Boards.ie Game Awards 2008

Mr E

That time of the year again - time to acknowledge the highs and lows of 2008's gaming calendar. There have been enough games released in the last 3 months alone to fill most nomination slots, so spare a thought for the big games released earlier this year when making your selections!

Nominations will be done in waves, and a new batch will be posted every 3-4 days. The groupings are as follows, and will be posted in this order over the next 3-4 weeks:

1. Sony PSP
2. PC
3. Nintendo DS
4. Nintendo Wii
5. Microsoft XBox360
6. Sony PS3
7. Fun Categories
8. Overall

Voting will happen around the Christmas period, and results made available in the New Year.

Head over to the Game Awards forum to make your first batch of selections.

Retr0gamer

Bit early for nominations since there's still a few excellent games to come. I'm holding off until Prince of Persia at least.

I was thinking there should be a category for best downloadable game? You could split it into xboxlive, PSN and Wiiware but if this means that threads are left off the first page then maybe just group them all together as a single award.

Don't even think of getting rid of the hottest game character award!

BlitzKrieg

to be fair retro is there any big upcoming hits for the psp?

Prince of Persia will be out by the time we get to the ps3/360 catagory.

DirkVoodoo

I predict this thread will move from the OP's intended "awarding of games" to a fanboy flaming "bashing of consoles".

I'm trying to remember what games I have played this year, so far the ones that spring to mind are the most recent I have played:

Fallout 3, Mass Effect, GoW2, Metal Gear Solid:GotP.

All good games, but that Half Life birthday thread has made me realised that I don't think (i'll have to confirm) that I have played a game as good as that yet.

AnCapaillMor

Is it me or is there too many categories, i'll be pissed off by the time i got a quater of the way through.

Mr E

In hindsight, PSP wasn't the best choice to start off with (the tumbleweed in the Game Awards forum are now brandishing placards). Wasn't exactly a stellar year for that platform!

I'll be push up the PC Nominations tonight to hopefully drive a bit of traffic to the forum and get a bit of banter going.

I deliberately delayed the Xbox/PS3/Wii categories because as Retr0 said, there are still a few big name games on the way - Animal Crossing, Resistance 2, Prince of Persia, Sonic Unleashed etc.

Mr E

AnCapaillMor wrote: »

Is it me or is there too many categories, i'll be pissed off by the time i got a quater of the way through.

If you mean the voting, don't worry about that. We'll be using an online survey this year instead of 40+ threads, and you'll only have to answer categories that are of interest to you. 6-8 clicks per category and you're done. The whole survey will take less than 5 mins (and thats if you're answering everything).

Mr E

PC Nominations up now.
http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/forumdisplay.php?f=499

Retr0gamer

Well my PC nomination will be easy considering Left 4 Dead is pretty much my game of the year so far

Retr0gamer

One question: are we allowed 1 or 2 nominations?

Krieg

Mr E wrote: »

PC Nominations up now.
http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/forumdisplay.php?f=499

Is there room for "PC: FPS of the year" ?

Edit: Also "PC: Worst game of the year" ?

Jazzy

Retr0gamer wrote: »

Well my PC nomination will be easy considering Left 4 Dead is pretty much my game of the year so far

ARGH! so want2play!!
feckin essays.
havent even played fallout 3 yet

Krieg

Im trying to remember this years pc games

Space siege
Wrath of the lich king
Fallout 3
Mass effect
Crysis warhead
Spore
Far cry 2
Age of Conan: Hybornian adventures
Call of duty: World at war
Stalker Clear sky
Left 4 dead
Brothers in Arms: Hell's Highway
Mercs 2

GothPunk

What category would a PSP beat 'em up game be put into? Could it go in sport? Or would it have to go in action/adventure? Some of my favourite PSP games this year have been fighting games (Naruto Ultimate Ninja Heroes 2 and Ikki Tousen: Eloquent Fist to name but 2.)

Seeing as the PSP threads are so quiet might I be permitted to post a few examples after my nomination in each category to remind people of the games that came out this year for PSP?

I second Retr0's request for a downloadable title section. I'd like to request that if you do add a 'downloadable title' category, could you add one for PSP? Echchrome, Super Stardust Portable, Syphon Filter: Combat Ops, Flow and Everyday Shooter (soon). Then again, I could be the only one to vote in that category

Mr E

OK executive decision time.

Retr0gamer: Looking back over earlier years, some categories have been lacking because of the "1 nomination only" rule. Allowing everyone to vote for 2 games might broaden the spectrum a bit. Therefore you can nominate 2 titles for each category. I'll update the rules on each thread. If you've already voted, please edit your existing post to add your second selection - makes it easier to see who nominated what.

Krieg: FPS is a valid category alright. There was an FPS of the Year and an Arcade/Action game of the year last year, so I'll add that category for PC now, and PS3/360/Wii/Overall when those categories come up. Worst Game of the Year is a bit vague - you could pick a crappy Flash game or a €20 shovelware game for that. How about "PC: Biggest Disappointment?"

GothPunk: Thanks for starting the ball rolling on PSP.... Go ahead and put refresher lists on the threads if you want. Looking back over previous years, there has never been a beat 'em up category. I'd say add your selections to Action/Adventure.

Retr0/GothPunk: I had planned for the following categories for other consoles-
Wii: VC/WiiWare Game of the Year
360: XBLA Game of the Year
360: DLC (Downloadable Content) of the Year
PS3: PSN Game of the Year
PS3: DLC Of The Year

I'll add a download category for the PSP.

kaiser soza

PsP game of the year in my opinion is Final Fantasy Crisis Core.

Mr E

kaiser soza wrote: »

PsP game of the year in my opinion is Final Fantasy Crisis Core.

Then you know what you must do! Games mentioned here don't count.

Krieg

Mr E wrote: »

Krieg: FPS is a valid category alright. There was an FPS of the Year and an Arcade/Action game of the year last year, so I'll add that category for PC now, and PS3/360/Wii/Overall when those categories come up. Worst Game of the Year is a bit vague - you could pick a crappy Flash game or a €20 shovelware game for that. How about "PC: Biggest Disappointment?"

Yeah "PC: Biggest Disappointment" has a much better ring to it

Thanks Mr E

johnny_ultimate

May be worth considering best indie game too? Fair amount of the most thought provoking and intelligent games I've played recently have been wee little flash games (Gravitation etc...). It is a fairly strong and interesting mini-area of gaming at the moment, and might help direct people towards titles they may not have heard of.

Mr E

Best Indie game is already there, johnny.

Retr0gamer

Mr E, I wouldn't go creating more categories than will fit on the first page of threads. It was a problem a few years ago that threads were being left off the first page and being forgotten about. The guys last year did a good job of pruning back the categories so that they all fit on the first page and it all went a lot smoother. You should consider this before you start making a load of categories. Also I don't think VC games should get a mention since they aren't new. I think it would be best to combine the downloadable games award.

kaiser soza wrote: »

PsP game of the year in my opinion is Final Fantasy Crisis Core.

Go play loco roco 2. That piece of **** Crisis Core doesn't deserve any recognition.

Mr E

Retr0gamer wrote: »

Mr E, I wouldn't go creating more categories than will fit on the first page of threads.

Yep, I had thought of that (thats why I'm doing the nominations in waves). The current batch will stay there until next Tuesday, and the Wii/DS nominations will go up then. There are 2 'slots' left on the first page, so I'm ok at the moment.

johnny_ultimate

Mr E wrote: »

Best Indie game is already there, johnny.

So it is! Apologies bout that! Me stupid.

Retr0gamer

I don't know about anybody else but this is looking like a mess this year. We have only covered 2 machines and have a page full of threads already. Having categories for specific genres within the same console is just overkill imo.

johnny_ultimate

Retr0gamer wrote: »

I don't know about anybody else but this is looking like a mess this year. We have only covered 2 machines and have a page full of threads already. Having categories for specific genres within the same console is just overkill imo.

Yeah might be worth just sticking to the old genre / overall awards structure. Platform specific is going to cause a lot of threads and confusion. Genre only would make it more competitive, while really letting the good games stand out (and good games should stand out regardless of console).

Cunny-Funt

Wheres fighting game of the year? :mad:

BlitzKrieg

Retr0gamer wrote: »

I don't know about anybody else but this is looking like a mess this year. We have only covered 2 machines and have a page full of threads already. Having categories for specific genres within the same console is just overkill imo.

hold on for a couple of minutes as we sort this.

Sorry for the muddle, game awards keeps getting passed on because obviously whoever does it one year becomes so successful by the following year that they have no free time and it has to get sort of half passed on etc.

Mr E

I thought since we were doing it differently this year (using a survey instead of 6,000 voting threads), we could go deeper into each category. Since the nominations are in batches, only the threads that had nominations would be pushed off page 1 each week leaving room for the next batch.

Obviously not popular though. OK.... need to rethink things.

Retr0gamer

Well it's just me moaning It just seems that the nomination threads are a little quite with so many genres to choose from. Maybe it's just me

tman

Retr0gamer wrote: »

Well it's just me moaning It just seems that the nomination threads are a little quite with so many genres to choose from. Maybe it's just me

While it does seem a lot more spread out this year, I actually prefer what Mr E has been doing with it to previous years. The staggered approach to creating nomination threads might be a shock at first, but I can see it working out better in the long run.
And at the end of the day, there's nothing stopping people from going to the second/third page to look for threads that they've missed. (and it will be a lot more obvious that they're missing if 10 go off the page instead of 1 thread dropping off unnoticed)

If you look at the PC goty nomination thread from last year, there were only a page and a half of nominations. Compare that to some of the threads from this year, and they are ALREADY almost onto the second page after only being up for a day!
http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2055191574

Had to wrack my brains to think of a PSP game that I've even bought this year (GoW), and the silence in the threads so far makes me think that perhaps I'm not the only one...

I say leave Mr E to it, he's doing a damn fine job so far!

kaiser soza

Patapon was better than Locoroco also Crisis Core is the only reason to own a PSP,only legal reason that is.

Mr E

I've thought about this over night, and I think I'm going to leave it the way it was.

If a category is weak and receives very few nominations (or no nominations) then it will just be dropped, without ceremony. PSP Sports, PSP Download and PSP Puzzle are heading that way. No big deal.

For the other categories, what difference does it make if Left 4 Dead gets 15 nominations or 30 nominations? Its still going up for the vote (which at the end of the day is what really matters here).

My goal here is to get votes for the categories, full stop. I ran the TV Awards during the summer, and it was a great success. Last year, the "Best Drama" category got 24 votes altogether. This year it got 61. Last year the "Best of the Best" category got 23 votes. This year it got 66.

There is method to my madness. Bear with me... It'll be worth it.

Retr0gamer

Mr E wrote: »

My goal here is to get votes for the categories, full stop. I ran the TV Awards during the summer, and it was a great success. Last year, the "Best Drama" category got 24 votes altogether. This year it got 61. Last year the "Best of the Best" category got 23 votes. This year it got 66.

There is method to my madness. Bear with me... It'll be worth it.

I'm filled with a bit more confidence now. I just think I don't like change

Can you not fix the PSP category so that Crisis Core doesn't win anything. It really is ****

Mr E

I'll see what I can do. *wink* *wink*

Mr E

Next batch is up (DS). I'll put up PS3 tonight.

Closed threads for PC and PSP. All of the major categories have been nominated for and all the big games are in there - I'll summarise the nominations in a few weeks and open them again for a few days after all other categories have been nominated to allow for final waves of nominations. If I left them open now, things will get confusing...

GothPunk

Thanks for considering and adding the 'PSP Downloads' category, even if I was the only one to vote in it :pac: Maybe next year...

Mr E

No probs, GothPunk.

PS3 categories now up, plus a Legacy Award category for the PS2....

Chumpski

How about a "Best game you played this year" category? I played a shed load of games this year but hardly any of them released this year!

Is the Wii votes up yet?

Mr E

Don't know about that, Chumpski. Its wide open. I played Pacman, would that count? It'd be too hard to come up with a list of nominations.

"Overall" categories are coming in 2 weeks (along with the fun categories - Hottie/Character/Villain of the Year etc.).

Later this week, XBox360 and Wii.

Chumpski

Pacman you say:D!

Im dying to vote but honestly just can't since i'm playing mostly through my backlog of games!

Mr E

Wakka Wakka :pac:
No not really, but you see my point.

cherryghost

I would prefer this method myself:
Catagories:

Best PS2 Game:
Best PS3 Game
Best PSP Game:
Best Wii Game:
Best DS Game:
Best Xbox 360 Game:
Best PC Game:

And if that wasnt enough
Best Action/FPS:
Best Adventure:
Best Strategy:
Best MMO:
Best Racing:
Best Platform:
Best Rhythm:
Best Sport:
Best Party:

Biggest let down:
Biggest surprise:
Most anticipated for the new year:
Most monotonous:
Most played:
Biggest rip off:
Most challenging:
Most surprising:
Should never have been made:
Most entertaining:

Best Console of the Year:
Best Overall Game of the Year:

Retr0gamer

Don't for get hottest videogame character. Never forget!

Mr E

cherryghost wrote: »

I would prefer this method myself: <snip>

Mostly covered, cherryghost. Each of the consoles has a "Best Overall" category, and the "Overall" awards that cover all platforms will be up in 2 weeks.

Some nice ideas for the alternative categories though, thanks!

Retr0gamer - Hottie of the year is safe, don't worry!

Mr E

XBox360 and Wii Nominations threads are now up.

PS3 and DS threads locked for the moment. All threads will be reopened on Christmas week for last minute additions.

Mr E

Overall and Fun nominations are now up.

360 and Wii threads are locked for the moment. Sparse categories will be reopened next week for last minute additions.

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/forumdisplay.php?f=499

noodler

I only just checked out the threads now-great work Mr E. Afraid I can't vote on anything cos I have only played MGS4 and PES2009 so far. The other games I played this year (DQVIII, SH2, KH 1+2) were not released this year.

I am pleasantly surprised by the amount of votes Valkrya Chronicles got for PS3 RPG of the year-I keep hearing how bad its sales were.

I bought it but have yet to try it.

YeGods

Retr0gamer wrote: »

Bit early for nominations since there's still a few excellent games to come. I'm holding off until Prince of Persia at least.

I was thinking there should be a category for best downloadable game? You could split it into xboxlive, PSN and Wiiware but if this means that threads are left off the first page then maybe just group them all together as a single award.

Don't even think of getting rid of the hottest game character award!

Hey Retr0gamer, straight ban from Nintendo.
explain why i was not afforded my chance to defend myself before being banned
Boards.ie an Open forum - don't think so.

tman

YeGods wrote: »

Hey Retr0gamer, straight ban from Nintendo.
explain why i was not afforded my chance to defend myself before being banned
Boards.ie an Open forum - don't think so.

He explained exactly why you were banned... Taking up the issue on a random thread is just going to piss more people off.
Have you actually sent him a PM to argue your cause?

Retr0gamer

It's sorted out now.

Back on topic. I knew I forgot something in the awards. Somebody needs to nominate Travis Touchdown from No More Heroes for best character.

tman

Oooh, good call!
A much better character than my second choice, hopefully someone else will join me.