IYO what game company did you gain the most respect for this year?

[Tracer]

No it didn't actually. Import only. Given that I don't have a PS2 or a good import solution the DC version will have to get the go if I can find it. I don't want used either, if all I can get is used I'll download it.

IGN said it (SC5) was the best thing since sliced bread actually. They were really positive about it, and so was Daily Radar and I belive even Gamefan liked it. I didn't mind the game but it wasn't too terribly impressive. It was the same basic concept of "Simon" that I generally don't like. The charm lasted only so long. You're telling me that "Simon" gameplay has been replaced with something like Rez?

ºTracer

[gameoverDude]

Gained respect:

Arika: For gearing up to bring Dodonpachi Dai-ou-jou to the PlayStation 2. This will more than make up for Street Fighter EX3.

Playmore: It was awfully nice of them to bring out KOF2000 on Dreamcast, and then there's KOF2001 coming right up. What a good double header.

Capcom: For bringing out Steel Battalion.

Cave: One word: Ketsui.

Konami: They brought out a real, honest to goodness Contra title this year... not some Appaloosa poseur.

Lost respect:
Acclaim: For the lameass promo stunts they have pulled this year like the "Name your baby Turok" and the speeding ticket thing (which was thankfully cancelled once the controversy kicked in).

[skullkid]

Tecmo is becoming one of my favorite 3rd parties with DOA, Monster Rancher,and Rygar. Ninja Gaiden and DOA BVB look really good as well.

[Prince Planet]

I'm surprised at my omission of Microsoft, so I'll add them to my list. Plenty of people don't like them for plenty of reasons (not to be confused with "plenty of good reasons"), but, regardless, I respect the fact that they have seemingly tried to cater to the gamer, and have offered up a solid 1st year of gaming on their fledgling console.

[johnk_]

SC5 part 2 is a damn fine piece of work.. No, i don't think it's game of the year, or as good as Rez, but it's improved on the original a LOT, and it's much more fun to play as well, IMO..

you really ought to play it at least a bit before you decide to judge it.

[Hero]

Thumbs up to Retro for Metroid; Konami for DDR Max, Contra, and Suikoden; Capcom for their announcement or all these brand new franchises (viewtiful JOE!!!); Sega for bringing back all the old titles gamers wanted.

Thumbs down to gamers in general. This year we got everything we've been asking for for years (revivals of old school names), got a few suprises in the process (Metroid, Tekki, Sega's goods), and yet we can still find something to be unhappy about.

[Tracer]

I'm not so much as jusdgeing it as I am saying that Space Channel 5 (2) cannot be so good as it would reverse my opinion on Sega's performance this year since it the basic facet of the game is still "Simon" ala up, down, left, right, chu! chu! chu!

ºTracer
..and I will try SC5(2). I'll make sure to post my opinions of it here or perhaps in the Reader Review Section.

[sggg]

Originally posted by Prince Planet
I'm surprised at my omission of Microsoft, so I'll add them to my list. Plenty of people don't like them for plenty of reasons (not to be confused with "plenty of good reasons"), but, regardless, I respect the fact that they have seemingly tried to cater to the gamer, and have offered up a solid 1st year of gaming on their fledgling console.

One thing they did that I really respected was listen to consumers and make the S-Controller the Xbox pack in.

[GameHED]

Thumbs down to gamers in general. This year we got everything we've been asking for for years (revivals of old school names), got a few suprises in the process (Metroid, Tekki, Sega's goods), and yet we can still find something to be unhappy about.

especially those cranky gamego guys and anti-everything-that's-popular group who are always bashing things before giving them a chance.

-Metroid? "it's gonna suck cuz it ain't 2d!!!!11"

-Contra? "There are no hand drawn animations, plus the collision detection isn't as sharp" <--ikaruga was polygonal, nobody cared then.

-Celda? "I hate the new look!!! too kiddy which will affect my enjoyment of the game. Go back to the roots of the zelda with CG graphics" <-- despite person claiming they are not a graphics whore, and not realising the original look of zelda was cartoony and therefore bringing the series to its roots of cartoon humour and smooth animation with the latest game.

-Old franchises? "I wish they'd bring back the old classics, todays games have such shallow gameplay to the games of old" <-- and then an announcment is made that some remakes of old classics are being made, yet they complain the gameplay or enjoyment of the game has somehow been lessened just because the graphics have been improved upon: "Either do it properly or don't do it!111 I'm not paying money for enhancements". ....And when a gba port of a classic is made with no enhancments at all?: "Fuuucken heelllll!! why do they keep releasing these old games!?!?! Give me something new!" "I'm not paying money for old games I can just play on my old megadrive and snes! Fuck you nintendo!" You can never win.

-Xbox? "Controller is too big!!11 It is way too massive!!" <-- and then people realise it is by far the most comfortable for fps and other genres as multipurpose controller after having hands-on tests, and not so bad in relation to gc's one which caters only to a few games. Plus the announcment of smaller controller and the announcment of online modes for 2d fighters goes by unnoticed. Yep MS aren't catering to 'real' gamers alright. It's the 3do II of this generation. They are ignorant, the xbox is doomed to repeat the mistakes.

The list goes on. But I think this whole board is guilty of complaining. My fave is the castlvania series:

"Give us another castlvevania please konami!! I beg of it! pretty please!" and then after the release of 2 games in the spirit of sotn:

"This game is waay inferiour to SOTN. We need a change. The difficulty is easy, there are no challenging platforming elements like the old games, I can kill bosses easily"... despite SOTN being just as shallow as these past efforts in terms of weak enemy AI.

Talk about having an overly romantic view of how good games actually were back then compared to now. I was just as bored with sotn as I was with HOD. There wasn't a single hard moment in the game that could be overcome with just normal leveling up like in HOD which you get naturally when you wander the huge castle. A problem with hod, is a problem with sotn. (today's gamers are on drugs i tell you. Or it might just be the prettier graphics and animation of sotn and not the actual gameplay that has gotten people to be so bias)

[Click_Stick]

CAVE: Continues to pump out quality goods... We love you.

PLAYMORE: You're good guys. New DC ports and even a couple of re-releases... Thanks.