It's The End of November: What's your GOTY?

[ATB]

I know the year's not over, but according to the GT Calendar there's not much coming out the rest of the way (I'm not sure if it's updated).  That said, what's your GOTY with just over a month left?

Even though I'm enjoying GoW immensely, I can't foresee it overtaking Dead Rising as my favorite game of the year.  For me, DR did everything right (including the save system). It scared me, made me laugh, made me tense, had great characters and a fabulous controls scheme.

ATB's GOTY: Dead Rising (Xbox 360)

[Andrew Mallon]

Shouldn't "Shut up! It is time!" be somewhere in the thread title?

I'll let you know for sure after I've had time to finish all the great games released in the last six weeks or so. Right now it's Zelda, followed by Final Fantasy XII. I haven't finished either of them yet, though.

Tomb Raider: Legend should get an honorable mention for resurrecting the franchise.

[depward]

Right now it's a toss-up between:

-Final Fantasy XII
-Zelda
-Devil Summoner
-Valkyrie Profile 2

I need to really invest some more time into EACH title before deeming my GOTY.

[TheMissingLink]

WOW, not much coming out the rest of the way?  My potential GOTY candidate comes out in December.

Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops

I'll wait till I play that to make a decision.

[Kevin Grey]

Ugh, way too early considering my backlog but what the hell:

Special space reserved for Twilight Princess and Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops- both of which I expect to end up close to or maybe even at the top.

Not gonna choose just one, at least at this point, since I find it hard to compare different genres and even some games in the same genre.  So right now it's all basically a tie between the below. 

GOTY, iin no particular order, it would be:

FFXII (still in progress)
Gears of War
Okami
Xenosaga 3
Tales of the Abyss (still in progress)
Half Life 2: Episode 1
Oblivion
Guitar Hero 2

Highly Enjoyable but not GOTY Caliber:

Splinter Cell: Double Agent
Tomb Raider Legend

Special Mention:  Metal Gear Solid 3: Subsistence (best re-release ever)

Not played enough of (or at all) but possible candidates to be added later:

NWN 2
Gothic 3
Company of Heroes
Phoenix Wright 2
Final Fantasy V Advance
Bully
Yoshi's Island DS

[ATB]

GOTY, in no particular order, it would be:

Every game released in 2006.

Hedge much?

[Kevin Grey]

GOTY, in no particular order, it would be:

Every game released in 2006.

Hedge much?

Dude, compared to What I played in 2006 that list is a pittance.  But it's also the truth since (as of yet) I haven't played a single game where I thought "okay, *this* is definitely Game of the Year."  That may change with Zelda and MGS:PO  though. 

[The Grue]

If I had to narrow it down to four, it would be Zelda, Guitar Hero 2, Oblivion, and Okami.

Narrowing it down to three would be Zelda, Guitar Hero 2, and Okami (while I love Oblivion for what it is, I also dislike it for its crappy melee combat.  If I picked GotY merely on how impressive the game is technically, Oblivion would win).

Narrowing it down to two would be Zelda and Guitar Hero 2.

The winner?

Not sure I can say.

[Devil]

NHL '07 (360)
Rayman (Wii)
Guitar Hero II
and (Clanwolfer reminded me below)
MLB '06:The Show (PSP)

[Calvin]

I'm really not sure yet. I think the top three right now would be:
Oblivion
Gears of War
Rainbow 6 Vegas

Waiting on more playtime:
Final Fantasy 12

[Gratch]

As of now, I'll tentatively go with FFXII.   By far the most fun I've had with a game this year.  I'm not finished with it yet, so we'll see if it holds up, or if the lack of story in the last 10'ish hours is going to end up being it's downfall.

Two Runners-up (and why I didn't put them first):

Okami - If they had cut it at around 20 - 25 hours, this would be a shoe-in for not only GOTY, but possibly one of my favorites of all time.  Unfortunately, it seemed to run out of ideas and creativity toward the final third.  It was simply too long and the story started to get very dull after about 25 hours.  A shame, really, as it was a fantastic game. 

Guitar Hero II - Don't get me wrong, GHII is a fantastically fun game.  Tough to say exactly what it was, but something about GHII didn't quite have the magic that GH did.  I think it was the combination of song selection, some genuinely awful covers, and my lofty expectations, but it didn't quite grab me like the first. 

EDIT:  On the PC front, I need to add Civ IV, Gal Civ II, and Oblivion to the list

[Farscry]

I'd have to say right now that FFXII gets the edge from me, but there've been a slew of utterly fantastic games for me this year. Viva Pinata is the next closest title up there with FFXII.

Honorable mentions and other possible personal GOTY elects:

Guitar Hero 1 or 2 (since I didn't play 1 in 2005)
Titan Quest
New Super Mario Bros
Oblivion

I imagine the new Zelda would fit on this list for me, but I won't be playing it until next year.

[Hetz]

Top Games of the Year for me (not in any particular order):

Guitar Hero 2
Gears of War
Oblivion
Resistance: Fall of Man
Final Fantasy XII
Neverwinter Nights 2
Wii Sports

Great games, but just not quite there:

Zelda: Twilight Princess
Medieval II
Marvel Ultimate Alliance
Battle For Middle Earth 2
Gothic 3
Dead Rising
Madden 07 (PS3 version)

[Jumangi]

Right now a split between Oblivion and Company of Heroes.

[Clanwolfer]

I'm going to go with the contrarian pick this time around... no game gets my GOTY; this year's crop of games is one of the best in recent memory, but the blown potential of each one is so disappointing on some level or another that I can't bring myself to distinguish any one with the title.  That said, this lineup is perhaps the absolute best set of disappointments I've ever played, and I don't think I would trade a year with a single stand-alone AAA title that fulfills all expectations for this year's output, which gave us a surprising amount of variety and fun pretty much across the board.

Oblivion was great on so many levels (I'm actually replaying it now that I have an HDTV), but the auto-scaling and the dubious leveling and loot system kept it from true greatness, and my PC keeps me from enjoying a modded version.

Gears of War was an utterly enthralling experience both online and off, but ultimately it felt too much like the contrived setup to a franchise and not like a classic game that starts a franchise by virtue of its own quality, and the lack of extras in the multiplayer front-end hurt its chances of becoming a long-term classic in that department (though with Epic's support, anything is possible).

NHL '07 was an amazing upgrade on the offensive side of the game, but it needs that defensive overhaul next year badly.  Like every other sports franchise, there's simply too much cruft to call it great, even if it is immensely entertaining.

Guitar Hero 2: Amazing game on many levels, but lacked just a little bit of the magic from the first one.  I really realized this last night when my suitemates and I were driving back from a sandwich run and belting out 'All of This' with the windows rolled down and the speakers way up, then popped GH in when we got home and played it.  I can't see us doing that for any of the GH2 songs, sad to say.

Dead Rising was great, but essentially broken on SDTV.  I'm replaying it now on my new HD set, but I can't see myself overcoming the bitter taste Capcom's treatment of the situation left (and I hate the save system).

EHM2007 should have been a lock for my GOTY, but the licensing issues (a ton of player pics missing, arena names missing, inconsistent team naming, etc) and the obviously rushed 2D engine AI tanked it on release for me.  The recent patch (and the community photo packs and unfaked DB) fixed a whole lot of issues, but there's still a ways to go before the 2D engine doesn't display behavior that just makes me mad (not that the Capitals don't do that in real life too), and it's a long way from being as accessible and fun as the FM series, which is really my ultimate hope for EHM.

HL2:E1: A great expansion in terms of story, and especially character development and interaction, but in the end, it's still City 17.  Bring on Ep2 and give us something new to work with.  Just like Valve to give us a few glorious hours of gameplay and leave us jonesing for another year; great stuff, but just not substantial enough for GOTY.

If I have to go with a game that disappointed me least (and is therefore closest to GOTY), that would be MLB '06: The Show for PSP, which was marred for me only by unreasonably long load times (the PSP screen-dimming function kicks in before a game loads).  It's the very definition of a solid sports title otherwise, and still sees about 50% of my (very) sparse PSP gaming time, with the other half being split between Tekken and Lumines, and I think I've put in by far more hours on this than any other game on the list.

[Harkonis]

guitar hero II, GoW, FFXII

Though I like R6:V better than GoW, it doesn't seem like a GOTY.

[jblank]

Oblivion on the 360, nothing else really even close. Any game that gets 90+ hrs of my gametime, deserves that honor.

Honorable mention:
Gears of War (360)
NCAA Football 2007 (360)
Tiger Woods 2007 (360)
F.E.A.R (360)
Clubhouse Games (DS)

[Kobra]

Well I don't play much console stuffs..

But for PC, my GoTY finalists are shaping up to be;

1701 A.D.
Battle for Middle Earth 2 + Expansion
Star Wars Empire at War + Expansion
The Guild 2
Paraworld

Possible late entries once I get more time into them;  City Life, Civilization IV

[Kevin Grey]

Very much agree with Clanwolfer's sentiments, though perhaps in a more Glass is Half Full way.  I think that's what is keeping me from having one key title as GOTY now- tons of great stuff but almost everything has had at least one significant flaw that made me think "as great as this is, it would be so much better if..."

[Kobra]

Very much agree with Clanwolfer's sentiments, though perhaps in a more Glass is Half Full way.  I think that's what is keeping me from having one key title as GOTY now- tons of great stuff but almost everything has had at least one significant flaw that made me think "as great as this is, it would be so much better if..."

Quite honestly, I never felt that way about anything on my list.  Perhaps the three games most strongly I felt they were perfect for what they were trying to accomplish WITHOUT an expansion it would have to be The Guild 2, Paraworld and 1701 AD. 

In all fairness to those games, EAW and probably BFME2 required an expansion to be at GOTY levels with 100% assurance.

[warning]

I'm far from finishing it but Final Fantasy XII I think will ultimately be the one for me.

Much like Dragon Quest VIII last year it's one of those amazingly great games.  I don't want to finish it quickly so I'll be playing it for months to come.

[PeteRock]

As much as I've loved Gears of War and Splinter Cell: Double Agent, Oblivion is a no-brainer for my Game of the Year.  When friends ask me to describe it, I simply explain that if a person were to own only one game for the 360, it would have to be Oblivion.  I could potentially be happy with only owning Oblivion, and nothing else, and I would still feel that my 360 purchase would be worth the price of admission.

I currently have over 30 hours put into Oblivion, and I've only scratched the surface of the main quest and have completed only the arena and Thieves Guild quests.  I can see myself putting in another 100 hours and even then I wonder if I will have actually "finished" the game.  The storyline, visuals, gameplay, dialogue, setting, water effects, exploration, etc, have all been top-notch, and I have never experienced a game quite like this.  I've never been much of a fan of RPGs, but this game transends almost all boundaries and genres. 

Not only is the my game of the year, but it may be one of the best games I've ever played. 

[rrmorton]

What is it with all you pansies who can't pick one game?! MAN UP!

OKAMI for me.

I'm about 5 hours from the end and agree it has become a bit of a slog, but I still think it's my Game of the Year.

[Ralph-Wiggum]

Probably Guitar Hero 2. I don't like the track list as much as the first game (there are some really clunkers in the sequel), but the co-op multiplayer rocks the house.

[Captain Caveman]

I think I played Saint's Row more than any other game this year. I don't want to pick it as my game of the year considering it's rather unoriginal and derivative, but damn if I didn't enjoy the hell out of my time with it.

Best multiplayer game would be Fight Night 3 on the 360.

[coopasonic]

Saint's Row, Bully, FFXII, Dead Rising... it's hard to pick. I haven't even opened Gears of War yet, but given my feelings about shooters I doubt it would enter the to list.

If I had to pick one... Saint's Rising XII... Saint's Row or Dead Rising... ugh... hmm... Dead Rising... extra points for originality.

[EddieA]

Final Fantasy XII.

[Misguided]

tough...don't think I can pick one.

DS: Elite Beat Agents
360: Viva Piñata (though tempting to choose Enchanted Arms).

[mikeg]

Trying to remember them all is hard enough, but picking one is almost impossible.  But I will give it a try:

PC:
Half Life Episode One or Company of Heroes

Console:
Gears of War

Those are the only games, besided FEAR Expansion, that I have actually completed.

[Tebunker]

I hate to say that I can't pick a game. I've played a lot of good games but just can't settle on one. Let alone remember everything I played this year. When did Radiata Stories come out? I loved that one... Can that count? I really can barely remember some of the titles I've beaten this year, my own thread bedamned!

Okami comes close... I need to play a couple more games.

My 360 title of the Year is definitely Oblivion, PS2 Title will probably be Okami now that I think about it, I don't think anything significant was even released for the Cube, DS title of the year is either Star Fox, Scurge or FF III.

[semiconscious]

best original title: okami
best sequel: final fantasy xii (to be very probably tied with legend of zelda: twilight princess)
most unexpected enjoyable/immersive/addictive treat (aka best sleeper): monster hunter: freedom
best reissue/revision: tales of eternia
guilty pleasure: summon night: swordcraft story 1&2

[DonD]

If I choose according to which games I kept going back to over and over and over, I'd come up with just 2 or 3.

On the PC, there's no contest:  Dwarf Fortress

I know it didn't grab a lot of people due to the ASCII graphics, but it grabbed me enough that I kept playing it and playing it, and even after I swore I was finally done with it, I was playing it again.  And even now, I'm still playing it.

On the 360, only 2 games really grabbed me and didn't let go.  The first was Chromehounds.  Easily my most played 360 game to date.  I'm not saying this would be GOTY for anyone else, but with the GT squad, it was just an incredible amount of fun.  Single player, the game didn't have a lot to offer.  But online, with this group, it is the most fun I've had on the 360.

The 2nd game I keep coming back to is NHL '07.  After a long period of frustration, mainly related to faceoffs, I finally got the hang of it.  But even while struggling to win faceoffs, the rest of game was great fun.  I'm about 50 games into my season now, and have no doubt I'll finish the entire schedule.  That would be a first.  Like with the other two titles listed above, I don't think these would qualify as general GOTY material for the general populace, but they clicked with me and were the games that I had the most fun with and invested the most time into.

[WinoMcCougarstein]

Handheld Goty: New Super Mario Bros.
Console Goty:  Most likely GoW or Zelda... most likely Zelda.  Still playing through both and enjoying the heck out of them!  I wish there were more quality games like those two.

Others:
Sports GOTY: NHL2k7
XBLA GOTY:  Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3

[Lockdown]

REALLY tough call for me....

Off the top of my head three games stand out, all consoles too!   :icon_eek:

1) MLB 06: The Show  (released 2/06) - PS2  -  Overall Winner.

2) College Hoops 2k7  (released 11/06) - 360  -  Single Player Winner.

3) Fight Night Round 3  (released 2/06) - 360  -  Multiplayer Winner.

[CeeKay]

PC: Oblivion
360: currently up in the air.  Right now it's between Gears of War or Viva Pinata,
PS2: Okami
PS3: Heckling the PS3 fanboys!!! 

[jonsauce]

For me it has to be Company of Heroes.  That's closely followed by Guitar Hero 2, Final Fantasy XII, Half Life 2 Ep 1,  and Bully.

[Louis Cypher]

Gears of War

[Soulchilde]

Right now I have a hard time picking, but my top three in no particular order

Gears of War
ChromeHounds
Ghost Recon:  Advanced Warfigther

[EngineNo9]

The game released this year that I played the most and had the most fun with would probably be Just Cause.  Is it "Game of the Year" material?  Nope. 

Also enjoyed this year: Gears of War, BF2142, Lego Star Wars 1&2, Kameo, Sam & Max, Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory, Titan Quest, HL2: Episode 1, Chronicles of Riddick. 

I also noticed I didn't play most of the games everyone else picked...unfortunately most of those are ones that just don't interest me. 

[Calvin]

Forgot to add Company of Heroes to my list.