Your biggest surprise and disappointment of this year.

[Eusis]

I wonder if the story would have been received better if it was actually... played out.  Maybe it would have been better than reading it all from the in-game almanac and characters chatting about it.

After Golden Sun: Dark Dawn's intro I have NO QUALMS with resorting to reading through an in-game encyclopedia to catch up on the story. It's unnatural to have such forced recaps (though I guess some people really are inclined to reiterating such information), and it beats having it told 3 or 4 times to make sure I know it. Actually, my (very limited) experience with the game indicates it's kind of bad about trusting players to get information period.

Anyways, no, that alone wouldn't make people more favorable to the story given how it all panned out. In fact, as much as the story's railed against that's probably one of the lower reasons for bashing the game in light of faults such as overlinear gameplay and the weakest sidequest material since the 8-bit days.

[Vanguard]

I guess for me the biggest surprise is getting back into gaming. I was away for a few years and didn't think I'd come back. That and dropping close to 140 hours on DQIX in about two months.

[Kevadu]

Disappointment?

Fallout NV - *another* half finished, buggy game on a crap engine that doesn't work properly.

Did anyone actually expect something different?

[Blace]

Disappointments were definitely Alpha Protocol and Final Fantasy XIII. Didn't really play enough games this year so I don't have any surprises, but I'm sure I'll find one down the line.

[Eusis]

Disappointment?

Fallout NV - *another* half finished, buggy game on a crap engine that doesn't work properly.

Did anyone actually expect something different?

I was at the least hoping for better writing and a setting that fit in better with the Black Isle Fallouts. In my experience I believe I'm largely satisfied there, and surprised the game isn't as much of a mess as feared!

[Yoda]

I guess for me the biggest surprise is getting back into gaming. I was away for a few years and didn't think I'd come back. That and dropping close to 140 hours on DQIX in about two months.

I'm in the same boat. I bought an xbox in 09 just to play oblivion, played the fuck out of it, then got bored. Then during the superbowl I saw ads for something called Mass Effect 2 and went "hmmm.." and picked up the 1st for cheap.

I was drawn in big time.

[Yggdrasil]

Disappointment?

Fallout NV - *another* half finished, buggy game on a crap engine that doesn't work properly.

Did anyone actually expect something different?

Well, I always saw people around the Internet waiting for something different in New Vegas instead of a "glorified expansion" of the previous game.

Shit happens I guess.

[Perley]

My biggest surprise was seeing that I had a 3.8 GPA last semester. I blew myself away with how well I did.

[ShadowLaguna]

I'm surprised no one has mentioned Duke Nukem being announced as a surprise this year.

I'm not, because it'll be in development for another ten years, no doubt. :3

[Dice]

My biggest surprise was seeing that I had a 3.8 GPA last semester. I blew myself away with how well I did.

As much as we hate school, we absolutely jump when we're getting marks back, don't we?? =)

[Archendrus]

My biggest surprise was seeing that I had a 3.8 GPA last semester. I blew myself away with how well I did.

/highfive!  I got a 3.8 GPA the past semester as well! =D  I worked my ass of for it too.  I'm a recovering slacker so I've never really put any work into school.  It's cool to see what I can do when I actually work at it lol.


Now....surprises and dissapointments...I gotta say, I'm surprisingly dissapointed that I was neither surprised nor dissapointed with any games that came out this year.  Everything has been pretty ho-hum = \  Then again, I hit the old-school pretty hard this year so I probably missed something. 

[Vanguard]

I had a 4.0 for my entire Senior Year, 3.87 cumulative. Just sayin'.

[Mickeymac92]

Now....surprises and dissapointments...I gotta say, I'm surprisingly dissapointed that I was neither surprised nor dissapointed with any games that came out this year.  Everything has been pretty ho-hum = \  Then again, I hit the old-school pretty hard this year so I probably missed something. 

I concur, I didn't have any surprises or disappointments either. I think the closest thing to a surprise was that both Sonic 4 and Sonic Colors were critically accepted. That throws my anti-Sonic Conspiracy theory out the Window.=P

[Marshmallow]

I had a 4.0 for my entire Senior Year, 3.87 cumulative. Just sayin'.

Damn, that would have been my GPA if I didn't have one ridiculous class with a terrible prof. at 8 AM senior year. Still managed Magna Cum Laude with a 3.8 though.

Biggest surprise for me is obviously Nier. It's also my favorite game to have come out from 2000 to 2010. The only disappointment I have with it is that there's probably never going to be any additional sequels, prequels or DLC for the game's universe. Runner ups for biggest surprise are Mass Effect 2, (which was surprisingly playable and fun for me, but Lair of the Shadow Broker in particular was a great surprise due to its quality) and . . . nothing else I guess, since most everything I played this year was older (lack of dollars) and I knew I was going to love New Vegas.

Biggest disappointment was FFXIII. I was really hyped for it and kept myself on a media blackout and all, and it bit me in the ass. Also slightly disappointed that Mass Effect 2 is coming to PS3 after I FINALLY gave in and asked for an X360 earlier this year, but that's more sour grapes than disappointment I guess.

[Perley]

@Dice: well I love what I do but some classes are those necessary evils that they make you take after this year I'm done all that junk (woot). And for better or worse, yeah we jump. Though sometimes said jump proceeded by a quick crash because marks sucked or we just keep right on flying because the marks were so good. I fall into the latter :).

@Archendrus: /highfiveback. Congrats to you. I too am a recovering slacker, but it helps when there's motivation and lots of it. When you finally find that niche that suits you, it's such a high right? I know I have and man I've been high (on life!) since last year. Now if I can get a job with RIM or IBM for a couple years I'll be happy.