2004 GOTY Staff Roundtable

The staff here at Nintendo Now has been beaten with so many games this year, we can hardly walk.  In the last 3 months we’ve had to play through Metroid Prime II: Echoes, Halo 2, Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, Mario Tennis, and about 5 billion other games.  We’re not complaining, we’re just tired.  So here’s where we get down to the nitty gritty and tell you all what game we think deserves the coveted Game of the Year Honors.

Jimmy Webb: I honestly haven't given Halo 2 enough play time to pass judgment, let alone validate it for GOTY or any other non-Nintendo game for that matter. That being said, Metroid Prime 2 Echoes has not only proven to me that Retro Studios wasn't just lucky the first time around but that games are still fun. It is that sense of immersion and the detraction from reality into something fun and exhilarating that miss most about the classic games and MP2 found a way to keep that going.

My Vote - Metroid Prime 2: Echoes

Daniel Regnitz: For my GOTY I have to give props to Halo 2. I've played all of the major titles this year, and Halo 2 just sticks out of the crowd. With magnificent controls, graphics to die for, and AI that can actually drive for you (And Well) Halo 2 was just a few steps above other key titles such as Metroid Prime 2: Echoes and Final Fantasy XI. Also, Halo 2's story is much more immersive than said Metroid's, and with the addition of Xbox Live play added on to Halo 2's already superb multiplayer system, you have a deadly one-two combination that no other game released this year can touch.

My Vote - Halo 2

Chris Vavra: Mine is, in a narrow decision, Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas. San Andreas took the basic GTA engine and amplified it in such a way that it reminded me of the way Mario 3 and A Link to the Past took their engines that were the basis on which they were designed and made such a knockout game. San Andreas is fitted with better gameplay and more realistic driving controls, along with a very moving and involving story that is one of the better I have seen in recent memory. This is all well and good, but the key piece of the puzzle is the game design and the way the game evolves. Unlike Vice City, which was more forceful, this game has a more seductive pitch to go with it. It unfolds a little at a time and every little new feature or quirk that we get is a great and wonderful addition. Add that to unbelievable depth that could have you playing this game for at least 300 hours and a great soundtrack and the best voice-over crew assembled for a game since Metal Gear Solid equals the best game of 2004, and the best game since Ocarina of Time in 1998.

My Vote - Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas

Daniel: I agree, GTA: SA was an excellent game, and I just loved the way you could tailor your stats to however you saw fit. Working out, eating, etc. really added a new dimension to the already solid GTA gameplay.

I also loved Metroid Prime 2: Echoes, don't get me wrong. My biggest quarrels with it are the lack of a story, and the controls. I wish they would have at least gave you the option to use dueling analog sticks for a control scheme, as that would have made single player so much better. Multiplayer was almost laughable, but if you could use said control scheme, it would also make that exponentially better.

Chris: The controls for MPII don't bother me, for some strange reason. I thought while it wasn't as good as the original, it does offer the same classic Metroid elements that we have come to know and love—superior  game design, gameplay, and an absorbing environment that forces you to dig deeper along with the usual puzzles and funny nooks and crannies. As for the lack of story, Metroid never needed one. It gets by on said elements above. Multiplayer could have been better, but this is about the single-player and on that level it is close to superior to everything else out there.

It was a good year for everything Metroid. Metroid: Zero Mission, was a much improved remake of the original with better gameplay, design, and a new section that is on par with the original model.

Daniel: I completely agree. I personally believe that the reason I had such problems with MP2's controls was due to a solid week of Halo 2 before hand.

Chris: Could have been. My honorable mentions are, in order: Half-Life 2, Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater, Metroid Prime 2: Echoes, and Ratchet and Clank: Up Your Arsenal.

Daniel: Yeah, I really think the Final Fantasy XI didn't get the attention and respect it deserves. I played the junk outta that game for about 6 solid months, and it is quite possibly the most immersive game I have ever played. Add to the people you play with, and it's nearly endless in replayablility. In general, I think that MMORPG's don't get the respect they deserve, if only from the lack of people willing to play them. That's just me though.

PJ Tucker: I haven't really played enough of the new games to make an official bid for the GOTY title, but I have Halo 2 and I love it. I was also very impressed with Battlefield Vietnam for the PC, but after playing both of them; Halo 2 gets my vote for the best game that I've played all year.

My Vote - Halo 2

Joe Friedman: My GOTY would, undoubtedly, go to the amazing Halo 2. Single-player made me vomit obsessively, but multiplayer mode in the game was well worth the wait. A close second would be Tales of Symphonia, which invaded my life for a short time.

My Vote - Halo 2

Daniel: Halo 2's single player was much better than people gave it credit for. It actually had a story, unlike some other *Cough* Metroid *Cough* games.

Joe: But you must take into account that the story and objectives brought you memories of the last Halo's story and objectives. On top of the repetition, the voice acting was also miserable.

Daniel: Oh, my, god. The voice acting for Halo 2 was marvelous, and the levels were in no way repetitive. My biggest beef with the first game was the boring repetitive single player, and they fixed that completely in this one.

Chris: Too bad the Arbiter missions aren't half as good as the MC's missions.

Daniel: Well, Master Chief is such a badass that it would be near impossible for the Arbiter to come close to him.

Billy Kirk: Just to get my completely unvalued opinion in on Halo 2, I'd like to say that the game was an immense improvement over the original. The single-player levels were far less repetitive in theme - albeit some levels still used repetitive design as far as room architecture - and the story honestly was not all that bad when you consider the mad cliffhangers they have left us to ponder over until the arrival of the inevitable third entry into the series (which I assume will be the last). True, we didn't do as much fighting on earth as some of us would have liked, but it appears that, again, "Halo 3" will remedy this. 

In the end, Halo 2 features no backtracking through the campaign mode, vibrant and immensely impressive Doom-esque graphics with only a few marred cut-scenes, addictive and balanced gameplay made even more enjoyable by the addition of the dual-wield and vehicle commandeering features, and a multiplayer mode that is comparable to crack in its addictiveness. A commendable effort by Bungie, to say the very least.

Overall however, I lack the gameplay time with the other potential GOTY titles to make an official decision.

Malik Zafar: I think all three consoles had a great year in terms of games. I hate to be sucked into all this hype, but Halo 2 completely blew me away. At first I tried avoiding it, thinking it was just some shooting game that XBOX fanboys bragged about. After playing it for the first time, I couldn't stop. The multiplayer mode in itself was completely addictive, and I was only playing with two other friends. The real fun began when I took this bad boy online; it was a whole new world and gave a new meaning to replay value. Hype or no hype, this was definitely one of the finest games this year in my mind.

Chris: Overall, the Xbox had the best year. They kept getting the solid games month after month. The less said about Nintendo's year, the better.

Daniel: While that's true for the Xbox, the Cube didn't have that horrid of a year either. Pikmin 2, Metroid Prime 2: Echoes, and several other great games came out as well.

Joe: Chris, we all know the only reason any of us has an Xbox is for Halo and Halo 2. The other games are just mini-games to be played in between all of that. Nintendo had an amazing year to me, but sales speak differently.

Chris: And Ninja Gaiden and a few other low-key gems. Nintendo's biggest problem this year is it had, at best, nine or ten games that passed the bar of good. Sony and Microsoft were able to go past that number by about five times. Multiplatform or not, they were getting all of the top-notch titles while Nintendo had Metroid, Metal Gear Solid: TTS, and then a couple of games like Tales, Baten Kaitos, and Pikmin. Not exactly setting the world on fire, are they?

Daniel: Joe, no disrespect, but I would rather play Halo 2 than ANY other game out now. I beat Metroid Prime: Echoes and I beat Pikmin 2. They were excellent games, but neither of them have the addictive staying power of Halo 2's multiplayer.  Remember, good games hold your attention for the entirety of the game—great games hold your attention forever.

Well, the staff has spoken, and this year's award goes to Halo 2.  It might not be a Nintendo made game, but it's too good to be overlooked.