My Favorite Games of 2007

I wanted to write a post about gaming. Believe it or not. :) There have been so many great games that have come out and I’ve been so busy working and playing that I have neglected to talk about them. So without further exposition I present my mini review of my favorite games of 2007 as well as my vote for game of the year. These are in no particular order. FYI these will be all great scores because I loved these games.

Halo 3

This was obviously one of the biggest game releases of 2007 if not ever. Halo 3 has a huge following around it because it pretty much is the grand daddy of first person shooters. Sure there are other shooters that are better out there, but none of them have a true whole package that is strong in every area. If you read my VS. post pitting Halo 3 against Orange Box you saw some of my gripes. However the fact is that Halo 3 will probably always dominate XboxLIVE usage. It has an unparalleled multiplayer that no one has in my opinion come close to replicating or beating. For me its a solid 9.5 out of 10

Bioshock

This is my pick for game of the year. I have never had more fun or passion for a games’ story-line more than I have for Bioshock. What some consider a sleeper success I consider "The best single player game I have ever played". The game dynamics were so rich that cut scenes were not needed. You experienced the world and story of Rapture by moving through the different environments, and finding small clues that help you gain an understanding of what is going on. The whole 1940′s art deco design paired with the insanely creepy splicers make for a truly iconic game that I’m sure many will try to mimic. We are already hearing rumblings of a Bioshock movie. Your first encounter with a big daddy and a little sister make for an internal moral battle that is hard to forget. I will continue to pick up Bioshock and play it many more time through. Its a 10!

Heavenly Sword

This is one of the most beautiful games I have ever played. This was just like watching a movie. The cites and environments were beautiful, and the Digital actors were better than I have ever seen. Andy Serkis made this game truly shine. He performed the motion capture and many of the voices in the game. Each character he voices felt truly real while some of the other voice actors really looked bad next to him. Time for the flaws. The game is too short. The game play consists of button mashing. While you can pull off some crazy moves when your mashing you felt less in control of what was actually happening on the screen. I love games that are precise like Halo, or GRAW. Still great story. I hope they make another one. 8.5 out of 10.

Orange Box

I still haven’t completed the entire Half Life series but I got to say, this is one of the best shooters of all time. This box is the best value in video game history. You are getting 5 games in 1. What I played of half life 2 & Episode 1 has been great. I’m really looking forward to playing Episode 2. Portal sells this game for me. This game was so much fun. I caught myself laughing out loud several times. Its very rare that a video game can make you laugh. I would have paid $60 to to play Portal. I haven’t got into Team Fortress 2 yet. I’m waiting for some of my other friends to get the games so we can all play together as noobs. Now for the downside. Portal is short, really short. Half life could use some more polishing graphics wise. I still can’t believe this all comes on one disc. It’s a 9.5 of 10.

Mass Effect

I don’t want to give a full review yet as I haven’t finished it. What I have played I have really loved. I really got to say that some of the games that have come out this year have been truly revolutionary. Mass Effect is one of them. I think its is really a hybrid of so many great games. It really gets its right. Downside so far, the combat is less responsive that I would have liked, and what is up with the lack of rumble. The interaction as another level in the game that you you don’t really get in any other games. However it’s really not a choose your own adventure because some of the responses lead to the same conclusion regardless of how your react. Right now its a 8.5 of 10. It is a long game and if you play it how I do you will stretch it out.

Call of Duty 4

This is Infinity Ward’s follow up to the critically acclaimed Call of Duty 2. Call of Duty 2 was the first title I picked up for my 360 on launch day. For being a launch title it was surprisingly a very well put together game. I even found myself going back to replay it later on in the year. Call of Duty 4 goes one step further. They get out the WWII era and move into modern combat. While the war games seem to dominate the market, most do not even come close to the almost perfect game that is Call of Duty 4. It has been reviewed by much more eloquent personally than myself so I will leave it for those guys. But let me just say that Call of Duty 4 came extremely close to becoming the game of the year for me. One of the best quotes I have heard describing the game is this, "This is not a game, it’s a bad ass simulator." – Jeff Cannada The Totally Rad Show. This game is a solid 9.9 of 10.