The RPS Advent Calendar Guessing Game - 2017 Edition

[Tikey]

Next year I’m just going to pick 24 games at random.

[alms]

“Imma let you finish, 2017, but some of your best games weren’t as good as games from 2009.”

I feel the same, first Bayonetta and then this. What next …Okami HD?

If anybody asked me, I’d reply that, unless there are massively compelling reasons for featuring an “old”, sorry!, game that’s only been released recently for PC, it is absolutely fine to make some sort of appendix post like “games that you can now play on PC and should …if you haven’t already”.

However, looking at it from an historical viewpoint, it’s clear appendices, of any sort, are not very popular for whatever reason I can’t readily appreciate from my reader perspective.

[Ffrog]

It seems sensible to me. RPS is a purely PC orientated site, so i’m happy for anything that is released on PC for the first time to be considered “new”.

i’m also happy with lots of leftfield picks - that seems in line with the RPS ethos of being a collection of individual game writers. And as they have new staff who are making calendar picks, it’s not surprising that not much has been written about some picks before.

[Aerothorn]

Oh, I want to make it absolutely clear to anyone reading this that I’m just being a grump; I am also quite happy with a site that focuses on leftfield picks and gives awards to those that will be ignored by everyone else,* particularly in a world that often makes “best indie” its own category out of a weird recognition that hey won’t give top awards to indie games. Night in the Woods got picked so I’m a happy camper and I didn’t think Torment would get a pick even though it absolutely deserves one.

That said, it’s definitely true that there’s a far bigger gap this year between “how RPS covered a game” and “what got an award,” certainly partially cause of the staff changes but who knows what other reason, and it makes me want to understand the methodology of the advent calendar in a way I haven’t previously.

*though I wonder how many people even read written awards anymore - I’m told everything is going towards video content and apparently a lot of people tune in to the corporate trailer fest that is The Game Awards?

[Vandelay]

How did I not include this on my list?! I’m sure I definitely meant to.

And in an even more perplexing choice, I also just realised I didn’t include Divinity: Original Sin 2 either. Think that one is even more of a dead cert then War of the Chosen. May even be contender for GOTY.

[vinraith]

I also just realised I didn’t include Divinity: Original Sin 2

I did the exact same thing, and I have no idea how/why either.

so far the tone is more celebratory than persuasive

You couldn’t ask for a better example of this than today’s article. I own XCOM2 but gently bounced off of it. I’m really interested in WOTC and would like to be convinced that it might get me into the game - but if anything this article seems intent on convincing me that it’s a chaotic mishmash that works “for some reason.” It’s… not exactly a glowing review.

[Aerothorn]

To be fair, Alec went pretty in-depth on that in his WOTC review, enough that I felt I got a really clear sense of it.

Also, yeah, I have zero idea what you guys were thinking leaving Original Sin 2 out.

At this point, here’s the picks from my list that I think will make the final eight. Bold are “I will eat my hat if this isn’t picked.” Which is six of them, so whether I have a chance at the top will really come down to the “other two.”

Dead Cells
Divinity: Original Sin 2
Nier: Automata
Opus Magnum
Plunkbat
Prey
Stories Untold
What Remains of Edith Finch

[vinraith]

Also, yeah, I have zero idea what you guys were thinking leaving Original Sin 2 out.

I read a very troubling set of reviews about lots of technical issues, but they were all from other sites. I’m sure Larian’s been patching those out, but it’s what put me off buying the game to date despite having adored the first one.

All that said, I don’t recall seeing any of that negativity from the hivemind, so I still can’t fathom why it’s not on my list. Plus, technical issues have never been known to get in the way of an RPS recommendation for an ambitious game, and by all accounts OS2 is certainly that.

[alms]

t seems sensible to me. RPS is a purely PC orientated site, so i’m happy for anything that is released on PC for the first time to be considered “new”.

Try this thought experiment, go and check out the 2009 list here and imagine dropping 2017 games in favor of any of those there.

I tried this myself, and it felt ridiculous. Time has moved on. While I could still honestly and warmly recommend some of those games to someone who asked whether they’re worth adding to their collection, they’d be fish out of water in a 2017 list.

[Aerothorn]

To be fair, I would count 2009 as an unusually bad year for PC gaming (and really gaming as a whole), so the Advent Calendar of that year is weaker than most, and Bayonetta probably is better than the vast majority of them. But I certainly see your point.

Also, many assure me that The Sims 3 is still the best Sims game there is

[vinraith]

Try this thought experiment, go and check out the 2009 list here and imagine dropping 2017 games in favor of any of those there.

Holy shit, looking at that just now made me realize 2009 was a pretty good year for games. And, of course, AI War is my game of the year every year, but then I’m me. This is not to say I disagree with your larger point, though.

To be fair, I would count 2009 as an unusually bad year for PC gaming

Ha, just saw this after I posted the above. Your mileage may vary, eh? To my mind, any year that included Dawn of War 2, Burnout Paradise, Blood Bowl, AI War, Torchlight, Borderlands, Plants vs. Zombies, and Dragon Age ain’t half bad. Come to think of it Men of War and RF: Guerilla weren’t bad either.

[Aerothorn]

While I enjoy Burnout Paradise as much as the next guy, every other game you called out underwhelmed me to various degrees (not counting AI War and Blood Bowl, which I never played). I was so disappointed with DA:O in particular (my most-frowned-upon RPS GOTY after Far Cry 3) that it took until this year for me to try Dragon Age 2 and Dragon Age Inquisition, both of which I enjoyed far more than I expected.

I also have a real fondness for AAAaaAHhh and Time Gentlemen, though admittedly both are the sort of ‘small games’ that typically didn’t wind up on end-of-year lists.

[Fumarole]

I see that 2009 list as pretty solid. Some on there I played up until this year.

[and_its_man]

To my mind, any year that included Dawn of War 2, Burnout Paradise, Blood Bowl, AI War, Torchlight, Borderlands, Plants vs. Zombies, and Dragon Age ain’t half bad. Come to think of it Men of War and RF: Guerilla weren’t bad either.

and Machinarium, and Machinarium, and also this other game where you play as a robot named Josef and which is called Machinarium.

Anyway, something’s wrong with RPS: going back through their previous selections, I notice they did not pick Fez in 2013. Nor Fez, nor this other game where you play as that little Gomez-guy who’s wearing a fez and which is appropriately called Fez.
(nor Antichamber, by the way)

[Aerothorn]

So Vinraith and Vexing Vision are now tied for the lead, but given that we know Vinraith abdicated a point for Original Sin 2, VV is the one to beat! Though I see VV didn’t pick Edith Finch…so I still got a shot!

[vinraith]

There’s so little space between most of us, I expect it’s still wide open. I certainly have no expectation of actually winning this thing!

[Ffrog]

I’m glad Tacoma made the list, it’s my own personal game of the year. I need to play it again, there are some things I need to resolve - like was there really a pack of cigarettes with Welsh on them, or did I imagine that?

[vinraith]

…and then everyone got a point.

[MiniMatt]

Yep, three in a row and I’m feeling a little guilty for leaning toward grumpiness earlier in the process. Still, I think now a mathematical certainty that the winning (and likely group) score will be the lowest in record.

[vinraith]

Absolutely. I picked a heck of a year to try competing at this for the first time.