After much thought and consideration I finally put together my list of the best games for this past year. The difference between this list and a lot of other lists was that I didn’t just put my personal opinions in it. I went by quality, enjoyability, playability, and my own personal opinion. I also had some help from one of my friends…SupremePro. Between the two of us we have played a lot of games and together our gamerscore is over 125,000. So onto the list.
Best Action Game
Winner: Grand Theft Auto IV (Multi)
Runner-Up: Gears of War 2 (360)
GTA IV was really one of the best quality games out there this year. But you know Gears 2 does deserve some credit as well.
Best Adventure Game
Winner: Star Wars: The Force Unleashed (360)
Runner-Up: Tomb Raider: Underworld (Multi)
The Force Unleashed was a true joy to play over and over again because of the adventure that you experience during the game. Let’s hope they improve upon it and let’s not forget that Tomb Raider is still a quality game.
Best Fighting Game
Winner: Soul Calibur IV (Multi)
Runner-Up: Super Smash Bros. Brawl (Wii)
Although I only played Super Smash Bros. and enjoyed it incredibly I can admire the work that went into Soul Calibur. I also know that it was a very good game and deserves best fighting game.
Best Music/Rhythm Game
Winner: Rock Band 2 (Multi)
Runner-Up: Guitar Hero: World Tour
This came down to only two games and Rock Band 2 is still better than Guitar Hero. Although Guitar Hero is catching up.
Best Single-Player Game
Winner: Fallout 3 (Multi)
Runner-Up: Dead Space (Multi)
Fallout 3 is really one of the best games this year and it’s a Single-Player experience like no other. If you loved Oblivion, you need to try this game. Also Dead Space does need to be mentioned as a great Single-Player game.
Best Platform Game
Winner: LittleBigPlanet (PS3)
Runner-Up: Prince of Persia (Multi)
LBP as a platformer is absolutely brilliant, now if they fixed the servers. Prince of Persia was another excellent platformer that probably could have deserved the Best Platform Game title as well.
Best Puzzle Game
Winner: Braid (360)
Runner-Up: Tomb Raider: Underworld (Multi)
A game like Braid only comes out once in a while and sometimes they’re not as good as Braid was. If you love challenging puzzles, you will love Braid. Another nod goes to Tomb Raider for their creative and intriguing puzzles.
Best Racing/Driving Game
Winner: Grid (Multi)
Runner-Up: Burnout Paradise (Multi)
CodeMasters knows how to make great racing games and Grid is no exception. Grid is one of the best racing games in a long time. Burnout Paradise was also really impressive, espically on the visual front.
Best RPG
Winner: Fallout 3 (Multi)
Runner-Up (Tie) : Lost Odyssey (360) & Fable 2 (360)
Fallout 3 again is great game and great RPG as well. It was actually harder trying to find a runner-up as both Lost Odyssey and Fable 2 were really good RPG’s.
Best Shooter
Winner: Call of Duty: World at War (Multi)
Runner-Up: Gears of War 2 (360)
Even though COD5 is just COD4 in WW2 all over again, it’s still a great game. Gears 2 on the other hand is good but still not up to the level COD5 was. Gears 2 needed better story and multiplayer.
Best First-Person
Winner: Far Cry 2 (Multi)
Runner-Up: Mirror’s Edge (Multi)
Far Cry 2 as was a great First-Person game. Didn’t have the best story but did have great gunplay and explosions. But most importantly it made you feel like you were in Africa. Mirror’s Edge was another brilliant First-Person game that could have taken the crown.
Best Sports Game
Winner: MLB 08: The Show (PS3)
Runner-Up: Madden NFL 09 (Multi)
As much as I wanted to give it to Madden I had to give it to MLB 08. The quality and graphics in that game are awesome and everything flows right but I have to give Madden props for moving in the right direction.
Best Strategy Game
Winner: Civilization Revolution (Multi)
Runner-Up: Tom Clancy’s EndWar (Multi)
Civ Rev did something to me that not many games have done and that was get me addictied. It was a great game that I played forever but something does have to be said for EndWar for taking a chance on the Voice commands and making it work.
Best Graphic Technology
Winner: Far Cry 2 (Multi)
Runner-Up: Metal Gears Solid 4: Sons of the Patriots (PS3)
I mean seriously, just look at Far Cry 2. Go burn a tree in the game and just admire it, it is beatiful. MGS4 is also very beatiful.
Best Score (Music)
Winner: Super Smash Bros. Brawl (Wii)
Runner-Up: Metal Gear Solid 4 (PS3)
Both Super Smash Bros. and MGS4 had excellent music but the I had to give the edge for including so many classic tracks.
Best Story
Winner: Fable 2 (360)
Runner-Ups (Tie): Grand Theft Auto IV (Multi) / Metal Gear Soid 4 (PS3)
I absolutely loved the story of Fable 2 and how your actions affected so many things. Didn’t necessarily love the ending but it was still good. GTAIV & MGS4 also did a great job in story telling.
Best “Why did they name it this?“
Winner: Far Cry 2 (Multi)
Runner-Up: Prince of Persia (Multi)
Seriously Far Cry 2, why? There is no mention at all to the first Far Cry at all. Heck they don’t have anything in common except they are both first person shooters. That’s it, I’m serious. As for Prince of Persia..I have no idea. Is he from Persia? Is he a Prince? What about the other three games?
Best Multiplayer Game
Winner: Super Smash Bros. Brawl (Wii)
Runner-Up: Call of Duty: World at War (Multi)
I realize this game is not perfect but it was a great game to play with your friends and online. Fun is the best part of multiplayer. As for Call of Duty 5 it was still great on the multiplayer side and included zombies.
Best Co-Op Game
Winner: Left 4 Dead (360)
Runner-Ups (Tie): Gears of War 2 (360) & Army of 2 (Multi)
Left 4 Dead is best played in Co-Op and usually only is Co-Op. At being a straigh Co-Op game with some Multiplayer thrown in it is fabolus. Other great Co-Op games were Gears of War 2 and Army of Two.
Best New IP
Winner: LittleBigPlanet (PS3)
Runner-Up: Dead Space (Multi)
LittleBigPlanet was awesome plain and simple. It was an ingenious design and I loved every second. Dead Space was another great game that was new this year.
Most Innovative Design
Winner: Tom Clancy’s Endwar (Multi)
Runner-Up: Mirror’s Edge (Multi)
EndWar used Voice to control units on the screen and it worked surprisingly well. Mirror’s Edge was another game that took a chance on a new concept and turned out pretty well.
Best Idea that Almost Worked
Winner: Legendary (Multi)
Runner-Up: Army of Two (Multi)
I though Legendary had a great idea with tackeling mythical creatures but it didn’t quite work out. If it had better game play it would have worked great but it didn’t, they took a chance and I applaud it. Army of Two also had a great idea by being driven by Co-Op and it almost worked as well.
Most Humerous Game
Winner: BattleField Bad Company (Multi)
Runner-Up: Banjo Kazoo: Nuts & Bolts (360)
I thought Bad Company had a great sense of humor and there were some funny video released in promotion for this game. Let’s hope they keep it up.
Best In-Game Add-On
Winner: Mass Effect: Bring Down the Sky (360)
Runner-Up: MGS4 Pack in LittleBigPlanet (PS3)
Mass Effect introduced a new planet, a new race, and a new mission as DLC for everyone and I thought it was brilliant. LittleBigPlanet also came out with level expanisons based on MGS4 and I thought it was brilliant.
Best Aftermarket Support
Winner: Halo 3 (360)
Runner-Up: Rock Band 2 (Multi)
Halo 3 added new maps, new DLC, new playlists and they even announced a new game this year. All for a game that came out last year, that’s a great thing. Rock Band 2 got good tracks each week but some were better than others and seriously a country pack? For a Rock game?
Biggest Surprise
Winner: Tom Clancy’s EndWar (Multi)
Runner-Up: LittleBigPlanet (PS3)
EndWar made Voice work as a controller and that surprised me. LBP also surprised me because I didn’t expect it to be as fun as it was.
Biggest Disappointment
Winner: Playstation Home (PS3)
Runner-Up: Too Human (Multi)
If I was to get started on Home this would be 8 pages long. Trust me it sucks, don’t waste your time. Don’t even bother looking at it. Too Human was also a disappointment because we waited 10 years for it and we got a average game.
Worst Game
Winner: Wii Music (Wii)
Runner-Up: Cooking Mama: World Kitchen (Wii)
Seriously Wii Music sucks. Don’t even bother, don’t think about it. Cooking Mama is just as bad, really really bad.
Best Achievements or Trophies in a Game
Winner: Fable 2 (360)
Runner-Up: LittleBigPlanet (PS3)
Both Fable 2 and LBP had a great mix of Achievements & Trophies (respictively). But Fable 2 had something for everyone. From kicking chickens, to having a orgy, to finding dolls. An enjoyable experience.
Best Ending
Winner: Metal Gear Solid 4 (PS3)
Runner-Up: Lost Odyssey (360)
The ending for MGS was epic. It answered so many questions and ended so many things. I won’t spoil it here.
Worst Ending
Winner: Far Cry 2 (Multi)
Runner-Up: Fable 2 (360)
Far Cry 2’s ending was retarded. The was no end, it made no sense. From friends that were dead magically alive again and backstabing you to help out the jackal (the man you are hunting to kill). It made do sense at all. Not even one part. As for Fable 2, well it just didn’t live up to the story that was setting it up.
Xbox Live or Playstation Network Game of the Year
Winner: Braid (360)
Runner-Up: Castle Crashers (360)
Braid and Castle Crashers and both brilliant games. Both a 1200 Points on XBLA and I highly suggest you pick up either one if not both, you will not be dissapointed.
Wii Game of the Year
Winner: Super Smash Bros. Brawl (Wii)
Runner-Up: Boom Blox (Wii)
Super Smash Bros. Brawl was such a great game that you can play over and over again espically with friends. As far as Boom Blox goes, it is also another great Wii game.
PS3 Game of the Year
Winner: Metal Gear Solid 4 (PS3)
Runner-Up: LittleBigPlanet (PS3)
Both are must-owns for PS3 owners. LBP is just pure fun and MGS4 is pure awesomeness. You can MGS4 however you like and the story is amazing.
Xbox 360 Game of the Year
Winner: Gears of War 2 (360)
Runner-Up: Fable 2 (360)
Despite the online issues and glitches in Gears of War 2, it is still a great game to play and Horde is a lot of fun. Fable 2 also has a great single player experience that everyone can enjoy.
Developer of the Year
Winner: DICE (BattleField Bad Company & Mirror’s Edge)
Runner-Ups (Tie): Bethesda (Fallout 3) / Valve (Left 4 Dead)
DICE had two great games this year and I think they deserve Developer of the Year because both titles were very solid. Bethesda & Valve both deserve recoginition for there games this year.
Game of the Year
Winner: Grand Theft Auto IV (Multi)
Runner-Ups (Tie): Fallout 3 (Multi) / Metal Gear Solid 4 (PS3)
This was the hardest choice. But ultimaley GTA IV had everything. It was the best overall experince among them all. It came down to these 3 and really GTAIV barely outperformed the others and it is my game of the year.
I totally agree with everything you said. It almost fels like i helped with the list.