@dipset I'm rooting for you! Would love to see MacKinnon get a cup.

I was very surprised that my game got in, and it's a little bittersweet because I didn't have the time to make the presentation I had originally planned, but I'm not gonna look a gift horse in the mouth. Here are my votes:

3 pt. The Witcher 3. One of my favorite games of all time. Just an absolutely masterful RPG that every other game in the genre will be held to for years to come. Shoutout to JD for a great presentation.

2 pt. Uncharted 4. Another classic. I still prefer Uncharted 2, but 4 is undeniably great so I was happy to give it points. Certainly has the best combat of the series. Also Brannox delivered a great presentation which made my vote that much easier.

1 pt. Madden 07. I think this vote comes down to a number of reasons, not least of which is that the game simply looks fun. Love how in-depth it seemed to go in its modes (parent IQ levels, huh????) and when somebody says that an old sports game is the best in the series, I tend to believe them. It's crazy how much charm these old games had when their current day counterparts are so hollow and lifeless. It was a great presentation by Bruno, and I was happy to give it a point.

Alright everybody, I have received all of the votes and it is time to reveal which two games will enter the Hall of Greats. Before I start, I just want to say that we once again have no banned games, which means that every single game got at least one point. Hooray! I think I speak for everyone when I say that all of you did a great job presenting your games.

Without further ado, here are the games going from least to most points:

#7: Madden 07 -- 2 points

Submitted by @bruno_saurus
Presentation

#5: Mass Effect Legendary Edition -- 4 points

Submitted by @Shoulderguy
Presentation

#5: Halo: Combat Evolved -- 4 points

Submitted by @Oscillator
Presentation

#4: Dragon Age: Inquisition -- 5 points

Submitted by @ffff0
Presentation

Alright, we have only three games left, two of which will be entered into the Hall of Greats. Our third place game, which narrowly misses entry is:

#3: Uncharted 4: A Thief's End -- 7 points

Submitted by @Brannox
Presentation

And that means that the two games that will enter the Hall of Greats are:

#2: The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt -- 9 points

Submitted by @JDINCINERATOR
Presentation

#1: Batman: Arkham Asylum -- 11 points

Submitted by @capnbobamous
Presentation

And there you have it folks, The Hall of Greats for May 2022 is officially over! I would like to thank you all so much for participating. I had a great time and I hope you all did as well. What did you all think? I feel it went smoothly but I am always open to suggestions so let me know. Otherwise, that's it! Feel free to discuss your votes and such. The next HOG is scheduled for September, which will also make one whole year of doing it! Hard to believe that it will have been that long, but I'll see you then.

Alright everybody, cross-examination is now closed and it is time to DM me your votes. As a reminder, here are the rules you need to follow:

1. Only those who brought a game can vote.
2. You must choose your top 3 picks, with your first place game getting three points, second place getting two, and third place getting one.
3. You may not vote for your own game.

I encourage you to look back at all of the presentations and questions/responses before you cast your votes. I have updated the aggregation in the original post, as well as the post I made yesterday, in order to help make that easier. I will start to reveal the winners after I have received all of the votes. Also, for the sake of transparency, I think it important to mention that I have already voted in order to avoid being influenced by your votes.

Thank you all very much for participating, and I'll see you when I have your winners.

Hey all, here is a compilation of everything we have so far. I have updated the original post as well. We have one more day of cross-examination, and if we get more I will make sure this is up to date. If you notice any mistakes let me know. Doing this at two in the morning so I'm a bit tired.

Also I would like to remind @Shoulderguy and @bruno_saurus that you still have unanswered questions. Anyway here it is:

Halo: Combat Evolved

• Oscillator's Presentation
• ffff0's Question -- Oscillator's Response
• Brannox's Questions -- Oscillator's Response
• Capnbobamous' Question -- Oscillator's Response
• JDINCINERATOR's Questions -- Oscillator's Response

Dragon Age: Inquisition

• ffff0's Presentation
• Brannox's Questions -- ffff0's Response
• Capnbobamous' Questions -- ffff0's Response
• JDINCINERATOR's Questions.-- ffff0's Response

Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End

• Brannox's Presentation
• ffff0's Question -- Brannox's Response
• Capnbobamous' Question -- Brannox's Response
• JDINCINERATOR's Questions -- Brannox's Response

Mass Effect Legendary Edition

• Shoulderguy's Presentation
• ffff0's Questions -- Shoulderguy's Response
• Brannox's Questions
• Capnbobamous' Question -- Shoulderguy's Response
• JDINCINERATOR's Questions

Madden 07

• bruno_saurus' Presentation
• ffff0's Question -- bruno_saurus' Response
• Brannox's Questions -- bruno_saurus' Response
• Capnbobamous' Question -- bruno_saurus' Response
• JDINCINERATOR's Questions -- bruno_saurus' Response
• Oscillator's Questions

The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt

• JDINCINERATOR's Presentation
• ffff0's Question -- JDINCINERATOR's Response
• Brannox's Questions -- JDINCINERATOR's Response
• Capnbobamous' Question -- JDINCINERATOR's Response
• Oscillator's Questions -- JDINCINERATOR's Response

Batman: Arkham Asylum

• Capnbobamous' Presentation
• ffff0's Question -- Capnbobamous' Response
• Brannox's Questions -- Capnbobamous' Response
• JDINCINERATOR's Questions -- Capnbobamous' Response

Reply to @jdincinerator's questions:

1. Frankly I think it's absurd to call the combat janky. I can understand not enjoying it, everybody has different tastes, but it is easily one of the tightest combat experiences out there. It is remarkably fluid and polished, and I think jank implies that it is broken in some way, or at least rough around the edges, and that is simply not the case with Arkham. It's cool if the combat isn't for you though. Like I said, everybody has different tastes and different combat systems they prefer, but I personally adore it. It's so clean, so fast, and so pristinely executed that I have a blast with every encounter. Combat is a hugely important part of the game, and in my opinion they knocked it out of the park.

2. Absolutely not. As I said in my presentation, I love the open world of Arkham City, but an open world is not inherently better than a linear space. They accomplish different things. Arkham Asylum is one of the best linear action/adventure games out there, and the level design is impeccable. City has great open environments, and Asylum has great linear ones. They are both excellent, and Asylum's linearity is absolutely not a detriment in the slightest.

Question for @Oscillator:

Talk to me a little bit more about multiplayer. I think it's safe to say the Halo 1 has the weakest multiplayer of the series, largely due to the fact that it came out before Xbox Live and thus there is no way to play online. Halo is a series that is beloved for its multiplayer, and it's certainly fun in the original game, but it also doesn't really hold a candle to the multiplayer of later games, at least in my opinion. Do you agree with me that this holds the game back when comparing it to later games in the franchise?

Question(s) for @ffff0:

1. So it seems to me that a lot of what you really enjoy about the game, namely the characters and choice-driven narrative, are just as good if not better in Dragon Age: Origins. I would go so far as to say that DA:O has better characters and a better story than Inquisition. Do you agree? If so, what else does this game have that holds it above the original?

2. I recall the open areas in this game being a little frustrating. If I remember correctly, they are often full of a lot of padding and useless objectives, which held them back from being as interesting as they could have been. Do you agree? Why, or why not?

Question for @Brannox:

Ludonarrative dissonance. I can't say it's something that particularly bothers me in the game, but it's something that I do see brought up frequently as a complaint so I figured I would mention it here. Nate kills a lot of people in this game, like upwards of 1000, and he is never affected by it. He's just as happy-go-lucky as he always is, and for many that's a hard pill to swallow because no man should be so cool with so much bloodshed. What do you have to say to that? You mention it briefly in your presentation but I never actually saw a rebuttal.

Question for @Shoulderguy:

Tell me a bit about the ending of 3. It is something that is so controversial, and for many completely ruined the series. So then Bioware made an alternate ending, which was just as controversial, and for those like ffff0, replaced something that didn't need replacing. What do you think about the ending, and does it hurt the overall package of the series?

Question for @bruno_saurus:

In your screenshot for Superstar mode, you have the character's parents and their IQs. What's going on there? Not a complaint or anything, just genuinely curious what that's about and how it ties into the gameplay of the mode.

Question for @JDINCINERATOR:

You say that the areas are all breathtaking and beautiful, but I don't think it's any accident that you did not include Velen as an example. Velen is kind of nasty, consisting mostly of bogs and swamps. It's intentional for it to look like that, I understand that's the point, but for being the location where the majority of the game takes place, do you think having to explore it for so long holds the game back?

Reply to @brannox's questions:

Spoilers ahead:

1. You just mentioned a drawback to keeping it on. The very fact that you are missing out on environmental detail is a drawback, and for me personally that is reason enough to turn it off when I don't need. I totally get what you're saying, but I personally like that the game gives you the option to have it on all the time, or not at all. It gives you the freedom. If you feel like having it on means you are missing out on detail, then turn it off! But hey, if that doesn't bother you, then leave it on. It's completely up to the individual, and I don't believe it's a detriment of the game that it gives you the choice.

2. I disagree that the combat isn't varied enough. I think it does an excellent job of ramping up the variety as the game goes along. You start off with the regular henchman, and you're right you can deal with them pretty simply. But then you get to the knife henchmen, who you have to stun first, and that adds a new layer to every combat scenario. And then you make it to the stun baton guys, who you have to leap over and attack from behind, which again adds yet another layer to the combat. And then you have those with guns, another layer, and then the titan enemies, another layer, and then the lunatics, another layer, and what you are left with at the end is combat that requires so many different things from you that it becomes far more than punching and countering.

As for the bosses, I think it's a valid complaint, although it personally doesn't bother me. For me, the bosses are more about the spectacle of the fights than the fights themselves. The Joker fight gets a lot of flack, and perhaps that's valid, but dude you're on top of massive building fighting a roided out Joker with helicopters flying all around you. I think that's pretty rad. It doesn't really bother me that the mechanics are relatively basic. And there are still interesting boss fights in there as well. The Killer Croc fight is like a game of cat and mouse except you're the mouse, and it's genuinely frightening. The Poison Ivy fight is mechanically basic, but you're fighting a giant plant shooting massive globs of poison at you. Again, it's a spectacle.

I will concede that the boss fights are the worst parts of the game, but they're still really fun in my book, and do little to mar the experience.

Reply to @ffff0's question:

I whole-heartedly disagree with everything you mentioned! Yes, when you go back to a location you have already cleared, there are often enemies there, however it never feels like the game is just spawning enemies. The whole point of the game is to feel this sense of futility. You are just one man going up against an army, an army that is winning. So when you encounter new enemies at a past area, their inclusion feels purposeful. As the game progresses, Joker's goons get more and more control of the asylum, until the end of the game when they are literally everywhere. Fighting enemies in past locations makes that feel so powerful. You're right, Batman should have been able to clear the area, but there are always more. Batman is losing. That's the point.

And I also think it's important to mention that the game does a great job of acknowledging that you already beat enemies in that area. Often you will see their unconscious bodies lying around, indicating that you have already been there. But to your point, you're right, it doesn't feel like you are conquering the asylum, it feels like Joker is conquering the asylum. You are up against the odds, and you're losing. It makes everything feel so tense.

And with that the Cross-Examination period has now begun. I encourage you to look at the rules once more, and as a reminder, anybody can cross-examine if they would like, even if they have not brought a game. With that said, ask away!