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Dewmandew7's 10 Most Anticipated Games of 2008

Introduction

What was considered the greatest year in gaming has finally come to a close. All of the big games are out and now it's time to sit back and play these games for the next year... Wait, 2008 is potentially an even greater year in gaming than 2007!? :o Maybe I should do a bit of research to come up with my...

Dewmandew7's Ten Most Anticipated Games of 2008

Here's a list of my current list of watched games for 2008:

  • Naughty Dog's next game
  • inFamous
  • Resistance 2
  • LittleBigPlanet
  • Burnout Paradise
  • Star Wars: The Force Unleashed
  • Mercenaries 2: World in Flames
  • Super Smash Bros. Brawl
  • Killzone 2
  • Battlefield: Bad Company
  • Call of Duty 5
  • Motorstorm 2
  • Free Realms
  • The Agency
  • Echochrome
  • MLB 08: The Show

Now... for the top ten, starting with the tenth.

10. Motorstorm 2

Alright, I'll be frank with you. I never played the original Motorstorm. However, I did play the demo, which was a rush. At the time it came out, I didn't really have the money to pay for it and I was kind of turned off to the game because of its tiny single player aspect. However, now that Evolution Studios knows the problems that the problems the original suffered from, Motorstorm 2 could potentially be the best off-road Rally racing game ever made. The explosions, the crashes, the pretty graphics... all of this combined together could make for an extremely enjoyable experience.

9. Star Wars: The Force Unleashed

Set up to bridge the gap between Star Wars: Episode III and Episode IV, Star Wars: The Force Unleashed has you play as the alleged apprentice to Darth Vader. Being able to use the power of the force in ways never before seen in a Star Wars game could make this the ultimate Jedi-simulator. Also, Lucasart's ground-breaking physics engine could make smashing up objects (and Storm Troopers, for that matter) more exciting and "realistic" than ever before. For any Star Wars fanboy (or even if you're a fan of games in general), this is a game you need to watch.

8. Burnout Paradise

From what I played in the demo, this game will reinvent the open world arcade racer. The most impressive part of the game is the seamless transition from the single player experience to the online multiplayer world. By simply pressing right on the d-pad, you can instantly jump online with friends or just a random room of people. This allows you to race through Paradise City smashing each other up and completing co-op challenges together. With 75 cars to collect and an expansive world to explore online or by yourself, Burnout Paradise is a must have. As a plus, it's coming out later this month!

7. Mercenaries 2: World in Flames

Like Burnout Paradise, Mercenaries 2 is set in an open-world area. Unlike Burnout, more than just cars blow up. With the promise of the first real fully destructible environments, Mercenaries 2 sets the ground work for modern-day action/adventures. You play as a mercenary of choice who has been hired to help out down in Venezuela. There's some big civil war going on or something, but who cares about that when you can pick up oil tanks with a helicopter, fling said oil tank into the air, and blow it up with your guns, all the while burning the forest below you down to the roots?

6. Naughty Dog's next project

This has taken a pretty high spot on the list for not even knowing what it is. Whatever it is, we can be assured that it will be a masterpiece. However, what is it? Uncharted 2? A new Jak game? A brand new IP all together? No matter what Naughty Dog decides to do, I think we can all assume that the game will possibly best even the original Uncharted.

5. Call of Duty 5

Treyarch took a lot of hits after the release of Call of Duty 3, many of them deserved. Don't get me wrong, the overall game was good, but the PS3 version was a bit gimped, with online features that paled in comparison to the 360 version, complete with the required technical flaws that must be included in all PS3 ports. However, this is Call of Duty 5. This installment will take you back to WWII, but don't worry. You're not going to trenches. This time, you've been called to fight the suicidal Japanese in the Pacific Ocean. Personally, I can't wait to yell, "Die, you ***!" instead of "Take that, Jerry." You may be regretting it, but I can't wait for it.

4. inFamous

inFamous is the latest creation of developer Sucker Punch. Known for their Sly Cooper franchise, Sucker Punch is presenting us with an open-world game where you play as a man. A man with powers. A man with powers that has to decide between good and evil. So, you make the call. Do you want to be an evil mastermind, or do you want to save the damsel in distress? You play the super hero/villain. This is really all we know about inFamous so far. However, you can expect to see it this fall.

3. Super Smash Bros. Brawl

Ah... memories. Sitting on the couch with my brother and father playing one of the most entertaining multiplayer games ever... ah... what happy memories. Pikachu, controlled by me, would kick Kirby (my father) into kingdom come. However, like all Kirbies do, he would just float back up and onto the platform. Yes, it was brutal brawling at its best and now it's coming to the Wii! Super Smash Bros. Brawl will easily be the best installment in the series, with tons of new characters, countless levels, and, of course, online play! Are you ready to Brawl? I am!

2. Resistance 2

Resistance was the first game to really make me appreciate the FPS genre. When you take frantic gunplay with an interesting arsenal weapons, you get easily the most thrilling and entertaining work of art ever. Resistance 2 will improve on all of the flaws of its predecessor and possibly be one of the best FPS ever. Also, I can't wait to find out what happens next in the fight against the Chimera. The multiplayer should be excellent, as well. I can't wait for this game. Make sure you stay tuned to the Full Moon Show!

1. LittleBigPlanet

Well, you all saw this one coming. However, LittleBigPlanet truly deserves this. Basically, when you buy this game, you're pretty much. This is you basic side scrolling platformer... with a twist: you can easily craft your own levels and share them with others. With support of up to four to players in both the play aspect AND the create area, LittleBigPlanet is one of the most anticipated games for PS3 this year. It was even named Gamespot's "Game of E3" in 2007. This is the game you HAVE TO WATCH. Everybody will be playing it. It really has no competition in 2007, so this is a storm in and of itself.

Conclusion

As you can see, 2007 won't be the best year of gaming for much longer. With countless high profile titles being released this year, gamers are being spoiled. Do you agree with my list? Comment and even post your own!

The Golden Ottsel Awards - 2007

Well, let's start out on a happy note:

Hilaryhaznoiowaz.jpg Hillary haz no iowaz picture by dewmandew7

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...


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...


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...


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...


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...


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...


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...


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...


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.

Dewmandew7's HO: The Wii Has Won + Dewmandew7's Gaming Updates

Today you guys get a double dose of awesomeness. Not only am I introducing a new segment title Dewmandew7's HO (Humble Opinion), but you also get a complete update on what I've been doing with my gaming time. I will start with my HO. My HO is quite excellent, if I say so myself.

Dewmandew7's HO: The Wii Has Won

Blah, blah, blah. We've all heard it before. The Wii is winning because it reaches the casual market. The question is, to what extent? However, the animal that is the Wii has now him my home, and unlikely parasite has leeched on... my mother.

Now, the last time my mother had played a game was probably about 6 years ago when we had her play a game of Super Smash Bros. with us on the Nintendo 64. Needless to say, she didn't find it that exciting. You see, my mom is an accountant. A bean counter. A controller. Whatever you want to call it. She works from home and does her work in peace from the office. Well, after we got the Wii this Christmas, we brought it over to our grandparents' house and, of course, Wii Sports was a big hit, more specifically Wii Golf. My uncles and dad were all playing it. Well, a couple days later, my dad convinced my mom to play it... and she liked it. :o

Well, of course, a 9 hole golf game surely is not enough, so my mom plans on buying Tiger Woods 08. :o The last time my mom has owned a game for herself was when she was a kid and her family had the original Atari. :o So, :o my mom :o is going to :o buy a game :o for herself! If a console can make my mom play games, then that console must have won, plain and simple.

Now of course, it's a question of what kind of victory it won. Sure, it will probably win in sales, but will it make gaming better? That's only if it can convert these casual gamers (my mom is now included in this group) into hardcore gamers... this is unlikely. The chances of my mother moving from Tiger Woods golf for the Wii to Super Mario Galaxy or Zack and Wiki or whatever is highly unlikely. Most of the casual gamers (like my mother) are going to jump into a game, play it a bit, and then jump out. They probably won't play often. I can't imagine my mother playing Wii more than one or two times a week, if even that.

So, Nintendo, I salute you for your ingenius idea of getting everybody hooked on "waggle", though I loathe you for your corruption of the gaming industry and shifting almost all of the major game production companies to a more casual video game development approach.

Dewmandew7's Gaming Updates

I've made it to Crushing difficulty in Uncharted. This, my friends, is where the enemy AI really comes into its own. The enemies will grind down your health until you go back behind cover. Then, you'll hear one of them yell "I'll get him!" or something like that and they'll rush your position. So, you're badly injured, there's a guy coming right towards you with an AK-47. You have few options: You either hit him with a brutal attack as soon as he comes around the corner, or you peek out of cover and pray to God you get a headshot.

I've also got Orange Box now. I'm on puzzle 15/19 on Portal, which is probably the best game in there. I tried playing the Orange Box... it was the laggiest piece of &#$% ever! Characters were popping from spot to spot, it was impossible to him them, and AAAAAA!!!! I just gave up after the first game. I might try again later and see if I can get in a server that doesn't make it look like everybody is teleporting from place to place. I also started Half-Life 2. I think that the story is so-so at this point and the gameplay is so-so as well. It will probably get better as I go, but the "Best FPS EVARz!1!!!1!!" is rather disappointing, IMO.

Also, another problem I have with this game is that it seems like EA forgot which console they were porting this to. The primary weapon fire is mapped to R2 by default!!!! How in the world does that feel natural? The trigger buttons no the Sixaxis/DS3 are completely different than those on the 360 controller. The trigger buttons do not work well at ALL as fire buttons. Thankfully, you can change the controls, but gosh, that's annoying. What was EA thinking?

Another problem is that there is a loading screen every ten freakin' minutes! If I can go through the entire game of Uncharted and only see a load screen once when I boot up my game, I shouldn't have to look at a twenty second loading screen every ten minutes in this game. They wouldn't be that much of a problem if they weren't so long. I think what Valve should have done is made the game like Oblivion where the next area loads in the background instead of telling you, "Guess what! The game is loading! Isn't that happy fun times for you?" I mean, in Portal, the game loads between most puzzles while you're in the elevator. Instead of telling you its loading, just keep you in the elevator and make it just seem like a really long elevator ride. I'd rather have that then have a loading screen. Just put in some nice elevator music, mask the loading screens, and it would be fine.

I've been playing a lot of Super Mario 64 and Paper Mario on my Wii. Both great classics and if you have a Wii, you should definitely download them, unless you own physical copies of course. We gave our N64 and all of our games for it to this home where children that were abused by their parents/guardians go. :P Makes me feel good inside, but now I can't play Donkey Kong 64 anymore... Hopefully they release that on the VC. :P

I've also finally gotten into Super Mario Galaxy. The game starts off really easy and the level designs aren't very fun. However, after a galaxy that was strictly platforming where you only have to move on one plane instead of always switching gravity and worlds and what-not, they throw you into a strictly Mario world where you have to jump accross a moving platform with holes in and laser beams above it. I think it was called the sweet, sweet galaxy. Also, there was this spider boss fight that I really liked. Maybe this game wasn't so undeserving of its awards after all...

Finally, make sure you guys all check out my Golden Ottsel awards nominees. You can even guess which games I'll pick for each award and your blog could win a spot at the top of my user page for the rest of the year if you are one of the two most accurate guessers. So, read that and enter your predictions by the 5th to receive some love in my blog.

P.S. Have a free Avalanche gameplay video:

http://www.gamespot.com/users/dewmandew7/video_player?id=IiFnxGT85bwIuzLd

The First Annual Golden Ottsel Awards - Candidates and Categories

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, and the categories. A few games I need to play a bit more of before I can make my final decision, but the final candidate list has been made.

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)

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)

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)

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)

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)

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)

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)

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.

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)

Conclusion and Predictions

So, these are my nominees for the first annual Golden Ottsel Awards. If you have any suggestions, please post them in the comments section.

Also, I'm doing a little contest. In your own blog, write your predictions for which games you think will take home each award. The two best predictors will have their blogs linked to at the top of my blog until next year's Golden Ottsel Awards. Post a link to your blog entry in the comments section. Make sure you link back to this blog post when you write your predictions! Otherwise your entry will not be accepted.

EDIT: Entries must be in before January 5, 2008.

--dewmandew7

Uncharted - Possibly the Greatest Game I Have Ever Played

I have to say, Uncharted is by far the most engaging, polished video game experiences I have witnessed thus far. Everything about it is simply amazing. Nothing stacks up to it. Having had two years since the release of Jak X for the Playstation 2, Naughty Dog has been able to craft one of the most engaging stories of all time and some of the most believable characters in a video game ever. I've taken a dive into this game and now I've come back up for a breather and to spread the good news.

Before I begin to sing this game's praises, let me share my story of how I acquired this game. This game was released retail on Monday, November 19. Of course, I just had to pre-order the game. *slaps forehead*. So, Best Buy didn't even ship the game until Wednesday, November 21. Then, of course, my shipment ran into Thanksgiving which is a government holiday... So, I thought, I'll get it on Monday, November 26! No go. I don't think I got it until Wednesday, November 28. I think this is the last game I order from Best Buy.

So, I finally received the game, popped it into my PS3... and part of my soul was completed. Everything about this game is absolutely beautiful.

Let me start off with the characters. All of them are beautifully animated. They all have their own little nuances like real people would have. Now, all of the cutscenes are pre-rendered. This is where the bulk of the character development takes place. However, while you're playing, you'll be able to pick up on what makes each of the characters tick. Nathan Drake has tons of different animations for taking cover, meaning you'll never feel like Nathan Drake is a video game character, but an actual person who never really does the same thing more than once. Also, he stumbles and falls, adding a whole new since of life to this character. Instead of playing as a super hero, you're playing with this average joe stuck into an extraordinary situation. The only gripe I have is that Nate has a bit more upper body strength that your average guy would have. However, this is easily ignored because of the over-all quality of Nathan's character.

The graphics are beautiful. Everything is rendered with a stunning surrealism. Naughty Dog somehow blended realistic graphics with slightly cartoony visual effects to make the best looking console game to date. The jungles are bright green and beautiful. Some of the later, darker levels are also all incredibly detailed. The textures are amazing, though there is a bit of pop-in from time to time. All of the characters look incredibly life-like. It's hard to not just stop and stare around at Nate's surroundings.

The gameplay is amazing. Some people have said Uncharted is just a Gears of War clone, other say it's a Tomb Raider clone. However, it really is none of these. Actually, if I had to compare it with any games, it would be Ratchet and Clank because of the mix of platforming and gun-play and Metal Gear Solid 4, for the free rotating camera and the way the gun-play works. Uncharted goes from intense fire fights to scaling cliffs to puzzle solving, without ever losing a beat. The game is incredibly fun to play, and it will keep you coming back for more and more with four different levels of difficulty, 60 treasures to find, and over 1000 Medal points to achieve (most likely to be integrated into Home when it is released next year).

The story is definitely one of the better video game stories written. I wouldn't say it's the best, but it's definitely among the top 20. You play as Nathan Drake, the heir of Sir Francis Drake, who supposedly had no children. You search for his lost coffin along with the help of Elena Fischer, a TV show host, whose network is funding the operation. Nathan Drake wants a bit of treasure but his larger goal is to find out what happened to his ancestor. However, his friend, Sullivan, is up to his eye balls in debt and really needs the supposed treasure that Francis Drake was searching for to save his neck. This is all I will reveal, but I will say that the story grows darker and darker over its course and the ending really begs for a sequel.

In conclusion, this game is a steal for $60. It is also one of the best games I've ever played. I'm not ready to call this the winner of my GOTY award for my first annual Golden Ottsel awards, but it stands a fighting chance. My parents have bought a Wii for my brother and I for this Christmas, along with, of course, Super Mario Galaxy. I will have to save final judgement until January 2008 when I hand out the awards, but this game I think definitely has a fighting chance against the juggernaut that is Super Mario Galaxy. So, if you are a PS3 owner, you owe it to yourself to buy this game. It's definitely the best game on the system and is the game PS3 owners have been waiting for.

Gamespot... I Am Contemplating Account Suicide

Gamespot, Gamespot, Gamespot... What's wrong with you? Don't you have any brains? Two recent events have really ticked me off. One was a TOS violation I apparently committed and the other is Jeff. So, sit back and read the umpteenth Gamespot rant written in the past couple weeks.

First, I would like to address a moderation I received. On the Golden Compass Launch Center page (which Iranted abouta couple weeks ago here), a big argument had broken out about Aethism vs.Religion/Monotheism and all that stuff, and many people were making comments about Christianity using violence to gain recruits, using the Crusades as their evidence.

You see, there is a slight problem with their logic. Why would you use an event that happened a millenium ago to define a religion that has changed drastically since? I mean, Christianity has undergone reforms since,including the Protestant Reformation (heck, Protestant churches are still breakingapart intodifferent denominations) and theCatholic Reformation shortly after.

So, I commented saying that if you're going to say that religion is based on violence, at least use a religion that has shown itself to use violence to convert members in the here and now. I said to use the Islamic religion as an example. Of course, being rude to Christians is fine, but if you're rude to Muslims, that's downright terrible, and I was moderated for it. The thing that ticks me off the most, though, is that all of the anti-Christian messages remained! How dumb is that!? Thankfully, it was only a warning, but Gamespot's moderators should at least have some consistency.

Secondly, I would like to discuss Jeff Gersstmann's (the former editor of Gamespot) recent removal from the staff. If you haven't heard the story, hear it is in short. Jeff does a video review for Kane and Lynch. The Kane and Lynch developer, Eidos, who was also a major advertiser on the site at that time, did not like Jeff's "tone" in the review. So, Eidos basically told C-Net, "drop Jeff or drop us". Apparently, money was more important to them than editorial integrity and Jeff was both fired and his video review was removed from the site.

It's sad to see him go, because Jeff was one of my favorite staff writers and he was always a fun guy in "On the Spot" and Gamespot's other "shows". Well, now that this has happened, hundreds of gamers have called for a boycott on Gamespot by potential advertisers and of companies that continue to advertise on the site. Gamespot's ads have become minimal and their days may be dwindling.

Gamespot, you are running out of straws. It won't be long before I'm gone. Please get your act together now, or I may be leaving a giant piece of cow droppings on your forums and ending my account's life here at Gamespot. Just kidding about that, but I'll stop visiting. Yeah, there goes your 0 cent profit on me... WHAT NOW!?

I introduce to you, my fellow bloggers, the Videogames Journos Network!

Do you want to meet up with fellow bloggers as well as some major players in the gaming journalist field? Well, all you have to do is join the slowly growing "Videogames Journos" social networking site at:

http://videogamesjournos.ning.com/

If you are interested in getting into the games industry or you just like blogging about video games, look no further. This could become the Facebook of Videogame Journalism. There are tons of members, including people from Joystiq, Gamespot, and people formerly from Gamespot (Jeff Gerstmann). Yeah, I played the Jeff card, want to fight about it?

So, this is your basic networking site. It is not really all that special in terms of features, but it has the basics. You can import photos, music, RSS feeds*, and videos, as well as start discussions, groups, and write blogs, obviously. I imagine it will improve over time as more members join, so head on over there and make a profile.

There does not appear to be many member sub-18, and they could be somewhat healthy for the community. I hope more of you my age join.

If you want to add me as a friend, here's a link:

http://videogamesjournos.ning.com/profile/AndrewGaspar

I am really excited for this networking site. It seems like some good communication could come out of this between both professional journalists and casual bloggers. It is the "Videogames Journos" social networking site... check it out!

*Gamespot, if you are reading this, please fix the personal RSS feeds. Whenever I try to import my blog from here anywhere, it either fails or takes forever to load.

Flash Game Review: Avalanche

Foreword: Flash Game Review isa new thing I'm going to start doing. Basically, I will find popular, free-to-play Internet flash games made by aspiring game designers and tell you whether they're worth your time by using a five point grading scale with 1 point increments. The reason for the five points as opposed to using the standard review scoring of .5 increments out of 10 is because these games are generally too small for me to be critical enough to use the standard Gamespot scoring method. This is my first flash game review and I hope this will remain an on-going blog column I do.

---

Game Title: Avalanche

Developer: Beast Games

Host Site: TheGameHomepage.com

Available at: TheGameHomepage.com

AddictingGames.com

In Avalanche, you play as a little Marshmallow... or maybe he's a towel... or possibly a mint... Well, whatever you are, you are in the middle of an avalanche. Giant square nuts are falling from the sky and you must not be hit by them, or else you die (no surprise there). Wait, it gets more complicated. As these nuts fall down, this eerie-looking red water is rising up below you. If you fall in the water, it's game over. So, your goal is to climb as high as you can without dieing. It's a simple concept, but getting the higher scores is quite a challenge.

So, the controls are as follows. The arrow keys control your character. Up is jump and left and right move your 'shmallow in the corresponding direction. You can also wall jump by pushing your character up against the side of a block/nut and then pressing both the up key and the key in the direction you want to jump in. It's simple enough and with most flash games, the simpler the better.

As you get into the upper echelons, the sky starts turning red, which is an interesting effect and gravity starts to take a lesser toll on your marshmallow dude. This is useful because you're going to have to start climbing the blocks before they even land because the water will start rising much more quickly than before.

Anyway, so when you do die, which as I said before results from a block falling on you or the water catching up with you, you will be taken to the game over screen which will tell you how high you climbed and will show you the tower created during your climb. It's kind of cool to see what your tower looks like afterwards, though it takes too long for it to scroll all the way to the top and you get bored of watching it. It's a pretty cool feature, though.

If you are a member at "TheGameHomepage.com", you can play the "High Score" version, which will record your score if you so choose when you are done and post it on an online leader board. I haven't tried this yet, but if you like that sort of thing, it's open for you.

The sound isn't very impressive. There are a sum total of four sound effects in the entire game, two of which are in the intro when they tell you who made the game, one of them is the option select noise for the main menu, and the other noise is for when you die. There are two songs. One of them (Dreams of Above by Maze Master) plays during the actual game while the other one (Action Bed II by Ludzix) plays during the broken tutorial which can only be exited by refreshing the browser. However, Dreams of Above has a pretty catchy tune which, surprisingly, doesn't get annoying as you play.

Throughout my play time, the only glitch I encountered besides the tutorial was a weird bug that would happen during the middle of gameplay. This glitch took your character's ability to wall jump, which can end a game. All you have to do to get rid of it is restart the game (which can be done at any time by clicking enter) and the glitch is fixed.

Despite some minor problems, Avalanche is a solid game. It's everything a casual game should be. It's fun, addicting, and easy to learn. So, if you get a moment or are just bored, check this game out. It's worth your time.

4/5
Great!

The Golden Compass Launch Center is embarrassing, insulting

Gamespot gives Launch Centers to many games, usually games very deserving, like huge sequels (Halo 3, Call of Duty 4, Guitar Hero 3) or other games who have shown their worth (Crysis). Up to this point I had assumed that Gamespot awarded them based on game merit. However, I'm beginning to think that these Launch Centers are being bought and that they aren't actually their for the anticipation of a game. The game which sparked this huge analysis is "The Golden Compass".

The Golden Compass is a game based on a movie based on a book. It has something to do with a giant polar bear and what-not. This book is actually part of a series. The first one is supposedly supposed to be somewhat mild, but the later ones are much darker. They involve twelve years sleeping with each other (not actually having intercourse, but getting very physical), bishops and cardinals being made out as bad guys (very anti-Catholic), and the killing of God at the very end of the last book.

Now, if you call yourself a Christian, I would hope you and/or you children have the sense to not see this movie, play the game, or read the book. As you can tell, it is very anti-Christian and, more specifically, anti-Catholic. The fact that Gamespot would honor such a franchise is revolting.

I mean, it's obviously a matter of money, because screenshots of the game look HORRIBLE and its quality is questionable due to it being a cheap movie tie-in made for a quick buck.

Gamespot is already on my bad side from their obviously less than acceptable Ratchet and Clank Future review and this latest move by them is no better. Whether it is because they think the game looks fun (highly unlikely), they like to be controversial (less than ideal), for money (takes out any relevancy Gamespot's Launch Centers have, but I can live with it), or because they want to attack Christianity (again, not likely, but if this is the case, I'll be saying good-bye to Gamespot), The Golden Compass does not deserve a Launch Center at all.

I encourage all Christians out there to renounce this game and it's message mis-guiding young children and I also encourage you to neither buy the book or game or see the movie. I know I'll probably get some flak from the non-Christian community, but whatever.

I Love Canada!

Foreword: On September 16, 2007, I made a horrible choice. I bet against Halo 3. My bet was as follows:

"I bet that Halo 3 will score under AAA. If it doesn't, I'll put "I love Canadians." and the "I got owned in System Wars bets" picture in my sig until the PS3 gets its second AAA exclusive game. Also, I will write a blog post about my love of the Canadians."

So, what have we learned today, kids? Gambling is stupid. Don't do it. You might have to end up writing a blog about how much you love Canadians (Just so you know, I don't). Also, we learned that Halo 3 is awesome. Don't bet against it.

Well, onto my blog/essay:

----

O Canada! Our home and native land, true patriot love in all thy sons command. Canada is such a wonderful place. They're the second largest country in land mass in the world and they have truly the best flag. I mean, what makes for a better flag than a picture of a maple leaf? Nothing, that's what.

Well, Canada has a current estimated population of 33,025,900. That's over 33 million fine, upstanding people. These 33 million people are unevenly distributed over ten provinces and three territories which take up 3,854,085 square miles, half of which is covered in beautiful, lovable snow. I mean, have you ever seen anything more beautiful than miles and miles of snow-covered land? There aren't any pesky crops in the way. Who needs food when you can have frozen water instead?

Speaking of a frozen liquid made up of two parts hydrogen and one part oxygen, let's talk about the Canadians favorite sport: Hockey. You see, in Hockey, players use long stick to hit not a ball, but a puck, a short, cylindrical object which can be hit with great force. Also, the game is played on ice, which requires players to skate, rather than running like in traditional sports.To score, one must hit the "puck" down field using your stick to pass it to your teammates and to keep the ball moving forward. Once near your opposing team's goal (a smaller version of the soccer net), you must hit it into the net. It's not so easy, however, as the goalie (the one who defends the goal) is there to defend it. The goalie carries a glove with which to catch the puck and is usually as big as or bigger than the net, making most games very low scoring, like soccer. However, what I just described only really makes up 25%of the game. The other part consists of the more entertaining aspect: players beating each other up. This is traditionally the most important aspect of Hockey and it really radiates how friendly the Canadians are. They're always willing to lend a helping a hand to all of their friends, which includes knocking some sense into them at the odd Hockey match.

This is what I love so much about Canadians. They're open to everybody. The population of Canada is made up of people of both English and French descent. You see, the nice thing about French-speaking Canadians is that they're only half as annoying and snobbish as their full-blown French counter-parts. Also, Canada is a melting pot. Somehow, they've managed to combine the English and French language into one, making everybody feel welcome. You see, they figured out that if you sprinkle the word "Oui" (French for yes) over every other sentence, the French don't feel nearly as discriminated against and feel like less of a minority.

Now, since you're on this site, I assume you love games, well, there are ones of game studios in Canada that are producing games like Mass Effect and, um..., that one game... probably about Hockey... hm... Well, yeah, Mass Effect. So, if you have an Xbox 360 and you like RPGs, you can play that later this fall.

Well, there's Canada at a glance. As you can see, living in Canada offers you an amazing flag to fly outside your house, varied population densities that are nearly comparable to China's, plenty of skiing opportunities, a moderately entertaining sport to watch, and people that accept your culture and are willing to integrate it into their lives. So, I hope that I've made you change your mind and see that Canada is indeed a great place to live. I'll see you in my next non-Canadian-related blog entry.

Sources:

Insomniac's Full Moon Show -- Episode 009

Wikipedia -- Yes, I know it's lame, but how much time do you think I'm going to put into writing something about how much I love Canada?

--dewmandew7, Free Lance Writer

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