Game of the Year 2004 Awards: Dream Game
Myrthos, 2005-02-23

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.

Dream Game
If only there was a game, a game that would be made by someone somewhere. If only dreams came true...
Until they do, you wished these games were in development.

The winner: Fallout Online
When Interplay announced the licensing of Fallout to Bethesda they also revealed that they were keeping the right for a MMORPG based on this post-apocalyptic universe. For someone not aware of the past actions of this compagny this can sound good but for those who know how Interplay failed to make a good use of Fallout (Van Buren's cancellation, F:BoS) this is not a dream but a nightmare. Hopefully, with no money left in the bank, no developers in the house we have some big chance to not see it made by Interplay.

(JRM)

Runner Up: Gothic Online
While it is quite questionable whether the current known game world of the Gothic series would suffice for an MMORPG with thousands of players in the same virtual space, it isn't too hard to understand that fans of the series would love to explore the entire world of Gothic that is hinted at in the backstory and in conversations with NPCs throughout the single player games. The ingredients are there... an original universe that should be fun to explore, different factions with a cause, and if Piranha Bytes would be able to transfer the breathing game world with its life-like NPCs/mobs to an online world, then it'd be a dream come true for any Gothic fan with an interest in MMORPGs or just any fantasy MMORPGer for that matter. Will it ever happen? Unlikely... but never say never.

(Moriendor)

Second Runner Up: Elder Scrolls Online
In a time where it seems that nearly every RPG developer is either exclusively MMORPG or developing one alongside their single-player offerings, Bethesda Softworks has stubbornly stuck to their guns in developing exclusively single-player RPGs. One of the most frequently asked questions - first in Morrowind interviews and now for their upcoming Oblivion - is whether the games will include an online component, and while this is likely at least partly a result of the media's fascination with online gaming, it also reflects the growing number of RPG fans who like their adventures deep, non-linear, and immersive, but who also want to play online with their friends. Whatever your take on single-player vs. multiplayer, it's not hard to imagine how well Bethesda's unique and highly-developed world could translate to an MMORPG. With four single-player adventures and an almost infinite wellspring of lore behind them, will Bethesda turn their attention to an Elder Scrolls MMORPG after the release of Oblivion? They're not saying, but if they do, the genre better get ready for a contender.

(Limesix)

The Numbers
To make it complete we now give you the top 9 as voted by our visitors:

The team members list didn't show a winner. All who voted had another game in the top and all are in the above top 10 as well.

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.