So yeah, it's about that time. This year wasn't nearly as good as the last, but not without it's gems. Here's my list of the best games I played.
Best Special Appearance of Bambi: Shadow of the Colossus.
My experience of Shadow of the Colossus was enhanced by reading The Long Walk and discovering Neutral Milk Hotel (thanks IRC) all in the same week. Regardless I was thinking a lot about death and felt pretty raw and depressed by the end of it. Luckily my spirits were lifted as soon as I saw that deer in Shadow. All was well with the world if a cuddly little deer could prance through the grass and sleep in the shade. I laughed mightily at it's antics and proceed to create a cure for all diseases. Because of that deer no one has to die again. Hurrah!
Best Game that No One Played and Everyone Gave Me Weird Looks for Talking About It: Tie: Psychonauts and Oddworld: Stranger's Wrath
These two Xbox games were critically acclaimed and yet not a soul played them. Psychonauts is the acumination of classic LucasArts adventures such as Full Throttle and Day of the Tentacle. It has an appealing unique art style and the best writing in a game all year. I still quote lines from it to my friends, hence the strange looks. "Helicopters move both up and down. They also move sideways but not as fast as planes." Priceless.
Stranger's Wrath is a beautiful game that reinvents the way that first person shooters play and is easily as fun as the Xbox king, Halo. I really don't know why people avoided it but it has classic written all over it. It's probably the best looking Xbox game released all year, and had scenery for scenery's sake before Shadow of the Colossus. It also shares with Shadow a feeling, that undescribable, defines the game. Stranger's Wrath has this emotion tied into it that makes the game. It's a little sad, a little hopeful, and really really odd. Plus the twist is just awesome.
Best Game that I Thought No One Would Play and Every One Did: Dragon Quest VIII
I really thought I would have to talk this game up to people. Yet as it stands it's number 1 at GameFaqs.com, holding out against the new wrestling game, Soul Caliber III, and the Xbox360 page. Now that's something special. I guess Americans do like Dragon Quest, as long as it has good graphics.
Best Game to Feature a Floating Plate of Breakfast that I Created: Graffiti Kingdom
It's name was Breakfast. It was a blue plate covered with Eggs Sunny Side up, Bacon, and hash browns. It attacked by swinging an orbiting glass of milk and a side dish of short stacks complete with syrup and butter. It held it's own through the entire game and it's my favorite thing I've made in Graffiti Kingdom. The game gets huge points for letting my create and play with such a creature.
Best Game I Played While Pooping: Mario and Luigi: Partners in Time
Sonic Rush is a return to form, Mario Kart DS is the best in the series, Grand Theft Auto put Liberty City in the palm of my hand, but only Mario and Luigi has Baby Luigi. So it wins by default.
Most Disappointing Games of the Year
Sly 3: Should have been tons better than 2. But it's smaller and doesn't innovate the way that 2 did. It's fun, but falls far short of it's potential.
Ratchet: Deadlocked: Fun game, continues the Ratchet and Clank tradition of excellence, but... It's structure really holds it back. The game is way too short and breaking the levels up into sub sections hurts more than it helps. I recommend it, but not before you've played the other 3 games.
Sonic Gems Collection: A bunch of crappy games and Sonic CD. I'd never played Sonic CD before and let me tell you I was not impressed. Best game in the series, my ass.
Rise of the Kasai: The Mark of Kri is an underrated gem, but they dropped the ball on this one. The gameplay is broken, the storytelling is fragmented, and they took out the beautiful line drawings and replaced them with ink paintings that don't have the same charm.
The Xbox360: It isn't constantly spinning. Valk was right.
Best Special Appearance of Bambi: Shadow of the Colossus.
My experience of Shadow of the Colossus was enhanced by reading The Long Walk and discovering Neutral Milk Hotel (thanks IRC) all in the same week. Regardless I was thinking a lot about death and felt pretty raw and depressed by the end of it. Luckily my spirits were lifted as soon as I saw that deer in Shadow. All was well with the world if a cuddly little deer could prance through the grass and sleep in the shade. I laughed mightily at it's antics and proceed to create a cure for all diseases. Because of that deer no one has to die again. Hurrah!
Best Game that No One Played and Everyone Gave Me Weird Looks for Talking About It: Tie: Psychonauts and Oddworld: Stranger's Wrath
These two Xbox games were critically acclaimed and yet not a soul played them. Psychonauts is the acumination of classic LucasArts adventures such as Full Throttle and Day of the Tentacle. It has an appealing unique art style and the best writing in a game all year. I still quote lines from it to my friends, hence the strange looks. "Helicopters move both up and down. They also move sideways but not as fast as planes." Priceless.
Stranger's Wrath is a beautiful game that reinvents the way that first person shooters play and is easily as fun as the Xbox king, Halo. I really don't know why people avoided it but it has classic written all over it. It's probably the best looking Xbox game released all year, and had scenery for scenery's sake before Shadow of the Colossus. It also shares with Shadow a feeling, that undescribable, defines the game. Stranger's Wrath has this emotion tied into it that makes the game. It's a little sad, a little hopeful, and really really odd. Plus the twist is just awesome.
Best Game that I Thought No One Would Play and Every One Did: Dragon Quest VIII
I really thought I would have to talk this game up to people. Yet as it stands it's number 1 at GameFaqs.com, holding out against the new wrestling game, Soul Caliber III, and the Xbox360 page. Now that's something special. I guess Americans do like Dragon Quest, as long as it has good graphics.
Best Game to Feature a Floating Plate of Breakfast that I Created: Graffiti Kingdom
It's name was Breakfast. It was a blue plate covered with Eggs Sunny Side up, Bacon, and hash browns. It attacked by swinging an orbiting glass of milk and a side dish of short stacks complete with syrup and butter. It held it's own through the entire game and it's my favorite thing I've made in Graffiti Kingdom. The game gets huge points for letting my create and play with such a creature.
Best Game I Played While Pooping: Mario and Luigi: Partners in Time
Sonic Rush is a return to form, Mario Kart DS is the best in the series, Grand Theft Auto put Liberty City in the palm of my hand, but only Mario and Luigi has Baby Luigi. So it wins by default.
Most Disappointing Games of the Year
Sly 3: Should have been tons better than 2. But it's smaller and doesn't innovate the way that 2 did. It's fun, but falls far short of it's potential.
Ratchet: Deadlocked: Fun game, continues the Ratchet and Clank tradition of excellence, but... It's structure really holds it back. The game is way too short and breaking the levels up into sub sections hurts more than it helps. I recommend it, but not before you've played the other 3 games.
Sonic Gems Collection: A bunch of crappy games and Sonic CD. I'd never played Sonic CD before and let me tell you I was not impressed. Best game in the series, my ass.
Rise of the Kasai: The Mark of Kri is an underrated gem, but they dropped the ball on this one. The gameplay is broken, the storytelling is fragmented, and they took out the beautiful line drawings and replaced them with ink paintings that don't have the same charm.
The Xbox360: It isn't constantly spinning. Valk was right.
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