GOTY 2010 Questions

We are preparing the list of games again for the RPGWatch Game of the Year Awards 2010 and are having the same discussions as last year.
The thing we are struggeling with is when to add a game to the list or not. Take for example Drakensang: The river of time. It has been released in 2010 in parts of Europe but not in the US.

So, the question is when is a game considered to be released and eligible for listing in the GOTY competition?

Would that be a release somewhere? An English release somewhere? An English release in the US? An English release in Europe? A combination? Or anything else?

For completeness I also give you the list from our database. As you can see the Drakensang games are on this list as they are released somewhere, but it's very debatable whether they should be part of the competition.

• Alpha Protocol
• Arcania: Gothic 4
• Deathspank
• Din's Curse
• Disciples 3: Renaissance
• Divinity II: Ego Draconis / FoV / DKS
• Dragon Age: Awakening
• Drakensang: The River of Time
• Drakensang: The River of Time - Phileasson's Secret
• Elemental: War of Magic
• Eschalon: Book II
• Fallout: New Vegas
• Grotesque Tactics: Evil Heroes
• King's Bounty: Crossworlds
• Mass Effect 2
• S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Call of Pripyat
• Starpoint Gemini
• Swords and Sorcery: Underworld
• Ultima VI Project: The False Prophet

You can also give your comments on games we have missed or games that should not be in the list.

I would think an English release anywhere would qualify. An English language release opens the game up to a large portion of the gaming public, even if the distribution channels are running slow. As digital distribution becomes more prevalent, issues with international release will probably fade away in most cases anyway.

Originally Posted by Myrthos
…but it's very debatable whether they should be part of the competition…

What competition? Drakensang RoT beats the living shit out of all of the other crap games on that list combined so it is only "debatable" in the sense of whether you really do want to allow a clear winner to enter the "competition" or not .

OK, on a more serious note, well, I guess that this website is in English language and PC-centric so the main criteria in my opinion should be if a game has been released in an English language version on the PC in a major English speaking market (US/NA or UK/Europe). Applying this set of rules, I would indeed exclude RoT from the competition.

Originally Posted by Myrthos
or games that should not be in the list.

You're kidding, right? Please tell me you're kidding.

No kidding. It's 99.99% clear that a game without an NA release has no chance to win a GOTY award. On principle every game can only participate once. So the question under what conditions a game should be included in the poll is very important for us.

edit:
Many smaller RPGs had a mixed release.


Please check the list and let us know if we overlooked a game. Especially smaller and indie titles.

Originally Posted by Moriendor
What competition? Drakensang RoT beats the living shit out of all of the other crap games on that list combined so it is only "debatable" in the sense of whether you really do want to allow a clear winner to enter the "competition" or not .

TRoT was very good, but the same can be said about Divinity 2: DKS. And Mass Effect and FO:NV should take the first two spots simply due to their sales numbers.

What about Nehrim? Should it be on the list?

Originally Posted by dteowner
I would think an English release anywhere would qualify. An English language release opens the game up to a large portion of the gaming public, even if the distribution channels are running slow. As digital distribution becomes more prevalent, issues with international release will probably fade away in most cases anyway.

I agree in principle…but in practice? DD may take care of the future but it's not there yet. For example, I ordered Drakensang: TroT from Gamemania in Belgium…how many people will brave a Dutch language site to buy an English game? It's technically and English release but it surely doesn't reach "a large portion of the gaming public".

I think a UK or US release is OK but Europe without the UK is a stretch. I'd love to see more opinions.

I have Two Worlds 2 in an English release from GG. For what are to me crazy reasons, it appears that both the US and UK can't access that release. To give it a chance, it obviously needs to go into 2011, yet if I hadn't also been playing FO:NV and DDO, I would have finished it weeks ago!!

I'm only going to harp on this once, then I'll leave you guys alone. It's clear you're quite happy in your fluffy, rainbow-colored little world over here.

For you to have something like ArcaniA on a list, ANY list, of potential Games-Of-The-Year, you all should be shot. Multiple times. In the balls. This is even considering your mentioning of the "list" being as-is for completion's sake.

I'm so glad I'm a Codexer. Good night and Unhappy New Year.

Well someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed today.

I must admit that seeing Arcania on a GotY list is a bit of a head-scratcher….

Any chance we can address the question at hand? We currently have a whole two non-staff replies on the actual problem…

Any English release in NA &/or the UK I think would be fine.

I haven't played Drakensang River of Time either since I didn't know where to order it from. Also haven't played Two Worlds 2 yet because amazon.de said they couldn't ship to my address (could have sworn they shipped to the US though).

And Crispy the list is every game covered by this site that came out in 2010. How thick do you have to be to not figure that out, he pretty much says it in the post? It's certainly not saying every game on there is WORTHY of being called game of the year but it is a game covered by this site and it did come out this year…so therefore it should be on the list. Ohh, I see you just wanted to be clever and get in a jab at us simpletons as your new years ever gift. Well thank you now piss off and go back to your cesspool. But I do agree that if Arcania comes in anywhere but last then someone really should just shoot themselves.

If Ultima VI Project: The False Prophet is in the list, Nehrim should probably be in too. And why the hell not. They both require you to have a game they're made for, but they're both much better than drivel like Arcania or Grotesque Tactics.

I say put it on now. It's not going to have a chance this year or next even though it's a good game. This year we have Mass Effect 2 and Fallout: New Vegas. Very popular games both of them, although FNV kicks ME2's butt from here to Mars.

Next year will be too far away for people to remember Two Worlds 2 as their favorite. Plus, it will have some heavy competition from The Witcher 2 and the like.

So throw it up there.

I'd probably go for "(official) English release anywhere".

If it's unclear whether a game will be released in English at all or in one of the native English speaking countries, we could make a tiny "foreign games" list to get them covered or so.

Originally Posted by skavenhorde
I say put it on now. It's not going to have a chance this year or next even though it's a good game. This year we have Mass Effect 2 and Fallout: New Vegas. Very popular games both of them, although FNV kicks ME2's butt from here to Mars.

Next year will be too far away for people to remember Two Worlds 2 as their favorite. Plus, it will have some heavy competition from The Witcher 2 and the like.

So throw it up there.

What is "it"?

I think it is "Nehrim"….. this most be the first year ever… I have only played 2 of the games on the list… and only spent 2 hours in each of them….

Nehrim isn't there because it isn't in the database per se. We treated it as an Oblivion mod for news. I agree it should be added.