Darth Groovy's Top Ten Video Games of 2007!

[Darth Groovy]

Everyone loves lists. I usually do this once a year, but I forgot to last year.

I will keep it as simple as possible, and then you can all put your comments and lists of your own as well.

1. Bioshock - Should I use fire, or electricity? Search bodies for money!

2. Assassin's Creed - Lived up to the hype, and impressed me with originality.

3. Orange Box - The greatest FPS of all time, packaged with new stuff!

4. NHL 08 - Damn if EA doesn't make the best Hockey game ever... EVER!

5. Tomb Raider Anniversary - The acrobatics, and graphics make it feel new!

6. Rock Band - This fake music game makes me feel like a rock star!

7. Call of Duty 4 - Best action FPS on a console ever. Maximum replay

8. The Darkness - Ever wanted to be the bad guy? Use The Darkness!

9. Contra 4 - One game worthy of owning a DS. Who doesn't love Contra?

10. God of War 2 - It's a bitch, but still fun to play...even the second time!

[Monkey Mania]

You make Monkey Mania cry.

[Rogue15]

1. Call of Duty 4 -I think this one > Halo 3, it's just more fun!!!

2. GRAW 2 -Fun in both single player and multiplayer, sharp graphics, fun use of cross-com

3. Halo 3 - cooperative campaign mode was fun and the movie playback made it worth standing in line on release date (first game i actually stood in line for on release!!!)

4. Guitar Hero 3 -too damn addicting. good playlist

5. Rock Band -only played it once on the in-store kiosk when it first came out. very fun, also good playlist...lots of features.


i can't really list the others, but from what ones i've played this year that came out in last quarter of 2007

Splinter Cell: Double Agent -best game in the series, larger areas, very hard decisions to make, it's just tough to play as a bad guy in it...the graphics are amazing compared to the originals, but the gameplay feels deeper.

[JoeDoe 2.0]

1. Bioshock - Plasmids rampage makes Big Daddies cry
2. Mass Effect - a step up for RPG, nice graphics and original characters
3. Assassin's Creed - nice original story mixed with Crusades
4. Halo 3 - Nice multiplayer experience
5. Kane and Lynch : Dead Men - there's always a laugh around the corner, followed by a ton of bullets

[Mike Windu]

Wish I had the money or time to play 10 video games that came out this year. I think the only new game I really played was Halo 3 on my friend's 360 2 floors up in our dorm.

[MrWally]

UT3 - The Best in the series

CoD4 - One of the best FPS games I've ever played, and definitely my favorite in the series.

Bioshock - Wow. Just.... wow. So atmospheric and the game play is incredible.

Guilty Gear Accent Core - I've played quite a bit of it at my friends house. Probably one of my favorite 2d fighting games of all time.


Those are all I can think of for now, I'll post more as I think of them.

If you guys couldn't guess I don't really own consoles and I don't play much console games :P

[Jeff]

I haven't gotten to play a lot of the games on most people's top 10 lists yet either because I just never got them or I don't have a 360. But here's some of my top games for the year.

Metroid Prime 3: Corruption
World of Warcraft: The Burning Crusade
Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass
Guitar Hero 3: Legends of Rock
Resident Evil 4: Wii Edition (yeah an old port but its still great)

Definitely need to get Bioshock for PC, Super Mario Galaxy for Wii, and eventually I'd like to get a 360.

[leXX]

1. Portal - It may be short, but it's packed full of goodness.
2. Tomb Raider Anniversary - Simply brilliant remake of the original.
3. Halo 3 - Managed to avoid all the spoilers, so I nearly had a heart attack when...

spoiler:

I thought Master Chief was dead. Biggest sigh of relief ever.

3. Mass Effect - A sci-fi lovers dream game.
4. Super Stardust HD - Old school blasting fun downloadable on PS3.
5. Flow - A surreal underwater abyss also downloadable on PS3.
6. Lego Star Wars TCS - Lego and Star Wars, the perfect combination.
7. WoW The Burning Crusade - I love it and hate it equally.

Naruto Rise of the Ninja and Super Mario Galaxy are waiting to be opened Christmas day, and although they are presents for my daughters, I'm guessing they would be on the list too.

My GOTY - Portal

A game that manages to get the little grey cells active, if only for a few hours. It has a great sense of humour attached to it. I haven't laughed at a game since No One Lives Forever 2. The puzzles are just the right difficulty level as you progress, and the ending is perfect. I wish there were more ingenious games like this around. Oh and best end game song ever!

[Commander Obi-Wan]

1. BioShock - loved every bit of it
2. Mass Effect - finally got around to playing since I received my 360 back
3. Call of Duty 4 - helluva fun time on multiplayer
4. NHL 08 - best hockey I've played yet... and better game than Madden
5. Assassin's Creed - fun, though, i'm not a fan of the Animus stuff

[IG-64]

1. Super Mario Galaxy

2. Crysis

3. Orange Box

4. Bioshock


That's about it :P

[BongoBob]

In no particular order, Halo 3, Mass Effect, Call of Duty 4, Orange Box (specifically Portal), Bioshock, Super Mario Galaxy, Skate, GHIII, and Rock Band. Oh, and I guess WoW because Burning Crusade came out this year.

There's probably ones that I've missed, but those are what come to mind.

[MrWally]

I played through Portal yesterday.

Fantastic game.

Honestly? I think I can truly say that it is the only "perfect" game I have every played, for what is wrong with Portal? It has a perfect gameplay system, I never encountered any bugs whatsoever, the graphics are very slick and up to date, the storyline, especially near the end, is quite intriguing (surprisingly enough), even though it was short I found myself wanting to play through it again and see if I could beat certain levels different ways, and, most importantly, it is the first game since San Andreas that has literally made me laugh out loud while playing it. Portal is absolutely hilarious.

If you haven't played Portal yet, buy it. And if you don't have a 360 or a somewhat decent computer, go to a friend's house, rent it, and you can both beat it in about 4 hours.

[Crow_Nest]

1. Crysis
2. Halo 3
3. Call of Duty 4
4. S.T.A.L.K.E.R.
5. Ace Combat 6: Fires of Liberation
6. Bioshock

Thats about it for me. Didnt get a chance to own a copy of Orange Box, poor me.

[Anthony]

1. Crysis
2. UT3
3. S.T.A.L.K.E.R
4. Orange Box
5.Company of Heroes: Opposing Fronts

[Samuel Dravis]

Orange Box - for Portal, obviously. I haven't even bothered with the rest of the games in it yet!
Call of Duty 4 - The game is awesome, 'nuff said.
Eye of the North expansion for Guild Wars, but that was ok and not grrrreat. Guild Wars is probably the reason I have been saving money - I love it.

Uh... I guess I haven't been getting many new games this year. I got Vampire the Masquerade: Bloodlines and that was an AWESOME game.

[TiE23]

Had the most fun with...

1. Assassin's Creed - It's like GTA with swords and horses and free running, tons of fun!

2. Call of Duty 4 - Ridicously fast action and beautiful graphics. Like a good action movie.

3. Rock Band - Even though I just play the guitar part, this game is a boat load of fun.

4. skate. - Sliky-smooth style and moves and complex tricks really make it a game to remember.

5. S.T.A.L.K.E.R. - Extremely atmospheric and creepy. The graphics and sound really draw you in.

6. DiRT - Just how I like it, arcadey-realism on dirt with beautiful locales and cars. Finished career mode 100% and unlocked everything on Pro-Am.

7. The Orange Box - Episode 2 was just full of so many "HOLY SH~T!" moments, story and gameplay wise that I just totally loved it. Portal was pretty sweet, too.

8. Mass Effect - Huge scale, so much detail... Just great stuff.

9. Halo 3 - Just more of the same Halo, good stuff.

I'm going to leave it at 9 because I plan on getting Crysis within a week or so... and I'm pretty sure it's going high on my list. And yes; I left out BioShock... I just didn't enjoy it as much as apparently everyone else did.

[Alegis]

1. Ur mr gay (Very fun to play, varied, did I mention fun yet)
2. Orange Box (Portal/TF2, EP2 was quite good but still same shootan)
3. The Witcher (awesome RPG. Great story, great gameplay, great setting)
4. BioShock (very atmospheric, but still the same shootan)

etc.

[Pho3nix]

I had the most fun with The Orange Box.

[swphreak]

Ninja edit


1. MASS EFFECT - 'nuff said.
2. Bioshock - Great game. Best "oh snap" moment I think I've ever had in a game.
3. Call of Duty 4 - I'm suprised at how much I liked it.
4. Supreme Commander (and Forged Alliance expansion) - Pure RTS awesomeness.
5. Ace Combat Six - Ace Combat Awesomeness on the 360.
6. Assassin's Creed - Not as spectacular as it should be, but still fun.
7. Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion - I still haven't gotten around to beating the game yet.
8. Crackdown - Great co-op multiplayer. If only they'd make Crackdown 2 and add aerial vehicles and boats.
9. the .hack//G.U. games - .hack rules, period. I still need to finish Vol. 3... been sidetracked with the 360 games.
10. Hitman: Blood Money - My first Hitman game, and I enjoyed it. After playing the Kane & Lynch demo, I'm worried about the next Hitman game.

Honorable mention: Sins of a Solar Empire - Still in beta, but it's just plain awesome. When the Star Wars mod is released, it will rule them all.

[ZBomber]

The only games I even bought this year were Wii Play, Metroid Prime III, and Guitar Hero III.... Not even enough for a top 5 list.

[TiE23]

Originally Posted by ZBomber

The only games I even bought this year were Wii Play, Metroid Prime III, and Guitar Hero III.... Not even enough for a top 5 list.

GTFO. No really, leave. Minimum 5 game purchases a year to be a minor gamer. GTFO.


...


:P But still, wow.

[IG-64]

Originally Posted by TiE23

And yes; I left out BioShock... I just didn't enjoy it as much as apparently everyone else did.

I didn't think it was that amazing either, but it's on my list because it's one of the only games I've played from this year. I got Metroid Prime 3 for Christmas, but I haven't played it yet, because I'm still playing through 1 and 2.

[MrWally]

Originally Posted by TiE23

GTFO. No really, leave. Minimum 5 game purchases a year to be a minor gamer. GTFO.


...


:P But still, wow.

I don't think I bought any games this year...

>.>
<.<

*runs*


EDIT: I'm going to assume everyone can guess where the true emphasis lies in my statement.

[TiE23]

Originally Posted by MrWally

I don't think I bought any games this year...

>.>
<.<

*runs*


EDIT: I'm going to assume everyone can guess where the true emphasis lies in my statement.

*Looks at Altaïr*

"Sic'em boy!"

Run indeed Señor Wally.

...

*Re-reads*

*Looks at FBI*

"Sic'em boys!"

Run faster indeed Monsieur Wally.

[MrWally]

I wish I could change my nationality that fast.

[Rogue15]

i bought a few games this year.....i bought graw 2, oblivion, halo 3, and double agent...guess i'm under that 5 games minimum. lmao. unless you count for how many subscription months i bought for SWG. all the games i bought i'd say were worth the $300 i spent on the 360.

[Tyrion]

Having just beaten Portal around ten minutes ago, I can safely say it's a great game. My only real complaint, and it's not much of one, is that the first 17 or so puzzles are too easy, at least in comparison to the latter ones.

Oh, and I hated Room 18:

spoiler:

The end puzzle is not for those easily succumbed to the whims of motion sickness. And I did it on the PC; I sympathize for those using a controller.

[MrWally]

You're right. I jsut played through the first 17 puzzles in 45 minutes no sweat.

[leXX]

Yeah I agree, the first puzzles are easy, but they are designed to give you the skills needed to complete the last few.

I've been playing Super Mario Galaxy the last couple days, and I have to say it is absolutely bloody fantastic. I'm only on the 3rd Terrace, but this is definately my 2nd favourite game of the year. It is just fun, fun and more fun.

[ZBomber]

I dont really call myself a gamer. I do enjoy video games but I dont have the money to buy them, and when I do get money it either goes to music or various other things.

Whenever I play video games its usually old N64/Genesis games, and on occasion SSBM or a Wii game.

Next game I'm gettin is the new Super Smash Brothers in February (Unless they pushed it back again for the umpteenth time)... after that I have no idea.... Link's Crossbow Training and Super Mario Galaxy look good tho. If only they were cheaper!

[Mike Windu]

I didn't buy any new games this year either...

Go retired gaming community! \o/

[access_flux]

i have to admit, Skate. was a great game, and i ended up playing about 60 hours of it, just free skating.

1. CoD4 - THE GHILLIE SUITS! OH THE SNEAKINESS!
2. Assassins Creed - fun. very fun.
3. Oblivion. i've finished this game twice now, and i'm currently going through the expansion packs.
4.skate. - most realistic skateboarding game i've played so far
5.MOH:Airborne - i really enjoyed being able to start anywhere in the level.

[TiE23]

REPEATED POST! Sue me...

Updated:

1. Assassin's Creed - It's like GTA with swords and horses and free running, tons of fun!

1. (Tie) Crysis - After playing the game for 4 hours straight (would have been longer if my video card didn't start to over-heat, lol) so far I can say that this game has already impressed me enough to reach the top. Awesome graphics, great voice acting, characters, fighting, AI, level design, and other gameplay elements. If you have a computer capable, you need to have this game.

3. Call of Duty 4 - Ridicously fast action and beautiful graphics. Like a good action movie.

4. Rock Band - Even though I just play the guitar part, this game is a boat load of fun.

5. skate. - Sliky-smooth style and moves and complex tricks really make it a game to remember.

6. S.T.A.L.K.E.R. - Extremely atmospheric and creepy. The graphics and sound really draw you in.

7. DiRT - Just how I like it, arcadey-realism on dirt with beautiful locales and cars. Finished career mode 100% and unlocked everything on Pro-Am.

8. The Orange Box - Episode 2 was just full of so many "HOLY SH~T!" moments, story and gameplay wise that I just totally loved it. Portal was pretty sweet, too.

9. Mass Effect - Huge scale, so much detail... Just great stuff.

10. Halo 3 - Just more of the same Halo, good stuff.

+2 I really like Phantom Hourglass and Jeanne D'Arc.

[MrWally]

Now I should put out a disclaimer that I do not own an xbox or a 360 and have played through single player (the whole way through) for only the first Halo, but I've heard countless people essentially say that Halo 3 was awesome because it was "more of the same, 'nuff said" and that type of thing. And while I admit that multiplayer for each of Halo games is incredible, I personally didn't see Halo 3 as standing out that much. In my opinion, for a game to be "great" it really has to achieve something new or really surprise me, and for a game that's prided for it's Multiplayer I didn't really see anything special.

For instance, in my opinion Bioshock was great because, unlike almost any other game I've played for the past few years, I really felt as if I was trapped in Rapture. It was one of, if not THE, most atmospheric game I've ever played.

Additionally, Portal was one of the most innovative games I've ever played, and except for maybe San Andreas, it was also one of the funniest. For these reasons, despite it's short length, I consider it another one of the greatest games of all time.

I think that the gaming industry is becoming lazy and falling apart due to its lack of innovation. Sure, being pretty may make a game more enjoyable, but does it really define excellence? Look at Portal: in almost all respects the game is very very bland visually. Nearly all of the rooms look exactly the same and the exact same textures are used repeatedly but is that distracting? No, because the gameplay is so innovative and perfect that it hides the monotonous visuals. Think about it, how often do you go back and play games that are 2 or 3 or 5 or 10 years old? I do all the time, and I'd like to think I'm not the only one. Look at how popular games like starcraft and warcraft are - they are by no means up to date graphically, but their balanced gameplay and fantastic replayability keep people coming back. Another example: Heroes of Might and Magic III, one of my favorite games. It was made several years ago, is completely two dimensional, is turn based, and, of course, very old. Yet it is still one of the most balanced, intuitive, innovative, replayable, and fun games I've ever encountered, and for that reason I love loading it up when a friend is over and going at it against each other long into the night.

I'm sick of the gaming industry recycling old garbage, sprucing it up with fancy effects, high resolution textures and DirectX 10 (which, in turn, cause us to waste huge amounts of money on new hardware and the newest consoles), selling it for 60 bucks, slapping on DRM, and then expecting us to beat it in 10 hours and buy some more of their crap.

Now, I know this may sound pretty angry and all, and I will be the first to admit that there have been some great games this year (see: Bioshock, Portal, Assassin's Creed (so I hear), and Mass Effect (again, I don't have a 360 so I haven't played it for myself yet)), but there has been quite a bit of games that were clearly made for the sole purpose of making the industry money, not for entertaining the customer. That's what it's all about, right? Don't we play games to have fun?

Personally, the real reason I haven't bought more than 5 games this year is I find myself consistently turning back to playing older games, such as Warcraft 3 and others that I have mentioned, and consistently not being impressed by the new games the industry is dishing out to us.

[/rant]



PS: It's late and I just finished a LOST marathon with my family, sue me


PPS: THE CAKE IS A LIE!

[BongoBob]

I have to agree with you that the gaming industry does tend to do more of the same monotonous garbage instead of new ideas and IPs (see any WWII game made with the exception of CoD 1 and 2). However, sometimes more of the same is still fun. Like your example with Halo. Yes, gameplay wise, Halo 3 brough little to nothing new to the table. It brought a few new weapons and vehicles, as well as pretty graphics, and as such was just more of the same. Yet this wasn't a bad thing because it was still fun. While yes we need some innovation in games like Bioshock or Portal or Zak and Wiki, sometimes more of the same isn't exactly bad.

[MrWally]

Hmm... you make a valid point, but in some ways I'd rather see them try to innovate with a new sequel and have it flop than dish out more of the same and have it be just "fun."

And come on, with the Halo series I would want to think that any innovation would be welcomed with open arms into the community. Just look at the huge jump between Halo 1 and Halo 2 (dual wielding, for instance), and how great it was for the series. I really doubt they could have easily "gone wrong" or "ruined" Halo.

But like I said, your point is valid, Bongo. It is a fun game, nonetheless.

[*Don*]

Halo 3
Mass Effect
Bio Shock
Assassin's Creed
...
Damn. I guess I didn't make the "minimum 5 game" requirement.

[MrWally]

http://www.joystiq.com/2008/01/01/jo...games-of-2007/

I think that I can agree with this list. While I haven't played completely through all of these games I've had a least a bit of time with nearly all of them, and I think they did a pretty good job.