Title: Re: Games We Loved 2009
Post by: BlackNMild2k1 on April 15, 2010, 12:30:11 AM
Is this the replacement for Game of the Year Awards 2009?
Title: Re: Games We Loved 2009
Post by: Dasmos on April 15, 2010, 12:58:31 AM
I'd say so. This way is fairer to all the games that aren't Little King's Story or Spirit Tracks.
Surprised that Muramasa didn't get a mention though.
Title: Re: Games We Loved 2009
Post by: Jonnyboy117 on April 15, 2010, 01:11:15 AM
There's probably one person on staff who really really really loves Muramasa, but it took at least two nominations to get on this list. I like Muramasa, but it's not nearly one of my favorites from last year.
Title: Re: Games We Loved 2009
Post by: ShyGuy on April 15, 2010, 01:34:03 AM
No Deadly Creatures, No House of the Dead Overkill? Two good games.
Glad to see Dead Space Extraction didn't make the list.
Title: Re: Games We Loved 2009
Post by: NWR_pap64 on April 15, 2010, 02:24:40 AM
There's probably one person on staff who really really really loves Muramasa, but it took at least two nominations to get on this list. I like Muramasa, but it's not nearly one of my favorites from last year.
I liked the game as well, but not enough to declare it the best of the year.
Title: Re: Games We Loved 2009
Post by: ControlerFleX on April 15, 2010, 03:40:50 AM
No Deadly Creatures, No House of the Dead Overkill? Two good games.
Lets keep in mind that they had to DECLARE these games to be their BEST/favorite of the year, not the "boy did I like that one" game of the year.
Title: Re: Games We Loved 2009
Post by: Crimm on April 15, 2010, 09:57:59 AM
There was a minimum requirement that two staffers put the game in their weighed top-three. After I culled the results I marked the games that met that minimum and did a little additional pruning to keep the feature as balanced as I could between Wii and DS.
I might have cut two games with the minimum but only two submitted for that game, and gave it their three spot. I don't think it was that many, I believe I only did it once, but something is nagging me that there was one I was on the fence about.
I'm not sure if I should release my spreadsheets and workpages I created. I'm leaning to no, because they're pretty unintelligible without understanding what it is I was thinking as I generated them, and I made little notes in the margins regarding the writing for each (eg: "Zach's best write-up", "Neal and Andy very similar write-up use whoever has less write-ups + Jonny's") .
As for the "awards." This is a replacement, in part because the awards process has too many steps, too much drama, and gets too little writing help. Usually three-ish people end up doing all the writing. This system made sure the people who actually cared for the game in question wrote about it, because the "Top 3" submission came in the form of a paragraph, not simply a vote. To write was to vote. While it did spread the writing burden, it also meant that the write-ups were more impassioned. They were, after all, written each game's chief evangelists.
Ideally I wouldn't have been featured at all; I wanted my voice to be heard in the choice of write-ups, the prefaces, the image selection and captions, and the bedrock revision of how we do end of year stuff (in April). However, there were games that I saved from my own "two person minimum" rule because I loved the game. I think I'm only there twice, which I think is fair. Since I was the only person who knew the counts and that the minimum even existed (nefarious!) I didn't want to abuse that knowledge.
I consider it a success of social engineering.
Title: Re: Games We Loved 2009
Post by: KDR_11k on April 15, 2010, 10:02:57 AM
I don't even remember that that came out last year, I thought it was older.
Not surprising, it came out in mid-February. I never played it, but it sounded interesting from reviews I read.
Title: Re: Games We Loved 2009
Post by: Killer_Man_Jaro on April 15, 2010, 01:38:12 PM
Good good. Everything is presented very nicely (is it daft that I cracked up at the caption for the Mario & Luigi image?) and the games you all selected are certainly worthy for the most part. It seems similar in a way to past awards features, except everything in the special is a winner. One tiny qualm: not to be really anal or anything, but it's called Little King's Story, James, not Little King Story. Can you reveal which games were cut from the final edit?
Title: Re: Games We Loved 2009
Post by: Crimm on April 15, 2010, 02:02:01 PM
Not from memory, but i will have a list at my disposal when we record the podcast tonight. Jon might have it too, but I think I kept him out of the loop in that regard.
Title: Re: Games We Loved 2009
Post by: vudu on April 15, 2010, 02:09:31 PM
Quote
All but one of our respondents listed [New Super Mario Bros. Wii] in their top three Wii titles of the year
It was Greg, right? That guy hates fun.
Title: Re: Games We Loved 2009
Post by: Halbred on April 15, 2010, 02:29:08 PM
In case anyone was wondering, my "edited out" word in the Flipnote discussion was "Dictochat."
Title: Re: Games We Loved 2009
Post by: greybrick on April 15, 2010, 02:44:20 PM
I see that both Family Pirate Party and Cocoto Platform Jumper were slighted in this list.
Title: Re: Games We Loved 2009
Post by: Jonnyboy117 on April 15, 2010, 02:45:32 PM
I don't have the document at hand to check, but I don't think I put NSMBWii on my Top 3 Wii games. Again, I like it, but it's not one of my favorites from the year.
Title: Re: Games We Loved 2009
Post by: Crimm on April 15, 2010, 02:59:33 PM
Yeah, it was you Jonny.
Title: Re: Games We Loved 2009
Post by: vudu on April 15, 2010, 03:04:39 PM
So Silent Hill, Little King's Story and ... ? I'm curious to hear the third title that knocked NSMB off your list.
Title: Re: Games We Loved 2009
Post by: ControlerFleX on April 15, 2010, 03:53:03 PM
All but one of our respondents listed [New Super Mario Bros. Wii] in their top three Wii titles of the year
It was Greg, right? That guy hates fun.
I think you've somehow managed to confuse me with Jon. Incidentally, that hasn't happened to me since I last dressed up as "The Ragin' Cajun" James Carville for Halloween.
Title: Re: Games We Loved 2009
Post by: NWR_Lindy on April 15, 2010, 05:48:25 PM
Wait, what? No, NSMB Wii was in mine. Great game. I don't hate fun, but I do hate Super Mario Galaxy.
HEY-OH
Title: Re: Games We Loved 2009
Post by: Jonnyboy117 on April 16, 2010, 03:54:54 PM
Here's the list I submitted, in its entirety. I was out of the loop on the complete instructions, so if there was a limit of 3 per platform, I didn't know about it or perhaps brazenly ignored that rule.
Jonathan Metts – Best of 2009
Wii Games:
Silent Hill: Shattered Memories – This is a noble and arguably successful attempt to revive and reform the survival horror genre. While perhaps not actually scary, it is genuinely disturbing, shocking, and always interesting.
The Beatles: Rock Band – It was a very bad year for music games, but Harmonix still took their franchise to new heights with this partnership. There are no filler bands, and the visuals are actually worth paying attention to. Be sure to try some of Paul's bass lines.
Wii Sports Resort – This is a vastly improved sequel to Wii Sports. Yes, MotionPlus makes it feel different, but the games are also deeper and more diverse. Resort has a lot more single-player appeal, and it's still a great party game.
Excitebots: Trick Racing – You didn't play this game, but you should have. It is unfailingly wacky and consistently fun. There are tons of vehicles to unlock, and the online racing works great.
Little King's Story – The comparison to Pikmin is unavoidable, but this game secretly wants to be an RPG. The sense of progression and discovery is wonderful as you explore this cute, though dangerous, world.
[EDIT: So yeah, this means NSMBWii wasn't even in my Top 5 Wii games of 2009. But I still like it. Despite what some people say, it was a very strong year on both Nintendo systems.]
DS Games:
Retro Game Challenge – Here's a mini-game collection aimed squarely at older gamers, except that some of the segments are more like full games unto themselves. Gems like Guadia Quest and Haggleman 3 could almost stand alone as great purchases, but the collective package is even better.
Henry Hatsworth – This weird mash-up recalls ultra-hard, melee-based action games like the Mega Man Zero series… but with a puzzle game on the bottom. Push on through the nasty bosses to find upgrades that lead to brilliant secret levels.
Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story – Easily Nintendo's best RPG in years, this game cures its predecessor's pacing and balance problems. The sprite animation is some of the best ever seen. Plus, you get a huge dose of Bowser in his most hilarious role yet.
Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars – Its special aura may be diluted with ports to other handhelds, but this surprisingly great GTA still works best on Nintendo DS. It's also way funnier than the latest console edition of the series.
Download (WiiWare):
NyxQuest – Can you play a challenging 2D platformer while also using the Wii Remote's pointer? Both the charming presentation and ingenious design are subtle, but you will eventually get on board.
Bit.Trip Void – Easily the best game yet in this rapid-fire series, Void adds a lot of complexity and strategy. It's also more forgiving than Beat or Core, without becoming too easy.
Swords & Soldiers – This funny little game proves that you can have interesting, challenging strategy gameplay on a 2D plane. By the time the screen fills with cartoonish characters, you'll be hooked.
LostWinds: Winter of the Melodias – Even if you never played the impressive (but extremely short) original LostWinds, this sequel is well worth trying. It's longer and denser, with good platforming and tons of tricky puzzles. The graphics and sound are also much better than you'd expect from a game that fits on WiiWare.
Title: Re: Games We Loved 2009
Post by: Halbred on April 16, 2010, 04:11:54 PM
Hmmm...I like this idea, but I can't find my submission in my "sent items" folder. Oh well. For the curious, my picks were.
Wii: New Super Mario Bros. Wii, Dead Space: Extraction, and...I forget. DS: Mario & Luigi 3, Space Invaders Extreme 2, and Pokemon Platinum DLC: Flipnote Studio, Castlevania ReBirth, NyxQuest
Title: Re: Games We Loved 2009
Post by: Fatty The Hutt on April 16, 2010, 04:16:35 PM
Damn. No Excitebots. Yous guys are nuts.
Title: Re: Games We Loved 2009
Post by: Crimm on April 18, 2010, 04:52:42 PM
I went through my lists to see if any of my spreadsheets are worth posting. They aren't. The only one that's interesting I wont post because it's mine. We had a lot of single-vote getters.
Title: Re: Games We Loved 2009
Post by: NWR_Neal on April 18, 2010, 05:49:15 PM
Here's my submission in its entirety
Wii
Punch-Out!!
I've been waiting for this game since I first played Mike Tyson's Punch-Out when I was little, and I was extremely happy to say that it did not disappoint. Next Level Games essentially remade the classic game and added in more humor, more style, and more depth. The additions of Title Defense mode and a practice mode helped the game soar over its predecessors and, whether your nostalgia likes it or not, made it the best in the series. While the two-player mode and the motion controls aren't too great, the main game is aces all around, and was, without a doubt, my favorite Wii game of 2009.
A Boy and His Blob
I was enamored with this game when I saw it at E3, and this infatuation held up until the after I played through it. A Boy and His Blob is another game, like Punch-Out!!, that takes an old NES game and makes it modern and fantastic. The interaction between the boy and the blob is adorable, and the gorgeous 2D art is some of the best of the year. The gameplay is a wonderful mix of puzzle and platforming that might be considered too easy by some, but the charm of the game and the challenge of unlocking all the extra levels more than makes up for it.
New Super Mario Bros. Wii
If my guesses are correct, then this game will show up on every staffer's list. There's not much else to be said about this game that wasn't already said in TYP and Pedro's reviews. For me, this game was a blast from start to finish. The Koopa Kids, while formulaic, brought some much needed personality and character variety to the bosses. The levels were expertly designed, with tons of hidden secrets for fanatic players and a gentle learning curve for casual ones. I can't imagine playing through another 2D console Mario game without four players now, as that addition turned an age-old game style on its ear and made it a party game. Also, the final boss is freaking epic.
DS
Professor Layton and the Diabolical Box
If we were to do this type of award last year, Professor Layton and the Curious Village would have been at the top of my list. It is without any surprise that its sequel is at the top of my list the following year. Diabolical Box is kind of like a good movie sequel. You take the familiar characters, and in this case gameplay, put them in a bigger story in a different area with higher stakes, and top if all off with a climatic finale. The changes between the two games are pretty minimal, with the second game featuring some small refinements, but the puzzles are still fun, and the story is still engaging enough. I hope that next year I will be telling you about the third game in the series and how awesome that is.
Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story
Unlike Professor Layton, Mario & Luigi's last DS RPG effort would not have been at the top of my list when it came out. Partners in Time was, to me, a disappointment. Bowser's Inside Story, however, was not. The snappy writing and good humor shine as you jump between the two plumbers and Bowser. While the game overstays its welcome a bit, there is a good deal of variety, and both parties feature different combat strategies. The return of Fawful is welcome, and the buffoonery of Bowser is always a joy. I'm also a fan of Mario and Luigi's Italian jibberish.
The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks
I was not a huge fan of Phantom Hourglass. It was a fun game, but I had some issues with it. Thankfully, Nintendo fixed all those issues in Spirit Tracks. I had tons of fun riding around in the train, though it was slow, and the dungeons were all solid. I think it's worth noting that Phantom Hourglass' weakness (Temple of the Ocean King) was transformed in Spirit Tracks' strength (Tower of the Spirits). Additionally, the cut scenes were well directed and the multiplayer mode was pretty fun, and it is single-card, so you might actually play it.
DLC
NyxQuest: Kindred Spirits
I liked World of Goo a whole lot, but I wasn’t wowed by a WiiWare game until NyxQuest. It has a haunting score, gorgeous graphics, and fun puzzle-based platforming. Also, it could only be done on the Wii. I love the game's "pat your head while rubbing your belly" nature as you control Nyx with the analog stick and use the pointer to make use of the God Powers. The game has a lackluster finale, but the quality of the game overall forgives that. Also, the unlockable bonus level is pretty damn cool. I can't wait to see what Over the Top Games does next.
Art Style: Pictobits
If I could get away with picking a series without James getting annoyed, I would have selected the entire Art Style series on DSiWare. Instead, I'm going to go with my favorite: Art Style: Pictobits. It's a Tetris-like puzzle game with an NES aesthetic. It uses Nintendo's own NES games, ranging from Super Mario Bros. to Devil World, as inspiration as you fill in pixilated characters from the games as the music develops in the background. The sound design is awesome, which isn't that big of a surprise considering it's made by Skip. The unlockable levels and the tough yet fair difficulty curve will keep you coming back for more. This is an excellent game.
Let's Catch
I might be the only person on staff to play this game, but regardless, this is my multiplayer game of the year. The Bomb Catch mode, which is playable with four people, is simple, but it is riddled with strategy. It's merely a variation of Hot Potato, but if you get people of equal skill, it is tons of fun. I have sunk countless hours into this mode, and truthfully, only Nintendo titles such as Super Smash Bros. Brawl, Mario Kart Wii, and Wii Sports have gotten more multiplayer play than this game. Outside of that awesome mode, there is also a ridiculous story that begins with you playing catch with a kid in a park talking about how his dad isn't around and ends with you playing catch with an alien on the moon. There's also a baseball player who is a C.I.A. agent.
Title: Re: Games We Loved 2009
Post by: kbaker2002de on April 19, 2010, 10:34:03 PM
Muramasa The Demon Blade, that game was awesome.
Title: Re: Games We Loved 2009
Post by: Mop it up on April 20, 2010, 02:14:44 AM
Yes, it is always difficult to "make pick" the best games. ;)
I found that I enjoyed New Super Mario Brothers more than Super Mario galaxy, though I did find myself wanting more levels. The multiplayer is great though, and it works so well that I actually wonder why Nintendo never tried simultaneous multiplayer in a previous Mario game.
I really enjoyed Little King's Story, but I don't really have much to say about it. I know some were turned off by the "kiddie" art style, but personally, I think it's great. I've never played Pikmin either, and now I don't have to!
This reminds me of games I need to play and buy. I got A Boy and His Blob a while ago, but have played it for maybe forty minutes. It seemed like a calm game, which is always nice for a change of pace. I still haven't bought Wii Sports Resort, though the best part of the original Wii Sports was multiplayer and Resort doesn't look to be as good in that area. Punch-Out!! has been on my "will buy when cheap" list for a while now, I'm not really a fan of such games.
I tried the demos of both WiiWare games on the list and they bored me.
Title: Re: Games We Loved 2009
Post by: ControlerFleX on April 20, 2010, 03:07:04 AM
I've never played Pikmin either, and now I don't have to!
Oh man! I just got Pikmin New Play Control(madd cheap on Amazon) cause I never played Pikmin either and always heard of its praises....... it's TIGHT!!!! It gives you instant "collectionitas" I also just got LKS and cant wait to open that up because of the comparisons we always hear between tha two.
Title: Re: Games We Loved 2009
Post by: Mop it up on April 20, 2010, 08:16:29 PM
I have Pikmin for Wii, I just haven't started it yet. I'm going to need to be in a certain mood for that, as well as have enough time to get into it and finish it.
