PC Gaming ERA Game of the Year 2019 & Game of the Decade Poll Results - Dyskoteka Elizjum

Uzzy · Jan 25, 2020

Welcome to the PC Gaming ERA Game of the Year 2019 and Game of the Decade results page. The idea for this originated many years ago over at the other place, as it was felt that the main GOTY poll would skew away from what PC Gamers actually play.

Previous Years: 2018 | 2017

Voting took place in the monthly PC Gaming ERA thread.
Up to 5 games were allowed for each voter to pick for their GOTY. Any game fully released in 2019 was eligible. Each game was awarded 5 points to 1 point, in descending order.
Up to 10 games were allowed for each voter to pick for their GOTD. Any game fully released between 2010 and 2019 was eligible, as well as games released prior to 2010 that saw considerable updates during that decade. Each game was awarded 10 points to 1 point, in descending order.
Early Access, VR, Ongoing Games and Turd of the Year were given separate, optional ballots.
Overall the turnout was 65 users. Thank you all.
102 games were represented in the GOTY poll. 211 games were represented in the GOTD poll.
If a game was tied on points the 'Average Points Per Vote' was used as a tiebreaker, with the higher winning.
Uzzy was not allowed to vote. :(

InquistorAles said:
Pathologic 2 tried to think out of the box and do something interesting in both narrative and gameplay aspects. It's a well-balanced game that offers you to explore its surreal world and read through lengthy dialogues, while not forgetting that it's a game too and providing some real challenge to the player.

ChanceHale said:
Pathologic 2 is a stunning example of game mechanics typing deeply into the tone of the narrative. As the plague worsens causing supplies to start running out and beloved NPCs to die, the stress is deeply felt due to the finely tuned survival mechanics that make seeing every quest and saving everyone simply impossible without dying yourself. Too many games make you feel powerful and Pathologic 2 is the must play antithesis to that.

bmdubya said:
In a year when my gaming time was very limited, Jedi: Fallen Order was one game that I just wanted to keep playing over and over.

Stoze said:
In a word, Outer Wilds is profound. It's a game that manages to tie together engaging exploration, awesome solar system simulation, and tantalizing mysteries. The continuity of the game's world is masterfully crafted and practically unparalleled despite dealing with things like time travel, space, quantum mechanics, etc.. The conclusion to Outer Wilds is one of the strongest I've "observed" in the entire medium.

rabathehutch said:
I've never played a game like Outer Wilds. The story, game play and music work in perfect harmony. Discovering the story of the little solar system made me feel like a real detective.

Dakath said:
I really like the voice over when you get a shard.

By virtue of higher APPV.

Mugan said:
I will for sure play Slay the Spire for years to come. A masterpiece already, and with more hours in the future it might even start to threaten FTL as my favourite game of all time.

Wok said:
Slay the Spire succeeded at democratizing the roguelike deck-building game, which had been very niche since the release of Dream Quest in 2014.

vastag said:
Is fun, replayable, with different strategies and has a great mod support. Just a fantastic game.

oipic said:
If the best games, to paraphrase Sid Meier, present a series of interesting choices, then Slay the Spire nails it - dynamic and addictive gameplay that offers compelling choices with every turn, battle, and run. The gold standard of deck building games.

ultimate_sigh said:
The combat reminded me of the joys of one of my favourites in Devil May Cry 3 on release. All the characters are cool too. Nero as a character far superior than his DMC4 iteration.

ArjanN said:
Great return to form after a long quasi-absence with DmC, probably the pinnacle of combat in a game of this type.

Merkunt said:
Aside from a lack of varied environments, DMC V is pretty much everything I wanted in the next installment of the franchise: deep systems, quirky characters and excellent combat design make this one of the greatest games in its genre.

Th3rd said:
It's been 11 years since DMC4 release and DMC5 is the culmination of everything I wanted for the sequel. DMC IS BACK!!

spineduke said:
Great puzzles, novel mechanics and a lo fi aesthetic to match. A lot of great contenders this year but Baba hit all the right notes for me.

Pennyfish said:
Innovative programming like puzzle game. Very cute and indie too.

Morrigan said:
Obvious choice for me, as a big fan of From Software's recent games. I was initially disappointed to learn that it wasn't an RPG, but honestly, after playing it so much, I don't care anymore -- it's just that good. The combat is unlike anything I've played, more rhythm-based than the typical methodical Souls combat, but still nails the incredibly satisfying animations and rewarding feeling or triumphing over your opponents. No other game evokes this feeling of raw, pure, sword-clashing fun, with rewarding the player for constantly applying pressure but still forcing them to read the opponents and time your counter attacks. I also really enjoyed the guerrilla warfare aspect of taking out a stronghold with a mix of stealth, agility, and brute force. The grappling hook and fluidity of movement made traversal a sheer joy, and it's also one of the strongest interconnected worlds yet, the best since the original Dark Souls, probably. From Software knocked it out of the park, with everything else, much as I enjoyed them, a distant second.

Malakiax said:
I always liked the concept of the souls games. I tried to play Demon's Souls, Bloodborne and Dark Souls III but the combat never did it for me, so I never finished them. When I first saw Sekiro I fell in love with the aesthetics and the world, so I even pre-ordered it. For my surprise the combat immediately clicked with me. It was the hardest game I ever completed and it was so worth it, even did the extra work and got all the achievements. I never thought it would be my GOTY but damn Sekiro is my GOTY for 2019.

XR. said:
A brutal and unforgiving adventure but incredibly rewarding as you learn and master the different enemies you face. The gameplay is more satisfying than ever and the combined narrative and world-building makes for an incredibly memorable experience. Might be my all-time favorite by FROM!

grandwizorb said:
Sekiro is an amazing blend of FromSoft's intricate world design with a super tight action game that feels as good as the greats like Ninja Gaiden. It also even has a stealth later as homage to it's Tenchu roots but doesn't let it overtake any other systems of the game, which is a trap many stealth games fall into. The boss fights in this game are legendary, and the final fight is something I will remember forever.

JoeSpangle said:
An excellent remake with terrific atmosphere, controls and story.

Battlechili said:
Resident Evil 2 took a fantastic classic and reimagined it nearly perfectly in a modern way. The puzzles, layout of the maps, and story were all faithfully reproduced, but the new RE4 style gameplay gave it a wonderful fresh coat of paint that took the aging classic and once again made it into one of the best horror games ever made. Also Mr. X is cool.

cyba89 said:
As someone who never played the original this remake felt like a completely modern game to me. And this is how a remake should be. It's just a great complete package with the best zombies in a videogame yet, tense Mr.X sections (can't wait for Nemesis next) and just all around an incredible atmosphere. I will probably replay the game a lot in the coming years because the pacing is so good.

eonden said:
Disco Elysium feel like a great role play campaign with a great DM. Every single small decision will have impact in the development of your character and the game is smart enough to have different reactions depending on his thoughts. This game will probably have a huge impact on the focus of story telling and character development for years to come.

Violet said:
Disco Elysium is about ghosts, and our relationships with them. Our (at first) nameless detective hears voices in a computer, sees lovers in his dreams, connects with strangers on the phone, and lives in the shadow of dead communists. It has so much empathy for people, and so much curiosity about a world hurtling towards oblivion. If only it's world didn't so closely mirror our own, it would be easier to play without crying.

daxy said:
The quality of its writing, world-building and the game's atmosphere are absolutely phenomenal. It's one of the very few games where I wanted to take it slow and really process the world and the tensions at play therein before moving on through the critical path. The interplay between its role-playing systems, the development of your character's personality and how this all expressed itself in the way you interacted with the game's characters and world was also very engaging. Almost every choice in your character sheet felt actually meaningful. Just all-around a great achievement in game design.

sur le web said:
With Disco Elysium ZA/UM repurposed old school RPG systems into an approximation of how the human brain works and it...worked. Couple that with the best writing in games this side of Planescape: Torment and you've got one of the best games of the year (if not ever).

Uzzy · Jan 25, 2020

vastag said:
EUIV is one of the greatest grand strategy games ever and it continues to have a great expansion support.

Teggy said:
I didn't like strategy games. Until Xcom 2.

Stoze said:
To this day I have never played a puzzle game with as euphoric or as numerous earth-shattering, mind-blowing eureka moments and epiphanies as The Witness. There might be more well rounded puzzle games like The Talos Principle, or more perfectly and elegantly designed puzzle games like Stephen's Sausage Roll, but they don't come close to providing as nearly as wholly revelatory of experience. Playing it back in 2016 brought out a level of obsession and satisfaction that has not been matched for me in gaming since then.

Pennyfish said:
Another innovative puzzle game.

Nyzme32 said:
A game that actually improved upon a genre untouched over previous decades

eonden said:
A great combination of strategy and role-playing, with some of the best emergent story-telling, allowing every single playthrough to feel unique and make you want to try more and weirder decisions. The DLC and continuous support of the game through the decade expanded it and made it one of the best games of all time.

zoku88 said:
I truly think CK2 is one of the best games ever made. In fact, I wouldn't hesitate to give it as the answer to the classic 'desert island game' question. It's a perfect fusion of RPG and strategy. I think the Romance of the Three Kingdoms games should aspire to be like it. When you play, it feels like you are making a story and every time you play, the story is different. Endless playing.

oipic said:
Crusader Kings II grew and evolved as the 2010s did, and blossomed into perhaps the greatest strategy title of all time. A sprawling delight of simulated medieval shenanigans.

Ibuki said:
One of my favorite games of all time, let alone this decade. Wonderful writing and choice and consequence make for the best Fallout game.

Cecil said:
I had to check a couple of times, while making this list, that this game really was released this decade. That it was released in October 2010 and still stands as the best game of the decade says nothing about the quality of the other titles, but rather about itself. The perfect combination of old RPG mechanics, newer open world presentation, a serious tone, dark humour, and a premise and a goal that's way more interesting then "save the world".

Fantastapotamus said:
There's always the risk of the recency effect but I feel fairly confident that I will still think about Disco Elysium, Revanchol and Detective Raphaël Ambrosius Costeau for a long time.

ShironRedshift said:
Disco Elysium is a truly wonderful experience all around. Wonderful writing, wonderful set of characters, and it's definitely a game where I felt like my choices ended up mattering. The only grievances I have with it are a few annoying skill checks/dice rolls along the way, but those are minor flaws well worth dealing with, especially for the pay off of seeing how everything tied together and wound up at the end. Just a wonderful experience.

Parsnip said:
Portal 2 is just a puzzler in its prime and still an absolute blast to play today.

Nappael said:
Incredible puzzle designs, and great writing.

Chairmanchuck said:
Dark Souls offered an atmospheric world where you could get lost in with lots of lore and it really made me happy playing it.

ArjanN said:
"The Dark Souls of..."

XR. said:
Dark Souls redefined action RPGs for me. The sheer amount of unique ideas and how they successfully made it all work so seamlessly with the whole world design is extraordinary. I still find it enjoyable after 700 hours in total and I can always find new things to discover.

Premium Ghoul said:
Eternally influential across a number of genres, and it's a game I can play again and again without tiring of it. To me Dark Souls is like a warm blanket.

Morrigan said:
Souls games have renewed my love of gaming, and Dark Souls spearheaded this style that became so dear to me. Even if I possibly prefer many things about the sequels and even its predecessor Demon's Souls, the original has become so iconic that it's easily my game of the decade.

bmdubya said:
It's a game that I think about constantly, even not having played it in the last four years.

Mivey said:
The perfect blend of open-world exploration, and with a focus on a strong overarching narrative. Greatly improved gameplay. And presentation is quite superb too. The culmination of a great RPG series, and something that has truly pushed the bar on what a AAA RPG can be, with massive influence in the industry at large.

Got the Shakes said:
I think this is one of the best games ever made and still holds up today.

Malakiax said:
I love almost everything about The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, the great characters, the amazing quests, the world building, the dialogue, the choices, I even love the combat. Never a game clicked with me the same way The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt did. It isn´t just my game of the decade, it's my favorite game of all time, one of the Greats. The only thing I don't like about The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt is gwent, I hate it.

Uzzy · Jan 25, 2020

Just keeps on going.

You mean this isn't in the fate universe?

Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs got a sequel too. Thankfully this is far better.

Having to put this at the end of all these great games. Urgh. Goddamnit Bioware. Those of you who voted EGS even though that's not a game, I see you.

Thank you to everyone who voted, listed below, and everyone in the PC Gaming ERA community for making it as great a place as it is, was and can be again.

itsamiracle, Chairmanchuck, eonden, Fantastapotamus, Premium Ghoul, His Majesty, admataY, Adam Kallin, bmdubya, Aaron D., Joe Spangle, Battlechili, Naarmight, ShironRedshift, Dr.Acula, InquisitorAles, Morrigan, ultimate_sigh, Saucepan Man, Mivey, Mugen, Wok, lazerfox, Gevin, AHA-Lambda, Clowns, zoku88, rabathehutch, Parsnip, Anno, Tizoc, SteveWinwood, Violet, spinalscratch, SuikerBrood, Ibuki, kafiend, Chance Hale, Teggy, vastag, ArjanN, karnage10, Nappael, Merkunt, Got the Shakes, cyba89, Mentalist, oipic, MJunioR, Malakiax, daxy, z1ggy, XR., Kilbane65, Stoze, @Resident Evil 2 (2019) (Please identify yourself, wonderful user!), sur le web, spineduke, grandwizorb, Dakath, Th3rd, Pennyfish, Cecil, Nzyme32, Stop It

Mifec · Jan 25, 2020

Thank you for all the work Uzzy and to everyone that voted. The only real choices won both decade and goty awards.

edit: damn I almost cut your post in two.

Buttzerker · Jan 25, 2020

Hell yeah. Go Witcher and Disco!

Wok · Jan 25, 2020

Great job, Uzzy!

SteveWinwood · Jan 25, 2020

Thanks for putting it all together Uzzy !

I love reading people's thoughts on Disco Elysium. Like all really good pieces of art people could take 20 different things from it than the 20 you did and I love hearing about what they found interesting about it.

Stoze · Jan 25, 2020

Those are some quality games.

Parsnip · Jan 25, 2020

I'm surprised that the Souls vote didn't get fractured more between the 3 games.

Kilbane65 · Jan 25, 2020

I'm kinda wondering now if the Netflix show helped W3 garner more votes, it was my #1 and I admit I had binged the show a few weeks prior.

Deleted member 15476 · Jan 25, 2020

Uzzy great job. Now reveal the real GOTD

ghostcrew · Jan 25, 2020

Disco Elysium is my number three GOTY in my top ten list and I absolutely cannot argue with anyone who thinks it's the best game of the year. It's a phenomenal piece of work. I adore it.

Shout out to Bloodstained too! Thanks Uzzy

svacina · Jan 25, 2020

itsamiracle said:
Uzzy great job. Now reveal the real GOTD

Not even as a joke.

arcadepc · Jan 25, 2020

Well deserved! Have not voted but if I did I'd chosen Steel Beasts Pro PE as #1.

Shake Appeal · Jan 25, 2020

I, uh, should have voted. But great lists.

Sim · Jan 25, 2020

Thank for the effort, Uzzy.

TrishaCat · Jan 25, 2020

RE2 is sooooooooo good and I'm so glad to see it got the love it deserves.
Super happy to see Hollow Knight in the GOTD section too! ~~Cave Story+ was robbed tho~~

Ramble · Jan 25, 2020

Wonderful ~~shopping list~~ thread, thank you Uzzy for your hard work.

Chance Hale · Jan 25, 2020

Glad Pathologic 2 managed to scrape its way into the top 10 for goty lol

Morrigan · Jan 25, 2020

Thanks for working on this, Uzzy.

Classy takes:
- Congrats to Disco Elysium. It's not a game I'm likely to ever play (maybe if controller support happens) but I'm happy that it won.
- Congrats to Hollow Knight for placing so high in GOTD.
- Congrats to the best Fallout for taking a well-deserved spot in the GOTD.

Now for the salt:
- Sekiro got robbed.
- Dark Souls got robbed.
- RE2make is a good game but massively overrated and all those REMakes are getting silly af.

I have spoken.

PennyStonks · Jan 25, 2020

Thanks Uzzy. Now I am an official game critic

zoku88 · Jan 25, 2020

Happy that EU4 and CK2 got the respect that they deserve. Very unsurprising that Witcher won (I think it was like my number 2 or 3.) Truly a great game.

I recieved my index shortly after this voting ending, but since Beat Saber is the only VR game I own, I guess I would have voted for that as well.

Deleted member 14192 · Jan 25, 2020

Overall a good list, a bit salty Civ 5 didn't make it tho.

MRORANGE · Jan 26, 2020

Amazing work Uzzy !

PC Gaming ERA Game of the Year 2019 & Game of the Decade Poll Results - Dyskoteka Elizjum

Uzzy

Gabe’s little helper

Uzzy

Gabe’s little helper

Uzzy

Gabe’s little helper

Mifec

Buttzerker

Powerhouse Protector / Self-requested ban

Wok

SteveWinwood

Stoze

Parsnip

Kilbane65

Deleted member 15476

User requested account closure

ghostcrew

The Shrouded Ghost

svacina

arcadepc

Shake Appeal

Sim

TrishaCat

Ramble

Chance Hale

Morrigan

Spear of the Metal Church

PennyStonks

zoku88

Deleted member 14192

User requested account closure

MRORANGE

Nice thread btw :)