Since it is the end of the year and lists seem like the thing to do, I thought I'd give it a shot and offer some brief thoughts on these rankings and why I placed them where I did. If you like video games or need to waste a few minutes, enjoy.
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TOP 10 GAMES OF THE YEAR
TOP 10 GAMES OF THE YEAR
10. Wii Sports (Nintendo Wii) - The sole reason I purchased the Wii. I wouldn't say that I've been anti-Nintendo for the past few years, but by their own admission, their games are geared towards a much younger audience in general and I found myself pulled towards Sony's and Microsoft's systems. However, one hour with this addictive game was enough to make me go out and track down one of these hard-to-get systems that anybody can simply pick-up and play.
9. Halo 3 (Xbox 360) - Microsoft's flagship game comes to its conclusion....for now. The tale of Master Chief has come to a close and anyone that watched a television, turned on a computer, or drank a Mountain Dew in the past few months was made aware of that fact. While things were made more clear between the Arbiter, Cortana, Keyes, and others, the gameplay seemed identical to previous titles and, while being a solid title, it did have a sense of been there - done that about it. Despite the recent move from Bungie Studios to leave parent company Microsoft, I doubt this is the last we see of Master Chief.
8. Bioshock (Xbox 360) - Did for "Under The Sea" what "Stuck in the Middle With You" did for Reservoir Dogs. A game I defy you to play with the lights off and not get scared or creeped out a little bit. Andrew Ryan's underwater utopia leaves a lasting impression and it's still amazing how the images of Big Daddy's and Little Sister's inspire fear and awe at the same time.
7. Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare (Multi) - Leaving WWII behind and immersing players in an all too photo-realistic view of today. Graphically redefining the first-person shooter (that's why it's ranked ahead of Halo 3), Infinity Ward has raised the bar very high in their follow up to Call of Duty 2. Even the opening training mission had me emotionally involved and gripping my controller for a white knuckle ride.
6. Rock Band (Multi) - Letting players live the rock n' roll dream, with or without compatible guitars. After creating the Guitar Hero franchise, Harmonix split from Red Octane and joined with MTV Games and Activision with the idea that players would adapt to more than just being a guitar controller god - they also wanted to rock out on the drums and sing too. That innovation proved to be very true and that places it above its counterpart. However, faulty guitar controllers at launch and no new controllers coming until February 2008 prevent this from being ranked higher (what good is new downloadable content each week if you have no instrument to play it with?)
5. God of War II (PS2) - The last great game on the PS2 is a rare sequel that surpasses the original. The compelling story of Kratos continues and manages to improve on its predecessor by not changing much control-wise, but fleshing out characters with great storytelling and adding innovations to the gameplay. With the franchise facing the reality of having its third game director with the release of the third game in the trilogy when it hits the PS3 (if series creator David Jaffe does not reclaim the story), then time will tell if the jump to next-gen will hurt or harm the series.
4. Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion - Game of the Year Edition (Xbox 360) - The amazing follow-up to Morrowind offered endless hours of immersion and was imitated, but hardly duplicated. If imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, than Bethesda should feel like the prettiest girl in the room and the makers of Two Worlds need to go back home and find a new outfit. Oblivion allowed players to experience their entire world in first or third person, offered more engaging quests than any game before it, and had Patrick Stewart voicing a king - it doesn't get much better than that for an RPG. Plus, the GOTY Edition included much of the downloadable content only available from Xbox Live and the entire Shimmering Isles expansion pack.
3. Assassins Creed (PS3) - Living up to the hype with one of the most beautiful and scenic games to date. Jade Raymond and the folks at Ubisoft created high expectations with their game footage from Creed and, despite some repetitive gameplay, delivered a compelling game and has fans salivating at the knowledge of two more game in the series to come. The innovative control scheme works perfectly and the stalking and eliminating of prey simply never gets old. Some more mission variety would've ranked this higher, but it's great conspiracy-laden story makes it an easy choice for one of the best games of the year.
2. Mass Effect (Xbox 360) - BioWare's long awaited follow-up to the Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic series redefines RPG's. Commander Sheppard is literally what you make of him...or her. You define the main character - including gender, their past, and even their morals - and traverse the universe chasing an intimidating figure that you're unsure whether you should apprehend or align with. The dialogue tree offers expressions instead of words and has to be experienced to truly be appreciated. Solid voice acting, an epic story, and an easy to grasp combat system make this a must-play for anyone looking for the future of the RPG genre.
1. Uncharted: Drake's Fortune (PS3) - Take equal parts Indiana Jones, Tomb Raider, memorable characters, and throw in a good conspiracy theory and you've got my favorite game of the year. This was just a fun game to play. Plain and simple. Some of the best voiceover work I've ever heard, truly cinematic cutscenes and gameplay (which is further explained in many of the bonuses and behind the scenes gems unlocked as you progress), very responsive controls, and lifelike animations create an immersive atmosphere that had me staying up later and later so I could complete "just one more level" before heading to bed. I can't wait for a follow-up adventure for Nathan Drake and his crew and hope that Naughty Dog will take the time, effort, care, and love they put into this title (and it really shows) to make this a lasting franchise. (I was not surprised to learn that Amy Henning was the game director, as she also helmed the Legacy of Kain mythos for a time - creating one of my all-time favorite series in the process.)-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Biggest Disappointment of the Year (tie)
Smackdown vs. Raw 2008 (Multi) - An outdated roster, awkward controls, and a promise unfulfilled topple this once dominant franchise. Following up a cancellation on the PS3, the effort that THQ and the WWE put forth this year claims, as you can see, "Featuring ECW!" But that needed a disclaimer on it as well that would read something to the effect, "Oh, but we're not going to let you play as any of them in the storyline of the game....and there's only one match that's considered an 'ECW style match' that the company pretty much doesn't even use anymore.....and we're just going to stick them in there more as an after-thought because we let go or fired three of the four ECW mainstays that made ECW the hottest commodity out there - enough of a property for us to dedicate two of our highest selling pay-per-views to it, three DVD releases, and re-launch the brand.....but we're going to purge it of its originality and dilute it down to being another carbon copy of all our other programming. ENJOY!" WWE botched this game just as badly as they've botched the ECW brand, and it's not surprising that gamers are now flocking to the new 2D PS2 release Fire Pro Wrestling Returns in droves. On top of that, an awkward new grappling system fails to improve this game that's turned into nothing more than people playing solely to watch the entrances of their favorite wrestlers and then use the create-a-player feature to create their favorite TNA stars.&
Kane & Lynch: Dead Men (Multi) - If you put, "From the creators of 'Hitman'," on the front of your box, you're either setting yourself up to fail or you better deliver - big time. It's odd that this title is here because there are many things that work in this game, but there are SO many other things that COULD have worked so much better - and that's what makes this so disappointing. The two main characters are awesome, from their interactions to their quirks, a lot of texture was given to them and it shows. However, the lack of cutscenes to flesh out the stories of these two as well as the PS2 looking graphics really dampen the experience. The squad command controls are poor recollections of IO Interactive's first squad-based title, Freedom Fighters. In an age where the Tom Clancy franchise dictates how squad games are run, this looks and acts like an ugly step-child. There is so much that can be great about this title and it ends (as most games do) with a cliffhanger ending, so a sequel should be inevitable. I just hope that IO goes back to the drawing board and finds where this franchise got off track and can right the ship because they've got a potential blockbuster on their hands here.-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Most anticipated game for 2008...
Grand Theft Auto 4 (Multi) - After missing its scheduled October launch, Rockstar Games pushes its flagship title to 2008. Many people were already labeling this title a game of the year candidate as October drew closer, Rockstar decided it needed some more polish and bumped it into early next year. Giving the quality and high-production levels for GTA titles in the past, that can only mean a good thing for fans of the franchise. Following the under-achieving Manhunt 2, look for Rockstar to return to form when this series returns to store shelves in early 2008.-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Now everyone has opinions and yours are more than welcome here, but please keep in mind that although I try to play a lot of games, there are many that I don't get the opportunity to experience. (read: not enough cash to play them all) One of those games is the highly touted (and highly rated) Orange Box, so if any of you have played it, please include your thoughts on it. Or if you have other games that feel need mentioning, feel free to do so as well.
So there you go. That was either a waste of 6 minutes or you got something out of it. Either way, Happy Hollandaise!
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