NY Times Hands Out Unique Awards, GTAIV Scores Another GoY

Yep, it's that time of the year: all major publications - even those that don't focus strictly on the gaming industry - are handing out their Game of the Year awards, and the latest is the New York Times.

As you can see in this feature editorial - strangely, you can find "Video Games" in the "Television" section in the Times - Seth Schiesel tosses out several interesting awards, including "Best Zombies" and our personal favorite, "Best Explanation Of Why Nintendo Hardly Needs Big Games Anymore: The Wii." Notice also "Best Embrace Of Democracy, Flawed As It Is: Eve Online." But in the end, he has to hand out his Game of the Year Award, and Grand Theft Auto IV adds to its big haul. It already got GoY from TIME Magazine and the SpikeTV Video Game Awards, and here, Schiesel says:

"I kept waiting for some other new game to captivate and refuse to release me the way this masterpiece from Rockstar did. I’m still waiting. Beyond its formidable craft, apart from its well-balanced combat and driving mechanics, what impresses most about G.T.A. IV is its writing. It is one of the few games that even try to take on the real world in any adult way. "

Weeeell, we can go with that...we guess. But umm...did he not play Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots? Granted, his point is that the script in GTAIV "takes on the real world in an adult way," and the same certainly can't be said of MGS4's more fantasy-based script, but in terms of overall quality and professionalism, we most certainly have to give the nod to Kojima and Co. Wouldn't you? Well, we're all entitled to our own opinions, of course, and we do have to agree that GTAIV was a masterpiece in every sense of the word...to hell with the haters.

Related Game(s): Grand Theft Auto IV

12/21/2008 Ben Dutka

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Comments (Beta)

Advent Child
Sunday, December 21, 2008 @ 10:43:32 PM
Reply

I still haven't played it. I am thinking about picking it up when it hits $20-30.

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Aftab
Monday, December 22, 2008 @ 5:35:10 PM

It's really an impressive game. I avoided the previous ones simply because I had no interest in what I saw as the mass appeal of them (vehicular homicide and so forth), and the crumby framerate would give me a headache. But after playing this one, even though I wasn't a fan of the genre, I regard it as one of the best games this generation. I was surprised to find that you were right about Deadspace's sp campaign being better than Gear2's or R2's. In the same way, I found GTA4's even better than DS's (although admittably the pacing was superior in DS).

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eLLeJuss
Sunday, December 21, 2008 @ 11:02:32 PM
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lol. i played gta for like... a week. then got bored with it. cause when i do the missions, and i fail them. ill get lazy and just run around on a killing spree :)

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www
Monday, December 22, 2008 @ 5:53:43 AM

lol.......Same here,i always go on killing spree after failing a mission,but i've completed the game though.

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SerendipityDeus
Sunday, December 21, 2008 @ 11:03:02 PM
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Same here, to me GTAIV was basicaly the same things as all of the other GTA's, just better graphics and perhaps an overall better story, but that's just me, I never was into GTA anyway, the last one I played was San Andreas

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Wage SLAVES
Monday, December 22, 2008 @ 12:34:11 AM
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It was an EPIC game. Clearly 5 stars. But yeah...It could've gone either way between GTA4 and MGS4. I was just more drawn in by MGS4.

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Joe_III
Monday, December 22, 2008 @ 1:10:03 AM
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f the times... Left 4 Dead needs GOTY... That game is awesome.

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GamerKid123
Monday, December 22, 2008 @ 2:41:43 AM
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I haven't played MSG4 so i don't know, but i think the writer knew what he was talking about when he wrote that article.

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ffrulez
Monday, December 22, 2008 @ 3:56:19 AM
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Well, of course MGS4's story is the best! Every single MGS before it left a piece of the puzzle that was yet to be solved that MGS4 was forced to solve. And it did it perfectly.

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ThePoetRazel
Monday, December 22, 2008 @ 4:52:46 AM
Reply

I'm glad to see recognition that democracy isn't a perfect system.
I'd certainly recommend this guy play MGS4. And the same goes for everyone else on the planet. Nothing that currently exists to my knowledge can stand up to MGS4.

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Wage SLAVES
Monday, December 22, 2008 @ 11:28:17 PM

Yeah. Never has been, that is why America is a Republic...a fact few Americans know.

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Qubex
Monday, December 22, 2008 @ 5:27:10 AM
Reply

I have been teetering with the MGS4 demo, and now I am messing about with the Online demo... I will wait for next year and get GTAIV and Metal Gear Solid once they hit the bargain bin... Kilzone 2, GoW III, Heavy Rain and Unchartered 2 are a must though! Lest not forget RE5, Bioshock 2, MAG and a few others that will come in and disturb the sanity of our wallets...

"Lord, will you please buy me all these games; oh Lord, will you please deliver me from this temptation... Oh Lord, will you please buy me all these games... its games I want and all that I need!"

Q!

"i aM hOMe"

Last edited by Qubex on 12/22/2008 5:29:14 AM

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www
Monday, December 22, 2008 @ 5:56:31 AM
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The only problem i had with MGS4 was simple.......too damn short period!

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Qubex
Monday, December 22, 2008 @ 9:38:24 AM

Life i guess!

Q!

"I aM HomE"

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Deleted User
Monday, December 22, 2008 @ 11:52:05 AM
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This s the best game of all time. Hands down.

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BeezleDrop
Monday, December 22, 2008 @ 1:29:49 PM
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In no way is GTA4 revolutionary and in no way does it deserve GOTY. Don't get me wrong it's a great game but not the greatest. MGS4's story was much longer and was clearly more moving. GTA had the graphics and gameplay but so did MGS4, it was just plain stunning, it looks amazing and played very smoothly. GTA4's multiplayer wasn't all too great either but I did enjoy MGOnline.

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WorldEndsWithMe
Monday, December 22, 2008 @ 2:09:20 PM
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Unfortunately GTAIV became unbeatable for me when all the missions went bye bye, now it's good for murder sprees only.

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smileys_007
Monday, December 22, 2008 @ 3:04:25 PM
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MGS4, simply the best game in 2008! hands down!

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Aftab
Monday, December 22, 2008 @ 5:42:49 PM
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I just finshed playing MGS1 last night. Will start playing MGS2, tonight. I have MGS4 but i'm wondering if I should finish the first two prequels first. I was blown away by GTA4, and that partly was because I never played the previous ones save for a little. And I'm wondering if for that reason I should just bypass the mgs prequels, although I've heard mgs4 is heavily story dependent.

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Aftab
Tuesday, December 23, 2008 @ 7:57:21 AM

Anybody?

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Arvis
Tuesday, December 23, 2008 @ 3:40:37 PM

You can play MGS4 without finishing the older games.

Downloading the Metal Gear Solid Database on the PSN is a good idea to get all the extra story info.

-Arvis

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Aftab
Tuesday, December 23, 2008 @ 4:25:08 PM

Thank you.

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shaydey77
Monday, December 22, 2008 @ 8:23:29 PM
Reply

well straight to hell with me so.

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Aftab
Tuesday, December 23, 2008 @ 2:43:16 AM

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