Game of the Year 2004 Awards: Best Graphics
Myrthos, 2005-02-20

The last couple of weeks you could vote for the best RPGs and MMORPGs that have been released in 2004. Not us but you the player decide who receives the RPGDot 2004 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 2004.

Best Graphics in an RPG
Graphics, some need the best looking game out there and some couldn't care less. But this is not about how good the game is, this is about how great it looks and how stunning it is at times.

The winner: Vampire - Bloodlines
There were always high expectations for the graphics in Vampire: Bloodlines. The first game to license Half-Life's Source engine, the expectations built by Valve's Godzilla were palpable. Ultimately, while some were disappointed that Bloodlines fell short of Half Life's graphical heights, it was clearly the only RPG to push the envelope in 2004 and established a new watermark for the genre. Certainly the graphics succeeded in establishing the sinister and bloody atmosphere but it was the facial animation system that stole the show: the superb facial emotions in Bloodlines' NPCs added a new layer of depth and life - arguably demonstrating for the first time how good graphics in an RPG could genuinely improve the gameplay.

(Dhruin)

Runner Up: Thief - Deadly Shadows
Even if the game mechanics of "Thief: Deadly Shadows" were perceived as 'dumbed down' and 'oversimplified' by many Thief veterans, the third installment in the series excels in the graphics department. Dynamic lighting, realistic shadows... with the help of modern graphics and physics engines the game world's visuals have been completely overhauled, yet haven't lost anything of the rough steampunk charm of the predecessors. There had been worries the freshly added (optional) 3rd person perspective might distract from the gripping, immersive atmosphere, but not only is the feature of great use in helping the player navigate tight corners and scale high walls, it also turned out to be quite an attractive way to play the game (and perhaps a lure for fans of MGS or Splinter Cell - both proof of the success of 3rd person-only sneakers). Unfortunately, the rendered FMVs don't reach the quality (or capture the essence) of the hand-painted cutscenes of the first two games, yet all visuals combined make for a solid second place!

(Jaz)

Second Runner Up: Deus Ex - Invisible War
One of the bitter ironies of Deus Ex: Invisible War is that its success visually is inversely proportional to its success as a game. Or to put it more simply: Dues Ex = great gameplay, ugly visuals, Deus Ex: Invisible War = deeply flawed gameplay, nice to look at. If all it took to make a successful video game was beautiful, atmospheric settings, detailed and attractive character models, masterful lighting, and rag doll physics (however overdone), Deus Ex: Invisible War would be a masterpiece. Of course, it isn't. But it sure does look good.

(Limesix)

The Numbers
To make it complete we now give you the top 10 as voted by our visitors:

And 14% of the voters didn't have a clue about what to select.

The team members voted slightly different, with spellforce being third and Deus Ex not making it into the top 5:

List of the awards
Awards on RPGDot:
Best graphics
Best Sound and Music
Biggest Surprise
Biggest Disappointment
Most Anticipated
Dream Game
Best Console RPG
Best Non-RPG
Best RPG

Awards on MMORPGDot:
Best graphics
Best Sound and Music
Biggest Surprise
Biggest Disappointment
Most Anticipated
Dream Game
Best Expansion MMORPG
Best MMORPG

Note that percentages are rounded to the nearest number.