Welcome back once again to

The 7th Annual

Unofficial Starmen.net Member’s Choice Awards

… or Starman Supers for short. It’s the awards show containing games nominated by Starmen.net users like you!

Winners are in bold. Runners-up are italicized. If there is no name in the Nominated By column they were added by me. See a full summary here!

Firstly, I’d like to take this opportunity to welcome back BlueDraco. Nice to see you mate, where have you been? We’ve missed you!
Secondly here come my picks;

Legacy Category (15 years)- Osu! Tatakae! Ouendan! While certainly rough around the edges and lacking any kind of fan translation (or an ability to skip the opening storyboards) it certainly maintains a quirky charm that somehow still holds up today. A necessary piece to add to any lover of the DS era’s collection.

Most promising ROM hack (EarthBound)- MOTHER 2 Deluxe. The vast amount of quality of lie changes that have been made in the last year have certainly made it difficult to return to playing the base game. messianic has truly moved heaven and earth for his magnum opus and deserves all the recognition he can get.

Most Promising Game Made By A Forum Member- Rhyselinn’s “Nuclear Springtime” . A post-apocalyptic farming simulator with a heavy emphasis on story? Sign me up!

Nicest Surprise- (Controversial pick considering the countless number of dead people) The Pandemic. To be honest being stuck inside most of this last year has brought with it some of the best days of my life; I’ve reconnected with my aunt and uncle and my best friend, My Mum has finally trusted me with the use of a PC at all times and a bunch of other responsibilities with makes me feel more grown up than ever, I’m on top of my college work (I’m actually ahead of the class in fact) and plans have been set in motion for me to move out into my own flat at 18! BEST HUMANITARIAN CRISIS EVER!

The Casey Bat (Awarded to the forum’s best baseball player)- Drake Inferno for beating He Who Shall Not Be Named at America’s pastime. TWICE!

The Smirnoff for the forum’s best comedian- The Lost Brood for this: https://forum.starmen.net/forum/General/Discussion/The-Big-General-How-Art-Thou-Faring-Topic/2271198

The Tony for the grrrrrrrreatest opening post- Jenifergates3 for starting the tea thread (https://forum.starmen.net/forum/General/Discussion/What-s-your-favorite-kind-of-tea/page/1#post2271097) And yes, I am nominating a bot; but you have to remember this bot sure created one hot topic! Hahahaha!

The Riddler for the best riddlemaster- Panadopolis for upholding our sacred ritual when no-one else could be arsed.

The Mario Bros. Award for the best thing done as a pair- J-Spade and Broomweed for creating the forum spy webhook for the discord. Have you seen that thing? It knows man, it knows!

I’ll save those for later! Remember, to fill up the table with more categories, you need to nominate for Game of the Year or Best Non-Nintendo AAA Game! (I edited the rules a bit to allow GotY noms to count towards unlocking)

BlueDrago:

For most categories, eligible games are ones that were released between December 1, 2019 and November 30, 2020. Games currently only out in Japan or China may not be eligible if there is a planned western release for 2021 or later (on a case-by-case basis). For multiplatform games, the earliest release date is used.

Please read the rules before making another nomination, Andounuts.

I’d like to nominate Yakuza: Like A Dragon for GOTY and non-Nintendo AAA.

vid:

I’d like to nominate Yakuza: Like A Dragon for GOTY and non-Nintendo AAA.

I second this

I nominate Paper Mario: The Origami King for Best Visual/Graphical Art Direction. The game nails its paper aesthetic while also just looking incredibly pretty overall, from the enemies and Vellumentals to the design of the game’s dungeons and world itself.

My nomination for most anticipated game is…

I’m tired of watching videos saying things like “It’s coming next year because Nintendo posted this random image on Twitter!”

As for the best Visual thingy, though it didn’t come out this year…

Though it came out a few years back, this game is BEAUTIFUL. My eyes were just addicted to the graphics in the opening cutscene. It amazed me then, and still does. That’s why I’m nominating it.

Accepted Nominations:

• Paper Mario: The Origami King for Sights
• Pac-Man for Legacy 40
• Smash Bros Ultimate for Best DLC, etc. (As “Smash Bros. Ultimate – Fighters Pass vol. 2 (Min Min, Steve)”)

Vid or Giygas999, could you defend your nomination for Like a Dragon? I’m sure it’s good, but I was a little trigger happy on that one and rules are rules.

I’m not going to accept rumors for Most Anticipated Game. If it’s not announced, it’s not happening. Also I am very strict on the date requirement. It has to be from this year (well, December to November) unless the category says otherwise.

BlueDrago:

Vid or Giygas999, could you defend your nomination for Like a Dragon?

I want to put Yakuza: Like a Dragon on the board because it’s a game that serves underrepresented members of the community without just being trauma porn. Your main character is a middle-aged man who just re-entered the world after spending the last eighteen years in prison, and suddenly has to come to terms with the technological and societal leaps we’ve made in that time. Ichiban (the main character) isn’t a grizzled gangster out to get vengeance, he’s just a normal dude who’s trying to get by (who also happens to want to be a Hero, just like in Dragon Quest…). It’s a game that treats houseless people and sex workers with respect and agency, instead of just being window dressing on the edge of someone else’s “gritty” storyline.

The beat’em up combat has been replaced with turn-based RPG style battles for the first time in the series, and in doing so allows the characters to go even more over the top with their combat options. You’re also given all of the tender moments, the ridiculous laughs, and the hard boiled seriousness of the Yakuza series, but presented in a fresh new package through the eyes of a new protagonist. While the game doesn’t do anything NEW in terms of gameplay, the things it does are done with an extraordinary amount of love and polish.

I’d like to nominate Myst for most anticipated game. No, that’s not a typo. And you could easily argue against its inclusion on the basis of it being a 2020 remake of a 2000 remake of a game that released in 1993. And I’d be very excited to have that argument with you. I’d easily spend an hour explaining to you about how Myst has always been presented as a fictionalized version of real events, and how there are hints in the latest trailer and screenshots that seem to indicate that this will be a much more accurate telling of what actually happened back in thhe 1800s. I’d be so delighted to tell you about how this was the game that finally got me to bite the bullet on a VR setup, so I could revisit those strange worlds in the highest fidelity possible. And I fully accept that it would sound like the ravings of a mad man.

Let me tell you about Myst.

Best update- Super Mario Maker 2 for adding the world editor. Now we can make full SMB fangames! Legally!

I can’t think of one for the new one, but I did think of one for "Most Anticipated Game

This game has been in development for a while, and its creator posted an update about how its going recently.

Accepted Nominations

• Deltarune for Most Anticipated (as “Deltarune: Chapter 2 (And Beyond)”)
• The Sequel to Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild for Most Anticipated

Super Mario World technically was released on 21 November 1990 in Japan but I’m guessing this is for NA games only.

As for America, I nominate Super Mario Bros. 3. Released on February 12th, 1990 as Lincoln’s birthday gift. Strangely this game took nearly two years to travel to Americas, must have took the Mayflower route. It was also advertised in the last few scenes of The Wizard, a 90 minute Nintendo Commercial, released in theaters around Holiday times 1989.

Ah, but that was 1994. One game that did release in 1990 that was very influential (though not nearly as much as its predecessor) was Dragon Quest 4. It had a fairly complex and certainly memorable story, and was just all around fun. As such, that is my nomination for GotY 90.

If by “soon”, you mean in 2023, then yeah. I only do Legacy Awards for decade anniversaries, sorry. Otherwise it wouldn’t be fair to all the games that aren’t Super Mario Bros. 2.

I’m never sure what to do about Japan vs. Western release dates for Legacy Awards. I try to stick to the Western dates if possible, but I keep letting it slide for a few popular games for some strange reason.

EDIT: I just checked and SMB3 won Legacy 30 in 2018 from this exact loophole. This is awkward.

Accepted Nominations

• Super Mario Bros. 3 for Legacy 30
• Dragon Quest 4 for Legacy 30 (As “Dragon Warrior IV”)

New Category:

Best Port, Remake, or Remaster

This category should help people with their problem of not playing new games this year. Did you play, perhaps, an old game made new again? Or maybe you just really like that old game and are glad that it’s getting a new audience.

I’ll let you guys in on a secret: you technically don’t have to have played the games you nominate! There just needs to be a good reason you think it deserves it.

It’s a reference to a popular video game comedy youtuber.

_{super mario bros. 2 game of the year every year baybeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee}

Uh you could make a new category for buggest game launch of 2020 and add CyperBunk 2077.

Best remake: Mother Remake

So, to clarify, Best Narrative and Best Game Design would be for games from this year specifically, right?

2010? RED DEAD REDEMPTION ALL THE WAY
As for 2000, I say The Sims or Paper Maerio.

Do I have to say why? It should be obvious.

Game of the year 2010
Xenoblade Chronicles (Bear in mind my experience of the game comes from the wii u virtual console version.)
And man, have I got a chain attack of reasons why. As a matter of fact…
Reyn! You’re up!

“Okay, so what you’ve got here is a wonderfully gripping action RPG. The large regions of Bionis and Mechonis make for some countless hours of exploration and discovery that I have yet to see challenged by any other title I’ve beat to date; they are and amazing showcase of what this funny little console with an oblong controller can do. And all are so memorable. Ask me how to get from colony 9 to colony 6 on foot, I DARE YOU!”
“Dunban! Your turn!”

“And then comes the sound track, a metal-orchestral mashup that never misses a beat and always knows just how best to convey the emotions that the player needs to feel at any one point in time. Take the following example, the theme for fighting a unique monster: You Will Know Our Names.”

“I can scarcely get this song out of my head…”
“Riki! Don’t mess up!”

“OOOOOH! Riki reeeeally love the story! Full of brilliant twists and turns, the tale of the greatest heropon is worth every hour you put into it. As for Sulk and friends, Riki love them too! Very good soild characterization, Riki may add. The heart to heart system gives each friend a chance to develop and become more engaging, and it delivers what it promises. Makes Riki care about friends, too, which Riki doesn’t experience from many other games. Xenoblade’s attention to how it’s story is presented makes Riki happy, HAPPY HAAAAAPY!”

(Yikes! I wrote more for that that I thought would be necessary. I guess it goes to show what an impression has left on me if I’m that hell bent on writing my reasons for nominating in the main characters’ vernacular. And that’s why Xenoblade is my game of the year 2010.)

For Best Port, Remake, or Remaster, I will nominate Professor Layton and the Unwound Future HD for Mobile, which launched back in July this year.

I only got into the Layton series earlier this year, but quickly fell in love with it (much as I did with Mother a few years ago), with Unwound Future becoming one of my favourite games thanks to the gorgeous animated cutscenes, lovely soundtrack, and engaging characters and storyline – oh, and of course the fun if occasionally frustrating puzzles.

The HD remaster takes all that and updates the game with clean, crisp artwork (for example, here’s what sample dialogue looks like between the original and the HD remaster.) The improvement is especially noticeable with the cutscenes, which can now be seen in their full, detailed glory (again, original and remastered). As an artist, it’s wonderful to have such high-quality reference images!

Plus, releasing the game on mobile means that it can both introduce new fans to the series and make it more accessible for established fans (Unwound Future first launched as a DS title in 2010, and like the other Layton titles can be hard to find and expensive nowadays).

The release was even promoted with an art contest, which I suppose isn’t directly relevant for the puposes of this nomination, but was a really cool chance to see the love, dedication, and of course lovely art of fans from all over the world.

Accepted Nominations

• Xenoblade Chronicles for Legacy 10
• Professor Layton and the Unwound Future HD for Port, Remake, or Remaster
• Pikmin 3 Deluxe for Port, Remake, or Remaster

Drake, go ahead and do your writeup for Pokémon Black & White. I don’t want to let Andounuts’ exceptional Chain Attack go to waste, so I’ll let you in too.

1. Yes! You just can’t nominate the same game for more than one category in the same group. So Nominating Game A and Game B to Best Indie Game would be okay, but Nominating Game C to both Best Narrative and Best Soundtrack wouldn’t. However, Nominating Game D to Nicest Surprise and Best Port/Remake/Remaster is fine!
2. I’m not going to take Minecraft this year. I’ve gotta draw the line somewhere, so we’ll go by the Java 1.0 release.