Game of the Year

EDIT on voting mechanics:

Please put Nomination= and Vote= before your choices so they are easy to find. Votes not entered in this format may be missed.

Examples:
Nomination= super mario world
Vote= mega man 3

Original Post:
What if we had our own Game of the Year thread to pick the best video games of the past 20 years or so? I was thinking of using 1990 as an arbitrary cut off. I was considering limiting it to pc games but I don't know if there are enough really great ones that most people will know from the early 90s. We would take nominations as posts for a couple days, then have a vote for a couple days so a game is picked once a week as best game of year X. Eventually we'd have a list of the forum community's top games. That along with the game review thread would provide a great place to pick up game suggestions. Plus I'd love to see some of the raging debate trying to garner support for one title over another!

This would need pretty decent forum participation or we won't have enough interesting nominations or votes. So what do you guys think?

(my nomination for 1990 would be super mario world on snes)

EDIT: Since there seems to be some nominal interest we need a format. What I was thinking was we'd take a week of nominations for a given year, then close nominations and have a week of voting and discussion. All nominations and votes would be done as tags, like Nomination="game title" and Vote="game title" for when you're throwing down your official choices. I'll keep this op edited to display the past winners, the current year and where we are with the voting/nominations. It would be nice once we have nominations to have a poll but can you continually update a poll in a single thread?


1990 - Loom
VOTE RESULTS:
Super Mario World - 2.5
Mega Man 3 - 1
Loom - 3
Ultima VI - 1
Elvira: Mistress of the Dark - 0
Secret of Monkey Island - 2.5
Railroad Tycoon - 1


1991 - Civilization
VOTE RESULTS:
Another World - 1
Civilization - 8
SimCity
The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the past - 3
Turrican II: The Final Fight
Lemmings - 1
Cruise for a Corpse
Sonic the Hedgehog - 1
Wing Commander 2


1992 - Mortal Kombat
VOTE RESULTS:
Wolfenstein 3D - 1 vote
Super Mario Kart
Flashback - 1 vote
Ultima VII - 1 vote
Dune II
Dune
Ishar
Epic
Ultima Underworld - 1 vote
Street Fighter II
Dark Seed
The Patrician
Alone in the Dark
Heimdall
Mortal Kombat - 3 votes
Kirby's Dream Land - 1 vote


1993 - Doom
VOTE RESULTS:
Cannon Fodder
Myst - 4
Jaguar XJ220
Day of the Tentacle
The Settlers
Dark Sun: Shattered Lands
Master of Orion - 1
Zelda: Link's Awakening
Secret of Mana - 1
Super Street Fighter II
Star Wars: X-Wing
Mega Man X
SimCity 2000
Mortal Kombat II - 1
Sam & Max Hit the Road
Doom - 5
Day of the Tentacle
Pirates! Gold - 1
Frontier: Elite 2 - 1
NHL '94


1994 - TIE Tie Fighter AND X-Com UFO Defense
VOTE RESULTS:
Tie Fighter - 3
Elder Scrolls Arena
Master of Magic - 2
Warcraft Orcs and Humans - 2
X-Com UFO Defense - 3
Super Metroid
Final Fantasy VI - 1
Sid Meier's Colonization
Panzer General - 1
System Shock
Donkey Kong Country
Earthbound - 1
SimCity 2000
Jagged Alliance
Might and Magic World of Xeen
Beneath a Steel sky
Ultima VIII Pagan
Secret of Mana - 1
Doom II - 1


1995 - Warcraft 2
VOTE RESULTS:
Warcraft II - 7
Chrono Trigger - 3
EarthBound - 1
Rayman
Twisted Metal
Chrono Trigger
Command and Conquer
Dark Forces - 1
Mechwarrior 2
Heroes of Might and Magic
The Beast Within
Clocktower - 1
Caesar II
Wing Commander IV - 1
Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island
Worms


1996 - Civilization II
VOTE RESULTS:
Super Mario 64
Mario Kart 64 - 1
Resident Evil
Duke Nukem 3D
Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars
Crash Bandicoot
Diablo - 3
Command & Conquer: Red Alert
Tomb Raider
Quake - 1
Civilization II - 5
Master of Orion II: Battle at Antares - 2
Tetris Attack
Heroes of Might and Magic II: The Succession Wars
Lords of the Realm II - 1
The Elder Scrolls II: Daggerfall
Lighthouse: The Dark Being
NASCAR Racing 2
Duke Nukem 3d
Wing Commander IV


1997 - TIE Castlevania: Symphony of the Night, Total Annihilation, Fallout
Goldeneye 007 - 1
Castlevania: Symphony of the Night - 2
Fallout - 2
Final Fantasy VII - 1
Final Fantasy Tactics - 1
The Curse of Monkey Island
Total Annihilation - 2
Blade Runner
Dungeon Keeper
Star Fox 64
Age of Empires - 1
Quake 2 - 1
Wing Commander Prophecy
Dungeon Keeper
I-War
Ultima Online
Final Fantasy VII
Total Annihilation
Final Fantasy Tactics
Outlaws
Interstate '76
Riven
GTA
Blood
Imperialism
Lands of Lore
NfS II
Oddworld: Abe’s Oddysee
The Curse Of Monkey Island
Tomb Raider II
F22 Air Dominance Fighter
Redneck Rampage


1998 - Half Life
Half Life - 4
Unreal
The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time - 2
Grim Fandango
Baldur's gate
Fallout 2 - 2
Caesar III
Metal Gear Solid - 1
Starcraft - 3
Commandos
Battlezone
Myth II - 1
Colin McRae Rally
Grand Prix Legends
Falcon 4.0 - 1
F-22 Total Air War
Pokemon Red and Blue
Sanitarium - 1
Thief
Might and Magic VI Mandate of Heaven - 1


1999 - Planescape: Torment
Planescape: Torment - 7 I think
Heroes of Might and Magic III - 1 or 2
Homeworld
System Shock 2
Age of Empires 2
Silent Hill
X-Wing Alliance
Freespace 2
Unreal Tournament
Final Fantasy VIII
EverQuest
Alpha Centauri
Dungeon Keeper 2
Jagged Alliance
Super Smash Bros - 1
Worms Armageddon - 1
Age of Wonders - 1
Rollercoaster Tycoon
SimCity 3000
Gabriel Knight III
Counter-Strike
The Longest Journey



2000 - Baldur's Gate II
Baldur's Gate II - 4 votes
Shogun: Total War - 1 vote
Mechwarrior 4: Vengeance - 1 vote



2001 - Civilization III
Civilization III - 3 votes
Arcanum of steamworks and magic obscura - 1 vote
Unreal tournament - 1 vote
Super Smash Brothers Melee - 1 vote
Black & White - 1 vote
Halo - 1 vote
Europa Universalis II - 1


2002 - TIE The Elder Scrolls: Morrowind, Warcraft 3: Reign of Chaos
Warcraft 3 - 4 votes
Morrowind - 4 votes
Sly Cooper - 1 vote
Medieval Total War - 1 vote
Harry Potter Chamber of Secrets - 1 vote
Battlefield 1942 - 1 vote


2003 - Knights of the Old Republic
Knights of the Old Republic - 3 votes
SimCity 4 - 1 vote
Call of Duty - 1 vote
The Legend of Zelda: windwaker - 1 vote
Victoria - 1 vote
Homeworld 2 - 1 vote
Rise of Nations - 1 vote


2004 - Pirates
Pirates - 2 votes
World of Wacraft - 1 vote
Knights of the Old Republic II - 1 vote
Rome: Total War - 1 vote
Half Life 2 - 1 vote
GTA: San Andreas - 1 vote


2005 - Civilization IV
Civilization IV - 7 votes
SWAT 4 - 1 vote
Jade Empire - 1 vote
Black and White 2 - 1 vote
Battlefield 2 - 1 vote
Lego Star Wars - 1 vote
Pyschonauts - 1 vote
Age of Empires III - 1 vote
X3:Reunion - 1 vote


2006 - Medieval II: Total War
Medieval II: Total War - 5 votes
The Elder Scrolls: Oblivion - 4 votes
Prey - 1 vote
The Godfather - 1 vote
Mother 3 - 1 vote
The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess - 1 vote


2007 - Europa Universalis III
Europa Universalis III - 5 votes
Team Fortress 2 - 3 votes
Mass Effect - 3 votes
Command and Conquer 3: Tiberium Wars - 1 vote
Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare - 1 vote
S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Shadow of Chernobyl - 1 vote
Silent Hunter 4 - 1 vote
Portal - 1 vote
Bio Shock - 1 vote


2008 - Tie Fallout 3 and Left 4 Dead
Fallout 3 - 2 votes
Left 4 Dead - 2 votes
Pokemon Platinum - 1 vote
Saint's Row 2 - 1 vote
Dead Space - 1 vote
CivRev - 1 vote
Burnout Paradise - 1 vote
Mirror's Edge - 1 vote
EU Rome - 1 vote
Sins of a Solar Empire - 1 vote
X3 Terran Conflict - 1 vote
Sam and Max - 1 vote
Mario Kart Wii - 1 vote



2009 - Dragon Age: Origins
Anno 1404 - 1 vote
Minecraft - 2 votes
Dragon Age: Origions - 5 votes
Hearts of Iron 3 - 1 vote
Sims 3 - 1 vote
Zeno Clash - 1 vote
Killzone 2 - 1 vote
Killing Floor - 2 votes



2010 - Mount & Blade: Warbrand
Mount & Blade: Warbrand - 4 votes
Starcraft 2 - 1 vote
Assassin's Creed Brotherhood - 1 vote
Mass Effect 2 - 3 votes
Alpha Protocol - 1 vote
Pokemon Black and White - 1 vote
Civilization V - 1 vote
Fallout: New Vegas - 2 votes




2011 - The Elder Scrolls: Skyrim
Skyrim - 5 votes
Magicka - 3 votes
Bastion - 1 vote
Minecraft - 1 vote
Witcher 2 - 1 vote
Sanctum - 1 vote
Forza - honorable mention





2012 - Crusader Kings II
Crusader Kings II - 6 votes
FTL: Faster Than Light - 1 vote
Mass Effect 3 - 2 votes
Dishonored - 1 vote
Far Cry 3 - 1 vote
XCOM: Enemy Unknown - 1 vote
The Secret World - 1 vote



2013 - EU IV
EU IV - 5 votes
GTA 5 - 2 votes
Dota 2 - 1 vote
The Wolf Among Us - 1 vote
Saint's Row 4 - 2 votes
Papers Please - 1 vote\


2014 - TIE
Dragon Age: Inquisition - 1 vote
The Talos Principle - 1 vote
Super Smash Bros WII U - 1 vote
The Sims4 - 1 vote
Shadows of Mordor - 1 vote
Far Cry 4 - 1 vote
Divinity Original Sin - 1 vote


2015 - The Witcher 3
The Witcher 3 - 4 votes
Life is Strange - 1 vote
Cities Skylines - 1 vote

1990 games... that's a trip down nostalgia lane.

Adventure games were running strong then, with King's Quest V and The Secret of Monkey Island. Maxis followed up their earlier release of SimCity with SimEarth, starting off their golden decade (SimEarth itself I thought was not their greatest work). Wing Commander came out, and I hope it's fair to say revolutionized the space fighter genre. Railroad Tycoon was probably the best business sim of the year. King's Bounty was released; a rather middling game itself, but definitely notable as the predecessor and trailblazer to the Heroes of Might and Magic series. I know I personally sank quite a few hours into Chip's Challenge, although I don't think I'd be calling it "game of the year." Final Fantasy was released, as was F-Zero.

And, of course, there's Super Mario World. I really don't think there's that much debate about this year. A lot of really great games, but that one just stands head and shoulders above the rest.

Interesting idea, I can't comment on anything until 2000 or so at the earliest, and 2008 or so is prob when my knowledge gets a lot better.

I have the fondest memories of Birth of the Federation on Windows 98, but that's because I played it as a child and have a huge spot in my heart for Star Trek. Red Alert Retaliation on the PS1 is another favourite of mine. I don't think I could objectively determine them as the best, though. Maybe from a personal viewpoint but that's really it.

Yeah "GOTY" contests are relatively meaningless and usually just a way to get page views. Few sites give much actual, deep thought to their GOTY awards (ie RPS does, or did anyway).

civvver said:

What if we had our own Game of the Year thread to pick the best video games of the past 20 years or so?

Click to expand...

Civilization 1
Civilization 2

/end thread.

Sounds fun as hell, count me in!

You are going to have to give me some time though...

Maniacal said:

Yeah "GOTY" contests are relatively meaningless and usually just a way to get page views. Few sites give much actual, deep thought to their GOTY awards (ie RPS does, or did anyway).

Click to expand...

That's why we need our own! We could have real debate on why a certain title is the best game of that year.

coanda said:

1990 games... that's a trip down nostalgia lane.

Adventure games were running strong then, with King's Quest V and The Secret of Monkey Island. Maxis followed up their earlier release of SimCity with SimEarth, starting off their golden decade (SimEarth itself I thought was not their greatest work). Wing Commander came out, and I hope it's fair to say revolutionized the space fighter genre. Railroad Tycoon was probably the best business sim of the year. King's Bounty was released; a rather middling game itself, but definitely notable as the predecessor and trailblazer to the Heroes of Might and Magic series. I know I personally sank quite a few hours into Chip's Challenge, although I don't think I'd be calling it "game of the year." Final Fantasy was released, as was F-Zero.

And, of course, there's Super Mario World. I really don't think there's that much debate about this year. A lot of really great games, but that one just stands head and shoulders above the rest.

Click to expand...

Those all sound awesome, and I am aware of them all and their place in gaming history, but unfortunately I haven't played any of those titles! (Except final fantasy but I thought the original was earlier. I think you're referring to FF3, which was pretty awesome I vaguely remember playing it on a rom) Of course I was only 6 in 1990 lol. That's why we'll definitely need some good forum participation for the 90s, as many of us may have been limited to "what did my parents buy me for christmas this year for my nintendo?"

civvver said:

(Except final fantasy but I thought the original was earlier. I think you're referring to FF3, which was pretty awesome I vaguely remember playing it on a rom)

Click to expand...

My mistake. You're right, FF was 1987. 1990 is when Square released the English version of FF1.

It's got to be a shame for any game to be released the same year as Super Mario Brothers 3 (before the timeframe) or Super Mario World, since those games really upped the ante and defined the platforming genre. Mario 64 might be worth mentioning too since it was quite good and took platforming into 3D.

I think Crono Trigger and FF6 stand out as exceptional RPGs of the SNES era.

I am sure there were loads of other great games in 1991, but my all-time favorite game was also released in that year:



Another World, by French software company Delphine.

coanda said:

My mistake. You're right, FF was 1987. 1990 is when Square released the English version of FF1.

Click to expand...

Really? I thought you could buy it on nintendo in the US in the 80s. I have only ever played it on roms and there's a blackberry app version- probably the only cool blackberry game in existence along with pirates.

Anyone else want to nominate something from 1990? I'm sticking by Super Mario World. I'll check back monday to update the list.

In the year 1990, I have to suggest the GOTY goes to Mega Man 3. At the time, the SNES just beggining, and the previously mentioned SMW showed what the SNES was capable of doing. On the other hand, that same year, Mega Man 3 pushed the boundaries of what the inferior NES could do.

The core gameplay of the Mega Man series can best be compared to the Mario games. Much like Mario, you have to progress from point A to point B, jumping on specifically designed platforms (hence platformers) while either dodging or killing enemies. There are, however, four major design choices which gives the Mega Man series its own distinctive feel. The first is that the game, unlike most platformers at the time, did not feature the Goomba Stomp. The Goomba Stomp was a common technique to kill enemies, in which you simply jump on your foe to damage or kill them. By not featuring this move, the player can not easily dispatch foes by staying aerial the entire level, and must therefore deal with with each foe individually. Also, many enemies are either too tall to jump over, can intercept Mega Man's jumps, or attack Mega Man in the air, de-emphasizing jumping as the solution to all problems. Tying into that, the second major mechanic in this game is a short but precise jump. Mega Man does not jump anywhere near the height of Mario, for an example, but you could control the momentum of the jump in the middle of it, and also vary how high you go by how long you press the jump. This made platforming very clean to control, allowing greater opportunities to create platforming puzzles. It also really nerfed the ability to just jump over enemies to pass them. The third major feature for its time was having a ranged weapon, the Mega Buster, be a core mechanic of the game. The standard of NES platform was to leave ranged combat as a power up, something you gain for a short period of time and then drop. The Mega Buster, however, can be used at all times, and is the primary way of dispatching foes. By beating bosses, you can also take their weapons and use them at any time as long as you have ammo for it, furthering your options as you play into the game. The last major choice is the addition of a life bar. Mega Man was really the first game series to popularize this mechanic of having a set life in the platforming genre, and not being dependent on collecting items to take hits, if not immediately dying when you take one. It also allowed for some attacks to deal more damage than others, further adding more strategy in when to take a certain hit to prevent getting hit by a stronger attack.

Before I talk about why Mega Man 3 is the GOTY of 1990, I must first compare it to the second game of the series, Mega Man 2. Both games are considered to be the combined magnum opus of the Mega Man series. They are the the best of the best. However, when directly compared, it is hard to say which one is the better of the two. As a game itself, 3 is simply better than 2. As I will get into later, Mega Man 3 adds a lot of new features which will later define the Mega Man series, presenting new ways to overcome challenges. It's also a longer game, as not only the stages are longer, but there's simply more stages. 3 also incorporates its plot into the game itself, which, for a console game at the time, was huge. However, 2 is generally considered better despite these. Why? I think it has to do with the aesthetics of 2 compared to 3, especially the soundtrack and boss designs. 2 has a better soundtrack, I must say. 3's soundtrack is very awesome and is the second best on the NES, after 2. However, 2 just has a more distinctive sound to call its own, compared to 3. 2 also has more memorable boss designs, which, again, is not to say 3 doesn't have memorable bosses, but 2 is just more memorable in that aspect. With that in mind, let's talk about 3 on its own merits.

The biggest change for Mega Man 3 is the addition of sliding. Achieved when pressing down and then jumping, Mega Man would lower his hitbox and move forward at a set inertia, while still allowing the player to shoot. This is a huge change to the mechanics of the game because of two reasons. Firstly, players can approach enemies in new ways. For example, the main form of attack for a common enemy in the series, Sniper Joe, is to fire a bullet at Mega Man at chest level, and otherwise has an impervious riot shield that Mega Man can not break or shoot through. In the first two games, Mega Man would be expected to jump every time Sniper Joe fires or shoot him enough times to kill him before he fires (He slightly pauses between lowering his shield and actually firing). Now, Mega Man could instead elect to slide under the bullet, meanwhile still being able to fire at Sniper Joe. Sliding also allows new puzzles to be created based on the mechanic. Mega Man could slide under an object he couldn't normally walk over, allowing him to bypass certain obstacles. The fact you can't stop your momentum while sliding also means you will have to time it in case if there is obstacles in a slide-only area, such as one section of Needle Man's stage.

Another thing Mega Man 3 does right is introducing Rush into various puzzles. Rush is a robot dog that also serves as a way to travel in the game. For some "ammo" for each mode, you can summon Rush in three distinct modes in order to more readily access areas. You start with one, Rush Coil, which allows you to jump on Rush and get a boost to almost the top of the screen, allowing to reach high platforms and more easily maneuver around foes. By beating Needle Man, you obtain the Rush Jet form, which summons Rush as a mobile platform directly underneath Mega Man, allowing him to shoot and move in all four directions. Finally, by beating Shadow Man, you obtain the Rush Marine, which basically serves as an underwater version of the Rush Jet. Combined, all three radically change how platforming puzzles work, particularly because the stages are designed to use them. For example, in a section of Gemini Man's stage, there is a part of the level where you must do precise jumps on small platforms over a bottomless pit. Said bottomless pit, however, is filled with water and aquatic enemies, and also has some items in it. If you beat Shadow Man before Gemini Man, you could use the Rush Marine to bypass the platforms, grab the items, and yet still have a challenge in the room. In Mega Man 2, there were something similar to Rush. Called simply "Items", they were platforms Mega Man could shoot and then use. There were three of them, with different properties, but they were pretty much useless because the game wasn't designed for them. Item 2, which was basically like Rush Jet, was useful in one part of Heat Man's stage to bypass one of the most ridiculously hard platforming segments in game history, but was otherwise not needed. However, it was sadistically gained once you beat Air Man, which was weak to Wood Man's weapon and was nortiorusly hard to beat. Wood Man could be one hit killed by Heat Man's weapon, but was otherwise one of the harder bosses in the game, thus causing a cycle of misery.

Finally, as previously stated, Mega Man 3 works the story of the game into the actual game, which was huge back in 1990. The plot of the game was realitivly simple; the resident evil scientist Dr. Wily built eight new robots, but not to take over the world. Instead, he supposedly built them to mine energy and materials to help create Dr. Light, Mega Man's creator, to build his "peacekeeping" titan robot Gamma. The robots go "insane" and start hoarding the materials for themselves, and its up to Mega Man to destroy them and get them to Light. However, he is hindered by Proto Man, the prototype of Mega Man and all other robots, who has a vengeance on Dr. Light for abandoning him. Proto Man is a complex character, who will teleport in on a stage seemingly random (They are pre-determined, but there are no hints for when he appears except for a short whistle as he teleports in) and fight Mega Man for a while before leaving as quickly as he appeared. However, in Gemini Man's level, he would instead teleport in and assist Mega Man by destroying an obstacle in his way before leaving, implying that Proto Man has a complex agenda. When all the eight robots are destroyed, the game suddenly and unexpectedly reactivates four of the eight levels without warning, this time populated each by two "Doc Robots", a robot which fights with the style of a boss from Mega Man 2. When all eight all destroyed, the game reactivates one last level, a last showdown with Proto Man, disguised as "Break Man". After the fight, a cutscene shows that everything beforehand was an elaborate ruse by Dr. Wily to steal Gamma. Mega Man then has to go to Wily's fortresses to prevent Gamma's activation. This is the last time Proto Man is seen until the ending cut scene, where Proto Man teleports in and rescues the unconscious Mega Man after he was hit by rubble caused by the fight with Wily. It's a simple plot, sure, but its mostly told in the game itself, which was huge for a NES game.

As for the soundtrack, its very good. Like I said, not as good as Mega Man 2, but here's just some examples. Note that it's all 8-bit.


Link to video.


Link to video.


Link to video.


Link to video.


Link to video.

Anyways, that should do it. This turned from a vouch into more of a review of the game, but oh well

If you guys are interested in trying the game for yourself, here's an emulator for it online. It's in javascript, so you can play it in your browser.

1990 had Ultima VI. I played that one a bunch for some reason.

I believe the first Railroad Tycoon came in in 1990. I'm going with that. If it didn't than I know Commander Keen did.

From the wiki article on 1990 games i saw the following notable adventure games:

-Loom

-Elvira: Mistress of the Dark

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:1990_video_games

Loom! I just rescued it from some corner deep into my memory banks... Most strange and imaginative world ever. Too imaginative apparently since it was a sales failure AFAIK.

Mega Man 3 was a great game, but I don't think it is nearly as good as mega man X, and when compared to super mario I think it falls short. The world design in super mario world is just too good. I believe super mario world was also the first introduction to yoshi, who is such a great character he has his own series of games. It also really changed the mechanics of a super mario game, making it more than just dash and jump. Though super mario 3 had the flying raccoon, super mario world had the spin jump, more power ups and started to show us some variety of gameplay which would lay the foundation for future mario titles. I feel like mega man 3 and super mario 3 are very similar in laying groundwork for the better games super mario world and mega man X.

I'd like to up a vote for Loom! Must be one of the greatest fantasy settings I've stumbled upon.

Loom did seem interesting, although i think i only played it for some minutes at a friend's house back when i was in the first year of Highschool. The pics found online also are atmospheric

I think that the oldest adventure i played on the Amiga was The Lure of the Temptress (from the same company that then made Beneath a Steel Sky). Lure of the Temptress was released in 1992, by Revolution.