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The Year of The Game: A Statistical Analysis – Part 3 To bring everyone up to speed here is a reminder of the standings so far: 1. 2000 (9.4) 2. 1998 (9.4) 3. 1999 (8.8) But we’re now heading into the new millennium featuring new consoles, new technology, new genres and a whole bunch of new games! It’s time to see if any year can trouble the standings! 2001 With the PS2 now settled in on people’s shelves the games were beginning to flow thick and fast as we saw an endless treadmill of updates to beloved franchises such as Final Fantasy X (10), Silent Hill 2 (9) and Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty (10) but none would be more important than Grand Theft Auto III (10) who’s open world design would send shockwaves through the industry that are still felt to this day. There was originality to be found as well with Devil May Cry (8) introducing the world to character action and Ico (10) producing a true cult classic puzzler. Skate culture had always been strongly linked to the PlayStation brand and skate games had already appeared on Sony consoles but in Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3 (10) the sport had its banner game. For Nintendo it was a year of transition as the N64 was sunsetted with just enough time for Rare to deliver one last hit with Conker’s Bad Fur Day (9). In its place was the somewhat poorly-named Gamecube but with all of Nintendo’s most favoured franchises sitting out launch it was up to Pikmin (8) to shift units. There was room for a third challenger in the console market but to many people’s surprise it wasn’t going to be the Dreamcast which was quickly falling into obscurity. Instead there was a new kid on the block as Micosoft entered the industry with the XBox and its premium exclusive Halo (9) with its fast-paced gameplay that proved PCs weren’t the only home for the FPS. For years Sony and Nintendo had always served different audiences but now for the first time the PlayStation was facing a true challenger. The fight was on.  2002 Microsoft’s new console was making serious waves in the industry but if it was going to take hold long-term it was going to need major exclusives. Well major exclusives it had with the serious approach to stealth of Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell (8) and the vast open world of The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind (8) which marked little-known developers Bethesda as a name to watch. Sony would respond in kind with the 80s sleaze in Grand Theft Auto: Vice City (10), the fresh development of the 3D platformer from Ratchet and Clank (8) and a much vaunted Final Fantasy x Disney crossover in Kingdom Hearts (7). Speaking of the premiere name in JRPGs the franchise explored an entirely new avenue as Final Fantasy XI (7) took the series into the world of MMOs. As Sony and Microsoft continued to war for the older gamer Nintendo were content to play to the younger generation with bright, bold new releases for their biggest heroes in Super Mario Sunshine (8), The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker (10) and Metroid Prime (10). PC owners had had less to shout about in recent years as advance in console technology was closing the gap between the systems but in Warcraft III: Reign of Chaos (10) they had something worth getting excited about as they got lost in the world of Azeroth in a way that could surely never be beaten.  2003 The whole gaming world was starting to experience the joie de vivre as French developer Ubisoft, up till now mostly known for the Tom Clancy brand, broke through with the multi-platform releases of Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time (10) and Beyond Good and Evil (8). Rockstar, ever the arbiters of bad taste, continued their run of hot products with Max Payne 2 (8) and Manhunt (4), the latter of which contained so much needless gore that even the developers of the GTA franchise were unprepared for the ensuing media frenzy. In less controversial news PS2 owners looking for exclusives were well served with Silent Hill 3 (9), Final Fantasy X-2 (10) and Jak II (8) while BioWare brought Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic (10) to the XBox. The Gamecube was still lagging behind its competitors but Tales of Symphonia (6) provided fans with classic JRPG action. There had long been a trend in the FPS genre for WW2-era shooters but this year Infinity Ward dropped an unassuming game called Call of Duty (7). No one knew that this name would go on to take over the industry.  2004 War. War never changes. The console wars had raged for many a year now and showed no signs of slowing down. But all of a sudden it was war of a different kind that gripped the zeitgeist as Blizzard laid down a smash hit with their new MMO World of Warcraft (10). The introduction of quality of life features and streamlined progression had millions of gamers hooked. Those with PCs who weren’t wrapped up in gaming’s new addiction still had lots to enjoy as Maxis returned with The Sims 2 (8) and The Creative Assembly’s Rome: Total War (8) combined RTS combat with grand tactics to establish a new major strategy franchise. And if that wasn’t enough Vampire: The Masquerade: Bloodlines (9) presented one of the most unique RPG worlds of all time and Valve popularised the Havok engine with their use of physics in Half-Life 2 (8), inspiring many to sign up for their new game storefront Steam. There were still plaudits to be saved for the consoles however, most notably the PS2 which saw releases for both Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater (10) and Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas (10) though it would have to share Burnout 3: Takedown (9) with its rival. Over on Gamecube owners were still quietly receiving solid titles with Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door (9) being the pick of the litter. Meanwhile XBox saw Halo 2 (8) added online multiplayer to the console’s biggest franchise, marking the first big win for Microsoft’s XBox Live service. Whether it was on your computer or at your TV the internet was introducing gaming to all kinds of new possibilities although it would soon turn out that this was for bad as well as good…  2005 The end of a console generation had always been the hardest time for new releases and this was to be no exception as Nintendo, Sony and Microsoft all started to look towards the future. There was still a trickle of quality releases however as the Gamecube benefited from Resident Evil 4 (10) while the PS2 saw God of War (9), Kingdom Hearts II (8) and Shadow of the Colossus (10). But the Sony exclusive that made the most impact this year was Guitar Hero (6) which took typical rhythm gameplay and added giant plastic peripherals to launch the hottest trend of the year. The FPS genre continued to shine with Call of Duty 2 (8) marking a big step forward in the franchise’s cinematic scope while F.E.A.R. (7) added horror to the mix to great effect. It had been years since the LucasArts run of adventure games had come to an end but key developer Tim Schafer returned to the industry with Psychonauts (10), a unique and inventive 3D platformer. In the handheld market Nintendo had come out with a new console but the DS and its double screens was being written off as a gimmick. Enter Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow (9) to show that the system could deliver. What had originally been presented as a partner to the Game Boy Advance was about to become its successor.  2006 A new generation once again meant new consoles hitting the shelves with the XBox 360, PS3 and Wii all competing for a spot under the Christmas tree. But as the most popular games console of all time the PS2 wasn’t going to quietly fade into obscurity as Final Fantasy XII (9), God Hand (7) and Bully (8) were a fitting last hurrah. And then it received Okami (10) as a final encore! Of the trio of new consoles the Wii was grabbing the most attention despite its technical inferiorities down to the use of Wiimote motion controls. The console spoke to a casual audience drawing much attention to Wii Sports (4) but there was also room for classic Nintendo fare as The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess (8) was yet another hit for the franchise. For those gamers of a more serious bent the 360 was proving to be the choice option, predominantly down to the availability of The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion (10) although the cosmetic horse armour DLC did cause a furore. Surely no one would ever try to get away with that again! Elsewhere on the 360 Gears of War (5) started two major trends in its use of cover-based combat and washed out brown-grey graphics while the console was also the next-gen home of Dead Rising (8) and Hitman: Blood Money (7). All of which meant there was little space for the PS3 to make an impact. Was Sony about to crash from first to last in the console race?  2007 While the PS3 had made a slow start in the console race but with the release of Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune (7) the system had an exclusive full of lush visuals to show the full power of the console. Overall though games were still thin on the ground, not helped by some developers still releasing a trickle of PS2 games like God of War II (8). Nintendo continued to plod along doing their own thing with Super Mario Galaxy (9) continuing the plumber’s run of success while BioWare served 360 gamers up the space opera RPG Mass Effect (10). Luckily gamers of all persuasion were able to get their hands on Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare (9) and Bioshock (10) while Rock Band (7) was also available for those with the funds and storage space for multiple plastic peripherals. With consoles becoming ever more powerful PC gamers needed a reminder of its potential and in Crysis (8) they had a beast that would melt all but the most high-end of graphics cards. But while some games were pushing technological boundaries Valve were challenging expectations of what a game release could be with The Orange Box, a compilation which included the debuts of Team Fortress 2 (8) and Portal (10). The only problem was deciding which to play first!  2008 With the new generation of hardware allowing developers to create spaces bigger than ever before the open world was fast becoming the hottest trend in gaming. Masters of the craft Bethesda took their skills to a new setting with a familiar name in Fallout 3 (9) while Rockstar took Grand Theft Auto IV (7) in a gritty realistic direction, leaving Saints Row 2 (10) to cater to fans of bright colourful violence. Designers were also getting imaginative with new ideas like the cyberpunk parkour of Mirror’s Edge (9) or the expansive creation suite of LittleBigPlanet (7). Also getting creative was Hideo Kojima who was packing as many wild concepts as he could find into Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots (8). The survival-horror genre received a fresh burst of energy as Visceral’s Dead Space (10) provided a claustrophobic experience. Horror also featured in the zombie FPS Left 4 Dead (8) which revolutionised team co-op. Despite the success of the new generation some were still stubbornly clinging on to the corpse of the PS2 as Persona 4 (9) failed to find the spotlight it deserved. But perhaps the most important release of the year wasn’t made by a giant team of programmers, artists, writers and producers. Predominantly the work of one man over three years Braid (9) was a mind-bending puzzle-platformer that launched on XBox Live and soon found a huge following. In doing so Jonathan Blow proved that it didn’t take vast teams with massive funding to reach an audience. Much like the bedroom coders of the 70s and 80s it only took one great idea and solid follow through. The era of indie gaming had begun.  2009 At this point in the generation’s lifespan gaming was starting to suffer. The trend for macho urban shooters in dull monotone worlds like was being resolutely derided, although there were still gems like Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 (8) to be found. Instead gamers demanded new experiences full of vibrancy and life and they had exactly that with Borderlands (8) and Bayonetta (9). While one could never accuse Batman: Arkham Asylum (9) of being vibrant it didn’t matter much when the snappy melee combat and tactical stealth combined to form the most immersive Batman game of all time. Elsewhere Ubisoft were presenting a parkour hero of an entirely different variety in Assassin’s Creed II (9) and BioWare took their typical fantasy flair in a new adult direction with Dragon Age: Origins (8). It was a popular year for sequels as Uncharted 2 (10) and Left 4 Dead 2 (9) took their franchises from strength to strength. However as console gaming was facing a lull the two most important releases of the year were coming out on other platforms. Firstly on PC where a Warcraft III mod called Defence of the Ancients had adapted the RTS into an entirely new form of gameplay, the MOBA, which saw its first commercial outing in League of Legends (5). The other came in the world of handheld gaming which for so long had been dominated by Nintendo. Attempts had been made to bring gaming to mobile phones before, most notably in the spectacular disaster of the N-Gage, but with smartphones becoming accessible to the everyday consumer suddenly everyone had a gaming machine in their pocket and with Angry Birds (8) they had a pick-up-and-play game that was attracting a whole new audience. Once again, the industry would never be the same.  2010 While the major growth in power of the latest generation were leading to bigger and bolder games these improvements were not without their downsides. The exponential increase in technological capability required vastly more production sending development costs spiralling. With video game budgets running to 8 or 9 figures designers were becoming more and more risk averse, shying away from new IP in favour of trusted brands. It could be no surprise then that the year would be dominated by familiar names like Mass Effect 2 (10), Bioshock 2 (8) and Dead Rising 2 (8). Even Nintendo were getting in on the act with a rare mainline sequel in Super Mario Galaxy 2 (9) while Blizzard found some time away from their mammoth MMO to bring back Starcraft II: Wings of Liberty (8). For those who wanted true innovation in this world they had to look to the likes of Rockstar who repurposed a niche Western shooter into their newest open world with Red Dead Redemption (10) or Obsidian who continued their trend of improving on other people’s franchises in Fallout: New Vegas (10). And then there were those sequels which came out of nowhere, such as Just Cause 2 (9) which jumped off a little loved title with explosions, more explosions and a grappling hook to provide the kind of dumb fun that harkened back to the games of old. But with AAA gaming quickly becoming devoid of new ideas it was up to the indie scene to provide originality, something it luckily had in spades with the pick of the crop being the hyper-difficult Super Meat Boy (8) and atmosphere puzzle-platformer Limbo (9). As the decade drew to a close the stratification of the industry was swiftly locking in.  The Results: 2001 – 2010 The latest set of years on the docket gives us this:  Leaving our overall top 3 at: 1. 2000 (9.4) 2. 1998 (9.4) 3. 2001 (9.3) Will this ranking hold? There’s just one post and eleven years left to score so let’s hope there isn’t another death of the Head of State or AEW backstage brawl so this can be wrapped up in time for deadline! Rarity fucked around with this message at 19:13 on Sep 10, 2022 |
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Sep 10, 2022 19:10
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Sep 10, 2022 19:35
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it'll be interesting to see how well it matches with the graph I made
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Sep 10, 2022 19:39
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I absolutely refuse to believe 2008 was a better year for games than 2017 or 1994, normie-rear end chart
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Sep 10, 2022 19:43
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No Dignity posted:I absolutely refuse to believe 2008 was a better year for games than 2017 or 1994, normie-rear end chart Their list is: Braid Burnout Paradise Dead Space Fable II Fallout 3 Gears of War 2 Grand Theft Auto IV Left 4 Dead LittleBigPlanet Persona 4 Rock Band 2 Spelunky Street Fighter IV Valkyria Chronicles
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Sep 10, 2022 19:45
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Tunicate posted:Their list is: No Dignity posted:normie-rear end chart
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Sep 10, 2022 19:47
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No Saints Row 2?No Dignity posted:normie-rear end chart
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Sep 10, 2022 19:50
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once again leaving the the table that half-life is a 10 
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Sep 10, 2022 20:09
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That Wikipedia page seems pretty bizarre looking at it. But it also goes to show that those kind of arbitrary metrics aren't that interesting for selecting stuff. It only has two games for 2017, that's just kooky. And my fav for 2008 is MGS4 of course.
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Sep 10, 2022 22:05
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BeanpolePeckerwood posted:once again leaving the the table that half-life is a 10 Wait half life was less than a ten? Rarity I don't trust you anymore
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Sep 10, 2022 22:30
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Feldegast42 posted:Wait half life was less than a ten? Rarity I don't trust you anymore I said what I said
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Sep 10, 2022 22:31
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I’m afraid Rarity has used science and that means we must trust her methods
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Sep 10, 2022 22:35
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interesting that science would give half-life a 9 which would magically allow Y2K to have more 10/10 games therefore breaking the tie Y2K...the year rarity's favorite game of all time released  however, from what i hear a commission was formed and after relevant documents had been analyzed foul play could not be conclusively proven. 
BeanpolePeckerwood fucked around with this message at 11:20 on Sep 11, 2022 |
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Sep 11, 2022 11:15
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BeanpolePeckerwood posted:however, from what i hear a commission was formed and after relevant documents had been analyzed foul play could not be conclusively proven. Trust this man: 
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Sep 11, 2022 11:32
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"Half-Life, from the Black Mesa Book Depository window, a lone crowbar-man. 9/10, sir." "Constitutional Crisis averted. Though one cannot rule out...unintended consequences."
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Sep 11, 2022 11:42
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phew, 2004 was a great year. hard for me to imagine now that we were perched on the precipice of almost a decade's worth of downward trajectory after it. makes me wonder if the gaming scene had gotten 1 more year of life out of the PS2/Xbox/GC maybe the newer hardware could've been released in better shape and some of those rough years could've been avoided, hell, maybe even motion gaming wouldn't have been a crutch for so long before dying a spectacular death
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Sep 11, 2022 22:52
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dang rarity cool posts!!!  its a bit sad there were no megaten refs tho 😔anyways i've put this off long enough, its time for my votes: 1. 1994 1994 had some real cool games come out: final fantasy 6 is a classic with some win music, majin tensei 1's probably not like, objectively good or anything but hell i got a old soft spot for it being a janky srpg and the first megaten spinoff plus the Vibes Own and i like the designs (still gotta finish it...!!), shin megami tensei 2 is a p nice game from the half i played of it (tho theres way too much backtracking and the neutral end is lame vs chaos or even law), and uhh i only played a bit of it so far but earthbound's pretty cool, a nice companion piece to smt1/2 2. 1997 1997… a powerful year for me cause its when i was born!! but also cause its final fantasy 7 time baby!!! that game was Win! there was also parappa the rapper (never played but the songs are nice), and kirby’s dream land 3 (i only played a few mins of this) and even though the controls are janky, the art style is Very Good also castlevania: symphony of the night came out, a game i have always wanted to check out but konami Refuses to put this game on the switch! why!!! 3. 2017 an objectively Ballin year you got fire emblem echoes: shadows of valentia, a fun remake of the second fe game that still kept some of the jankier bits  (oh and also the gacha game Heroes, and Warriors the musou spinoff), stardew valley, a harvest moon/story of seasons inspired indie game that dare i say revitalized the farming sim genre (and i’ve dropped a couple hundred hours on it too), And the legend of zelda: breath of the wild!! a fun open world zelda that (durability and rain arguments aside) i’d say gave a fresh breath of air to zelda gamesoh and also super mario odyssey, a game i’ve never played (never been much for mario) but seems p cool too, and nier automata seems nice too e: forgot a bold for kirb Booky fucked around with this message at 08:39 on Sep 12, 2022 |
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Sep 12, 2022 07:50
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Righteous! FF7 is like a thunderbolt in your cheerios, it's a hell of a game.
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Sep 12, 2022 08:17
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FF7 is my gaming altarpiece
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Sep 12, 2022 10:18
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Rarity? Hey Rarity, babe? I love you and I want to credit you for these posts but: What Rarity posted:The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind (8) quote:The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion (10) the gently caress?
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Sep 12, 2022 20:32
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Ms Adequate posted:Rarity? Hey Rarity, babe? I love you and I want to credit you for these posts but: Rarity posted:I said what I said
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Sep 12, 2022 20:36
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rarity also put ffx-2 at a 10, which I assume is because she forgot that "X-2" calculates to 8
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Sep 12, 2022 20:39
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cheetah7071 posted:rarity also put ffx-2 at a 10, which I assume is because she forgot that "X-2" calculates to 8 Spoken like someone who doesn't feel Real Emotion
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Sep 12, 2022 20:44
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Ms Adequate posted:Rarity? Hey Rarity, babe? I love you and I want to credit you for these posts but: Rarity bringing the harsh truths we all know deep in our hearts
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Sep 12, 2022 20:44
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cheetah7071 posted:rarity also put ffx-2 at a 10, which I assume is because she forgot that "X-2" calculates to 8 lol Rarity posted:Spoken like someone who doesn't feel Real Emotion lol
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Sep 12, 2022 20:48
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Ms Adequate posted:What No errors detected. https://forums.somethingawful.com/showthread.php?threadid=3836248&userid=0&perpage=40&pagenumber=2#post481060865
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Sep 12, 2022 22:21
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cheetah7071 posted:rarity also put ffx-2 at a 10, which I assume is because she forgot that "X-2" calculates to 8 But that's the thing she's right about everything else! FFX-2 is a 10/10 banger!
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Sep 13, 2022 00:22
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Ms Adequate posted:But that's the thing she's right about everything else! FFX-2 is a 10/10 banger! Hmm yes must be *checks data* that I'm right about this as well
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Sep 13, 2022 01:13
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excited for rarity's last post. some great years in there
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Sep 13, 2022 08:54
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BeanpolePeckerwood posted:excited for rarity's last post. some great years in there I've written up through 2018, I'll do the last 3 years tomorrow and then I can finally stop holding up Harrow's thread
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Sep 14, 2022 21:55
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Rarity posted:I've written up through 2018, I'll do the last 3 years tomorrow and then I can finally stop holding up Harrow's thread Aw, no worries. 
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Sep 15, 2022 01:39
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Half-Life 3 for example. Don't stop believin' (Metroid Prime 4) (Duke Nukem 5) (GTA6)
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Sep 15, 2022 02:41
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The Year of The Game: A Statistical Analysis – Part 4 This is it, folks! The final post! After this is done we will have a definitive scientifically-proven to the answer which year is the Year of the Game. Before we dig into the data let’s remind ourselves how far we’d got to: 1. 2000 (9.4) 2. 1998 (9.4) 3. 2001 (9.3) But now it’s time to race through to the modern day. There’s still so many games and many years to get through so let’s dive in! 2011 With the sharply rising costs of the AAA market the industry was consolidating around the few publishers with the cash to fund heavy investment. Nintendo continued to mine their homegrown franchises with The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword (7) while Naughty Dog held on to Sony’s backing for Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception (9) and Valve gave us Portal 2 (10), although signs were beginning to show that their production treadmill was slowing down. In the rare instance a mid-tier developer good push itself up into the big leagues with one smash hit and that’s exactly what Bethesda did as The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim (10) was inescapable. In their wake the open world trend was beginning to subsume the console market with the likes of Saints Row the Third (9) and The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings (9) proving popular while FromSoftware brought difficulty to a whole new generation of gamers with Dark Souls (10). Those looking for a more directed experience weren’t entirely abandoned though with Deus Ex: Human Revolution (9) representing the AAA market and Bastion (8) coming from the indie scene. However open worlds were breaking into the indies as well and one in particular would prove to become a behemoth as Simon Notch’s procedurally generated worlds in Minecraft (10) popularised crafting mechanics. The art of putting things together would soon be pervasive within the industry.  2012 With the current console generation approaching the end of its lifecycle the games were starting to dry up. Fortunately indie developers were on hand to fill the gap with a collection of innovative and unique concepts such as the vaporwave violence of Hotline Miami (8), the puzzling platforms of Fez (7) and the moving co-operation of Journey (9). With many AAA franchises now looking to the future much of the console space was ceded to lower budget titles of lesser scope with Spec Ops: The Line (9) and Sleeping Dogs (8) being stand outs. New developers continued to break through as Telltale renovated the adventure genre in the episodic The Walking Dead (7) and Arkane had their first big hit with Dishonored (9). But there was still some room for more recognisable names, the most notable being Gearbox going bigger and bolder with Borderlands 2 (8), Firaxis reviving a beloved classic in XCOM: Enemy Unknown (9) and Ubisoft updating their open world formula in Far Cry 3 (8) to establish a new direction for the franchise. The transitional stage of the generation was approaching fast.  2013 The new generation of consoles had made its way to shelves but whether it was the sensibly-named PlayStation4, the confusingly-named XBox One or even more confusingly-named Wii U games for these new machines were thin on the ground as the ever-improving hardware required more and more resources to tame. Owners would have to satiate themselves with Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag (8) for the moment. But while fare for the new hardware was trickling through there was a flood of late big hits for the previous generation with Grand Theft Auto V (9), Bioshock Infinite (7) and Tomb Raider (8) all finding success for their respective franchises. But while some franchises were playing Hideo Kojima was taking his into wild new directions in Metal Gear Rising (9). Meanwhile NetherRealm proved that fighting games could tell compelling stories in Injustice: Gods Among Us (9) and Naughty Dog took the medium to a new level of artistic respectability with The Last of Us (10). In handheld gaming Nintendo had upgraded to the 3DS a couple of years prior but with minimal success until The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds (9) revived the classic gameplay of the series’s past. Over on PC Gone Home (10) became the first shining example of the walking simulator while also providing much needed queer representation. One final release of note: in 2010 SquareEnix had released the latest entry in their most vital franchise but its outdated MMO features had led to huge critical and commercial failure. After three years of struggling to keep the lights on while rushing through a total overhaul they came out with Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn (8). The update was well received but no one yet knew that this was only the beginning…  2014 As developers began to get to grips with the new wave of consoles games started to deliver on the potential of these powerful machines. Following a split from Microsoft Bungie introduced MMO design concepts to their core FPS gameplay to create Destiny (8), designed around a model of continual revisions and updates which would soon come to be known as ‘game as a service’. Also making waves in the FPS world after a disharmonious split were the designers at Respawn who gave FPS movement a shot in the arm with Titanfall (7). Old favourites were brought up to date with the likes of Dark Souls II (8), Bayonetta II (9) and Dragon Age: Inquisition (8). It would be a good year for horror in PC gaming as Alien Isolation (9) morphed into a cult hit meanwhile Blizzard found success with the one-two punch of Hearthstone (9) and Diablo III (9), although the latter not without high controversy over the pay-to-win Real Money Auction House. Indie developers were also reliably dropping hit after hit with Shovel Knight (9) and The Banner Saga (9) being the highlights of the year. Unfortunately the joys of the year would be marred when software developer Eron Gjoni wrote a blog post falsely accusing his ex-girlfriend Zoe Quinn of sleeping with a games reporter in exchange for a good review. Instead of falling into an irrelevant pocket of the internet this drama would explode into a furore as an army of cis-het male gamers, feeling threatened by the growing presence of women in the industry, launched a series of vicious attacks on a number of predominant female developers and journalists. The movement named Gamergate would come to have a lasting impact on the political direction of the decade.  2015 As the new generation was settling in it was becoming clear that the face of gaming was changing. Single-player experiences were costly and left little space for monetization. For many developers there were far greater economic gains to be made in providing tight multiplayer gameplay with endless replay value to form a player base that could be mined over and over. While many got in on the act there was no bigger hit than Rocket League (7) and its equation of cars plus football. Nintendo even got in on the act with Splatoon (8), although without the aggressive financial exploitation. Fortunately there were still plenty of AAA designers producing solo games with FromSoftware expanding their trademark action in new directions with Bloodborne (10), Bethesda simplifying their formula for the mass market in Fallout 4 (7) while The Witcher III: Wild Hunt (10) pushed CD Projekt Red into the stratosphere. Hideo Kojima’s relationship with Konami had grown rocky as the company veered away from video games towards pachinko machines but despite major production issues Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain (8) still felt like a unique experience thanks to its open world approach to stealth. Meanwhile in the world of MMOs SquareEnix delivered the first major addition to their underdog story with Final Fantasy XIV: Heavensward (9) gaining much critical acclaim for their revived title and elsewhere Life is Strange (8) reminded everyone of their awkward teenage phase. One of the benefits of indie gaming is that designers can come together across borders and oceans to produce beautiful art as was the case with the world-spanning team that created Ori and the Blind Forest (9). But where some teams were located across the globe others existed in just one bedroom, namely the bedroom of Toby Fox who with little assistance crafted Undertale (10) beating out teams in their thousands with just one punch.  2016 Following in Toby’s footsteps there was more success from the bedroom auteurs as Jonathan Blow came back with The Witness (9) and Eric Barone dropped his labour of love, the farming simulator Stardew Valley (9). The indie sector was also becoming recognised for its short-form emotional stories and nowhere was that expressed better than That Dragon, Cancer (9). In more light-hearted fare Atlus broke through to the big leagues with Persona 5 (10) and Naughty Dog capped off Nathan Drake’s tale in style in Uncharted 4: Among Thieves (9). For other major franchises it was time to go back to their roots as both Hitman (10) and Doom (9) dumped failed attempts at innovation to return to their classic gameplay loops. Blizzard had been struggling in recent years as their flagship MMO became mired in controversy and poorly-received expansions but Overwatch (7) temporarily held the tide. But none of these games could match the true sensation of the year as Niantic encouraged gamers to get off their butts and head outside with Pokémon Go (6), a game that combined a beloved franchise with real world exploration to build a whole new community. The gaming industry was bringing people together in ways that its originators would never have thought possible.  2017 While the console generation was still early in its lifecycle Nintendo were facing serious problems. The Wii U had been a major failure lacking stand out titles and trailing far behind its predecessor in sales. It was time for a Hail Mary and from somewhere deep inside the R&D department they replied with a handheld-TV hybrid, the Switch. While it still couldn’t match its counterparts for power the unique flexibility instantly attracted attention which was soon inflamed by The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild (10), a stunning update that modernised the franchise. Soon to follow after was Super Mario Odyssey (9) and Nintendo were back in business. In the latest console war Sony had been streaking ahead and the PS4 continued to dominate with Horizon: Zero Dawn (9) and Nier Automata (10) while XBox One users would have to settle for multi-platform releases like Resident Evil 7: Biohazard (9) and Prey (9). It was also a particularly good year for indie developers with the cream of the crop including the emotional adventure game Night of the Woods (8), Team Cherry’s expansive Metroidvania Hollow Knight (10) and the return of Supergiant with visual novel/basketball hybrid (yes you heard me) Pyre (9). The most important release of the year however came from a designer who’s identity was a total mystery. Except it wasn’t because after getting noticed for his solo-produced Arma III mod Brendan Greene was hired by a team in Korea to take the lead on PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds (6), a incomparable multiplayer scrum with gameplay derived from the classic Japanese movie Battle Royale. The game was an instant hit with scores of players and by the end of the year every game was looking to tack on a battle royale mode no matter how relevant it was to the genre. The most notable of these came from Epic, who’s version of battle royale would soon subsume its predecessor to become the biggest game in the world, inspiring a selection of memes, dances and even Epic’s challenger to the Steam storefront in the process.  2018 Facing a new challenge to their supremacy from the Switch it was up to Sony to make a strong response and they did exactly that with a pair of first-party exclusives, God of War (8) and Marvel’s Spider-Man (9). Nintendo had their own ace up their sleeve with Super Smash Bros Ultimate (9) – everyone was there and everyone was invited! (Apart from Bowsette.) Open worlds continued to be one of the top flavours as Red Dead Redemption II (10) and Assassin’s Creed Odyssey (8) both found great success although horror stories about the crunch culture of the developers put some off. Capcom took one of their long-running franchises into the mainstream as Monster Hunter: World (9) dominated conversations while Hitman 2 (9) offered more worlds to stealth through and Pillars of Eternity II: Deadfire (8) paid homage to the beloved isometric CRPGs of old. As ever the indie scene had its own share of gems, most notably the hyper-diffcult platformer Celeste (10) and Lucas Pope’s detective mystery Return of the Obra Dinn (10). After wobbling through most of the decade the game industry had rediscovered its mojo.  2019 The industry had found its groove and it showed no signs of slowing down. No matter the platform, no matter the source, it seemed like there was a game out there for everyone. Whether it was a tight focused action expereince like Control (8), a mind-bending puzzler like Baba Is You (9) or an SRPG/dating sim hybrid like Fire Emblem: Three Houses (9) gaming had you covered. There was space for vital new IP like the latest improvement of the FromSoft formula, Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice (10) but that sat happily onside with lush updates to old favourites like the remake of Resident Evil 2 (8). In particular there was much joy for long-time Konami even as they abandoned their most beloved franchises as key creators established their own studios with Koji Igarashi providing Castlevania’s spiritual successor, Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night (8) and Hideo Kojima exploring an entire new genre of gaming in Death Stranding (10). For years now SquareEnix had been building a cult audience for their underdog MMO but with the release of latest expansion Final Fantasy XIV: Shadowbringers (10) they were beginning to get the message heard. Not to be left out the indie scene was up to the challenge of matching its competitors as Outer Wilds (10) delivered an intricate puzzle box that was a joy to untangle. However all of these games would be put to shame by the most unlikeliest of sources, an Estonian novelist and musician with strong Marxist leanings. Despite having no experience in the video game industry Robert Kurvitz took the lead of a dedicated team to produce an isometric RPG with consequential choices, deep philosophical leanings and a strong eye for mood. Disco Elysium (10) would go on to become the surprise hit of the year, leaving a vast number of Game of the Year-worthy titles to squabble for second place. As the decade drew to a close the gaming industry couldn’t be in a better place. It would take a cataclysmic event of worldwide proportion to derail such momentum.  2020 Welp. Just as the gaming industry looked stronger than ever it was thrown into chaos as the COVID-19 pandemic swept across the globe to the point where even a new generation of consoles was apologetically shuffled onto store shelves. Companies and economies ground to a halt as people sheltered in their homes and the world of gaming was no exception. But in difficult times there is always need for solace and many were able to find that in gaming. No one was better suited to benefit than Animal Crossing: New Horizons (8), which had released days before the worldwide lockdowns and was soon a beacon for many looking to add ritual to their daily lives and connect with their friends from afar. Some however eschewed these wholesome pursuits for the more visceral joys of Doom Eternal (8) but everyone’s coping mechanisms are different. Fortunately the impact of COVID-19 on new releases was minimised as many games were close to completion so the year still saw the likes of The Last of Us Part II (7), Ghost of Tsushima (8), Nioh 2 (8) and Ori and the Will of the Wisps (9). Sega brought their offbeat slice of Japanese life to a whole new genre in Yakuza: Like A Dragon (9) while Supergiant effortlessly mastered another genre with their roguelike Hades (9). For fans of Valve’s premiere franchise it had been over a decade waiting for the much-promised culmination of the trilogy but their patience was finally rewarded, although perhaps not in the way they expected as Half-Life: Alyx (8) became the first game to harness the potential of highly vaunted VR technology. The wait for CD Projekt Red’s new project might not have been as long but it surely felt like it after the relentless hype machine building up to its debut. Once launch day came it quickly became apparent that Cyberpunk 2077 (6) was a bug-ridden mess that lacked many of its advertised features however those who could take the game on its own merits were still able to have an enjoyable experience.  2021 And so we come at last to the end of our journey. With the world continuing to struggle under the grips of the COVID-19 pandemic the effect on the industry was swiftly becoming apparent with new titles announcing extended delays seemingly every day. AAA especially was suffering with a limited number of releases but in this gap there was space for games to flourish which may not have received such attention in other years, The Forgotten City (8) and Inscryption (8) being the biggest beneficiaries. For many the hopes of AAA lay on Arkane’s timeloop shooter Deathloop (8) although Switch owners were able to take comfort in Monster Hunter: Rise (8). Despite coming out the previous year it was almost as difficult to find a killer app for the PS5 as it was difficult to find a PS5 itself. However Returnal (8) gave those lucky enough to own the console a reason to cheer. The topic of exclusivity was a much thornier subject on the PC where the emergence of Epic Game Store was causing a major rift, with many gamers boycotting the storefront entirely. Despite these circumstances and an exlcusive EGS release Hitman 3 (8) was still able to find an audience. Elsewhere it had been close to two decades since Tim Schafer had released his magnum opus and hopes of a sequel had long receded but a strong crowdfunded backing finally brought Psychonauts 2 (9) to our screens. Capcom broke the internet with their reveal of the Tall Vampire Lady who featured in Resident Evil: Village (8) while Nintendo shocked the world with the swift drop of Metroid Dread (9). In MMOs Blizzard had been having difficulties for years with a series of underperforming expansions and hopes that the tide would turn were swiftly dashed as World of Warcraft: Shadowlands was critically panned, although these troubles paled in comparison to the lawsuit filed by the state of Calefornia alleging systematic sexual harassment and abuse within the company. With MMO fans jumping ship in droves there was need for an alternative and there to take its place was Final Fantasy XIV: Endwalker (10), who’s latest expansion acted as a culmination of a 10-year storyline. After years of sitting in the sidelines, the little game that could was finally taking the curtain call on centre stage.  The Final Results And so we come to the end of the line. 2022 is not yet in the books so sadly the likes of Elden Ring and Horizon: Forbidden West are not up for assessment. Instead we shall look at the last 11 years of gaming to see how they compare:  There we have it, the best of the bunch was 2019 with a fabulous score of 9.2 but that’s still not quite enough to challenge the leaders which means the statisically-proven, scientifically-determined Year of the Game is none other than… 3. 2001 (9.3) 2. 1998 (9.4) 1. 2000 (9.4) Thank you very much everyone for bearing with me for these posts. Harrow, now that they have been fully detailed and you have seen a comprehensive working for my analysis I am sure you will scrap everyone else’s votes and declare 2000 the winner post-haste
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Sep 15, 2022 21:52
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Someone pay me to write about video game history
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Sep 15, 2022 21:52
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glad we determined that the winner is 1994. Close thread
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Sep 15, 2022 21:56
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I liked Hitman Absolution and Doom 3 a lot respectively, and 8 is a snub for MGSV (I still remember gamespot snubbing MGS3 with an 8.7), but that's the beauty of everyone digging different stuff. 8s are a great rating for a movie, but for a Hideo Game that is like a gloved slap from a duellist (like that Harvey Keitel movie.) Kudos on writing about games, and we should all get paid frankly. We deserve to be paid here on SA, our posts are our art.
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Sep 15, 2022 22:00
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Heavy Metal posted:8 is a snub for MGSV Gameplay is cool but yeesh that story
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Sep 15, 2022 22:05
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It is quite good I find, the compelling beginning, the revelation video ending (tucked away after a mission replay) is one of my fav cutscenes ever, I found it did well. It was part of what I noticed as the minimalist movement in storytelling for Japanese franchise games. FF XV and Zelda BOTW being another couple, a lot more sparse, a lot more filling in with your imagination. But as a change of pace I loved all three.
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Sep 15, 2022 22:07
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theh most notable of these came from epic, and was released in this year. wont include it whowever. also mario odyssey somehow isnt 10 and pubg is 6 for some reason. sham list.
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Sep 15, 2022 22:15
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Rarity posted:Someone pay me to write about video game history Somebody should, you do the best writeups on it (in this and in the GOTY threads)!
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Sep 15, 2022 22:16
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