Sloppy Potatoes

2007: Video Games

The virtual year that was, 10-style…

My choices for the best and worst games this year differ a bit from the rest of the nation. I’m only putting games I’ve played on my list. I own Call of Duty 4, but I haven’t had the opportunity to block off an hour or two to play the game. I’ve heard it’s awesome.

EP’s Top 5

1. Halo 3
2. Bioshock
3. The Orange Box
4. Madden 2008
5. DiRT

EP’s Bottom 5

1. History Channel: Civil War–A Nation Divided
2. TMNT
3. Asteroids/Asteroids Deluxe (XBLA demo)
4. NASCAR 08 (Demo)
5. Root Beer Tapper (XBLA Demo)

Just some notes about my choices:

• I put Halo 3 first because there is no game I’ve played more since the beginning of the year and I’m almost certain there will be no game I play more between now and the end of 2008. Bioshock, Orange Box and COD4 might be better in some ways, but they can’t match Halo 3 overall in my opinion.
• DiRT is the best racing game this year, hands down. If you haven’t played it yet, go buy it.
• Madden 08 is one of those iterations that actually has some changes to the gameplay. If you’ve been holding off on Madden, this was the year to buy it.
• As for my crapper list, I took advantage of the Demos on Live and didn’t by the trash I tried out. Civil War and TMNT were Gamerscore gold mines. Asteroids and Root Beer Tapper = difficult achievements, truly archaic gameplay. Plus asteroids just didn’t control well at all with the 360 controller.

How about some more end of the year awards

Top 5 Moments

1. The end of Halo 3, no not the last boss “battle,” what happened after. If you’ve played Halo: Combat Evolved, you get me.
2. Bioshock. I haven’t beaten this game yet, but just stepping into the world and entering into the first battle. Phenomenal.
3. Renting DiRT: Colin McRea. I can’t say enough about this game. After my first race I decided I had to own it.
4. Crackdown demo: Same here. It helped that the Halo 3 Beta code was included in this game, but the title itself was worth the $60. This is superhero game done right.
5. Throwing a no-hitter in MLB 2K7. It’s a great baseball title, but it was the first time I had ever thrown a legit no-hitter in a game. Total geek move: I picked up my cell and started calling people to brag about it.

Bottom 5 moments

1. Realizing I didn’t have enough time and/or money to play every great game that came out in 2007. (I don’t own a PS3 or a Wii, let alone all the great 360 titles.)
2. Post-Christmas Xbox Live issues. All I wanted to do was play a little Halo 3, but every game was borked in some way. Hopefully this gets fixed soon, my Live was still a little buggy last night.
3. Finishing Halo 3. I know there’s the awesome multiplayer and many other things, like Forge and metscores to keep you coming back. This game was so highly anticipated, I was sad to see it end.
4. Jeff Gerstmann fired from Gamespot. It’s been called a mutual decision, but everyone in corporate America knows what that means. Why was he canned? He was honest in a review for a mediocre game that was advertised heavily on the site. So much for journalism.
5. Halo 3 Beta. I was salivating when I checked the Interwebz only to find out there were issues. I downloaded the Beta that day and had to wait to play like everybody else. Luckily, Microsoft and Bungie made it better by lengthening the beta period.

Top 5 stories

1. Grand Theft Auto IV delayed
2. Halo 3 release extravaganza
3. Gerstmann-gate
4. Halo 3 Beta issues
5. Unreal-Too Human flap

Top 5 underrated games

1. Every Extend Extreme Extra (E4) on XBLA
2. DiRT
3. Undertow
4. Heavy Weapon: Atomic Tank
5. The Simpsons Game

And, the experts had plenty to say this year, too. I like metacritic.com it’s a Web site that averages critical reviews from multiple sources for video games, movies, DVDs, TV shows. According to Metacritic, the Top 5 and Bottom 5 Xbox 360 games of 2007:

Overall Top 5

1. Bioshock
2. The Orange Box
3. Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare
4. Halo 3
5. Rock Band

Overall Bottom 5

1. Hour of Victory
2. Vampire Rain
3. Kengo: Legend of the 9
4. History Channel: The Battle for the Pacific
5. Cyberball 2072 (XBLA)

XBLA Top 5

1. Castlevania: Symphony of the Night
2. Puzzle Quest: Challenge of the Warlords
3. Bomberman Live
4. Pac-Man Championship Edition
5. Super Puzzle Fighter II Turbo HD Remix

XBLA Bottom 5

1. Cyberball 2072
2. Screwjumper!
3. Tempest
4. Wing Commander Arena
5. Yie Ar Kung Fu