Well, let's start out on a happy note:
![Hilaryhaznoiowaz.jpg Hillary haz no iowaz picture by dewmandew7](http://i226.photobucket.com/albums/dd153/dewmandew7/Hilaryhaznoiowaz.jpg?t=1199568561)
Well, now that we've gotten that out of the way... on to the awards!
Copy and paste initializing in three... two... one...
Introduction
Well, it's that time of year when everybody is doing their big year end wrap-ups. Well, you have stumbled upon arguably the best of them. These are the first ever Golden Ottsel awards! Inspired by Naughty Dog's beloved otter-weasel hybrid, these awards are given to the best (or worst) game nominated in each category. I will now give you the eligibility requirements, the candidates, the categories, and the winners of this year's Golden Ottsel awards.
Elegibility Requirements
The elegibility requirements are as follows:
1) It must be a game I played this year. It does not have to be released this year, but it has to be a game I initially purchased/rented and played this year.
2) I must have played the full version of the game. Games I have only played demos for will not be included.
3) I must have played them personally on a system I own.
Candidates
Now, in order of date played, here are the games eligible for awards:
- Resistance: Fall of Man (Barely made the cut) (PS3)
- flOw (PSN)
- The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion (PS3)
- Gauntlet II (PSN)
- Rampage (PSN)
- LAIR* (PS3)
- Warhawk (PS3/PSN)
- Ratchet and Clank Future: Tools of Destruction (PS3)
- Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare (PS3)
- Uncharted: Drake's Fortune (PS3)
- The Elder Scrolls IV: Shivering Isles (PS3/PSN)
- Super Mario Galaxy (Wii)
- Assassin's Creed (PS3)
- Paper Mario (Wii VC)
- Medal of Honor: Heroes 2 (Wii)
- The Bigs (Wii)
- Super Mario 64 (Wii VC)
*Game was only rented
Categories
Game of the Year
This game has shown itself to be the best of the best of the best on dewmandew7's shelf. 2007 was one of the biggest years in gaming history and the final decision could be difficult. The game that is selected for Game of the Year is a game that you must buy. If it can become the megaton of 2007, it must be good.
Nominees:
- Resistance: Fall of Man (PS3)
- The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion (PS3)
- Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare (PS3)
- Uncharted: Drake's Fortune (PS3)
- Ratchet and Clank Future: Tools of Destruction (PS3)
And the winner is...
![](http://image.gamespotcdn.com/gamespot/images/bigboxshots/4/932984_75525_front.jpg)
Uncharted: Drake's Fortune
Uncharted: Drake's Fortune is the first must have game for the PS3.What you get when you combinea summer block buster story and music, near perfect action adventure gameplay, and characters that you canrelate to is a sheer masterpiece. With four difficulty levels, 61 treasures to find, and 1000 medal points to earn, you'll be playing this game for a long time. The fact that the game is incredibly fun helps too.
Runner up:
The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion
Although this game had already won many Game of the Year awards last year, this huge, unprecedented open-world RPG just hit the PS3 last March. The near endless character customization and the large, expansive, and interesting game world make this an adventure that will keep you busy until the Elder Scrolls V is released.
Biggest Disappointment
This award goes to the game that wasn't necessarily the worse, but the game that let me down the most. Sometimes a game is just overblown with hype and then when you play the actual game, it ruins the experience. The game that lived up least to the hype "wins" this award.
Nominees:
- Super Mario Galaxy (Wii)
- LAIR (PS3)
- Medal of Honor: Heroes 2 (Wii)
- Warhawk (PS3/PSN)
- The Elder Scrolls IV: The Shivering Isles (PS3/PSN)
And the winner is...
![](http://image.gamespotcdn.com/gamespot/images/bigboxshots/0/929230_68843_front.jpg)
LAIR
This game that had been touted as one of the PS3's killer apps fell horribly flat on its face. A wide variety of problems in this game made LAIR feel like a joke. Thankfully, I only rented it, and I wasn't impressed with the experience. I had really been hyping this game, but in the end it let me down.
Runner up:
Medal of Honor: Heroes 2
When I heard this game had some of the best FPS controls ever, I knew this is a game I had to pick up when I got my Wii. However, the supposed perfect controls were not so perfect at all. Close-quarters combat is nearly impossible because of how slow the screen turns when you aim your Wiimote towards the edge of the screen. Hitting somebody from far away is nearly as hard, especially since the game only supports 480p and it's nearly impossible to hold your hand steady enough to hit somebody. Another touted part of the game was the multiplayer, but the lack of voice chat and the fact that every single level is just a slightly different mix of gray and brown colors makes you want to turn off your console far before you should need to.
Flat Out Worst Game
This game sucked. No other way to put it. If a game takes this award home, it's not good. If you are considering buying this game or even any of the nominees, please reconsider.
Nominees:
- LAIR (PS3)
- Rampage (PSN)
- Gauntlet II (PSN)
- Warhawk (PS3/PSN)
- The Bigs (Wii)
And the winner is...
![](http://image.gamespotcdn.com/gamespot/images/bigboxshots/0/929230_68843_front.jpg)
LAIR
LAIR suffers from a multitude of problems. Many hardcore PS fans will try and tell you that, "Oh, if you're not a total dumb *** the controls are fine." However, they are either blind, or they will ignore the other problems in the game and just tell you how the controls are not bad. However, as good as you can get with the motion controls, you're not going to get nearly the same experience as you would with analogue controls. This isn't even the worst of the game's problems. You must continue to do the same tasks over and over in this game until eventually, you're so bored you just want to drop the controller and walk away, which is quite easy since the story is completely uninteresting. The story will not capture your attention at all. If you buy this game... you just wasted $60.
Runner up:
Gauntlet II
Gauntlet II is a ****c arcade game for download from the Playstation Store. My friend kept on telling me how great Gauntlet was, so I decided to buy this one... It's not that fantastic. Sure, the game doesn't cost that much,but the lack of a save system (you have to start over every time you play) and the horrible online mode drag down what few appealing features this game still maintains.
Best Downloadable Content
Gaming has become more and more focused around downloadable content. Whether it be add-on content, new games, or games from the gold, old days, the era of downloadable content is changing the way we look at gaming.
Nominees:
- Super Mario 64 (Wii VC)
- Paper Mario (Wii VC)
- The Elder Scrolls IV: Shivering Isles (PS3/PSN)
- Warhawk (PS3/PSN)
- flOw (PSN)
And the winner is...
![](http://image.gamespotcdn.com/gamespot/images/bigboxshots/8/198848_28034_front.jpg)
Super Mario 64
Thanks to the Virtual Console, you can once again wing for the sky in Super Mario 64. This is personally my favorite Mario platformer ever. If you own a Wii and you don't own this on DS or the original N64 version, this is a must buy game. With numerous, colorful worlds to explore and over 120 power stars to collect, this game will on your Now Playing list for a long time. Also, the meager price of $10 makes this a game you can't turn down. So, boot up that Wii, go to the shop channel, and buy this game right now.
Runner up:
Paper Mario
This was my first ever RPG. It is also still one of my favorite games to play. Mario has to find and save the seven star spirits in order to stop Bowser and save the princess (woah, that's an interesting story concept). While this may not appeal to hardcore RPG fans, this is definitely a great place to start if you want to get into RPGs. This game is also only $10 as well.
Best Graphics
Technology keeps becoming more and more advanced. Now we have bump mapping, HDR lighting, realistic animation, high resolution textures, etc., etc., etc. Games are looking more and more realistic as each year passes. This award goes to the game with the highest technical achievement.
Nominees:
- Uncharted: Drake's Fortune (PS3)
- Ratchet and Clank Future: Tools of Destruction (PS3)
- Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare (PS3)
- Assassin's Creed (PS3)
- The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion/Shivering Isles (PS3)
And the winner is...
![](http://image.gamespotcdn.com/gamespot/images/bigboxshots/4/932984_75525_front.jpg)
Uncharted: Drake's Fortune
Everything from the rich, green jungle to the sweat on Nathan Drake's forehead is rendered beautifully in this game. This game definitely deserves the crown for console graphics king. Like any game, graphics can help keep the player immersed in the experience, which this game does. Along with the amazing graphics, the unprecedented animation in this game brings every character to life in a way never before seen in a video game.
Runner up:
Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare
Never before have the wastlelands of Russia or the cities of the Middle East ever looked so good. Detailed character models and environments combined with amazing special effects and (more accurately) explosions make this game a technical powerhouse that is shared between three platforms.
Best Use of Pirates
Argh... me matey! There be many a ship settin' a-sail in the games of yesteryear. This award be given to the scurvy game which be having the best piratey usage.
Nominees:
- Ratchet and Clank Future: Tools of Destruction (PS3)
- Uncharted: Drake's Fortune (PS3)
- Super Mario Galaxy (Wii)
- The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion (PS3)
And the winner is...
![](http://image.gamespotcdn.com/gamespot/images/2007/227/932369_20070816_screen004.jpg)
Ratchet and Clank Future: Tools of Destruction
Whenever a game has tried to use pirates prior to this, it's always been dead serious. With Ratchet and Clank Future: Tools of Destruction, the pirate humor never ends. From pirate jigs required to open doors to the occassional pirate sea shanty, pirates have never been so fun. Also, it's hard to forget one of the coolest evil lackeys ever: Rusty Pete. He may have to play second fiddle to the big man, but he's definitely the most memorable pirate. Plus, he's an unlockable costume for Ratchet.
Runner up:
Uncharted: Drake's Fortune
Uncharted explores the modern day pirate. Usually when you think of pirate, you think of giant ships with cannon balls, manned by a crew of one eyed, peg-legged scallywags. Not so with this game. Not only are these pirates total bad ***es, but they're smart too. Using some of the most complex AI ever in a video game, fighting off these bad guys will take a lot more intelligence and patience than you're used too. Eddy Raja, the leader of the pirates, is also a very interesting character, though sadly under-developed.
Best Soundtrack
As the budget for games increases, more skilled composers are working on producing the music for games. However, even some old games are still making me tap my toe. Here are the nominees for best soundtrack.
Nominees:
- Uncharted: Drake's Fortune (PS3)
- Ratchet and Clank Future: Tools of Destruction (PS3)
- Super Mario 64 (Wii VC)
- Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare (PS3)
- flOw (PSN)
And the winner is...
![](http://image.gamespotcdn.com/gamespot/images/bigboxshots/9/932369_74248_front.jpg)
Ratchet and Clank Future: Tools of Destruction
Some of the music in this game is incredible. From the big orchestral music during the huge battles to the disco music when a Groovitron is thrown to the music played after the death of Captain Slagg, this is a soundtrack that I really want to come to iTunes. I would definitely buy the music for this game. So, don't worry about not having in-game music yet... this music will do fine.
Runner up:
Uncharted: Drake's Fortune
This was a real close call. Uncharted has some really excellent music in it. It does feel like it's not used enough, but when it's playing, it's good. The El Doradomegamix is a personal favorite of mine and the sound track is available on iTunes. (Click here if you have iTunes installed) Most of the music fits in perfectly with the situation and if you really like it, it's available for purchase.
Best PS3 Game
Since all of the nominees for Game of the Year are on PS3, please see the Game of the Year section. Thank you.
And the winner is...
See Game of the Year awards at top.
Best Wii Game
Despite huge sales of the system, the Wii doesn't have much in the way of games to match the quality of megatons like Call of Duty 4, Bioshock, and Uncharted. Of the few games I've played this year on the Wii, I'll give you the best.
Nominees:
- Super Mario Galaxy (Wii)
- Medal of Honor: Heroes 2 (Wii)
- The Bigs (Wii)
And the winner is...
![](http://image.gamespotcdn.com/gamespot/images/bigboxshots/2/915692_68186_front.jpg)
Super Mario Galaxy
Well, Super Mario Galaxy has definitely earned its spot as Wii game of the year. At first, I wasn't imprssed by this game. However, now that I have gotten a bit further into it, I have enjoyed the game a lot. If you're looking for an experience that measures up to games like Uncharted, Oblivion, or Call of Duty 4, you will probably be disappointed as this game focuses solely on the gameplay. This, of course, isn't a bad thing, but if you're looking for a rich experience, you will be let down. That said, the platforming is really, really fun. This is definitely one of Mario's better platforming outings. If you own a Wii, this is a must-have game and if you don't have this game, you're part of the problem.
Runner up:
Medal of Honor: Heroes 2
Okay, I'm not going to lie to you. This game is not worth your time. However, seeing as it was this or the Bigs, there isn't much of a contest. That said, the shooting controls are decent, though you're not going to get the same kind of precison you're going to get using a mouse or even an analogue stick. If you're going to get a WWII game, though, I suggest you get Call of Duty 3 (preferably for a non-Wii console), or wait for Call of Duty 5 coming out this fall.
Conclusion
Well, guys, that just about wraps up 2007. While 2007 was considered by many to be one of the greatest years in gaming ever, I have a feeling that 2008 will best it. However, I will still be playing many of these games on this list for years to come. So, good night and happy gaming, everybody! Also, don't forget to stay tuned to dewmandew7's blog for hopefully an even better year next year.
![](http://lolcat.com/pics/ps2cat.jpg)
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