WORST year for games?

[Blayt7hh]

I did the Acclaimed Games points thing and it's not the worst of the years I've done so far. But some of these games I've never even heard of.

Destiny sucked ass. I’ll never understand how that game was able to keep such a player base or have enough interest for a sequel. I’m not sure how this scoring works but it seems like a lot of 7-8/10 games on that list to me. Like if Farcry 4 was up in the charts then that definitely was not a good year.

There’s also a distinct lack of Divinity: Original Sin on there which probably holds up better then 90% of that list. I guess it probably is a reflection of scoring at the time though because in 2014 CRPGs were a nearly dead genre trying to claw their way back into existence

 

[Blayt7hh]

• KOTOR
• Call of Duty
• Wolfenstein: Enemy Territory
• NASCAR 2K3
• Counter-Strike 1.6 [just a patch for Steam's new service; game itself released: 2000)
• America's Army [released: 2002]
• DC Combat (this mod's v1 was released in late 2002, not 2003, and it's Medal of Honor: Allied Assault from Jan-2002 that is widely credited with inspiring CoD & Battlefield)

-- I'm pretty sure Gran Turismo is cited as the game/IP that proved a lucrative market existed for simulation racing.
-- Call of Duty is obviously an enormous franchise, and the seminal title was acclaimed, but it was actually Call of Duty II: World War 2 that launched that IP into the mainstream.
-- Wolfenstein: Enemy Territory isn't even regarded as particularly exceptional within its own franchise, much less the wider world of games, and that's true both critically or if you look at Steam user ratings.
-- This is the first time I've ever even heard of America's Army, but that game was designed for the military from the start, it wasn't appropriated by the DoD because it was popular.
-- *Edit: Further Corrections*

You believe this is a case for a strong year?

COD2 was only more popular because it was on consoles. COD1 was definitely the superior game.

America’s Army was pretty crap. It was popular because it was free

 

[Madmick]

COD2 was only more popular because it was on consoles. COD1 was definitely the superior game.

America’s Army was pretty crap. It was popular because it was free

Perhaps. Yet COD2 ranks higher on the AG list (#339 vs. #437).

This could be an example of popularity lending itself to acclaim. After all, appearing on more lists builds ranking with these methodologies. If the journalists/gamers making "best of" lists over the years never played a game, they're not going to mention it. However, many less popular games are ranked above both. Both were primarily oriented as single player first person shooter campaign experiences. They came out around the same time. So it's mostly apples to apples. Besides, achieving popularity to become a landmark in the history of gaming, thereby influencing that history, is one of the preoccupations of measuring canon. I suspect that's the principal reason World of Warcraft is #18, and Runescape doesn't make the Top 1000, despite that this fact would probably make many bristle.

I remember COD2 generating discussion at the time. It was shockingly realistic compared to anything else we had seen at that point, a significant leap forward technically from COD1, and unlike COD games that came later, it didn't shy from this. Men would scream in agony if they were lit on fire. There was dialogue you'd overhear where men would express fear. You'd hear propaganda over loudspeakers. The NPCs were a bit more human, not cartoon Duke Nukem characters. Some of us were uncomfortable. We talked about how our grandfathers lived through that, and did it feel right to turn it into an experience of entertainment? It's not a dialogue I've heard ever since. If for no other reason, I understand why it ranks higher due to this.

 

[Madmick]

Destiny sucked ass.

 

[SaiWa]

Destiny sucked ass. I’ll never understand how that game was able to keep such a player base or have enough interest for a sequel. I’m not sure how this scoring works but it seems like a lot of 7-8/10 games on that list to me. Like if Farcry 4 was up in the charts then that definitely was not a good year.

There’s also a distinct lack of Divinity: Original Sin on there which probably holds up better then 90% of that list. I guess it probably is a reflection of scoring at the time though because in 2014 CRPGs were a nearly dead genre trying to claw their way back into existence

Damnit wrote 2 long paragraphs and webpage auto-updated, failed and lost all of it. I ain't writing everything again so i will just say:

1. Loot (icebreaker, fatebringer, vex mythoclast). But most importantly Ghallerhorn. It is arguably the most legendary of all items I have ever hunted for in a looter type of game.

2. Raids. For its time it was so much fun trying to conquer these raids. You needed some great weapons and a team of players with a solid understanding of the raid to accomplish it. Even 1-2 bad players can ruin a raid attempt.

I loved Destiny 1 even with all its flaws. It was the first of its kind back then. Online multiplayer looter shooter with big events (raids). It was a super fun time in my gaming life. Nights of endless raiding while drinking Monsters. Good times...

 

[Blayt7hh]

Damnit wrote 2 long paragraphs and webpage auto-updated, failed and lost all of it. I ain't writing everything again so i will just say:

1. Loot (icebreaker, fatebringer, vex mythoclast). But most importantly Ghallerhorn. It is arguably the most legendary of all items I have ever hunted for in a looter type of game.

2. Raids. For its time it was so much fun trying to conquer these raids. You needed some great weapons and a team of players with a solid understanding of the raid to accomplish it. Even 1-2 bad players can ruin a raid attempt.

I loved Destiny 1 even with all its flaws. It was the first of its kind back then. Online multiplayer looter shooter with big events (raids). It was a super fun time in my gaming life. Nights of endless raiding while drinking Monsters. Good times...

I remember the gameplay felt just kind of average, but the thing that sticks out most in my millet was the atrociously long boss fights.

 

[My Spot]

COD2 was only more popular because it was on consoles. COD1 was definitely the superior game.

Are you thinking of the console only Call of Duty 2: Big Red One? The real COD2 was only on 360 and PC.

Call of Duty 2 | Acclaimed Video Games

Call of Duty 2 (2005) is ranked #339 among the most critically acclaimed games of all time.

www.acclaimedvideogames.com

 

[SaiWa]

I remember the gameplay felt just kind of average, but the thing that sticks out most in my millet was the atrociously long boss fights.

yeah some were harder than others and if you are a solo player then i could see this being atrociously stupid but i played it with friends and it made the ordeal fun/enjoyable most of time. Nothing better than to berate your bestie for messing up and then you end up dying yourself later...

 

[Blayt7hh]

yeah some were harder than others and if you are a solo player then i could see this being atrociously stupid but i played it with friends and it made the ordeal fun/enjoyable most of time. Nothing better than to berate your bestie for messing up and then you end up dying yourself later...

I don't remember it being overly hard per se. I did play with a couple friends. What I remember was running out of ammo over and over again and the boss having waaaaay to much health. I assume they fixed it later because it felt like a pretty obvious flaw, but I moved on after the first month or so

 

[Blayt7hh]

Are you thinking of the console only Call of Duty 2: Big Red One? The real COD2 was only on 360 and PC.

Call of Duty 2 | Acclaimed Video Games

Call of Duty 2 (2005) is ranked #339 among the most critically acclaimed games of all time.

www.acclaimedvideogames.com

No I am saying COD1 was not on console and that is why it wasnt as popular or well remembered

 

[My Spot]

No I am saying COD1 was not on console and that is why it wasnt as popular or well remembered

But neither was the real COD2.

 

[Blayt7hh]

But neither was the real COD2.

COD2 was a launch title on the 360

 

[My Spot]

COD2 was a launch title on the 360

Right, but you said consoles. It wasn't on PS2/GC/XB. You were obviously thinking about Big Red One which wasn't made by Infinity Ward.