Your Top Games of 2007
Quaunaut
The longest seven days in history... Join Date: 2003-03-21 Member: 14759Members, Constellation, Reinforced - Shadow
The longest seven days in history... Join Date: 2003-03-21 Member: 14759Members, Constellation, Reinforced - Shadow
<div class="IPBDescription">ITS THAT TIME O YEAR AGAIN</div>I'm surprised I didn't make this thread sooner.
Now hell- 2007 is officially the best year I've ever had the pleasure of experiencing in the world of video games. More quality titles came out just this winter than any other year in history, and a good chunk of those were nothing short of revolutionary to their genre. So, here goes my top 5 games of the year.
5. <b>Forza Motorsport 2</b>
So Forza Motorsport was the first game to give the Gran Turismo series real competition. And what did they do? Completely obliterate it. On their first try they had Online play, even better car handling, damage modeling, and the most sophisticated driving AI in existence(even allowing you to train your own AI!), and complete car customization(down to the paint/vinyl job).
And while sadly you can't train your own AI anymore, everything else has gone from "Good" to "Amazing"- arguably the best online driving experience in existence, with nearly no lag(and the lag that does show up is hilarious), a even wider range of vehicles, a much more sophisticated driving engine(360 evaluations per second), even better damage modeling, a hugely improved car customization system(some of the paint jobs have to be seen to be believed), and still the best driver AI ever, that its just amazing in every category.
Sure, they graphics are just 'good' and not insane, but the sound and gameplay more than make up for it. If you like racing games, this was easily the must buy of 2007. Period. Nothing else came to this level of sophistication in every conceivable way, while still more or less setting a standard that it doesn't even look like Gran Turismo 5 will be able to fix(with the Prologue coming out in Japan not long ago, with 'meh' online capabilities, still no damage modeling, and worst thing ever- THE ENTIRE REMOVAL OF UPGRADING OR TWEAKING YOUR CAR), its nice to know that the Forza team at Turn 10 hasn't turned down their focus on innovation and quality.
4. <b>World of Warcraft: The Burning Crusade</b>
Oh God, an Expansion. And an MMO expansion. A World of Warcraft one. I'll be getting comments about this for awhile. But what other expansion can you remember that has nearly all the gameplay of the original- at an even higher polish- and still manages to be fun to millions after 3 years? And thats to completely forgo the content that has come out since its release- the Black Temple itself, the true centerpiece of the expansion's raid content(that should've come out with it, but that doesn't matter considering no one could've gotten to it beforehand anyway), Zul'Aman, an in-game Voice Chat option, Daily Quests(the best thing Blizzard has put in, ever), improved 20-60 leveling, a completely revised Dustwallow Marsh, a completely revitalized Alterac Valley battleground, and dozens of other things, its hard to remember what awesome things they did in the expansion itself.
Howabout their first true raiding-style 10 man dungeon? Howabout raiding perfection at 25 people? Howabout the Arena System(also known as the Epic Welfare system)? Howabout levels 60-70 being as fun as the first 20 levels? Or Flying Mounts? Or two entirely new races? Every part of the expansion contained had the level of polish Blizzard always has, and the gameplay was changed in so many good ways(nearly every spec in the game is viable!), and the amount of pure content is amazing.
And I couldn't forget the fact that they've truly unleashed the most incredible mod community upon a game since Half-Life: Allowing you to completely rape their UI, people have invented entirely new gameplay pieces with it: The Threat meter. Mods have gotten such sophistication that they can give you a leveling guide in-game(for sped up leveling), specialized raid control options, gameplay aids, money handlers, stat trackers, bag sorting, damage meters, and complete UI customization. Its just amazing what you can do with it- and while Blizzard didn't do this, the mod experience truly is a part of the World of Warcraft experience.
The only way Blizzard can do better is if they manage to have this much content in Wrath of the Lich King, AND perfect the Death Knight class. Heres to 2008!
3. <b>The Orange Box</b>
The local darling of the NSOT forums, it makes us proud that one of our longtime members, Them, is one of the original Narbacular Drop designers, and one of the key designers of the mind blowing Portal.
Easily the first suggestion for someone to buy this year, The Orange Box has more gameplay in it than anything should- for a newby to the Half-Life 2 saga, it will completely catch them up. Half-Life 2, HL2: Episode 1, and Episode 2 could easily clock in at a 40 hour gameplay total- and that is only 3/5ths of the package. Then you have Portal, a game that finally takes the portal technology we've had for a bit in games, and uses it to such an insanely sophisticated way, that it is a wonder that no one needs to make anything to 'improve' upon the formula- Portal is simply the best, and always will be. Then of course, there is Team Fortress 2- 10 years in the making, and what seems like 7 of them wasted, the game is multiplayer perfection. Not only is it balanced incredibly well, and has one of the best uses of an art style in games ever, it even encourages you to do better using its own stat tracking system.
The amount of value in this package is amazing, and shouldn't be passed up by anyone, ever. If every game box had this much gameplay variety and polish, I think it'd turn out to be a bad thing- as we already have an issue playing all the good games of one year, and this would just kill us. Personally.
2. <b>Bioshock</b>
A lot of things have been said about Bioshock. The game is nearly perfect on a technical level- some of the best graphics of the year, one of the best uses in sound design ever, an unbelievably good story and some of the most unique gameplay ever since probably Deus Ex. The fact that its still decently long, an emotional roller coaster, and will probably revolutionize storytelling in games for years to come the way Half-Life did, is also commendable.
But also, this game managed to be art in all of my favorite ways- without ever being ridiculous. No game has ever achieved this level of sophistication, ever- if this isn't referred to as the best example of 'Games are Art' for 2007, then history could not do Ken Levine a bigger disservice. Not only did they tackle objectivism, an entire socioeconomic theory that has been difficult enough to talk about in the real world, they also managed to go in depth into everything from genetic experimentation to your own personal morality. The fact that they did it so tastefully that even Jack Thompson didn't try to hurt the game was amazing(which he had no reason not to, considering Bioshock's INCREDIBLE sales).
Before this, my favorite 'Art' game was Shadow of the Colossus. I feel no remorse in taking it off my #1 spot, especially considering the large repercussions that Bioshock has had on my life- I've begun to study Ayn Rand's objectivism very much so in depth, and while I don't completely agree with Ken Levine's decision of how objectivism would fail, its certainly a valid argument, which the fact that the entirety of this conversation was through a game is commendable. Congratulations Ken Levine- you've secured yourself a place in the history books of Gaming.
1. <b>Rock Band</b>
Rock Band is one of those experiences that keeps something around not just a few years, but hundreds- where you want to work at it, spend nearly every waking moment on it, yet it never, ever, feels old. What happened when I went through the entire second half of the campaign on medium(in 6 hours)? I switched to Vocals and started doing it again.
Furthermore, everything about the game is nigh perfect- the Graphics are wonderful, the art style is brilliant and distinct without looking stupid, the sound is obviously wonderful(and they really have gotten better than Guitar Hero in the fact that there aren't any more obnoxious sounds!), the gameplay is nearly unlimited, and the multiplayer options are easily the next step forward in games. Hell, my only problem with the game(that is actually a pretty large problem) is that Band World Tour mode isn't available online.
Otherwise, what you get with this isn't one game, but three. Guitar Hero, Drum Hero, Songstar. The best track list of any music game ever. The best multiplayer party game ever, even slaughtering the Wii's party options. And the game makes you feel like a real musician- whether it be the big rock finishes, or the Drum Fills(that are a genius idea), you always feel like perhaps if you just took your obsession over to a real instrument, you too, could be a Rock God. No doubt in my mind, this is the best game of 2007.
Honorable Mentions: Call of Duty 4, Halo 3, skate., Guitar Hero 3, EvE: Trinity, Super Mario Galaxy, Mass Effect, Crysis
So there ya'll go. What were your pics of 2007? Any favorite trends, any technologies, anything you wish they had?
<3
Now hell- 2007 is officially the best year I've ever had the pleasure of experiencing in the world of video games. More quality titles came out just this winter than any other year in history, and a good chunk of those were nothing short of revolutionary to their genre. So, here goes my top 5 games of the year.
5. <b>Forza Motorsport 2</b>
So Forza Motorsport was the first game to give the Gran Turismo series real competition. And what did they do? Completely obliterate it. On their first try they had Online play, even better car handling, damage modeling, and the most sophisticated driving AI in existence(even allowing you to train your own AI!), and complete car customization(down to the paint/vinyl job).
And while sadly you can't train your own AI anymore, everything else has gone from "Good" to "Amazing"- arguably the best online driving experience in existence, with nearly no lag(and the lag that does show up is hilarious), a even wider range of vehicles, a much more sophisticated driving engine(360 evaluations per second), even better damage modeling, a hugely improved car customization system(some of the paint jobs have to be seen to be believed), and still the best driver AI ever, that its just amazing in every category.
Sure, they graphics are just 'good' and not insane, but the sound and gameplay more than make up for it. If you like racing games, this was easily the must buy of 2007. Period. Nothing else came to this level of sophistication in every conceivable way, while still more or less setting a standard that it doesn't even look like Gran Turismo 5 will be able to fix(with the Prologue coming out in Japan not long ago, with 'meh' online capabilities, still no damage modeling, and worst thing ever- THE ENTIRE REMOVAL OF UPGRADING OR TWEAKING YOUR CAR), its nice to know that the Forza team at Turn 10 hasn't turned down their focus on innovation and quality.
4. <b>World of Warcraft: The Burning Crusade</b>
Oh God, an Expansion. And an MMO expansion. A World of Warcraft one. I'll be getting comments about this for awhile. But what other expansion can you remember that has nearly all the gameplay of the original- at an even higher polish- and still manages to be fun to millions after 3 years? And thats to completely forgo the content that has come out since its release- the Black Temple itself, the true centerpiece of the expansion's raid content(that should've come out with it, but that doesn't matter considering no one could've gotten to it beforehand anyway), Zul'Aman, an in-game Voice Chat option, Daily Quests(the best thing Blizzard has put in, ever), improved 20-60 leveling, a completely revised Dustwallow Marsh, a completely revitalized Alterac Valley battleground, and dozens of other things, its hard to remember what awesome things they did in the expansion itself.
Howabout their first true raiding-style 10 man dungeon? Howabout raiding perfection at 25 people? Howabout the Arena System(also known as the Epic Welfare system)? Howabout levels 60-70 being as fun as the first 20 levels? Or Flying Mounts? Or two entirely new races? Every part of the expansion contained had the level of polish Blizzard always has, and the gameplay was changed in so many good ways(nearly every spec in the game is viable!), and the amount of pure content is amazing.
And I couldn't forget the fact that they've truly unleashed the most incredible mod community upon a game since Half-Life: Allowing you to completely rape their UI, people have invented entirely new gameplay pieces with it: The Threat meter. Mods have gotten such sophistication that they can give you a leveling guide in-game(for sped up leveling), specialized raid control options, gameplay aids, money handlers, stat trackers, bag sorting, damage meters, and complete UI customization. Its just amazing what you can do with it- and while Blizzard didn't do this, the mod experience truly is a part of the World of Warcraft experience.
The only way Blizzard can do better is if they manage to have this much content in Wrath of the Lich King, AND perfect the Death Knight class. Heres to 2008!
3. <b>The Orange Box</b>
The local darling of the NSOT forums, it makes us proud that one of our longtime members, Them, is one of the original Narbacular Drop designers, and one of the key designers of the mind blowing Portal.
Easily the first suggestion for someone to buy this year, The Orange Box has more gameplay in it than anything should- for a newby to the Half-Life 2 saga, it will completely catch them up. Half-Life 2, HL2: Episode 1, and Episode 2 could easily clock in at a 40 hour gameplay total- and that is only 3/5ths of the package. Then you have Portal, a game that finally takes the portal technology we've had for a bit in games, and uses it to such an insanely sophisticated way, that it is a wonder that no one needs to make anything to 'improve' upon the formula- Portal is simply the best, and always will be. Then of course, there is Team Fortress 2- 10 years in the making, and what seems like 7 of them wasted, the game is multiplayer perfection. Not only is it balanced incredibly well, and has one of the best uses of an art style in games ever, it even encourages you to do better using its own stat tracking system.
The amount of value in this package is amazing, and shouldn't be passed up by anyone, ever. If every game box had this much gameplay variety and polish, I think it'd turn out to be a bad thing- as we already have an issue playing all the good games of one year, and this would just kill us. Personally.
2. <b>Bioshock</b>
A lot of things have been said about Bioshock. The game is nearly perfect on a technical level- some of the best graphics of the year, one of the best uses in sound design ever, an unbelievably good story and some of the most unique gameplay ever since probably Deus Ex. The fact that its still decently long, an emotional roller coaster, and will probably revolutionize storytelling in games for years to come the way Half-Life did, is also commendable.
But also, this game managed to be art in all of my favorite ways- without ever being ridiculous. No game has ever achieved this level of sophistication, ever- if this isn't referred to as the best example of 'Games are Art' for 2007, then history could not do Ken Levine a bigger disservice. Not only did they tackle objectivism, an entire socioeconomic theory that has been difficult enough to talk about in the real world, they also managed to go in depth into everything from genetic experimentation to your own personal morality. The fact that they did it so tastefully that even Jack Thompson didn't try to hurt the game was amazing(which he had no reason not to, considering Bioshock's INCREDIBLE sales).
Before this, my favorite 'Art' game was Shadow of the Colossus. I feel no remorse in taking it off my #1 spot, especially considering the large repercussions that Bioshock has had on my life- I've begun to study Ayn Rand's objectivism very much so in depth, and while I don't completely agree with Ken Levine's decision of how objectivism would fail, its certainly a valid argument, which the fact that the entirety of this conversation was through a game is commendable. Congratulations Ken Levine- you've secured yourself a place in the history books of Gaming.
1. <b>Rock Band</b>
Rock Band is one of those experiences that keeps something around not just a few years, but hundreds- where you want to work at it, spend nearly every waking moment on it, yet it never, ever, feels old. What happened when I went through the entire second half of the campaign on medium(in 6 hours)? I switched to Vocals and started doing it again.
Furthermore, everything about the game is nigh perfect- the Graphics are wonderful, the art style is brilliant and distinct without looking stupid, the sound is obviously wonderful(and they really have gotten better than Guitar Hero in the fact that there aren't any more obnoxious sounds!), the gameplay is nearly unlimited, and the multiplayer options are easily the next step forward in games. Hell, my only problem with the game(that is actually a pretty large problem) is that Band World Tour mode isn't available online.
Otherwise, what you get with this isn't one game, but three. Guitar Hero, Drum Hero, Songstar. The best track list of any music game ever. The best multiplayer party game ever, even slaughtering the Wii's party options. And the game makes you feel like a real musician- whether it be the big rock finishes, or the Drum Fills(that are a genius idea), you always feel like perhaps if you just took your obsession over to a real instrument, you too, could be a Rock God. No doubt in my mind, this is the best game of 2007.
Honorable Mentions: Call of Duty 4, Halo 3, skate., Guitar Hero 3, EvE: Trinity, Super Mario Galaxy, Mass Effect, Crysis
So there ya'll go. What were your pics of 2007? Any favorite trends, any technologies, anything you wish they had?
<3
Comments
Bioshock was really great and is probably my #2. Yeah, not much replay value considering you can get almost all the plasmids in one playthrough, and the only major difference between being 'good' and 'evil' is about a 20 second cutscene at the end of the game... but the gameplay was quite fun and the art direction and storytelling were second to none.
Sadly, the Burning Crusade kinda killed WoW for me. Yes, it did add a lot of awesome content, but at the same time, it managed to rub in my face what a gear treadmill the game is. Work your way through MC and ZG to work through AQ20 and BWL to work through AQ40 to work through Naxx... to have it all become almost instantly obsolete come expansion time so you can start the process anew. I'm sure I'd have fun with the game again if I could find a guild with nice, mature, fun people that actually have skill and can get things done, without requiring me to raid all night 4+ nights a week. I have a blast in WoW when I can actually play it... but when I sign on, I generally spend half my playtime looking for a group and the next half of my playtime ghostwalking back to the instance we keep wiping in. One of the things I most want to do in that game are revisit all the old dungeons at level 70 and totally kick some ass. Sadly, everyone's too gear-oriented to ever take 20 minutes out of their LFG spam to kill Onyxia or whatever. But I digress...
I dig Rock Band, but I'm just not as good at it as I'd like to be, and I get frustrated easily these days. I wouldn't even mind practicing to get better, but the only time I ever feel like playing is in band mode with my GF, and then I feel guilty failing a song when she's doing well, thereby making it so that we both have to replay the whole darn song.
I'm still waiting for Gamefly to deliver my Mass Effect - that would probably be in my top 5 also but I haven't played it yet. I hope the text is legible on a SDTV, unlike some games I could mention.
Crysis was quite cool, but it was also pretty short, and it was a bit of a one trick pony in the end... some neat gadgets, some really incredible graphics (if your PC can handle them), but a short game that doesn't fully explore the possibilities of the toys it gives you... the thing I love most about Crysis and Far Cry is how open the maps feel. They always feel like you can go and explore anywhere. I think Far Cry was better than Crysis in that department, though... there were maps in Far Cry where you could choose to take a tunnel through a bunker under a mountain, or a winding mountain pass, or take a boat or jeep around the mountain, or climb the mountain up to a lighthouse and take a zipline to your next objective, all equally viable and fleshed out routes... Crysis was slightly more linear, though still open to exploration in most places.
2. Cod4
3. Crysis
4. TF2
5. Pes 2008
But that only goes for me, because that game appeals to such a small audience it's kind of pathetic.
2.Team Fortress 2-This is looking to be another one of those multiplayer games that will still be popular many years from now. They got the class balance pretty much perfect(no more useless classes). I personally have the most fun(and the highest score) with medic and sniper.
3.Guitar Hero 3. I do not own Rock Band. Even if I had a system that could run it, I probably wouldn't get it. The soundtrack in GH3 is, in my opinion(which is different from Quaunaut's) the best ever.(My favorite songs off the GH3 setlist are 1.The Devil Goes Down to Georgia(metal remix)2.Cliffs of Dover 3.One 4.Knights of Cydonia 5.Cult of Personality 6.Stricken 7. La Grange...I think you can tell a bit about my taste in music). Admittedly there are some design flaws(most people I know hate the devil battle. I for one can't beat it on hard and have just reached tier 7 on expert. I could beat if if I really wanted to spend time on it, but it gets irritating), and there are too many 3 note chords, but it's still a very fun game.
I haven't played most of the games on your other lists because I am cheap and only buy games I know I will spend a very long time on.(and have replay value)
<b>6. Bioshock</b>
<img src="http://www.rockpapershotgun.com/images/dec07/biocal3.jpg" border="0" class="linked-image" />
Great story until the last bit, some of the best graphics, art design, sound design, and music of any game ever, wonderful level design, an interesting setting, and the full power of a large developer and publisher behind a brand new, innovative franchise? Yes please. Definitely an all-time classic for gaming.
<b>5. Company of Heroes: Opposing Fronts</b>
<img src="http://www.rockpapershotgun.com/images/dec07/cohof.jpg" border="0" class="linked-image" />
Somehow they managed to take the original game and double the number of factions. Both new additions are completely different and yet the game still works. Everything good from the first game has stuck around, and the Panzer Elite and Britsh have only improved things. Pretty awesome.
<b>4. Half-Life 2: Episode 2</b>
<img src="http://www.rockpapershotgun.com/images/dec07/ep2_1a.jpg" border="0" class="linked-image" />
Episode 1 was basically everything cool in Half-Life 2, kicked up a notch. Episode 2 was more like an expansion of the original formula; more free roaming in some places, much improved graphics in some cases, and generally more of a new-feeling game than the refinement of Episode 1. The hunters were great, the setpieces (defending against them with Alyx when you first meet them, holding off the antlions with the vortigaunts, the G-Man, etc) more than make up for the clumsy narrative as is HL2's wont, and even if those other thing's didn't overshadow the whole "let's have people just dictate the plot to you," the ending 5 minutes blew everything away and totally rejuvinated my faith in the Half-Life universe's storyline.
<b>3. Crysis</b>
<img src="http://www.rockpapershotgun.com/images/dec07/cry1.jpg" border="0" class="linked-image" />
Prettiest game ever made? Check. Best map editor ever? Check. Ridiculously beautiful? Check. Awesome emergent gameplay surpassing that of Far Cry, Grand Theft Auto, etc? Check. Beautiful island paradise to destroy? Check. Pretty cool alien sequence midway through the game that feels as eerie and downright <i>strange</i> as anything I've played in a good while? Check. Looks so close to real life that I can't figure out how they avoided the uncanny valley? Check. Someone finally doing Zero-G right in a first person shooter? Check. Every frame so pretty that 5 years ago anyone would have heaped praise upon them if it was pre-rendered? Check. Neato supersuit with superpowers that makes you into a supersoldier, only with nanites? Check. A jawdroppingly-good looking game? Check. Ability to pick up chickens, turtles, and other assorted wildlife, and/or North Koreans? Check. Oh, and did I mention the graphics?
<img src="http://www.rockpapershotgun.com/images/dec07/cry3.jpg" border="0" class="linked-image" />
IT'S PRETTY
<b>2. Team Fortress 2</b>
<img src="http://www.rockpapershotgun.com/images/sept07/tfint6.jpg" border="0" class="linked-image" />
TF2 does so many things differently that it shouldn't have anywhere near the level of polish, accessibility, and awesomeness it does. A Pixar-esque art style in this era of brown, gray, or brown-gray games? A hilarious multiplayer game in this era of gritty, depressing, or gritty and depressing games? 9 strictly defined classes in 5 (or something) basically static, unchanging maps in this era of emergent gameplay? No vehicles in this era of vehicles? Usually playing a game that bucks so many trends means dealing with some rough edges, but TF2's mirror finish and its competent handling of the nitty-gritty of multiplayer combat gives it the punch and spark it needs to stand out from the many, many games vying for everyone's attention.
1. Portal
<img src="http://rockpapershotgun.com/images/oct07/swift5.jpg" border="0" class="linked-image" />
Perfect in every possible way, except perhaps the absence of a Combine Citadel far in the distance at the very end. I don't even need to write anything about it because anyone who hasn't played it is probably also illiterate.
Honorable Mentions:
Forgotten Hope 2: The best first person World War 2 combat since Red Orchestra, plus Stukas.
Insurgency: The best Red Orchestra clone since Red Orchestra, plus Arabs.
The Witcher: The best load times since KOTOR, plus sex.
S.T.A.L.K.E.R: The best post-apocalyptic game since Fallout, plus hilarious bugs.
Unreal Tournament 3: The best Unreal Tournament since whatever the last one was, plus <a href="http://www.penny-arcade.com/comic/2007/12/19" target="_blank">MC Hammer</a>.
Enemy Territory: Quake Wars: The best Enemy Territory since Wolfenstein, plus a beautiful engine.
World in Conflict: The best "what if?" Cold War scenario since Red Dawn, plus Seattle.
-TF2
-COD4
-Portal
-Supreme Commander
-Bioshock
No Crysis, cause I played it less than 15h and thus it was not really a worthwhile game for me. This might change when the first good mods start rolling in or mp gets actually playable. (read: in about 3 years when PCs are actually powerful enough to run it well.) <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/tounge.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":p" border="0" alt="tounge.gif" />
TF2 cand COD4 are both on the top cause of the great MP portal offered more than 15h, cause I did the challenges.
2 - Super Mario Galaxy (Not quite as great as SM64, but still damn great)
3 - Portal again (Did I mention the awesome?)
Don't judge me.
Don't judge me.<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Addictivity wins!
No I didn't judge... <!--coloro:#808080--><span style="color:#808080"><!--/coloro-->or did I <_< >_><!--colorc--></span><!--/colorc-->
Wow should be on my list as well @ yesteryear... so I can't judge <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/tounge.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":p" border="0" alt="tounge.gif" />
Crysis was short as hell but packed with cinematic action and spiffy special effects. The graphics, even on my midrange computer, looked f'ing fantastic. The final battle was played at about five frames per second, but it was <b>so damn pretty.</b> Sure it was clichéd as hell, but I'll be damned if it wasn't fun.
Bioshock was... pretty good. I guess. There were a few set pieces that were extraordinary, when you first make the decision to kill or save the little sisters, that was close to #1. Every Big Daddy battle was a fight to the very brink of death. Too bad the rest of the combat in the game was inexplicably unsatisfying.
Oh, and I <b>hate</b> bees.
--Scythe--
The combat is clunky, an elevator equals 5 minutes of waiting but the world (well- galaxy) they've created is truly epic and the voice acting is awesome.
<b>4. Bioshock</b>
Best atmosphere in a game? Everything has an uber level of polish to it. At the end of the day though, it boils down to going from room A to B, killing (mostly) everything in sight. Being able to frag in a hundred different ways in a single player game is kinda pointless when 1 or 2 methods are way more effective than others.
<b>3. Portal</b>
The gameplay in its entirety is about shooting portals. Games like Quake 4 will feel hard done that whilst they get shouted down for only having one gameplay element (shooting!) Portal gets praised despite being just as one dimensional. But Portal is damned fun and has an excellent quirky sense of humour. Can it be called original after Narbacular Drop? And a shame it can be completed in the time it takes to fart. Not bad for $20 though, and good value in the Orange Box.
<b>2. Half-Life 2: Episode 2</b>
I bought the Orange Box for TF2 (and that was a bit of a let down- poorly optimised and the classes are so specialised that player skill is far less important than in TFC) but Ep2 ended up being the best game in the bundle for me. I thought Ep1 was A Bad Game- did nothing for the story, rehashed HL2 gameplay and was 3 hours long. Ep2 showcased the talent of the Valve guys. As with the other HL games you still kill everything that has more than 2 legs/doesn't wear glasses, but the way you go about it is fun, the puzzles are good, the atmosphere is great (the build up to the Hunter fight is great!) and the story kept you playing <span style='color:#000000;background:#000000'> although Eli dying in an identical way to your grandfather from Prey was a bit old, but kudos for having the balls to kill off a major character.</span>
<b>1. Call of Duty 4</b>
Did nothing for me when it was announced and ended up buying it on a whim hoping that it could replace Counter-Strike as the FPS competitive game. The multiplayer is the best modern day shooter I've played (but WHY have they made the grenade launcher so easy to use?! Such a horrible newbie weapon when compared to the other 20+ well balanced guns), but the single player was just... like being in an A-list Hollywood war movie. Hour for hour also the best FPS single player game. Three words: the sniper level.
2. Super Mario Galaxy: Finally, Nintendo gets back to the formula that made SMB3 so incredible. Lots of variety in gameplay, new dynamics and of course a return to the classic plot line.
3. TF2: An all-around exceptional multiplayer experience. Polished and well worth the wait. The graphic design is very impressive and shows that there's still a lot that can be done with Source.
4. HL2 Episode 2: The best HL2 experience yet. Finally the characters are gaining real emotional attachment. I have to admit, however, that the gameplay is starting to become stale. We've been hitting headcrabs and zombies for ten years now.
The reality is that my computer lacks the power for these crazy new games (Crysis, Bioshock, CoD4...). I've skipped on a lot of great titles, but I'll be getting a new PC in 2008 so I expect a memorable year of gaming. 2007's hits added to what 2008 has to offer should keep me busy.
The Orange Box
Hellgate: London (still need to get it, been playing it on my friend's computer forever >.<)
Assassin's Creed (I don't play as many games as I should =\)
Rock Band
While Assassin's Creed was a little off story-wise, I still had fun playing it.
Rock band is just the best party game, ever (takes the fun of DDR and takes away the energy sapping difficulty of it).
Hellgate is just the grinding game that I've picked up since I quit wow, and since it's really more like Diablo 2 than an mmo, I can grind at my own pace! wooo!
and the Orange Box... 'nuf said.
2. Team Fortress 2
3. WoW: Burning Crusade
4. Bioshock
5. Assasin's Creed
So nothing major out of the ordinary then.
On a note on disappointing/bad games of 2007 I have in no particular order Portal, CoD 4, NFS: Pro Street and even though it isn't a game the Playstation 3 is a massive disappointment.
-Dwarf Fortress, first alpha release was a long time ago, but the new Z-axis version is like a totally new game :T
I haven't tried Bioshock or Crysis. I have doubts especially about Crysis, but both are propably pretty good games. I'll propably try them this year, so I guess I might just as well mention them here now <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/tounge.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":p" border="0" alt="tounge.gif" />
5. Bioshock
4. Assassin's Creed
3. COD4
2. TF2
1. Portal
On portal, I think it is the best single player experience of the decade.
4: Portal
3: Portal
2: TF2
1: Portal
- Main quest great, but too short, and not much else to do of consquence (that I found, anyways...)
Orange Box
- Ep2 was better than hl2 itself, imo. Portal was great fun for as short as it was (overrated, much, though??) Tf2 has huge replay value.
Rock Band
- Need I say more??
edit: glad nobody said Halo3
<u>Single Player</u>
1) <b>Portal</b> - I was grinning from ear to ear for nearly the entire game, and the ending made me giddy.
2) <b>BioShock</b> - I was late to the party with this one (I just received it for Christmas) but so far its great. It reminds me of Deus Ex quite a bit, though I think the "moral choice" aspect was over-hyped.
3) <b>HL2: EP2</b> - Any other year this would be #1. It overtook Opposing Force as my favorite HL-related episode/expansion, and I never expected that to happen.
4) <b>CoD4</b> - Easily the best SP of the CoD series. While it lost some of the "omg epic battle" of CoD 1 & 2, it makes up for it with variety of missions and better characters. My favorite level was one where you didn't fire a single round.
<u>Multiplayer</u>
1) <b>TF2</b> - Wow. Not since NS have I enjoyed an MP game this much. It has reunited me with lots of my old NS friends, and for all that was removed from TFC the game is much more fun.
2) <b>CoD4</b> - This is how you do unlockables in a Multiplayer Game. Tons of options without anything feeling crazy imbalanced. I can't imagine buying another game in the Battlefield series after playing this.
3) <b>NS 3.2</b> - Yes, this did come out in 2007 (March 2nd, to be exact) though it seems like a lot longer then that now. Every release of NS has been my "favorite" and this is no exception.
4) <b>Fortress Forever</b> - Yay, now I never have to load up TFC again. Very well done and the most polished Source Mod release I've seen so far. If it wasn't for TF2's release a week later it would have seen much more playtime from me.
<u>Disappointments</u> (From Most Disappointing to Least)
1) <b>Oblivion: Shivering Isles</b> - I love Oblivion, and Knights of the Nine was genius, but this wasn't my cup of tea. It had a much darker tone than I expected and it seemed like much of it was just weird for weird's sake.
2) <b>Enemy Territory: Quake Wars</b> - I had been excitied about this one for a long time, and after playing the demo for a couple of days I sadly crossed it off my list of must-have games.
3) <b>Crysis</b> - Maybe when I upgrade I'll be able to enjoy this game, but I was really saddened by how terrible it played on my current rig. I play Bioshock, HL2, and Oblivion with AA at decent resolutions, yet Crysis barely starts. Considering how well FarCry looked and played on my old PC, I was expecting way better here.
4) <b>Insurgency (HL2 Mod)</b> - This was entirely because my expectations were wrong. I had been watching this mod pretty closely, and while the release was handled well the gameplay wasn't what I was hoping for at all.
If I was gonna say why: Its Piracy. I hate to say it, but considering the HUMONGOUS amount of people who downloaded Crysis(seriously, look it up on any Torrent Tracker), and the people they are marketing themselves to: The tech savvy enough to have a pretty monster system- and you suddenly have a recipe for disaster. It didn't help that 80% of the reviews nearly completely ignored multiplayer, which if that was emphasized as being as awesome as it was, people wouldn't have pirated as much so they could still play MP relatively easily.
Frankly, I call bull###### on that one. Getting five frames per second doesn't cut it.