Welcome to the highly anticipated (by some people) Cary’s Best Video Games of 2007 Awards Show! With special guest stars like Gwendolyn from Odin Sphere, Ridley from Metroid Prime 3, Toad from the Mario series, Captain Rose from Zack & Wiki, Polka from Eternal Sonata, and many more! Actually there won’t be any guest stars like that since they’re not real. Awards shows just need guest stars, you know? But now, here’s your host, who definitely is real: Cary! Yay! (applause…please?)

OK, first off, here are some things you should know before we get started. These games were picked out by me and me only. No other votes or influences like that. And the awards here reflect my tastes in games, so you won’t see any titles like Mass Effect or Assasin’s Creed or anything like that. Though I will say that little brother Jeff really enjoyed Halo 3 and Call of Duty 4 this year. And if some of my winners and categories don’t make any sense to you, just remember that it’s MY awards show and there’s nothing you can do about it! Ha ha! Just joking with ya! And with that, let’s begin:

BEST 2-D ADVENTURE

Odin Sphere (PS2)
You know, there really wasn’t very many good 2-D games this year, in comparison to last year, anyway. Last year we had a TON of great 2-D games. Loco Roco, Super Princess Peach, Mega Man Powered Up, Yoshi’s Island DS, etc.

Odin Sphere blew me away this year with its amazing 2-D graphics, fun and simple hack & slash gameplay, and enjoyable emphasis on item manipulation. The graphics are just amazing. I love it when games look like the beautiful artwork from the instruction booklet just jumped on the TV screen and started to move around. Gameplay is typical 2-D hack and slash, but if you like the battles in games like Tales of Legendia and other Namco Tales RPGs, you’ll like the combat here, too.

Another way that Odin Sphere is like Tales games is both have heavy emphasis on item manipulation and cooking. In Odin Sphere, you can mix items to make new, better items. In a lot of games where you do alchemy mixing type stuff, it’s not very fun. But Odin Sphere makes it fun to mix things up with an easy to use ring menu and fun ways to get items (growing sheep from a plant, for instance). You don’t gain experience points by defeating enemies, but by eating food. And if you save a lot of ingredients collected from battle, you can take it to a restaurant and have them fix you foods that’ll give you a ton of experience points. One time I had a bunch of ingredients and made my Valkyrie character eat like, 7 plates of food all at once at the restaurant. It was funny seeing her eat all that food! That Valkyrie lady can really pack it away! By the way, Gwendolyn rocks. Video game Valkyries are cool, especially ones from Namco.

Of course, Odin Sphere had some problems as well. Things like massive slowdown in places and somewhat repetitive gameplay. I played through most of Odin Sphere, but I never made it to the end because I got distracted by my shiny new Xbox 360 that I bought this year. I should go back and finish Odin Sphere at some point, I guess. Atlus published Odin Sphere in the US. One thing I like about Atlus is that, while I don’t care for all the games they release (like the Persona series, sorry fans), but every year they bring out at least one or two games that really pique my interest, and Odin Sphere was one of those games this year.

Runners Up:
Super Paper Mario (Wii)
The platforming sections of Super Paper Mario were not as good as say, Yoshi’s Island or any other Mario game really. And the RPG elements not as refined as they are in GC Paper Mario, but put them both together and you get a fun little 2-D romp with RPG elements in it. Switching from 2-D to 3-D led to some ingenius puzzles and challenges, the text script was full of funny lines, and there were lots of things that paid homage to past Mario games. The only big problem I had with this game is that it really felt like it should’ve been a GameCube title. Yes I’m well aware it was a GameCube title at one point and it was probably a better business decision to put it on the Wii instead. But the Wii additions didn’t really add anything at all to the experience, and it just felt like this should’ve been out on the GC a year before. Plus, while I had a blast playing it, after I was done, it kind of felt a little ‘flat’ so to speak. Hard to explain. But even so, Super Paper Mario is still a GREAT game and worth a play for any Mario fan.

Wario: Master of Disguise (DS)
A lot of people hated this game, but I loved it. Sure it wasn’t as good as the Wario Land games, but I really never compared it to those anyway. It’s just a clever little platformer where you draw on Wario to make him change costumes. Heavy emphasis on Zelda-like puzzle solving. Every level is like a Zelda dungeon puzzler, really. Fun stuff.

DK: Jungle Climber (DS)
It’s a sequel to King of Swing on the GBA. Kind of a mix between Crazy Climber and Donkey Kong Country. Pretty inventive gameplay where you use only the L and R buttons to climb pegs hand over hand. Not the best in the world, but still a fun 2-D gamey game.

The Legend of Spyro: The Eternal Night (GBA)
The big surprise here is that, while the big 3-D console ports of the newest Spyro game sucks, the lowly GBA got the best version with this 2-D gem that almost rivaled Odin Sphere in some areas like graphics and gameplay. Too bad it wasn’t more Metroid-ish like I had hoped it would be.

BEST 3-D ADVENTURE

The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass
I had a hard time classifying this game as 2-D or 3-D. Riding around in the boat was definitely 3-D, but the top down sections were 2-D. But even that had 3-D graphics, so I put it here in the 3-D category.

At first I was worried that I wouldn’t like all touch screen only controls, but they really work here. In fact, the controls keep this Zelda game unique and fresh, even though you’re still using the same items and solving the same boomerang and bomb style puzzles. I also liked how you could draw on the maps to remember things and Zelda DS has one of the most creative uses for the DS sleep mode that I’ve ever seen. I like Phantom Hourglass so much that I’m putting it up there with my other favorite 2-D Zeldas like Link’s Awakening, Link to the Past, and original NES Zelda. There’s another 3-D game that came out this year that I didn’t mention in this category, but that’s only because it’s getting an even bigger award.

Runners Up
Gurumin (PSP)
Not too many people have heard of this game, I bet. It was originally a Japanese PC game, and it’s made by the same people who made the Ys games. It’s a 3-D hack and slash platforming adventure with a look and feel that combines elements of Foster’s Home for Imaginary Friends with Spirited Away. A young girl moves to a new town and befriends monsters that only kids can see. She goes on an adventure to save her monster friends by smacking around enemies with a drill. It has fun graphics and great music, stellar control and lots of secrets. It’s one of the best PSP games out there. Get it now, it’s only 20 bucks if you can find it!

Kororinpa: Marble Mania (Wii)
Not really an adventure per se, but it’s still 3-D so I put it up here. It’s a ’tilt the maze to roll the ball around’ kind of game, but it’s WAY better than Super Monkey Ball: Banana Blitz. Hudson really showed mastery of how to use the Wii remote for good control in this one, as you can seamlessly tilt the maze on its side and even upside down if you want. Only problem with this game is that it definitely feels like a budget title. It’s still fun, but better if you wait for the price to go down. But when it does, don’t miss this one!

Final Fantasy Fables: Chocobo’s Tales (DS)
It’s just a bunch of touch screen mini-games with a story in between, but most of the games are arcadey and fun. There’s a simple yet engaging card battle system and lots of references to classic Final Fantasy games for fans. And it’s darn cute! If Square would make more Final Fantasy games like this, I’d be more interested in the FF games like I was back in the SNES days.

Metroid Prime 3 (Wii)
This is definitely one of the must-have Wii titles (of all five of them). Control with the Wii remote made for some fun alien blasting, but my favorite part of any Metroid game is all the neat puzzles you get to solve. Retro Studios proved that Metroid games can work in 3-D. And luckily this one wasn’t as hard as MP2: Echoes. That game wore me out! My favorite part of Prime 3 was when Samus took off her helmet and threw up some Phozon. That was funny!

Soul Calibur Legends (Wii)
Not the best game in the world, and certainly not as polished as a regular Soul Calibur game, but it is a fun beat ’em up with Wii remote controls.

There’s a couple of 3-D adventures that I wanted to play this year, but never got around to so I can’t put them in my awards show. I wanted to play Ratchet and Clank PSP and Dawn of Mana on the PS2 but I wanted to wait until the price went down on those before I got them. And that hasn’t happened yet. I did play the Ratchet and Clank game on the PS3 at a friend’s house, but since I only got to the fifth or sixth level, I didn’t put it here, either. It’s a great game even if it is exactly like the other Ratchet & Clank games.

WEIRDEST GAME

Wario Ware: Smooth Moves (Wii)
It may not seem as weird now with what, five games in the series? But I don’t care. Wario Ware is still pretty weird–yet really fun–to me. Us jaded gamers may not notice the weirdness much anymore, but take this game to someone who has never played a Wario Ware game and watch the expression on their face! Who would’ve thought to use the remote on your nose like an elephant’s trunk to play games? I love the Wario Ware games. Aside from Animal Crossing, I think that Wario Ware is one of Nintendo’s best new properties.

Runners Up
Phoenix Wright 2 and 3 (DS)
Both games came out this year, so I just combined them together. Sure it’s all just more of the same, and it’s just an interactive story book more or less, but they’re still fun, and you play as a lawyer which is still weird to me. I just read that Capcom is releasing the fourth game in the series in the US in February. Geez, Capcom, let me finish the third game first! Sheesh!

Chulip (PS2)
This game really isn’t very good, but it is weird. The object of the game is, yes, to kiss people. And to kiss them effectively, you have to figure out which time to best plant your pucker, which means lots of scheduling maintenance and talking to people. Yes, that’s all you do in the game is watch the clock and talk to people. It’s about as fun as it sounds. And it’s not very forgiving if you mess up. This game was made by the same people who did Chibi Robo, albeit YEARS before, and you can really tell that Chibi Robo is a more fun and refined version of Chulip. So I’d recommend Chibi Robo on GameCube over Chulip. I love Chibi Robo!

Brain Age 2 (DS)
Even though it’s a sequel, the concept of training your brain on the DS still seems weird to me, so I put it here. Plus that doctor guy’s floating polygon head…weird!

Beautiful Katamari (360)
This was one of the games that caused me to get a 360 this year. It’s more of the same to a fault, but it’s still fun and still weird after all these years!

BEST PUZZLE GAME

QuickSpot (DS)
It’s basically a ‘find the differences between two pictures’ game where you use the stylus to circle the differences on the bottom touch screen. For such a simple game, though, it’s really more fun than what it should be. I’m STILL playing it and unlocking new things. Plus it has tons of pictures of Klonoa, Mr. Driller, and other Namco classics. I am a big Namco fan, after all. And to think this game is only 20 bucks! Get it if you see it!

Runners Up
Zack & Wiki: Quest for Barbaros’ Treasure (Wii)
The only reason why I didn’t give this game the best award instead of QuickSpot was because it is so darn hard and frustrating and QuickSpot is more easily accessible to a wider range of gamers, a key aspect to a puzzle game. You’ve heard me rave about Zack & Wiki on my last blog, so I won’t go into it much here. But Zack & Wiki is definitely one of the best Wii games and a fun puzzler to boot.

Picross (DS)
Almost as worthy as QuickSpot as a great 20 dollar puzzler. I’m glad I finally got to try out this one. Making and downloading puzzles through WiFi just makes it that much better.

Trion Cube (DS)
Another Namco DS puzzler. It’s a simple but addicting Tetris-like game. Pretty fun with lots of goodies to unlock. Also 20 bucks.

Bust-A-Move Bash (Wii)
It’s the same Bust-A-Move/Puzzle Bobble game you’ve played before, but using the Wii remote to aim and pop bubbles is fun. Wait till the price goes down on this one, though. My mom LOVES the Puzzle Bobble games.

Planet Puzzle League (DS)
No Yoshi or Pokemon, but it’s still a fun classic Nintendo puzzler on the DS. And it’s online, too. You may be wondering why Puzzle Quest isn’t on here. Sorry, I just thought it felt like a slower paced Bejeweled. I’d rather just play Zoo Keeper on my DS, thank you. Another puzzler I would’ve liked to have played was Portal, but I didn’t want to get the rest of the Orange Box to play it. Maybe I’ll wait till the price goes down or get it for Jeff’s birthday next year since he likes those kinds of games.

BEST SIMULATION GAME

Chibi Robo: Park Patrol (DS)
Well it’s really the only simulation game I played this year, but I wanted to give it some recognition. You design your own park, but most of what you do is water flowers. Who knew that could be so much fun? Like the GameCube game, Park Patrol’s set-your-own-pace gameplay is great and the characters are charming and endearing. Plus it has a nice environmental message, too. Park Patrol is only available at Wal-Mart, and if that’s keeping you from getting the game, I have to say that is pretty stupid. Boycotting Wal-Mart isn’t going to hurt them any, and you’re just cheating yourself out of a great game. So get it already!

BEST RPG

Eternal Sonata (360)
I had a hard time deciding between this or Blue Dragon, but the action based battles and interesting story and premise of Eternal Sonata won out. It was one of the games that made me want to get an Xbox 360. Only problem is I haven’t beaten it yet. I just don’t have time to play RPG’s like I used to, and I hate that.

Runners Up
Blue Dragon (360)
In some ways, Blue Dragon is better than Eternal Sonata. The classic style gameplay takes me back to the SNES days of RPGs. I haven’t beaten this one yet either. Hopefully in the slow season I can catch up on some games.

Pokemon Diamond/Pearl (DS)
Even though it’s more of the same, and the gameplay elements haven’t changed at all in nearly ten years, Pokemon DS is still fun and engaging, with TONS of things to do. And you can do all the Pokemon trading and battling online now, too!

Tales of the World: Radiant Mythology (PSP)
Not much on story, but if you like the battles in Tales games, you’ll want to give this one a try.

BEST ARCADE COLLECTION/ARCADE UPDATE

Pac-Man: Championship Edition (360)
Classic arcade game collections and updates are some of my favorite genres in video games, so that’s why I made this category. I nearly gave this award to Taito Legends 2, but since Pac-Man: CE was one of the games that made me get a 360, I changed it. Plus, Taito Legends 2 needed a bunch of games to be fun, Pac-Man: CE only needed itself. One of the best Pac-Man games in years.

Runners Up
Taito Legends 2 (PS2)
I LOVE this game! If you like obscure classic arcade games and can find this one, pick it up! It’s got something for everyone with nearly 50 games. Fun puzzlers like Puchi Carat, Cleopatra’s Fortune, and Bust-A-Move Again. Neat brawlers like Dungeon Magic and Growl. And cool little platformy action games like Liquid Kids. Highlights include Elevator Action Returns and Space Invaders 95. Taito rocks!

Konami Classics Collection (DS)
A bunch of fun Konami classics on the DS, like Kicker, Time Pilot, Yie Ar Kung Fu, Track & Field, Circus Charlie, Contra, and others. Too bad Gyruss isn’t on here.

Parodius and Twinbee Collections (PSP)
I imported these games, along with Salamander Collection, earlier this year. Parodius Collection is the best, but all are fun classic shooter collections. Too bad they didn’t come out over here, just about everything was in English. But I got each game for 25 bucks a pop, and that’s not bad for import prices.

JetPac Refueled (360)
I played this one at first on Donkey Kong 64. It’s one of Rare’s first games on the Spectrum. The 360 version is a good deal because you get both classic and updated versions for only 400 points.

Namco Museum DS
While some of the bottom screen additions to these classic games are nifty, the real reason to get Namco Museum DS is Pac-Man Vs. Worth the 20 bucks right there.

Namco Museum Remix (Wii)
Fun little selection of Wii remote based classic arcade updates, and some eclectic arcade classics like Pac & Pal and Super Pac-Man.

BEST SPORTS GAME

Flash Focus (DS)
Yeah I know what you’re thinking. “Hey, this isn’t a sports game.” But some of the eye training mini-games had sports themes, and they were simple. Which is how I like my sports games. Plus I thought the whole concept of Flash Focus was kind of interesting. Yeah I know I don’t play very many sports games.

Runners Up
Mario Strikers Charged (Wii)
It wasn’t really improved much from the GameCube version, and the crappy online play helped cause me to hop on the 360 bandwagon. But it was still kind of fun and the Mario characters with attitude were a hoot.

Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games (Wii)
I actually wasn’t very impressed with this game. But some of the games on here were kind of fun, and having two video game giants together was monumental. It’s just that I’d rather play Wii Sports, Wii Play, and Link’s Crossbow Training instead.

And now it’s time to name my best game of 2007. Taiko drum roll please…

BEST GAME OF 2007

Super Mario Galaxy (Wii)
Not much of a surprise, huh? Or is it? Usually I give the best game award to something a little more under the radar, like Okami or Psychonauts. And while I debated giving this year’s award to something like Odin Sphere or Zack & Wiki, I have to give credit where credit is due.

While most people rave about Super Mario Galaxy’s gravity defying 3-D levels, I’d like to mention two specific things I really liked about Mario Galaxy. One, I liked how it was relatively easy to beat the game, but to find all the stars and secrets, it was WAY tougher. I’d like to see YOU get past Luigi’s Purple Coins! I really appreciate games that challenge all skill levels of gamers. Keeping it fun for everyone. That’s why I like Kirby games so much. They’re easy to beat, but tougher to find all the secrets.

The other thing I really liked about Mario Galaxy is how a second player could join in, sort of. Another player could pick up a remote and point it at the screen, helping Mario by collecting star bits, and pinning down enemies. This was a great way for gamers of all skill levels to play together, and even a really young player could help simply by waving the remote around on screen.

And of course I also really liked the graphics and gameplay variety and control and the fully orchestrated music. And Mario Galaxy had Luigi and Toad. Lots and lots of Toads. Toad is my favorite Mario character. He’s the best kart driver and veggie picker upper, plus he’s always helpful when behind the scenes.

But you know, even though Mario Galaxy is a great game, it didn’t blow me away in the same way that Okami and Steambot Chronicles did last year. But maybe the reason why this year’s games didn’t blow me away as much is because there were so many great games, it was harder to discern the really exellent ones. Or maybe I’m just becoming a jaded gamer. Oh I hope not. If I ever become a jaded gamer, just shoot me!

And since people like top ten lists, here’s my favorite games of 2007 in top ten order:

Super Mario Galaxy (Wii)
Odin Sphere (PS2)
The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass (DS)
Metroid Prime 3 (Wii)
Zack & Wiki (Wii)
Pac-Man Championship Edition (360)
Chibi Robo: Park Patrol (DS)
QuickSpot (DS)
Eternal Sonata (360)
Blue Dragon (360)

And that’s all for my awards show. Now it’s YOUR turn. Did you agree with my choices? Or am I off my rocker? If I really had a video game awards show like SPIKE TV does, would you watch mine? Would you like it better? What was YOUR favorite games of 2007? Tell us! –Cary

Tags: Misc