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NeoGAF Games of the Year 2013 Awards

cj_iwakura

Member
I was expecting more people to play SMTIV too, but I think the eShop promotion kinda backfired a bit. In my country, just a week after its release, I already saw several people selling their copies after getting the CN code. Heck, there was even one who totally didn't touch the game at all, just bought it, registered the CN code and sold it the day he purchased it. I'm sure many people did the same thing too.

Sad if not crazy. It's the best game on the platform, in terms of sheer content. I prefer Soul Hackers as an experience, but SMTIV has far more depth. It's basically a console game on a handheld.
 
Yes, after a year where gaf had a complete brain fart and forgot what gaming was about, you come out and create a fantastic list. Once again we are in agreement, I am almost always in agreement of the GOTY and TLOU was my GOTY as well.

Glad to see Bioshock at 2, shows once again that the negative minority is super loud and annoying. Though I am shocked that it beat out GTA.

Great to see W101 high on the list. My top 5 and gaf top 5 are identical, just a different order. The only things we disagree on is that tearaway is a great game, I don't think so and that rising is the best action game, I thought W101 and DMC were better. Overall awesome list. Glad the stupidity of last year is behind us.
 

Dark Schala

Eloquent Princess
Schala, the link to your second post on your GotY list doesn't link, if that was your intention.
Fixed that up with some tinyurls, I think. Thanks for reminding me. I forgot to do that before I passed out last night.

HAHAHAHAHA
I don't have the slightest, fucking idea why they introduce All Attack/All Defend command after that particular fight with the fucking genie. I dropped Ni No Kuni not long after that out of rage.
I will never understand some of the design decisions in that game. Never. It did a lot of things that inevitably drove me bonkers and I wished that a lot of things were changed or refined to make the experience better. Good art, music and Richard Honeywood dialogue can only go so far.

It's nice to know affinity but it has no impact on who I interact with usually. I enter JRPG and action game threads and OTs, but never post in a Dota 2 thread despite it being my number one.

I have some presence in the Giant Bomb thread and affinity doesn't factor in there.
Yeah, I just know half of the people on my list simply due to the threads I read, or if I message them or something. Or even just because I've gotten familiar with their posting style during the years I've been posting on GAF. But sometimes we don't post in the same threads.

I post in threads with people whose tastes in games are completely different from mine. You'd think I'd mostly just stick around RPG threads, but that isn't true. I haven't posted much in RPG threads this year, and I've hung around platformer threads more often. I occasionally post in the GB thread, LP threads, etc. So no, while it's always nice to know, it doesn't usually factor in who you interact with on GAF on a regular basis.

hey look at that, our To Play lists have a very high affinity!
gaf needs a backlog affinity list.
 

dreamfall

Member
timetokill + Cheesemeister + all of GAF involved- holy goodness, bravo.

I can't wait to pour over the stats, and check the affinity lists. Thanks for the wonderful effort- reading through the voting thread daily for the past month has been incredible.

I guess I'm most surprised by Bioshock Infinite so high on the list! I had some major problems with it, but I definitely put it on there. And it was beautiful seeing so many great titles up there!
 

Majmun

Member
Maybe, but I already don't remember a ton about The Last of Us. I remember the main characters and some of the main beats, but nothing about it really stuck out. The Last of Us is probably the best cutscene-game ever created, which is both part of its success and its failure.

uhm, ok
iF3r0s8RtQeJL.gif


Some people might remember it in a few years time. Just like how people still remember RE4.

And yeah, both games belong in the same category when it comes to quality imo. TLoU has a lot of memorable segments as wel...
 
Hey cheese, what's goty-recommend.txt all about and how is it calculated?

It takes everyone on your personal affinity list and generates a ranking based on their votes alone, minus whatever games you listed. They're personalized recommendations from people with tastes like you.
 
Games I've played or watched in 2013:

DmC Devil May Cry, Papers, Please, Grand Theft Auto V, Saints Row 4, Killer is Dead, Bioshock Infinite, Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance, Beyond: Two Souls, Dragon's Crown, Final Fantasy XIV : A Realm Reborn (beta), Rocksmith 2014, Call of Duty: Ghosts, The Wolf Among Us, episode 1, The Walking Dead: 400 Days, The Walking Dead, season 2, episode 1, The Stanley Parable, Gone Home, The Last of Us, Antichamber, FEZ, PayDay 2, Remember Me, Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed, Tomb Raider, Warframe, Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon, Metro: Last Light

Ooh "watched" why I oughta!

So you didn't like any of those games enough to give a ballot, damn that's harsh.
 

Haunted

Member
It takes everyone on your personal affinity list and generates a ranking based on their votes alone, minus whatever games you listed. They're personalized recommendations from people with tastes like you.
That's a good, inventive application of a specific subset of your parser data. Well done! I'm definitely more likely to check out some of the games I've missed if I find them featured on that list.
 

Strider

Member
Overall. Ya done good gaf.

I was kinda surprised to see Bioshock at #2 considering all the hate it seems to get sometimes. was expecting more like a #5.

Tearaway in the top 10 :)
 

Cyrano

Member
uhm, ok
iF3r0s8RtQeJL.gif


Some people might remember it in a few years time. Just like how people still remember RE4.

And yeah, both games belong in the same category when it comes to quality imo. TLoU has a lot of memorable segments as wel...
Just a question, but assuming you only played through RE4 once or twice, after its initial release, how much about it do you actually remember? More than that, have you gone back and played it and come away with the same, generally "impressed, memorable presentation."? About the only thing I remember in any detail is the funny merchant, because his lines and his character are interesting and odd in the setting he was in. Beyond that I don't remember a whole lot. I remember Leon and Claire better in RE2 than in RE4 (and yes, I'm aware that Claire isn't in RE4, though that's kind of my point).

To contrast, I remember a ton of stuff about Chrono Trigger or Jet Grind Radio or LSD.
 
Tomb Raider is probably the thing that puzzles me most having a second read through. Oh well.
gran turismo 4: #28 in 2005
gran turismo 5: #10 in 2010
gran turismo 6: #63 in 2013

i always thought this series had more love.
I feel like this whole genre is in decline.
 
Rayman Legends couldn't even get in the top 20? :\

This! I just started playing this game a couple of days ago; it is absolutely incredible! By FAR the most gorgeous graphics on the Wii U if not the most gorgeous I've seen all year! Sound is brilliant; platforming is great and it is CHOC-FULL of content!
 

Majmun

Member
Just a question, but assuming you only played through RE4 once or twice, after its initial release, how much about it do you actually remember? More than that, have you gone back and played it and come away with the same, generally "impressed, memorable presentation."? About the only thing I remember in any detail is the funny merchant, because his lines and his character are interesting and odd in the setting he was in. Beyond that I don't remember a whole lot. I remember Leon and Claire better in RE2 than in RE4 (and yes, I'm aware that Claire isn't in RE4, though that's kind of my point).

I've bought the game four times and finished it multiple times, so yeah, I still remember basically everything about it.

The game was worth replaying because, to me, it had a lot of awesome memorable moments that I wanted to experience again. Just like TLoU. I've finished TloU three times so far. To me it was worth replaying. And I didn't do it for the trophies.

I don't replay games just because. I have a huge backlog so replaying games should be a no-go. But some games just ask for it!
 
Count me slightly surprised at Bioshock Infinite in second, generally I thought of TLOU, BI and GTA5 as this years three big games anyway so seeing them all line up like that at the top shouldn't be unexpected at all yet I got the feeling that Bioshock's mini backlash effect around here would've opened the doors for something else to swipe its place as well as GTA5 ranking above it, I think I was expecting Zelda to possibly swoop in seeing as this was a rare case where a new Zelda game wasn't polarizing within its often feuding fanbase, ah but Link just fell short of Mario, platform numbers be damned.
Well I played all of the top 7 before Tomb Raider comes in and bucks the trend, I enjoyed them all to various degrees so that's fine and dandy, as far as what you'd call AAA games go 2013 had some of the few I actually had a lot of fun with, what a twist.

Also it's kind of strange but pleasing to see Fire Emblem up so high considering where the series used to be, for all the niggles I may have with some of the gameplay and progression changes (I should never have to grind in Fire Emblem) i'm just happy to see Awakening got a lot more people into the series, now you should all go back and play Path of Radiance if you haven't done so.


Since our lists are only around a half match I like to think that it's our shared disdain for Jak 2 that keeps the affinity strong, it goes beyond mere GotY lists.
 

erawsd

Member
So after all the naysaying and shaming aimed at some of the big press lists...

Its turns out GAF loves all the same "predictable" big budget games. For shame GAF, for shame.
 

AniHawk

Member
This! I just started playing this game a couple of days ago; it is absolutely incredible! By FAR the most gorgeous graphics on the Wii U if not the most gorgeous I've seen all year! Sound is brilliant; platforming is great and it is CHOC-FULL of content!

yeah but the game looks like this on the wii u:
tLAH9mI.jpg
 

Cyrano

Member
I've bought the game four times and finished it multiple times, so yeah, I still remember basically everything about it.

The game was worth replaying because, to me, it had a lot of awesome memorable moments that I wanted to experience again. Just like TLoU. I've finished TloU three times so far. To me it was worth replaying. And I didn't do it for the trophies.

I don't replay games just because. I have a huge backlog so replaying games should be a no-go. But some games just ask for it!
Yeah, I have a huge backlog too, mostly because of Steam sales. =/

Still, I don't really replay games a bunch anymore. The last one I did that with was Borderlands 2, but due to increasing time constraints, I don't really have the luxury of playing through a game three or four times anymore. If I do, it's typically due to multiplayer or friends prodding me to do so. Guess I'm starting to become part of Old GAF.

I've also instituted a two-hour policy where, if a game doesn't really grab me after two hours of play, I generally drop it (not a hard and fast rule, but something I'm using more and more as a yardstick for a game's ability to interest me, to some degree I've done this with books and movies/series too, though generally it's one episode or one chapter, etc.).
 

Santiako

Member
These people...

Code:
1. Mutagenic (93) http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showpost.php?p=97557800&postcount=1760
1. Xater (93) http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showpost.php?p=95187736&postcount=1047
3. Maragidyne (80) http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showpost.php?p=94717108&postcount=799
3. Sir Garbageman (80) http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showpost.php?p=94678405&postcount=755
5. Selkies! (77) http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showpost.php?p=96258862&postcount=1392
5. toastyToast (77) http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showpost.php?p=96841718&postcount=1530
7. Thoraxes (76) http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showpost.php?p=94108234&postcount=232
8. Levyne (74) http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showpost.php?p=94084993&postcount=39
8. saveweyard (74) http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showpost.php?p=95104204&postcount=1037
10. Laughing Banana (73) http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showpost.php?p=94225867&postcount=526

gitF.gif
 
Top 10 mirrors mine pretty closely, except I had Splinter Cell in there. Bioshock and TR2013 in the top 10 is fine with me. Personally enjoyed both.
 

Currygan

at last, for christ's sake
BI at second place is really surprising to me. I would have thought ALBW had more of a chance...oh well
 

NBtoaster

Member
Much better year than last year. Dota 2 alone was enough to make it a better year.

I've only played 5 games in the top 20. I didn't finish GTA5 or Tomb Raider so didn't vote for them (GTA5 was great, Tomb Raider just ok). Finished Bioshock Infinite but the gameplay was bad so didn't vote for it. AC4 and Dota 2 were the best games of the year.

The other game I voted for, Ratchet and Clank Nexus, didn't feature in any best of list :(

No interest in playing TLOU, 3D World, FE or Zelda.
 

Fjordson

Member
Lots of great games up there
once you get past #1
. Neat to see Bioshock so high. For some reason it seemed like a lot of gaffers had soured on it as the year went on, but I guess not!

edit: oh shit, somehow missed Fire Emblem ranking so highly when I was scrolling down. Awesome.
 

Loakum

Banned
So after all the naysaying and shaming aimed at some of the big press lists...

Its turns out GAF loves all the same "predictable" big budget games. For shame GAF, for shame.


What I see as kind of ridiculous, was the degree of jumping through hoops this thread demands. Instead of simply posting your picks for Games of the Year, you had to use semicolons. You had to include some silly sentence on why you picked this game. You had to put them in numerical order, and in the same sentence. I mean no disrespect for all of those that participated in this.."exersize", but it just seems kind of pointless, when at the end of the day, it's JUST about which games you thought were great (or good) this year.

Anyway, that's my little 2cents.
 
TLOU cleans up as it should. The farting into the hurricane continues unabated though. "No one will remember the game in a few months" lol :D

Great choices in the list overall though, but I'm shocked to see Bioshock beat GTAV.
 

Phatmac

Member
Surprised that smaller PC indie games weren't ranked higher. Would've expected more votes for stuff like Gunpoint and Gone Home considering how cheap and readily available they are when compared to Wii U games. It's still a predictable list of big AAA games overall which is fine. The only problem is that Dota 2 isn't higher. :p
 

Cyrano

Member
What I see as kind of ridiculous, was the degree of jumping through hoops this thread demands. Instead of simply posting your picks for Games of the Year, you had to use semicolons. You had to include some silly sentence on why you picked this game. You had to put them in numerical order, and in the same sentence. I mean no disrespect for all of those that participated in this.."exersize", but it just seems kind of pointless, when at the end of the day, it's JUST about which games you thought were great (or good) this year.

Anyway, that's my little 2cents.
I actually really enjoyed a systematic approach and trying to get some actual information as to why you enjoyed something. I don't really see how that's detrimental. I actually think it's enriching to the community here.
The vocal minority is just that... both vocal and the minority. Those AAA games are what sells, and people are going to vote for the games that they actually played. I think indie games that won GOTY drew bigger backlashes on GAF anyways.
Because vocal majorities are just as vocal. Probably more so, due to numbers. :p
 
What I see as kind of ridiculous, was the degree of jumping through hoops this thread demands. Instead of simply posting your picks for Games of the Year, you had to use semicolons. You had to include some silly sentence on why you picked this game. You had to put them in numerical order, and in the same sentence. I mean no disrespect for all of those that participated in this.."exersize", but it just seems kind of pointless, when at the end of the day, it's JUST about which games you thought were great (or good) this year.

Anyway, that's my little 2cents.

Everyone else has been saying how much they've enjoyed reading the voting thread, which would be pretty boring if it were just a list of lists. Moreover, without automating the data collection, there's no way editing could be allowed until the deadline and have such detailed statistics so quickly afterwards.
 
So after all the naysaying and shaming aimed at some of the big press lists...

Its turns out GAF loves all the same "predictable" big budget games. For shame GAF, for shame.

The vocal minority is just that... both vocal and the minority. Those AAA games are what sells, and people are going to vote for the games that they actually played. I think indie games that won GOTY drew bigger backlashes on GAF anyways.
 

demidar

Member
FYeah, I just know half of the people on my list simply due to the threads I read, or if I message them or something. Or even just because I've gotten familiar with their posting style during the years I've been posting on GAF. But sometimes we don't post in the same threads.

I post in threads with people whose tastes in games are completely different from mine. You'd think I'd mostly just stick around RPG threads, but that isn't true. I haven't posted much in RPG threads this year, and I've hung around platformer threads more often. I occasionally post in the GB thread, LP threads, etc. So no, while it's always nice to know, it doesn't usually factor in who you interact with on GAF on a regular basis.

I think this has been an off year for me so my affinity list is out of whack. I've mostly been delving into my backlog which is where I got a fair amount of enjoyment from 2013. The Thief series, the eXceed series, the Doom series (Doom 1 is still fantastic). And there's really no active thread to talk about that stuff, nor do I care enough to make a new one.

Ooh "watched" why I oughta!

So you didn't like any of those games enough to give a ballot, damn that's harsh.

TLoU is exactly the type of game I would watch :p

My relationship with Uncharted 2 is as follows. People keep telling me "Oh man, you gotta get up to the train sequence, it'll blow your socks off!". Err, no. That's actually when I put it down. As nice as it all looked, I was still just shooting dudes. Yep. Great. Not tired of that at all.

I don't want to be taken for a ride, I want to be the ride.
 

NotSaladin

Neo Member
Geez, I don't recognise any of these dudes apart from Prince Vultan (because no one forgets a Brian Blessed avatar). Either my memory is getting even worse or there's a whole lot of juniors in my user affinity list.

It's not all that bad to have an affinity with a junior ;)

I may be a junior on GAF, but I'm certainly no junior when it comes to gaming...if that makes you feel any better.

Glad to come across someone with similar taste. Thanks to fellow members for sharing their thoughts. I see that I still have a few more great games to play from this year!
 

Marc

Member
Bioshock Infinite second? GAF's street cred is ruined! :( Probably the worst game I played last year to be honest but that is me I guess.

Not a fan of the list but that's democracy for you. The lack of love for Dragons Dogma Dark Arisen tells me GAF needs to play that game and come back here and apologise. :)


The Last of Us winning is well deserved, congrats to Naughty Dog. Excellent work by timetokill, amazing detail!
 

Heropon

Member
I've been recommended this game called The Last of Us, is it any good?

Now seriously, I wonder how many people that didn't vote for it have it as their number 1 recommended game. I suppose it must be close to 100%.
 

Omikaru

Member
Not at all a surprising list. The Last of Us was a really good game, so I have no objections to it being top of the pack, even if it wasn't my favourite game of the year. And Tearaway's inclusion was very nice; probably my favourite platformer of the year, in a year which had some pretty tough competition. Definitely punching above its weight considering its sales, its platform, and the competition.

Here's my user affinity:


Don't recognise any of the names on that list besides mxgt, sorry! :(

And here's the top 10 recommendations for me, with my remarks in bold:

1. [360][PS3][PC] BioShock Infinite (FPS) = 10 points - Played it, didn't think much of it.
2. [360][PS3] Grand Theft Auto V (Adventure) = 9 points - Kind of tired of R* stuff, so I gave this one a miss. Will be checking it out if it comes to PC or PS4, though.
3. [3DS] Fire Emblem Awakening (RPG) = 7 points - On my "to buy" list; I just don't like paying Nintendo UK's asking price.
4. [NWU] Super Mario 3D World (Platform) = 7 points - Bought it. Selling it. Quite disappointed by this, which is why it wasn't on my list.
5. [360][XB1][PS3][PS4][NWU][PC] Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag (Adventure) = 6 points - Bought it, beat it. Quite enjoyed it, coming from someone who hasn't played an AC game since 2. Probably won't bother with an AC game again, though.
6. [3DS] The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds (Adventure) = 6 points - Bought it, loved it, but didn't think it was in my top 10.
7. [PS3][PSV][PC] Guacamelee! (Platform) = 5 points - Got this with PS+. Haven't played much, but I thought it was okay.
8. [360][PS3][PC] Tomb Raider (Adventure) = 4 points - Didn't mind this, but not good enough to make it into my top 10.
9. [360][PS3] Diablo III (RPG) = 3 points - Waiting for PS4 version.
10. [PS3][PSV] Dragon's Crown (Adventure) = 3 points - This may be really fickle, but the art direction put me off this game. I'll probably try it some day, but it'll be a struggle.
 
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