Tech News on G4G4 Canada’s Game of the Year AwardsJanuary 09, 2008By John Powell, Daniel Barron - G4TechTV Canada |
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It's safe to say that 2007 will go down as one of the strongest years for software that gamers have ever seen. With growing pains for the next-gen systems a thing of the past, it was time for developers to step up and show us what they could do. And step up they did. Critically acclaimed hits like Bioshock, Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare and Super Mario Galaxy were the norm, not the exception, and best of all, there were very few slow periods to lull gamers to sleep. So there was quite a lot to plow through in 2007 and the holiday period especially had game reviewers pulling their hair out when their hands weren't attached to their controllers, but G4 Canada's John Powell and Daniel Barron have crowned winners in several Game-of-the-Year categories. Take a look at the results and with the release calendar slowing down for the time being, now may be your best chance to grab some of the games you may have missed. Here's hoping for as strong a year in 2008!
GAME OF THE YEAR
John Powell: Halo 3 Honourable Mentions: Guitar Hero 3, Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, The Darkness, Super Mario Galaxy, Metroid Prime 3: Corruption, God Of War 2. Considering how many really great games there were this year, it is so darn hard to pick just one standout. Since I have never been a big fan of the series, it speaks volumes that my pick is 'Halo 3'. It is the one game I found that I was replaying and coming back to more than any other in 2007, whether it be the single player campaign or the casual multiplayer insanity on Xbox Live. The storyline itself is one of the most absorbing, emotional and most satisfying I have ever played through. Daniel Barron: Metroid Prime 3: Corruption Honourable Mentions: Contra 4, Picross DS, Lost Planet: Extreme Condition, Super Mario Galaxy Each year there is one game that, once I've finished it, I go right back to. This year, it was MP3:C. The game had absolutely everything and then some. It reinvented first-person shooter controls on consoles, it had amazing art direction and an even better score and the seemingly endless backtracking of the first two games was gone for a more clearly directed campaign (that was still very much open ended at the same time). The game, too, was downright fun to play. Some of the most epic boss battles of the year, wicked toys for Samus to play with and fantastic level design made this THE game to own for Wii. The online component was just as interesting and addictive, and the many difficulty levels and settings made this just challenging enough for n00bs and Metroid fanatics alike. No game came close to MP3:C in 2007.
TECH AWARDS
BEST AUDIO John Powell: Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare Honourable Mentions: BioShock, Halo 3 'Call of Duty 4' is acoustic hellfire. The chaos of war never sounded so good or complete.
BEST GRAPHICS John Powell: Crysis Honourable Mentions: BioShock, Halo 3, Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, BioShock. Jungle warfare never looked so good. Daniel Barron: Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter 2 Honourable Mentions: BioShock, Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, Lost Planet: Extreme Condition, MotorStorm Realism to a whole new level, another stunning visual masterpiece from the folks at Ubisoft.
BEST MULTIPLAYER
John Powell: Halo 3 Honourable Mentions: Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, Team Fortress 2, Enemy Territory: Quake Wars. With Halo's innovative multiplayer modes and crazed online action, the blockbuster release nudges out COD4's deep and immersive multiplayer content. Daniel Barron: Halo 3 Honourable Mentions: Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, Rock Band, MotorStorm, Warhawk, Rainbow Six Vegas, Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter 2, Lost Planet: Extreme Condition Say what you will about it not being innovative enough or about the single player campaign lacking, but Halo 3 multiplayer is still as close as any gamer will currently get to perfection. Endless matchmaking possibilities and the addition of the Forge to the final chapter of the Halo trilogy make this a sure bet to be played again and again until the sequel to the 360 comes out in however many years.
CONSOLE AWARDS
BEST XBOX 360 GAME John Powell: Halo 3 Honourable Mentions: Guitar Hero 3, Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, BioShock, Crackdown, Forza Motorsport 2, The Orange Box, Assassin's Creed , Mass Effect, The Darkness. So many great games but when it comes to all out fun, nothing beats Master Chief's final fight. Daniel Barron: Lost Planet: Extreme Condition Honourable Mentions: Guitar Hero 3, Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, Crackdown, Rainbow Six Vegas, Ghost Recon Advance Warfighter 2, Rock Band. In the dead of winter, Capcom released one of its greatest original IPs in a long, long time. Absolutely killer graphics, awesome transforming mechs, gigantic enemies and a multiplayer mode that was completely addictive in every way, Lost Planet could easily stand up to any game released 11 months later.
BEST PC GAME John Powell: Crysis Honourable Mentions: S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Shadow of Chernobyl, Command & Conquer 3 Tiberium Wars, Enemy Territory: Quake Wars, BioShock, Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, The Orange Box. Crysis won the title before it even hit store shelves. The firefights, upgradeable weapons and the mind-blowing graphics are awe-inspiring.
BEST WII GAME
John Powell: Metroid Prime 3: Corruption Honourable Mentions: Super Mario Galaxy, Resident Evil: The Umbrella Chronicles, Zack & Wiki: Quest for Barbaros' Treasure. The best use of all of the Wii's technology and power to date, there is no better game released for Nintendo's ivory box of gaming joy than Metroid. Daniel Barron: Metroid Prime 3: Corruption Honourable Mentions: Super Mario Galaxy, Super Paper Mario, Resident Evil 4 Wii Edition, Resident Evil: The Umbrella Chronicles, Wario Ware: Smooth Moves, The Godfather: Blackhand Edition Lots of superb games on the wee Wii in 2007, but none could claim victory as game of the year over the latest Metroid masterpiece. Corruption was the whole package, whereas even the best of the Honourable Mentions had at least one flaw.
BEST PLAYSTATION 3 GAME Daniel Barron: MotorStorm Honourable Mentions: Warhawk, Uncharted: Drake's Fortune, Ratchet & Clank Future: Tools of Destruction, Guitar Hero III, Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter 2, Rainbow Six Vegas, fl0w It may have been a little void of game modes at first, but with some downloadable content, MotorStorm was beefed up throughout 2007 as a more full-fledged game. A perfect difficulty had me coming back again and again, and with so many types of vehicles, it truly was a different race every time I went back. The free online worked with nary a hiccup. Best of all - the Sixaxis motion controls were completely optional!
BEST PSP GAME John Powell: Silent Hill: Origins Honourable Mentions: Sid Meier's Pirates!, MLB 07: The Show, Syphon Filter: Logan's Shadow, Star Wars Battlefront: Renegade Squadron. The portable Silent Hill adventure didn't get the credit it deserved in 2007. Claustrophobic and grotesque, the PSP prequel at times looks like it was filmed on a camcorder which enhances the believability and the outright creepiness of this title.
BEST DS GAME John Powell: Lunar Knights Honourable Mentions: Pokemon Diamond/Pearl, The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass, Hotel Dusk: Room 215, Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney Trials and Tribulations, Contra 4. Much more than a mere dungeon crawler, Lunar Knights is an engrossing adventure that once it gets a hold of you, it won't let go. Daniel Barron: Contra 4 Honourable Mentions: Picross DS, Mega Man ZX Advent, The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass, Hotel Dusk: Room 215 In fact, one of the best games of the year on any system and one of the best DS games ever released. This is 'retro' gaming at its finest, yet everything is updated to work as a solid current-generation game as well. A slew of unlockable content, punishing (yet oh-so-fun) difficulty, and great use of the DS' dual screens make this numero in this category for 2007.
BEST PLAYSTATION 2 GAME
John Powell: God of War 2 Honourable Mentions: Syphon Filter: Dark Mirror, Guitar Hero 3: Legends of Rock. Still trucking along, the dependable PS2 played host to one of the best games of 2007, despite all the hype about next gen this and that. GOW2 was the perfect goodbye to a console that has served us all very, very well over the years. Daniel Barron: God of War 2 Honourable Mentions: Guitar Hero 3: Legends of Rock. Was there really anything that could compete with the juggernaut that is Kratos and the God of War series? The second game in the series was just as epic and gigantic in scope as the first. Great gameplay, wicked bosses, and more blood than all the Friday the 13th movies combined, this is still a memorable game for 2007 despite being released early on in the year. Truly whets gamers' appetites for GoW3 on PS3.
WORST GAME OF THE YEAR
John Powell: Vampire Rain (X360) Dishonourable Mentions: Hour of Victory, Escape from Bug Island, Lair, Tony Hawk's Proving Ground, You Are Empty, Tenchu Z. While other games had irritating glitches or other such bothers, Vampire Rain was a game no one could even play. The omnipotent enemies in this shameless Splinter Cell/Resident Evil rip-off are just impossible to destroy and thus the learning curve is beyond anyone's grasp. Daniel Barron: Lair (PS3) Dishonourable Mentions: Lifesigns: Surgical Unit It's difficult to put into words just how bad Lair was. Even taking away the fact that this was a first party game that was supposed to launch the PS3 into the stratosphere, it was a massive disappointment from beginning to end. Godawful controls, crappy dialogue, horribly-paced ... Lair was and is a total travesty.
GENRE AWARDS
BEST KIDS GAME John Powell: Super Mario Galaxy Honourable Mentions: Spider-Man: Friend or Foe, Bee Movie Game, Pokemon Diamond-Pearl. When talking about innovative, one cannot forget the genius of 'Super Mario Galaxy' which unquestionably put a whole new spin on gameplay mechanics. Daniel Barron: Spider-Man: Friend or Foe Honourable Mentions: Wario Ware: Smooth Moves Spider-Man: Friend or Foe did nothing to change the face of gaming, but it sure as heck was a fun game to plow through. Great pick-up-and-play features like a co-op mode that you can jump in and out of at a moment's notice and a difficulty that is just right make this the perfect game for parents to play with their kids (and maybe play a little longer after the little ones go to bed!). It's funny, it's colourful ... simply, it's a lot of fun.
BEST SHOOTER John Powell: Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare Honourable Mentions: Halo 3, BioShock, Metroid Prime 3: Corruption, The Darkness, Half-Life Episode 2, Crysis. Daniel Barron: Metroid Prime 3: Corruption Honourable Mentions: Halo 3, Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, Rainbow Six Vegas, Ghost Recon Advance Warfighter 2
BEST SPORTS GAME John Powell: Forza Motorsport 2 Honourable Mentions: NHL 08, MLB 07: The Show
BEST RHYTHM GAME John Powell: Rock Band Honourable Mentions: Guitar Hero 3 Daniel Barron: Rock Band Honourable Mentions: Guitar Hero 3, Dance Dance Revolution Hottest Party
BEST PUZZLE GAME John Powell: Orange Box (Portal) Honourable Mentions: Crush, Puzzle Quest, WarioWare: Smooth Moves. Daniel Barron: Picross DS Honourable Mentions: WarioWare: Smooth Moves
BEST ACTION/ADVENTURE John Powell: God of War 2 Honourable Mentions: Assassin's Creed, Crackdown, Uncharted: Drake's Fortune, Heavenly Sword, Ratchet & Clank Future: Tools of Destruction, Lost Planet: Extreme Condition, Tomb Raider: Anniversary, The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass, Lunar Knights.
BEST RPG John Powell: Mass Effect Honourable Mentions: Eternal Sonata, The Witcher.
BEST DOWNLOADABLE CONTENT John Powell: The Elder Scrolls IV: Shivering Isles Expansion Honourable Mentions: Pac-Man Championship Edition, Everyday Shooter, Warhawk, Tekken 5 Dark Resurrection, Alien Hominid HD. Daniel Barron: Rock Band Honourable Mentions: Guitar Hero 3, Warhawk, Resistance: Fall of Man, Halo 3
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G4 Canada (formerly TechTV Canada) launched in September 2001. G4 is the one and only television station that is plugged into every dimension of games, gear, gadgets and gigabytes. Owned Rogers Media Inc., the channel airs more than 24 original series. G4 is available on digital cable and satellite. For more information, see www.g4tv.ca.