^ this
i loved playing the three microsoft combat flight sims back years ago but have not played another one since. i've heard the praises of IL2 and will try it for myself now that i own it ($5 sale woohooo) once i have my old joystick again. flight sims are a niche of their own, just like RO for example, and will have their own crowds of fans. i have no problem with companies/communities promoting their game and votes for awards. this would make it even a greater victory for said game/community as the vote will truely show the voice of the consumers. if more KF players respond and vote compared to voters for other games, all that shows is that more people seem to think KF is a better game......which IS the vote isn't it?
i voted for Killing Floor as best shooter which it should win. i voted for DCS for best sim, which it will win.
the reasons why i voted for KF as the top game for 2009 is because:
- value. lower budget, cheaper cost to consumers. overall an A+ for value. no game can top KF's content/quality/price ratio....none
- popularity. check the steam stats page for KF's numbers. this not even including the huge number of people that checked it out during the free weekend. KF has a larger and more visible following.
- enjoyability. KF is simple, it's easy to pick up, and overall it's just a blast to play. DCS is indepth, complicated and hard to pick up at first. while it still may be fun, it only caters to a small niche of gamers whereas just about anyone that plays video games can pick up KF and enjoy themselves after only a few minutes of play and will continue to be entertained for weeks, months and years.
all other aspects aside, those three criteria are what i was looking for in a game and why KF got my vote. the only sad thing about the VE votes is that from what i understand, people can "cheat" and add in extra votes for their choice by deleting their cookies. i do hope that is not the case and if it is, i am truely disappointed that some people have to exploit the system to win some essentially meaningless award.