Poll: Game Of The Year- Let the battle begin...

[Windcaler]

Shouldnt this kind of thing be done after the 1st? You know when the year is actually over?

That said if I had to make a vote right now for the best game this year I think I would have to say its Shadowrun returns.

My number 2 is definately Metro: Last light

My number 3 is a toss up between Far cry: Blood Dragon and Stardrive

 

[Sack of Cheese]

Killzone Shadow Fall!! Oh wait, it's not out yet.
I don't know, I dug Injustice: Gods among us, Soul Sacrifice, Dragon's crown, Fire emblem and Deadly Premonition: Director's Cut a lot I guess. Tomb raider wasn't bad either.

Ni no kuni and The Last of us were disappointing to me though.

 

[lacktheknack]

It's silly to start this so early.

I'll say Tomb Raider, but that's going to be replaced by Saints Row IV or Watchdogs.

 

[Maxtro]

Definitely not The Last of Us. I'm almost finished with it and that games has pissed me off more than few games ever had. It just drags and drags. I'm sick and tired of having to constantly use stealth to kill a whole bunch of guys, and if you screw up, congratulations you get to do everything again.

It would be a much better movie than a game.

 

[Rob Robson]

Easily The Last of Us. However, being an exclusive, I have to strip it of it's title and give it to something else on principle. I just haven't decided what yet.

It might actually end up being War Thunder. Somebody pinch me. I never thought the day would come where I would rank a free-to-play best game of the year. But unless a game comes along before new years to sweep me off my ass then that's exactly what'll happen.

 

[Thedutchjelle]

No, I said that the game's usage of Quantum Mechanics is a real world application that is used incorrectly, which it is. The game takes the template for a real-life property, goes along with it (for the most part, anyway) and then at the very end decides to re-write it to fit its own agenda.

The idea of "super powers," "mechanical men," and "giant flying mechanical birds" are all fiction. Those are all fair game. I'm saying that you can't suddenly pull the "hey, the whole infinite worlds thing? Turns out they're not really infinite" card and get away with it.

Is there a list of things somewhere I can peruse that states all the different things that fiction/fantasy writers cannot "get away with"? I was laboring under the stupid assumption that "getting away" with bending the rules of how our universe works is rather the point of fantasy.

You can't contradict yourself. They give a real-world explanation for the way the city can fly, using real world science, quantum mechanics, but then at the end of the game decide to make up their own shit because they painted themselves into a corner. The key magically manifesting itself at the lighthouse door is a clear indication that they have no idea what they are talking about.

It is science, not magic. It does not alter just because you want it to.

You think the plasmids in bioshock 1 made any sense at all? It was explained fairly well with the in-game story but I'm sure it makes as little sense to PhD's in Genetics as the quantum stuff in B:I does for physicists.

Anyway, I vote Bioshock Infinite for now. Not for the story or gameplay.. the game got a bit tedious during/after the Vox revolution thing where the good visuals became Gray & Grayer. But I liked wandering around with Ellizabeth a lot in the beach sections and the whole bit before that was pretty stellar as well.

I've also gotten Metro Last Light, but it's not as good as the original in my view.. it's pretty much the same, but more. Too much "outside" for a game that I hoped would place in dark metrotunnels.. and the NPCs still look and act very odd to me. Gameplay was good though, no doubt about that.

 

[Kingjackl]

I'd go with GTAV at number 1, with Bioshock Infinite as the runner-up and honourable mention to Papers Please.

 

[Get_A_Grip_]

Papers, Please!

This is not only the best indie game of the year, it is the best game of the year.

It's one of the few games I've ever played where the moral choices are interwoven into the game mechanics and there is no distinct right or wrong decisions, they all fall into that delicious moral gray area.

Graphically the game is very very basic on a technical level, but it's astethics are perfect considering the theme and time period the game is set in. It really does look like a game that would have been released circa 1986.

And most importantly, it's immensely engaging. More so than almost anything else I've ever played, which is impressive considering that the gameplay consists of looking for discrepancies in paperwork and stamping passports.

I know my writing isn't great and it doesn't do the game any justice but I urge you to check this title out. The beta is free and the full game isn't what you would call expensive.

 

[Splitzi]

This threads a tad early, stores haven't even put Christmas decorations on sale yet. Oh, and the holiday games rush hasn't happened yet.

However, back on topic, out of your three options (not counting other) it seems like a pretty easy decision. Bioshock Infinite had awful shooting and gameplay mechanics other than the skyhook, and GTA V isn't even completely out yet, and won't be until the first of October. So I'm giving it to Naughty Dog and the game that's just beyond my reach.

 

[Hazy]

No, I said that the game's usage of Quantum Mechanics is a real world application that is used incorrectly, which it is. The game takes the template for a real-life property, goes along with it (for the most part, anyway) and then at the very end decides to re-write it to fit its own agenda.

The idea of "super powers," "mechanical men," and "giant flying mechanical birds" are all fiction. Those are all fair game. I'm saying that you can't suddenly pull the "hey, the whole infinite worlds thing? Turns out they're not really infinite" card and get away with it.

Is there a list of things somewhere I can peruse that states all the different things that fiction/fantasy writers cannot "get away with"? I was laboring under the stupid assumption that "getting away" with bending the rules of how our universe works is rather the point of fantasy.

You can't contradict yourself. They give a real-world explanation for the way the city can fly, using real world science, quantum mechanics, but then at the end of the game decide to make up their own shit because they painted themselves into a corner. The key magically manifesting itself at the lighthouse door is a clear indication that they have no idea what they are talking about.

It is science, not magic. It does not alter just because you want it to.

You think the plasmids in bioshock 1 made any sense at all? It was explained fairly well with the in-game story but I'm sure it makes as little sense to PhD's in Genetics as the quantum stuff in B:I does for physicists.

But here's the thing: ADAM uses real world science, true, but it only uses it as a base: stem cells. It introduces the fact that the slugs produce stem cells, but from there on out, it's complete fiction. The stem cells can be scientifically applicable conductors for genetic modification using the fake science of Rapture. I'm okay with that. What would be absurd is them saying that real-world stem cells suddenly cause the body to burst into flames, without any tampering whatsoever.

Infinite goes "hey, let's use this real-world science throughout the game" and then forgets that it's just that: science, not a plot device for deus ex machina. It doesn't just use the science as a base... it uses it throughout, and then at the end decides to plop it off for convenience. I think this [http://accurateobservation.com/2013/04/07/bioshock-infinite-stupidity/] article puts it a lot better than I ever could.

I actually don't hate the game. It's not nearly as good as it should have been, and I think that's why I'm so hard on it.

 

[Inconspicuous Trenchcoat]

For reference, from your poll, I've finished Bioshock: Infinite and The Last of Us. As I've played GTA 3, VC, SA and 4 on PC, I'm waiting for V's PC release. Bioshock was pretty and great to explore, but the gunplay was bleh. It was okay, rented and beat it on PS3, got it for free on PC but still don't care enough to play through it again (only redeemed my PC code to buy the promising DLC). I didn't like Uncharted: Golden Abyss and the first Uncharted, but I liked The Last of Us. It's really hard to tell how much I liked it though, because I rented, so I can't go back and check my opinions on it. I think melee being viable, along with the "crafting" system, mixed up the third person shooty enough for me to enjoy myself.

Top 3 of the year, so far:
-Trials Evolution: Gold Edition (Does it count? This version was released this year on PC ) - Trials 2, HD and Evolution are all incredible games to me. They're like the next evolution in platforming. Hear me out. The physics engine is so naunced, consistent and fun that just spending hours refining your riding is incredibly satisfying and entertaining. The multiplayer could use some work though. Still, I played this for 118 hours in the first month it came out, lol. 40 hours spent building my own track (which sucked, but I tried
-State of Decay (PC) It has many problems but the groundwork it laid is addictive and cool; could really turn into something amazing with more funding and time for a sequel; PC mods could also elevate it to greatness. I'm not sure if it would hold up to replays--maybe sandbox mode will be its saving grace?--but, I'm having a lot of fun with it. Still, it could do with a lot of fleshing out and a difficulty increase. It's way too easy so far, kinda mars the experience when I know I'll be fine as long as I don't do anything too stupid. I've only been close to dying once--due to something behaving in a way I didn't expect.
-Sonic and All-Stars Racing Transformed (PC) - this is the best kart/arcade racing game I've ever played (maybe tied with Blur). If I still had the opportunity for playing tons of local mulitplayer, like I did in my Mario Kart 64 days, I'd be more sure of how much I liked this game. Not sure how well it'll hold up in the long run, but with less and less time in adulthood, that becomes ever harder to judge. Anyways, it's very fun, all the tracks are good and the skill ceiling leaves room to grow. I grew up with Nintendo, just saying, it wasn't nostalgia for me. Oh, also: Mario Kart is still fun, so please don't hit me for liking Sonic Racing.

There's still titles I've yet to play that could shake up this ranking, we'll see.