Editorial Gamebanshee Game of the Year 2012 Awards: Scraping the Bottom of the Barrel Edition

[RK47]

Best Writing: Guild wars 2

 

[Jaesun]

The shit that nightmares are made of.

 

[evdk]

If you think this is bad, you don't want to see RPGWatch's GOTY

HAHAHAHA

 

[sea]

First of all, game list this year was shit. We worked with what we had. Additionally, we could only rate the games that we actually played. There were several that we wanted to check out but were never mentioned in the discussion, either because we didn't like them or because not enough people could comment (such as Game of Thrones). Fact is that yeah, we could replace X or Y - but with what? Risen 2? Game of Thrones? The amount of good titles this year was very slim and if we picked one instead we'd just get complaints that we should have picked another mediocre RPG instead.

Second, Guild Wars 2 for story/writing - I actually suggested this because of how it basically lives up to The Old Republic's promise of a reactive C&C-laden story. The fact is that the way your background influences the early game and then later on how you can get branching questlines with different choices of sub-quests is more interesting structurally than almost any single-player RPG that came out this year. While the story itself was crap, in a word, the writing and dialogue I found to be fairly entertaining in a lighthearted way.

On FTL... well, we didn't cover it. I suggested it months ago but it never really happened. I wouldn't really consider it much of an RPG either.

I think the fact that we literally could not come up with a good runner-up DLC/expansion shows just how poor a year it was for RPGs. There were good hybrid titles like Dishonored but as far as traditional stuff goes, Legend of Grimrock was about as good as it got.

While 38 Studios and Big Huge Games have since closed their doors, Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning showed more promise than just about any other project by a large studio and publisher this year.

lore and story penned by fantasy author R.A. Salvatore,

What the hell is wrong with you Gamebanshee?

Name me a triple-A studio that made a more promising, more "hardcore" RPG this year.

Can't do it, can you?

 

[Zed]

I understand why DU refuse to do a write-up for 2012. Both GB and RPGWatch grasping at straws to crown "winners".

 

[SearchEngine]

Here's RPGWatch's List:




Game of the Year: Mass Effect 3

Runner-Ups (in order)
Dark Souls: Prepare to Die
Dishonored
XCOM: Enemy Unknown
Risen 2: Dark Waters
Torchlight II
Borderlands 2
Kingdoms of Amalur

Best Indie RPG: Legend of Grimrock

Runner-Ups (in order)
Avernum: Escape from the Pit
Drox operative
Tales of Maj'Eyal (ToME)
Telepath RPG: Servants of God

 

[felipepepe]

Darksiders 2? Hell, even listing Final Fantasy XIII-2 would have made more sense...

First of all, game list this year was shit. We worked with what we had. Additionally, we could only rate the games that we actually played.

That's why GB ignored Dark Souls?

 

[Micmu]

hahahha oh wow
Next year they'll put flight simulator on the list.
"we worked with what we had" yada yada herp derp
Just shoot yourself.

Just put "N/A" in there and be done with it.

 

[SerratedBiz]

Second, Guild Wars 2 for story/writing - I actually suggested this because of how it basically lives up to The Old Republic's promise of a reactive C&C-laden story. The fact is that the way your background influences the early game and then later on how you can get branching questlines with different choices of sub-quests is more interesting structurally than almost any single-player RPG that came out this year. While the story itself was crap, in a word, the writing and dialogue I found to be fairly entertaining in a lighthearted way.

GW's C&C adds up to a lot of ooh's and aah's on your first playthrough, when you're still unsure of what would've happened if you picked a different faction or another race. The amount of different content at the start is really impressive but it only waters down and streamlines into linearity halfway through the game. Nothing about the choices you make has absolutely any bearing in gameplay or flavor once you're done with the faction-specific missions except for the fact that you can buy different looking armor depending on who you aligned yourself with back when you couldn't tell which one would sell you which cosmetic choice.

To add insult to injury, the story was retarded and the writing was god-awful to the point where you can't be arsed to read anything presented to you because it's either tripe or a rehash of generic fantasy plot / dialogue #2019.

Seriously, fuck that bland shit.

PS: I was playing GW2 all day.

 

[RK47]

...FUCK U LOGAN U LET FREN DIE
HOS BEFORE BROS, RYTLOK U WUD'VE DONNA DA SAME

Still the most convincing acting ever in MMO.

 

[I_am_Ian]

Is Game of Thrones a good RPG?

 

[racofer]

If you think this is bad, you don't want to see RPGWatch's GOTY

HAHAHAHA

oh no they didnt

 

[sea]

GW's C&C adds up to a lot of ooh's and aah's on your first playthrough, when you're still unsure of what would've happened if you picked a different faction or another race. The amount of different content at the start is really impressive but it only waters down and streamlines into linearity halfway through the game. Nothing about the choices you make has absolutely any bearing in gameplay or flavor once you're done with the faction-specific missions except for the fact that you can buy different looking armor depending on who you aligned yourself with back when you couldn't tell which one would sell you which cosmetic choice.

To add insult to injury, the story was retarded and the writing was god-awful to the point where you can't be arsed to read anything presented to you because it's either tripe or a rehash of generic fantasy plot / dialogue #2019.

Seriously, fuck that bland shit.

PS: I was playing GW2 all day.

"So if you ignore the branching storylines, the faction quests, the large amount of C&C early on, etc., and have played it seven times, then it's terrible." Alright then.

Darksiders 2? Hell, even listing Final Fantasy XIII-2 would have made more sense...

Have you played it? It's a Zelda-style action-RPG with enough RPG leanings for us to consider it for the awards (random loot drops and a surprisingly decent character/item system). And you'll note we only really considered it for graphics (where I think it does really well, despite poor PC optimization). At the very least it can be considered a hybrid.

That's why GB ignored Dark Souls?

It came out in 2011. We don't give belated awards or retroactive ones. Same reason we didn't touch Baldur's Gate: Enhanced Edition, regardless of quality or lack thereof.

 

[RK47]

I really can't see it.
I mean, yeah people play GW2 and appreciate it for different reasons - but story wise? No. It was pretty awful. I had to endure the most generic conversation and political hoo-ha. Not to mention I was trying so hard to endure it. I named my Guardian, Lord Generic due to how it plays out in the Human story quest. And when I reached Lion's Arch and Logan went high-school grudge with the rest of his ex-classmates the whole thing just fell apart. I tried so hard not to skip the dialogues to understand what's going on but the terrible VA and uninspired script did not help. Every mentor that accompanies you from 30-40 will die. And none of them leaves any emotional impact whatsoever.

I already said this before, but a.net just doesn't get what makes a story awesome.
Ask anyone or google how the finale of the story quest pans out when you face Zhaitan, and 90% would say it is shit.
How can a climax of a dragon fight be so stupid?
Quoted from GW2 Forums:

Spoiler

Spoiler alert.

I can’t begin to express my disappointment with the last story dungeon in the game. How uneventful, clunky, and boring it feels compared to something like AC story mode.
First, let’s start off with the camera. While you are on these zeppelins, waiting for hours to get to an undetermined destination, the camera does nothing but raise blood pressure. You cant effectively look around at what is supposed to be the be-all-end-all dragon of Tyria. All I see is my camera stuck in walls, the ground, and bugging out when I attempt to use the funcannons.
Subject 2 is the funcannons. Awesome.. we get to shoot down dragons before we get to Zhaitan! Although not very fun to use at all, the cannons are .. OK.. I guess. Oh sweet here comes Zhaitan.. I can’t wait to stick my sword right through his neck….

Not in this boss. We are going to provide a very anti-climactic laser beam to first injure the dragon. Obviously we still need Destiny’s Edge to protect us from weak waves of dragon minions attacking the deck, but the high powered laser beam should take care of the rest. Now that he’s gripping the building…
You can only hit him with two cannons. Seriously did anyone at ANet play through this story mode and think “Yeah, this IS worthy of an ELDER DRAGON KILL”. Man, I spent literally 7 minutes on the deck watching two people spam button “2”. We’ve installed 5 cannons, but only two are able to actually shoot AT the dragon.
I was just deeply saddened by this entire slobfest of a dungeon.

TLDR; Arah Storymode is bad.

 

[Harg Harfardarssen]

Best Writing: Guild wars 2

The shit that nightmares are made of.

 

[Grunker]

If you think this is bad, you don't want to see RPGWatch's GOTY

HAHAHAHA

waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaat

that's it, we're all that's left

 

[Jasede]

Why are we covering this trash? These lists were worthless, oh, five years ago, when they stopped making RPGs.
*grumble*

 

[Jasede]

RPG Hybrid of the Year: XCOM Enemy Unknown, Dishonored
FUCK YOU

Edit: FUCK YOU

 

[Excidium]

Why are we covering this trash?

Because it's fun. Look at that shit and laugh. It's a reminder that no matter how bad it can be here sometimes, it's worse outside.

 

[Jasede]

Fuck outside. That's why I never go there.

 

[Clockwork Knight]

Fuck outside. that's why I never go there.

*shifty looks*

If you think this is bad, you don't want to see RPGWatch's GOTY

HAHAHAHA

oh no they didnt

For added atmosphere, play this while reading the lists.

 

[Grunker]

First of all, game list this year was shit. We worked with what we had. Additionally, we could only rate the games that we actually played. There were several that we wanted to check out but were never mentioned in the discussion, either because we didn't like them or because not enough people could comment (such as Game of Thrones). Fact is that yeah, we could replace X or Y - but with what? Risen 2? Game of Thrones? The amount of good titles this year was very slim and if we picked one instead we'd just get complaints that we should have picked another mediocre RPG instead.

I recognize that there's a shitty list of games to choose from, but first of all, yes, Game of Thrones has infinitely better writing than that fucking crap you listed, and secondly, if you recognize that the year was shit for RPGs, say that instead of crowning what you yourselves, according to your own words, consider shit.

Your sin, mr. Schwarz, isn't that you had no games to work with - it's not your fault that this year was crap - but that you actually make a site-piece to glorify that bullshit instead of saying it like it is: 2012 was perhaps the worst year for cRPGs in history - in the very least, it was a terrible one. "Hello, fellow Banshees, we think 2012 was crap, Kickstarter looks promising, these games are perhaps worthy of mention, but that's it." You do not do "game journalism" any favors by scraping shit of the floor and crowning the best of the worst of it. Especially when you don't even write that that's what your doing. Excuse me very much, but your "game list this year was shit" rings very hollow when your Games of 2012 piece does nothing but praise the games in it. Hell, you fucking praise Darksiders II - an RPG on your RPG Awards list - for having "more RPG elements" than its predecessor. Isn't it self-evident that when you have to praise a game that wins an RPG-award for actually having a couple of RPG-elements in it, something is fucking wrong?

Take note as well that I'm not your usual Skyway-everything-is-crap-Codexer. I have plenty of tolerance for mainstream games and most of the RPGs some of the "angry" Codexers hate. But your list is pretty much all completely generally agreed upon awful games here at the Codex, no matter which type of poster you are, so of course we're calling you out for glorifying them. If you like those games, fine, but then don't come here defending GameBanshee by saying you had a crap selection. Own up to the fact that you like these games and consider them good RPGs. If you don't, don't write the piece, or write it differently.

Also note that most here actually didn't expect this of you. People here are harsh on you because you're not Kotaku. People are surprised that your piece is so terrible. People expected better of you. Some of you wrote very excellent pieces on the topic of game journalism integrity, and then you produce this? Come on, man.

In essence, the contents of my post was already summed up in one line by Zed:

I understand why DU refuse to do a write-up for 2012. Both GB and RPGWatch grasping at straws to crown "winners".

 

[Jaesun]

If you think this is bad, you don't want to see RPGWatch's GOTY

HAHAHAHA

oh no they didnt

For added atmosphere, play this while reading the lists.

Fixed that for you.

 

[Clockwork Knight]

Ah yes, the best video on youtube (and dare I say, the entire internet). There's not a single thing wrong with it, must've been divine inspiration.

edit: Yep. Now the Conan musical is playing and I didn't notice until halfway through the song, that's how magical the first video is.

But to keep on topic, the "Most promising indie RPG" list is also pretty interesting.

The Age of Decadence is a 3D isometric turn based game with quite some promises for a rich RPG experience with different solutions to quests, deep factions, action point based combat, crafting and alchemy and combat that is thrilling and requires tactics in order to survive. If it will live up to its expectations it is bound to be a great game and if released in 2013 will be a contender for next year's GOTY award for best indie RPG.

 

[Excidium]

They weren't paid. Not even a bag of doritos. It was a community choice. Jesus Christ