N-Forums Game of the Year 2004 Results
Article by Mark Medina
So another year, another Game of the Year report. 2005 is now in full swing and its high time that we saw how, collectively, we all felt about the year 2004.
It was a leap year, an Olympic Year, and we had that extra day (the 366th day) to play a game and ponder to ourselves whether or not it was good enough to win best in its category or, better yet, the best of them all. We played, we voted, we argued, and through it all we have found our winners. Thanks to those who voted in our forums, I can now present to you the results of our collective labours and certain observations I noticed while tallying up the lists.
Without further ado, let me start by crowning 2004 the Year of the Metroid. Below are the results for GameCube, Game Boy Advance, and Nintendo DS.
| GameCube | Place | GBA | Place | Nintendo DS | Place |
| Metroid Prime 2: Echoes | 1st | Metroid: Zero Mission | 1st | Super Mario 64 DS | 1st |
| Pikmin 2 | 2nd | Pokmon Fire Red/Leaf Green | 2nd | Feel the Magic XY/XX | 2nd |
| Tales of Symphonia | 3rd | Fire Emblem | 3rd | Metroid Hunters: First Hunt | 3rd |
Nintendos Metroid franchise has really hit its straps in the last few years, culminating in 2004 when two games took the honours in two of the three Nintendo hardware categories. Metroid Prime 2: Echoes was the resounding winner of the GameCube Game of the Year with its total vote-count more than doubling its nearest rival, Pikmin 2. For the GBA Game of the Year, Metroid: Zero Mission retold the story of the original Metroid and powered to the top, again more than doubling its nearest rival, Pokmon Fire Red and Leaf Green. And lastly, even as a packed-in demo, Metroid Hunters: First Hunt still managed to figure in the Nintendo DS results.
All in all, its a very impressive comeback for a franchise that was stagnant for nearly a decade. Remember, we hadnt seen a single Metroid instalment since the superlative Super Metroid on the SNES right up until the rejuvenation that was Metroid Prime on GameCube and Metroid Fusion on GBA.
Super Mario 64, the game that defined 3D platform games a decade ago made a remarkable entry to the handheld market winning the Nintendo DS Game of the Year with its DS incarnation. With only two months of the year to its name, it was no surprise to see a distinct lack of nominations in the DS category. There simply werent that many games available for the system. What we know for sure is that 2005 will see a significant increase in both quantity and quality for Nintendo DS, and the votes should be a lot more varied this year.
While our major focus will always be Nintendo (the company, the games, and the hardware), we are also gamers at heart and we can never ignore the allure of games that appear on those other systems. Once again we played, we conquered and we voted.
| Xbox | Place | PlayStation 2 | Place | PC | Place |
| Halo 2 | 1st | Katamari Damacy | 1st | Half-Life 2 | 1st |
| Burnout 3: Takedown | 2nd | Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater | 2nd | Eastside Hockey Manager | 2nd |
| Fable | 3rd | Burnout 3: Takedown | 3rd | Everquest 2 | 3rd |
The biggest surprise here has to be Katamari Damacy and its extraordinary rise to the top of the PS2 Game of the Year category. Beating big-hitting franchises like GTA, Metal Gear, and Burnout is testament to how innovative and imaginative Namcos stunning game is considered amongst N-Forum members. Halo 2s win for Xbox Game of the Year should be considered no more of a surprise to anyone than Half-Life 2s win for PC Game of the Year (it even had more than 10 times the votes of its nearest rivals).
The real interest in these lists lies in the ineligible and obscure nominations that people voted for, like Fire Emblem, which have made their way to the list despite the fact that they did not come out in 2004 and were thus ineligible to win. We decided to put them on their anyway though, because they are great games and you should all be playing them. Obscure nominations like Eastside Hockey Manager and Locomotion highlighted the diversity in our genre preferences and simultaneously act as a beacon of light for all of the forgotten games of 2004, proving that even games with little fanfare can attract an audience.
And finally, the moment youve all been waiting for. I give you the official N-Forums Overall Game of the Year for 2004.
| Overall | Place |
| Metroid Prime 2: Echoes | 1st |
| Half-Life 2 | 2nd |
| Pikmin 2 | 3rd |
| Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door | 4th |
| Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater | 5th |
Once again, 2004 is hereby crowned the Year of the Metroid. It was close race between Prime 2 and Half-Life 2, but being N-Sider it was a pretty safe bet that Metroid would take it out. Taking a look at the list reveals that we like different genres and that not one is particularly dominant over another, which is nice. If you look closely there are examples of First Person Adventures, First Person Shooters, RPGs, Sports, Strategy games, Stealth titles, Platform Shooters, and more.
Of curious note is the complete absence of PS2 and Xbox winners Katamari Damacy and Halo 2. Apparently they werent good enough to be voted for by many forum members above all else, which again points to the strength of both Half-Life 2 and Metroid Prime 2: Echoes.
And so ends another year of playing, voting, counting, nominating, surprise, shock, admiration, and game playing! 2004 was an awesome year for video games, and 2005 is looking to be even better. Already we have Resident Evil 4, God of War, and Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap to start the year off with a bang. The remaining months will reveal more. See you all next year!
P.S. Thanks to all participating forum members for their votes; without these votes, we wouldnt have the Official N-Forums Game of the Year 2005!