PSX Extreme Game Of The Year Awards 2012
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View Large ImageAnd here we go again: It's time for our annual Game of the Year Awards, in which we hand out lots of hardware for all sorts of deserving titles.
If you're wondering, yes, the decisions were difficult. In fact, more deliberation was probably put into these awards than in the last couple of years combined. In our view, recent years have been more cut-and-dry but 2012 gave us a little of everything, and the competition was stiff.
So you may not agree with everything but hey, that's inevitable. That being said, we'll try to briefly explain why each award was handed out.
Here we go...
Achievement Awards
Best Graphics
Nominees
- Far Cry 3
- Assassin's Creed III
- Journey
- Uncharted: Golden Abyss
- Mass Effect 3
Winner: Assassin's Creed III
Assassin's Creed IIIWe start with one of the more difficult categories, as no one game really stood out from the crowd this year. From a visual perspective, multiple titles achieved fantastic things, such as what Golden Abyss did for handheld gaming and just how far digital games have come (Journey). But in the end, despite the hiccups and minor gaffs, the sheer size, scope and ambition of Assassin's Creed III makes us side with Ubisoft's project. Far Cry 3 and Mass Effect 3 could be argued to be more technically sound, but neither attempted what ACIII attempted; the immersion provided by that massive and amazing environment was just incomparable.
Best Music
Nominees
- Max Payne 3
- Mass Effect 3
- Journey
- Need for Speed: Most Wanted
- Sound Shapes
Winner: Journey
JourneyThere's a very good reason why composer Austin Wintory received a Grammy nomination for the music in Thatgamecompany's masterful Journey. The beautiful, haunting cello will remain with the player long after he or she has completed that memorable, surrealistic quest. The score fits so perfectly with both the concept and the style, and becomes a gigantic part of the overall experience. No game in 2012 exhibited the importance of a quality score more than Journey, which is why this category was a no-brainer in our eyes.
Best Sound Effects
Nominees
- Hitman: Absolution
- Call of Duty: Black Ops II
- LittleBigPlanet Vita
- Far Cry 3
- Mass Effect 3
Winner: Far Cry 3
Far Cry 3There's just something about exploring that amazing environment in Far Cry 3, and much of that awe comes from the fantastic sound design. The continual ebb and flow of ambient effects that keep you riveted, the diversity of the weapon audio that encourages experimentation, and the overall chaos of action that makes you tense; it all contributes to this AAA production. You had best have a decent sound setup when playing this invigorating open-world shooter!
Best Acting
Nominees
- Mass Effect 3
- Dishonored
- Max Payne 3
- Darksiders II
- Assassin's Creed III
Winner: Assassin's Creed III
Assassin's Creed IIIThis could very easily have gone to Mass Effect 3 or maybe Dishonored, but once again the sheer scope of Assassin's Creed III swayed us. There are just a huge number of voices that were recorded for that game, and the vast majority are not merely competent, they're excellent. Connor is actually one of the weakest performers; his surrounding cast of major and minor characters are all exquisitely performed. And don't forget that you're hearing different accents, dialects, and a ton of hugely distinct personalities. If you really think about it, this award could only go to one title.
Best Writing/Story
Nominees
- Dishonored
- Assassin's Creed III
- Mass Effect 3
- Max Payne 3
- The Walking Dead Episodes 1-5
Winner: Mass Effect 3
Mass Effect 3The haters can whine and complain all they want. There really wasn't another game this year that boasted a better script, better writing and dialogue, better acting, and overall, a better assembled storyline. There were holes and flaws, sure, but that doesn't stop it from being a superb achievement, regardless of personal preferences pertaining to the ending(s). You have always been able to turn to this franchise if you're looking for emotional, dramatic, top-quality plots and character development. That didn't change with Mass Effect 3.
Best Artistry/Art Direction
Nominees
- Journey
- Assassin's Creed III
- LittleBigPlanet Vita
- The Enchanted Swan
- Dishonored
Winner: Journey
JourneyThe subtlety and mesmerizing nature of the gorgeous artistry on display in Journey is quite astonishing. It's minimalism at its best, as it emphasizes the invisible yet powerful elements of the game; it helps awaken that inexplicable attachment within us. It's not about the shifting sands or the gusts of wind rippling your scarf, or the wonderfully designed landscape. It's about bringing art to life, so what other game could possibly win this category? Really?
Best Character
Nominees
- Connor Kenway, Assassin's Creed III
- Claptrap, Borderlands 2
- Vaas, Far Cry 3
- Max Payne, Max Payne 3
- Commander Shepard, Mass Effect 3
Winner: Max Payne, Max Payne 3
Max Payne 3One of the biggest bad-asses in video game history returned this year, and he returned with a vengeance. Max Payne 3 featured the tortured protagonist at his gritty best, with plenty of surprises and plot twists to keep Max (and us) guessing. His no-nonsense, down-and-out persona has been attracting gamers for years, but he definitely took that grizzled awesomeness to a new level in the latest series iteration. Max Payne for President! The dude rocks.
Best Trailer
Nominees
- Borderlands 2, (Showcase Trailer)
- Dishonored, (Debut Trailer)
- Need for Speed: Most Wanted, (Live Action Trailer)
- Assassin's Creed III, (Official Launch Trailer)
- Resident Evil 6, (Chaos Trailer)
Winner: Dishonored, Debut Trailer
We do things a little differently than other sources in this category; we only nominate trailers for games that came out this year. That's partly so we can view the finished product and see how well the trailer in question represented that product. Of course, the majority of promotion trailers these days are designed to entice and titillate by any means possible, even if it isn't even remotely representative of the actual game. But anyway, this year's winner is the debut trailer for Dishonored, which got us hooked from the start. An intriguing story and a look at gameplay that featured elements of multiple genres made this preview totally astounding. We wanted more...and boy, did we ever get it.
Most Original/Innovative
Nominees
- Journey
- Papo & Yo
- The Unfinished Swan
- Sound Shapes
- Dishonored
Winner: The Unfinished Swan
The Unfinished SwanAlthough Journey is clearly a strong contender, one has to realize the amount of never-seen-before originality on display in Giant Sparrow's The Unfinished Swan. It featured a truly interesting and involving gameplay mechanic that was both accessible and incredibly inventive. It was pretty surprising seeing what they could do with such a concept, and one can't help but be impressed - and even enthralled - throughout this ingenious, artistic adventure.
Most Overlooked
Nominees
- Twisted Metal
- The Darkness II
- I Am Alive
- Sine Mora
- Gravity Rush
Winner: The Darkness II
The Darkness IIOf all the games that didn't get enough attention this year, we're going with the twisted, the gross, and the super cool guilty pleasure that was The Darkness II. In some ways, we wanted to give it to Twisted Metal and although it didn't sell anywhere near as many copies as it should've, it also had plenty of attention from journalists and gamers. It was the climax of Sony's E3 2011 show, remember? The Darkness II got next to nothing in the way of promotion, advertisement, or general attention, and that just wasn't fair. Singularity was overlooked some years back and this reminded us of that...gamers, rectify this and give Jackie Estacado and his crazy demon arms of death a try.
Most Underrated
Nominees
- I Am Alive
- Twisted Metal
- Rainbow Moon
- Resident Evil 6
- PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale
Winner: Resident Evil 6
Resident Evil 6Even though we never said Resident Evil 6 was a great game, we couldn't quite comprehend the extraordinarily low review scores and rampant hostility generated by annoyed gamers. We agree that the game suffers from an identity crisis and the production has its fair share of irritating issues. But scores of 4 and 5 simply weren't warranted. The good news is that such intensely negative reviews didn't seem to hurt sales too much; RE6 ended up shipping nearly 5 million copies.
Most Anticipated Game
Nominees
- Bioshock Infinite
- Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance
- God of War: Ascension
- Grand Theft Auto V
- The Last Of Us
- Beyond: Two Souls
- Ni no Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch
- DMC
- Tomb Raider
- Crysis 3
- Sly Cooper: Thieves in Time
Winner: The Last Of Us
The Last Of UsA year has passed and nothing has changed: The Last Of Us won Most Anticipated in our Game of the Year Awards 2011 and although we've now seen more of Grand Theft Auto V, Bioshock Infinite, and Ni no Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch, nothing can dissuade us from the fact that Naughty Dog might once again deliver a groundbreaking product. With what appears to be an extremely effective and emotional story, well-drawn and interesting characters, and an unbelievable blend of adventure, survival, stealth and action elements, The Last Of Us could very well end up being one of the best games of the generation...if not the best.
1/1/2013 Ben Dutka
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Comments (74 posts)
Shams
Wednesday, January 02, 2013 @ 9:42:09 AM
0 up, 0 down
Ben Dutka PSXE [Administrator]
Wednesday, January 02, 2013 @ 11:30:38 AM
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Shams
Wednesday, January 02, 2013 @ 4:21:05 PM
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Ben Dutka PSXE [Administrator]
Wednesday, January 02, 2013 @ 5:02:00 PM
0 up, 0 down
bigrailer19
Wednesday, January 02, 2013 @ 10:16:12 PM
1 up, 0 down
Beamboom
Thursday, January 03, 2013 @ 3:41:59 AM
There are so many fundamental differences between competitive multiplayer and cooperative play that they can hardly be compared - something that is clear by the fact that there are plenty gamers who hate one but love the other. Coop games clearly deserve a category of their own - they are a different kind of game!
Last edited by Beamboom on 1/3/2013 3:45:34 AM
0 up, 0 down
dillonthebunny
Wednesday, January 02, 2013 @ 12:08:37 AM
Reply
2 up, 5 down
Ben Dutka PSXE [Administrator]
Wednesday, January 02, 2013 @ 12:23:00 AM
Last edited by Ben Dutka PSXE on 1/2/2013 12:23:26 AM
8 up, 7 down
Temjin001
Wednesday, January 02, 2013 @ 12:29:31 AM
Though, as part of the fighter category it does seem to be the freshest offering of the lot and well executed too. I'm somewhat surprised by the amount of game play respect the game has received from various sites. With Tekken and DOA staying fairly rooted to their traditions (I'm not complaining. I like them just as they are) it's hard to expand the excitement of the genre's offering beyond the sphere they've already created for themselves.
Battle Royal seems to offer something fresh.
I haven't tried Persona though. GameTrailers thought highly of it. I'm not a big 2D style fighter, though. I will say KoF:XIII (trying it from PSN+) is uber cool. if there was one modern 2D fighter I'd like to get more versed in it would be that one.
Last edited by Temjin001 on 1/2/2013 12:30:26 AM
2 up, 0 down
dillonthebunny
Wednesday, January 02, 2013 @ 3:53:07 AM
I apologise for not being clearer, but then I didnt think I needed to be.
what I meant was I was very surprised that a (imo) a lack luster mish mash of a arcade game could win the fighting game category seeing as (imo) no real fight gamer would ever vote for it. The game is a joke to most gamers who take fight games seriously (imo).
Maybe I'm a fight game snob, quite possibly.. I'm happy to admit that, but its a category that I love dearly, so when I see that this super smash brothers update is iyo better than Street Fighter X Tekken, DOA5, Tekken Tag 2 or even MK or SFxTK on the Vita.. I'm just incredibly surprised. I have tried PSASBR and it was good for a few mins.. fighting games are all about connecting, honing, perfecting and wining not a 2 min distraction with what ever you like (imo).
so there you have it... I'm not laughing at you or what you do I am just amazed at PSASBR could even feature seriously in the fighting game category let alone win it.. imo.
7 up, 2 down
sawao_yamanaka
Wednesday, January 02, 2013 @ 10:12:18 AM
It is a "party" fighter and it brings something new to the table. Something smash bros was seriously lacking. What have any of the fighters you mentioned brought to the table? They haven't changed anything, as much as I enjoy them, and are still the same. As for "bad" fighters, the community hates street fighter x tekken with a passion. Your opinion seems to be the same opinion Seth Killian is trying to stop and yet here we are still. Guess Seth still has an uphill battle it seems.
1 up, 1 down
sawao_yamanaka
Wednesday, January 02, 2013 @ 10:16:12 AM
If you are a fan of Guilty Gear or BlazBlu I highly recommend Persona Arena. That game is amazing. Very technical and not for people who play fighters casually. You have to really earn your keep on that one.
0 up, 0 down
Temjin001
Wednesday, January 02, 2013 @ 11:21:20 AM
So take it easy on PSXe and more general gamer sites. They're here to help shine a spotlight on those more innovative games, especially new faces, and bring to light the significance of their offering to curious gamers.
sawao, hey, if you live on the western continental US maybe we can fight some time. My PSN ID is the same as my name here. I'm not very adept with most 2D fighters. I've always had this unknown preference for 3D fighters like VF, Tekken, and DOA. But as for 2D I can do pretty decent with SF4 Zangief. I also have lots of admiration for SF3:TS.
Last edited by Temjin001 on 1/2/2013 11:27:13 AM
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sawao_yamanaka
Wednesday, January 02, 2013 @ 12:07:04 PM
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Underdog15
Wednesday, January 02, 2013 @ 12:07:50 PM
Hard to argue with fun that reaches people not traditionally into fighting games.
2 up, 0 down
WorldEndsWithMe
Wednesday, January 02, 2013 @ 12:09:06 AM
Reply
I started the Walking Dead, it's very compelling and TellTale is really coming into their own. That said I don't see it as GOTY material, but it does fall into what I said I wanted to see, more experiments with interactive entertainment.
5 up, 1 down
Shams
Wednesday, January 02, 2013 @ 9:45:34 AM
0 up, 0 down
Temjin001
Wednesday, January 02, 2013 @ 12:14:41 AM
Reply
I'll need to give Dishonored a shot. My brother also thought it was his personal goty.
I've played about an hour of Journey so far. I freed some towels and flying carpets from cages and we flew past "under water" beasts.
The game reminds me of Disney's Fantasia, but interactive. Mildly interactive but cool nonetheless.
1 up, 1 down
WorldEndsWithMe
Wednesday, January 02, 2013 @ 1:03:23 AM
4 up, 0 down
Temjin001
Wednesday, January 02, 2013 @ 10:03:05 AM
0 up, 0 down
WorldEndsWithMe
Wednesday, January 02, 2013 @ 1:24:47 PM
1 up, 0 down
Temjin001
Wednesday, January 02, 2013 @ 2:11:30 PM
man, I'm beginning to regret dropping $30 of gift card on it. Especially seeing it was like $10 on PSN.
It's wonderful and all but that's like a bite-sized morsel.
2 up, 0 down
MartyRules
Wednesday, January 02, 2013 @ 12:28:28 AM
Reply
0 up, 0 down
AcHiLLiA
Wednesday, January 02, 2013 @ 12:34:19 AM
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0 up, 0 down
ZettaiSeigi
Wednesday, January 02, 2013 @ 1:32:25 AM
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Anyway, this is a very solid list of nominees and awardees. Thanks!
1 up, 1 down
karneli lll
Wednesday, January 02, 2013 @ 2:20:03 AM
Reply
0 up, 2 down
Lawless SXE
Wednesday, January 02, 2013 @ 2:44:28 AM
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Thanks Ben, John and the rest of the PSXE staffers behind the scenes for providing us with the news we crave and the editorials that give us a chance to voice our opinions over the last year, and here's to many more. To the readers and contributors: I love you guys. The discussions, the arguments. Logging on of an afternoon is often a highlight of my days. Yes, I am that boring :D
3 up, 0 down
WorldEndsWithMe
Wednesday, January 02, 2013 @ 1:29:29 PM
0 up, 0 down
homura
Wednesday, January 02, 2013 @ 3:28:38 AM
Reply
2 up, 0 down
Beamboom
Wednesday, January 02, 2013 @ 4:09:44 AM
Reply
And when I changed to the last page, fully expecting AC3 to win but saw Dishonoured there - man it literary sent chills down my spine. Needless to say, I am very much in agreement there (although I've not yet played AC3, that must be mentioned).
This was a job very well done, Ben. Thanks for a great year, I look forward to the next!
Last edited by Beamboom on 1/2/2013 4:17:55 AM
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___________
Wednesday, January 02, 2013 @ 5:06:08 AM
Reply
FC3 should of won, even on consoles it blows AC3 out of the water plainly on the look of the game, than you take into account the size of the world, the amount of crap going on screen, and all the particle effects its downright astonishing!
theres a reason AC3 does not have any guards or enemies in the wilderness where they have snow particles, simple fact of the matter is the engine would crash and burn if it had to deal with HALF the crap FC3 has to deal with!
sound deign agreed, it was funny i was playing it on my laptop so suffice to say there not the best speakers and i was not impressed.
than i decided to take it downstairs to the 7.1 setup and my god the punch of the weapons especially the shotguns and snipers, the crackling whip of burning trees, the roar of tigers and bears i literally shat my pants!
FC3 sounds AMAZING!
wait a moment, AC3 has best acting but in the next category you say no game had better acting, ect, ect, ect.
what the?
so AC3 has the best acting, but ME3 has the best acting?
art and character agreed.
journey as a painting, not a game, but as a awe factor is simply beautiful!
i love maxs character, the constant way he was chastising himself.
as he said say what you will about americans, but you get what you pay for.
these people paid for a angry gringo that would not know right from wrong if ect, ect, cant remember the rest.
point is he was the most lovable character and constantly made me laugh throughout the whole game!
probably should extend that to include clementine or lee as well, i did not like the story and its restrictiveness, but the game really does make you feel sorry for both of them.
originality, uniqueness yea, but innovation?
how is flicking paint across the canvas to reveal your path innovative?
yea it brought in a new sub genre i guess you could call it, but it was hardly innovative!
most overlooked should go to i am alive.
the darkness 2 was overlooked because 1 its a pretty mediocre game, and 2 because of its stupid cartoony graphics!
you dont go making a slasher film, than put in hand drawn cartoon characters its just stupid!
hurts the tone of the game, just really ruined it for me.
the original was so dark and creepy, especially those death cut scenes really creeped me out!
2 though made me feel like quinten tarrantino took over as producer for loony tunes!
it betrayed so many things that made the original so great!
as usual, thats become the holy bible of sequels lately!
thy must change thy series on thy head!
part of the 10 holly commandments of game development.
most underrated RE6!?
REALLY!?
im not even going to bother going into whats wrong with that.
how can one of THE WORST games in the HISTORY of the industry be underrated!?
hell even RE5 was better than RE6!
christ, cant believe im saying that!
most anticipated games really hard to choose, especially when allot of the games up there have not been given much of a showing.
come april next year ask the same question, and ill bet 5000 bucks the answer will be GTAV!
simple matter of the fact is not even jesus christ could make a game more anticipated than the Juggernaut that is GTA!
not even COD comes close!
best PSN game should of been the walking dead, that game just does oh so much NO game has even dared to do!
and wont ever!
best vita game should be uncharted golden abyss.
i was absolutely smacked to the floor when i started that!
$ony has always been pulling that console game quality on the go molarky, and ive touted it up as usual typical PR BS!
but it actually was, its THE only game released for the vita that you would expect to come from the ps3!
bend blew my socks off and into the sun, in fact it was THE best uncharted game EVER made!
it actually made drake feel like a treasure hunter, something ND could not do through 3 freaking games!
BEND keep amazing me, almost as much as it amazes me how $ony keep limiting them to portable systems.
come on $ony, these guys gave us 3 of the PSPs best games, syphon filter logans shadow, syphon filter dark mirror, and last but not least resistance retribution.
and they gave us the vitas best game, and even one of playstations best games with uncharted golden abyss!
if that does not prove their ready for the big leagues than NOTHING does!
if $ony does not have bend working on a ps4 title, than its official $ony really are run by a bunch of apes!
ive always suspected it.......
best ps3 game should of gone to FC3.
2 reasons, 1 most games these days wow us technically but bore us GAME wise, FUN wise.
cough AC3.
FC3 did both, it blew our socks off technically, and game wise, fun wise, it was in a class of its own!
it truly gave you the keys to the city and said hack your brains out do whatever you want!
how many games do that?
and how many games do that, AND end up being one of the most technically advanced out there?
darksiders 2 should of won best action adventure game.
yes i really did not like it as much as the original, it was a true typical sequel IE it betrayed so much that made the original great!
but that said it was still by far THE best action adventure game released this year!
never thought id be saying that, had such, such, SUCH HIGH hopes for AC3!
oh how the great have fallen!
actually playing through the anthology now, 3 was such a disappointment ive had to go back to its predecessors to rekindle my love with the franchise.
up to AC2 now,by far the best!
not only of the series, but probably THE BEST game this generation has ever seen!
as a idea, dishonoured was the PERFECT concept idea!
it was so brilliant, the setting, the story, the powers, the freedom to kill, not kill, kill loudly, kill silently.
it was PERFECT!
but as usual it did about 13% of what it promised!
it let you kill, oh so loudly and in spectacular fashion!
as for killing silently, well......
or not killing?
well i hope you like strangling people because thats all you got!
even the powers are VERY focused to killing and loudly.
very few are geared to silently killing guards, or even just putting them to sleep.
best game of the year full stop is halo 4!
NO game has met my expectations, and its freaking halo so they were pretty high, this gen!
and not only did halo meet them but it blew them out of the water!
not only did 343 show the series is in safe hands and they are capable of continuing the franchise, they showed the master, bungie, how its done!
halo 4 is the only game that met my lofty expectations this year, and its also the only game that blew them into the stratosphere!
overall 2012s been one of the most disappointing years in the industries history!
1 we had ALLOT of studio closures, and allot of talented men left the industry, changed studios, or passed away. also had quite a few studios turn, insomniac and bungie for instance.
2 we had by far the least amount of games releasing!
normally the holiday season is flat chat, but this year it was pretty empty.
allot of games got delayed to next year sadly.
3 most of the games were either A VERY disappointing ie AC3, hitman absolution, dishonoured, or B never were going to be GOTY contenders such as all the racing and fighting games.
it has been a VERY sequel focused year and a VERY shooter focused year.
hell when you have nothing but karting games and 1 road racer on your list, you know the racing genres in trouble!
forza horizon would be the best racing game this year, now that was oh so much FUN!
its sad how the gaming industry has become like hollywood.
were obsessed with shooters and things that go BANG!
we really dont care about stories, characters, diversity.
we want a gun, we want explosions thats it.
been very sequel heavy too.
another thing with sequels, like hollywood this years sequels have been very disappointing!
sequels in gaming use to mean tweaking and improvements, not changing and turning on the head!
were becoming more and more like hollywood as each day goes by!
EXACTLY why im praying for next gen systems ASAP, in hope this will change and we will start seeing more ambitious titles, things very different, studios taking risks and doing things differently.
than when those new IPs get sequels, for the love of god dont do a EA or a ubisoft, or a $E, or a crapcom, or a 2K, or a $ony, and try to turn the sequel into a totally different franchise!
on a side note, yay its 2013 so that means our R18 system comes into effect!
woot, no more games getting banned and having to import them risking a thousands of dollars fine!
now all we have to work on is this price scalping, and month delays and were golden!
still pissed we have to wait literally 2 months longer for one of my favorite franchises of all time, sly cooper 4!
3 up, 4 down
Lawless SXE
Wednesday, January 02, 2013 @ 5:19:53 AM
7 up, 1 down
Sunni_Boi
Wednesday, January 02, 2013 @ 5:39:29 AM
2 up, 2 down
homura
Wednesday, January 02, 2013 @ 5:43:08 AM
4 up, 2 down
Phoenix
Wednesday, January 02, 2013 @ 9:15:52 AM
They've taken everything that is RE, and they've thrown it away for a more CoD type game, and that's just a shame.
But, Capcom isnt the only company to sell out this gen, they stand side by side with SE. We can only hope these devs will go back to thier roots sooner or later..... but then you see Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII, and it makes you wanna cry.
1 up, 1 down
___________
Wednesday, January 02, 2013 @ 9:56:15 AM
RE5 was half fun because of the boss battles and the different style of enemies, RE6 has become more of a mindless shooter yet become less as well because of the new type of zombies and the limited ammo and controls.
FUN is the LAST thing it is!
crapcom need to either say fine were turning it back to the way the series was, or stop trying to half a$$ mindless action and do it properly!
0 up, 3 down
sawao_yamanaka
Wednesday, January 02, 2013 @ 10:39:14 AM
1 up, 0 down
Temjin001
Wednesday, January 02, 2013 @ 12:40:35 PM
First, it never approaches the wide open scale of some prior Halo campaigns. A whole lot of time is spent in the relatively bland confines of Promethean architecture. The outdoor super huge truck mission was my fav.
Second, Halo 4 is very much a solo mission. Earlier Halo games usually made it a point several times throughout the campaign to make you feel you were fighting with a squadron of mates in more warfare oriented design. The tunnel more confined feeling is stronger now than ever. The introductory mech level felt like an on-rails event stripped right out of CoD.
Third, I feel the relationship between Cortana and Chief has been manufactured to try and make Halo something more human than it was ever intended to be. I just don't like that. It already had it's identity. I liked the tone and feel of prior Halo's just fine, more military and mission based and less emotion. Now CHief is made out to be more human and empathetic for Cortana (who I don't think acts particularly well). It just has this pseudo romance vibe I don't want from a Halo game. It's a turn off.
Another gripe is the end boss sequence is just ABSOLUTELY pathetic. Oh, and the Prometheans were less fun to kill than Flood. I also miss the Brute, Covenant, Flood style conflicts
Other than that the game is absolutely gorgeous to look at.
I hear the multiplayer stuff though is the best of the series.
Last edited by Temjin001 on 1/2/2013 12:49:54 PM
0 up, 0 down
Temjin001
Wednesday, January 02, 2013 @ 1:06:11 PM
0 up, 0 down
Temjin001
Wednesday, January 02, 2013 @ 1:13:47 PM
Do they need help designing a heavy soldier that ISN'T a duo of Hunters? These days fighting that duo is just way too redundant and tired. Where's the innovation? Make some freak'n new heavies to kill!
0 up, 0 down
___________
Thursday, January 03, 2013 @ 9:53:33 AM
would of been nice, sure, but its a trade off sadly we cant have everything.
maybe if shock of horrors M$ stopped being so anti PC and brought the series back, we could see halo 4 for what it truly wanted to be.
that is to say though its not exactly a corridor shooter.
i mean how many other games have flying ships sitting in the middle of the battlefield awaiting you to climb in, blow up fellow flyers and enlist in some kamikaze missions?
halo 4 is allot like uncharted 3 actually.
2 was such a michael bay film, 3 was allot more focused on the story and on creating a atmosphere with the characters.
yea it lost that spectacle 2 had, but i really did not care because the story more than made up for it.
it would of been nice to have more of the action, but i much prefer 3 to 2.
as for the chief and his relationships, i really enjoyed it.
343 needed to make their mark on the series, and they did that pretty bloody well!
yea it humanizes the chief, but if they were to give her the swansong she deserves with chiefs usual robotic nature it just would not of worked.
i really enjoyed it, their banter and relationship was what really made the game for me.
actually to say it was one of the few games that made me cry.
only thing i wanted to see done better was the prometheans, they really dont fight that much differently than the rest.
one thing we see so often in games these days, 10 enemy types and each enemy fights the same just with a different weapon.
i would of liked to see the prometheans really turn the battles on their head, be the complete polar opposite.
in short halo 4 is EXACTLY what the franchise needed!
bungie has taken the series FAR too far away from combat evolved, 343 took the franchise back to its noble roots but yet still keeping the modern changes fans have become accustomed to.
the series really needed to be reminded of its roots and this did it perfectly.
o, and ben thanks for adding such a compelling constructive argument to the conversation!
as usual.......
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Temjin001
Thursday, January 03, 2013 @ 6:21:38 PM
I'll take it a step further. They wont just restore COrtana to a body but they'll have Chief become captured and Cortana will go save him. She'll be uber powerful and accredit her skills to having been in CHief's head for all of these years.. she'll be hyper powerful and fast. Then she'll in the process of saving Chief succeed but give her life to do it. THE END.
just watch. I have little doubt something like that will happen ;)
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___________
Friday, January 04, 2013 @ 8:32:10 AM
the way they ended it, with her AI deterioration, its the end.
if they can find a way to "fix" her than fine, but restoring her to a human just does not feel right.
let her rest.
i actually interviewed one of the lead developers a few months ago, josh holmes and trust me there done with her.
i asked him why they decided to go with the more tragic personal route for the two, and he said they needed something where they could leave their mark, and this story and fates was the best way they could do it.
bringing her back would be a massive insult.
they dident do it for shock factor, just like arkham city it was done for a reason.
they want to move on and introduce something new to the franchise.
unlike arkham city though this was done for the better.
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Huey
Wednesday, January 02, 2013 @ 5:34:32 AM
Reply
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Solid Fantasy
Wednesday, January 02, 2013 @ 9:06:34 AM
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Twisted Metal didn't live up to our expectations, but it really did nail a few key parts.
ACIII, BoarderLands 2, Far Cry 3, and Dishonored all looked to have that high end production value. I'm avoiding them b/c I just don't have enough time for games that nice right now.
And I so glad a game like Journey got as much credit as it did. The world outside of PSX seems to stomp on innovative gems like Journey and this time they pretty much embraced it.
2013 is looking pretty grand. I'm not going to be able to make it through with out my PS3.
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maxpontiac
Wednesday, January 02, 2013 @ 9:33:50 AM
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With that said, I disagree with Dishonored being the GOTY. I tried playing that game and it failed to grab me. I have yet to play Assassin's Creed III so I can't comment on that one, but the GOTY for me comes down to Mass Effect 3 and NFS Most Wanted.
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SirLoin of Beef
Wednesday, January 02, 2013 @ 10:01:23 AM
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xenris
Wednesday, January 02, 2013 @ 10:37:00 AM
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The last big disagreement would have to go to Mass Effect 3 getting the RPG award. I'm sorry it just isn't an RPG and hasn't been an RPG since the first Mass effect game. All the the RPG elements that most RPG fans look for were largely gutted. What we ended up with was a shooter with RPG light elements and the ability to make choices that were going to affect the outcome of the game. I don't think I need to remind anyone but Call of Duty Black Ops 2 also gives you the ability to alter the storyline based on choices, does that make Call of Duty a role playing game? Or are we just saying that mass effect 3 has such good writing that it gets to be called an RPG, where other games such as Blops 2 don't? Other than superficial thematic differences how are the RPG elements in Mass Effect 3 that much deeper than the ones in the new Call of Duty game? I mean you can change your loadout before missions in Blops 2 which is a big change from the other entries in the series, and literally the main difference between the two is the ability to level up in Mass Effect 3, which was gutted in ME2 and ME3 and ended up making it feel like it was tacked on.
I think on the list you had Dragons Dogma was the only real RPG. It had all the things we expect from an RPG, it had a meaningful leveling system which provided progression that allowed you to become really powerful late game, something mass effect 2 and 3 conspicuously lacked when compared to the first. Dragons Dogma also gave the player a bit of storyline choice, along with lots of side quests. There was a ton of loot to collect and land to explore, and in general it felt way more like an RPG than Mass Effect 3 did.
I mean the term RPG is becoming harder and harder to define as time passes and games implement RPG staples in a more watered down, and easy to access ways. Its easy for developers to implement an XP bar that provides a sense of progression, everyone likes filling up a bar whether or not it is actually doing anything meaningful.
So to sum it up, I don't think Mass Effect 3 is an RPG it should have been in the shooter category as it now plays more like a shooter than an RPG. If you had have given this award to Mass effect 1, well I would have had nothing ill to say.
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Ben Dutka PSXE [Administrator]
Wednesday, January 02, 2013 @ 11:16:05 AM
I don't like it myself and I say it's an action/RPG hybrid, but the role-playing elements are obviously there, especially outside of combat. You can't really call it anything else. And it really doesn't play like a shooter; that's just false, in no way do I play ME the same way I play Uncharted or Max Payne. Surely you can see the vast differences.
Last edited by Ben Dutka PSXE on 1/2/2013 11:16:52 AM
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xenris
Wednesday, January 02, 2013 @ 1:11:33 PM
I think it is a shooter that lets you use powers but you play it exactly how you would play uncharted, or any other cover based shooter IE, you take cover pop and shoot and take cover to reload. The gameplay mimics that of a cover based shooter more than it does of any true RPG I have ever played.
I agree that it is a hybrid and not just a pure shooter but for me the RPG elements are so slight it doesn't justify calling it an RPG.
I will give you an example of games I think are considered RPGs, but I will exclude JRPGs because they follow a different formula than most western or DnD based RPGs.
Demon and Dark souls are really the last true RPGs, you complete customize a character who has no voice, you pick a starting class and you are put in this world and as you level up you have complete freedom in building your characters progression even if that means making a gimped build. The souls games you actually feel like your role playing your character in this disturbing ruthless world. JRPGs are character driven so your not really playing the role BUT you usually have this freedom in party builds character level, character inventory etc which makes it feel like you are in control and have some level of freedom.
Thats all I'm saying, I think that when you disect mass effect 3 you are left with mostly a shooter and less of an RPG. Sure the story is interactive and you can define your shepard, but even the dialogue options in two and three were more watered down than ME1s.
At most I would call it an Shooter/RPG, but then should borderlands 2 have been in the RPG category it has even more tangible skill builds and customization than ME2 or 3.
I have noticed that a lot of people are calling ME3 an RPG, and I thought that you wouldn't have put ME3 it in that category because I know how much you play and love RPGs, regardless of what other people were calling it.
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Ben Dutka PSXE [Administrator]
Wednesday, January 02, 2013 @ 1:19:08 PM
If you're only going to call Demon's Souls and Dark Souls RPGs, then I guess nothing else is, because nothing else really plays like those games. Dragon's Dogma and that's it...? You're narrowing your scope so severely that nothing qualifies for the label. You just dodge ME's depth by calling it "superficial" but that doesn't help your argument; it just makes you appear more biased.
Borderlands 2 straddles genres more so than ME3 does, because the entire focus is on FPS gameplay. On the other hand, saying the entire focus of ME3 is on third-person shooter gameplay is just plain wrong. There's a great deal more to that experience, and just about all of it has RPG roots.
Last edited by Ben Dutka PSXE on 1/2/2013 1:19:52 PM
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WorldEndsWithMe
Wednesday, January 02, 2013 @ 1:32:15 PM
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Ben Dutka PSXE [Administrator]
Wednesday, January 02, 2013 @ 1:51:19 PM
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xenris
Wednesday, January 02, 2013 @ 3:45:20 PM
Listen Mass Effect 1 didn't follow any of the traditional RPG stereotypes in terms of game setting, storyline, music or even perspective(it was an over the shoulder TPS) BUT it was called an RPG because it had character progression like an RPG, as well as a huge loot system that ACTUALLY had tangible EFFECTS on GAME PLAY. You can choose to not upgrade your characters skills at all in ME2 and 3 and the game hardly feels any different(I've tested this) as the progression and upgrades that you are working towards only change your abilities by a small percentage. Are we going to start calling Call of Dutys multiplayer an online RPG because you have perks that increase run speed, reload speed and how fast you can aim down the sites? NO we aren't because its a shooter, the only difference is that mass effect 2 and 3 show you the numbers where CoD hides them behind arbitrary perks. Not to mention Blops 2 now lets you actually affect the outcome of the game through your choice, and actually customize your loadout before missions....so....is it an RPG?
The fact that Mass effect 2 and 3 retained the dialogue choice systems of the first game and the good characterization is not enough reason to call it an RPG when the rest of the game plays exactly like every other stop and pop cover based shooter.
You never played it but was Binary Domain an RPG? NO even though it had a loot system, a squad loyalty system, a shop to buy and upgrade characters and weapons, multiple endings with a strong storyline and characters. It was for all intents and purpose more of an RPG than ME3 except it lacked a hub world of some sort...oh...wait a second...is that how you personally define an RPG? If it has a hub world?
Last edited by xenris on 1/2/2013 3:48:14 PM
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Bevel
Wednesday, January 02, 2013 @ 4:21:06 PM
If the writing in Call of Duty becomes stellar and the story becomes so deep that it's on par with Planescape Torment... would Call of Duty qualify as an RPG on the grounds that both Planescape Torment and itself have great stories and writing?
No, of course it wouldn't, because games are not books and story does not play a part in dictating the genre of a game. The fact that RPGs tend to have good stories is incidental, not endemic. If you want to say that Mass Effect 3 is an RPG based on other grounds than the gameplay mechanics I'd be interested to hear which mechanics those are.
By stark contrast to the sequels, Mass Effect 1 featured the most robust skill trees of any of the games, and a loot system that was essential to progressing and becoming stronger.
It's sad that shooters have grown so popular that people are willing to put games like Mass Effect 3 in the same category which was once dominated by greats like Planescape Torment, Morrowind, Baldur's Gate, and all of the great JRPGs like Final Fantasy, Dragon Quest and the Tales series.
Calling Mass Effect 3 an RPG just takes the spotlight from games that are much more deserving of praise for pushing the boundaries of the RPG genre. Why else do we have categories for awards?
Is Mass Effect 3 the best RPG of the year, or just your favorite game that people call an RPG?
Last edited by Bevel on 1/2/2013 4:22:06 PM
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Ben Dutka PSXE [Administrator]
Wednesday, January 02, 2013 @ 5:05:17 PM
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xenris
Wednesday, January 02, 2013 @ 5:36:17 PM
Play ME1 THAT was an RPG, and that is probably why Bioware still calls it an RPG even though 3/4 the RPG mechanics were stripped from the game or watered down.
Not to mention several publications put Mass Effect 2 in the shooter category for the game of the year awards the year it released.
You playing more RPGs than me doesn't make your argument stronger, that is if you even have played more RPGs than me which is a huge assumption on your part considering you don't know how long I've been gaming for or even my age. I know you apparently love RPGs but you don't know if they happen to be my favourite genre which, in most cases, they actually are.
I can use reason and logic to show you why ME3 isn't an RPG and if the whole world like you claim, still wants to think it is an RPG they can go ahead and do that, but that wont give ME3 an inventory system, a stats systems, tangible progression, deep customization or a full fledged loot system.
But as you said this is boring, I will go yell at Bioware.
Last edited by xenris on 1/2/2013 5:38:57 PM
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Underdog15
Wednesday, January 02, 2013 @ 6:08:48 PM
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Temjin001
Wednesday, January 02, 2013 @ 8:04:27 PM
Last edited by Temjin001 on 1/2/2013 8:05:14 PM
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Temjin001
Wednesday, January 02, 2013 @ 8:30:34 PM
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Ben Dutka PSXE [Administrator]
Wednesday, January 02, 2013 @ 9:09:49 PM
...but I doubt it. As I said, boring. And as Underdog said, we classify the game as the developers classify it, and as every other major source in the world classifies it, and we don't quite have the EGO xenris and his friends have for re-classifying it. I'm done here.
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Beamboom
Thursday, January 03, 2013 @ 3:27:05 AM
Why does it matter? I mean, really? Aren't we all just a tad too geeky now? Why the f*ck care so much if it belongs to this or that hat?
If you ask me, if we *have* to fight over this, I'll say that all the ME games have their spirit and soul firmly rooted in the RPG genre, there is simply no shadow of doubt in my mind about that. That is where they belong.
But I can understand those who say it is too much action, too little classic rpg mechanics. That is true too.
But come ON. If we watch a great movie, do we really get our panties in a knot discussing if it mainly was a thriller or a drama? Or do we instead discuss the scenes, the story, what's found between the lines, the euphemism, the... Well, pretty much ANYTHING but what genre it belonged to?
Last edited by Beamboom on 1/3/2013 3:36:37 AM
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Underdog15
Thursday, January 03, 2013 @ 7:33:00 AM
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Beamboom
Thursday, January 03, 2013 @ 10:54:19 AM
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xenris
Thursday, January 03, 2013 @ 12:14:36 PM
I don't need to explain what an RPG is, Bevel and I have shown all the facts that could ever be needed. It's not EGO Ben, it is voicing a concern that RPGs clearly aren't RPGs anymore and what defines an RPG is so vast you could technically call Call of Duty Blops 2 an RPG based off of its single player and multiplayer features.
I understand underdogs points very well. But when you have a game of the year awards at the end of the year and you are praising games for being the best of the genre I think that we need to make sure we know what that genre is.
Otherwise in 5-10 years there wont be categories. I think now more than ever it is important to remember what makes an RPG an actual RPG regardless of what the majority want to call it.
As for me being the only person who sees this as a shooter, let me quote one of the doctors shall I?
"There's a few bigger buckets of things we're working on, one of them is the intensity of the action, amping that up so people will see this as a shooter RPG... It's going to feel like shooter fans are going to have a great experience."
-Ray Muzyka
That is from the escapist website.
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Underdog15
Friday, January 04, 2013 @ 12:08:01 AM
That's why I think it's hard to find fault with Ben's decision. He truly felt ME3 was the best game on that list. Defining it as an RPG against the other RPG's no longer matters once it's been given the RPG label, and those factors can no longer be weighed.
It's literally impossible for him to have done otherwise unless he really didn't think ME3 was the better "GAME" (genre be damned) on that list. :\
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Ben Dutka PSXE [Administrator]
Wednesday, January 02, 2013 @ 11:14:26 AM
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telly
Wednesday, January 02, 2013 @ 3:12:07 PM
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Gamer46
Wednesday, January 02, 2013 @ 6:11:09 PM
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emily lockwind
Wednesday, January 02, 2013 @ 7:44:13 PM
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Dishonoured sounds incredible. Wonder if I'll get the opportunity to play it.
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Reccaman18
Wednesday, January 02, 2013 @ 10:45:24 PM
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bigrailer19
Reply
Tuesday, January 01, 2013 @ 11:56:11 PM
Well now I look forward to this years games and how things will turn out. Should be interesting with a new God of War, a new ip in The Last of Us, a DMC reboot and of course the long awaited new entry in the Bioshock series.
I will say that best mp probably should have gone go Borderlands 2. Yea CoD does it right for competitive stuff, but theres also another side to mp, and thats co-op and no other game does it more right and as well than Borderlands 2. Everything is perfect from questing, trading, looting to the perfect implementation of it all. Of course thats just me. I just enjoy the game to much not to give it another nod! ;)
Thanks PSXE for another great year and bringing all us readers not only interesting news but a place to come and comment on such topics! Look forward to this years awards!
Last edited by bigrailer19 on 1/2/2013 12:00:17 AM