Game Informer's list of top 10 Games of 2002 [Archive]

kainemaxwell

12-15-2002, 06:16 PM

Newest GI has their list of top 10 for 2002. Let's see what y'all think:

10- Metroid Prime
9- Kingdom Hearts
8- SOCOM: U.S. Navy Seals
7- Star Wars: Jedi Outcast
6- Super Mario Sunshine
5- MK: Deadly Alliance
4- Medal of Honor: Allied Assult
3- Final Fantasy X
2- Metroid Fusion
1- Grand Theft Auto: Vice City

Other Points:
Worst Game of the Year: Hooters Road trip
Best Sleeper: Animal Crossing
Best Graphics: Resident Evil 0
Worst New Character: Ty the Tazmaniaian Tiger
Best Video Game Developer: Volition
Best Video Game Soundtrack: GTA: Vice City
Best Ending: FF X
best New Villian: Mz. Ruby (Sly Cooper)
Best New Character: Shinobi's Scarf
Most Inspiriring Performance by a Video Game Character: Mr. Resetti (Animal Crossing)
Lifetime Achievement Award (Posthumous): Nintendo's former President. Hiroshi Yamauchi
Bst Peripheral: Nintendo e-Reader

Raedon

12-15-2002, 06:49 PM

Best New Character: Shinobi's Scarf

Man, this is why I hate GI.. everything that has to do with gaming is a joke to them.

Plank

12-15-2002, 06:56 PM

Best New Character: Shinobi's Scarf

Man, this is why I hate GI.. everything that has to do with gaming is a joke to them.
Yeah I dont like GI.
Time to go OFF TOPIC
Raedon want to help me out and sell me one of those Chrono Trigger carts you got dirt cheap?
PLEASE! I can also trade if that's what you're into.

Raedon

12-15-2002, 07:03 PM

they went to ebay for the xmas season.

Kid Fenris

12-15-2002, 07:14 PM

Man, this is why I hate GI.. everything that has to do with gaming is a joke to them.

Yeah, gaming's always better when you approach it with the conviction that most reserve for discussing world events, religious beliefs, and the removal of malignant brain tumors. Lighten up.

As for the list, it's nice to see Metroid Fusion so close to the top, though I've got to wonder why Final Fantasy X was even included. Wasn't it released last year?

And unless I'm mistaken, Hiroshi Yamauchi isn't dead.

Raedon

12-15-2002, 07:18 PM

Yeah, gaming's always better when you approach it with the conviction that most reserve for discussing world events, religious beliefs, and the removal of malignant brain tumors.

Damn skippy!

As for lightning up.. You work for GI? :hmm:

FF-X was 2001 Japan.. 2002 US

kainemaxwell

12-15-2002, 07:33 PM

I think FF X was released early this yr. And the award for Nintendo's pres was posthumous.

Rogmeister

12-15-2002, 07:38 PM

In a recent issue, they mentioned they'd been biased against the Mario Party series since it began. If they'll admit that, how can you believe any of their reviews? If they give a game score, you may think it's really a bad game where the truth may simply be that they decided they hated it before they even played it...just like they did with Mario Party 4. >:(

Kid Fenris

12-15-2002, 07:39 PM

As for lightning up.. You work for GI? :hmm:

FF-X was 2001 Japan.. 2002 US

"Lightning Up"? Is that a special attack from FFX?

According to RPG Fan (http://www.rpgfan.com/reviews/finalfantasy10/Final_Fantasy_10-4.html), IGN (http://ps2.ign.com/articles/164/164008p1.html) and RPGamer (http://www.rpgamer.com/games/ff/ff10/ff10.html), Final Fantasy X was released in the U.S. on December 18 and/or 19 of last year. I distinctly remember picking it up in late December, and a number of magazines and websites included the game in their "Best of 2001" features.

Raedon

12-15-2002, 07:42 PM

all I can say is the Copyright on the back of the DVD box says 2001,2002.. If it was released in December 2001 in the US there would be no 2002, just 2001.

Also a quick look at that IGN link has a Copyright of 2002.. ;)

Kid Fenris

12-15-2002, 07:49 PM

The two copyright years are probably there because Square originally set the game's release in early 2002, only to move it up (http://www.rpgfan.com/news/2001/1592.html) to late December (http://www.rpgfan.com/news/2001/1668.html) as the Christmas season drew near.

Raedon

12-15-2002, 07:53 PM

cool.. so it was 2001.. just like the last 2 weeks of.. I wouldn't have noticed anyway as I didn't make a deal on a ps2 until summer 2002.

neotokeo2001

12-15-2002, 07:56 PM

Final Fantasy X had a limited release the week before Christmas last year. It did't get a full release untill January. I would count it as a 2002 release because alot of people could'nt get the game untill the full release.

I think Game Informer is one of the better gaming magazines. EGM and GamePro have turned into paid advertisments for the big gaming companies. Every reviewer has a bias, otherwise every game would either suck or be game of the year. You have to find a magazine or a reviewer that seems to like the same type of games you like. Then you can trust a review.

Lady Jaye

12-15-2002, 08:54 PM

Hmm, I don't see anywhere that Yamauchi has passed away. Sources, anyone (and not the Onion)? The GI staff might have meant post-career rather than posthumous.

You have to appreciate the honesty of the GI staff in admitting that they're not big fans of the Mario Party series, even if you disagree with them.

Rogmeister

12-15-2002, 09:31 PM

IGotTheDot

12-15-2002, 09:56 PM

MK DA top ten???? Better than Ratchet and Clank or Sly Cooper??? Top tens are always controversial, but come on!!!

My2Cents

Sylentwulf

12-15-2002, 10:59 PM

7- Star Wars: Jedi Outcast - Never heard of it
6- Super Mario Sunshine - Blech, Ever hear of tweaking and testing?
5- MK: Deadly Alliance - This made the top ten? Shame on you all
4- Medal of Honor: Allied Assult - Haven't played either, but wasn't frontline better?

Raedon

12-15-2002, 11:04 PM

kobunheatforum

12-16-2002, 01:04 AM

As if I needed another reason to be disgusted with Game Informer. Mortal Kombat over Mario Sunshine?! Kingdom Hearts over Metroid Prime?! Final Fantasy X?

There's a fine line between 'independent' and 'clueless'... add GI to the list of game critics who crossed it long ago.

Kid Fenris

12-16-2002, 01:35 AM

AND THERS NO SUKIODEN 3 AT ALL ON TEH LIST! GAM ENFORMER IS FAGGUTS!!!

kobunheatforum

12-16-2002, 05:22 AM

Actually, I'm not sure about the sexual orientation of any member of the staff. If they'd printed "Top Ten Reasons Why We All Quite Enjoy Anal Sex" then yeah, there would be reason to make such statements.

What I can discern from the list they DID print is that they are clueless, or at least leaning more towards clueless vs. having a clue.

YoshiM

12-16-2002, 08:34 AM

Mortal Kombat DA was on the top ten of THIS YEAR?! It got decent reviews and it is a relaunch of a once mighty game series, but to put it on a list of the top ten games of a year, and at number five no less? I have to agree, what about Sly Cooper? What about Time Splitters 2, which got such great reviews across the board, didn't even make it over to this list and Star Wars: Jedi Outcast did. It's like they really didn't evaluate the rest of the year and slapped up some games that came out recently (like in the last 3 to 4 months or so).

jaybird

12-16-2002, 10:44 AM

Game Informer is my favorite magazine (mainly because of the big Retro section), but that Mario Party 4 review was very poor journalism. I've played horrible games, and Mario Party 4 is far from the horrible review they gave it.

My opinion of their reviews dropped to the ground after that. How can you be sure of any of their reviews now? Maybe the reviewer was beat with a NES Rygar cart when he was a kid & gives the PS2 remake a 1.5 based on those beatings?

Gotta be un-biased in legitimate journalism and they showed that they can't be.

slapdash

12-16-2002, 10:54 AM

You have to appreciate the honesty of the GI staff in admitting that they're not big fans of the Mario Party series, even if you disagree with them.

You're kidding, right? I don't consider it honesty...I simply consider another version of the childish "That system sucks!" kind of comment. If they're not going to give a game an honest review, they shouldn't review it at all.

In their defense...

I'd say that's more honest -- lots of mags just do the review with their biases; at least GI admitted a bias up front, which meant you were warned that you might want to skip that one. EGM or GamePro would just say "that game sucks". Don't you think you're better off with GI's honesty?

Nature Boy

12-16-2002, 11:43 AM

Just because GI is being 'honest' doesn't give them any marks. There's no excuse for bias. They should've had somebody else review it for them or something.

I think (a) late releases shouldn't be part of the poll or (b) they need to wait until Jan/Feb for a best of 2002 list. By that I mean it's early to compare the Metroids, and having FF X in the list would be okay (the Metroids would be in next years list say).

Mortal Kombat on this list is a joke. And I haven't played the Star Wars game but I'm pretty confident that it doesn't belong. I haven't purchased too many outstanding games in 2002 not on this list, but I really enjoyed Eternal Darkness. Surely it's a better game than Mortal Kombat? I've only played a bit of FF X but I don't think it deserves to be #3. I'd put Kindom Hearts ahead of it from what I've gathered of that game.

Captain Wrong

12-16-2002, 11:53 AM

Can I ask an honest question here? Does anyone really care what Game Informer thinks? Personally I find my tastes in gaming so out of line with what ALL the magazines think, I don't even bother to read them anymore.

Just curious.

Rogmeister

12-16-2002, 12:09 PM

As a gamer, I like to know what's going on...and frankly, I enjoy reading the magazines for various reasons. For that reason, I have had subscriptions from 5 to 10 magazines at various times. I enjoy reading the reviews and articles, even when I don't agree with them. I know a lot of people say why buy magazines when you can get most of that info free on the internet...but they frown on me bringing in my computer and hogging the phone lines all day while I'm at work... LOL

jaybird

12-16-2002, 12:09 PM

I don't care what any one magazine has to say, but I take a cumalitive poll of the three I subscribe to (EGM, GameInformer & I think GamePro is the other, maybe GameNow).

That usually gives me a good idea of a game's worth because it gives me about 5-8 people's opinion's of a game.

Daniel Thomas

12-18-2002, 12:32 AM

Anybody who feels frustrated or puzzled by Game Informer's "Top 10" list needs to remember something important. This magazine is owned (and published) by a company that operates a retail chain. A retail chain that sells new and used videogames. This is not an independant magazine by any stretch. Any claim of bias is silly; GI's bias is towards its parent comany's bottom line.

That said, I'm sure the guys who work for GI are fine, and it's always nice to see Minnesota references sprinkled throughout each issue. But the sad truth is that American gaming magazines are indistinguishable from toy catalogs.