typical poll winner would have been Uncharted 2 really.

What was game of the year in 2000?

FFVIII came out 1999, FFX 2001

MrGreenonion posted...

What was game of the year in 2000?

FFVIII came out 1999, FFX 2001

CJayC didn't run GotY that year, for whatever the reason. When Allen did a "Game of the Decade" poll, he inserted Chrono Cross as the 2000 representative.

I feel like FFIX would've won back then.

Mac Arrowny posted...

I feel like FFIX would've won back then.

I agree. Looking at 2000 and early 2001 polls it seems FFIX was preferred on GameFAQs

Maybe SBAllen used this poll to award Chrono Cross GotY (it was held before FFIX was released)

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/poll/294-which-of-the-gamefaqs-top-10-games-is-your-favorite

I imagine Allen just wanted some diversity in the poll instead of another Final Fantasy game.

Man I'm still sort of mindblown by the fact that there was a span of three years in 1999, 2000, and 2001 where Square managed to put out a well-received, traditional, mainline FF game each year

Paratroopa1 posted...

Man I'm still sort of mindblown by the fact that there was a span of three years in 1999, 2000, and 2001 where Square managed to put out a well-received, traditional, mainline FF game each year

Game dev costs were so much lower back then in general.

KamikazePotato posted...

Game dev costs were so much lower back then in general.

Even by the standards of the day that was some insanely fast output though

Square's output from 94-01 is probably - if not certainly - the best stretch that a non-Nintendo developer ever had. Heck, we can stretch to 2002 to credit them with Kingdom Hearts as well.

Oh yeah, it was a Square golden era for sure. If you include FFT, the streak was actually five years long starting with FF7 in 1997.

And if we credit them as a developer, Mario RPG makes at least one great/classic/significant game every year from 1994-2002.

1994 - Final Fantasy VI
1995 - Chrono Trigger
1996 - Super Mario RPG
1997 - Final Fantasy VII
1998 - Final Fantasy Tactics
1999 - Final Fantasy VIII
2000 - Final Fantasy IX
2001 - Final Fantasy X
2002 - Kingdom Hearts
2003 - Final Fantasy XI (an MMO, but still well-received)

Hell of a run. Took them three years after that to come out with KH2 and FF12, and FF12's mixed reception was the beginning of the decline.

The Golden Age of 5 A+ FFs in 5 years will never be topped

Final Fantasy VIII - 90
Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas - 95
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 - 94
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim - 95
Borderlands 2 - 89
Final Fantasy XV - 81
Metroid Dread - 88

The GotYs I haven't played (bolded are the ones I have an interest to try someday).

I would tentatively recommend San Andreas, but I'm not sure its gameplay holds up anymore. The writing is still hilarious though. Maybe watch a cutscene compilation on youtube.

The last time Smash bros lost a game of the year poll: https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/poll/776-best-of-2001-overall-game-of-the-year

Edit: FFVIII's dominance in 99 was ridiculous, wow: https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/poll/38-the-best-of-1999-game-of-the-year

Yeah, I have to credit SA because I still see it praised all the time even in contemporary contexts, but I played so much GTA3 and VC back in the day that I was completely burned out by the time SA launched, and I've never been that interested in revisiting the series.

1991 - FF4
1992 - FF5
1993 - Secret of Mana

Square did it for over a decade

KamikazePotato posted...

1994 - Final Fantasy VI
1995 - Chrono Trigger
1996 - Super Mario RPG
1997 - Final Fantasy VII
1998 - Final Fantasy Tactics
1999 - Final Fantasy VIII
2000 - Final Fantasy IX
2001 - Final Fantasy X
2002 - Kingdom Hearts
2003 - Final Fantasy XI (an MMO, but still well-received)

Hell of a run. Took them three years after that to come out with KH2 and FF12, and FF12's mixed reception was the beginning of the decline.

Damn, that list is FIRE. And it doesn't even include Xenogears and Parasite Eve.

andylt posted...

Edit: FFVIII's dominance in 99 was ridiculous, wow: https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/poll/38-the-best-of-1999-game-of-the-year

If that same poll were held today, you'd have a three-horse race between FF8, Pokemon Yellow, and Smash 64.

andylt posted...

The last time Smash bros lost a game of the year poll: https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/poll/776-best-of-2001-overall-game-of-the-year

First of all, imagine Melee losing to GTA3 now (in a poll that doesn't even have that much Nintendo LFF!)

but second of all, I'm losing my fucking mind over here that any Zelda game, even Oracle of Seasons/Ages, would garner less votes than Max Payne

1991 - Final Fantasy IV
1992 - Final Fantasy V
1993 - Secret of Mana
1994 - Final Fantasy VI
1995 - Chrono Trigger
1996 - Super Mario RPG
1997 - Final Fantasy VII
1998 - Final Fantasy Tactics
1998 - Xenogears
1998 - Parasite Eve
1999 - Final Fantasy VIII
2000 - Final Fantasy IX
2001 - Final Fantasy X
2002 - Kingdom Hearts
2003 - Final Fantasy XI (an MMO, but still well-received)

Would any other Square games like to step up to the plate?

Paratroopa1 posted...

First of all, imagine Melee losing to GTA3 now (in a poll that doesn't even have that much Nintendo LFF!)

https://tinyurl.com/bdfs6tpu

GTA almost beat Melee in an actual tournament, too!

Peak Konami and Capcom were putting out even more all time stuff than Square, with significantly more variety (and they actually put all of it out in Europe which is a major black mark against Square). Regardless, Japanese third party publishers used to absolutely dominate the console space.

Now it seems like third party AAA games (that arent annualised or live service games) barely exist any more. Its all consolidating around the first parties and exclusive deals - a majority of that sequels/spinoffs poll were either first party or had an exclusivity deal. The old publisher model is very much less than it was.

Melee was certainly favorably received at the time, but I think it's continued prominence plays tricks on the mind as to how favorably. GTA3 was a BIG deal, the fact that Melee won at all should be surprising

andylt posted...

FFVIII's dominance in 99 was ridiculous, wow: https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/poll/38-the-best-of-1999-game-of-the-year

Those were the days

KamikazePotato posted...

1991 - Final Fantasy IV
1992 - Final Fantasy V
1993 - Secret of Mana
1994 - Final Fantasy VI
1995 - Chrono Trigger
1996 - Super Mario RPG
1997 - Final Fantasy VII
1998 - Final Fantasy Tactics
1998 - Xenogears
1998 - Parasite Eve
1999 - Final Fantasy VIII
2000 - Final Fantasy IX
2001 - Final Fantasy X
2002 - Kingdom Hearts
2003 - Final Fantasy XI (an MMO, but still well-received)

Would any other Square games like to step up to the plate?

You could include Vagrant Story, and we mustn't forget that classic beat em up, The Bouncer!

...I'll see myself out.

Also Chrono Cross

FF XV won huh. Well, we didn't know better...

Damn it man. FF 7 was dominating but this site flourished with that FF 7 legendary FAQ Guide and well most people that came to this site were fans of FF 7 obviously.

Also I don't accept this games were simpler and costs were lower back then. Games are more complicated sure BUT they earn a TON more money because of DLC/microtransactions. Now when a game makes like 500.000.000 earnings we say well it is a good game and that makes sense. Imagine saying this like 20 years ago.

Also I prefer to play sequels and such faster. What I mean for example is Elder Scrolls 5 came out around 10 years ago. And we still have no info when the sequel will come out. And the series is extremely succesfull too! And don't tell me people like to wait 10 years to play a sequel! Everyone wants to play as soon as possible.

Also a COD game and Borderlands game won GOTY? Damn.

The only nintendo contender in CoD's year was NSMB Wii, and the only FF was The After Years. I think it just got lucky there. Borderlands 2 beating Xenoblade and ME3 is a weirder win for me, yeah nobody played Xeno yet and ME3 had the ending debacle but still... Borderlands? Well I haven't played it so I can't judge >_>

And to be fair to FFXV, 2016 was a weaker year.

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/poll/6574-best-of-2016-game-of-the-year

I'd vote Stardew from that batch myself!

Borderlands 2 would still beat Mass Effect 3! Again, its really not that strange - it was a huge game in a genre that does well on GameFAQs (action RPG) that had a year where the big franchise releases either disappointed (Mass Effect 3, Resident Evil 6, Assassins Creed III, Halo 4) or just didnt release. It was the year of small games - the only huge AAA franchise releases on consoles that delivered were Borderlands 2 and Far Cry 3. Also lets not forget that Borderlands was a pretty well respected franchise back then, it is different now.

Ah I missed your earlier post, sorry for making you repeat yourself! I looked back at OG Borderlands and it missed out on the GotY poll entirely, despite finishing second here: https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/poll/3724-best-of-2009-best-new-original-title

So yeah I guess I underrated how well the franchise did here, I know it's an action RPG but so is like... Far Cry, which has pretty much no presence on the site I believe.

Looking at the 2012 polls a bunch of great games failed to make the overall GotY poll :( And FFXIII-2 only finished 5th in the JRPG poll lol https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/poll/4958-best-of-2012-best-role-playing-game-japanese

Say what you want about COD but MW2 was a damn fun multiplayer game.

andylt posted...

The last time Smash bros lost a game of the year poll: https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/poll/776-best-of-2001-overall-game-of-the-year

Edit: FFVIII's dominance in 99 was ridiculous, wow: https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/poll/38-the-best-of-1999-game-of-the-year

These are such a nice sight to see. A Zelda and Pokmon game doing that bad would be unheard of now.

Safer_777 posted...

Damn it man. FF 7 was dominating but this site flourished with that FF 7 legendary FAQ Guide and well most people that came to this site were fans of FF 7 obviously.

Also I don't accept this games were simpler and costs were lower back then. Games are more complicated sure BUT they earn a TON more money because of DLC/microtransactions. Now when a game makes like 500.000.000 earnings we say well it is a good game and that makes sense. Imagine saying this like 20 years ago.

Also I prefer to play sequels and such faster. What I mean for example is Elder Scrolls 5 came out around 10 years ago. And we still have no info when the sequel will come out. And the series is extremely succesfull too! And don't tell me people like to wait 10 years to play a sequel! Everyone wants to play as soon as possible.

Also a COD game and Borderlands game won GOTY? Damn.

Not every game makes $500 million... Think of flops like Fallout 76, Mass Effect: Andromeda, Anthem, The Avengers etc. Those games likely costed their publishers tens of millions of dollars and lots of companies don't have that much cash to gamble. Some like Konami more or less called it quits on AAA games and only release annualized sports/party games with more consistent returns.

Lightning Strikes posted...

Peak Konami and Capcom were putting out even more all time stuff than Square, with significantly more variety (and they actually put all of it out in Europe which is a major black mark against Square). Regardless, Japanese third party publishers used to absolutely dominate the console space.

I'll definitely acknowledge Konami's incredible 1997-2004 peak - it began with SotN and featured MGS1-3, Silent Hill 1-4, the GBA Castlevania trilogy, and the popularization (if not invention) of the rhythm genre with DDR.

And clearly, that stretch drained them of every drop of their lifeforce.