September "Game of the Month"

There has been a bit of a dispute lately over Game Informer's choice for Game of the Month. The two most obvious games in question are Halo: Reach and Starcraft II: Wings of Liberty. Starcraft scored a review of 10/10 while Halo Reach fell short at 9.5/10. Despite Starcraft's lead, Halo: Reach was crowned Game of the Month and featured in a full page while Starcraft was awarded PC Game of the Month. Both games are (imo) the best to date in their respective genres.

Did Game Informer make the right decision?

After a while, I'll toss in my own opinion.

StarCraft II is probably among the best in the RTS genre, but I'm iffy on Reach. From what I can tell, it's a very mindless run and gun FPS, and while it's probably among the best of that type of FPS, I certainly wouldn't call it the best of its entire genre.

Gotta say Starcraft II is the better of the two.
Then again, I like RTSs more than FPSs.

I'm better at FPS than RTS, but I would still say StarCraft II was much better. It's proof that awesome multiplayer and awesome singleplayer are not mutually exclusive.

Reach brings a lot of new stuff to the table... I would certainly not call it generic

I would wait to actually play it before passing judgment on it, Rot

I think Reach deserved it, considering its competition was a pile of shit.(not SC:II, other FPS games)

StarCraft II all the way, even despite retcons and some pretty silly characters in campaign.

KrAzY wrote:Reach brings a lot of new stuff to the table... I would certainly not call it generic

I would wait to actually play it before passing judgment on it, Rot

A lot of new stuff to the table for console gamers, perhaps. I'm not passing judgment, but I'm not about to call it the best game in the FPS genre.

Wait, I thought SC II came out in August.

Didn't it?

PiEdude wrote:Wait, I thought SC II came out in August.

Didn't it?

July 27th......

Gold Spartan wrote:

PiEdude wrote:Wait, I thought SC II came out in August.

Didn't it?

July 27th......

...

What won Game of the Month July?

Deadliest Warrior Arcade game?

Or was it the Clash of the Titans movie tie in?

Rotaretilbo wrote:

KrAzY wrote:Reach brings a lot of new stuff to the table... I would certainly not call it generic

I would wait to actually play it before passing judgment on it, Rot

A lot of new stuff to the table for console gamers, perhaps. I'm not passing judgment, but I'm not about to call it the best game in the FPS genre.

for the month of september, what other fps has come out that is better than Reach?

Fair enough. I misread this as Game of the Year. Reach can have Best FPS of the Month. I don't think there were even any major FPS releases to compete with it.

Quantum Theory and MorphX come out tomorrow, as well as some Borderlands DLC.

I'd go as far as to say that Reach is the best game on the 360 thus far. I loved Starcraft II as well though, and seeing as they are completely different genres for two separate audiences, I would rather not rank one over the other.

I gotta say SC2 mainly cause I like rts games better, not to mention the galaxy editor gives it tons more replay value. Im not saying Reach cant do the same, Forge World IS pretty damn good but PC map editor > console editor (as far as Ive seen).

But make no mistake I still love Reach to death.

Hmm...

If I had StarCraft 2, I would be split between the two. As far as game of the month or GOTY.

If I had it, I would probably be spending most of my time in my room, the hallway that connects my room to the computer room and the computer room. ;)

On another note, SC2 did get PC Game of the Month in this same issue of GI. (I know, your shocked)

Well yah, AJ, that's cuz galaxy editor is designed to MAKE maps, not edit them. Can you imagine the problems Bungie would have if they allowed players free reign over map creation? Especially considering how many more immature players FPS games tend to have.

Anywho... time for Civ's thoughts.

I agree with Game Informer's actions. *gasp*

I honestly don't think Starcraft II deserved a 10/10. *even louder gasp*

Don't get me wrong, SC2 is a kick-ass game and by far the best RTS I've ever played (and will continue to pay for years to come). BUT, there's always room for improvement. I mean, have you really payed attention to the campaign story? Really? It's cheezy, predictable, and all-around amateur; kinda like something out of a fan fiction. A 9/10 would have been a more appropriate rating. SC2 is not perfect, but it's the closest thing we have (and I still love it).

I also believe that Halo: Reach should have been dropped down to 9/10 as well. Like SC2, Reach's story was sub-par. It was full of cliche characters (who were often unrelatable), broke established canon in several areas, and also had its fair share of cheezy moments. Even so, the campaign presented many different environments and game-changing rules (just like in the SC campaign), multiplayer is sharpened to a razor point, and customization and custom content are sure to keep the game thriving for a long time. Firefight is also a blast.

The games are, for the most part, equal in every respect.

• Cheezy Story with interesting, but unrelatable characters
  
• Game-changing rules and a variety of environments
  
• Beautiful graphics that actually DON'T get in the way of everything
  
• Powerful map and game editing tools
  
• A large stock of challenges/achievements and unlockable custom content
  
• Even a re-play mode

Both of these games do something far more important, though. They breath strategy back into the gaming industry (which is especially important for Real Time Strategy games). When you're attacked, you have OPTIONS. Through out the entire game, you have options. Oh how I missed those options.

So, I've explained why I think they're both the best and why they're equal, so this probably leaves you wondering "Why does he think Halo: Reach should be Game of the Month and not tied with Starcraft?" Well, first of all, I don't like ties. Still, I am very glad that Starcraft II was given its own special place. If it were any other month SC2 definitely would have won.

The reason I think Halo: Reach deserves Game of the Month over SC2 is because I believe Reach stands out more from its competition. Most of what's in SC2 has been done before; Blizzard just perfected it and mashed it all together. Halo brings new things to the table. That's not to mention Game Informer's bigger pay-day with Halo: Reach as Game of the Month. It was a close call... but after a lot of thought, I agree with their decision.

Let the hate mail begin.

I rather enjoyed SC2's plot. Tychus Findley is oft written off as a cliche, but he actually has a very complex character. His character is more reminiscent to Brutus than to Judas, and I would argue that he intentionally let's Raynor in on what's up subtly so that Raynor is ready when the time comes. Otherwise, we wouldn't be let in on his deal with Arcturus at the very beginning of the game.

My interpretation of Tychus was that he was the kind of guy who preferred to be his own man, and hated other people making decisions for him. Which is why the events of WoL were hell for him. Jimmy was calling all the shots, and Tychus often chose to go along with it, but if it weren't for the fact that Arcturus was holding a gun to his head, he would have buggered out before Jimmy and Co. left for Char.

At the end, because of his resentment and his ultimate desire to go his own way, his hatred of being a puppet, he couldn't make a decision. If he waxed Jimmy and/or Sarah, he would be killed by the other Marines, if not by Arcturus. If he refused, Arcturus would kill him anyway. The only thing he could do was point a gun around and talk tough, stall for time.

Arcturus was amazing. Sure, people complain about him breaking down in front of the press, not turning them around, but that's the way he's always been. He's a mastermind with a silver tongue, but every time people started seeing through him or talking back in the original StarCraft, he'd go to pieces. It happened when he was recruiting Duke, it happened when Kerrigan objected to the use of psi-emitters, and it happened when Jimmy told him to go screw himself.

But look at what he was doing in the meantime. The Dark Templar novels established that he has a close eye on his son, so he KNEW about the Artifact scheme as soon as his son started making plans. By outlawing possession of alien artifacts, he was able to make sure that his son turned to criminals to get the Xel Naga artifact. By getting to Tychus Findley first, he made sure that a person with questionable morals was on his side, steering Jimmy towards the artifacts and bringing it (and Jimmy) to Char.

If the artifact worked, then Tychus was in position to kill Sarah and maybe Jimmy. If it didn't, then somebody in a Battlecruiser was standing by to Yammer the artifact and leave Jimmy and Co. to the Queen of Blades. The book, 'I, Mengsk', showed that Arcturus has no regard for the artifacts of extinct alien races, unlike his son.

Matt Horner... well, he didn't get too much character development, but the interaction between him and his technical wife was priceless.

Dr. Hansen... her storyline only makes sense if you side with the Protoss. If Kerrigan enjoys screwing with people half as much as Brood War portrayed, then she was in complete control of Hansen. That's why Hansen got so close to Jimmy, and that's when she settled so close to Protoss territory when her settlers were possibly infested. Jimmy sides with her, he loses Sharkuras-cred with the Protoss. Jimmy sides with the Protoss, and he gets an extra helping of guilt. Either way, Kerrigan wins.

Rasq'uire'laskar wrote:My interpretation of Tychus was that he was the kind of guy who preferred to be his own man, and hated other people making decisions for him. Which is why the events of WoL were hell for him. Jimmy was calling all the shots, and Tychus often chose to go along with it, but if it weren't for the fact that Arcturus was holding a gun to his head, he would have buggered out before Jimmy and Co. left for Char.

At the end, because of his resentment and his ultimate desire to go his own way, his hatred of being a puppet, he couldn't make a decision. If he waxed Jimmy and/or Sarah, he would be killed by the other Marines, if not by Arcturus. If he refused, Arcturus would kill him anyway. The only thing he could do was point a gun around and talk tough, stall for time.

Arcturus was amazing. Sure, people complain about him breaking down in front of the press, not turning them around, but that's the way he's always been. He's a mastermind with a silver tongue, but every time people started seeing through him or talking back in the original StarCraft, he'd go to pieces. It happened when he was recruiting Duke, it happened when Kerrigan objected to the use of psi-emitters, and it happened when Jimmy told him to go screw himself.

But look at what he was doing in the meantime. The Dark Templar novels established that he has a close eye on his son, so he KNEW about the Artifact scheme as soon as his son started making plans. By outlawing possession of alien artifacts, he was able to make sure that his son turned to criminals to get the Xel Naga artifact. By getting to Tychus Findley first, he made sure that a person with questionable morals was on his side, steering Jimmy towards the artifacts and bringing it (and Jimmy) to Char.

If the artifact worked, then Tychus was in position to kill Sarah and maybe Jimmy. If it didn't, then somebody in a Battlecruiser was standing by to Yammer the artifact and leave Jimmy and Co. to the Queen of Blades. The book, 'I, Mengsk', showed that Arcturus has no regard for the artifacts of extinct alien races, unlike his son.

Matt Horner... well, he didn't get too much character development, but the interaction between him and his technical wife was priceless.

Dr. Hansen... her storyline only makes sense if you side with the Protoss. If Kerrigan enjoys screwing with people half as much as Brood War portrayed, then she was in complete control of Hansen. That's why Hansen got so close to Jimmy, and that's when she settled so close to Protoss territory when her settlers were possibly infested. Jimmy sides with her, he loses Sharkuras-cred with the Protoss. Jimmy sides with the Protoss, and he gets an extra helping of guilt. Either way, Kerrigan wins.

Indeed. And I especially agree with your opinion on Acrturus. In fact, I think Megnsk Sr is one of the most enigmatic characters of SC.

Eh... the way I see it, their actions were based on their characters. Sure, the actions were complex, but their characters were still simple.

Tychus is still that of an emotionless convict who can't seem to get a clue. Mengsk is still the charismatic, deceiving dictator with a non-specific evil agenda. He wants to be in control, but he has no reason for it. And Hansen... well, I just saw her as a damsel in distress; I don't know enough SC lore to get into that sub-plot.

If Tychus was emotionless, he wouldn't have had nearly as hard a time making a decision at the end. Tychus was a very complex character. And Hansen is only a damsel in distress if you choose to help her. She actually plays an important role in the psychological break down of Raynor.

IMO,
Halo: Reach is just plain terrible in terms of PVP, which is of critical importance to me.
Star Craft Dues, I haven't played, but I will have to trust all the positive things people (Including my brother) have being saying about it.