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Game of the Decade: Division Finals
[Update: The division finals are over! Check out the Final Four and place your next vote.]
Grand Theft Auto III. Oblivion. Rock Band. What do those three games have in common? They are not your Game of the Decade. The voters were harsh and emphatic in the Round of 16, eliminating half of the field, most of them by blowouts. The closest matchup: Oblivion vs. Star Wars: KOTOR. The latter took it by an 8 percent margin on almost 1,900 votes.
Now, it's your task to select the division champions who will advance to the final four. In each division, we're checking in with a member of the Game Trust to see who they're casting their votes for. Don't let it sway your opinion, though—not that you ever would.
Eight games are left in the brackets below. When polls close on Tuesday at 6:00 p.m. Eastern, only four will remain. Four games will be so close to decadal triumph they can taste it. Do not bestow this honor lightly; choose carefully!
<!-- BRACKET -->
<!-- DIVISION 1 -->
| Koopa Division | |||
|---|---|---|---|
|
<!-- MATCHUP 1 --> 16. Nintendogs <!-- /MATCHUP 1 --> |
<!-- MATCHUP 9 --> 8. Super Smash Bros. Melee <!-- /MATCHUP 9 --> |
<!-- MATCHUP 13 --> 8. Super Smash Bros. Melee <!-- /MATCHUP 13 --> |
<!-- MATCHUP 15 --> 8. Super Smash Bros. Melee <!-- /MATCHUP 15 --> |
|
<!-- MATCHUP 2 --> 8. Super Smash Bros. Melee 9. Wario Ware Inc.: Mega Microgame$! <!-- /MATCHUP 2 --> |
|||
|
<!-- MATCHUP 3 --> 5. Paper Mario 12. Animal Crossing <!-- /MATCHUP 3 --> |
<!-- MATCHUP 10 --> 12. Animal Crossing <!-- /MATCHUP 10 --> |
||
|
<!-- MATCHUP 4 --> 13. Jet Grind Radio <!-- /MATCHUP 4 --> |
|||
|
<!-- MATCHUP 5 --> 6. Okami 11. Ico <!-- /MATCHUP 5 --> |
<!-- MATCHUP 11 --> 11. Ico 14. Psychonauts <!-- /MATCHUP 11 --> |
<!-- MATCHUP 14 --> 14. Psychonauts <!-- /MATCHUP 14 --> |
|
|
<!-- MATCHUP 6 --> 3. The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker 14. Psychonauts <!-- /MATCHUP 6 --> |
|||
|
<!-- MATCHUP 7 --> 10. Pikmin <!-- /MATCHUP 7 --> |
<!-- MATCHUP 12 --> <!-- /MATCHUP 12 --> |
||
|
<!-- MATCHUP 8 --> 15. Boom Blox <!-- /MATCHUP 8 --> |
|||
<!-- /DIVISION 1 -->
<!-- DIVISION 2 -->
| Alucard Division | |||
|---|---|---|---|
|
<!-- MATCHUP 1 --> 1. BioShock 16. Star Wars: The Force Unleashed <!-- /MATCHUP 1 --> |
<!-- MATCHUP 9 --> 1. BioShock 9. Portal <!-- /MATCHUP 9 --> |
<!-- MATCHUP 13 --> 1. BioShock <!-- /MATCHUP 13 --> |
<!-- MATCHUP 15 --> 1. BioShock 3. Half-Life 2 <!-- /MATCHUP 15 --> |
|
<!-- MATCHUP 2 --> 8. Eternal Darkness: Sanity's Requiem 9. Portal <!-- /MATCHUP 2 --> |
|||
|
<!-- MATCHUP 3 --> 12. Diablo II <!-- /MATCHUP 3 --> |
<!-- MATCHUP 10 --> <!-- /MATCHUP 10 --> |
||
|
<!-- MATCHUP 4 --> 13. Dead Space <!-- /MATCHUP 4 --> |
|||
|
<!-- MATCHUP 5 --> 6. Fallout 3 11. Dragon Quest VIII: Journey of the Cursed King <!-- /MATCHUP 5 --> |
<!-- MATCHUP 11 --> 6. Fallout 3 3. Half-Life 2 <!-- /MATCHUP 11 --> |
<!-- MATCHUP 14 --> 3. Half-Life 2 <!-- /MATCHUP 14 --> |
|
|
<!-- MATCHUP 6 --> 3. Half-Life 2 14. Dead Rising <!-- /MATCHUP 6 --> |
|||
|
<!-- MATCHUP 7 --> 10. Demon's Souls <!-- /MATCHUP 7 --> |
<!-- MATCHUP 12 --> 15. LEGO Star Wars <!-- /MATCHUP 12 --> |
||
|
<!-- MATCHUP 8 --> 2. Perfect Dark 15. LEGO Star Wars <!-- /MATCHUP 8 --> |
|||
<!-- /DIVISION 2 -->
<!-- DIVISION 3 -->
| Chocobo Division | |||
|---|---|---|---|
|
<!-- MATCHUP 1 --> 16. Bejeweled <!-- /MATCHUP 1 --> |
<!-- MATCHUP 9 --> 8. Deus Ex <!-- /MATCHUP 9 --> |
<!-- MATCHUP 13 --> 4. Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic <!-- /MATCHUP 13 --> |
<!-- MATCHUP 15 --> 4. Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic <!-- /MATCHUP 15 --> |
|
<!-- MATCHUP 2 --> 8. Deus Ex 9. Braid <!-- /MATCHUP 2 --> |
|||
|
<!-- MATCHUP 3 --> <!-- /MATCHUP 3 --> |
<!-- MATCHUP 10 --> 4. Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic <!-- /MATCHUP 10 --> |
||
|
<!-- MATCHUP 4 --> 4. Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic <!-- /MATCHUP 4 --> |
|||
|
<!-- MATCHUP 5 --> 11. Lumines <!-- /MATCHUP 5 --> |
<!-- MATCHUP 11 --> 11. Lumines 14. Peggle <!-- /MATCHUP 11 --> |
<!-- MATCHUP 14 --> 14. Peggle <!-- /MATCHUP 14 --> |
|
|
<!-- MATCHUP 6 --> 14. Peggle <!-- /MATCHUP 6 --> |
|||
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<!-- MATCHUP 7 --> 7. The Sims 10. Mass Effect <!-- /MATCHUP 7 --> |
<!-- MATCHUP 12 --> 7. The Sims <!-- /MATCHUP 12 --> |
||
|
<!-- MATCHUP 8 --> 15. Killer 7 <!-- /MATCHUP 8 --> |
|||
<!-- /DIVISION 3 -->
<!-- DIVISION 4 -->
| Bo Jackson Division | |||
|---|---|---|---|
|
<!-- MATCHUP 1 --> 16. Ratchet & Clank <!-- /MATCHUP 1 --> |
<!-- MATCHUP 9 --> 8. Soulcalibur II <!-- /MATCHUP 9 --> |
<!-- MATCHUP 13 --> 4. Gears of War <!-- /MATCHUP 13 --> |
<!-- MATCHUP 15 --> 14. Left 4 Dead <!-- /MATCHUP 15 --> |
|
<!-- MATCHUP 2 --> 8. Soulcalibur II 9. God of War <!-- /MATCHUP 2 --> |
|||
|
<!-- MATCHUP 3 --> 12. SSX <!-- /MATCHUP 3 --> |
<!-- MATCHUP 10 --> 12. SSX 4. Gears of War <!-- /MATCHUP 10 --> |
||
|
<!-- MATCHUP 4 --> 4. Gears of War <!-- /MATCHUP 4 --> |
|||
|
<!-- MATCHUP 5 --> 6. Advance Wars 11. Guitar Hero <!-- /MATCHUP 5 --> |
<!-- MATCHUP 11 --> 6. Advance Wars 14. Left 4 Dead <!-- /MATCHUP 11 --> |
<!-- MATCHUP 14 --> 14. Left 4 Dead 7. Rock Band <!-- /MATCHUP 14 --> |
|
|
<!-- MATCHUP 6 --> 3. Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare 14. Left 4 Dead <!-- /MATCHUP 6 --> |
|||
|
<!-- MATCHUP 7 --> 7. Rock Band 10. Burnout <!-- /MATCHUP 7 --> |
<!-- MATCHUP 12 --> 7. Rock Band 15. Battlefield 1942 <!-- /MATCHUP 12 --> |
||
|
<!-- MATCHUP 8 --> 2. Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty 15. Battlefield 1942 <!-- /MATCHUP 8 --> |
|||
<!-- /DIVISION 4 -->
<!-- /BRACKET -->
Next page: Koopa and Alucard Division voting!
<!-- ******** PAGE BREAK ******** -->
@@
Koopa Division
The People's Choice is still being heard. You asked for Super Smash Bros. Melee to be placed in the bracket, and you've kept it there in convincing fashion ever since. Now comes the Colossus, still going strong in its own right. Unstoppable force, meet immovable object.
Ask the Game Trust: Who Are You Voting For?
Evan Narcisse: I see Super Smash Bros. Melee and Shadow of the Colossus as opposite poles of what console gaming offered over the last decade. On one hand, Super Smash Bros. Melee (and Super Smash Bros. Brawl, its gajllion-selling follow-up on the Wii) exemplifies a social experience. On the other hand, Shadow of the Colossus sends you on a glum journey through a barren landscape where you never feel powerful enough to do what needs doing. To me, Colossus operates on a purer level than the fan service that powers the Super Smash series. It delivers a simple yet affecting way of engaging with the world and its enemies, and puts the player inside a new mythology. It gestures at artfulness, and that's why Shadow of the Colossus is getting my vote.
<!-- DIVISION 1 -->
| Koopa Division | |||
|---|---|---|---|
|
<!-- MATCHUP 1 --> 16. Nintendogs <!-- /MATCHUP 1 --> |
<!-- MATCHUP 9 --> 8. Super Smash Bros. Melee <!-- /MATCHUP 9 --> |
<!-- MATCHUP 13 --> 8. Super Smash Bros. Melee <!-- /MATCHUP 13 --> |
<!-- MATCHUP 15 --> 8. Super Smash Bros. Melee <!-- /MATCHUP 15 --> |
|
<!-- MATCHUP 2 --> 8. Super Smash Bros. Melee 9. Wario Ware Inc.: Mega Microgame$! <!-- /MATCHUP 2 --> |
|||
|
<!-- MATCHUP 3 --> 5. Paper Mario 12. Animal Crossing <!-- /MATCHUP 3 --> |
<!-- MATCHUP 10 --> 12. Animal Crossing <!-- /MATCHUP 10 --> |
||
|
<!-- MATCHUP 4 --> 13. Jet Grind Radio <!-- /MATCHUP 4 --> |
|||
|
<!-- MATCHUP 5 --> 6. Okami 11. Ico <!-- /MATCHUP 5 --> |
<!-- MATCHUP 11 --> 11. Ico 14. Psychonauts <!-- /MATCHUP 11 --> |
<!-- MATCHUP 14 --> 14. Psychonauts <!-- /MATCHUP 14 --> |
|
|
<!-- MATCHUP 6 --> 3. The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker 14. Psychonauts <!-- /MATCHUP 6 --> |
|||
|
<!-- MATCHUP 7 --> 10. Pikmin <!-- /MATCHUP 7 --> |
<!-- MATCHUP 12 --> <!-- /MATCHUP 12 --> |
||
|
<!-- MATCHUP 8 --> 15. Boom Blox <!-- /MATCHUP 8 --> |
|||
<!-- /DIVISION 1 -->
<!-- ******** KOOPA DIVISION POLLS ******** -->
Alucard Division
Many in the Crispy offices picked GTA3 to make it into the championship match. No. 1 seed BioShock had something to say about that, though, eliminating the Rockstar classic by a margin of 300 votes. Half-Life 2 is not impressed: It beat Batman: Arkham Asylum by a whopping 1,351-vote margin, the biggest drubbing of the round by far.
Ask the Game Trust: Who Are You Voting For?
John Teti: I'm voting for BioShock because it is one of the most unforgettable gaming experiences I've had in my life. The pivotal twist in the plot was so subtly set up -- and so stunning as a result -- that no game has topped it since. BioShock not only made a bold statement in that moment about the illusion of choice in games, but the broader work also provided a compelling political counterpoint to the über-libertarianism of Objectivism. That is the type of thoughtful discourse this medium is capable of, and few exemplify it so well as BioShock did.
<!-- DIVISION 2 -->
| Alucard Division | |||
|---|---|---|---|
|
<!-- MATCHUP 1 --> 1. BioShock 16. Star Wars: The Force Unleashed <!-- /MATCHUP 1 --> |
<!-- MATCHUP 9 --> 1. BioShock 9. Portal <!-- /MATCHUP 9 --> |
<!-- MATCHUP 13 --> 1. BioShock <!-- /MATCHUP 13 --> |
<!-- MATCHUP 15 --> 1. BioShock 3. Half-Life 2 <!-- /MATCHUP 15 --> |
|
<!-- MATCHUP 2 --> 8. Eternal Darkness: Sanity's Requiem 9. Portal <!-- /MATCHUP 2 --> |
|||
|
<!-- MATCHUP 3 --> 12. Diablo II <!-- /MATCHUP 3 --> |
<!-- MATCHUP 10 --> <!-- /MATCHUP 10 --> |
||
|
<!-- MATCHUP 4 --> 13. Dead Space <!-- /MATCHUP 4 --> |
|||
|
<!-- MATCHUP 5 --> 6. Fallout 3 11. Dragon Quest VIII: Journey of the Cursed King <!-- /MATCHUP 5 --> |
<!-- MATCHUP 11 --> 6. Fallout 3 3. Half-Life 2 <!-- /MATCHUP 11 --> |
<!-- MATCHUP 14 --> 3. Half-Life 2 <!-- /MATCHUP 14 --> |
|
|
<!-- MATCHUP 6 --> 3. Half-Life 2 14. Dead Rising <!-- /MATCHUP 6 --> |
|||
|
<!-- MATCHUP 7 --> 10. Demon's Souls <!-- /MATCHUP 7 --> |
<!-- MATCHUP 12 --> 15. LEGO Star Wars <!-- /MATCHUP 12 --> |
||
|
<!-- MATCHUP 8 --> 2. Perfect Dark 15. LEGO Star Wars <!-- /MATCHUP 8 --> |
|||
<!-- /DIVISION 2 -->
Next page: Chocobo and Bo Jackson Division voting!
<!-- ******** PAGE BREAK ******** -->
@@
Chocobo Division
Was this the decade of casual gaming? Not according to the voters, who banished Peggle by a two-to-one margin in favor of World of Warcraft. In this round, it's the Battle of Games Whose Acronyms Are Fun to Say, as KOTOR clashes with WOW.
Ask the Game Trust: Who Are You Voting For?
Ryan Kuo: I'm voting for World of Warcraft, even though I have still never played it. I was fearful of its influence and played Guild Wars instead. That was a nice grind, sort of like KOTOR was fundamentally a nice grind. Knights of the Old Republic had a better Star Wars story than the last three films. But the story of WoW transcends its game narrative. It's become a cultural watershed, a grind that isn't always so nice, and that's why it's getting my vote.
<!-- DIVISION 3 -->
| Chocobo Division | |||
|---|---|---|---|
|
<!-- MATCHUP 1 --> 16. Bejeweled <!-- /MATCHUP 1 --> |
<!-- MATCHUP 9 --> 8. Deus Ex <!-- /MATCHUP 9 --> |
<!-- MATCHUP 13 --> 4. Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic <!-- /MATCHUP 13 --> |
<!-- MATCHUP 15 --> 4. Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic <!-- /MATCHUP 15 --> |
|
<!-- MATCHUP 2 --> 8. Deus Ex 9. Braid <!-- /MATCHUP 2 --> |
|||
|
<!-- MATCHUP 3 --> <!-- /MATCHUP 3 --> |
<!-- MATCHUP 10 --> 4. Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic <!-- /MATCHUP 10 --> |
||
|
<!-- MATCHUP 4 --> 4. Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic <!-- /MATCHUP 4 --> |
|||
|
<!-- MATCHUP 5 --> 11. Lumines <!-- /MATCHUP 5 --> |
<!-- MATCHUP 11 --> 11. Lumines 14. Peggle <!-- /MATCHUP 11 --> |
<!-- MATCHUP 14 --> 14. Peggle <!-- /MATCHUP 14 --> |
|
|
<!-- MATCHUP 6 --> 14. Peggle <!-- /MATCHUP 6 --> |
|||
|
<!-- MATCHUP 7 --> 7. The Sims 10. Mass Effect <!-- /MATCHUP 7 --> |
<!-- MATCHUP 12 --> 7. The Sims <!-- /MATCHUP 12 --> |
||
|
<!-- MATCHUP 8 --> 15. Killer 7 <!-- /MATCHUP 8 --> |
|||
<!-- /DIVISION 3 -->
<!-- ******** CHOCOBO DIVISION POLLS ******** -->
Bo Jackson Division
Bo knows this division was the most exciting one to watch in this round. As noted in the comments, through much of the day on Friday, these matches were separated by only a handful of votes. But then Halo pulled away, and soon after, Left 4 Dead followed suit. Which do you prefer, deathmatch or co-op? The answer to that question will have major bearing on the result of this final Bo Jackson division matchup.
Ask the Game Trust: Who Are You Voting For?
Kyle Orland: Left 4 Dead over Halo. Halo brought the existing PC first-person shooters to the consoles better than any game before it, but Left 4 Dead reinvented the genre with an effortless, organic focus on cooperative play and emergent, adaptive difficulty. That's why it gets my pick.
<!-- DIVISION 4 -->
| Bo Jackson Division | |||
|---|---|---|---|
|
<!-- MATCHUP 1 --> 16. Ratchet & Clank <!-- /MATCHUP 1 --> |
<!-- MATCHUP 9 --> 8. Soulcalibur II <!-- /MATCHUP 9 --> |
<!-- MATCHUP 13 --> 4. Gears of War <!-- /MATCHUP 13 --> |
<!-- MATCHUP 15 --> 14. Left 4 Dead <!-- /MATCHUP 15 --> |
|
<!-- MATCHUP 2 --> 8. Soulcalibur II 9. God of War <!-- /MATCHUP 2 --> |
|||
|
<!-- MATCHUP 3 --> 12. SSX <!-- /MATCHUP 3 --> |
<!-- MATCHUP 10 --> 12. SSX 4. Gears of War <!-- /MATCHUP 10 --> |
||
|
<!-- MATCHUP 4 --> 4. Gears of War <!-- /MATCHUP 4 --> |
|||
|
<!-- MATCHUP 5 --> 6. Advance Wars 11. Guitar Hero <!-- /MATCHUP 5 --> |
<!-- MATCHUP 11 --> 6. Advance Wars 14. Left 4 Dead <!-- /MATCHUP 11 --> |
<!-- MATCHUP 14 --> 14. Left 4 Dead 7. Rock Band <!-- /MATCHUP 14 --> |
|
|
<!-- MATCHUP 6 --> 3. Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare 14. Left 4 Dead <!-- /MATCHUP 6 --> |
|||
|
<!-- MATCHUP 7 --> 7. Rock Band 10. Burnout <!-- /MATCHUP 7 --> |
<!-- MATCHUP 12 --> 7. Rock Band 15. Battlefield 1942 <!-- /MATCHUP 12 --> |
||
|
<!-- MATCHUP 8 --> 2. Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty 15. Battlefield 1942 <!-- /MATCHUP 8 --> |
|||
<!-- /DIVISION 4 -->
<!-- ******** BO JACKSON DIVISION POLLS ******** -->
[Update: The division finals are over! Check out the Final Four and place your next vote.]
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Comments
I would like to play this games. They are so interesting.
I wished I played some of these games though (still haven't gotten a hand on Psychonauts, Golden Sun, and Mass Effect yet).