THESE FORUMS NOW CLOSED (read only)
Fun Stuff => CLIKC => Topic started by: Ozymandias on 19 Dec 2007, 02:29
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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.
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Uh. The Mario games had a "slump"? What?
Are you saying that Superstar Saga, Partners in Time, Paper Mario, Mario vs. Donkey Kong 1 and 2, and Sunshine were anything less than great games? Because you're insane if that's what you're saying.
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And Mario All-Stars+World would be a better deal if not for the fact that most SNESs came with it already.
(Sonic Jam?)
But seriosly, that list sounds about right from what I've seen and heard. Though I want Orange Box over Mass Effect. (That said, I realize that Bioware is brilliant.)
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Mass Effect definately.
Bioshock in second place though, I didnt like the gameplay and it made me buy an Ayn Rand novel. Of course, Mass effect made me buy the book....
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What's a "rusty shine"?
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Uh... yeah, I can accept the idea that the Platformer/RPG hybrid games Nintendo put out don't necessarily appeal to everyone, but if you think they were outright shameful then I just don't know what to say. I'll pipe in with my own list sometime provided I get over being befuddled.
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1) Warsow. (http://www.warsow.net)
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Mass Effect.
Everything else is optional.
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Actually I would even say that the Superstar Saga/Partners in Time and Mario v. DK 1 & 2 were all better than New Super Mario Bros. NewSMB was a fun little piece of nostalgia but I beat it in a day or two and it didn't exactly have a lot of depth or innovation.
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Mass Effect.
Everything else is optional.
At fifty bucks a pop and with five games including Portal, I'd hardly describe The Orange Box as "optional."
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Are you saying that Superstar Saga, Partners in Time(DS), Paper Mario(N64), Mario vs. Donkey Kong 1 and 2(DS), and Sunshine were anything less than great games? Because you're insane if that's what you're saying.
As for Mario Sunshine, and Paper Mario 2, yeah. Mediocre.
Superstar Saga was wonderful, though. It's too bad it's the only significant GBA Mario game that wasn't just a remake.
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Superstar Saga was wonderful, though. It's too bad it's the only significant GBA Mario game that wasn't just a remake.
Mario vs. Donkey Kong wasn't a remake and was significant for fans of old-school skill-based gameplay. :-(
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yup.
here's a list, in no particular order:
(360)
Bioshock
Mass Effect
Call of Duty 4
Orange Box
Assassin's Creed
(PS2)
Rogue Galaxy
(DS)
Legend of Zelda: The Phantom Hourglass
i'm sure Super Mario Galaxy would be on my list...if i had a Wii.
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Did anyone mention Rock Band yet? It would be a good contender. Aside from all the other games mentioned, of course.
A couple of weeks ago I would have suggested Guitar Hero III, but Rock Band is so much better.
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1) Bioshock
2) Mass Effect
3) Orange Box
4) NWN2: Mask of the Betrayer
5) Super Mario Galaxy
6) STALKER: Shadow of Chernobyl
7) The Witcher
That's all I can think of at the moment.
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I can tell everyone that Halo 3 has this title already in the bag, unfortunately.
Other top contenders per system include:
Xbox 360:
Mass Effect
BioShock
Orange Box
DS:
Pokemon Diamond
Pokemon Pearl
Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass
Wii:
Super Mario Galaxy
Metroid Prime 3
Toss-up Award-- Fire Emblem: Raident Fire & Mario Party 8
PS2 & PS3- I don't have the list for either of those two systems
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I was so optimistic that this thread could go without a single mention of Halo 3 anywhere in it. :(
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Ozy, you have sorely misplaced your optimism. We are human, after all.
I still don't own Mass Effect, The Orange Box, or Call of Duty 4, but I've played them extensively with others.
Bioshock
Mass Effect
Legend of Zelda: The Phantom Hourglass
Assassin's Creed
The Orange Box
Call of Duty 4
I feel like, for the most part, we all agree.
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I actually thought about this for a long time. I was going to start this thread a while ago (basically because I wanted an excuse to talk about how much I love Mass Effect even more), but I decided to give myself more time to digest the games I played this this year before I made this decision.
Here I go:
1) Mass Effect
2) Super Mario Galaxy
3) Bioshock
4) Orange Box
5) Phoenix Wright Ace Attorney: Trials and Tribulations
6) God of War 2
7) Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass
8 ) Metroid Prime 3: Corruption
9) Rogue Galaxy
10) Fire Emblem: Radiant Dawn
I'll go into more detail later, but I'm hungry as hell right now.
However, I didn't play any PS3 or PC games, and I never got to Call of Duty 4 or Rock Band, so I feel I should point that out. But I don't think anyone could have played all of the great games this year.
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The best game I played this year was Diablo II closely followed by the original Unreal Tournament. I played a lot of this year's releases but those are still my picks and your calling me out be damned.
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World In Conflict is probably my favourite PC game so far this year, but for some reason I haven't really been playing all that much on the PC. 80s/90s invasion of the US by Russian forces while most of the US forces are over in Europe helping allies against Russia there. Excellent graphics and realistic units. I am a big fan.
On the DS I am playing a whole shitload of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass. I play a little of this almost every day. The pacing of it is awesome and the integration of the controls and so forth is top-notch.
On the PS2 I played a lot of God of War 2 and a lot of FIFA 07. Like, a lot a lot of FIFA 07. My housemate and I are football fans and I am a fan of seeing numbers go up, so I handle most of the transfers and so forth and we play through seasons in Manager mode. We tried FIFA 08 but they've fucked it up somehow. Not sure how exactly, but they've done it and we're pretty unhappy with the situation. The manager mode in 07 was a marked improvement over 06. There is not really anything compelling in 08 for me other than updated player lists, which could be an add-on/download for 07. Oh well.
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1. Mass Effect:
I've been playing an 80's Epic Sci-Fi space opera for over 80 gameplay hours and I'm not bored in the least. As long as they don't fuck up the sequels, this game will be guaranteed in my top 5 of all time. If they fix the bugs in the sequels I'll say Top 4.
2. Bioshock
I've certainly played better shooters, but none of them have had the amazing story of this game. The death scene of Andrew Ryan alone was well worth the experience of playing this game. Plus, i could massacre my enemies with fucking bees coming out of my arm.
3. Mario Galaxy
It's games like this that convince me that Miyamoto eats magic and shits miracles.
4. Orange Box
Best valued package I've ever seen, along with one of the most well done and unique narratives that's ever been attempted. Portal is just simply a 1 of a kind game period right now (unless you count Narbacular Drop) and was just absolute pure. The fact it was so short simply meant that the development team knew the game's entertainment limits and didn't want to draw it out, which is amazing of them. The dark humor in the game was also amazing and GLADOS is now one of my favorite characters ever, and sings one of my favorite songs ever.
5. The Witcher
The only real problem I had with the game was that I thought the timed combat was kinda meh. It was really just Diablo point and click but with less furious mashing, otherwise the story was great, the atmosphere of the game was great and collecting cards of your sexual conquest was more amusing than it should have been.
6. STALKER
This is the game that forced me to put some faith in a First Person Fallout. Despite the fact that it was nowhere near what they were planning for the game, it was just plain and simple a lot of fun to fuck around in Chernobyl. I'll admit that a lot of it had to do with the severe lack of post nuclear apocolypse based games.
7. Metroid Prime 3
First Wii FPS to get the controls perfect, and it did it with a hell of a lot of style. Sure, twisting the Wiimote to open doors, or yanking back to gnab shields or tear shit down isn't necesarry, but jesus shit did it ever make it so much cooler.
8. Rogue Galaxy
I love me some OC dungeon crawlers and this had so much shit for me to mess around with, along with a goddamn dog with a giant fucking axe and a cybernetic arm.
Note that I haven't played Assassin's Creed or Phantom Hourglass yet.
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Portal
Skate
God Of War 2
Mario Galaxy
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Everyone keeps talking about Portal in the Orange Box, but where's the love for Episode 2?
I've been meaning to take a look at Skate.
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To be honest, I haven't played Ep2, just Portal.
Skate is fantastic. 100 times better than any of the previous THPS series. And much more logical to control.
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1. Mass Effect is possibly the greatest game ever (with the Obvious exeption of DuckHunt for the NES)
2. Rock band is on there just because it got my parents to play a video game.
3. Portal is quirkily awesome and Half-Life 2 is still great.
4. And Bioshock made me almost wet myself too many times to not be on my list.
5. Call of Duty 4 for the simple fact that it is a good FPS that doesn't have Nazis or Aliens.
6-10 Dunno I've been playing older games mostly cause I just got my 360 and they are all new to me.
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oh yeah, Skate. i can't believe i forgot Skate.
i play this game so much that i hate its guts and am sick of looking at it but i can't stop. i'm STILL finding spots to skate that i've never seen.
i guess they did it right.
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I just love laying down a combo that I've seen the guys at my local skatepark do when I'm riding my bike there.
Kick flip to manual to shuvit to nose manual to acid drop, all across a series of small boxes. You know the red double box at the community centre? Yeah, my local has a similar one that the sponsored guys absolutely destroy.