Zero Punctuation: Top 5 of 2012

[jmarquiso]

Again I call out for Katawa Shoujo, that has multiple storylines, each of them really well written and character-focused.

I highly recommend Alpha Protocol for branching storylines. The game completely shifts and changes based on your choices, which is precisely why Yahtzee was so confused by the story.

I'm still on the middle of episode 3, so let's see what the games presents me from now on.

Nevertheless, my point is, they said that the story and gameplay fits my choices, and I don't see that happening, i.e., whatever choices I make, I'll end up seeing the same major events of the story that you saw on episode 4 and 5. The difference is who is going to be alive and who will like me or not, I'm guessing...

But, with all that, The Walking Dead still a GREAT GAME! =)

Seriously, do yourself a favor and play through the entire run blind first. Then after do another playthrough if you want. The game is definitely "tailored" to your choices, the plot is not. At the moment you're ruining that illusion. There is no optimal way to play. There are no "good" choices. Still every choice you make reflects on you as a player. I was also disappointed for awhile until I stopped experimenting with the choices and trying to work my way around it. The first run through is the most personal. The rest are more and more experimental.

Also - keep in mind that "silence" is a dialog option.

And no, the plot will not change. Not by much. But some characters will have different arcs. Others will simply not change no matter how hard you try (they're stubborn like that - and I like that about the game).

 

[jmarquiso]

This makes up for escapist crowning Mass effect 3 as game of the year.

The only reason I am on this site is because of Yahtzee/ zero punctuation.

I will be playing spec ops the line and walking dead now.

I agree with Dishonored just about making it into the list. Lots of average games this year so a good game like dishonoured can edge it. Impressive for a new IP, a sequel can iron out a lot of the issues and balancing. Not sure what they are going to do with the story though

Also Yahtzee seems to hate Mass Effect.

 

[jmarquiso]

In general? Or was there a specific list you were thinking of?
Cuz The Escapist already did theirs and it was bloody Mass Effect...

What? Really? They actually crowned Mass Effect 3 game of the year? It wasn't just an editing error and the list was supposed to be called most disappointing games of 2012? What the fuck? I guess the list must have been made by the same geniuses who think it's a good idea to make everyone prove they aren't a spambot daily, because after 3 years of membership I might just decide to randomly become a spambot.

Yep, and it was People's Choice. Just narrowly beat Journey and The Walking Dead.

 

[sXeth]

Well, I know I'm in the decided minority, but I couldn't stand The Walking Dead. Chalk it up to burnout on zombies, burnout on grimdark storylines, or whatall, but it just didn't sit in with me. It also seems to crib heavily in premise from The Road. The fact that its less a game then a visual choose your own adventure book kind of clicks me off a bit too.

Most of the rest I can more or less agree with, though in Yahtzee's own logic, Dishonored should get credit for trying reasonably new stuff as much as Neverdead?

For my own part, I had Dishonored, Dragons Dogma, Far Cry 3, Tokyo Jungle, and Dark Souls. I don't play nearly enough games for that even to come off entirely credible, nevermind a Worst of category, but I will give some Dishonorable mention to Twisted Metal PS3 (I think that was this year anyhow) and Soulcalibur V.

And on the biggest disappointment note, Assassins Creed 3. Campaign wise, "Whats with you and not stabbing people?!" is pretty apt. As for the rest, if they can't come up with some sort of way to provide randomized assassinations by the next one, they should give up on sandboxing. Sandbox games work if you can engage in the core mechanic in the sandbox, AC's sandboxing is like having GTA without any cars to steal. Hunting/Animal Assassinating was sort of a half-in cop out, but ultimately pointless, and spoiled by the animals having radar level senses, and penalizing you for killing them in anything but the most tedious way.

 

[FallenMessiah88]

The only thing this list did was to remind me how few games I have acutally played this year. I still have a lot of catching up to do.

Also, spunkgargleweewee is still a really stupid term.

I believe that's the point of the newfangled terminology.

Perhaps, but that still doesn't make it any less stupid. People claim that it's to distinguish between different sub genres of shooters which is all fine and good. The problem is that it's a derotagory term. I don't particularly like romantic comedies, but I don't go around using terms like "Kissykissypukebarf" to describe them.

 

[TJC]

The only thing this list did was to remind me how few games I have acutally played this year. I still have a lot of catching up to do.

Also, spunkgargleweewee is still a really stupid term.

I believe that's the point of the newfangled terminology.

Perhaps, but that still doesn't make it any less stupid. People claim that it's to distinguish between different sub genres of shooters which is all fine and good. The problem is that it's a derotagory term. I don't particularly like romantic comedies, but I don't go around using terms like "Kissykissypukebarf" to describe them.

well you should because that's what I'm going to do from now on. Much better and more obvious way to present my hatred instead of sputtering "romcom" with utter disgust.

 

[FallenMessiah88]

The only thing this list did was to remind me how few games I have acutally played this year. I still have a lot of catching up to do.

Also, spunkgargleweewee is still a really stupid term.

I believe that's the point of the newfangled terminology.

Perhaps, but that still doesn't make it any less stupid. People claim that it's to distinguish between different sub genres of shooters which is all fine and good. The problem is that it's a derotagory term. I don't particularly like romantic comedies, but I don't go around using terms like "Kissykissypukebarf" to describe them.

well you should because that's what I'm going to do from now on. Much better and more obvious way to present my hatred instead of sputtering "romcom" with utter disgust.

I would actually prefer to use the word "romcom", especially if I wan't people to take my opinion seriously.

 

[RedDeadFred]

If the Walking Dead or Journey isn't game of the year i'll be pissed.

In general? Or was there a specific list you were thinking of?
Cuz The Escapist already did theirs and it was bloody Mass Effect...

Of course it was.. you saw how much advertising ME3 had here and how fervently most of The Escapist contributors were to defend EA and condemn the consumer outcry.

If you find this site to be so corrupt, why don't you just leave?

Also, I have an idea... Maybe it was the Escapist GOTY because a lot of people here actually liked it. [incoming sarcasm] Na you're probably right I'm sure the site's been bribed by EA. [/sarcasm] And before you go screaming things like "you're just defending them because you're a Mass Effect fanboy", I'd like to tell you that I didn't even vote for it for GOTY. I liked it, but not as much as Borderlands 2. Also, I hated the ending as much as most people but the EC fixed most of my problems with it.

Anyway... OT:
Pretty solid list Yahtzee. I know how you hated Borderlands 2 so it came as no surprise to see its absence. All of those games you listed were great. My favourite from your list is Dishonored.

I haven't played any of the worst games but they all look quite dreadful.

 

[Nazulu]

The only thing this list did was to remind me how few games I have acutally played this year. I still have a lot of catching up to do.

Also, spunkgargleweewee is still a really stupid term.

I believe that's the point of the newfangled terminology.

Perhaps, but that still doesn't make it any less stupid. People claim that it's to distinguish between different sub genres of shooters which is all fine and good. The problem is that it's a derotagory term. I don't particularly like romantic comedies, but I don't go around using terms like "Kissykissypukebarf" to describe them.

That's the whole point mate. He's sick of seeing these samey, bland, mainstream appealing, triple AAA FPS's and believes they are the lowest form of gaming, so he's giving them a name that he thinks suits these games.

Sometimes artists do controversial things like this, and it's completely understandable that not everyone can follow their notion, or just thinks it's silly because everyone likes to do things differently. He's made his point though, Croshaw made it very clear what he is sick of seeing in modern day shooters. So you can think of it as it ticks him off as much as this term ticks you off.

I would actually prefer to use the word "romcom", especially if I wan't people to take my opinion seriously.

Maybe from the beginning when these repetitive military shooters were being over developed, but it's been going on for so long now that it doesn't really matter if certain people can't take you seriously. I think this new name is the step up from that, making it clear where you stand on the issue.

I'm curious if Yahtzee would name CoD4 SGWW, I found that game to be a really good experience.

 

[themilo504]

Mostly unsurprisingly choices but i am suprised to see dishonored taking the number 5 spot.

 

[Balkan]

FINALLY. Some list agrees spec ops is the game of the year, I can die happy.

I'm here, friend. The unpopularity of the line just shows the state of the industry. The game is a mind fuckingly amazing, but people won't buy it, because the reviewers gave it an 8 and not a 9.

No, I think it's more about the poor mechanics, and that playing it is exactly like hitting yourself in the face with the history book as illustrated in the video. Some people don't want to buy a game that's really, really not fun, and I can respect that. In fact, it's sort of wise to avoid it because you can't really stop playing it once you get into it like in that movie Saw where you have to cut your leg off to escape.

So, you respect someone missing on a great game just because its not fun? Why should be judge Spec Ops for it's fun factor, when the game has different goals? I mean, games are so varied, why are people judge them only on how much fun they had? Games are not toys anymore, people should learn this if they think that games are art.
Also, why are people saying that the gameplay was bad? It wasn't worse than say Gears of war, and people seem to like that game. It was competent enough to get you through the story, the actually important bit.

 

[Mike Fang]

I'm honestly not surprised Spec Ops: The Line made Yahtzee's No.1 game of the year since he gushed so much about it. I haven't played it and have no interest to, frankly, but I read the Wiki page on it and it does sound like it has a complex and detailed plot. Dunno about a 'good' one, though, since it sounds extremely similar to a lot of modern Hollywood movies that are all about painting the American military in a bad light. Which is what leads me to wonder: did Yahtzee like it so much for complex characters, character development, an intriguing, thought-provoking plot...or did he just get a big stiffy over something that took a great big shit on the U.S. Army and gave him the chance to kill characters that were American?

 

[repeating integers]

SNIP

Please don't multiple post. If you want to talk to multiple people, just edit your quote into a previous post. E.G.:

WORDS WORDS WORDS

Words words words? Words words words.... WORDS WORDS WORDS!

EDIT:

Words words words words....

WORDS WORDS WORDS.

EDIT 2:

Words words words?

Words.

Etc., etc., you get the idea.

The problem with this is that quoting someone in an edit means that your post doesn't show up in their inbox, which is how most people keep track of things.

 

[DataSnake]

I think the answer is both. Spec Ops - btw - is technically a sequel to a long dead franchise. Sequels also tend to be not as fresh or interesting as their predecessors. THough as games stake their place as franchises and brand recognition, it'd be hard to review a year of fewer and fewer fresh IPs.

Actually, a lot of sequels, remakes and spiritual successors have been really, really good:
*Half-Life 2
*Portal (spiritual successor of Narbacular Drop)
*Skyrim
*Silent Hill 2
*Prince of Persia: Sands of Time
*Assassins Creed 2
*Arkham Asylum (not the first batman game by a long shot)
*Doom II (probably my favorite game of all time)

 

[Madman123456]

"Spec ops: the Line" sounds like one of those titles that sacfrice fun to make an "artistic" Point that immediatelly falls flat on its ass because when "the Game tells me to do something" it's often the best Choice i and/or the Character could make based on the Information presented. It is very hard to avoid this and i doubt anyone in the entire industry is even capable of doing this once, let alone through an entire game, seeing how companies who rely on story to drive their games fail regularly at rather simple moral dilemmas.

But Yahtzee recommended it, so i will give it a chance.

 

[Brentpool]

I love how unscrambling the box art was blatantly part of the video this time.

 

[jmarquiso]

I think the answer is both. Spec Ops - btw - is technically a sequel to a long dead franchise. Sequels also tend to be not as fresh or interesting as their predecessors. THough as games stake their place as franchises and brand recognition, it'd be hard to review a year of fewer and fewer fresh IPs.

Actually, a lot of sequels, remakes and spiritual successors have been really, really good:
*Half-Life 2
*Portal (spiritual successor of Narbacular Drop)
*Skyrim
*Silent Hill 2
*Prince of Persia: Sands of Time
*Assassins Creed 2
*Arkham Asylum (not the first batman game by a long shot)
*Doom II (probably my favorite game of all time)

I didn't say "bad", I said "not as fresh". I will say generally sequels are generally a similar game, but made with more money. I'd argue that Portal and Arkham Asylum are the beginnings of their own respective franchises rather than sequels, but I guess if we get pedantic -

On his list the sequels were the top 3:

*Spec Ops: The Line
*XCOM: Enemy Unknown
*Far Cry 3

As well as the top "Worst":

* Medal of Honor: Warfighter
* Steel Batallion
* Resident Evil 6

He actually has quite a few sequels in this list - but that's a different point.

 

[jmarquiso]

The problem with this is that quoting someone in an edit means that your post doesn't show up in their inbox, which is how most people keep track of things.

Me, it's obviously personal preference, right? I access these forums at irregular hours, and got a little carried away.

 

[rwllay]

interestingly the five games i got for/bought with money from Christmas identically matched the top 5