Game of the year

[Room 34]

For me, it's a tie between Metroid Prime 2 and Alien Hominid.

[hex65000]

Note: This is not designed to be flamebait... just my NSH opinion.

 

I'm going to have to go with Katamari Damancy. This game has me literally preaching it's strange merit to anyone who will listen to me. Yeah, I think it's that good.

 

I can't comment on Halo2 yet because I haven't started playing.

 

Having played Alien Hominid, it's pretty cool, but i really didn't see any major innovation. It's a contra/gunstar heros class title that appears to be well done, but at the same time the 2d-ish cell shading makes me think that this game could have been accomplished on the previous generation consoles to a reasonable degree. (IE: Dreamcast, PS1, N-64, even the Jag)

 

GTA is GTA is an RPG. The series just doesn't do 'it' for me. I'll leave the rest for the historians to figure out...

 

Hex.

[ Is itching to try out all his new toys.... ]

[Mr Egg]

im behind the times as well so i go with battlefield 1942 but only with the forgotten hope mod for multiplayer and Battlegroup 42 for single player

[kisrael]

Note: This is not designed to be flamebait...  just my NSH opinion.

 

GTA is GTA is an RPG. The series just doesn't do 'it' for me.  I'll leave the rest for the historians to figure out...

And I'm not gonna flame back but...huh, GTA as an RPG? Well, for starters, it is at worst an "Action RPG" ala Zelda...and I think boring turn based combat is why I hate the genre. Now GTA:SA has a few more stats and leveling up (along with some stats you can just jam to maximum) so it was a little more Sims/RPGish, but overall I it just doesn't set off my RPG-detector...

[Gregory DG]

RPG can be applied to just about any game. Even Pong! In that game you are taking on the "role" of a paddle and are "playing" a "game."

 

 

It's not much of a stretch for the GTA games to be considered an RPG. It even has leveling like the classic definition (you can run faster, get stronger, change clothes, etc.)

[shep]

I think its really hard to pick game of the year this year, the only new games I got that came out this year were FF Dawn of Souls, Megaman Collection, and Sonic Collection. Anything but the GTA, sports, series can qualify in my book.

[ClassicBoy]

Game of the Year is a tough call. While I've really enjoyed several of the games from this past year, for me right now it's XBOX Burnout 3.

 

I've been playing it with a racing wheel and hooked up in high def on a 65" widescreen. It's the most fun I've had with a game in years. For me, it felt like I was playing my very first video game...as in a completely new experience.

 

I just can't get over the incredible sense of speed and great control in Burnout 3. It's the first time I've been "blown away" by a game in a long, long time.

[dinovelvet]

Huh. Either GTA:SA or Crimson Skies, if it's not too late for that.

i just started playing crimson skies, glad to see someone gave it a vote, maybe its time i really start playing that game.

but for now i haveta say "full spectrum warrior"

 

I got Crimson Skies (and Xbox Live) this year, and I've played Skies more than any other game on Live, yet I've barely even touched the single player. It's almost criminally addictive!

 

As for my game of the year, I'll probably say Xbox Chronicles of Riddick : Escape from Butcher Bay. Who'd have thought a spinoff game from a crappy Vin Diesel movie would have been any good? But it turned out to be a very classy shooter/adventure which was vastly superior to Halo 2, imho.

[CPUWIZ]

As for my game of the year, I'll probably say Xbox Chronicles of Riddick : Escape from Butcher Bay. Who'd have thought a spinoff game from a crappy Vin Diesel movie would have been any good? But it turned out to be a very classy shooter/adventure which was vastly superior to Halo 2, imho.

 

Riddick PC gets my second place, excellent game. I still don't know where to put Doom 3, even though I finished it.

[kisrael]

I got Crimson Skies (and Xbox Live) this year, and I've played Skies more than any other game on Live, yet I've barely even touched the single player. It's almost criminally addictive!

Interesting! I haven't done Crimson Skies live, but found the splitscreen multiplayer not as compelling as I had hoped. Maybe it's just that my friends and I never got around to getting a decent strategy going.

 

You should give the single player a whirl, I think it's very rewarding.

[Heavy Sixer]

Gradius V for me.

Agreed! Definitely one of the finest 2-D shooters ever made! My #2 and #3 picks are Neo Contra and MGS3, respectively.

[figgler]

Perhaps not your typical Game of the Year candidates, but no games this year captivated and owned me quite like Mario vs. Donkey Kong, Star Wars Battlefront and Pikmin 2.

[Stingray]

I'm glad I wasn't the only one thinking Mario vs. Donkey Kong, loved that one. Also deserving are PoP: Warrior Within and Katamari Damacy.

 

GTA: SA was the most dissapointing game I've bought in a long time. I truly am sorry I wasted my money on that one.

 

-S

[+FujiSkunk]

Another vote for Burnout 3. This game went from "What is it?" to "I gotta have it!" in under 5 seconds at a Best Buy display kiosk. I hear people say there are flaws, and I can certainly name a few, but that doesn't change the fact that this game can produce one hell of an adrenaline rush and several fits of giggles all at the same time. It's been a while since a video game did that for me.

[+Sauron]

I've skipped out on most console gaming this year, mainly due to my new job working for a PC gaming publisher. I can't pick any one game as my "Game of the Year", although really I'm pretty torn between Half Life 2 and World of Warcraft. The biggest surprise game of the year for me was City of Heroes.

[kisrael]

GTA: SA was the most dissapointing game I've bought in a long time. I truly am sorry I wasted my money on that one.

Hahaha, Stingray, I gotta say..I skimmed your posts in Thoughts on GTA:SA and you go from sounding like you're having a grand old time with it to hating it...all because you're too challenged by the one or two DDR-ish games they throw in there. (And then later you start griping about the lack of mission skip.)

 

That's really too bad for two reasons: one is, it's a pretty small minority who find the dancing missions THAT though. Are you sure you're seeing the little timing indicator on the bottom of your 7" LCD screen?

 

But the worst part is that, while it's a bit goofy to throw that in there, if you got past it on the first try like I did, you wouldn't think anything of it...and you're missing out on (barely) arguably the best GTA game yet.

 

I'd love love love to see Mission Select for things you've beaten...much rather have that than Mission Skip, frankly. I guess a Mission Skip cheat would be ok.

[Avid Fan]

I'd have to go with Pikmin 2 and Spider-Man 2. Spider-Man 2 is gaming nirvana while it lasts. While I had never played Pikmin 1, I asked for it for xmas and got Pikmin 2, a wildly fun game, and will have you playing for a long time. I'll give Mario Vs. Donkey Kong a mention, but I havent played more than 5 levels on it, but its the best 2D game since Metroid Fusion

[Lord Helmet]

I'm an RPG guy...and so fan KOTOR 2 is really cool...

[mightymage]

metriod prime 2

great story game play and grafix

[Major Havoc 2049]

It's a tie for me.

 

Ninja Gaiden and Halo 2.

[bergbros2]

Half Life2. A game that truly exceeded the incredibly high expectations coming in. The physics and graphics the game employs really sets it apart.

 

For the consoles, Katamari Damacy- Just the sheer originality of the game in an era of clones, ripoffs, spinoffs and sequels is refreshing.

[liveinabin]

Most overhyped game HAS to be Burnout 3.  A fine game, certainly, but with some very deep flaws.

 

Hmm... after a couple of weeks of Xbox Live play, I have to reconsider my opinion.

Burnout 3 is absolutely superb! (1 player offline is still flawed though, but Live play more than maks up for it). Even with all its flaws (like the ruined crash mode), it's my game of the year.