Hey guys, thought I would share the following with you. This is a piece I wrote up for the site, there was some collaboration, but in the end, we (the main site) decided it just wasn't quite us. Anyways, rather then let this idle in the abyss of my hard drive, I decided to share my hard work with you amazing forum goers. So enjoy, it's still a little rough around the edges, but hey, better then nothing I suppose, right?
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N-Awards: 2006
Here at N-Philes, we strive for excellence. What does that mean? We don’t really know, but we hear other company’s say it, so it has to be good, right?
Right.
With that in mind, we decided to hold our very own year ending award program, flagrantly titled the N-Awards. With 2006 but a distant spec in the gaming verse, we get to reminisce on some of the better titles, some of the better news, and of course, some of the worse titles and disappointing news. It’s all here in the N-Awards, so sit back and see if your favorite title won the coveted title.
The Awards
The AntiTon: Most Disappointing News Story of the Year
The MegaTon: Most Exciting News Story of the Year
The Fanboy: A Nintendo Fan’s Best News Story of the Year
The Kaplan: Most Sought After Virtual Console Game That Never Arrived
The Halo Award: Other Console Game of the Year
The E.T. Award: Most Disappointing Game of the Year
The Yokoi: Game Boy Advance Game of the Year
The Dolphin: GameCube Game of the Year
The Yamauchi: Virtual Console Game of the Year
The Power Glove: Nintendo Hardware of the Year
The Regginator: Nintendo DS Game of the Year
The Iwata: Wii Game of the Year
The Mario-128 Award: Most Anticipated Game of Next Year
The Shiggy: Overall Game of the Year
So let’s begin…
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The AntiTon
The AntiTon is awarded to the news item deemed most generally disappointing to us here at N-Philes. While the year had many highs due to the next generation of consoles finally all getting out of the gate, many disappointments still arose: Nintendo unveiled the name of their (at the time) forthcoming console, titling it Wii, while a few months later, letting us know that it would arrive 2 days after the PS3 in North America. Clover Studios was also forced to close it doors after a few (though highly celebrated) title releases, and Mother 3 just could not find a passport to make it’s way overseas. But in the end, we here at N-Philes could only vote one “winner”, and no news could be seen as being worse for us.
E3 Is No More
What we had to say:
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Originally Posted by Desire
Way to take away my only vacation every year!
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Originally Posted by Curtis
Although the lack of Mother 3 stateside hurt myself personally to the deepest extent, no other hit rocked the gaming industry at it's core like the "cancellation" of E3. I was able to go to the very last one, and I thank my lucky stars. Unfortunately, I had such a great time that I will miss it that much more. PAX, CES, MIGS, TGS, and GDG just aren't the same.
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Originally Posted by Adrian
Nothing compared to this. Nothing will ever compare to this. Leave me alone!
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Originally Posted by Matthew
This, because I was actually planning on going this year  |
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The MegaTon
The MegaTon, a reference to the classic Nintendo news that never came, is an award given to best news item of the year. Though much news this year for the Big N has been great, few stories made headlines like Wii being announced at a 250$ price point (pre-packed with Wii Sports no less). This year at E3, we all received the great news (though most anticipated it) of a Wii version of Twilight Princess being in the works, but few could have an anticipated it launching alongside it’s hardware, and weeks before the GameCube original. Though these items were huge, and it was a close battle, one other news item beat out all the rest:
Dragon Quest Returns to Nintendo
What we had to say:
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Originally Posted by Curtis
We all knew the general time around when the Wii was going to launch and at what price point, and any analyst and general gaming guru could have told you that Nintendo would be ridiculous to not release Zelda on Wii, but who in their right mind would have ever guessed that Square-Enix would bring their most beloved franchise to Nintendo's portable gaming system. Not only is this a great coup for Nintendo, it's a terrible blow to Sony.
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Originally Posted by Jared
Because even though I couldn't care less about DQ or Square-Enix, this better than most news items suggests a turning of the tide in Nintendo's favor – and even more enjoyably, out of Sony's favor.
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Originally Posted by Adrian
Color me surprised. Actually you could have colored my underwear surprised. And colored it a pale yellow, because I was real surprised this happened. Good for you, Nintendo.
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Originally Posted by Jordan
It's not even that it's coming to a Nintendo console. It's that I don't even play Dragon Quest, and DQIX looks like the RPG I've been waiting to see.
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The Fanboy
The Fanboy is probably the most controversial of the N-Awards. Sure, we try to stay relatively ambiguous or to not show our bias too much, but there is always certain news that shows up that we just can’t help but let our true fanboy shine through. The PlayStation 3 got the brunt of our fanboyism, be it with their lowering of the launch numbers from 2 million to a paltry 500K, or the fact that many of their exclusives just aren’t as exclusive as Sony would like. The Nintendo DS sparked a fanboy’s heart like none-other this year, outselling all other video game hardware, and even scoring itself one of the most coveted video game franchises in Japan with Dragon Quest IX. But no other news could stroke a fanboy’s ego quite like our winner. With Sony coming into the current generation with momentum and steam unlike any other, they could presumably do no wrong. News broke quickly after the launch of the PS3 that a good portion gamers who camped out for Sony’s console were looking to sell the system for a profit, and quickly after that, eBay sales started to slow down, from raking in 100’s of percentages of profits to very minimal sizes. Then, slightly before the holiday shopping season came to a close, our winner reared its beautiful head:
PS3s in Stock; Scalpers Return PS3s
What we had to say:
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Originally Posted by Curtis
I just can't stop laughing. Sony just can't catch a break. I almost feel sorry for them... almost.
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Originally Posted by Jared
So much bad Sony news this year, too. Must be a great year for Xbox fans. But even after launching with barely any consoles, to still not achieve a Wii/360 level of Christmas hysteria is laughable, and again better than most of the rest of the news is symbolic of a glorious Sony meltdown.
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Originally Posted by Matthew
I take way, way too much pleasure in telling my friends about these.
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The Kaplan
Virtual Console games excited everyone. I don’t care who you are, if you are over the age of 13, you are sure to have a favorite title from Nintendo, Sega, or Hudson’s past; and the prospect of playing all of these titles again gave you goose bumps and excited your nether regions. Perrin Kaplan, vice president of Marketing & Corporate Affairs for Nintendo of America, is notorious for promising us something and failing to deliver, and that is why N-Philes immortalizes her with the award given to the most anticipated Virtual Console game that never arrived. With well over thousands of games to choose from, only one game could take the title this year. With titles such as Earthbound, Star Fox 64, Pilotwings, and Super Mario Bros. 3 adorning the massive list, Nintendo needs to only add one to satisfy this group of gamers.
Chrono Trigger (SNES)
What we had to say:
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Originally Posted by Terry
Whether or not it's the greatest RPG is debatable, but it's definitely one of the most classic games ever.
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Originally Posted by Jared
I'm really only interested in VC games I never played, and shamefully Chrono Trigger is a game I never played.
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The Halo Award
We are a Nintendo site. Yes, this is true. What is also true is that we are gamers. And gamers game to have fun. Don’t tell Nintendo, but fun can indeed be had with other consoles that are not branded by the Big N. With this in mind, we are pleased to announce the Halo Award, awarded to the best “other console” game. With great epic titles such as Bethesda’s masterpiece Oblivion, Capcom’s zombie sandbox killer Dead Rising, and even the portable goodness Syphon Filter: Dark Mirror, many titles were available to choose from. However, few titles had that arcade feel, that “get your ass off the couch” touch that only certain games know how to give. With mind-melting solo’s, face busting riffs, and an all around amazing experience, the choice was not a hard one.
Guitar Hero 2
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Originally Posted by Curtis
Guitar Hero came into this world and rocked your socks off. Guitar Hero 2 does that and then some. Fewer games get the heart pounding and the feet stomping quite like Guitar Hero.
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Originally Posted by Jared
THERE IS A SPECIAL PHRASE FOR THIS SCENARIO AND IT IS 'HANDS DOWN'. Guitar Hero is more fun than anything the Wiimote does.
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The E.T. Award
E.T. is widely regarded as the worst video game ever made. That is why it will forever adorn our title for the most disappointing game of that year. Though not generally the worst game, this award is presented to the game coming in with relatively high hype, or relative good vibes but failing miserably when it finally hits the market. With titles such as Final Fantasy III for the DS and Super Monkey Ball: Banana Blitz for the Wii on the list, it could have been a hard sell. Unfortunately for Ubisoft France, the N-Philes staff was almost unanimous in their decision:
Red Steel
What we had to say:
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Originally Posted by Terry
So much hype!
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Originally Posted by Curtis
I played Red Steel for about 1 hour before I popped it out and threw Wii Sports back into my Wii. This was one of my most expected games on the Wii, and it was nothing short of a huge disappointment. I dearly hope that not all FPS’ will be this awful.
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Originally Posted by Gareth
Not because it's specifically bad, but because of what it could have been given more development time. Also because it's the only Wii game I've played that could be classified as disappointing in any way.
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Originally Posted by Jared
Because even though I didn't play it, I was so disappointed with how it looked by launch that this is the reason I didn't play it.
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Originally Posted by Adrian
You've ruined sword fighting in games forever. You do realize that don't you, Red Steel? RUINED THEM. I hope you're happy.
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The Yokoi
Gunpei Yokoi is the creator of the Game Boy line of hardware, so it seems only fit that we title the award after his illustrious name. Unfortunately for Mr. Yokoi, odds are poor that we will be seeing this award again next year. Why is that? Curtis puts it simply in his no-vote: “[/i]Nintendo promised us a "third-pillar" with the DS, well, I am here to tell you that that was nothing more then a safety net saying in case it failed. It has more then just succeeded, it has blown standard portable gaming away, and unfortunately, Nintendo's Game Boy line has come to it's end.[/i]” Some votes were cast, and a draw is probably the best outcome possible:
Drill Dozer
What we had to say:
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Originally Posted by Terry
Revitalizes the platformer genre.
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Originally Posted by Ben
Should have gotten more support. It's fun in a very Nintendo way.
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Final Fantasy V
What we had to say:
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Originally Posted by Desire
Can't go wrong with a FF.
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The Dolphin
What better award name then the GameCube’s codename? The GameCube, though perhaps underrated in total, receveived plenty of support, and although The Dolphin will more then likely join the ranks of the Yokoi as an award not set to return next year, GameCube did receive plenty of support from the Big N and some key third parties in it’s final year. With titles such as Baten Kaitos Origins, Harvest Moon, and Odama, Nintendo flexed it’s muscle going into the following generation. Chibi-Robo also helped the GameCube finish its lifecycle off strong, but few games throughout the year could compete with the second coming. The so called next generation of gaming could wait, for Link arose from the GameCube’s ashes.
The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess
What we had to say:
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Originally Posted by Curtis
The Marketing Director for Nintendo of Canada told me at this years Montreal International Games Summit that if you own a Wii this past fall, you need to buy Twilight Princess on Wii. If you don't own a Wii, you need to buy a Wii and get Twilight Princess on Wii. If you REALLY REALLY can't get a Wii, then, you should probably wait till you can get one before you play Twilight Princess. If there is absolutely no way you can, then you might as well pick it up for GameCube. Enough said.
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Originally Posted by Jared
Yikes, gross list. But hey it's Zelda. This is going to be a boring Best Of.
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Originally Posted by Matthew
I'm assuming this is awesome because I've only played the Wii version and that's awesome.
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The Yamauchi
The Yamauchi family had been in control of Nintendo for years. It wasn’t until Hiroshi Yamauchi stepped down as President of Nintendo that a non-Yamauchi member (Satoru Iwata) was able to take control of (and in some minds, ultimately save) the company. The Yamauchis oversaw the launch of the NES, the SNES, the N64, and the GameCube, and thusly, no better family name in Nintendo more deserves to be associated with the Virtual Console. Though SEGA and Hudson supply titles for the console from their respective hardware, few would disagree that the meat and potatoes of the Virtual Console lineup should be coming from the Big N’s repertoire. With a showing of The Legend of Zelda and Super Mario Bros for the NES, and Super Mario 64 for the N64, it would seem like a lock that Nintendo would win our award for best Virtual Console title, but few should underestimate certain warriors from the planet Gunstar 9.
Gunstar Heroes (SEGA Genesis)
What we had to say:
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Originally Posted by Curtis
When Nintendo announced that they were partnering with SEGA to bring Genesis classics to its Virtual Console lineup, two words came to my mind: Gunstar and Heroes. This game defines the 16-bit era for me, and will always hold a special place in my heart.
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Originally Posted by Jared
Because the more popular titles I already own, the less popular don't look as fun.
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The Power Glove
“
I love the Power Glove, it’s so bad.” are Jackey Vinson’s famous words from the 1989 100 minute Nintendo commercial The Wizard. Whether the Power Glove was intended for amazing glove-like controller replication, or 1990’ and 2000’s comedic relief remains to be seen, but the Power Glove still represents a cool hardware creation by Nintendo of the past. So what better way to signify the best hardware of the year then with Nintendo’s finger covering tool of the 80’s? Nintendo released plenty of hardware this year, including their latest console Wii, along with it’s revolutionary controller, the fan-deemed Wiimote. But one other piece of hardware was released that few N-Philes staffers could ignore. If Nintendo has done anything perfect in it’s history, it’s the redesign.
The Nintendo DS Lite
Quote:
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Originally Posted by Terry[/quote
Wii is great, but still needs to prove itself and make use of all of its potential. The DS Lite is not only a great rendition of a great console, but the games this year are as close to full potential as I could think.
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Originally Posted by Jared
Wii is really a mixed bag what with limited graphics and no DVD player; DS Lite plays the innovation game yet doesn't force it, and is undeniably the handheld to own.
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Originally Posted by Adrian
Oh it's sexy. Oh come here mama. Yes, you are so sexy aren't you? Just a cute little sexy thing yes you are.
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The Regginator
Few warriors exist inside camp Nintendo, but two leaders do emerge from the pack itself. “
My names Reggie. I’m about kickin’ ass, I’m about takin’ names, and we’re about making games!” he proclaimed commandingly to the stunned E3 2004 press conference attendees, and from then on, the Reggielution was on. The Nintendo DS itself is Nintendo current top hardware seller and is a run-away success. The Regginator is awarded to the Nintendo DS game of the year as deemed by N-Philes. With a cast of great titles released this year, the competition was tight. With StarFox DS, and Tetris DS invigorating a classic series, the New Super Mario Bros. stuck to the classic style and was a smashing success as perhaps first true sequel to the NES classics. All had a great chance at the title, but few had the rhythm to carry it through.
Elite Beat Agents
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Originally Posted by Terry
I've got to say this game was a surprise and completely outdid my expectations
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Originally Posted by Curtis
Although New Super Mario Bros. brings a great experience, Elite Beat Agents brings something new to the table. With a great story, amazing sound, incredible game mechanics, and an all around deep experience, Elite Beat Agents will have you coming back for more.
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Originally Posted by Jordon
This game was gold the moment my friend told me to try it and I saw the whole cheerleader/football jock episode
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The Iwata
When Satoru Iwata was announced as the successor to Hirochi Yamauchi, few were surprised. With Yamauchi’s emperor-like strangle-hold over Nintendo, Iwata was seen as the savior. If these gentlemen were consoles, Yamauchi would be the GameCube, and Iwata would be the Wii, saving Nintendo from their downfall. Titles for the Wii can not only be excellent, but can also be innovative and amazing all at once. Wii Sports exemplifies Nintendo’s mantra of gameplay first, graphics last. You forget that you are looking at rough character art after taking only a few swings of your racket. Rayman Raving Rabbids gives you a good glimpse of control possibilities, wrapped in a creamy caramel coating topped with a great multiplayer experience. With it’s second award of the year, Twilight Princess becomes the official crowd favorite.
The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess
What we had to say:
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Originally Posted by Desire
While Wii Sports really got people interested in the Wii, Twilight Princess was just epic.
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Originally Posted by Jared
It took me 60 hours just to beat this game, which is more time than I spent on probably any other big-name title before getting bored with it.
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The Mario-128 Award
The Mario-128 award is awarded to a game that is impending release in the coming year that we just can’t seem to get our De Lorean’s up to speed for. Like Twilight Princess, New Super Mario Bros, Wind Waker, and Resident Evil 4 before it, few games excite a gaming brethren much like impending releases from the forthcoming year. Next year, we can expect Wario Ware: Smooth Moves, Metroid Prime 3: Corruption, Dragon Quest IX and Sonic & The Secret Wings, but none excites Nintendo fan much like our winner.
Super Smash Bros. Brawl (Wii) (Fall 2007)
What we had to say:
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Originally Posted by Jared
Um, in terms of "I can't wait to play it" probably more Wario Ware or Sonic because I know what to expect and I know they're fun, but Brawl is still Smash Bros. and has a ton of secrets to reveal before launch. If I could only free myself of the sinking feeling that it's going to jump the shark, by playing a demo maybe, I'd be in complete manic desire for it.
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Originally Posted by Adrian
Nothing else exists. Except Dead Rising 2.
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Originally Posted by Matthew
This game is going to do for the Wii what Halo did for the Xbox. Mark my words.
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The Shiggy
The creator of Donkey Kong, Mario, and a league of other Nintendo character and titles, Shigeru Miyamoto is synonymous with gaming. Being one of only Hollywood like stars of the gaming industry, he represents the best of the best. What better to show that a game is the best of the best for the year then to adorn it with Mario’s creator. Wit games such as Wii Sports, Elite Beat Agents, and New Super Mario Bros. lining he field, few games could compete under normal circumstance, but, for the hat-trick, Zelda titles don’t necessarily create fair circumstances for competing titles.
The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess
What we had to say:
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Originally Posted by N-Philes
There’s just really not much else to say, it’s Zelda. If you own a Wii, and don’t own Zelda, go buy Zelda. Make someone else buy you Zelda. Whatever you have to do, play The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess.
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