Post by Captain Galaxy on Jan 3, 2008 12:12:23 GMT -8
Because it is our favorite hobby, and because this year had so many games that tried something new and were ultimately awesome at doing so. I'm talking about the Mass Effects, Super Mario Galaxies, Bioshocks, Portals, and Assassin's Creeds. Goddamn it was a good year. I was originally planning on doing a "best of" thread, but we're not game reviewers and thus do not play enough games to truly be able to define the year's best. And the word best sometimes conjures anger, while favorite conjures expression and understanding. So all I'm asking is that we all pick our top three favorites of the year and write about them. I want you to give me good reasons on why they’re your favorites and why I should play them, and I will attempt my best to persuade you too. Here I go:
1. Mass Effect (X360) – Despite how much I enjoy Assassin’s Creed, putting this as my top favorite is a no-brainer. Mass Effect elevates gaming to a new form, mixing third-person shooters with classic RPG. But what really makes it stand out is its awesome and engrossing story. It is quite probably the most badass game I have ever played. The last three hours of the game gave me serious nerdrections. The story, while taking many classic sci-fi elements, completely engrosses you in the experience. You play as Commander Shepard, a completely customizable character and the only human part of an elite group of space Badasses known as Spectres, agents that are allowed to go anywhere they want and do anything they please. You have to stop a rogue agent named Saren, who is a truly formidable and awesome villain, and uncover the secrets behind his treacherous actions. I consider the game the first next-gen title to truly deliver on its next-gen promises. You can play the game anyway you want, as a shooter, as an RPG, or you can just breeze through as a diplomat. Not only that, but every time you play through it with a new character the game will be different. The gameplay is unlike anything I have played before. You will seriously consider the difficult choices laid out before you, and your morality will come into play. And the graphics—don’t get me started on the graphics. Although they take a backseat to the story and gameplay, the graphics are amazing. Let me just say that when I brought up the character screen for Wrex, a humanoid lizard, his massive incredibly realistic face scared the shit out of me. Exploring different planets is a joy, each having its own unique landscape and atmosphere, albeit being unpopulated for the most part. And the last levels are absolutely breathtaking. I could write five whole pages on why Mass Effect gets my vote for game of the year, but I will only leave praise be at the length of this paragraph. I can’t wait for part 2.
Believe it or not, this is the in-game engine. And that thing is Wrex.
2. Assassin’s Creed (X360) – It’s an amazing game. The story, the gameplay, and the graphics all stand out. The free-running mechanic alone is worth the purchase of this game. It’s your classic sandbox game, but the setting is unique and so is the way of exploring it. You play as Altair, the top assassin in a guild of assassins that likes to free-run around, kill people, and go back home to party with the harem. Your job is to run around the Holy Land looking for the Nines, a list of targets that you must eliminate, and boy is that a joy. As we all know you’re not really doing all this but instead reliving the memories of your ancient ancestor. Why wasn’t my ancestor this badass? The parkour and exploration of the cities is the main draw of the game. It’s great. I would climb up to the top of the tallest building in a city with great ease, perch myself atop the summit, and take in the magnificent view below. Each city is alive, with crowds that react and respond to your actions. The assassination’s are all amazing and unique, and the combat system, once mastered, allows you to kill any group of enemies in your way, no matter how large. My only complaints are the cut-scenes you can’t skip and the obnoxious cliffhanger. But I’m definitely interested to see how Assassin’s Creed 2 will turn out, which is planned to have co-op throughout.
Nothing is true. Everything is permitted.
3. Tomb Raider: Anniversary (PC) – WTF? Yeah, I’m surprised too, I thought I would put something like COD4 in this spot but then I realized how much I liked this one. I was never a big fan of the old Tomb Raider games, but when this one came out, I had to give Lara Croft a chance. For those of you who do not know, Anniversary is a remake of Lara’s first tomb raiding adventure, of which I only played a little. It’s got superior graphics (of course) and much better gameplay. The story involves Lara croft looking around the ancient ruins of the earth for pieces of an artifact called the Scion, which you need in order to discover what its connection is with the fabled lost island of Atlantis. The game’s main draw is its spirit of exploration; you will dig deep into tombs from which you are unsure there is anyway back out. You’ll go to Egypt, Peru, Greece and even Atlantis itself, among other locations. You’ll encounter intriguing puzzles, unexpected enemies, and stumble onto long-abandoned paradises. Overall, it’s a good exploration and adventure game, one that got me into the new series and has me interested in what will be done with the next installment.
Tomb Raiding at its best.
By the way, my honorable mentions are:
Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare
Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon: Advanced Warfighter 2
And games that I still need to play (and would probably be added to my list of faves):
Bioshock
Orange Box
Eternal Sonata
1. Mass Effect (X360) – Despite how much I enjoy Assassin’s Creed, putting this as my top favorite is a no-brainer. Mass Effect elevates gaming to a new form, mixing third-person shooters with classic RPG. But what really makes it stand out is its awesome and engrossing story. It is quite probably the most badass game I have ever played. The last three hours of the game gave me serious nerdrections. The story, while taking many classic sci-fi elements, completely engrosses you in the experience. You play as Commander Shepard, a completely customizable character and the only human part of an elite group of space Badasses known as Spectres, agents that are allowed to go anywhere they want and do anything they please. You have to stop a rogue agent named Saren, who is a truly formidable and awesome villain, and uncover the secrets behind his treacherous actions. I consider the game the first next-gen title to truly deliver on its next-gen promises. You can play the game anyway you want, as a shooter, as an RPG, or you can just breeze through as a diplomat. Not only that, but every time you play through it with a new character the game will be different. The gameplay is unlike anything I have played before. You will seriously consider the difficult choices laid out before you, and your morality will come into play. And the graphics—don’t get me started on the graphics. Although they take a backseat to the story and gameplay, the graphics are amazing. Let me just say that when I brought up the character screen for Wrex, a humanoid lizard, his massive incredibly realistic face scared the shit out of me. Exploring different planets is a joy, each having its own unique landscape and atmosphere, albeit being unpopulated for the most part. And the last levels are absolutely breathtaking. I could write five whole pages on why Mass Effect gets my vote for game of the year, but I will only leave praise be at the length of this paragraph. I can’t wait for part 2.
Believe it or not, this is the in-game engine. And that thing is Wrex.
2. Assassin’s Creed (X360) – It’s an amazing game. The story, the gameplay, and the graphics all stand out. The free-running mechanic alone is worth the purchase of this game. It’s your classic sandbox game, but the setting is unique and so is the way of exploring it. You play as Altair, the top assassin in a guild of assassins that likes to free-run around, kill people, and go back home to party with the harem. Your job is to run around the Holy Land looking for the Nines, a list of targets that you must eliminate, and boy is that a joy. As we all know you’re not really doing all this but instead reliving the memories of your ancient ancestor. Why wasn’t my ancestor this badass? The parkour and exploration of the cities is the main draw of the game. It’s great. I would climb up to the top of the tallest building in a city with great ease, perch myself atop the summit, and take in the magnificent view below. Each city is alive, with crowds that react and respond to your actions. The assassination’s are all amazing and unique, and the combat system, once mastered, allows you to kill any group of enemies in your way, no matter how large. My only complaints are the cut-scenes you can’t skip and the obnoxious cliffhanger. But I’m definitely interested to see how Assassin’s Creed 2 will turn out, which is planned to have co-op throughout.
Nothing is true. Everything is permitted.
3. Tomb Raider: Anniversary (PC) – WTF? Yeah, I’m surprised too, I thought I would put something like COD4 in this spot but then I realized how much I liked this one. I was never a big fan of the old Tomb Raider games, but when this one came out, I had to give Lara Croft a chance. For those of you who do not know, Anniversary is a remake of Lara’s first tomb raiding adventure, of which I only played a little. It’s got superior graphics (of course) and much better gameplay. The story involves Lara croft looking around the ancient ruins of the earth for pieces of an artifact called the Scion, which you need in order to discover what its connection is with the fabled lost island of Atlantis. The game’s main draw is its spirit of exploration; you will dig deep into tombs from which you are unsure there is anyway back out. You’ll go to Egypt, Peru, Greece and even Atlantis itself, among other locations. You’ll encounter intriguing puzzles, unexpected enemies, and stumble onto long-abandoned paradises. Overall, it’s a good exploration and adventure game, one that got me into the new series and has me interested in what will be done with the next installment.
Tomb Raiding at its best.
By the way, my honorable mentions are:
Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare
Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon: Advanced Warfighter 2
And games that I still need to play (and would probably be added to my list of faves):
Bioshock
Orange Box
Eternal Sonata
