Nerds love two things: lists and their own crappy opinions. Which is why it's fun to make Game of the Year lists! It's silly, yeah, but here's an outlet, people! Air out your own crappy taste and argue about it! And you better fucking argue about it.
My list:
1) Mass Effect - Mass Effect is the full realization of what Bioware has been trying to for years: make RPGs fully interactive. With video sequences few and far between, most of the game requires interaction and choices from the players at all times. Gone is any semblance of a turn-based system, opting for an Gears of War-esque real-time combat system, with an RPG flair. Gone are long-winded video sequences where you're taken out of the game to watch a movie, because you actually give your character's input. From the beginning of the game to the end, you're in control, while still managing to have a fully coherent story. But beyond the fact that the gameplay could very well represent the most important RPG advancements of the last decade, it's all set in the most fully developed and realized sci-fi universe in a long, long time. In one game, they made a version of the Milky Way with a history and culture to rival any major sci-fi franchise of the last century. It's phenomenal in so many ways. The game is not without its drawbacks, by and large due to the engine's difficulties. Loading times are frequent, graphical glitches are occasional, and the party AI kinda sucks. Still, the game rises above its technical glitches to achieve something far greater than any other game this year: exactly what it sought out to do.
2) The Orange Box - It's not really fair to call the Orange Box a game unto itself. Individually, Episode 2, Portal, and TF2 would not make the list. But, the fact is they were packaged together, creating the best deal in video games since Super Mario All-Stars. The short, but incredible Portal was probably the most successful of the trio, combining one of the funniest villains of all time with beautiful gameplay and a song by Jonathan Coulton. Team Fortress 2 is almost the best multiplayer game of the year with one of the most balanced class-based FPSes ever made and a crap load of personality. And Episode 2 continued the magnificent story of Half-Life 2 with epic huge battles and, as always, the same clever gameplay that made the series a star. Each of the games have glaring weaknesses, but when packaged together, they gel extremely well and compensate for each other. A fantastically smart move from Valve and three wonderful games besides.
3) Call of Duty 4 - Team Fortress 2 isn't the best multiplayer game of the year and here's why. The Call of Duty series has always been the best WW2 FPS series. Realistic and intense, it succeeded wildly when the entire theme became dull and cliche. Call of Duty 4, however, abandoned everything about the last three games except for the very core gameplay in favor of something more important: nothing short of one of the best multiplayer FPSes you will ever play. Going on the assumption that everything tastes better when seasoned with RPG elements, they gutted Call of Duty, shoved the innards into a modern scenario, and then built a monster of a game around it. The class building system allows you to tailor your play to any situation and your specific style. The perk system turns what could be an ordinary game into something special. And the fact that the game actually rewards you for doing well in significant ways, while not specifically punishing you for sucking just makes it insanely addictive and enjoyable. A level 1 noob can go toe to toe with a level 55 general in theory, but it's just more fun to be that level 55 general. And the promise that it always gets more fun drives you forward into the intense gunfights to be a hero and love every moment of it.
4) Super Mario Galaxy - Mario is back. That's really the only way to put it. After New Super Mario Bros., Super Paper Mario, and now this, whatever slump of shame that Nintendo's mascot suffered during the GCN/GBA days is now over. Intensely enjoyable and clever, utilizing the Wii to its full potential and showing that any game can be made to work beautifully with its controls, Galaxy is everything that made Mario an international symbol of pure video game fun. For once, I feel confident looking at this game and saying Nintendo didn't do anything wrong. It's exactly the game it needed to be to showcase the Wii and the new, revitalized direction for the company. The gameplay is tight, responsive, and never repetitive, like in previous 3D Marios. The stages are unique and often breathtaking in their use of fully 3D worlds in every direction. The platforming is some of the best platforming to be seen in the entirety of the 3D generations. Damned good show.
5) Bioshock - Beautiful gameplay. Beautiful story. Beautiful graphics. Everything about the game was polished to a rusty, bloody shine. Possibly the most intelligent game of the year, and a darned good candidate for video games as art. The only problem is: I know how good it is, but I can't seem to get over how good it could've been. The game suffers from being great, because it's so clear how close it was to being amazing. When the game's biggest faults are so frustratingly few, but obvious, it brings the whole game down. I really, really want it to be game of the year, but it isn't. It is, however, impressively atmospheric and ridiculously fun to play and think about, which is why it's still one of the best games of the year.
