RPGDot 2003 Awards: Best Non-RPG
The RPGDot Team, 2004-01-15

The last couple of weeks you could vote for the best RPGs and MMORPGs that have been released in 2003. Not us but you the player decide who receives the RPGDot 2003 Awards in the various categories. We thank all those who entered their votes and helped us in making it possible to select the best games of 2003.

Best Non-RPG
We're sure our visitors like to play non-RPG's also. There were 140 different entries but which ones did you think were the best?

The winner: Call of Duty
You're squatting in a leaky barge as it crosses the river towards Stalingrad. Luftwaffe planes buzz the surface of the water, sending hundreds of your fellow Russian soldiers to the bottom. When you reach the dock, you're handed....bullets. Welcome to World War II. It isn't very pretty.

Call of Duty is the latest in a long line of recent World War II based First Person Shooters, but it's just so good because of the changes it makes to the genre. What Medal of Honor started with the excellent control scheme, lovely graphics and fast-paced action, Call of Duty perpetuates with a killer story. You're not Johnny Hero. The war does not revolve around you, and if you die it's not going to make a bit of difference. These are the lessons pounded into you again and again throughout the course of the Call of Duty storyline. It's very humbling and extremely fun. If you've been itching for some good old fashioned shoot em' up, Call of Duty fits the bill while expanding the future of first-person gaming. This game readily deserved first place.

(Dialogue)

Runner Up: Max Payne 2
If Half-Life 2 had been released on schedule, Max Payne 2 might have been considered a good but overshadowed shooter. As it turned out, Max Payne 2 had arguably the best visuals of any 2003 game, with impressively sharp, near-photorealistic texture maps, superb animation and great use of the Havok physics engine. Of course, Max Payne 2 also featured some outstanding action sequences and some memorable levels. The pulp detective film-noir story could be overly melodramatic and it was outrageously short but throw in high production values all round and bullet time and it's little wonder our readers thought Max Payne 2 was the best non-RPG of 2003.

(Dhruin)

Second Runner Up: Grand Theft Auto 3: Vice City
GTA3 was a phenomenal success with open-ended gameplay that allowed players to take on the role of a petty criminal in a simulated city - all built around a huge array of drivable vehicles with great physics and damage models. Rockstar North's sequel keeps the same basic freeform gameplay of GTA3 and adds improved graphics, a new setting, motorcycles, planes, boats and a great ‘80s soundtrack. Whether it's the challenging missions or just cruising around doing whatever takes your fancy, Vice City is just plain fun.

(Dhruin)

We, the RPGDot team also voted to create our own top 5:

Max Payne 2 and GTA scored high in the team as well.

Note that percentages are rounded to the nearest number.

Overview of all awards on RPGDot
 Best Sound
 Best Graphics
 Best Atmosphere
 Biggest Surprise
 Biggest Disappointment
 Most Anticipated
 Dream Game
 Best RPG/RPG-Strategy Expansion
 Best Non-RPG
 Best RPG-Strategy
 Best RPG

Overview of all awards on MMORPGDot
 Best Sound
 Best Graphics
 Best Atmosphere
 Biggest Surprise
 Biggest Disappointment
 Most Anticipated
 Best Expansion
 Best MMORPG