List your favorites: Favorite Games of 2007

[Tan]

This should be an interesting one. We've all read lists from major publications. We all have our own favorites from the past year, so let's share them with the rest of the community. I'll start off with mine in no particular order:

DiRT - Not as good as the earlier Colin McRae games and missing a few key things like ice/snow and several countries. Still a fun arcade rally racer.

Elder Scrolls IV, The: Shivering Isles - Awesome expansion for Oblivion that opens up an all new realm and has a new Order of Knights as well as a quest to replace a Mad God.

Forza Motorspot 2 - Better than the first one, this is one damn fine polished sim. Attention to detail has certainly raised the bar.

Legend of Zelda, The: Phantom Hourglass - A more laid back game that provides challenge when you want it the most, and allows you freedom and casual fun when you don't. Having played every Zelda game previous, this is among the best, and is my new favorite handheld Zelda without a doubt.

Mass Effect - BioWare has outdone themselves once again. What an unbelievable experience this was. The main reason I own a X360 and it didn't disappoint. I have a feeling this will creep into my top franchise favorites once the sequel hits.

Puzzle Quest: Challenge of WarLords - A fantasy based RPG where the battlefield is a puzzle match between opponents. Very addictive and surprisingly deep.

Rogue Galaxy - IMO, the best RPG on the PS2. Fantastic cut scenes and art style even some one who doesn't care much for anime such as myself can still enjoy. Stories don't get much more epic than this. I hope the combat system is used for other games, it's quite fun and nonlinear.

Two Worlds - Oblivion Junior having more to explore. Buggy and glitchy at times, but fun as hell and the voice acting is absolutely hilarious. Every main character in every game should have an evil laugh of unadulterated pleasure like that in the midst of combat .

I'll also mention Namco museum DS, Picross DS (which my wife loves) and Tetris Evolution because it's one of the better Tetris ports in recent years.

[phoenix1967]

Mass Effect: Bioware is definitely a "can't miss" developer. Hopefully this stays the case. Every one of their previous games that I've owned (SW:KOTOR 1, Jade Empire) I've played through at least twice and Mass Effect is no different (almost finished with my 2nd playthrough at the time of this writing). Mass Effect takes that replayability further, though, by using the X360 achievement system to allow you to not only get points, but unlock abilities for use in future playthroughs. You may not be able to wield a lightsabre, but the exploration, dialogues, action and combat options are still excellent and make this a game worth owning.

Guitar Hero 2 and 3: I got GH2 back in April and from the sheer entertainment value I knew that I would pick up GH3 when it was released in October. And, just like anything from Bioware (see above), I know that the GH series is one that I will likely get the latest edition whenever it comes out. Speaking as someone that used to despise rhythm games, the balance of fun, challenge, and ease of pick-up-and-play makes this series a classic.

Bioshock: Holy crap! An entire living and breathing AI world under the sea set in an alternate 1960. With abilities likened to an RPG combined with 8 different weapons to fully upgrade, this Action/Adventure/Shooter/Survival Horror game breaks new ground. The art style, graphics, and sound make this one a must own and is another game that must be played through at least twice.

Halo 3: I love map and level editors, so when the Forge came out for Halo 3, I was loving the opportunity to be able to change up every multiplayer map as I saw fit and also create new game variations to be able to play during offline multiplayer system link games with my friends. More games need 4 player per screen system link multiplayer! The new game mechanics, equipment, weapons, vehicles, and action live up to the hype. More maps!

Crackdown: One of the most unexpected surprises of 2007. When this came out in March with promises of the Halo 3 Beta, most bought the game solely for that reason. However, it holds up on its own as one of the most refreshing original concepts for "sandbox" games in the new generation of console gaming. Sure, it's premise is simple, but the execution and addictive quality of this one make it a game you want to keep playing and playing...


Honorable mention to Guitar Hero: Encore-Rock the 80's. A little disappointed that it didn't get bundled with a guitar, and it was a little short on features for it's full price tag. However, it still provides the entertainment value the GH se2ies is known for with a host of 80's-based songs that take me back to my teen years.


Overall. 2007 was an exellent year for games...maybe one of the best ever! There are still so many that I'm looking forward to playing, but I'm waiting until after Christmas to see if I get them: Rock Band, Call of Duty 4, Assassin's Creed, Virtua Fighter 5, Blue Dragon, and others. Damn!

[den68]

I think I only picked up three 2007 release games and they were all Guitar Hero. GH2, 3 and Encore Rocks the 80's.

to list them in order:

GH3
Encore: Rocks the 80's
GH2

[Shimra]

Haven't really played too many new games this year, though of the ones I have Bleach is easily my favorite. I know I can't convince anyone to play it but the more I play the game, the combo system seems to become more and more fleshed out, essentially what I am saying is there are some insane combos that can wipe out other players.

Uhh, as for all the games I have played this year and beat, Final Fantasy XII, Final Fantasy VI, and Shadow Hearts From the New World were all fairly awesome.

[s1lence]

Bioshock and Forza 2 by far my most favorite this year.

[Hydrobond]

Portal.  (The game of the year, by far.)

[OatBob]

Halo 3
Portal
Crackdown
Uncharted: Drake's Fortune


uhh... its always hard to tell on this kind of thing.  I'm usually a year or two behind on games.

[Tondog]

Portal

Poser. You've never played Portal. You don't know the joy that is the Weighted Companion Cube.

[Hydrobond]

Portal

Poser. You've never played Portal. You don't know the joy that is the Weighted Companion Cube.

I know, I know.  I destroyed the weighted companion cube in record time.  GLaDOS told me so.

[Tondog]

Portal

Poser. You've never played Portal. You don't know the joy that is the Weighted Companion Cube.

I know, I know.  I destroyed the weighted companion cube in record time.  GLaDOS told me so.

GLaDOS told me the same thing, even after me hugging my companion cube for 10 minutes before incinerating it.

Now as far as my games of the year are concerned, it's tough because 07 was an incredible year for the artform of gaming...

The Orange Box - All five games in the box are a winner, especially Portal, which is probably my favorite game of the year.

Uncharted: Drake's Fortune - Gears of War + Indiana Jones + (Tomb Raider - Boobs) = GREAT GAME

Phoenix Wright Ace Attorney: Justice For All/Trials and Tribulations - Phoenix Wright is always good, and both games in the series that came out this year were great

Ratchet and Clank Future: Tools of Destruction - Insomniac takes Ratchet onto the PS3 in grand fashion and makes great use of all aspects that the new console offers them.

Hotel Dusk: Room 215 - One of the biggest underdogs of the year, Hotel Dusk tells a very film noir-esque story with the artstyle of that Take on Me music video by 80s New Wave band, A-Ha. This ranks up there with some of the best point and click adventures of the LucasArts Golden Age era.

Zack and Wiki: Quest For Barabos' Treasure - THANK YOU CAPCOM FOR GIVING US A POINT AND CLICK ADVENTURE ON THE WII! It's a very cartoony game, yes, but it's extremely deep with over 30 hours of gameplay and puzzles that actually make you think. Also, Capcom made great use of the Wii Remote's capabilities and used it in very inventive ways.

Skate - Best skateboarding game ever.

Warhawk - Best multiplayer game I've played since Tribes 2.

God of War 2 - HEY DON'T FORGET ABOUT ME! I CAME OUT THIS YEAR TOO! GoW2 was just as good as the first one and makes me want the 3rd one even more.

Picross DS - Crack in a little DS card.

Blocksum - Crack in a little 30mb download for your PC.

Knytt Stories - Nifflas is one of the best game developers of our time.

Sam and Max: Season One - I know, some of it came out last year, but I'm going based off of the DVD released by Telltale this year. No game this year has made me laugh more than Sam and Max (sorry Portal, you're hilarious, but not Sam and Max hilarious).

The Darkness - Some of the best narrative I've seen in a first person shooter, and definitely the best comic book to game adaptations ever. Starbreeze is perhaps one of the most underappreciated developers out there.

Everyday Shooter - Pure indie gaming bliss.

Honorable mentions:
Unreal Tournament 3 - Truly groundbreaking in the console FPS realm. Can't wait for more user mods to hit.

Calling All Cars - Very fun multiplayer.

I still have to play:
Call of Duty 4 - I tried it a little last night and was blown away by it. The team at Infinity Ward has delivered some of the best looking visuals, and what's more, the whole thing runs at full HD 1080p at 60 FPS! Seems like a pretty fun game, but I bet I'll suck at it.

Assassin's Creed

Mass Effect

Crackdown

Bioshock - Only played the demo, but it seemed great.

[hXd]

Hmmm:

Guitar Hero 2 and 3
Final Fantasy XII: Revenant Wings
Super Paper Mario
Super Mario Galaxy
Naruto: Clash Of Ninja Revolution
Resident Evil: Umbrella Chronicles
Wii Sports


That's all I got for now. I'll probably add more later.

[Tondog]

Wii Sports

That's 2006, dude.

[TraderJake]

Super Paper Mario: All hail Count Bleck. Great game, and funny too.

Super Mario Galaxy: It's not 100% same old Mario. Some old Mario is there, but there is enough fresh content and ideas to make the game its own.

Portal: The Cake is a lie.

The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass: Cel Shaded games suck. Wait... that's a lie...

Metroid Prime 3: Corruption: Great game, though I miss the trademark elements of the Metroid series - the elevators. But, I can fly from planet to planet. Good times, good times.

[hXd]

Wii Sports

That's 2006, dude.

Ehh close enough.

[Arrrhalomynn]

Mass effect and Civilization IV: Beyond the Sword.

I've played and enjoyed other games, but these 2 are in a league of their own. I can see myself playing these 10 years from now and enjoy them all the same.