NOMINEES
- Gauntlet: Dark Legacy (PS2)
- Grand Theft Auto III (PS2)
- Final Fantasy X (PS2)
- Myst III: Exile (PC)
- Golden Sun (GBA)
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2001 Game of the Year - Golden Sun
To this day, the first Golden Sun remains one of the very few original, non-remake or port GBA games that I own. It was also the game that showed me that outstanding and fun, non-Pokemon RPGs were possible on a handheld. Golden Sun really has it all: an epic storyline, amazing graphics, an inspired soundtrack, a memorable cast of characters, and an accessible battle system that is very enjoyable to toy around with. Sure, it didn't come without some low points. For instance, dialogue is sometimes seemingly endless when some characters stop to chat or discuss something. But, that's really all I can think of as a low point right now. Hunting down Djinn is exciting, if not just because it's one more Djinni you can use to boost character stats. Also, the world is so full of magic and diverse people and places that it's a lot of fun to come back to Weyard every once in a while.Essentially, Golden Sun was to GBA-owning RPG fans last decade what Uncharted is to PS3 owners today.
Runner-up: Final Fantasy X
Back in 2001, for some reason, FFX got me as excited as I had been for FFVII before I owned a PS1. There was just something about the very first trailer that came on a demo disc from OPM that just fascinated me. It drew me in. As a result, I managed to convince my three close friends (this was while I was a sophomore in high school) to each get a PS2 for this game alone.It was beautiful, the music was haunting, and the battle system was frenetic and strategic. The Sphere Grid was something we'd never seen anything like before. From start to finish, it was a great game.
Runner-up: Gauntlet: Dark Legacy
This game beat out GTA3 as a runner-up simply because to this day, it still makes its way into my PS2 from time to time. It's essentially just an arcade hack-'n-slash, but it was the diverse cast of playable characters, the motivation to level the characters up, the diversity of the music and realms, and the overall aesthetic that have kept me coming back even nine years after its release.
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