TNL's GotM: November 2008

Hurry back, Andy.

Previous entries:
http://www.the-nextlevel.com/board/a...1&d=1229361681
October 2008: Fallout 3 [PC, 360, PS3]
September 2008: Mega Man 9 [PSN, XBLA, WiiWare]
August 2008: Castle Crashers [XBLA]
July 2008: Geometry Wars: Retro Evolved 2 [XBLA]
June 2008: Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots [PS3]
May 2008: Lost Winds [WiiWare]
April 2008: Grand Theft Auto IV [PS3, 360]
March 2008: Super Smash Bros. Brawl [Wii]
February 2008: Devil May Cry 4 [PS3, 360]
January 2008: Burnout Paradise [PS3, 360]
TNL's Games of the Month 2007
TNL's Games of the Month 2006

[ As usual, straight ports, retro compilations, and retro XBLA, Virtual Console, and PSN titles are ineligible. Exceptions can be made for ports if they have not otherwise been released domestically, and noteworthy remakes. ]

Notable (or not so notable) absences: None. Some of the ten above don't even belong.

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Originally Posted by Yoshi

[ As usual, sports games, straight ports, retro compilations, and retro XBLA, Virtual Console, and PSN titles are ineligible. Exceptions can be made for ports if they have not otherwise been released domestically, and noteworthy remakes. ]

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Fixed caveat.

Which sports game would have been nominated?

I voted for the game ive played the crap out of, and pulled some hair out because of,

Mirrors Edge.

Despair voted for Lich King, what the fuck!

There's only one game on that list that is a remake of one of the best ever. Do the right thing.

Nevermind, I was wrong.

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Originally Posted by Yoshi

Which sports game would have been nominated?

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NHL 09, only the sports game of the year.

I literally did a coin toss, since I played the jesus out of both of them last month.

http://entertainmentmusings.files.wo...5/two-face.jpg

I was going to vote for GoW2, but I realized now that the MP is way too buggy that I don't even enjoy it with TNLers any more. The campaign was awesome the first time around, but replaying it made me realize there are many parts that are either annoying or just boring, like the entire 2nd/3rd chapters.

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Originally Posted by kingoffighters

NHL 09, only the sports game of the year.

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That came out in September.

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Originally Posted by Yoshi

That came out in September.

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My complaint wasn't with you, obviously.

Aha. ok. I just wanted to make sure I didn't overlook something.

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Originally Posted by Yoshi

Aha. ok. I just wanted to make sure I didn't overlook something.

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You probably do a better job than Andy does.

MLB 08 The Show isn't on the poll either (but it did appear on last year's list). Basically, any time there are more than 10 games released in a month, sports games get the bump even though shit like Infinite Undiscovery, Army of Two, etc etc etc have no business in any GOTM polls (and they don't get any votes so what's the point).

So basically, Sports game of the year (NHL 09) and the runner up (MLB 08 The Show) are both shafted even though they are better than alot of the other games on the lists. Just because he doesn't play them doesn't mean they don't deserve a spot.

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Originally Posted by kingoffighters

You probably do a better job than Andy does.

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Thats not hard.

Sorry COD, but SF wins.

I wish Blizzard would hurry up and transmit the pneumonic trigger that makes all the WoW followers hurl themselves off a cliff already.

GoW 2. Horde mode with friends is just win. Late nights+booze makes it even more epic.

Oooo, this is a tough one. Normally, I'd vote for Gears 2, but SSF2T: HD Remix is spectacular. I'm going to have think hard on this one.

I'm leaning toward Mirror's Edge.

L4D is great, but a step behind Gears 2 and Mirror's, and Gears 2 is a good refinement whereas Mirror's Edge is a great new game.

Tain, you should play Valkryia Chronicles....

I'm split between Gears and Valkyria at the moment.

HDR
sorry, gears was bad

Street Fighter.

Gears 2 has been pretty disappointing, even though it's still fun.

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Originally Posted by wEEman33

Street Fighter.

Gears 2 has been pretty disappointing, even though it's still fun.

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From what little I've played SF is just an uglier version of an old game.

There is too many games on that list i feel i need to play before voting.

Last Remnant. Once you get past the technical issues, it's the best RPG released this year that isn't named Fallout 3.

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Originally Posted by arjue

From what little I've played SF is just an uglier version of an old game.

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This is exactly how I feel. The game seriously needs a bag over it's head. It's a feakshow.

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Originally Posted by AaronChance

This is exactly how I feel. The game seriously needs a bag over it's head. It's a feakshow.

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I'm so glad to be hearing more people say this. I've been saying it all along, though I have to concede that it looks much better on my monitor than it did in stills. As much of a laugh as the old sprites are scaled up and blurry as shit, it's depressing to watch them animate and see how much better they look as a whole. The inconsistency between frames, the outright poor art... it's a total mess.

That said, I think a lot of the input changes and alterations to moves are great! Too bad we don't have the options to make it look as it ought to.

Barring the online glitches, HD remix is possibly the only fighter you need to play besides 3S and the forthcoming ST4 -- sprites are fine, they do the job. No one should really care what the game looks like or sounds like for that matter, that's not why we play it. Sure it could be prettier and the remixed OST, well I run the original... it's all about the rebalancing...

It plays like a dream. It's a technically beautiful game of controlling space and reading the opponent. Sure 3S is still technically better, but no other fighter is... There should be no choice, Remix is the clear Nov. winner. The fact that we got a remixed version of an already superb game makes us a human beings, very lucky.

My second choice, Valkyria Chronicles...

I voted for Nuts & Bolts. I know most people aren't happy with it, but it strikes the perfect sweet spot for me. It's a mix of some of my favourite genres - platforming, racing, and sandbox action. There's even leaderboards for me to futilely chase good times on! It would be the best game ever if there were RPG elements and shmup sequences.

SSFT2HDR. So it doesnt animate as well as the old one, we expected that. But it plays so well. Thank god for the gameplay fixes. Ill still be playing it ten years from now. Gears close second, horde mode is very fun with friends - especially trying different stages.

Haven't played Remix yet, but if all they did was remake sprites, how could it animate worse than the original?

It animates exactly the same as the original, which was by design to keep the timing intact.

In theory, it's the same, sure. Except consistency in the artwork is lacking and to me what used to animate well enough looks like a jerky mess.

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Originally Posted by ssbomberman

Barring the online glitches, HD remix is possibly the only fighter you need to play besides 3S and the forthcoming ST4

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KOF '98 UM, MOTW and Last Blade 2 say you can fuck off.

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Originally Posted by Grave

I'm so glad to be hearing more people say this. I've been saying it all along, though I have to concede that it looks much better on my monitor than it did in stills. As much of a laugh as the old sprites are scaled up and blurry as shit, it's depressing to watch them animate and see how much better they look as a whole. The inconsistency between frames, the outright poor art... it's a total mess.

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http://school.discoveryeducation.com...issuebox4c.gif

When it comes to SSF2T HDR sprites, I think this would have been more appropriate somehow:

http://www.the-nextlevel.com/board/a...1&d=1229489262

lots of wrong opinions in this thread

SNK fighters are awesome.

That's my contribution to this discussion.

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Originally Posted by Joust Williams

lots of wrong opinions in this thread

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People are just bitter that a 3D Street Fighter looks better than their precious sprites.

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Originally Posted by Yoshi

It animates exactly the same as the original, which was by design to keep the timing intact.

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Its got all the same frames, sure - but it doesnt animate as well. We already discussed this months ago, and they didnt fix it since then. I booted up SSF2T on 2DF for a while the other day and it really is noticable, if youre into that sorta thing.

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Originally Posted by bbobb

KOF '98 UM, MOTW and Last Blade 2 say you can fuck off.

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QFT

I went with SFHD over Gears 2. 5-player Horde mode is awesome, but the remixed changes made SFHD replace Third Strike as my favorite 2D fighter.

I like how people who went back to Gears 1 because Gears 2's multiplayer is so fucked still voted for it.

Like who?

Your mom.

Gears 2....fucking TNL....

Yawn at Street Fighter II.

Anyone with taste knows its either Left for Dead, Wotlk, or GoW2.

And for those who can't decide, its Left for Dead.

I don't see the big deal with L4D -- everyone's loving this game, but it's short, has a lack of weapons, weak graphics, no story, and little to no atmosphere... level designs aren't even any good...

Then you put that up against one of the most important updates to possibly the most important 2D fighter ever made...

I can't believe COW:WaW not getting more love. At least its not as buggy as GOW2 Multi.

I played that last year.

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Anyone with taste knows its either Left for Dead, Wotlk, or GoW2.

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Good game, lol mmos, good refinement.

Mirror's Edge is way better than all of those.

I still need to play Left 4 Dead, Valkyria Chronicles and more than the demos for Tomb Raider Underworld and Mirror's Edge before making a decession.

Between what I have interest in and have played from that list, SSF2THDR rocks so hard I bought it twice and BK:N&B is just a tad too big, empty and boring for my tastes.

Valkyria is Game of the Month, no contest.

It's only not getting any votes because none of you fuckers are playing the game.

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Originally Posted by ssbomberman

I don't see the big deal with L4D -- everyone's loving this game, but it's short, has a lack of weapons, weak graphics, no story, and little to no atmosphere... level designs aren't even any good...

Then you put that up against one of the most important updates to possibly the most important 2D fighter ever made...

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No, I put it up against a 16 year old game with High Def Graphics. Its a makeover for fanboys, which is fine, and the kind of stuff I love to see, but I'm not a SF fanboy and the game has nowhere near the novelty of other games that could be remade.

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Originally Posted by ssbomberman

I don't see the big deal with L4D -- everyone's loving this game, but it's short, has a lack of weapons, weak graphics, no story, and little to no atmosphere... level designs aren't even any good...

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1)It's not that short. Playing on the hardest difficulties makes it quite long. This is a Valve game, so the coming updates make this one a temp complaint

2)Lack of weapons...to each their own I guess. They're all real world weapons and they each of their uses at given times.

3)Weak graphics- PC version looks fantastic. It's not the best looking game out there, but the character models and texture work is top notch, lighting is spot on and the special effects are subtle, but impressive. Runs like butter with 100 enemies on screen at once.

3)No story- a) Who gives a shit? It's zombie survival, plus if you listen to the characters talk, you learn quite a bit. You rarely hear the same lines over and over too. b) Are you seriously bringing the story of a fighting game into this?

4)No atmosphere/poor level design- What? This is simply wrong, I can't even wrap my head around this statement.

Check out the commentary in the game, it'll spread some light on the subject for you.

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Originally Posted by bbobb

Valkyria is Game of the Month, no contest.

It's only not getting any votes because none of you fuckers are playing the game.

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Niche genre on a niche system (lol ps3) gets no votes.... and Gow2 sucks the more I play it.

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Originally Posted by bbobb

Valkyria is Game of the Month, no contest.

It's only not getting any votes because none of you fuckers are playing the game.

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I voted for this even though I played it for like five minutes at E3. Would have voted Last Remnant instead if I had the option. Everything else was either bleh or meh.

GOw2 over SSF2? And I thought TNL couldnt get any worse than Castle Crashers over Bionic Commando.