Our NZGamer.com 2009 Rubber Duckie Award Winners are announced!
NZGamer.com is pleased to announce the winners of the inaugural Rubber Duckie Awards, in association with JB Hi-Fi. 2009 was a massive year, and the huge numbers of voters are testament to the feverish popularity surrounding some of the year's triple-A titles.
NZGamer.com received over 6,500 votes from the New Zealand gaming public, putting the fans at the heart of the accolades.
JB Hi-Fi have kindly donated a grand's worth of games for one lucky voter, who is announced below!
So without further ado, the winners of the NZGamer.com 2009 Rubber Duckie Awards!
Best Online Gameplay
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2With fourteen multiplayer modes across sixteen multiplayer maps, dozens of unlockable weapons and a seemingly never-ending set of ingame Challenges to try and beat, Modern Warfare 2 packs in a lot of multiplayer goodness.
In fact the game has a crazy fourteen multiplayer modes and even adds a new feature perfect for those not wanting to venture into a frag frenzy of deathmatch known as Spec Ops. Read Review
Runner-up: Left 4 Dead 2
Best Downloadable Title
Shadow ComplexShadow Complex is about shooting things, which is good as that's what the game does best. Quite often I lost track of my objectives and just ran around shooting guys just because it's satisfying; the storyline is just there to make sure you actually progress through the game. With this type of game, the biggest incentive to keep playing is to see what's hidden around the next corner. Shadow Complex has some simply amazing set pieces. Read Review
Runner-up: Pixel Junk Shooter
Best New IP
Dragon Age: OriginsDragon Age is a very nicely delivered RPG with loads of content to explore, plenty of replayability and genuine options to choose in the branching dialogue.
It's BioWare, it's good and it's about time. If you're even remotely interested in RPG gaming, get into it without hesitation. Read Review
Runner-up: Borderlands
Biggest Disappointment
Terminator: SalvationVisually Terminator: Salvation matches the gameplay and is an equally dull affair. Repetitive textures and environments combined with awkwardly animated character models take the shine off the relatively impressive explosion and particle effects. The voice-acting of John Connor is lifeless and wooden (although at least it’s in line with Christian Bale’s acting) and the script is extremely tedious. Read Review
Runner-up: Ghostbusters
Most Surprising Game
Batman: Arkham AsylumWhat ought to strike you first is a) the game's impressive graphics and tres noir style, keeping it real, and b) the fantastic voice acting of the Joker. From the first, Arkham Asylum promises to be a treat. You'll be happy to know it goes on delivering.
NZGamer.com would hope that our reviews help game-hungry Kiwi buyers make informed decisions, but it is seldom put quite as clearly as this: do yourself a favour. Go buy it.
Read Review
Runner-up: Borderlands
Best Handheld Game
GTA: Chinatown WarsI love that Rockstar managed to package up everything we love about Grand Theft Auto and deliver it on handheld systems that can go with you anywhere. There's a whole criminal underworld in here - perhaps not as impressively rendered as in the console versions - but it fits right in your pocket.
Stealing cars, shooting up the bad guys (at least, the badder guys) and leaving a trail of criminal mischief is what these games are all about, and any doubts about whether the format could make the shift from your couch to the bus should go out the window pretty much as soon as you boot it up. Read Review
Runner-up: Scribblenauts
Best Fighting Game
Tekken 6It’s been more than four years since we last saw Tekken on the consoles. Just for nostalgia alone it was great to see the series back outside of the arcades; but more importantly, for the first time on next-gen consoles.
Tekken 6 is definitely a worthy return for the series and incorporates plenty of online action as well with versus and team-matches all available via Xbox Live. The only thing you’ll need after this is an arcade stick controller to really show off your chops. Highly recommended if you have a serious grudge against grizzly bears too. Read Review
Runner-up: Street Fighter IV
Best Music / Rhythm Game
Guitar Hero 5Overall this game delivers everything you would expect and shows that there is still life in the music/rhythm video game genre yet. Guitar Hero is doing its best in this area with the amazingly detailed inbuilt GHMusic Studio that allows players to create their own tracks and post them online.
Guitar Hero 5 still rocks the set and is a must buy for those getting a tad bored with World Tour. Read Review
Runner-up: Rock Band 2
Best Sports Game
Forza Motorsport 3Forza 3 may have 'something for everyone', but for me the heart of the game is how damn satisfying a good lap feels in the hot lap mode. And I guess at the end of the day, the most important thing in a driving game is how much fun you have kissing the apex. The competitors have a lot of work to do to eclipse this as the premium car game. Read Review
Runner-up: FIFA 10
Best Adventure / RPG Game
Assassin's Creed 2There is little doubt that fans of the first Assassin’s Creed will find plenty more to sink their teeth into this time around. The sequel possesses hours of extra activities, a more complicated plot and still manages to maintain a great gameplay engine while adding some much appreciated tweaks to expand the controls slightly. The soundtrack is superb though and the voice acting excellent as well, making Assassin’s Creed 2 a riveting and very attractive gaming experience. Read Review
Runner-up: Uncharted 2
Best Action / Shooter Game
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2Modern Warfare 2 wastes no time in throwing you deep into the action. Immediately you’ll find yourself shipped out to the frontline in a city under siege in the Middle East. Surrounded by team-mates falling all around you, bullets ricocheting off destroyed cars and the enemy holding the high ground you realise that your gun is suddenly your new best friend. In this same area you and your men will be driving through the narrow streets of a crumbling, dusty city in a hum-vee where (you guessed it) all Hell breaks loose. Read Review
Runner-up: Halo ODST
Overall Game of the Year 2009
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2There is no doubt that Activison and developers Infinity Ward have caught people’s attention.
Overall this globe-spanning, action packed first person shooter is right on the money. It not only raises the bar for the quality we’ve come to expect from Call of Duty titles, it sets a new standard for the entire genre.
The game constantly adds something new to the mix without straying too far from the traditional first-person shooter formula and was definently worth the wait for fans everywhere. Read Review
Runner-up: Uncharted 2
Thanks to JB Hi-Fi, all those that voted in the NZGamer.com Rubber Duckie Awards went in the draw to win $1000 worth of games from JB Hi-Fi.
We are pleased to announce the winner as:
Richard Imber
Congratulations!
We are pleased to announce the winner as:Richard Imber
Congratulations!
Congratulations to all our winners, and we'd like to thank everyone that voted (over six and a half thousand of you!). We'd also like to extend a big thanks to the New Zealand gaming industry who continue to support us, along with our sponsor for the awards, JB Hi-Fi.
We're happy to say our official NZGamer.com Duckie Award trophies have flown the nest, and our now gracing the offices of all our award-winners:
Tolan from Microsoft with Best Sports Game, Best Downloadable Title and runner-up for Best Action / Shooter.
Mark from Namco Bandai with Best Fighting Game, and Most Surprising Game.
Best New IP Duckie Trophy at the EA offices. Congrats Jemma and Keri!
Ant and Duane from Monaco with Best Adventure / RPG Game and Biggest Disappointment.
Katie and Sally from PlayStation with runner-up awards for Overall Game of the Year, Adventure / RPG Game, and Downloadable Title.
Best Handheld Game Duckie Trophy at the Rockstar offices. Congrats Adrian!
Teresa and Aaron from Activision with Overall Game of the Year 2009, Best Action / Shooter Game, Best Online Gameplay and Best Music / Rhythm Game.
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COMMENTS (52)
Damnation was totally one of the best games of 2009. I'm serious.
Man xbox fanboys came in and voted Fifa 10 out of its prize!
Surprising results to be honest.
I wonder what it was like posing for a photo with the 'most disappointing' rubber ducky?
I wonder what it was like posing for a photo with the 'most disappointing' rubber ducky?
LOL 'Ant and Duane from Monaco with Best Adventure / RPG Game and Biggest Disappointment.'
-"Uhhhh, thanks"
-"Uhhhh, thanks"
By the way, I can't believe Guitar Hero 5 won over DJ Hero. DJ Hero is amazing, Guitar Hero 5 is a rehash, and a poor one at that.
Not too sure bout MW2 getting overall game of the year either...
Not too sure bout MW2 getting overall game of the year either...
Smackdowm Vs Raw 2010 missed out on best fighter? Ah well, Tekken 6 is awesome. Nice ducks.
wow, scribblenauts got runner up for best handheld game.
that's... a... surprise?
that's... a... surprise?
Surprised that Scribblenauts got that runner-up after the hard time it received. I would have probably given the best handheld game award to Henry Hatsworth.
It's good to see that Batman: Arkham Asylum won something. :)
It's good to see that Batman: Arkham Asylum won something. :)
really, AC2 was great, but i would have thought UC2 would have won.
Oh and congrats Richard Imber who ever you are (not me).
Surprise MW2 cleaned up!
Surprise MW2 cleaned up!
Congrats to Richard Imber! You lucky S.O.B.
Those pictures are rad. Those duckies are righteous.
Bit suprised AC2 beat out UC2, but hey, we're a whole different demographic to other awards. And wow MW:2 motored through some of the prizes!
AND YAY BATMAN WINNING ONE! WOOT!
Those pictures are rad. Those duckies are righteous.
Bit suprised AC2 beat out UC2, but hey, we're a whole different demographic to other awards. And wow MW:2 motored through some of the prizes!
AND YAY BATMAN WINNING ONE! WOOT!
Oh and Ant and Duane from Monaco must have been with so much joy to see that they had won the award for biggest disappointment.
Imo some shocking wins but meh, duckies for everyone.
Some ok results, sort of agree with some and surprised at some. yay to dragon age, borderlands, batman -happy they got something whether winner or runnerup
The fact that Aion didn't win biggest disappoint is probably because no one played it. So I guess that's a consolation prize for me.
Otherwise, pretty predictable I guess. I would have taken Shatter over Shadow Complex though...
Otherwise, pretty predictable I guess. I would have taken Shatter over Shadow Complex though...
That's how the public voted!
so is anyone on nzgamer that Richard Imber guy?
wow gh5 surprised me! wouldve thought rb2 or djh wouldve taken it... but yeah, probably the fairest "GOTY" listing ive seen in ages.
Modern Warfare 2 no way.
AC II no way.
Guitar Hero 5 no way.
Screw the public. Your will is madness!
AC II no way.
Guitar Hero 5 no way.
Screw the public. Your will is madness!
As in.. Game of the Year.
It's a lot better than MW2, which is only good for online play >.<
It's a lot better than MW2, which is only good for online play >.<
By "over 6,500 votes" do you mean like, An actual decent number to grade games reception on?
of course not, you got the generic console driven results you want anyway. You might as well have just asked any 14 year old with a PS3, and saved yourselves some time.
of course not, you got the generic console driven results you want anyway. You might as well have just asked any 14 year old with a PS3, and saved yourselves some time.
MW2 is the most broken/buggy/glitchy game i've played, how did that win GOTY? O_o
UC2 robbed.
UC2 robbed.
I rented MW2 over the weekend and it is not a bad rental at all! Along with Tony Hawk RIDE, Guitar Hero 5 and DJ Hero.
"By "over 6,500 votes" do you mean like, An actual decent number to grade games reception on?
of course not, you got the generic console driven results you want anyway. You might as well have just asked any 14 year old with a PS3, and saved yourselves some time."
6 500 is generally considered pretty statistically sound. sure there's a lot of confounds but still, one would imagine it represents a population pretty well. I would also take a guess and say that sales of the above games back themselves up.
Maybe they're console driven because more people are playing consoles these days? I don't know the stats but anecdotally it seems sound.
Pretty much though, just stop whining
of course not, you got the generic console driven results you want anyway. You might as well have just asked any 14 year old with a PS3, and saved yourselves some time."
6 500 is generally considered pretty statistically sound. sure there's a lot of confounds but still, one would imagine it represents a population pretty well. I would also take a guess and say that sales of the above games back themselves up.
Maybe they're console driven because more people are playing consoles these days? I don't know the stats but anecdotally it seems sound.
Pretty much though, just stop whining
1 April 2010, 07:53 AM
Reply to ChatterboxZombie
By "over 6,500 votes" do you mean like, An actual decent number to grade games reception on?
of course not, you got the generic console driven results you want anyway. You might as well have just asked any 14 year old with a PS3, and saved yourselves some time.
Yeah, it's not a big deal zombie. The mainstream always wins. The GOTY polls are the Oscars of gaming. You hardly ever see an upset.
By "over 6,500 votes" do you mean like, An actual decent number to grade games reception on?
of course not, you got the generic console driven results you want anyway. You might as well have just asked any 14 year old with a PS3, and saved yourselves some time.
TEKKEN!! WOO!!
And you guys need to call 'Mark from Namco Bandai' to hook me up with one of those there posters :P
And you guys need to call 'Mark from Namco Bandai' to hook me up with one of those there posters :P
How did terminator get biggest disappointment? Everyone knew it was going to be sh*t. I found it better than I thought it would be; it still sucked ass though.
1 April 2010, 12:46 AM
Reply to Chris Redfield
Modern Warfare 2 no way.
AC II no way.
Guitar Hero 5 no way.
Screw the public. Your will is madness!
I really do hope you have played Assassins Creed II to release that it truly is a gem that deserves so much more praise despite how positive the praise may already be.
Modern Warfare 2 no way.
AC II no way.
Guitar Hero 5 no way.
Screw the public. Your will is madness!
biggest disappointment wasn't KZ2? :| - that game had So much hype and it was terrible! only thing it had going was graphics... but that doesn't make a game - gameplay does.
(i play MW2) but the online with this game but it really sux. So many whining kids / hacking! / and lag. does not make for an award winning experience.
I cant comment on the rest of the stuff as i havnt played all those games so i guess well done to you guys! :D
(i play MW2) but the online with this game but it really sux. So many whining kids / hacking! / and lag. does not make for an award winning experience.
I cant comment on the rest of the stuff as i havnt played all those games so i guess well done to you guys! :D
1 April 2010, 11:22 PM
Reply to Soyerz
I really do hope you have played Assassins Creed II to release that it truly is a gem that deserves so much more praise despite how positive the praise may already be.
Yeah, and what?
I really do hope you have played Assassins Creed II to release that it truly is a gem that deserves so much more praise despite how positive the praise may already be.
It truly does deserves the award it was given.
Stupid! GH5 has nothing on RB2, I've had RB2 since about March 2009 and still play it heaps and with any Guitar Hero game after III were rubbish and I can't stand them.
Glad to see AC2 getting a win..
Two biggest disappointments for me was,
Guitar Hero 5, 'Rock Band Beatles' didn't even get a mention, and that game was awesome.
Forza3 beating Fifa10 is a crime also. :D
Two biggest disappointments for me was,
Guitar Hero 5, 'Rock Band Beatles' didn't even get a mention, and that game was awesome.
Forza3 beating Fifa10 is a crime also. :D
In da trash, where it belongs
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