Another year has completely flown by and with that another year of our GOTY Awards comes to a close, here's the results of the Linux 2017 GOTY Awards, as voted by you!
Some categories didn't get a huge amount of votes, likely category fatigue since we had 16 of them. A little overkill, so we will probably tone it down a bit for next year to help with that. Also keep in mind, these are only the Top 10 from each category, there were plenty more votes for games that didn't reach the top, so keep that in mind.
First up, let's take a look at what the current Favourite fully open source game is: 0 A.D. is the winner!
The developers behind 0 A.D. have put in an incredible amount of effort into making the game look as good as possible. I'm always blown away by the quality of it and I look forward to watching it grow as the developers continue getting it ready for a final release.
I have to say, I'm not even the tiniest bit surprised by what the current Favourite FOSS project is for Linux gamers: Wine is the winner!
Wine is always a hot topic, as there's extremes on both sides of the Wine argument. You have to be impressed by what the Wine developers have been able to achieve though, to be able to play some well-known and popular titles on Linux without needing Windows is good for a lot of people dipping their toes into Linux gaming for the first time. It certainly helped me stay interested in Linux in the early days, so I fully appreciate it.
I have to say, what was voted as having the Best graphics for a game released in 2017 did take me by surprise: HITMAN is the winner!
I wouldn't say HITMAN was a bad looking game, far from it (and I certainly enjoy it), however it's certainly not something I would have considered to be top here. That's the fun of voting, I like knowing what you think!
As for the Best story for a game released in 2017: Planescape: Torment: Enhanced Edition is the winner!
Some real tough choices for best story, my personal favourite was probably Observer! I was absolutely hooked on Observer from start to finish, it was quite an experience.
Ps. Yes, I am well aware Planescape is an older title, but it wasn't officially on Linux until 2017 with the Enhanced Edition release.
The Most promising Early Access game in 2017 was incredibly close, there's only one winner here though: Factorio is the winner!
I'm so totally torn by the best EA game, I love so many of them! With the exception of Black Mesa that crashed on me last I played, I've enjoyed a lot of time in each of those EA games, a very hard category for me to vote in that's for sure.
In the Best update released in 2017 it seems Croteam got a lot of love: Serious Sam Fusion 2017 (beta) is the winner!
Again, not surprising. Croteam put out Vulkan support quickly and their games are well supported on Linux. The Fusion engine was a great thing for us Linux gamers too, since it gives us proper access to the older Serious Sam titles in an official and supported way.
Next up, Best free game released in 2017: Doki Doki Literature Club! is the winner!
I guess I really should try Doki Doki soon then…
Feral Interactive and Croteam battled it out for this one—Best version quality & performance released in 2017: DiRT Rally is the winner!
That's some serious competition there, but DiRT Rally was not only a release many Linux gamers wanted, it turned out the Linux version was really quite good too! I regularly boot it up to do daily runs and have a blast, especially after watching The Grand Tour, I can't help but load it up for a blast. There's also a regular community tournament going on for DiRT Rally, check it out in our forum.
We made this category a little tough, I will admit, as we bundled what could have been multiple categories together. Even so, the competition was fierce for Best audio of a game released in 2017: Hollow Knight is the winner!
Our Friday livesteamer Samsai will be upset his beloved Pyre didn't win…
It was absolutely no contest here for the Best DLC release in 2017: XCOM 2: War of the Chosen is the winner!
Surprised? I'm certainly not! XCOM 2: WotC was an absolutely massive expansion to the strategy game XCOM 2. For me, it's absolutely hands-down the best DLC release last year. It made a game I already enjoyed, even better.
The Biggest surprise Linux release of 2017: HITMAN is a winner again!
Personally, I was more surprised by F1 2017. I'm still surprised to this day, but hopefully it's a sign that racing games on Linux are doing okay.
And here's the Best local multiplayer gamer released in 2017: Gang Beasts is the winner!
Here we have the Best online multiplayer game released in 2017: Ballistic Overkill is the winner!
I'm shocked by this, considering the popularity of Ballistic Overkill has taken a nosedive, must be a bunch of hardcore fans on Linux! I honestly thought Tooth and Tail or possible Faeria would have grabbed this one!
Taking everything into account, the Overall best Linux game released in 2017: HITMAN is the winner!
Personally, I thought the Favourite Linux game porter of 2017 category was going to be quite obvious: Feral Interactive is the winner!
I personally feel that Feral Interactive firmly deserve to be at the top of such an award category. They put out some really fantastic Linux games, a lot of which I enjoy regularly and I'm sure we will see more this year! Well done to all the others too, you're all doing amazing work for Linux gaming!
Finally, let's see what you voted as your Most anticipated game for 2018: Rise of the Tomb Raider is the winner!
It seems there's a lot of people that think Rise of the Tomb Raider is coming to Linux, despite there not being any confirmation yet! I wonder how many of those titles will actually launch for Linux this year? It's going to fun to find out. I'm sure there's plenty more people haven't even thought about.
Congratulations to every game that was nominated, that made it to the Top 10 lists above and the winners!
2017 was great, let's make 2018 even better!
Article taken from GamingOnLinux.com.
I think you need to calm down a little.I'm trying, I'm truing! I'm TRYINGGGGG, GOGGAMN!!!! :D
No, seriously, I've got the hint.
Half-Life 3 doesn't even exist, Squadron 42 hardly exists, Cyberpunk 2077 doesn't exist yet either.
Rise of the Tomb Raider does exist, it's already released as a full game on Windows and people suspect it's a possible port from Feral, just look at the replies here. So yes, there are indications.
OK. But, just for the sake of clarification, you do know people have been seeing "indications" for all those aforementioned games since who knows what time, don't you? And, Windows release speaks nothing about forthcoming Linux release (see "The Witcher 3", for example). Feral may drop hints however they want, this does not prove a thing (I do remember those "The Witcher 3 coming to SteamOS™" banners, thank you!
).Last edited by Alm888 on 22 January 2018 at 7:59 pm UTC
That is why I didn't bother voting. I usually play a couple of games during the year, but put a lot of hours in each.
I think that GOL should just give out these rewards without voting and maybe add one "User Choice" category for most popular game.
Exactly.
It's what I've stubbornly argued for the last couple of years. :)
An award like this under a bit more editorial control would just lift it up to the level it deserves to be. It would make it so much more interesting if there were well argued reasoning behind the winners (and even the nominees).
An example of a category where a reader voting could work, is "most anticipated" - that's something many can have an opinion of as long as they read GOL regularly. But as for those categories that requires every nominee to have been played - we better leave that to the one guy amongst us who has. :)
"Rise of the Tomb Raider" should be excluded from the list entirely!
[...]being absolutely no indication they ever will be?
I think you should calm down a bit too :)
With the first already been released for Linux and Feral also sitting on Rise Of for Mac plus hints of them preparing a Linux release, I'd say it's a bit more than just wishful thinking even though it's not officially confirmed yet. It's just a question of when, as far as I'm concerned. And considering the age of the game, I'd say they would be wise in giving it priority.
Last edited by Beamboom on 22 January 2018 at 8:07 pm UTC
I think you need to calm down a little.I'm trying, I'm truing! I'm TRYINGGGGG, GOGGAMN!!!! :D
No, seriously, I've got the hint.
Half-Life 3 doesn't even exist, Squadron 42 hardly exists, Cyberpunk 2077 doesn't exist yet either.
Rise of the Tomb Raider does exist, it's already released as a full game on Windows and people suspect it's a possible port from Feral, just look at the replies here. So yes, there are indications.
OK. But, just for the sake of clarification, you do know people have been seeing "indications" for all those aforementioned games since who knows what time, don't you? And, Windows release speaks nothing about forthcoming Linux release (see "The Witcher 3", for example). Feral may drop hints however they want, this does not prove a thing (I do remember those "The Witcher 3 coming to SteamOS™" banners, thank you!
With the first already been released for Linux and Feral also sitting on Rise Of for Mac plus hints of them preparing a Linux release, I'd say it's a bit more than just wishful thinking even though it's not officially confirmed yet.
OK. I'll just leave this here and walk away… ;)
I think you need to calm down a little.I'm trying, I'm truing! I'm TRYINGGGGG, GOGGAMN!!!! :D
No, seriously, I've got the hint.
Half-Life 3 doesn't even exist, Squadron 42 hardly exists, Cyberpunk 2077 doesn't exist yet either.
Rise of the Tomb Raider does exist, it's already released as a full game on Windows and people suspect it's a possible port from Feral, just look at the replies here. So yes, there are indications.
OK. But, just for the sake of clarification, you do know people have been seeing "indications" for all those aforementioned games since who knows what time, don't you? And, Windows release speaks nothing about forthcoming Linux release (see "The Witcher 3", for example). Feral may drop hints however they want, this does not prove a thing (I do remember those "The Witcher 3 coming to SteamOS™" banners, thank you!
I did a fair bit of vetting on the entries for Liam (there was a LOT of submissions), and I think we had that exact discussion - where do we draw the line on some of the "anticipated" entries? I think I knocked back a couple because they had no indication they were coming, but then started questioning it - thinking very much like yourself... why aren't we allowing anything?
In the end, Liam agreed that a) this was a bit of fun so b) allow wishlists. But by then, as I say, I'd already knocked some on the head.
So, basically: sorry!
OK. I'll just leave this here and walk away… ;)
:)
Hmmm - do I sense the potential for a bet in the air here now?... ;)
OneSubtractOne Jan 23, 2018
I might be biased, I love visual novels in general. I still think it's one of those things people should experience.
I personally quite like the voting aspect. But I'd be really curious to see what the various established members here have to say, and how it differs from the vote. Maybe a bit of both? Have the public vote, but then have a more internal vote from the regular posters? It'd be interesting to see the differences.
If anyone has any doubts how much the Linux gaming scene has grown, you just have to look at people like me sitting on the margins. Back in the day, it was simply not big enough for there to be margins.
Last edited by Hamish on 23 January 2018 at 5:48 am UTC
But as for those categories that requires every nominee to have been played - we better leave that to the one guy amongst us who has.
Nothing against Liam and his opinions, but I think it's better to have input from all of the "editorial staff" to balance things out.
Cheeseness Jan 23, 2018
As a member of that staff (and someone who loves to waffle on about games he loves), I think that that sort of thing would be best done as a companion article to broader, community-wide voting results like this instead of a replacement.But as for those categories that requires every nominee to have been played - we better leave that to the one guy amongst us who has.
Nothing against Liam and his opinions, but I think it's better to have input from all of the "editorial staff" to balance things out.
While lots of the results here veer away from my tastes, I still think it's important to give the community a voice (both through the results and through the comments here). After all, we get to write about stuff that interests us all year round :)
Last edited by Cheeseness on 23 January 2018 at 7:48 am UTC
Nothing against Liam and his opinions, but I think it's better to have input from all of the "editorial staff" to balance things out.
If - IF - this indeed was a traditional staff I'd be 100% behind you. But let's face it, GOL is Liam + a handful minor freelancers. Liam does like 98% of the editorial content of this site ( I don't think that's a big exaggeration even).
And it is a prerequisite for any form of educated judgement in a category that the panel members at least have played all the nominees, preferably quite extensive too.
But could Liam scramble together a team for some of the categories? Well of course, if he see so fit. I'd LOVE to be part of a RPG panel, I'd even buy the eventually missing games in order to qualify. :D
@Liam: we need more awards :-)))
Hey no worries at all :)Oh, what's your issue with me playing it exactly?Is Doki Doki Literature Club a Linux Game? Linux icon does not appear on steam and I cannot install it on my distro by clicking on "play".
Yeah, just download it from itch.io.
I guess I really should try Doki Doki soon then…
Oh, I (don't) wanna see that.
If you dislike Visual Novels just have Sin play it for us, she had quite an experience with Dream Daddy.
No issues at all, I only thought two things:
-for what I've seen in the livestreams, you're not too fond on reading a lot (but I may be wrong about it)
-Sin has a camera to capture the best moments;)
Maybe you're thinking about that "don't".
Well, part of me doesn't want to replay the experience(:O), so it wasn't something about you or anyone.
The other part though, want to see the livestream in action,so just do it!;)
Sorry for the misunderstanding!
Actually, there's only been one time I complained about reading, which was the first time I tried ATOM and that was mainly as I was ill at the time, but still wanted to livestream and chill. I went back to it and did it once I was feeling better :)
I get what you mean now, I've heard it can be a little disturbing. Maybe we can butter Sin up to just do it ;)
I'll offer to buy the "butter"
What bribes does she take ? Games ? Booze ? cigars ?
Matched up 6 or 7 of the 15 1st places with my choices. And 6 or 7 of my choices were in the top 5 of each category. Only 1 was completely out.
It is good to get Crowd-based results on things like this, even if each individual in the crowd makes a flawed evaluation. Because the summed result is fairly accurate and smooths out the real feelings of the community.
If you ask 1 person to estimate how many sweets are in a jar, then you can end up with a vastly incorrect result. If you ask 100 or 1000 people how many, then the result gets closer and closer to the true figure.
Man, seeing all these titles I have no relationship with makes me realize how completely divorced I have become from the mainstream Linux gaming community these days. :|
If anyone has any doubts how much the Linux gaming scene has grown, you just have to look at people like me sitting on the margins. Back in the day, it was simply not big enough for there to be margins.
OK , I'll be honest , that makes me curios.
What do people play on the Fringe ?
Well, that's pretty much true, we have a stats page which shows that :PNothing against Liam and his opinions, but I think it's better to have input from all of the "editorial staff" to balance things out.
If - IF - this indeed was a traditional staff I'd be 100% behind you. But let's face it, GOL is Liam + a handful minor freelancers. Liam does like 98% of the editorial content of this site ( I don't think that's a big exaggeration even).
And it is a prerequisite for any form of educated judgement in a category that the panel members at least have played all the nominees, preferably quite extensive too.I still do think you're looking far too much into it :), this is a bit of a fun after all and practically all votes in anything I've ever seen do boil down to some form of popularity contest.
But could Liam scramble together a team for some of the categories? Well of course, if he see so fit. I'd LOVE to be part of a RPG panel, I'd even buy the eventually missing games in order to qualify. :D
After all, that's kinda the point isn't it? To see what's popular? If loads of people haven't played x and y game in specific category, doesn't that usually tell you something? To me, that would say it's probably not all that great.
Even so, next year will be different as in hindsight it was too many categories for users. Likely some form of 2-3 readers awards with voting, then stuff from me and others directly.
The fact is though, no matter what way you do a voting system, it boils down to popularity.
Last edited by Liam Dawe on 23 January 2018 at 3:28 pm UTC
The fact is though, no matter what way you do a voting system, it boils down to popularity.
... And that is precicely why I argue against voting in these kind of things. A "readers favourite" voting suffice in this context, the rest should be decided by people (in our case: you) who have actually played the games.
It's meaningless to have a vote on "best music" when those who vote haven't heard 90% of the music they are supposed to have an opinon on. It's fundamentally meaningless.
Last edited by Beamboom on 23 January 2018 at 3:37 pm UTC
burningserenity Jan 23, 2018
Man, seeing all these titles I have no relationship with makes me realize how completely divorced I have become from the mainstream Linux gaming community these days. :|
If anyone has any doubts how much the Linux gaming scene has grown, you just have to look at people like me sitting on the margins. Back in the day, it was simply not big enough for there to be margins.
OK , I'll be honest , that makes me curios.
What do people play on the Fringe ?
I second this. I thought we are the Fringe. What, do you mostly play obscure DOSBox games or something?
I second this. I thought we are the Fringe. What, do you mostly play obscure DOSBox games or something?Sometimes I do, yes. ;)
More to the point though I don't use Steam, and have not played a single title from Feral Interactive. I remember back when the first few Humble Indie Bundles came out we ALL had a common experience of buying and playing them. Now the market is so diverse that you can be a Linux gamer and not play ANY of the games your peers are playing.
Granted I have always been a retro gamer at heart, so my tastes are always going to lag behind the trend. But even I have a ton of newer Linux releases waiting to be played in my backlog.
Last edited by Hamish on 23 January 2018 at 6:38 pm UTC
Patreon
PayPal
See more from me