Well I felt it was time for another blog and since GOTY awards have started to be handed out and since I've pretty much everything this year has to offer I felt like doing a spi-off to my normal top 10 blogs and instead tell you what games that I liked the most in the year of 2007. I'm still not sure even now when I write this if this is the correct order as there have maybe been too many great games that have come out this year. Though I'm pretty certain that these following 10 games are defiantly the ones that made the most impact on me this year. As always this list is based on my personal opinion and only my own. There is simply no other way to do it from what I can see. But now...let's kick it off!
10.) Assassin's Creed (PS3/360, Ubisoft Montreal)
The creators that brought us Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time, one of my absolute favorite action/adventure games ever returns to bring us Assassin's Creed for next-gen platforms. So what could go wrong? Well to be honest when I first started to play this game I got a bit worried as the introduction felt kinda wierd and certain thing surrounding the plot felt almost out of place, well at first. Once you learn to look past that and the somewhat repetitive mission design and start to focus and appreciate what good things this game brings to the stage such as great controls, beautiful graphics, interesting story and great animations and music. You may just as I did realize this is probably one of the most unique and rememberable gaming experiences that have come out for quite sometime.
9.) Call of Duty 4 (PC/PS3/360, Infinity Ward)
Infinity Ward returns once again only too once again to truly show how a war game is made with their Call of Duty franchise. Even though the singleplayer campaign was short, surprisingly short even. A lot of heavy stuff goes down during those few hours, some of it even jaw dropping and it's just as fun to play trough again and again just like previous games in the series. It's in the multiplayer this game truly shines though. Witch excellent leveling system, even being able to create your own c l a s s and to battle it out on a variety of different modes and maps, what more can you ask for really? So if you feel the urge for some online fraggin' then this is the game for you.
8.) The Witcher (PC, CD Projekt Red)
Ah, The Witcher. Probably the sleeper hit for me personally this year. It truly caught me by surprise therefor I thank you people who made me open my eyes for this gem. Superb and I mean superb storytelling, interesting combat system, great artistic graphics and the music, ah the music. The guy who composed it is a pure genius...and maybe even a mad man? Anyways if it weren't for the music and all the other aspects that makes this games so superb I would not ever be able to put out with the very, very long loading times that unfortunally have infected this great piece of software, then again maybe that makes me appreciate the music even more as they play trough 'em. The game also sports with a fair dose of racism, sex and alcohol if that might be of interest. Something very few games dares to confront and discuss these days.
7.) God of War II (PS2, SCEA)
2 years after his debut Kratos returns in God of War II. It takes almost everything that made the original so great and makes it all better, especially the boss fights which is probably the most interesting aspect of the entire game. With perhaps the very best graphics on the system, brutal and fast paced combat, some nudity and a superb soundtrack this is the ultimate way to give your PS2 a hell of a bloody goodbye.
6.) The Orange Box (PC/360, Valve Software)
This box is by far the best bang for your buck this year without question. You do not only game one game but 5, yes 5 friggin' games! One of them being one of the best shooters of all time Half-Life 2 and both of its expansions. For your multiplayer needs you get Team Fortress 2, I can already see this as a hit at LAN parties. And lastly as a little bonus you get Portal, my personal favorite in this package. Not only do you go trough some exciting and mind-bending puzzles it also contains a lot of excellent black humor and the ending sequence is just plain awesome not to mention the song that plays once the credits roll. This is a package everyone should pick up, especially those that have only heard of Half-Life 2 and wondering what the buzz is all about.
5.) World in Conflict (PC, Massive Entertainment)
I knew all along this game would be good, but never to be actually this good...man! I was starting to get the feel that the RTS genre was going a bit stale until I downloaded the demo of this game and I was instantly sold and just had to buy it. No need of resource gathering or even to establish a base it's just pure action right from the start and the tides of battle could change at any given moment. "It's not over until it's over" is defiantly true in this game. The setting itself is also very interesting as here the Cold War never ended and the Russians are invading the US and therefor the campaign is worth playing trough for that reason alone. Just a shame you cannot play the campaign as the Russians. This is where the multiplayer of World in Conflict comes in as here you can play as any faction you want and turn your opponents lovely cities to sand and dust with one of those tactical nukes. An amount of up to 16 people can take part of each match and join in at any time just like s shooter, the camera control in this game is also not too far from playing a shooter. Oh and it looks great too especially for a RTS game. This game is defiantly something for the war fanatics out there.
4.) Mass Effect (360, Bioware)
As Knights of the Old Republic and Jade Empire are some personal favorites this game was pretty much a no brainer for me. And this game delivers on almost all it's promises. The best looking RPG I've ever layed eyes on, deep character customization, great realtime combat system, many tough choices to make, top-notch voice acting from pretty much every character in the whole game, superb music along with superb story telling, perhaps even better than the one found in The Witcher which was mentioned earlier. There are a few annoyances though such as framerate issues which is something Bioware has struggled with in the past, the equipment menus are a bit too complex and features that was seen from the X06 footage like being able to interrupt other characters mid-conversation and direct control your squadmates are nowhere to be found the rest of it though aside from a few minor and not too common technical issues this game is pure perfection I's just annoys when a game comes so close from being prime. Simply put this is a must play for anyone that is into science fiction and roleplaying games or even just like shooting stuff as you can do plenty of that aswell if you want to, the choice is yours.
3.) Halo 3 (360, Bungie Software)
This was my most anticipated game ever since I saw that cliffhanger ending in Halo 2 back in 2004 leaving me wanting so much more. Thankfully that wait was well worth it as Halo 3 was basicly everything I hoped it would be after being fairly disappointed with the second games' singleplayer campaign. Halo 3 did not share the same issues and brought me a campaign almost as entertaining and memorable as the one found in the first game Halo: Combat Evolved which is one of my absolute favorite games ever. And you could play trough that campaign with up to 3 of your friends via System Link or Xbox Live which is something I though I would only experience in my dreams. Halo 2 was all about the multiplayer and Halo 3 takes all that and ad alot more to it such as deeper customization to your characther, the modes and even the maps using the Halo Forge. You could also see clips and take pictures from what you have done both in the campaign and online to share with your friends making for a great social experience. Only thing that bugs me is that the 2 last levels in the campaign didn't feel fleshed out enough and it wasn't the graphical beast I hoped it would be. Other than that though it felt like Bungie had sent me a personal love letter by letting me play and experince their vision of the final fight.
2.) Super Mario Galaxy (Wii, Nintendo)
Platformers was starting to feel like a dying breed but then all the sudden Nintendo switches to top gear and puts out Super Mario Galaxy for their Nintendo Wii. This is without doubt the best 3D platformer to come out since Super Mario 64 that arrived more than 10 years ago. It uses the Wii to it's fullest potential by proving it has some graphical muscle after all, combined with a great art design, catchy music and great use of the Wii-mote. It does not matter how old you are or if you're a boy to girl, most of you out there are bound to find something to absolutely love in this game thanks to it's undeniable charm, hey you don't even need to be a Mario fan to begin with to truly enjoy this game. If I had to complain about something is that the game sometimes feels too easy but also at other times needlessly frustrating due to some camera issues and using the Wii-mote during those water races doesn't feel precise enough. Most of you will probably be able to look past that and fully appreciate this fine piece of art and one the best games or at least one of the very best platformers to ever come out on the market.
1.) Crysis (PC, Crytek)
I had my doubts, I really had my doubts. Sure Far Cry had some really nice graphics when it came out and it was fun walking around shooting people on a nice tropical island but aside from that I didn't really enjoy it too much and I for a long time feared this game would end up feeling like a déjà vu. I was proven wrong right away even when I first tried out the demo as the nanosuit makes the gameplay so incredible dynamic as you can tackle any situations in any way you see fit. You wanna toss all your enemies down a high cliff or into the water? check. Wanna be the sneaky one, turn invisible and hide in bushes and take your targets out one by one, you can do it in Crysis. The list just goes on and on and as you can of course combine all these different powers as long you still have energy left in your suit. The AI was great, not perfect but defiantly good enough and better than most games out there. You can customize any weapon in the game too to fit your personal preferences, yes even put a sniper scope on your shotgun if you feel likeit is needed. The story while not exactly original is very exciting to follow all the way trough out this 15 hour adventure. Many moments in this game just totally blew my mind away, and no not because of it's graphics which is better than any game to date. With the game you also get a map editor that lets you play around with every single map in the game or even to create your own to spawn whatever you like such as aliens, sharks, tanks that shoot tactical nukes you name it. The game also sports an exciting multiplayer mode once you give yourself the time needed to get into it. Only quirks I have about this game is that that singeplayer story ends, and this is a game you defiantly don't want to end, and also the fact it's too hardware demanding for enough people out there to enjoy it. If you happen to sit on a killer rig then do yourself a favor and pick up this game. Super Mario Galaxy might be better as an actual game but it didn't smash me into the ground making it hard for me to even breathe. There is game only one game managed to do this to me this year and that game is no other than Crysis.
Worthy Mentions
Command & Conquer 3: Tiberium Wars (PC)
PGR4 (360)
Unreal Tournament III (PC)
Bioshock (PC/360)
Pokémon Diamond/Pearl (DS)
Forza Motorsport 2 (360)
GRAW 2 (PS3/360)
Metroid Prime 3: Corruption (Wii)
Ratchet & Clank Future: Tools of Destruction (PS3)
Colin McRae: DiRT (PC/PS3/360)
Uncharted: Drake's Fortune (PS3)
Blue Dragon (360)
Well there you have it! It sure wasn't easy, especially this year which is probably the best year in gaming in recent memory (based on the releases). So what do you think...agree? disagree? What do you think about the Time and Spike VGA selections? And what was your favorite games this year? All opinions are welcome. just keep it cool, ok? ;)
Well that's it for me, now I give the word to you. Laterz!
//ZimpanX
Side Notes: The reason why titles such as Rock Band, Persona 3 and Zack & Wiki are MIA is simply because none of them have been released here in Europe yet. I'm sure they are all great titles but I've just not had the opportunity to play them, and I'm sorry for that.
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