Official 2007 GOTY Tracker

[Glockstar]

Note: All are "Editor's Choice" awards... no Readers Choices here. (Not yet anyway; that'd be another 100 lines...)

IGN = Super Mario Galaxy (http://bestof.ign.com/2007/overall/)
Action Trip = Portal (http://www.actiontrip.com/features/bestof2007.phtml)
Destructoid = BioShock (http://www.destructoid.com/the-winner-of-destructoid-game-of-the-year-2007-61593.phtml)
G4 X-Play = BioShock (http://www.g4tv.com/xplay/features/54794/XPlay_Best_of_2007_Game_of_the_Year.html)
GamaSutra = Portal (http://www.gamasutra.com/view/feature/3228/gamasutras_best_of_2007.php)
GameSpot = Super Mario Galaxy (http://www.gamespot.com/best-of/?tag=topslot;title;5&om_act=convert&om_clk=topslot)
GameInformer = BioShock
GamePro = Call of Duty 4 (http://www.gamepro.com/gamepro/domestic/games/features/154431.shtml)
GameBump = The Orange Box (http://www.gamebump.com/go/goty_best_game_of_07_the_orange_box)
GameSpy = Call of Duty 4 (http://goty.gamespy.com/2007/overall/14.html)
GameTrailers = Super Mario Galaxy (http://www.gametrailers.com/player/29286.html)
Game Daily = Call of Duty 4 (http://www.gamedaily.com/guide/nod-awards-2007)
Games Radar = The Orange Box (http://www.gamesradar.com/us/xbox360/game/features/article.jsp?articleId=2007122091726139085&sectionId=1003&releaseId=20060321132945404017)
GameZone = BioShock (http://www.gamezone.com/goty.php?year=2007)
Game Revolution = BioShock (http://www.gamerevolution.com/features/best_of_2007)
Gamer Node = Portal (http://www.gamernode.com/features/5504-2007-nodies-gamernodes-top-10-of-2007/index.html)
Game Shark = BioShock (http://www.gameshark.com/goty2007/default.asp)
Joystiq = Portal (http://www.joystiq.com/2008/01/01/joystiqs-top-10-games-of-2007/)
Kikizo = Super Mario Galaxy (http://games.kikizo.com/features/bestgamesof2007_p1.asp)
Kotaku = Super Mario Galaxy (http://kotaku.com/338725/kotakus-overall-game-of-the-year)
Next Generation = Super Mario Galaxy (http://www.next-gen.biz/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=8357&Itemid=2&limit=1&limitstart=3)
PC World = Call of Duty 4 (http://www.pcworld.ca/news/column/b780f1330a01040800129dda7c84fd4e/pg1.htm)
Primotech = BioShock (http://www.primotechnology.com/2007/12/21/primotech-game-of-the-year-awards-2007-day-five/)
ShackNews = Portal (http://www.shacknews.com/featuredarticle.x?id=725#)
Wired = Rock Band (http://www.wired.com/gaming/gamingreviews/multimedia/2007/12/YE_games_2007)
Worth Playing = BioShock (http://www.worthplaying.com/article.php?sid=48626)

Yahoo = Super Mario Galaxy (http://videogames.yahoo.com/events/game-of-the-year-2007/game-of-the-year-2007/1177350)
Amazon = Super Mario Galaxy (http://www.amazon.com/lm/R202CG6CQ8KJKY/)
Maxim = Call of Duty 4 (http://www.maxim.com/Bestof2007entertainment/articles/2/10476.aspx)
Edge Magazine = Super Mario Galaxy
Paste Magazine = BioShock (http://www.pastemagazine.com/action/article/5952/review/game/signs_of_life_2007_best_games)
MTV = Desktop Tower Defense (http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1575780/20071204/index.jhtml)
Spike TV VGA's = BioShock (http://www.gamespot.com/news/6183845.html?tag=result;title;0)

RPG Fan = Persona 3 (http://www.rpgfan.com/features/go2007/index.html)


Other GOTY Givers:
Associated Press = BioShock (http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,317000,00.html)
Time = Halo 3 (http://www.time.com/time/specials/2007/top10/article/0,30583,1686204_1686305_1692236,00.html)
New York Times = Mass Effect (http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/23/arts/23schi.html)
Los Angeles Times = BioShock (http://www.latimes.com/technology/la-et-vidyear21dec21,1,3409100.story?coll=la-headlines-technology&ctrack=1&cset=true)
Journal & Courier/Game Dork (West Lafayette, Indiana) = BioShock (http://www.jconline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071220/COLUMNISTS21/712200309)
411mania.com = Super Mario Galaxy (http://www.411mania.com/games/columns/65632/The-10th-Hour-12.21.07:-Top-20-Games-of-the-Year.htm)


And from outside the US:
BAFTA (UK) (Note: Given in October) = BioShock (http://www.gamespot.com/news/6181514.html?tag=result;title;0)
EuroGamer (UK) = Portal (http://www.eurogamer.net/article.php?article_id=89793&page=1)
TotalVideoGames (UK) = Super Mario Galaxy (http://www.totalvideogames.com/movies/TVG_Hall_of_Game_****of_2007_4278_1846.htm)
Trusted Reviews (UK) = BioShock (http://www.trustedreviews.com/gaming/review/2007/12/23/Top-20-Games-of-the-Year-Part-Two/p1)
Sky News (UK) = Super Mario Galaxy (http://news.sky.com/skynews/picture_gallery/picture_gallery/0,,91221-1297487-12,00.html)
MyGEN (AU) = Call of Duty 4 (http://mygen.com.au/article.php?page_id=64288552641120214&se_id=29&format=2&page=1)


Still waiting on:
1UP
Play Magazine
Advanced Media Network
AIAS (but that's much later)
...and the biggie, the GDCA's (ditto)
...among others(?)

[Glockstar]

Kombo's GOTY is in... it's Super Mario Galaxy. Link to their "Best & Worst of 2007" feature article. (http://www.kombo.com/article.php?artid=10510&pg=1&preview=1579)

Kombo was formerly known as Advanced Media Network. The change just went into effect. (http://www.kombo.com/article.php?artid=10535)

There are six editors that contribute to AMN/Kombo's gaming site. In addition to the Overall GOTY's, each of the six editors did their own Top 10 (http://www.kombo.com/article.php?artid=10471) (actually, they did their individual Top 10's about a month before doing their consensus picks). I bring it up because these individuals Top 10's are even more of interesting read than their official site picks. (Go Crackdown!)


-


The AIAS and GDCA's are not as far away as I thought.

The Academy of Interactive Arts and Sciences awards ceremony, at the DICE convention, is scheduled to take place Feb. 7. Don't know if you heard, but the nominee's are in... and BioShock picked up a record 12 different nominations. GameInformer has got the complete list of nominee's (http://www.gameinformer.com/NR/exeres/9EE933A7-786A-4258-9BD9-CDB0DF83FAE7.htm).

The Game Developers Choice Awards ceremony will be held - in conjunction with the Independent Games Festival - on February 20. Sid Meier to be honored (http://www.next-gen.biz/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=8581&Itemid=59).


-


Wtf is taking 1UP so long?

[ilnadmy]

Damn, I was sure Super Mario Galaxy would be cleaning up every single GOTY award, since it seems to have won IGN, GameSpot, and Gametrailers, but I guess it's not all that widely hailed as the best game released this year. It's definitely garnering the most wins, and by a good margin, but BioShock and Call of Duty 4 are both getting a good number of awards themselves. I'll never understand what people see in BioShock. Sure, the atmosphere is amazing, but the combat is soooo bleh. It's good to see Portal winning its share of awards though. That game is a gem.

[Rogue Bounty Hunter]

Playstation: The Official Magazine (formerly PSM) had their GOTY in the latest issue.

PS3 - Assassin's Creed
PS2 - God of War II
PSP - Final Fantasy Tactics: War of the Lions

They didn't name any of these as their one GOTY, though.

[Glockstar]

I wasn't expecting this one.

BioShock wins Game Critics Awards first annual Game of the Year awards.

Game Critic Awards is probably best known for their "Best of E3" awards. But now they're doing a GOTY. Cool.

Who is Game Critic Awards? They are an independent group of journalists from 36 leading North American media outlets that cover the videogame industry. (http://www.gamecriticsawards.com/index.html)

Direct link to their GOTY feature and Top 10 countdown. (http://www.gamecriticsawards.com/goty.html) It not only includes a little summary about each game, but a neat little statistical breakdown. And best of all, there's a link to see how each judge voted. :wink5:

[ilnadmy]

Hmm, that voting system they have there is seriously f***ed up. It seems the only reason BioShock won was because a few (2-3 I think) journalists gave it 30 points, when other journalists were giving their top game a 20. BioShock scored highly on all the lists, but wouldn't have taken the top spot if these 3 guys didn't arbitrarily decide to hand it 30 points. I wonder how this system even works. Can someone just give a game 100 points and call it a day?

[Glockstar]

Read the rules (http://www.gamecriticsawards.com/rules.html). It's actually a great system.

[ilnadmy]

So it's as I said, the reason it won was because those few guys gave it 30 points. It's very arbitrary really, I don't think it's a good system at all.

[Glockstar]

It's not arbitrary. You can check the GCA voters' record and match it to his parent company's GOTY. And the point system allows them a chance to further separate their game rankings - or make them closer. Say for instance that the GameSpy people really had a tough time choosing their GOTY (don't know this, just giving an example), that might be reflected in their GCA representative's scoring.

I cross checked most of them. And in all but one or two instances they match up. The only one that was funky was IGN's. Wouldn't you know it? And... that The OPM would vote for a game that wasn't even on a Playstation system is kind of weird too.

There are a lot of big names on the GCA roster. Andy McNamara; Dave Halverson; N'Gai Croal; Dan Hsu; Adam Sessler...


Say... that Halverson and Dan Shoe chimed in for the GCA you think we can reverse their process and figure out what game their parent company voted for as GOTY? I've been waiting for 1UP/EGM's and Play's GOTYs... I reckon Heavenly Sword is Play's, and BioShock is EGM's. Yeah? Nah. Best not assume anything. Until I find out for sure, I'm leaving these two magazine's GOTY blank.


Back to the GCA: I don't know... the system isn't perfect (as shown by IGN) but it might be the best awards thing going as far finding a definitive GOTY. It's better than Spike TV's; and a damn sight better than the AIAS.

[NEO-360]

So it's as I said, the reason it won was because those few guys gave it 30 points. It's very arbitrary really, I don't think it's a good system at all.

Another 360 title leading the way with top honors. Is it just me or is this becoming a daily trend in the world of videogames? The 360 beating the PS3 when it comes to dishing out the best games. But I almost forgot for milkdrinkers its all about how many consoles being sold and not about the sales numbers of the games on the console.:D

[Tappy_Tibbons]

OMG, you mean UNCHARTED didn't win?!?!?!? hahahahahahha

[ilnadmy]

Another 360 title leading the way with top honors. Is it just me or is this becoming a daily trend in the world of videogames? The 360 beating the PS3 when it comes to dishing out the best games. But I almost forgot for milkdrinkers its all about how many consoles being sold and not about the sales numbers of the games on the console.:D

It's a PC game too, and I still don't like it. Why don't you start reading up about these games, idiot?

And as concerns the rating system, I still think it's crap. Any system where 3 people can swing the entire outcome is not very good.

[Mochan]

What's this? Only Time Magazine had the balls (or ignorance) to give Halo 3 a GOTY? But it's a franchise, how can that be....

[NEO-360]

What's this? Only Time Magazine had the balls (or ignorance) to give Halo 3 a GOTY? But it's a franchise, how can that be....

Name one game on any other console thats currently next-gen thats sold more copies than Halo 3? None. Besides making Time Magazine is indeed a big deal. Apparently on most lists a PS3 game cant even go over the million mark better yet a GOTY list. Hell, Guitar Hero on the PS2 sold better than most of the AAA titles thats been out on the PS3 so far. Choke on that after the money shot Mr. PC.:eek:

[NEO-360]

It's a PC game too, and I still don't like it. Why don't you start reading up about these games, idiot?

And as concerns the rating system, I still think it's crap. Any system where 3 people can swing the entire outcome is not very good.

Its a PC game too. And? You guys ride the nuts of the PC games then. I'll stick to those same games on the videogame consoles. How about that?:idea:

[NEO-360]

OMG, you mean UNCHARTED didn't win?!?!?!? hahahahahahha

Good one Tappy. I just knew Lair was a shoe in.:eek:

[ilnadmy]

Its a PC game too. And? You guys ride the nuts of the PC games then. I'll stick to those same games on the videogame consoles. How about that?:idea:

You're a f***ing retard.

[NEO-360]

You're a f***ing retard.

I'll remember that the next time you"rent" something for the PS3 than buy it.:cool:

[Tappy_Tibbons]

At least they didn't give any of the exclusive PS3 trash GOTY. What a bunch of crap games...Uncharted, Ratched and Clank...these 2 games try too hard to be "kewl" and end up looking retarded with no soul or personality and only manage to make an impression as shallow as the audience it so desperately tries so hard to win over.

Motorstorm and Resistance are awesome games...oh, my bad, those were 2006 games. So, in other words, PS3 had NO good exclusive games for 2007 (except Warhawk)...lol.

I will never understand why one would own or even defend a PS3's name right now other than maybe Warhawk.

MGS is the most overrated series of all time, it is the great white hope of the PS3 but, in truth, it will be obliterated in worldwide sales compared to GTA4 which is superior on 360 due to the $50 mil MS put in R*s pocket for 2 exclusive content packs. Killzone will the the nicest looking turd of a game of all time. Resistance 2 and Motorstorm 2 may make me buy a PS3 though but all I am saying is so many people look absolutely foolish defending the PS3 right now.

[Glockstar]

And as concerns the rating system, I still think it's crap. Any system where 3 people can swing the entire outcome is not very good.

Come onnnnn.

Alright then...

Attention GCA voters: the Video Game Supreme Court - as overseen by ilnadmy is stepping in. You three that gave BioShock 30 points... ilnadmy says that's 10 points too many, so we're taking them away. And we're making you give them to Call of Duty 4. Don't question it GCA. Our Supreme Supreme says that a few of you were acting crazy; these three were not being honest, responsible, nor fair. And he knows.

So now the GCA results look like this:
#3 The Orange Box (387 points)
#2 Call of Duty 4 (391 points)
#1 BioShock (434 points)

There. You happy now, oh Supreme?

:rolleyes:

[ilnadmy]

LOL. That was pretty funny.

What I meant was, they should rank them in their order of preference, and the first place game gets 10 points (for example), #2 gets 9 points, and so on. If that were the case then BioShock wouldn't have won, as it wasn't ranked #1 on too many lists. If you let people give random games 30 points, then 3 people could swing the entire vote just because everyone else was equally distributing points (more or less) while these guys decided on a whim to hand BioShock 30 points and all other games 10 or 5 points. So if Orange Box had more #1 spots, but was only getting 20 points, whereas BioShock was only #1 on 3 lists and getting 30 points, Orange Box would have to be #1 on 5 lists to do what BioShock is doing in 3 lists.

See where I'm going with this?

[Glockstar]

Yeah. I getcha.

That's certainly one way to do it. (That's the way we did our VGR Top 50.) This way is another.

And personally, I like this way. It lets the voter differentiate games better - as they see fit. Like, say somebody really only thought there were 6 great games this past year. And even among those six this entity thought there was a big difference in the top three and the next three. The variable point system will let them illustrate this opinion better; and they won't be forced to give undue recognition to games they don't feel deserve it.

You seem to lack trust in these guys. You doubt there motivations. I say, they're not fanboys. And I think most were trying to be accountable and true to their parent company's GOTY deliberations.

It's not a system I would trust with anybody tho', I will say that. Like us... ? No fracking way.

[PapaSmurf]

Glock you should set up a VGR top 5 of the year where you tally our votes. You're all into this stuff and I'd hate to steal your thunder.

[Glockstar]

My thunder? Yeah I do get into this stuff... but you did our Top 50. And you did a pretty damn good job too. You do it.

I think last year is... getting old. I'm just about over it. I'm keeping track of these "Editors Choice"-type GOTY's just because facts are facts. And we could all use a lot more facts around here. Plus, a couple of years from now it could be good trivia.

But I think we all get the gist of it by now. Consensus says there were 5-6 GREAT games in 2007. With 2 games in particular vying for the "pro's" special affection: BioShock and Super Mario Galaxy. And Call of Duty 4 largely getting the nod from "readers". With pretty much everyone agreeing that Portal, Orange Box(?), and Mass Effect were also right there too. Certainly you got that message by now?

I mean, you keep hearing about these games over and over, doesn't it impress you? Doesn't it make you want to check them out? It sure did me. And I hope for y'alls sake it did you too. And I hope that you actually get a chance to check them (all) out. You really should.

I might tally up these Editor's Choice GOTY's. But that's about it. And even then, only because it looks like it's a really close race between BioShock and SMG. And the way it looks right now, even tho both games are highly lauded, neither game will be able to lay claim being the one true GOTY of 2007.

I'll do these, you do ours. Howabout that?

[Gadfly2317]

I think last year is... getting old. I'm just about over it. I'm keeping track of these "Editors Choice"-type GOTY's just because facts are facts. And we could all use a lot more facts around here. Plus, a couple of years from now it could be good trivia.

I mean, you keep hearing about these games over and over, doesn't it impress you? Doesn't it make you want to check them out? It sure did me. And I hope for y'alls sake it did you too. And I hope that you actually get a chance to check them (all) out. You really should.


Bioshock is the one I want to try out the most.

I finished Uncharted a couple weeks ago; I didn't play it in 2007 or it might have been my GOTY. Tappy calling it soulless and shallow. . . he clearly hasn't played it.

Other 2007 stuff I'm still interested in--currently playing Assasins Creed, but not far enough along to know how much I like it. I can say, it hasn't gripped my imagination the way Drake did, yet.

Getting the Orange Box next, mostly to play Portal. Then going to play Heavenly Sword and Folklore.

After that its onto '08 games like No More Heroes, Super Smash Bros Brawl, Patapon, Little Big Planet, GT5 Prologue. . . . .

I'm actually mostly managing to keep up with I'm wanting to play. I really do hope Bioshock gets ported to Ps3, even if it's not for another year. EA owns it now, right? If the RROD gets fixed, I do plan to get a 360 eventually, but at this point I might as well wait to that point in the cycle where it's $199 (with harddrive.) 360's gonna be my end-gen cheap-console with used games and players choice titles.

[Glockstar]

Getting the Orange Box next, mostly to play Portal.

Good man.

Tho' you might want to just think about renting it. Portal is pretty short. (I don't have a problem with it - actually, I like it - but it is, as a matter of fact, short.) After that, the only game worth a damn in the compilation is Episode Two. Unless you like online fragfests - which I don't think you do - then you might like Team Fortress 2.

And regarding Episode Two, no you really don't need to play (read: suffer) thru Half-Life 2 or Episode One to catch up on the story. There is no story. Not really. Nothing engaging anyway. I think you can sum up the events from the very first Half-Life game thru Episode One in about 5 sentences. Thirty-plus hours of gameplay... for nothing.

[Glockstar]

(aka "These should make The Supreme Supreme very happy Awards")

AIAS Overall Game of the Year = Call of Duty 4


Here's the complete list of their other categories and winners (for what they're worth):
-Handheld Game of the Year: The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass
-Family Game of the Year: Rock Band
-Outstanding Achievement in Animation: Assassin's Creed
-Outstanding Achievement in Art Direction: Bioshock
-Outstanding Achievement in Visual Engineering: Crysis
-Outstanding Character Performance: The Orange Box: Portal
-Outstanding Achievement in Story Development: Bioshock
-Outstanding Achievement in Game Play Engineering: The Orange Box: Portal
-Outstanding Achievement in Online Game Play: Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare
-Downloadable Game of the Year: Puzzle Quest: Challenge of the Warlords
-Outstanding Achievement in Original Music Composition: Bioshock
-Outstanding Achievement in Soundtrack: Rock Band
-Outstanding Achievement in Sound Design: Bioshock
-Cellular Game of the Year: skate. Mobile
-Roleplaying Game of the Year: Mass Effect
-Racing Game of the Year: Motorstorm
-Outstanding Achievement in Game Design: The Orange Box: Portal
-Outstanding Innovation in Gaming: Rock Band
-Adventure Game of the Year: Super Mario Galaxy
-Sports Game of the Year: skate.
-Strategy/Simulation Game of the Year: Command and Conquer 3: Tiberium Wars
-Action Game of the Year: Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare
-Massively Multiplayer Game of the Year: World of Warcraft: The Burning Crusade
-Computer Game of the Year: The Orange Box
-Console Game of the Year: Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare
-Overall Game of the Year: Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare

http://www.interactive.org/awards.php?winners&year=2008&cat=200826#200826


GameSpot had the whole awards ceremony broadcast on their website. You can still see it. (http://www.gamespot.com/video/extras/iaa.html?sid=6185739&om_act=convert&om_clk=multimodule&tag=multimodule;picks;title;1) Jay Mohr hosted it. He was sometimes funny. But mostly he was just rude and crude. Kind of shocking that the AIAS would go this way. Guess Spike TV's awards show wasn't/isn't that bad after all.

[ilnadmy]

The Supreme is satisfied. :D

Actually I'm surprised that COD4 won GOTY with the AIAS, given that it's a multiplat. Yeah I gave COD4 my GOTY, but I didn't expect many publications to follow suit (and they didn't). It seems multiplats are less likely to win these awards than platform exclusives for some reason.

[Glockstar]

Shocker: Portal gets the GDCA's GOTY.(!)

Other winners at the 8th Annual Game Developer's Choice Awards:
2007 Best Game Design = Portal
2007 Best Visual Art = BioShock
2007 Best Technology = Crysis
2007 Best Writing = BioShock
2007 Best Audio = BioShock
2007 Best Debut = Crackdown
2007 Innovation = Portal
2007 Best Handheld Game = The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass
2007 Best Downloadable Game = FlOw

Call of Duty 4 got eck. Soory Supreme.

[ilnadmy]

No worries, I liked Portal. Deserving win. :)

[Mochan]

Gotta agree with Glockie on this one Gadfly. If your primary motivation to get the Box is to play Poral, just rent it or something, you can finish portal in a day. Heck, you can finish it in an afternoon, in like 2 hours.

[silversparrow]

Looking through all these awards it's amazing to see how Halo 3, one of 07's most highly rated and bestselling games, won virtually no awards among the gaming community. Was it that forgettable? :rolleyes:

[Glockstar]

No worries, I liked Portal. Deserving win. :)

Yeah, I'm pleased that it won too. A bit shocked; I thought for sure that one of the big three - BioShock; Call of Duty 4; Super Mario Galaxy - would win it. And of those I personally thought SMG would get the nod; I thought for sure it had another win up it's sleeve. But I'm happy for Portal.

http://weeklygeekshow.com/images/love_and_lies-thumb-470x264.jpg
I thought I loved Portal.

[Gadfly2317]

Good man.

Tho' you might want to just think about renting it. Portal is pretty short. (I don't have a problem with it - actually, I like it - but it is, as a matter of fact, short.) After that, the only game worth a damn in the compilation is Episode Two. Unless you like online fragfests - which I don't think you do - then you might like Team Fortress 2.

And regarding Episode Two, no you really don't need to play (read: suffer) thru Half-Life 2 or Episode One to catch up on the story. There is no story. Not really. Nothing engaging anyway. I think you can sum up the events from the very first Half-Life game thru Episode One in about 5 sentences. Thirty-plus hours of gameplay... for nothing.

I got a Gamefly gift certificate for Xmas, and have been using it to rent games. I haven't rented in years, I've just been buying everything. I'm not actually interested in Half-Life at all, and if I hadn't started getting games from Gamefly (and finding I really like getting games this way) I'd probably never play portal.

What I really wish is that Portal was also a PSN and XBLA stand-alone download, because even if its short, it looks like the kind of game that would be fun to replay from time to time.

[ilnadmy]

You can download it for the PC. If your PC can run it (which it probably can), then I'd say get it that way. You can download it off Steam for $20 if I'm not mistaken.

[BaneNWN]

Looking through all these awards it's amazing to see how Halo 3, one of 07's most highly rated and bestselling games, won virtually no awards among the gaming community. Was it that forgettable? :rolleyes:


no just overrated like the other 2 halo's

[Cuddly Knife]

PORTAL:

While I agree with the fellas that the game can be beat in as little a two hours(took me three) your first time, that doesn't mean it ain't got replayability. For instance, once you complete the main game, you unlock other modes of play for most levels. Some have you needing to complete levels in either a certain amount of Steps, Portals, or time. Some of those are realllly challenging. So the game gains a lot of replay value for that fact. It's literally the ONLY reason I still have Orange Box and won't get rid of it for that reason.

[Mochan]

Well you're right in that Cuddly,it is replayable to an extent.

Il, I know you played CRUSH as well, which game did you find better, Crush or Portal?

Gad, did you play Crush as well?

[Mochan]

no just overrated like the other 2 halo's

Seems not exactly overrated more like overhyped, once the hype died down gamers were better able to judge what the real best games were.

[ilnadmy]

I never actually finished Crush (it's lying around here somewhere), but I much prefer Portal. Crush is good, but gets kinda repetitive after a while. Portal keeps moving forward and never lets go of you - environments change, puzzles evolve, and GLaDOS is probably one of the best characters in video gaming history.

[Mochan]

Who's Glados again? Is that the sarcastic voice able to deliver death threats in an absolute deadpan voice?

Anyway I find myself preferring CRUSH all in all, I like the gameplay better.

[Gadfly2317]

Gad, did you play Crush as well?

My wife played and enjoyed Crush--one of the only PsP games she put any time into. I only got around to trying a few levels. Don't know if I'll actually play it or not.

[Glockstar]

2-3 hours for Portal, eh? Hrmph. I played thru it twice and it took me about 5 hours, give or take, each time. But I'll admit that my playtime could hardly be the best barometer: you're talking about a guy here who regularly and consistently takes twice as long to beat a game as you guys. Cuddly, didn't you do Oblivion in about 15-20 hours? ROFL!

As far as Portal's replayability: To heck with the harder difficulty, I'll replay the game just because it's so damn awesome. And just so I can hear that song again.

[Glockstar]

GDC 2008: Rock Band Steps through the Portal
Proof that downloadable content is "Still Alive" and kickin'.
by Hilary Goldstein

February 21, 2008 - Last night at a party thrown by Valve, makers of Portal, a megat0n was dropped. The end credit song from Portal, "Still Alive," is going to be made available as Rock Band DLC in the near future.

As Harmonix developer Sean Baptiste revealed in his blog, the Rock Band version of "Still Alive" was debuted live on stage in front of an enthusiastic crowd. Baptiste and Harmonix CEO Alex Rigopulos joined "Still Alive" songwriter Jonathan Coulton for the special occasion.

"Still Alive," featuring the voice of the demented AI GLaDOS, has no official release date. Pricing for the content is also unknown. All we do know is that "Still Alive" is definitely coming. We can't wait.

http://xbox360.ign.com/articles/854/854070p1.html

[Glockstar]

I've tallied the votes. And BioShock comes away with the most: 14. Super Mario Galaxy collected the second most with 10.

Game and supporting votes:

BioShock (14): Destructoid; X-Play; GameInformer; GameZone; Game Revolution; GameShark; Primotech; Worth Playing; Paste Magazine; Spike TV VGA's; Associated Press; Los Angeles Times; Journal & Courier/Game Dork; Game Critics Awards

Super Mario Galaxy (10): IGN; GameSpot; Game Trailers; Kikizo; Kotaku; Next Generation/Edge Magazine; Yahoo; Amazon; 411mania; Kombo

Call of Duty 4 (6): GamePro; GameSpy; Game Daily; PC World; Maxim; IAA's

Portal (6): ActionTrip; GamaSutra; GamerNode; Joystiq; ShackNews; GDCA's

The Orange Box (2): GameBump; Games Radar

Halo 3; Mass Effect; Rock Band; and Desktop Tower Defense each had one vote. (So did Persona 3, but RPG Fan only does certain types of games. And I didn't track the platform-specific award givers either - like The OPM and The OXM - for obvious reasons.)

(I also didn't count the votes from overseas - that is from the sites/magazine that are purely foreign. I've gone over this before: their release schedule is quite a bit different than ours (NA's). (And in some cases, so's their GOTY ceremony: BAFTA is held in October, or something like that!)

But just because a game garnered the most votes, does that mean it should be considered the consensus' best? Look at the list of voters for BioShock: AP; LA Times; Game Dork; Paste Magazine; Primotech... who are these guys?

Say what you will about GameSpot and IGN but there's no way I'm giving the same level of credence to a local newspaper writer as I am a video game-centric website and it's staff. So that SMG marshaled votes from two of the biggest video game e-zines out there says something, and should count for something extra, I think.

So I've created a system. A points-based system that lets the voices that know speak a little louder than the rest of the crowd. Now, my system isn't flawless - I'm making assumptions here, I'll tell you that right now. First thing I'll admit: I don't know who, or what, the majority of those GOTY givers are, or what their process was. I'm assuming they're small time... but I might be wrong. And while I know IGN and GameSpot are comprised of a dozen staff members - or more - in various departments - I don't know for sure how many participated in their GOTY vote. Could be it was just the EIC for all I know. You know? But my points system is based on the number of staff in the voting body - the assumed number; the potential number, if you will.

1-7: vote counts as 1 point
8-15: 2 points: (IGN; GameSpot; GameInformer; IAA's)
16+: 3 points (VGA's; GCA's; GDCA's)

The only exception to this is the AIAS IAA's: I'm capping them to 2 points because they're voting process has a very big (well known) flaw.

So after all that? The results are the same. :p BioShock wins.

1. BioShock = 19 points
2. SMG = 12 pts
3. Portal = 8
4. Call of Duty 4 = 7


What do you think? Of my system? Any opinions, or extra knowledge on the 2007 GOTY givers? Does my system need amending? What do you think about BioShock garnering the most votes? Or of BioShock being called 2007's OVERALL GAME OF THE YEAR?

[Gadfly2317]

2-3 hours for Portal, eh? Hrmph. I played thru it twice and it took me about 5 hours, give or take, each time. But I'll admit that my playtime could hardly be the best barometer: you're talking about a guy here who regularly and consistently takes twice as long to beat a game as you guys. Cuddly, didn't you do Oblivion in about 15-20 hours? ROFL!

As far as Portal's replayability: To heck with the harder difficulty, I'll replay the game just because it's so damn awesome. And just so I can hear that song again.

I've retroactively changed my GOTY for 2007 to portal. I posted about the music first in the general discussion topic about game soundtracks, but no one reads general discussion. I just wanted to repost my thoughts from there about Portal and the music. I knew you'd posted about it in this GOTY thread, but I didn't remember you saying anything about the music, but apparently you liked the song a lot too. Anyway:

I have a new favorite song from a game, as well as in-game "music."

The in-game "music" if you'd call it that, the occasional bass-heavy atmospherics that occasionally played where like a well used spice.

And the final song, "Still Alive" that the AI voice sings to you upon completion of the game. . . nearly made me cry. The song would never have the power it does alone; it can only work its magic on you after all the aperature science tests you go through, accompanied by the AI voice, which like a real chick alternatily builds you up, shows you affection and praise, and then tries to kill you.

I know, Glock, that you said the game was like 2 hours, and I'm sure I could complete the game in less than that now, but I took over 2 hours just on level 18-19. Probably about an hour for levels 0-17. The last two were really hard for me, but some of the most rewarding gaming ever, because the brain part of figuring out what you needed to do was intense, and then, actually pulling it off took a lot of shooter skill, imo.

Anyway, all that time alone in those sterile empty enviroments with no human interaction at all, not even interaction with humanoid monsters or zombies to kill. . . just totally alone, you and the AI voice, and the sinking feeling. . .the growing belief that the cake really is a lie. I think I fell in love with the AI voice. What a great experiment in psychology, this game Portal.

So, the sorta-love-song that the AI voice sings to you at the end, it kinda feels like "she" is really singing it to YOU. And its a great tune. Catchy, hummable. And romantic. And funny. And political. And should be on any list of great game music.

But, I'm still not going so far as to get a companion cube tattoo.

Maybe the cake though.