HF Game of the Year 2018 - Red Dead Redemption 2 Wins

[SniperHF]

RDR2 takes it, narrowly. Much closer than I'd have guessed before we started.

 

[Pilky01]

GoW in one of the most unenthusiastic game of the year choices I've had in a while.

I was extremely enthusiastic about voting for Spider-Man.

 

[CTC]

I noticed that in this thread and other game of the year polls that with the votes it seems most people prefer RPG's and story arcades more then anything else. They are great but I feel like FPS really gets left behind considering how much they took over from Halo-2015. Only now am I really seeing a shift back in the last few years to more story based gaming as the AAA games.
There were great amazing games for sure but has an FPS ever won game of the year?

 

[Rodgerwilco]

I haven't been frequenting the Geek Emporium a whole lot, so I missed this entire poll. Thanks for not letting me down, Partners!

Those damn O'Driscolls almost got GoW to win. lol

 

[SniperHF]

I noticed that in this thread and other game of the year polls that with the votes it seems most people prefer RPG's and story arcades more then anything else. They are great but I feel like FPS really gets left behind considering how much they took over from Halo-2015. Only now am I really seeing a shift back in the last few years to more story based gaming as the AAA games.
There were great amazing games for sure but has an FPS ever won game of the year?

Goldeneye won our '97 retro vote

But really I think FPS have been in a rut since.....2005 or so?
So them not winning isn't terribly surprising. Overwatch probably got a decent amount of votes (it was 2nd in nominations in 2016) but the poll is lost to history (or achive.org)


Also there aren't many (any?) pure FPS open world games and that's where the trend is.

 

[syz]

I noticed that in this thread and other game of the year polls that with the votes it seems most people prefer RPG's and story arcades more then anything else. They are great but I feel like FPS really gets left behind considering how much they took over from Halo-2015. Only now am I really seeing a shift back in the last few years to more story based gaming as the AAA games.
There were great amazing games for sure but has an FPS ever won game of the year?

It's mostly just an open world bonanza around here, for the most part.

Even though most of them are bad games.

 

[The Head Crusher]

I noticed that in this thread and other game of the year polls that with the votes it seems most people prefer RPG's and story arcades more then anything else. They are great but I feel like FPS really gets left behind considering how much they took over from Halo-2015. Only now am I really seeing a shift back in the last few years to more story based gaming as the AAA games.
There were great amazing games for sure but has an FPS ever won game of the year?

I would also argue that the FPS market has been so saturated the last decade plus. With so many FPS out there and little to no really distinction between them (lack of innovation) has hurt the genre. They need something different, something new that with catch peoples eyes.

 

[Voodoo Child]

God of War underwhelming?

That game was awesome, and let's not get into the subjective nitty gritty of better and worse, but a more fun and satisfying experience than Red Dead Redemption 2, which while still awesome had much more problems.

Overwatch is a mass marketed fun game that has no business winning game of the year in any year.

 

[Frankie Blueberries]

God of War underwhelming?

That game was awesome, and let's not get into the subjective nitty gritty of better and worse, but a more fun and satisfying experience than Red Dead Redemption 2, which while still awesome had much more problems.

Overwatch is a mass marketed fun game that has no business winning game of the year in any year.

Overwatch is one of the most polished, balanced games out there. Not to mention the massive amount of free content, it's probably the best supported game I've ever played. They put out a new map/hero/game mode every month or so.

 

[rangerssharks414]

I sucked at Overwatch, but it was different. And as mentioned, there was a lot of free content, and they still update the game with new stuff.

 

[Trap Jesus]

God of War underwhelming?

That game was awesome, and let's not get into the subjective nitty gritty of better and worse, but a more fun and satisfying experience than Red Dead Redemption 2, which while still awesome had much more problems.

Overwatch is a mass marketed fun game that has no business winning game of the year in any year.

I think what made the God of War games so appealing to me were the massive set pieces and memorable boss fights. I think that's my main knock on it that it seemed to be a bit more subtle about those things. It's not a bad thing in itself, but I think there's just that expectation there with a God of War game. I can't deny that it was a wonderfully acted game and I did love the game mechanics.

 

[JaegerDice]

RDR2 has the weird distinction of being one of the most impressive and least fun games I’ve ever played.

 

[syz]

RDR2 has the weird distinction of being one of the most impressive and least fun games I’ve ever played.

It's the new owner of The Witcher 3 Award.

 

[Frankie Blueberries]

I've gotten a chance to play Dead Cells for a fair amount of time now. It does a lot of great things, but there are quite a few issues with it as well. The difficulty curve is a bit out of wack, as my first hour or two I would only make it to the third or fourth level and then die. Now I'm on a play through where I found two rare (yellow) and overpowered weapons, and I'm on the sixth level and the game has become exponentially easier. I realize I'm better with the gameplay and combat, but it's mainly due to getting lucky and finding good weapons and gear. Overall, I'm just not a fan of play-to-win games where you have a huge advantage in progressing based on how much time you've put into the game. Based on the cell system and unlocking more stuff, this seems to be the case.

The soundtrack is also repetitive, they really need more variety than just that one song constantly playing. Also not a huge fan of the dialogue and comments your character makes, they seem uninspired and forced most of the time.

I really enjoy the fluidity of the combat, the amount of customization in your weapons and gear, and the little tweaks the game throws at you (mini bosses, cursed treasure chests, etc.). The art style is also some of the best pixel art I've played. Overall I really enjoy the game and am excited to finish it, but it's far from perfect.

 

[Oscar Acosta]

Didn't expect it to ever win vs. RDR2 or God of War, but still more shocked Spider-Man didn't get more votes.

Game is just simply fun beginning to end, I mean you jump out a window immediately go swinging and into a boss fight right off the bat. Gets repetitive but never loses the fun. Story is great.

Tough year.

 

[Leafs at Knight]

It's the new owner of The Witcher 3 Award.

So edgy.

 

[Commander Clueless]

Didn't expect it to ever win vs. RDR2 or God of War, but still more shocked Spider-Man didn't get more votes.

Game is just simply fun beginning to end, I mean you jump out a window immediately go swinging and into a boss fight right off the bat. Gets repetitive but never loses the fun. Story is great.

Tough year.

Spider-Man was top notch. Didn't quite make it to the peak of the big two in this vote, but I would place it solidly third.

Definitely worth the play through.


Even if you are tired of "open worldiness", you can easily ignore the side stuff in this game and it still comes out great.

The only times the fun dips, IMO, are the non-Spider-Man stealth sections.

 

[ArGarBarGar]

RDR2 has the weird distinction of being one of the most impressive and least fun games I’ve ever played.

Rockstar games will be almost universally praised for being simply competent games with humongous production value.

I have never seen the appeal of their GTA series, and always thought they were incredibly overrated. Not bad or even mediocre, but just overrated.

It's the new owner of The Witcher 3 Award.

Really, though?

 

[tacogeoff]

Rockstar games will be almost universally praised for being simply competent games with humongous production value.

I have never seen the appeal of their GTA series, and always thought they were incredibly overrated. Not bad or even mediocre, but just overrated.

Overrated? really? I guess that is just your opinion though and it seems to be the minority opinion. I get it though. not every game is appealing to every type of player, its like me thinking Fortnite is hot trash but that opinion is in the minority.

Rockstar is great at creating open world content with interesting characters to get behind, while some of the missions in the main story can be underwhelming at times they always put out a decent story line and provide a ton of entertainment value imo. You really get your moneys worth for the single player adventure, multi player is a whole different animal... not a fan.

 

[ArGarBarGar]

Overrated? really? I guess that is just your opinion though and it seems to be the minority opinion. I get it though. not every game is appealing to every type of player, its like me thinking Fortnite is hot trash but that opinion is in the minority.

Isn't that the very definition of overrated, though? I think that the general opinion on something is higher than it deserves, meaning most people do not share said opinion.

A game that has mass appeal doesn't necessarily make it great. I understand why people like GTA V or RDR2. But I would rather spend my time doing almost anything else because I think the majority of the content in those games (at least GTA V) is terribly shallow and I don't get much out of the story, the characters, or the gameplay in the context they have provided it.

 

[tacogeoff]

Isn't that the very definition of overrated, though? I think that the general opinion on something is higher than it deserves, meaning most people do not share said opinion.

A game that has mass appeal doesn't necessarily make it great. I understand why people like GTA V or RDR2. But I would rather spend my time doing almost anything else because I think the majority of the content in those games (at least GTA V) is terribly shallow and I don't get much out of the story, the characters, or the gameplay in the context they have provided it.

Fair point.

Compared to most other AAA games the story and character actors are better than most of the offerings out there besides say anything Naughty Dog. There is a reason these titles smash records every time they release, they are popular and great games. I personally only play through them once as they take so long to complete. The only single player open world game that I have revisited multiple play through has been the Witcher 3

 

[Do Make Say Think]

At the end of the day, RDR2 isn't as much fun to play as it is to think about. Still very good, just doesn't use the medium strengths because the Housers should be making movies instead of games.

Total opposite of a game like Spider-Man: not much to think about but dear lord is playing that game just good old fashioned fun. It almost feels like a Japanese game in that the most basic gameplay loop, traversal, is the most satisfying and visceral part of the game.

These days, when internet chatter is how people seem to gauge "success", a game that gets people thinking (and therefore chatting) is going to get a bigger piece of the zeitgeist than a game that is just straight up fun to play. I have been skeptical about an industry crash but, I do think something big and not overly positive is coming, this whole "the biggest games are games that are more fun to watch (ie stream) than to play is entirely unsustainable from a design viewpoint.

 

[PeterSidorkiewicz]

Isn't that the very definition of overrated, though? I think that the general opinion on something is higher than it deserves, meaning most people do not share said opinion.

A game that has mass appeal doesn't necessarily make it great. I understand why people like GTA V or RDR2. But I would rather spend my time doing almost anything else because I think the majority of the content in those games (at least GTA V) is terribly shallow and I don't get much out of the story, the characters, or the gameplay in the context they have provided it.

I am the opposite, at least with RDR2. Arthur Morgan is probably one of my favorite characters I have ever played as.

 

[Papa Francouz]

It's the new owner of The Witcher 3 Award.

Can you expand on this? I've noticed I agree with a fair number of your opinions you share in this forum, but this one is diametrically opposite of my beliefs regarding The Witcher 3.

 

[syz]

Can you expand on this? I've noticed I agree with a fair number of your opinions you share in this forum, but this one is diametrically opposite of my beliefs regarding The Witcher 3.

TW3 is another incredibly impressive game that I didn't enjoy engaging with mechanically (movement, combat, etc.) Just an issue of preference when it comes to third-person combat. Though in The Witcher's case it's not as steep of a climb as RDR2; Red Dead makes The Witcher look like Devil May Cry in terms of fluidity, tbh.