The Awesome and Cool Poll Thread - Poll #131: Would you pay more taxes if it meant receiving a pension when you retire?

[Master]

Looks like it ended up going to Astro Bot. Honestly, while it was a fun game and brought back a sense of joy that I've missed in games of late, I don't think it was some sort of outstanding achievement in games that warranted that kind of award. Not to downplay it, and I hope it brings a renewal of 3D platforming, but...I think there were other games that probably could've fit the mold a bit more.

[DaveRattlehead]

Totally agree. It looks like a fun game, but honestly, the game isn't really as good as other previous Mario games which weren't awarded. I'm not gonna say it's an insult to the game industry, because you look at the game and you see there was a lot of passion making it, but I don't think it was GOTY material.

That said, I think it's time to move on! Any ideas for the next poll?

[Greengoop]

Who do you think would win in a death battle: Doomguy or Master Chief?

[Hunchman801]

I haven't played anything this year, and I hadn't heard about any of these until someone mentioned Astro Bot on the wiki recently.

[EdgyRabbid]

I dont think i even played a game that came out this year, so based off of vibes imma say Astro bot

[The Jonster]

I don’t know any of these games so I picked none. My answer is probably irrelevant anyway since I’ve never watched one of these GOTY award shows in the first place .

[Greengoop]

You haven’t heard of Astro bot?

[The Jonster]

Nope. Is that a robot sent out into space? All I know is that people thought some new Rayman gig was coming from its credits.

[EdgyRabbid]

Raymans in the game now lol

[Greengoop]

Nope. Is that a robot sent out into space? All I know is that people thought some new Rayman gig was coming from its credits.

And rightly so! And that’s putting it lightly, I guess

[Master]

Nope. Is that a robot sent out into space? All I know is that people thought some new Rayman gig was coming from its credits.

So Astro Bot is effectively the evolution of a side-game that kicked off way back when the PS4 had launched. Take a look here for some detail: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Astro_Bot_(series)

But effectively, the series properly kicked off with Astro Bot: Rescue Mission, a VR platforming game on the original PSVR. I've never played it, but from what I've heard it was a pretty interesting take on the platformer genre combined with VR, solidly taking the principles of 3D platforming and giving you a unique perspective as you were effectively in the same world controlling Astro. After that Astro's Playroom was a pack-in with the PS5, which was effectively a tech-demo for the PS5's hardware and the DualSense controller, it was a pretty fun but standard 3D platforming experience that tried to also show off how the DualSense could be used for haptics and gameplay.

Now Astro's Playroom I did play to completion, and while I wouldn't call it revolutionary when it comes to being a 3D platformer title, it was a fun time, but it was also the point where they started the whole references shtick. Astro Bot is effectively an expansion to what Astro's Playroom did, with more levels and ideas that build on what Playroom did. The game is pretty solid and a lot of fun, not gonna deny that at all. But it's not what I'd call revolutionary, though I won't deny I would like to see more of it simply because 3D platformers are a bit of a niche these days and having one that was as solid and fun as Astro Bot was is always a plus imo.

I think the point of controversy for some is how Astro Bot has become very referential. This started in Playroom, which I think most folks found endearing at the time given Playroom's role as a kickstart for the PS5 generation, so it was seen as a sortof lookback and kicking off of the PlayStation's history at that big moment. But Astro Bot, solid as it is, I know some folks find the references to be a bit distracting and besides the point. I'll admit personally don't mind it too much (mostly because there's a lot of now-obscure franchises I liked that got shout-outs), but I can see how some might feel that game might not getting to shine on its own merits as a consequence. That being said, I think even without the references, the presentation of the game is still pretty charming and I think that's why it gave me a sense of joy I don't really feel with a lot of first party PS titles these days, it had the vibe of the older eras of PlayStation.

Anyways, there's my ramble on Astro Bot, charming and fun, but not exactly pushing new territory.

[Adsolution]

I'm still very convinced Wukong should've won, and, I don't want to sound like a nut, but I feel like they didn't want to give a chinese studio that kind of recognition. That and there's a pretty obvious Sony bias imo.

[Greengoop]

Since it’s that festive time of year again, how about for the next poll: what is your favourite Christmas song?

[Adsolution]

Since it’s that festive time of year again, how about for the next poll: what is your favourite Christmas song?

How would one make a poll out of that, since there are so many? Unless you mean out of the english kids' classics like jingle bells, frosty, rudolph, etc, but I don't think any of those are going to be anyone's favourite when there are so many more interesting ones out there

[Greengoop]

I mean, like, the ones that are always in the Christmas Spotify albums, like All I want for Christmas is you, Fairytale of New York etc. but only the most notable ones, since there’s not enough space for everything!

[Hunchman801]

I would assume that for most people it's got to be a song in their native language so there may be a lot of options...

[The Jonster]

I have never heard of Fairytale of New York. Am I missing something here?

[Adsolution]

Yeah - I love the question, but I'm not sure if it's great for how forum polls function. Even if you include like 30 options, probably half of everyone's not gonna find theirs on there, and you'll probably just get a bunch of 1's, which aren't very fun poll results.

My favourite is In Dulce Jubilo, a traditional German chorale, which I don't think anyone would think of or War Is Over by John Lennon, if I had to pick something you'd find in a spotify playlist

[Greengoop]

How about we put the notable English ones as the priority, as there seems to be more of them, then fill the remaining spaces with popular French/German etc songs

I have never heard of Fairytale of New York. Am I missing something here?

Nah, don’t worry, you’re only missing out on the best Christmas song ever (imo, of course )

[PluMGMK]

It's definitely the best Christmas song ever despite one unfortunate choice of insult that hasn't aged well. Celtic Punk ftw! (At least I guess that's the genre, given that that's how the Pogues are generally described!)