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More 2005 Gaming Than You Really Want
It's Christmas Eve, and you need something to read while you're avoiding your relatives. We understand. Howabout several looks at the year in Gaming? The big sites have actual awards, with Gamespot and IGN both offering up decisions that are sure to spark dinner table discussion. Next Generation doesn't hand out awards, but it does have an exhaustive set of lists covering all aspects of the year. We've previously discussed their Top 30 Games of the Year, but today they have over half a dozen articles dedicated to the year in gaming. The Guardian Gamesblog has staff pics for best of the year. World of Warcraft certainly is on a lot of 2005 lists for a game released in 2004. Finally, 1up.com staffer Jared Rea probably has the most interesting take on the year. His traditional list headlines Guitar Hero, but he also has a special list, with ermm...special awards. That might make you angry. From that list: "The Sin and Punishment Award - Named after the hideous and boring N64 shooter from Treasure, the Sin and Punishment award is reserved for the the title which claimed the hearts of 'hardcore' fanboys around the world, despite the game in fact, being garbage or quite frankly, nothing special. Previous winners of this award include Ikaruga and Katamari Damacy." That award goes to Shadow of the Colossus. Which, sorry Jared, did actually rock.
2005 gaming, but no mention of what may have been one of the biggest portable hits of the year? Mario Kart DS was very well formulated :D
:P
wait this just makes me a nintendo fanboy doesnt it?
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Obviously this guy hasn't played Katamari Damacy. Yes, the concept of the game is crazy and whatnot, but this game had to be one of the funnest games you could get for the PS2. And at $20, what a steal!
I'm with Zonk on this one, Jared's taste is lacking.
- A
Actually I look forward to reading alot of these at the end of the year. I am not interested in buying the newest games as they come out as I feel they are overpriced. So I wait to see which games turned out to be the best and by then they are usually being discounted.
I haven't played all the games on the list (only console I own is an N64), but I can comment on a decent amount of them.
Freedom Force vs. The Third Reich
A fairly good sequel using the original engine (graphics aren't much better than FF). I liked this game and played it to completion, but its not as good as the first one. It didn't add very many new characters to the freedom force, and none of them were introduced using the storyline (they would just show up as available for hire). If you haven't played Freedom Force or FFv3R, I would recommend just getting the original. Its cheaper ($10 at wal-mart), has a better story, and is a great game.
Brothers in Arms:Road to Hill 30
I played a little bit of this game and found it to be a pretty refreshing take on squad combat. I liked the command system, but it got a little hectic when you had multiple groups to control. The unreal engine lends itself to some pretty damn good graphics. The game is a console port, and has a lot of unlockable stuff like video clips, cheats, and medals. As a sidenote, it would be nice if every WWII game wasn't always about the 101st airborne.
Battlefield 2
A great game that should have been published by someone other than the cockgobblers at EA. The persistant statistics are nice, as are lots of medals and unlocks (of course EA charges $$ if you want a ranked server). DiCE definitely deserves extra kudos for the great squad system and microphone/headset support that add a lot to the already solid battlefield gameplay. Finding a server where squad mates work together and communicate is friggin awesome (and happens pretty often). The non-fuctioning server filters and generally shitty server browser (no surprise it's powered by Gamespy) are really frustrating (especially since the game already has a $30 expansion pack) and are quite indicative of EAs approach to publishing a game (release early, patch rarely, make lots of expensive expansion packs). Gripes about EA aside, the core game is really solid and I highly recommend it.
F.E.A.R.
FEAR was one game I thought was less than the sum of its parts. It has great graphics, some decent scary parts (more startling than scary really), and does slow-mo better than any Max Payne game. I didn't care for the levels (office buildings are almost as boring in a game as in real life), and I really didn't like the lack of enemy variety. You face soldiers that all look a like (except different weapons), a demon or two, and some large Police robots. The graphics engine allowed for some really cool effects and lots of polygons; it would have been nice to see it put to work with some interesting foes. I didn't think the game was that scary either (hmm... its a long hallway, I wonder if I'll see yet another dissolving girl). The slow-mo effects (bodies light up when hit, bullets leave a trail like in the matrix) were pretty slick and I hope another developer rips them off and uses them in a more fun game. Speaking of scary games, are there any more Aliens vs. Predator games in the pipeline?
Call of Duty 2
I just got this game and haven't spent enough time to accurately evaluate it. The graphics have definitely been improved, and a good gamer friend says the missions in the game are really fun. The Multiplayer includes some new modes that weren't in the first game (I think CTF is new), and brings back the best CoD1 maps (Carentan, Brecourt, etc) and adds some new ones.
Psychonauts
I have this game, but no gamepad, so I haven't played it yet. I will say, however, that its really great to see a game that has good, creative art and level design. Other than World of Warcraft and maybe Darwinia, there haven't been many titles with creative art. Its good to see a game that is an escape from reality rather than a crude attempt at duplicating it.
Mario Kart DS
I played this game for about 5 minutes at Wal-Mart and I was instantly hooked. I wasn't sure I would like going from analog controls (ala Double Dash)
I'll be the first person in line to be the Treasure fanboy (Guardian Heroes FTW!) but Sin and Punishment was utter crap.
I try to pace myself throughout the year and get the game I want at price drop $29.99 or lower. But even if I did pay the new release price, my gaming budget is pale in comparison to my other spending. You can save $10 by sacrificing lunch for a day.