Topic: FORUM GOTY 2017 AWARDS

@KratosMD I haven't played five Playstation games this year, so I'll abstain. Still, interested to see the result.

@BAMozzy I think the PS and XB versions will usually be a lot closer to each other than potentially the PC and console versions. While I mainly agree that the majority of the key elements should come through regardless of system, I do remember things like Torment having a rough release on consoles. I also know the PC is often developed for with KB/M as a control scheme and have no clue how well games like Pillars and Torment work with a controller. One final point is, even though Pillars released this year on PS4, should I be allowed to rate something I played over 1 (Undertale) or 2 (Pillars) years ago as a game of this year?

I just wanted to be open about my vote, although I guess this post highlights more of what I was thinking when I pointed out the issue. I'm happy to take whatever ruling is made as I see reasons why such votes should and shouldn't be allowed

@Ralizah I think you can also vote for less than five games. That was possible last year, and I've seen other people vote for only two or three games as well, so get that Persona vote in there!

Oh. Well, in that case:

Persona 5 - 6 points
Gravity Rush 2 - 4 points
Danganronpa V3: Killing Harmony - 3 points
Undertale - 2 points (played this on PC in 2015, but it should still be basically the same thing)

I'm abstaining too, not only because I want to keep mine secret but also I feel like I haven't played enough games from 2017 yet! Still, interesting to see what wins here.

I got a PS4 for Christmas, don't think I've actually played anything from 2017 on it yet. I'm about 1 hour into H:ZD but I'm not voting based on that. Though I'm sure it would win PLAYSTATION GOTY from me just from that first hour.

My year has pretty much consisted of U4 and FFXV I got for Christmas which are both 2016, Zelda BotW on Wii U and SMO on Switch, and KoA:R on PS3, which I had read was only 30 hours long but I'm 80 hours in with probably another 20 to go, trying to finish before Christmas. I've played a bunch of other stuff from PS+ but nothing worth writing about. Oh and The Order and Knack, I think my brain was trying to block those out.

Hey! I will vote but my list is not exactly 100% certain since I can vote for other order in other list...I don't know if I make myself clear but yeah, some games are just to close in my heart. So let's do it:
1st place = Yakuza 0
2nd = South Park The Fractured But Whole
3rd =Horizon Zero Dawn
4th = Persona 5
5th = AC Origins

I'm leaving Wolfenstein 2, Nier Automata and Uncharted the Lost Legacy out because I haven't played enough of them, but I'm sure they are deserving of the top spots too! Also I would give Destiny 2 at least 1 point cause I had some mild fun with the Crucible. Anyway, hope my votes help

@Dichotomy That of course could depend on your console choice too. If you have an XB1s for example, the lack of power may impact not just on visuals but on performance too which can impact on how you feel about a game. Visuals, regardless of the debate about resolution, can also play a big part. ME:A shows that poor visual character animations can actually be very distracting - as can Screen tear, pop-in, texture streaming etc too and there can be quite a variation between the consoles. Granted PC gamers shouldn't encounter these - not if they set the game up properly to their PC's capability. I don't know that if I played Wolfenstein 2 on an OG XB1 or XB1s for example, it would have been 3rd due to unstable performance - more so than PS4 or Pro. Point is, there is now quite a big divide between the OG XB1 as the weakest, less capable console (as far as big AAA Multi-plat games go) and the XB1X as the most powerful. This can affect performance as well as the visual differences. Maybe even the TV now can have an impact on how you perceive games. If you own a 4k TV and play Tekken 7 on an XB1s, that's a LOT of upscaling and blurry looking visuals - 720p is not great on a 4k screen so maybe that can influence your choice to a degree. The reverse is true to, seeing a 4k HDR game on a 4k HDR screen can look stunning and give it an edge over a 1080 (or less) SDR game. If game-play, performance etc is 'equal', the visuals could be a deciding factor and like I said, there is quite a big difference now in the capabilities of all 4 of these. There has been games in the past that run 'poorly' on one device - like Skyrim back in the 360/PS3 era which may impact on its placement in a forum vote like this.

Anyway that's a bit off topic.

BTW, wasn't XCOM 2 released last year? Or I'm confused?

@KratosMD So you did. Guess I read over that bit without realizing it.

@KratosMD Hopefully I’ll get a few hours of last minute gaming in tonight after work. I’m holding off my vote until I can play just a little bit more of a certain game to see if I can better determine where to place it in my own personal standings
But I will make a vote by the deadline. I want my voice heard! It’s like they say — if you don’t vote, you can’t complain about the results!

@KratosMD Np and thanks for doing this

@KratosMD Thank you @themcnoisy this is very interesting

@KratosMD More than a helper its actually your gig now bro. I entrust it completely to you after I close up this years one.

That said my last proper best of competition will be in feb so hopefully I can go out with a bang!

Wow that list is a thing of beauty! What a great year it's been.

The voting for goty 2017 will be over at 8pm UK time on the 6th December and into the final and greatest 24 hour poll of the awards. Thats a secret so stay tuned.

I know I’m pulling up the rear here, in the waning hours of the poll and I wish I had more time to play before casting my vote, but since the deadline is upon us, I just have to decide, so this is my vote —

1) NieR Automata - 6 pts
2) Uncharted Lost Legacy - 4 pts
3) Horizon Zero Dawn - 3 pts
4) Persona 5 - 2 pts
5) Zero Escape: The Nonary Games - 1 pt
(yes, I realize the Zero Escape series are older games, but the bundle including 999 is new to PlayStation this year, and also enhanced over the 3DS version with the addition of a flowchart.)

So those are the votes, and if you’re interested in my reasoning and thoughts, see below (I apologize if this derails things but feel free to ignore my following discussion):
I’ve debated this back and forth in my mind. My top 3 are pretty tight. While playing each, at different times they all gave me moments of awe and glee. Despite my trying not to give preferential treatment to the game freshest in my mind that I’ve been playing currently (NieR A), I can’t remember another game this year that has captivated me so much. I feel a slight twinge if guilt that I haven’t even completed NieR fully yet - having run out of time before this poll closes, and I have many of the other worthy contenders such as Y0, GR2, ACO, and Dangan3 sitting in my backlog unplayed.
Ya know, I read some comments on here that compared to NieR that Horizon has better enemies, better story, better visuals, better side quests, etc, etc. And, I can’t completely disagree. Horizon, for all intents and purposes is a superior game — But all I know is that now once I started NieR Automata, it’s all I can think about. I am so motivated to play it. It’s been a while since I played a game that kept me so enthralled, eschewing sleep and food in favor of completing ‘just one more’ quest or plot point. It has been the last thing on my mind as a doze off to sleep, thinking about what the next story point will be. In contrast, I’ve been working on HZD off and on for months, taking frequent breaks from it to dabble in other games during my play through, and still not quite finishing it. The only other game this year that held my undivided attention was UC LL, which I also never deviated from until I finished it. And graphically it beats NieR, having oodles more polish on it. However, I didn’t get the same excitement quite from UC:LL either, as I did from my GOTY - NieR: Automata

Gran Turismo Sport - 6 Pts
WipEout - 4 Pts
Crash Bandicoot - 3 Pts

Still caught up in the Witcher 3 so sadly I havent started HZD yet..

(And a big thank you to themcnoisy and KratosMD for organizing the poll!!)

@KratosMD Yeah, I was trying to get to the third and consistently reported best part of the game before passing final judgment on NieR, but I have had a busy week with less gaming time than I had hoped. But I can honestly say they even without experiencing the climax of the game, I still put it above the others I’ve played. I never would have guessed that, as I dragged my feet to even play the game after trying the demo when it was released.
One key difference to me , in addition to the engaging story, is when I come upon random enemies I get excited and think, “Yay! More robots to destroy!” Versus In Horizon I started to feel, “Awh man. I’ve gotta destroy these robot creatures so I can progress through thus area. Bummer.” It started to feel more of a chore whereas in NieR it is just more fun. 😅

Last 8 hours to get those votes in!