Here are our picks for “Game of the Year”, broken down by platform. Since there were several great games released this year on several different consoles, we also awarded a badge to the best multiplatform game of the year… no matter which console you own you should pick them up.
Any serious gamer owes it to him (or her)self to get all of these great games. If you have a gamer in your life, then any of these games are a no-brainer. If they don’t have the particular console, then why not pick that up along with the game? Belive me, Sony needs to feel the love.
Finally, we present [OC]ModShop’s Game of the Year Awards!
Xbox 360 Game of the Year 2007:
Halo 3 (read our walkthrough here)
| Halo 3 (First Person Shooter – Complete Product – Standard – 1 User – Xbox 360) | ||
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This was a really tough one to call. Nearly every one of the games on this year’s Xbox 360 list deserve a 5-star rating, so we had to analyze what made each game great. Bioshock has one of the most compelling storylines and innovative gameplay in a First Person Shooter, but the lack of multiplayer effectively kills this game’s longevity. Mass Effect has one of the best stories and great gameplay, but the hybrid RPG/FPS may turn off hard-core fans of each.
In the end, we had to bow our heads to Microsoft and Bungie for delivering one of the best games of the year (read about Halo 3’s launch). The graphics take full advantage of the Xbox 360’s hardware, and while the gamplay isn’t anything new, is still one of the most satisfying and fun experiences on Microsoft’s console. The incredible multiplayer support is what clinches this game as one of the best on the Xbox 360.
Playstation 3 Game of the Year 2007:
Ratchet & Clank: Tools of Destruction
| Ratchet & Clank Future: Tools of Destruction (Action/Adventure Game – PlayStation 3) | ||
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Ratchet & Clank is one of the last few remaining Playstation-exclusive titles, and they have crafted a large following of fans. The game’s storyline is rather epic, and the core platforming gameplay is solid and innovative. A few minigames have also been thrown in to add some diversity to the mix, as well as new gameplay mechanics influenced by other genres (rolling around a la Super Monkey Ball, performing a minigame to unlock a door, etc.). While it may not be one of the best platformers of all time, R&C:ToD it is one of the best PS3-exclusives.
PC Game of the Year:
The Orange Box
| Half-Life 2: The Orange Box (Full Product, DVD-ROM, PC) | ||
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Again, this is another one that was difficult to judge. PC gamers love First Person Shooters and love online play, and to really even be considered as a Game of the Year it must have strong multiplayer support, which unfortunately knocks BioShock right out. Crysis pushes the graphical envelope as the only game to require hardware that hasn’t been invented yet to truly get the most out of it, but the gameplay is almost exactly like Far Cry and isn’t very interesting in the end.
Valve’s “The Orange Box” combines several 5-star-worthy games into one package that offer different aspects of gameplay. Half-Life 2 (including episodes One and Two) combines a compelling story with a satisfying FPS experience. Team Fortress 2 is an online game that delivers a majorly frenzied experience that twitch-gamers will love that is also whimsical. Last, but not least, Portal is one of the most unique single-player experiences to be had on any platform (read our review here). Portal inventively requires players to abandon “two-dimensional” thinking and use the game’s physics engine to solve puzzles and stay alive. The “spin-off” storyline ties in nicely with the Half-Life universe and is the icing on the cake (pun intended).
Multiplatform Game of the Year:
Rock Band (read our review here)
Of all the games available for every platform, the ones that stood out from the crowd were the two new rhythm games that came out this year. Both Rock Band and Guitar Hero 3 offer a new satisfying way of playing, making it actually “feel” like you’re playing a guitar. If Guitar Hero 3 is the natrual evolution of Guitar Hero 2 (which came out in the spring of this year), then Rock Band is the freak mutation that forces extinction on the others.
Rock Band combines the gameplay of Guitar Hero 3 with Singstar (an addictive kareoke game), and adds drums into the mix. The guitar controllers have been upgraded to include “solo buttons”, which adds more thrill to the whole Rock-n-Roll-Air-Guitar fantasy. Thanks to MTV’s marketing muscle, Rock Band also trumps GH3’s impressive lineup of songs, which appeals to the younger crowd playing these games.
Guitar Hero 3 would have been the clear winner this year if Rock Band hadn’t come around and smacked dat bitch up.
Nintendo Wii Game of the Year:
Super Mario Galaxy (read our walkthrough here)
| Super Mario Galaxy (Action/Adventure Game – Wii) | ||
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This should be no surprise to any Nintendo fan. Mario games have constantly delivered solid platform gameplay (Nintendo practically invented the genre). Super Mario 64 was the first game to present Mario in three dimensions, and every game since then has been a huge success (with the exception of Super Mario Sunshine).
Super Mario Galaxy uses three dimensions to the extreme, as you can quickly become disoriented in the topsy-turvy world of space. Many gamers herald Galaxy as one of the best platformers since Super Mario 64, which is saying quite a bit as player are still playing this 10-year-old game despite its primative graphics. Super Mario Galaxy is certain to be one of the all-time classic games, and one of Wii’s legacy.
Nintendo DS Game of the Year:
The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass (read our walkthrough here)
| The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass (DS) | ||
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We didn’t have to go through a lengthy analysis for this one, as there was only one worthy contendor for “DS Game of the Year”. None of the other games released this year for the Nintendo DS have impressed us as much as this new Zelda game, which offers a great storyline, great graphics (by DS standards), and solid RPG gameplay that fans of the series will find satisfying.
Some game descriptions used in this guide courtesy of Wikipedia.
