Monday, January 07, 2008
my five favorite video games of 2007
I'm not ashamed to play video games. Not too ashamed. Okay, maybe kind of moderately ashamed, but only when around my father-in-law, or when I meet my boss's thirteen-year-old son and wind up talking about X-Box for ten minutes. But c'mon, I grew up with video games, they've grown up with me, and if the technology existed before our generation then I'm sure adults would've been playing them for decades.
I finally tracked down a Wii in February, picked up an X-Box 360 on New Year's Eve, and have never even seen a PS3 out of the box. I feel like my knowledge of 2007's Wii releases is fairly comprehensive, whereas I've barely scratched the surface of the 360's amazing line-up of games. Still, I've played a handful of the most acclaimed X-Box games, and you'll see a few near the top of my list. And despite what some on-line critics write, 2007 was a pretty damn good year for Wii games, too.
What makes a good game, in my mind? I don't really care about graphics, per se, but look for good art design, intuitive controls, an engrossing story, and, above all else, enjoyable gameplay. A game can excel at the first three but still suck if it's not fun to play. If the gameplay is great enough, lapses in one or two of the first three are totally fine.
(I realize controls are an integral component of gameplay, but when I say "intuitive" I'm talking about controls that are easy to grasp and make sense within the context of the game and story. A game with good gameplay will have, at the very least, adequate controls. Metroid Prime 3, Wario Ware, and skate. are good examples of games with control schemes that are elegant and intuitive enough to be worthy of praise outside the rubric of gameplay. I guess it's more of a bonus than a necessity, then. Anyway...)
So here's my top five, with the caveat that I haven't played many of the most acclaimed games. I haven't played Call of Duty 4, Assassin's Creed, Mass Effect, anything on the PS3, or Bioshock beyond the demo. That demo alone almost got it a spot on my top five list. It could very well displace one of these games, whenever I get around to playing it.
1. Portal (part of The Orange Box for the X-Box 360) and Super Mario Galaxy (Wii) (tie)
In the end, I couldn't decide against either game. Both games are simply amazing, and both rely heavily upon understanding the physics of the universes they create. Other than that there's almost no similarity. Portal is a revolutionary first-person shooter in which you don't actually shoot anybody or anything; Galaxy is a third-person 3D platformer that injects new life and a new perspective on perhaps the most classic gameplay elements ever devised. On one hand Portal should be the clear winner; it's definitely more important to the future of gaming than Super Mario Galaxy, and its story is far more clever (and cleverly told) than the almost non-existent story in Galaxy. Still, it is only three hours long. I’ve put four to five times that many into Galaxy and still don’t have all 120 stars. And almost every minute of Galaxy has been thoroughly fun and enjoyable. Galaxy is like downloading pure undiluted fun directly into your brain. It’s almost like Galaxy is the near perfection of what games have been, whereas Portal is a brief glimpse into what games can (and hopefully will) become*. Both games are supremely satisfying; Portal's satisfaction is more intense but short-lived, whereas Galaxy remains a constant source of fun for weeks on end. I simply can't label one better than the other. Both are absolute must-plays, and the best games released in 2007.
*: this is adapted from a comment I made on Nick Sondgeroth's best-of list over on the Kindercore blog
3. Rock Band (X-Box 360, Playstation 3, Playstation 2)
My wife and I bought this on Friday; it was her decision, and frankly I've never been prouder of her. She loves to sing, and wants to learn the drums, and I'm all for that. Meanwhile, I kinda liked the Guitar Hero games, but got bored with them in maybe two days when I borrowed them from a co-worker. If I want to play "War Pigs" on a guitar, I'll play it on, you know, a real guitar. I also want to learn the drums, though, and playing fake video game guitar is a hell of a lot more fun when you've got your wife playing along with you. And I've been trying to get her to play video games with me for years now. So yes, Rock Band solves like two dozen different problems, right there, while also being tremendously fun. Once I'm able to kick ass on the drums on "Foreplay / Long Time" on the expert level, I'm heading directly to the nearest music store to buy myself a real kit.
4. Metroid Prime 3 (Wii)
The Metroid series has been my personal favorite since my older brother brought the original home from school one day back in 1988. It was the first game I ever played where I really felt immersed in its environment, and that immersion has only increased as the series has developed alongside advances in the technology. With the Prime series, Metroid's art design truly became, in my mind, the best in video games, and that accomplishment still stands (or at least did, until I played that Bioshock demo) on the game's first Wii incarnation. What's always been totally god-damned awesome about Metroid, then, is that the gameplay is always as excellent as that fantastic art direction. Prime 3 is no exception, as it finally finds a way to make the Wii remote (with nunchuk attachment) controls work perfectly in a first-person setting. The controls are the best in any game I played this year, truly intuitive and elegant, and a marked improvement over those found in the first two Metroid Prime games for the Gamecube. And the newly increased control over Samus's ship is a great, if underused, addition to the venerable series's gameplay. My only complaints are that the constant world-jumping slightly disrupts that classic Metroid retraversal gameplay, and that the hand-holding Aurora units make this installment noticeably easier than the previous two. Still, this is a beautiful game, and one of the most satisfying gaming experiences in recent memory.
5. Zack & Wiki: Quest for Barbaros' Treasure (Wii)
Bad name, but an awesome game. Capcom's adorable adventure game is a throwback to classic point-and-click series like Maniac Mansion and Myst. Unlike the p&c standard, though, Zack & Wiki is broken up into distinct levels that are basically giant puzzles that need to be figured out one step at a time. Solutions are found through interacting with both the environment and objects found therein, and almost any misstep leads to Zack's gruesome death. It's not all trial-and-error, though, as common sense and knowledge gleaned from previous levels can help prevent the cute little guy's misery. It is supremely satisfying to finally figure out the solution to a level after dying repeatedly. The Wii remote is perfectly suited to the gameplay, and the cel-shaded graphics, reminiscent of Zelda: The Wind Waker, are amazingly cute and charming. This is almost the perfect example of how to successfuly utilize the strengths of the relatively underpowered Wii. Games don't need to be as visually amazing as Call of Duty 4 or have environments as large and densely populated as Assassin's Creed to be great; with the right visual flair and a gameplay style that exploits the system's unique controls, games for the Wii can be just as satisfying as anything on the more powerful consoles.
Honorable mentions: The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass (DS); Puzzle Quest: Challenge of the Warlords (DS); Wario Ware: Smooth Moves (Wii); that damn Bioshock demo (Xbox 360)
I'm not ashamed to play video games. Not too ashamed. Okay, maybe kind of moderately ashamed, but only when around my father-in-law, or when I meet my boss's thirteen-year-old son and wind up talking about X-Box for ten minutes. But c'mon, I grew up with video games, they've grown up with me, and if the technology existed before our generation then I'm sure adults would've been playing them for decades.
I finally tracked down a Wii in February, picked up an X-Box 360 on New Year's Eve, and have never even seen a PS3 out of the box. I feel like my knowledge of 2007's Wii releases is fairly comprehensive, whereas I've barely scratched the surface of the 360's amazing line-up of games. Still, I've played a handful of the most acclaimed X-Box games, and you'll see a few near the top of my list. And despite what some on-line critics write, 2007 was a pretty damn good year for Wii games, too.
What makes a good game, in my mind? I don't really care about graphics, per se, but look for good art design, intuitive controls, an engrossing story, and, above all else, enjoyable gameplay. A game can excel at the first three but still suck if it's not fun to play. If the gameplay is great enough, lapses in one or two of the first three are totally fine.
(I realize controls are an integral component of gameplay, but when I say "intuitive" I'm talking about controls that are easy to grasp and make sense within the context of the game and story. A game with good gameplay will have, at the very least, adequate controls. Metroid Prime 3, Wario Ware, and skate. are good examples of games with control schemes that are elegant and intuitive enough to be worthy of praise outside the rubric of gameplay. I guess it's more of a bonus than a necessity, then. Anyway...)
So here's my top five, with the caveat that I haven't played many of the most acclaimed games. I haven't played Call of Duty 4, Assassin's Creed, Mass Effect, anything on the PS3, or Bioshock beyond the demo. That demo alone almost got it a spot on my top five list. It could very well displace one of these games, whenever I get around to playing it.
1. Portal (part of The Orange Box for the X-Box 360) and Super Mario Galaxy (Wii) (tie)
In the end, I couldn't decide against either game. Both games are simply amazing, and both rely heavily upon understanding the physics of the universes they create. Other than that there's almost no similarity. Portal is a revolutionary first-person shooter in which you don't actually shoot anybody or anything; Galaxy is a third-person 3D platformer that injects new life and a new perspective on perhaps the most classic gameplay elements ever devised. On one hand Portal should be the clear winner; it's definitely more important to the future of gaming than Super Mario Galaxy, and its story is far more clever (and cleverly told) than the almost non-existent story in Galaxy. Still, it is only three hours long. I’ve put four to five times that many into Galaxy and still don’t have all 120 stars. And almost every minute of Galaxy has been thoroughly fun and enjoyable. Galaxy is like downloading pure undiluted fun directly into your brain. It’s almost like Galaxy is the near perfection of what games have been, whereas Portal is a brief glimpse into what games can (and hopefully will) become*. Both games are supremely satisfying; Portal's satisfaction is more intense but short-lived, whereas Galaxy remains a constant source of fun for weeks on end. I simply can't label one better than the other. Both are absolute must-plays, and the best games released in 2007.
*: this is adapted from a comment I made on Nick Sondgeroth's best-of list over on the Kindercore blog
3. Rock Band (X-Box 360, Playstation 3, Playstation 2)
My wife and I bought this on Friday; it was her decision, and frankly I've never been prouder of her. She loves to sing, and wants to learn the drums, and I'm all for that. Meanwhile, I kinda liked the Guitar Hero games, but got bored with them in maybe two days when I borrowed them from a co-worker. If I want to play "War Pigs" on a guitar, I'll play it on, you know, a real guitar. I also want to learn the drums, though, and playing fake video game guitar is a hell of a lot more fun when you've got your wife playing along with you. And I've been trying to get her to play video games with me for years now. So yes, Rock Band solves like two dozen different problems, right there, while also being tremendously fun. Once I'm able to kick ass on the drums on "Foreplay / Long Time" on the expert level, I'm heading directly to the nearest music store to buy myself a real kit.
4. Metroid Prime 3 (Wii)
The Metroid series has been my personal favorite since my older brother brought the original home from school one day back in 1988. It was the first game I ever played where I really felt immersed in its environment, and that immersion has only increased as the series has developed alongside advances in the technology. With the Prime series, Metroid's art design truly became, in my mind, the best in video games, and that accomplishment still stands (or at least did, until I played that Bioshock demo) on the game's first Wii incarnation. What's always been totally god-damned awesome about Metroid, then, is that the gameplay is always as excellent as that fantastic art direction. Prime 3 is no exception, as it finally finds a way to make the Wii remote (with nunchuk attachment) controls work perfectly in a first-person setting. The controls are the best in any game I played this year, truly intuitive and elegant, and a marked improvement over those found in the first two Metroid Prime games for the Gamecube. And the newly increased control over Samus's ship is a great, if underused, addition to the venerable series's gameplay. My only complaints are that the constant world-jumping slightly disrupts that classic Metroid retraversal gameplay, and that the hand-holding Aurora units make this installment noticeably easier than the previous two. Still, this is a beautiful game, and one of the most satisfying gaming experiences in recent memory.
5. Zack & Wiki: Quest for Barbaros' Treasure (Wii)
Bad name, but an awesome game. Capcom's adorable adventure game is a throwback to classic point-and-click series like Maniac Mansion and Myst. Unlike the p&c standard, though, Zack & Wiki is broken up into distinct levels that are basically giant puzzles that need to be figured out one step at a time. Solutions are found through interacting with both the environment and objects found therein, and almost any misstep leads to Zack's gruesome death. It's not all trial-and-error, though, as common sense and knowledge gleaned from previous levels can help prevent the cute little guy's misery. It is supremely satisfying to finally figure out the solution to a level after dying repeatedly. The Wii remote is perfectly suited to the gameplay, and the cel-shaded graphics, reminiscent of Zelda: The Wind Waker, are amazingly cute and charming. This is almost the perfect example of how to successfuly utilize the strengths of the relatively underpowered Wii. Games don't need to be as visually amazing as Call of Duty 4 or have environments as large and densely populated as Assassin's Creed to be great; with the right visual flair and a gameplay style that exploits the system's unique controls, games for the Wii can be just as satisfying as anything on the more powerful consoles.
Honorable mentions: The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass (DS); Puzzle Quest: Challenge of the Warlords (DS); Wario Ware: Smooth Moves (Wii); that damn Bioshock demo (Xbox 360)
