HF Retro Game of the Year - 2002 - Vice City Wins

[Emperoreddy]

BF1942 was a major critical hit at the time though.

Don't recall that being the best time for PC shooters. Not like years before or how it is today.

 

[sabresfan129103]

Shameful confession: I've never played more than 4 or 5 hours of Morrowind, and I think I bought it back in 2003 or 2004. The beginning of the game is pretty punishing and I can never seem to find the actual quest locations. I end up looking at a wiki more than playing the game and then I get frustrated and give up.

Anyways, I chose Warcraft 3. Probably my favorite game in that list.

 

[Common Sense]

Vice City easily. It had a pretty small map but the world just felt “alive” in a way that I cant put my finger on and I havent gotten that feeling from any game since.

 

[Osprey]

Shameful confession: I've never played more than 4 or 5 hours of Morrowind, and I think I bought it back in 2003 or 2004. The beginning of the game is pretty punishing and I can never seem to find the actual quest locations. I end up looking at a wiki more than playing the game and then I get frustrated and give up.

I have a similar shameful confession. Even though I've praised it for 16 years and voted for it in this poll, I've never finished Morrowind, myself. I played it a whole lot when it was released, but I got to a point where I had no idea where to go or what to do next. The game is awfully unforgiving like that. I like when games don't hand hold you and don't mind being lost for a while until I un-stick myself, but I fast traveled back and forth between every city in the game numerous times, talking to everyone in each city to get some clue to get me on the right track and never found it. I spent days trying to figure it out, but eventually put it on the back burner. By the time that I returned to it, though, I was even more lost because I'd forgotten the story and any clues that might've helped me get back on track.

I've just never had the motivation to start over from scratch because I'm afraid of putting 20-30 hours into it and getting stuck like that again. Then again, you just reminded me that I could always look at a wiki if that happens again. I must've tried that 16 years ago, but the completeness of information online is probably a lot better now than it was in 2002.

 

[Frankie Blueberries]

Suggestions for 2001 games for the next poll:

• GTA III
• Max Payne
• Conker's Bad Fur Day
• Devil May Cry
• Crash Bandicoot: The Wrath of Cortex
• Super Smash Bros: Melee
• Halo: Combat Evolved
• Tony Hawk Pro Skater 3
• Return to Castle Wolfenstein
• Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty
• Civilization 3
• Advance Wars
• Final Fantasy X
• SSX Tricky
• Jak and Daxter
• Twisted Metal Black
• Alien vs. Predator 2
• Ico
• Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Ages/Seasons
• Mario Kart: Super Circuit
• Animal Crossing
• Silent Hill 2
• Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance
• Luigi's Mansion
• Black and White

Bolded should be locks, IMO.

Damn, 2001 was a pretty big year as well. Lots of good-to-great games, not too many genre-defining games outside the bolded though.

 

[Blitzkrug]

...Was Conker seriously in 2001? Didn't realize it dropped that late into the N64's life.

Probably ultimately comes down to Halo 1 or GTA III. Animal Crossing is my personal pick off that list. Ungodly amount of hours in that game over a solid 5 or 6 year span. I would absolutely nuke a city to get an HD remaster of it.

 

[The Nuge]

• GTA III
• Max Payne
• Conker's Bad Fur Day
• Devil May Cry
• Super Smash Bros: Melee
• Halo: Combat Evolved
• Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty
• Final Fantasy X
• SSX Tricky
• Jak and Daxter
• Animal Crossing
• Silent Hill 2
• Luigi's Mansion

I agree with the above for sure. It’s actually a really hard year to narrow down.

Another game I’d include is Runescape. It definitely fell off a cliff, but it was HUGE back in the day, and holds the record for biggest free MMORPG.

That said, this has to go down to FFX, GTA3, or Halo.

 

[Frankie Blueberries]

I agree with the above for sure. It’s actually a really hard year to narrow down.

Another game I’d include is Runescape. It definitely fell off a cliff, but it was HUGE back in the day, and holds the record for biggest free MMORPG.

That said, this has to go down to FFX, GTA3, or Halo.

I'd agree with Runescape, but that was just the 3D model update IIRC. I'm probably in the minority, but I enjoyed the original Runescape most (for gameplay and art style).

This will most likely go to GTA 3 because it pretty much established the 3D open sandbox genre. Easily the most influential of the pack. Hasn't aged that well though, I think other games on the list withstand the test of time better like Smash Bros, Halo, Advance Wars, etc. Got a mixed bag though, there are cases to be made for GOTY for at least half the games on my list.

 

[Frankie Blueberries]

...Was Conker seriously in 2001? Didn't realize it dropped that late into the N64's life.

Probably ultimately comes down to Halo 1 or GTA III. Animal Crossing is my personal pick off that list. Ungodly amount of hours in that game over a solid 5 or 6 year span. I would absolutely nuke a city to get an HD remaster of it.

Yep, surprised me too. I think I enjoyed Conker's the most out of that list, at least when I played it back in the day. It aged pretty poorly though, I tried playing it with a friend on Rare Replay on Xbox One...the multiplayer was not what I remembered it to be like. Conker's Live and Reloaded was a great remake for the storyline though, I'd replay that but they switched up the multiplayer to a class-based third person shooter version.

 

[Mount Suribachi]

I have a similar shameful confession. Even though I've praised it for 16 years and voted for it in this poll, I've never finished Morrowind, myself. .

Me neither. I played maybe ~100 hours when it first came out. Went back to that save years later with the avowed intention of finishing the main quest. Put about another 100 hours in - never finished main quest. Mainly because even the main quest required you to do a shed load of side quests to progress.

Suggestions for 2001 games for the next poll

I'll add IL-2: Sturmovik to that list. Not the kind of game this forum talks about, but it was MASSIVE in the flight sim community for years.

Also, Project Gotham Racing.

 

[Ceremony]

Suggestions for 2001 games for the next poll:

• GTA III
• Max Payne
• Conker's Bad Fur Day
• Devil May Cry
• Crash Bandicoot: The Wrath of Cortex
• Super Smash Bros: Melee
• Halo: Combat Evolved
• Tony Hawk Pro Skater 3
• Return to Castle Wolfenstein
• Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty
• Civilization 3
• Advance Wars
• Final Fantasy X
• SSX Tricky
• Jak and Daxter
• Twisted Metal Black
• Alien vs. Predator 2
• Ico
• Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Ages/Seasons
• Mario Kart: Super Circuit
• Animal Crossing
• Silent Hill 2
• Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance
• Luigi's Mansion
• Black and White

Bolded should be locks, IMO.

Damn, 2001 was a pretty big year as well. Lots of good-to-great games, not too many genre-defining games outside the bolded though.

@SniperHF put Gran Turismo 3 in the list for the love of god

 

[Big McLargehuge]

Suggestions for 2001 games for the next poll:

• ...

2001 was a pretty fun year.

Additions:
Paper Mario
Red Faction
Gran Turismo 3: A-Spec
Ace Combat 04: Shattered Skies
Golden Sun
Pikmin

 

[NyQuil]

I liked GTA III but I never finished it.

Not sure why. I guess I found it got repetitive.

My favourite open world crime caper game is probably Saints Row 3.

For the vote I'll probably go with RTCW.

The class based MP and objective modes were pretty amazing for the time.

I skipped Civ III - was still playing Civ II and I think I jumped right to V.

 

[Frankie Blueberries]

2001 was a pretty fun year.

Additions:
Paper Mario
Red Faction
Gran Turismo 3: A-Spec
Ace Combat 04: Shattered Skies
Golden Sun
Pikmin

Wow, can't believe I missed all those. Gran Turismo 3 should be a lock IMO, that game was probably the first 'photo realistic' racing game...in other words, the first racing game that the cars realistically portrayed their real life counterparts. It was the first game that I played on PS2 and really set the standard for next-gen games for me.

I liked GTA III but I never finished it.

Not sure why. I guess I found it got repetitive.

My favourite open world crime caper game is probably Saints Row 3.

For the vote I'll probably go with RTCW.

The class based MP and objective modes were pretty amazing for the time.

I skipped Civ III - was still playing Civ II and I think I jumped right to V.

I am sad that I only ever played RTCW on Xbox with Xbox Live. It was fun, but definitely a step down from the PC version. I absolutely loved Wolfenstein: Enemy Territory on PC though, that was one of my favourite FPS ever.

 

[ArGarBarGar]

Breaks my heart how little people appreciated Timesplitters 2. What a fantastic game that was, even with the wonky as hell online component.

Damn, and Warcraft 3 is on here.

 

[Frankie Blueberries]

Breaks my heart how little people appreciated Timesplitters 2. What a fantastic game that was, even with the wonky as hell online component.

Damn, and Warcraft 3 is on here.

I only played Timesplitters: Future Perfect but I really enjoyed it, very quirky and fun. Made by the team that separated from Rare that originally made Goldeneye.

 

[Bjorn Le]

Breaks my heart how little people appreciated Timesplitters 2. What a fantastic game that was, even with the wonky as hell online component.

Damn, and Warcraft 3 is on here.

It was a great game, just not the best one on the list to me.

 

[The Nuge]

I'd agree with Runescape, but that was just the 3D model update IIRC. I'm probably in the minority, but I enjoyed the original Runescape most (for gameplay and art style).

Not sure. Wikipedia has January 2001 as the public release date of the beta, so that’s what I was going with

@SniperHF put Gran Turismo 3 in the list for the love of god

Meh. Gran Turismo 3 was fun, but since Gran Turismo 4 wasn’t even included as an option, I wouldn’t bother with 3. It’s like if nobody voted for San Andreas. What would be the point in including Vice City? Both are good, but one is clearly much better.

Breaks my heart how little people appreciated Timesplitters 2. What a fantastic game that was, even with the wonky as hell online component.

Damn, and Warcraft 3 is on here.

Ya some of my fondest gaming memories are playing it co-op with a buddy of mine. It’s a phenomenal game. I’ve been trying to find my copy of it so I can replay it.

 

[Frankie Blueberries]

Not sure. Wikipedia has January 2001 as the public release date of the beta, so that’s what I was going with

You're right, my bad. Feels like it was older than 2001 for some reason. I agree though, RuneScape should be nominated for the next poll, it was a pretty immense game.

 

[Bjorn Le]

You're right, my bad. Feels like it was older than 2001 for some reason. I agree though, RuneScape should be nominated for the next poll, it was a pretty immense game.

Runescape is one game I never understood the appeal. So much goddamn grinding. You could turn diamonds to dust with how much it required.

 

[Frankie Blueberries]

Runescape is one game I never understood the appeal. So much goddamn grinding. You could turn diamonds to dust with how much it required.

It was a grind fest for sure, definitely a better game to play as a kid with time on your hands.

It was fun for a number of reasons IMO. The social aspect and being in clans and pking together, drop parties, trading and bartering, etc. It was interesting how players could manipulate the economy based on smelting/mining. The wilderness and pking in general - all you needed was a pure account maxing strength over anything and going rune 2 hander with iron armour. The quest were fun. And even though it was grinding, it was still sometimes fun listening to music and chatting with people.

 

[Ceremony]

Meh. Gran Turismo 3 was fun, but since Gran Turismo 4 wasn’t even included as an option, I wouldn’t bother with 3. It’s like if nobody voted for San Andreas. What would be the point in including Vice City? Both are good, but one is clearly much better.

Because the poll without 4 in it was wrong, and because of how good 3 was. "Follow-up games were better" is pretty terrible logic to use to ignore earlier games.

 

[The Crypto Guy]

Oh cool, look another GTA game won...Yawn.

 

[The Nuge]

Because the poll without 4 in it was wrong, and because of how good 3 was. "Follow-up games were better" is pretty terrible logic to use to ignore earlier games.

Except that’s not the logic. It’s better games are better, and if people didn’t vote for the better game, why include the worse game? To continue my GTA analogy, if San Andreas didn’t get any votes, you wouldn’t include GTA IV either.

If we’re going on the assumption that everyone overlooked Gran Turismo 4 in looking at 04, then there’s some merit to adding 3 I guess. Considering how many good games there were in 01, imo, it just doesn’t really make sense to take a spot away from another game that might get voted

 

[Common Sense]

Oh cool, look another GTA game won...Yawn.

Wait until GTA 3 wins.