2014 "OFFICIAL" MISAO PREDICTIONS/DISCUSSION THREAD

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"Made in 2014" should actually read more like "had a public release in 2014."

But I think the game pages auto-lock games that do not apply.
Oh boy, I'm a moron.
I thought that was the official, final list and not a user's prediction list.

I guess I really need to stop working on my game for too many hours straight ;)
Yeah, for the initial list I just compiled the well-reviewed and popular titles with a game page created in 2014. Then I've been adding titles that people have been suggesting, mostly those who began development in other years but were released in this one. It was a pretty shoddy process but if you want to suggest some games, feel free and I'll probably add them.
I'm still on the fence about a lot of the categories, but I think I'm going to nominate The Heart Pumps Clay for either characters or story direction. Or both.

You should definitely add it to the main list. :)
unity
You're magical to me.
12540
author=Merlandese
I'm still on the fence about a lot of the categories, but I think I'm going to nominate The Heart Pumps Clay for either characters or story direction. Or both.

You should definitely add it to the main list. :)


I second this. I found The Heart Pumps Clay to be excellent.
You're both lovely people and I love you.

I'm also deeply ashamed that I haven't played Last Word yet. Or Chase for Divinity. Or Soul Sunder (I see you, Red Nova).
unity
You're magical to me.
12540
author=Housekeeping
You're both lovely people and I love you.

:DDDDD <3

author=Housekeeping
I'm also deeply ashamed that I haven't played Last Word yet. Or Chase for Divinity. Or Soul Sunder (I see you, Red Nova).

No need for shame! You've got games of your own to make ^_^

I recommend Soul Sunder and Last Word over Chase. Chase for Divinity is a game I started as a teenager, and more and more I'm seeing how lacking it is in the story department.
Red_Nova
Sir Redd of Novus: He who made Prayer of the Faithless that one time, and that was pretty dang rad! :D
9192
author=Housekeeping
I'm also deeply ashamed that I haven't played Last Word yet. Or Chase for Divinity. Or Soul Sunder (I see you, Red Nova).


Holy crap! Houskeeping is looking at me! Alright, Nova. Take a deep breath. Be calm. Be collected. Be professional.

I love you.

Dammit!


More serious post:

So many good ones... I started the Redux version of Enelysion last night. I still need to finish Chase for Divinity too. After that, I'm looking to try Fleurent Blanc and Lady of the Lion as soon as I get some time.
Marrend
Guardian of the Description Thread
21781
author=Housekeeping
I'm also deeply ashamed that I haven't played Last Word yet. Or Chase for Divinity. Or Soul Sunder (I see you, Red Nova).


This reminds be that I haven't played Heart Pumps Clay. Or Last Word. I should formulate a playlist!
How's everyone's nominations going?
Red_Nova
Sir Redd of Novus: He who made Prayer of the Faithless that one time, and that was pretty dang rad! :D
9192
I had my list filled out since my first post, and I haven't played anything that changed it so far.
Ghost Suburb 2. One of my favorite games of the year, across all platforms.
unity
You're magical to me.
12540
author=kentona
How's everyone's nominations going?


I've filled out most of mine, but there are several spots that still need filling. I'll work on that.
If the nominations don't pick up, we'll be sitting at our lowest Misao count since 2009. o_o Which baffles me, since there are so many amazing games that came out this here. Guess the hype machine wasn't as ridiculous as last year, I guess.
Whoops! I was so busy with work that I had forgotten to make my nominations, but I've fixed that. Unfortunately, I mainly played IGMC entries and a huge backlog of older games, so I probably didn't have a big enough pool to pick from. The only category that I had a hard time filling out was "best characters;" nothing (that I played) really stuck out in that regard. My thoughts:

It Moves: Best Storytelling/Direction, Best Atmosphere
The atmosphere's kind of a no-brainer--this game was creepy as fuck. Storytelling, though, might not be something many people considered for this one. I value a lot of things in storytelling, but the technical things play second fiddle--I really just like stories that make me feel something. If a story can do that, it might be able to be better constructed and more efficient, but it's functioning on the most important level. There were only three games I played from this year's bunch that actually made me feel something: Unraveled, Oneshot, and It Moves. Unraveled had a scene that was one of the sharpest depictions of depression that I'd ever seen, but then it followed that with excessive melodrama that left a bitter taste in my mouth. Oneshot made me feel a lot of intrigue in the world, but, as often happens, it didn't deliver on that for me. It Moves, though, made me feel scared. And that's goddamn hard to do. And, when the climax hit, it fucking worked, and it worked well.

Unraveled: Best Setting, Best Sound and Music, Best Technical Prowess
As an overall experience, I think Unraveled fell short, mainly because of the story and characters, which is what it was really banking on. The setting is gorgeous, though: watching the rusted-out ship transform into a vibrant jungle through the main character's imagination was a magical moment for me. The music felt underrated, too. I'm a bit of a music snob, but the soundtrack worked for me, and I loved the creaking ship sounds juxtaposed with the upbeat exploration tracks once the main character's imagination kicks in. This game also had one of the most interesting battle systems I've seen in an rpg maker game; I'm not sure if it worked on every level, but it was unique enough to deserve best technical prowess, I think.

Painted Heart: Best Graphics and Artwork
I didn't really like Painted Heart, but this game looks pretty. Damn, damn pretty. It's also a pretty solid contender for best music and sound design, but, unfortunately, the track that I'm remembering the most is the pitchy vocals in the opening credits.

Sunken Spire: Best Gameplay Mechanics/Interface Design
Sunken Spire was one of my favorite RPGs this year, but it fell short in a lot of categories. I think this was probably my favorite in terms of characters, actually, but there was a lot of wasted dialogue and the characters didn't have much space to grow. Indrah's earlier work with these characters already rounded them out nicely, so this adventure was fun but not really a character/story piece. The GAMEPLAY though, is fantastic. This has some of the best stat progression mechanics I've seen in a long time, and while the battles could be a bit tighter (from the version I played), there were enough wrenches in the works to keep me engaged. The interface didn't have a lot of whistles and bells, but it was clean, custom, and effective, which is what I prefer, anyway.

Super Smash Bros. Crusade: Most Promising Demo
I didn't play many demos, but this one was pretty awesome. The gameplay feels a bit slow and rigid at times, and the online play was too unstable for me to really go nuts with, but this game did an excellent job of emulating Smash Bros. It'll be cool to see how well this game polishes up.

Oneshot: Best Level/Dungeon/Puzzle Design, Best Non-RPG, Game of the Year
When I learned that Oneshot got disqualified from the IGMC, it was the happiest day of summer because it was the only game that I knew would absolutely crush mine. This game feels fucking professional, and I hate how good it is. It was a close contender for a lot of categories: best graphics, best atmosphere, best storytelling, but other games that focused more directly on these categories edged it out. The levels are well-thought out and the puzzles are difficult without being impossible--and this isn't even covering the cool meta stuff this game did to fool with you. It's easily the best non-RPG I played, and the game is functioning so well across the board that I had to give it game of the year. There are a lot of things I'd change to make this game perfect, especially making more use of the whole "you only can play once" gimmick, but I can't deny this game's spot at the top.
author=yuna21
If the nominations don't pick up, we'll be sitting at our lowest Misao count since 2009. o_o Which baffles me, since there are so many amazing games that came out this here. Guess the hype machine wasn't as ridiculous as last year, I guess.
author=yuna21
If the nominations don't pick up, we'll be sitting at our lowest Misao count since 2009. o_o Which baffles me, since there are so many amazing games that came out this here. Guess the hype machine wasn't as ridiculous as last year, I guess.
well the number of votes past years I think were higher than number of nominations... so we may still be able to match past years vote totals come january.
SunflowerGames
The most beautiful user on RMN!
13323

Based on the games I have played this year

Best Demo

Mana Aeliria

http://rpgmaker.net/games/7050/

But can't nominate because its commercial

I might nominate for this instead

Linus

http://rpgmaker.net/games/1491/
Cap_H
DIGITAL IDENTITY CRISIS
6625
Oh, I have nominated Sunken spire for allmost all categories back in August. I guess I need to play some more games. Oneshot has been untouched on my disc since it was released. Shippu should absolutely win award for the best rmn gamepage.
As demo I filled in Long Way Home, which seems to be in hiatus now.
I also downloaded Remnants and The Vendor (I am looking forward this one) and some other games such as Swan Song, The Age of Deliverance or Enelysion look really promising.
Well, I've cast my nominations in the Best Setting, Best Characters and Most Promising Demo categories so far.