I think this is the first year ever that I have bought, played, and genuinely enjoyed every single GotY nominee. Usually there is at least one or two games I don’t have any interest in.

Edited to add: Also, people may have gripes about RE4 Remake being on the list, but as someone who wasn’t even toilet trained when the original came out, I was so thrilled at playing the remake and getting to experience why people have called it a masterpiece for almost 20 years. I tried to play the Gamecube original but the combat felt so dated that I couldn’t get into it. This was a remake done right, imo.

[–] a_fine_hound 5 points 1 year ago (3 children)

Interesting take. While I think RE4 is deserving the GotY nom, it didn't live up to my expectations. I have only played original a couple of years ago and it was a magical experience. I feel that remake lost most of the charm, the story lost good amount of the cheese, the music in the remake is truly a travesty compared to the original. I do like the combat a lot in the remake and parry system is really fun, but I don't feel the improvement in this regard as significant.

The one thing I love the remake for is Separate Ways, this is such a good campaign, the original was definitely subpar.

Despite my gripes, RE 4 is still pretty high on my GotY list. Not the best survival horror of the year though. Dead Space was absolutely incredible and I hope it wins Audio Design. Alas I have a feeling Hi-Fi Rush is the favorite in this one.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 year ago (2 children)

Oh yes, Seperate Ways is great! And I agree with you about the soundtrack, I actually played the Remake with the original soundtrack enabled lol.

But I think I had different expectations of Re4 than most people did. When I played the original I went in to it hearing about how revolutionary the combat system was, and that was what I was focused on the most when I played it. I didn’t care about the atmosphere, or story, or how hot Leon Kennedy is (mostly).

And…it just didn’t click for me. I grew up with modern games and have a hard time going back to older titles because game mechanics have come so far. That doesn’t mean it’s a bad game, it means that I didn’t “get it”.

Then I played the Remake, and the combat is so smooth compared to a lot of shooters on the market that I finally understand what Re4 was to the market at the time, and why the original is so beloved. It made me want to go back and play the Gamecube version with a reframed perspective, and THAT is why Re4 Remake is a successful remake for me compared to like…Final Fantasy 7.

Sorry for the essay, and I hope that makes a bit of sense. I know my perspective is nowhere near the prevalent one, but I can’t help what I like haha.

[–] a_fine_hound 3 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Thanks a lot for elaborating! I get your point, in fact recently I tried playing BioShock and the combat was unbearable. I don't think it was bad, but I simply had to stop after 30 minutes. I think for most old games, if you didn't play it at the time, you are gonna have a hard time to get into it.

I disagree about FF7 however. I think making a 'safe' remake like RE4 or Dead Space is fine to bring the game to the modern audience. But to use a remake as a smokescreen to reimagine the original and in some strange convoluted way make it a sequel as well is so much more up my alley. In the end if you love the original it's still there.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

But to use a remake as a smokescreen to reimagine the original and in some strange convoluted way make it a sequel as well is so much more up my alley. In the end if you love the original it's still there.

This is a very good point, and I know a very divisive topic in the FF7 community! Thinking on it a bit, I actually do agree with you regarding the concept of the remake, and turning a turn-based RPG into an ARPG is also a pretty interesting!

But like…the gameplay/controls for FF7 feel…not great, and a lot of dialogue/cut scene movement feel so cheesy, lol. I know the original had cheesy moments, but they weren’t fully cinematic cutscenes, so they had a less of a jarring impact on me.

I had also played DMC5 directly before it, and the combat in that game is so fluid, and the cheese worked for me! So from my perspective at the time, SqEnix had turned a great tbRPG into a kind of mid-ARPG with amazing graphics and soundtrack (seriously, everyone looks AMAZING, and the rerecorded tracks from the original game BANG). But that’s it.

Your comment made consider that maybe I should go back and give 7R another try, especially with Rebirth coming out soon. Thanks for the discussion!