Runoff, 2002, Game of the Year

[S.Peelman]

This was an amazing year. One that can stand along years like 1997 and 1998. I'd say it was the last real peak of this era. I have played a lot of games from this year, and still play a handful from time to time.

From the poll, my favourite would be Warcraft III, which I loved because of the big variety between the playable civilisations. The cutscenes were absolutely amazing as well, they still would be. It is also the only rts where I completely finished the campaign of. While I liked the rts genre during these years, I'd usually get bored of the campaign modes fairly quickly because they are so dry and formulaic. Not Warcraft III though, because it was so well designed and varied. In my family we would also often play Tower Defence custom maps. Then, there's of course Zelda: The Wind Waker. This is a Zelda game, which is a big plus to me in itself and it has a few great moments, but I've always seen this game as a big step down from the N64 Zelda games and I'd still rank it as my least favourite 3D Zelda game. The dungeons were fewer and much less intricate or too short and the world less interesting because of the relatively small areas (the islands). It also notably suffers from its rushed release. However, the game shone maybe brightest of all Zelda games in the music department. The soundtrack is absolutely perfect for the tone of this game and the main theme is extremely catchy. Lastly from that list I played Super Mario Sunshine, and completed it, but like The Wind Waker I've always seen this as a step down. This is why the GameCube was a disappointment to me, the 'main' games were almost all less than their N64 predecessors. In my view it was, and still is, night and day. In Mario's case, the levels that are most fun were the ones without FLUDD, the water tank, because then you'd actually be platforming, but those were just a small part. Sadly I never played Metroid Prime, and by now after the demise of Dreamcast the GameCube was my only console.

Next to those, the other list mentions a few more great games. In particular I played a lot of SoulCalibur 2, on GameCube with Link as the best guest character of the game. I loved the story mode in this one with the stages on a big map. Then, one of my all-time favourites would get a more or less equally great sequel in No One Lives Forever 2. This game was just more of what the original already excellently did, and that was all what was needed. I played through it multiple times. The GameBoy Advance would get a port of Zelda: A Link to the Past, which obviously is amazing and this was the first time I would beat that game, having been too young before, but it also came with something new; Four Swords. A multiplayer Zelda game. I took me years before I could finally play it, but sadly I have to say I found it was terrible. This concept just doesn't work, which was proven many years later with Triforce Heroes, which was maybe even worse. Still, there was also Metroid Fusion. Which is great, and I'd say better than Super Metroid actually. It is a very immersive game, almost horror. I wouldn't play it until it came to 3DS however because by this time, I would grow out of handhelds as well.

Then this list also names RollerCoaster Tycoon 2. And this is where it is at for me. A bit like No One Lives Forever 2, this sequel took what the first game was, and did so well, and just gave more of it. It also improved it in many, many ways. With the upgraded, simple scenery building system for example, you can make basically anything you can dream up. And I did. I really did. I spent 1000s of hours with this, building enormous theme-parks, fully decorated with elaborate detailed themes over the years. It is one my most played and favourite games of all-time, and ranks very high in my personal top 10.

2002 was also the year of a game that I adored almost as much as RollerCoaster Tycoon 2, Star Wars Jedi Knight II Jedi Outcast. One of the best Star Wars games ever made, with probably the best use of lightsaber combat and Force abilities. Their execution is simple unlike more modern games like Force Unleashed or I would assume Jedi Survivor, because it is actually an fps based on Quake III's idTech 3 (one of the most solid game engines ever if you asked me) engine, but that makes it all the more satisfying. The story is great and the locales and familiar music cues are obviously iconic. This is everything a Star Wars fan could ask for. Lastly I also played some of Medal of Honor Allied Assault this year, which is memorable to me because there was a glitch in a multiplayer map which let you go out of bounds and go underneath a part of the level so you could shoot up at your enemies. And cheating is fun.

But all in all I think it's clear which game wins this year to me. 2002 is one of the all-time greatest years, but to me it comes down to RollerCoaster Tycoon 2 and Star Wars Jedi Knight II. The latter would have a good chance to win any year if not for RollerCoaster Tycoon 2, which gets my vote with (again) 'Other'.