The GNamer Forum Annual Awards 2015

SteamWorld Heist (six points, three seconds)



"A brilliant RTS game that is totally unique."

"I enjoyed Dig but wasn't overly interested in Heist, then it came out and blew me away."

The Legend Of Zelda: Majora's Mask 3D (thirteen points, two firsts, three seconds, one third)



"A dark, atmospheric, gorgeous Zelda entry that found new life on the 3DS. The black sheep of the Zelda family spins a hell of a yarn."

Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate (eighteen points, six firsts)



"The have pretty much perfected the Monster Hunter formula."

"What a game! I want to play this all day every day, it's just fantastic fun."

"Smashing stuff. A disgusting addictive loop of hunting, killing, looting and killing filled with character, wit and a poetic, tangible, emotional link between man and dinosaur. Possibly forgotten by a lot of people, this was 3DS' one real GOTY contender in 2015."

(five points, one first, two thirds)

The Legend Of Zelda: Tri Force Heroes: "I haven't played this much yet, thanks to the Grave Incident, but I'm seriously looking forward to plugging it in and properly playing some multiplayer Zelda with friends."

"Maddening to play but curiously and powerfully addictive nonetheless, both online and locally. Give the single player a miss, though, unless you've got the reflexes of a fighter pilot and the puzzle solving skills of Professor Layton."

(four points, one first, one third)

Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam Bros.: "More Mario & Luigi is always a good thing and this is in the top 3"

"I haven't finished this, but I reckon I'm over halfway through, and it's so much better than its predecessor (not to mention PMSS).  2D bits scrapped, Paper Mario adding to the battling system, pacing much improved, paper/non-paper exchanges genuinely funny.  Based on what I've played, I'd recommend it to anyone.  Especially Drunka, because the Peaches are brilliant together."

(three points, one first)

3D OutRun

(three points, one second, one third)

Code Name S.T.E.A.M.: "Another great twist on the RTS genre."

"With so little third party support, Nintendo go ahead and make a third party game of their own. I say this because it feels like nothing else they've done. It's also my favourite RTS of all time so far."

Xenoblade Chronicles 3D: "I haven't played this version, but it's Xenoblade.  It's ace.  Get it in yer, on one console or another."

(two points, one second)

Shantae And The Pirate's Curse: "Look past the ridiculous 3D bosoms, and this was a solid Metroidvania on a console that ought to feature more of the genre."

3D Sonic The Hedgehog 2

(one point, one third)

Box Boy!: "Very slow to begin with but at some point you realise that the level design is as tight as a drum. The spins that later levels put on the game pretty much all make you rethink everything you've done so far."

Nintendo Badge Arcade
Senran Kagura 2: Deep Crimson
3D Streets Of Rage 2

To sum up: if you voted for MH4U, it was your top vote, and you can't argue with those numbers. Marjorie's Mask makes a fine second (one of two Zeldas I've not finished) and SteamWorld Heist, the only game in the top three that I've actually played, is possibly excellent too (not played enough to judge). Not a bad year for the 3DS, I would venture to say, with a full fourteen games getting some appreciation. Shout-outs to the guys who voted for Senran Kagura 2 ( ) and Nintendo Badge Arcade, the person who reckoned MH4U would be forgotten (a resounding "Nope" to that one!) and the person who only voted for Sega 3D Classics!

(one vote apiece)

Counting Classics On Consoles



"The discussion! Voting threads without the debates (well, so much) are where it's at."

When Drunkalilly wrote:

I know consoles are much the same now, that's party of what I was complaining about. I miss the good ol days, when games worked, women knew their place and you could wear a swastika without the political correctness brigade being involved. Bloody PC gaming...

Kirby's Rumour Buffet



"I always look forward to open up this thread when I see that there’s a new post. It’s the new Snacks Review Thread – it’s a real highlight of the forum. There’s some outstanding stuff in there, and I always had good fun contributing to it."

Metroid Prime: Federation Force AKA The Metroid that you never really wanted.

A Muss post - spoiler tagged due to length (fnar fnar):

NX (Nintendo's NXt console) - Hopes, Dreams, Fears



Super Smash Bros. for Wii U

(1.5 votes)

A post from The_Jaster, spoiler tagged for size (fnar fnar):

"Absolute hilarity. The Snacks thread has long been the source of incredible laughs, and here was the creme de la creme."

Who's That Pokemon (three votes)



"I hope this hasn't been forgotten.  It died out as the year went on, but while it lived, it was a great outlet for our creative "genius".  Also had brilliant moments such as Cappa's blue sausage with a face."

"My board comment sums this up, Who's that Pokemon was great fun!"

"I feel a little bit cheaty voting for my own thread, but to be honest, I nicked the idea from the anime and the real enjoyment from the thread came from the fact it was a collaborative effort. I got lazy in updating the OP, but maybe I'll take the time to update it soon and kickstart it again in 2016.   "

Indie All-Stars Fighting Game (half a vote)

OK, so, someone voted for a post and a topic, so I gave them half a point each. If that feels unfair, let me respond by saying that there are only so many shrug gifs in the world! In any case, another year of fine topics and posts from the GNamer Forum! A very worthy winner whose recent revival has been very welcome. In other news, the image for Kirby's Rumour Buffet is from this very site (and was the first result when I searched for it on Google!), I want to know what happened to the NES on the NXt post image, and the picture for Metroid Prime: Federation Force is from the on-line petition to ban the game.

=Runbow (six points, one first, one second, one third)



"Fantastic and fun little game that came from nowhere."

"Best party game on wii U."

=Yoshi's Woolly World (six points, two seconds, two thirds)



"This year wasn't great for Wii U games.  Last year YWW wouldn't even have poked its head above the parapets.  It was pretty, at least, and Yarn Poochy deserves a place in my top three even without a game.

"

Super Mario Maker (fourteen points, three firsts, two seconds, a third)



"You know nostalgia, right? Nintendo do, and like no other company. Make your own nostalgia by designing infinite new levels for some of the most famous and celebrated games of all time, and then throw a Splatoon squid (or kid!) in there. The potential is incredible... although I still haven't unlocked everything. "

"Build your own Mario, what's not to like? Shhhh Andy it's ACE!"

Splatoon (twenty-three points, five firsts, three seconds, two thirds)



"Not only my most played game of 2015 but the most fun I've had on that system."

"I wasn't super excited for it but it was a wonderful surprise"

"An obvious winner for me. The most fun I've ever had in an online shooter, or probably any online multiplayer game. Classic Nintendo to take a tired, repetitive genre and do something so utterly fantastical and original it feels fresher than a daisy farm. So good, it justified owning a Wii U all by itself in 2015. STAY FRESH!"

(four points, one first, one third)

Xenoblade Chronicles X: "Wow.  I've only just started playing this (read: 14 hours in at time of typing), but wow.  The landscapes.  The ecosystems.  The frenetic combat.  This is a wonderful experience, a game I can lose days in happily.  Plough through the slow start, and absorb yourself in 2015's finest."

(two points, one second)

Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker: "Almost forgot about this game!  Which sums it up a bit, doesn't it?  Should have been 2014's loveliest stocking filler, instead made the winter months of 2015 slightly less utterly miserable.  The Toads are adorable, the puzzles are clever (sometimes), and the game as a whole was throwaway fun."

Freedom Planet

(one point, one third)

Devil's Third

Mario Party 10: "Game got hammered underservedly, it's just more Mario Party with a couple of interesting new modes."

Up until this morning I'd done the addition incorrectly (in Excel, even, the most powerful and amazing calculator there is! ) and it looked like Splatoon had gotten over twice as many points as its nearest rival. It's hard to think of a better phrase than 'worthy winner' for Splatters (my nickname for it, which you can use if you want to sound like a twerp) but it really, really is - one of the most exciting Nintendo games in ages, for all sorts of reasons. And then platformers. We all love a bit of platform here at GNamer!

Crumpy Andy



"For being willing to change his username to something hilarious.  Bravo!  Tea and crump(y)ets for all!"

Everybody's Gone To The Rapture



"A really intriguing tale if not incredibly flawed."

The holiday season



"Top RPGs on both the Wii U and 3DS, rescuing what was otherwise a bit of a shoddy year."

Inazuma Eleven GO Chrono Stones



"Yeah, guess whose honourable mention this is. A wonderful follow-up to the original, with a fine mix of new mechanics to confuse Inazuma veterans. Arion is not a patch on Mark Evans as a hero but it's still a fun time."

Knights Of Pen And Paper II



"Two of the worst words to read in a review are 'genuinely funny' but KOPAPII was. A neat spin on RPG's."

Life Is Strange



"Probably not worth mentioning it as I'm sure it'll earn some votes, but it was brilliant. A lovely heartfelt game that I fell in love with."

Rainbow Six Siege



"A last minute discovery for me, but it's a cool and interesting twist on the FPS formula."

Rocket League



"Brilliant fun to have a kick/drive about with your mates."

Smash DLC



"For generating a lot of hype, and for delivering some great characters throughout the year."

Sony



"Masters of PR, they managed to turn a PS3 carry-over, a Kickstarter, and a remake into an E3 that had people (including me) struck dumb with awe.  By the time we realised that we'd been played... well, we'd already been played."

Sony's E3



"Nostalgia fest? Definitely. I still loved it."

Splatoon



"I've barely played it, so didn't vote for it.  But it's a brilliant idea for a new IP, adopting a very Nintendo-esque approach to a genre I usually find tired and uninteresting.  Plus, squids.  Gaming needs more cephalopods in general."

Amiibo Party



"What the fuck Nintendo. Sort yourself out."

Backloggery image signatures



"Means that when Backloggery's down, which is irritatingly often it seems, the forum takes a year to load.  Jay's got it right, featuring a link without the forum-chuggingly slow image.  Be more like Jay, for everyone else's sake!"

MGSV



"It wasn't finished."

Mighty Switch Force! Hose It Down!



"The MSF! series is quite divisive; I like it well enough but this one-screen block shifting puzzle game was a poor way to see Patricia Wagon again."

Nintendo (! - Ed)



"For having a year and an E3 that turned people towards their competitors.  Game over, men, game over!"

Nintendo's E3



"Ehhhhhh. Hopefully next year will be better."

Passing of Satoru Iwata



"The passing of Satoru Iwata left me heartbroken. I didn't realise how much of an impact he had made on games with Nintendo until he had gone. But I know that Nintendo lost a great person from their team. I played Balloon Fight all afternoon/evening when I heard that news. What an awesome game!"

Telltale's Game of Thrones



"It's meant to be a game all about your choices, rather than the illusion of choice. Not a fan."

Xenoblade Chronicles X



"Awful story, naff world, not good enough gameplay."

Bile duct tumours



"For removing Satoru Iwata from this planet before his time.  Pricks."

"For taking Iwata from us. "

Just a note for y'all - I didn't watch to the end of the YouTube video linked to in the intro blurb. Apologies. Still, a good list of honourable mentions, and some fine bile shed in dishonourables... alongside mentions of Iwata. Sad.

(one vote each)

=beemoh



"Seeing his funny side and his more thoughtful side in the posts appreciation thread really brought back the feelings of missing the lad. "

=Dusty Knackers



"An NGamer legend. I don’t know why he doesn’t post here any more, but I always hope that he’s one of those guests that lurk the forum. If you are and you’re reading this, come back!"

=MatthewNG



"Look, it's sad that people like Beemoh and Stu have decided our community isn't for them.  But at the same time, do we really want someone who doesn't want to be here, here at all?  The forum's not perfect, and of course we can do more to attract and keep good members; but Beemoh was fairly clear that he felt it was time to move on from us, and Stu isn't into his games much at all at the moment.  So best of luck to them, hope they're happier wherever they are, than striving to comment on a forum they couldn't give less of a toss about.

I'm voting for Matthew, because his absence is symptomatic of the decline of print journalism, in gaming and elsewhere.  At least his face will always be with us. "

=oldschool



=skyluigi

Stu_the_great (five votes)



"It's a real shame not seeing Stu about this place anymore - it's sad that our erstwhile founder isn't around. He got this place up and running, and I do miss his observations on gaming and on life in general. It'd be great to see him back one day, but if he's decided that this place isn't really for him anymore, then that'll be that.   "

"Surely the creator himself has to win this. Stu is definitely missed and it'd always be nice to see him come back and post (as with most of our lost members)"

"There's way too many being added to this list recently but the fact we wouldn't have this place if wasn't for him is a big factor in me voting for him."

A runaway winner and, for my money, the right one. Stu has been a massive part of the NGamer and GNamer forums in his time and with him not here, something is missing. This is true of everyone that was voted for, of course - Dusty Knackers' and beemoh's special blend of humour and brilliant posts, MatthewNG's occasional visits, oldschool's desire for discussion and banter, and skyluigi's introduction of himself. If there were a way... if there were a way.

In other news, searching for pictures of Matthew Castle on Google is a weird thing. The first pic of him is the second one - then you have to scroll down quite a bit for another. There's a picture of Peter Capaldi before there's another one of games journalist Matthew Castle.