Over the past five years I have gone from predominantly a PC FPS fan to a gamer who will try just about everything on the PC, GBA, DS and PSP. Heck, I have even picked up some games for the Wii my kids bought themselves last year! I had a great year of gaming in 2007 with GamerDad, and wanted to share my thoughts on the best experiences of the year!

Interesting statistic – I reviewed more than 170 games released in 2007, a number that increases to more than 185 when you include games I played but didn’t review for GamerDad, nearly 210 when you count games that I played on more than one platform, and over 235 when you include games from previous years that I either just discovered or replayed last year. That is a heck of a lot of games!

RPG of the Year: The Witcher (PC) – somewhere between the amazing writing, the great setting, the cool combat, the excellent characters, the 80+ hours to make it through, and more – it hits you. Here is one of the truly great RPG’s of all time. As mentioned in the review “amongst the great things about CDProjekt’s The Witcher are the brilliant setting based on Sapkowski’s novels; the depth, variety and novelty of the plot and quests; the wonderful variety of characters you meet around the game world and the interactions you have with them; the excellent graphics and music that terrifically convey a sense of presence in the world and the cinematics that help set the plot in motion; the exciting action-based combat that takes a bit to learn but is rewarding and satisfying once mastered; the tremendous role-playing opportunities present due to the deep skill system and character development possibilities; and finally the really great character of Geralt”. It isn’t perfect despite my ‘perfect’ score – there are some minor annoyances and the need for a PC with some serious hardware (not in the Crysis stratosphere, but still some beefy specs), but ultimately this is one of those games that will still be on people’s lips ten years from now as one of the great examples of writing and narrative in a game.

RPG Honorable Mention: Etrian Odyssey (DS) – if there was an award for ‘cutest looking little game that will kick your butt to the curb six ways to Sunday’ … this would win. It is really hard and unforgiving, and mixes old and new in a way that is really innovative – it is satisfying to handheld gamers, old-time PC gamers, and everyone else. As I ask in my review “is it a strange thing to call a game that will mercilessly kill you ‘charming’? Perhaps it is, but that is a feeling I associate with this game. The nice graphics, draw-your-own dungeons and sweet music playing everywhere all just draw me in immediately whenever I start playing. I love the challenge, the feel of the game, and the ability to lead a party and have my choices matter. I enjoyed the characters in town, the way they change and grow. But everything comes down to the dungeons in a game like this, and that is where Etrian Odyssey shines brightest – the balance of you against your environment is perfect, and the execution of making a massive dungeon that is challenging at all levels is simply sweet perfection.”.

FPS of the Year: Crysis (PC) – I love a great single-player FPS … and this is a truly great single-player FPS that corrects nearly all of the mis-steps made in Far Cry and then some. As my review said “there are three things about this game that makes it one of the best shooters in recent memory: gameplay, gameplay, gameplay. At the core of the game you have the same base gameplay that fueled Far Cry, updated and modernized to feel completely fresh. Add to that level design that encompasses linear corridor elements alongside non-linear, open areas with many possible paths, optional vehicle usage just about everywhere with only a few spots where it is required, and you have a varied experience that will offer something for everyone. There are plenty of scripted set-piece battles as well, but only occasionally do you feel that you are being led by the nose through the designers’ vision of how you should approach things. Also, the enemy AI does a great job of running the gamut from bullet-sponge aliens to quick thinking grunts to advanced soldiers with technology matching your own. You never know what you will face, but you can be sure it will be challenging. And it is this excellent and consistent gameplay that carries you from beginning to end of this excellent experience.”

FPS Honorable Mention: Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare (PC) – this game is short, linear, and brutal; it grabs you by the … um … collar and never lets you go. It would be intense enough in a vacuum, but is made more intense due to the very relevant middle-eastern desert setting. My review said “regardless of how good the game is, I am still stuck with a criticism I always seem to make of these games – they are too short. You will complete it in ~4 – 5 hours if you have any experience with first person shooters. And since the games are extremely scripted, replaying them means encountering the same battles fought the same way time and again – in other words there is little inherent replay value outside of multiplayer. But don’t mistake those concerns with a significant criticism – even if you never launch multiplayer, you will complete the single player campaign and feel totally satisfied with the experience. This is an amazing game and one of the best shooters this year – in a fall crowded with other excellent shooters it deserves your attention and hard-earned dollars.”.

FPS Honorable Mention: Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare (DS) – I had a bit of a hard time with this, since I also love Dementium: The Ward. But this really is “the best handheld shooter you’ll play this year” as I say in my review. As I continue, “you play as alternating British and American soldiers in a series of missions that have you sniping, running-and-gunning, using squad tactics, shooting from aircraft and vehicles and in general just dealing with problem after problem as you seek out a group looking to launch a nuclear warhead in a missile. There is a single real problem with this game – the exciting and excellent single player campaign is only about four hours long and the only multiplayer mode is local ad-hoc battles. That is a real shame as this is a game that just screams for internet-based battles. But even with that caveat this is simply a wonderfully done shooter that combines the signature Call of Duty tense battles with missions built for the portable gaming experience. If you are thinking this is a watered-down port, think again – it is the best handheld shooter of 2007.”.

Action/Shooter Game of the Year: Bioshock – yes I know I am cheating … but I wanted to recognize shooters that were about something *more* since there was such a great variety this year. So I culled out the more story based shooters from the more traditional combat shooters – those got the FPS awards. But the games that competed for this award truly deserved the recognition. There is little left to say about this game that wasn’t stated in the massive outpouring of press following its’ release back in August, but as my review said “despite the 5-star score, Bioshock is not a perfect game. There are annoyances in the interface and problems with antivirus compatibility and installation activation woes, as well as a few weak moments in the narrative. But in terms of the actual gameplay these are very minor and do little to detract from an otherwise excellent experience. It is brutal, but not very hard as shooters go, so you don’t even have to worry if your twitch gamer skills are up to snuff. Many people are calling this the best shooter since Half-Life 2 and comparins and contrasting the two. I think that is an excellent comparison because neither are particularly innovative in large terms but each delivers compelling narrative that is extremely polished and well done and changes the way you look at other games.”.

Action/Shooter Honorable Mention: STALKER: Shadows Over Chernobyl – this long-awaited game has had massive feature-trims over the years and could never possibly have lived up to the initial expectations … but it is still a really good game. As I state in the review “the basis of the game is that you are a nameless person marked with the insignia of a ‘stalker’, with a mission that is the single thing you can recall. As the game unfolds, more things come back to you and more missions come your way to propel you towards one of the game’s endings. You will get the feeling at times that this is a role-playing game – you have a large open world as in Oblivion in which to wander and take on a variety of missions and even align yourself with one of several factions along the way. But make no mistake – this is just a wonderfully open shooter. But there are plenty of bugs and problems as well – some quests are broken and the interface is somewhat clunky, and the entire mission structure is not very rewarding, forcing laborious backtracking for little real reward. Those are fairly minor issues compared to the compelling central game, so if you get bored with those missions just skip them and stick to the main story. It will keep you busy for many hours and provide loads of solid entertainment.” The game has been patched into a very solid state and has a planned expansion for this year – it has also been selling for fairly cheap!

Adventure Game of the Year: Hotel Dusk: Room 215 (DS) – Boy do I love this game. Over the past two years I have played every single adventure from The Adventure Company and Dreamcatcher as well as several others, and this remains my absolute favorite. From my review “the game plays like a classic point and click adventure with a twist – you hold the game like a book (or like you’re playing Brain Age ). This was a great design choice because it gives players a fantastic viewpoint for searching the world through Kyle’s eyes while controlling the action from a top-down perspective. Everything just works – from the wonderfully atmospheric soundtrack to the excellent touch screen controls to the styled graphics (yes, it does remind me of that a-ha video from the days when MTV played music videos). But the anchor of everything is the nicely written story that makes you feel at times like you are in the middle of an interactive novel. There are at least ten characters who are interesting and are well fleshed out in the story, with a few we are left wanting to know more about. As is usually the case with adventure games, when the story is done it is done – this genre is not built on replayability. Playing again gets you a few subtle difference in some items and options, but nothing that would be worth immediately starting again. But that does little to take away from the main point – this is an excellent adventure game that will swallow your life and leaving your constantly looking to play just a little bit more. I can’t wait to see what Cing comes up with next.”.

Adventure Honorable Mention: Sam & Max Season One (PC) – OK, this is cheating a bit since I played half of the season in 2006 and choosing the collection lets me avoid having to choose specific episodes. Deal with it – the game absolutely rocks and deserves recognition six ways to Sunday however I justify it. Here is what I say in my review “the storytelling is where things really shine – the interface just begs you to click things, talk to people and try all sorts of crazy things. Quite simply, this is one of the nicest interfaces I have ever used in an adventure game. Everything is easily accessible – options and game saves are quickly located in a screen-level drop down and the inventory system is an ever-present box in the lower corner of the screen. Little things help – saves are done nearly instantly, with each one providing a clear caption and image to illustrate exactly where you were when you saved. Interacting with items is equally easy; the mouse-capture range is adequate for discerning small objects close to each other and you simply click on things to interact. This allows you to talk, flip switches, pick up items and so on – and to use an item in your inventory on another item by simply choosing the item from the box and then clicking on the desired object to interact with. It is incredibly intuitive and friendly – and allows you to focus on laughing!”.

Puzzle Game of the Year: Portal (PC, XBOX360, PS3) – This game is about three things: gameplay, Gameplay and GAMEPLAY!!! As my review says “this game is pure gameplay at its finest – while there is some story and other motivations contained in the game, it is ultimately all about using the portal technology to get past the puzzle immediately in front of you, to allow you to go on to the next. The humor, the danger, everything else that is going on serves the central purpose of advancing the gameplay without ever getting in the way. Portal is an awesome experience that really gives you that ‘WOW’ feeling that you are experiencing something unique that is bound to be copied but never duplicated.”.

Puzzle Honorable Mention: Puzzle Quest: Challenge of the Warlords (PSP & DS at first … now also Wii, PC, PS2, XBOX360) – Every version except for the Wii is worth a full price buy – as I say in my review “take a Bejeweled style ‘match 3’ game, come up with a load of variants on that concept, wrap a classic fantasy RPG story around it and what do you have? Possibly the best game of the year! Most genre-melding efforts fail to produce anything that fans of either genre enjoy, but Puzzle Quest: Challenge of the Warlords is both a great puzzle game and a great RPG. The puzzle aspect is a simple variant on the jewel matching game that millions have enjoyed since Popcap introduced Bejeweled in 2001, while the RPG is an interesting mix of Japanese and Western styles, with a high fantasy setting and characters presented in a distinct anime flavor. This game was brought to the PSP and DS handhelds in early 2007 and has recently been introduced to the rest of the world in versions for the PC, PS2, XBOX360 (on XBOX Live Arcade) and Wii. All are essentially the same game we played back then but with a slight twist for the controls of each platform. The way in which the RPG and puzzle genres are combined in Puzzle Quest is truly inspired, and it’s also the reason that the gameplay is so addictive.”.

Strategy (Turn-based) Game of the Year: Jeanne d’Arc (PSP) – What a great year for turn-based RPG-ish strategy games on the PSP, with the PSP port of Final Fantasy Tactics being greatly overshadowed by Disgaea: Afternoon of Darkness and this gem. As I say in my review “the game features excellent turn-based combat featuring magic, special skills and a ‘skill stone’ enhancement system that adds quite a bit to the flow of the game. Each mission is accompanied by up to four levels of cutscenes that integrate perfectly with each other and the game as a whole. As you continue through the game you will become more and more engaged with the characters and story, and you will be surprised by the various twists and turns the plot takes along the way. It is wonderful and amazing in a game that is focused on a series of tactical combat missions that you get such a wonderful story to carry you through the many hours you will play. It isn’t perfect – there is a certain simplicity to the combat based on only attacking on the ordinal directions, and some of the dialogue doesn’t flow very well, but in general it is a solid and fun game that you won’t want to put down until the very end.”.

Strategy (Turn-based) Honorable Mention: Panzer Tactics (DS) – yet another struggle for me, as I also loved Heroes of Might & Magic V: Tribes of the East, but that game was too flawed to rise to the level of this nice DS gem. As Dr. Matt said in his review “the dual screens of a DS provides a great way to display information for information-heavy games such as this. When paired with the handy stylus pen for an interface, it makes Panzer Tactics DS the king of handheld turn-based wargames. Rather than go for a glitzy over-the-top storyline and characters, the developers have chosen to stay with a more serious approach that focuses on a more historical perspective. It is pulled off well and should be of interest to anyone who wants a solid wargame and either doesn’t want or doesn’t need all the glitz of a fictional fantasy battle”.

Strategy (Real-time) Game of the Year: Company of Heroes: Opposing Fronts – sure this is an expansion, but it is stand-alone, meaning you don’t need the original game. Also, it is huge and …well, let me quote my review “the problems I encountered with Company of Heroes: Opposing Fronts were fairly endemic of the whole genre: there is still a fair amount of ‘build fast and win’ that goes on despite the game balancing against it. The other issue I have is something I often have problems with in RTS games – selecting and finding units to work with and upgrade while furious battles are ongoing. I am used to this happening, but I found it happened more in this game, and was more frustrating as a result. Despite these minor niggles, let me jump back to the beginning and reiterate that this is a truly excellent gaming experience that anyone who is a fan of the genre, war games, or of trying out excellent games in general should buy. The depth and difficulty for new players – especially against experienced players online – can be daunting, but it is rewarding. Company of Heroes: Opposing Fronts is an immersive game that draws you in for the emotional impact of the way the stories are told as well as for the visceral thrill of the fast paced battles. It is occasionally hard to believe that this is just an expansion – there is a ton to do in this game, just as in the original, and there is little chance that anyone could honestly walk away from the experience feeling disappointed in any way.”.

Strategy (Real-time) Honorable Mention: Final Fantasy XII: Revenant Wings – From my review “Final Fantasy XII: Revenant Wings picks up where Final Fantasy XII left off, as Vaan and Penelo take to the skies in their own ships to pursue their dreams as sky pirates. They immediately discover the mysterious Glabados Treasure and are transported along with some other friends to the floating islands of Lemure. It is then that Vaan discovers the treasure acts as a summoning stone and meets a powerful enemy who is ready to plunge the world into chaos. Everything about the game is very well executed – the graphics, sound and use of dual screens is excellent, and the controls are highly interactive and nicely done. Playing a RTS on the DS is a bit cramped at times and occasionally feels a bit like herding kittens, but the execution is as well done as I can imagine for the system. There are enough selection methods to keep everything flowing – and the missions are fun and engaging enough that you will constantly find yourself staying up too late saying ‘just one more mission’. An easy recommendation for anyone with a DS in their house!”.

And now the moment you’ve been waiting for …

txa1265’s Game of the Year for 2007: Puzzle Quest: Challenge of the Warlords (PSP & DS at first … now also Wii, PC, PS2, XBOX360) – Wait! This only got ‘runner up’ yet I am naming it ‘Game of the Year’? What the heck? It is quite simple – there is a better puzzle game and a couple of better RPG’s, yet this game brings together casual and hardcore gaming in a way I have really never seen.

Special Awards:

Best Expansion Pack of 2007: Neverwinter Nights 2: Mask of the Betrayer – Neverwinter Nights 2 has spawned some heated discussion in the RPG community, and many have been unable to play it due to the way-too-high system requirements. As a result too little attention has been paid to this excellent expansion; as I say in my review “while there is constantly a battle to fight, the story of your travels and adventures in the planes and Rasheman are the focus. The game forces you to into a difficult moral position by giving your character a ‘spirit hunger’ – you will lose energy and eventually face diminished attributes and possibly death based on whether or not you consume souls or siphon off spirit energy or try to fend off this hunger. The choice impacts your alignment as well, and plays significantly into how you become part of this unfolding tale. It is an excellent mechanic that forces you to think about yourself and your choices – no longer can you just rest ever five minutes to replenish health and spells. It is this innovative thinking and creative writing that make Mask of the Betrayer such an excellent game. Even if you skipped on Neverwinter Nights 2, I recommend that any role-playing fans pick this up – with Planescape: Torment-quality writing and characters and epic D&D battles, this is a blast of a gaming experience! “.

Expansion Honorable Mention: Civilization IV: Beyond the Sword – WHAT?!?! This amazing, huge expansion is *runner up*!??! Well, it was yet another tough call, and both game are very deserving. But focusing on Beyond the Sword, there is simply no excuse NOT to play this if you are any sort of Civ fan. My review states “some quick thoughts on a couple of the added scenarios – Afterworld and Final Frontier are perhaps the most radical departures from the original game. Afterworld is much like a small X-COM inspired game that is fun as a different take on the much-copied genre but definitely not the best part of the set. It is worth firing up to see if it scratches that particular itch for you, though. Final Frontier doesn’t even look like Civ IV anymore – it takes place in space far into the future. Yet it still maintains the absolutely gorgeous and elegant interface, and is amazing in its scope and depth. It is far more than just a scenario, it feels like an entirely new game to explore and map out and love and replay. There are many others that are worth trying – some I liked and others didn’t capture my imagination and still others felt like rehashes form the original game or first expansion, but I was completely amazed at just how much content was packed into this. I reiterate that this is amazingly beyond what you would expect in a simple expansion – we have become used to getting three maps and a new shotgun, and here we get dozens of hours of new material as well as dozens of changes that completely refresh the gameplay of the core product. And while not every new detail is perfect, the combined impact is overwhelmingly positive as well as just plain overwhelming. If you liked Civilization IV, you will like it much more with this expansion”.

Great Idea: Build it yourself! Games such as Dungeon Maker: Hunting Ground take the excellent ‘old school’ concept of Etrian Odyssey (DS) and meld it with games such as Dungeon Keeper and come up with a really great idea – you build the dungeon and design it to attract the most rewarding monsters so you can keep building and getting to destroy more powerful monsters. The execution was pretty ‘meh’ but the idea is great – I hope that more companies take chances with concepts like this!

Best Game Soundtrack of 2007: Hotel Dusk: Room 215 (DS)>Hotel Dusk Room 215 – this is the longest I have ever left an entire soundtrack on my iPod. The songs are charming and quirky and interesting and yet evocative of everything happening in the game. The game is set in the 70’s, yet the music remains modern and relevant.

Soundtrack Honorable Mention: The Witcher (PC) – while Hotel Dusk has a song oriented soundtrack, this is a more traditional symphonic soundtrack. It seems to draw influences from everywhere – I felt I heard shades of KaiRo (composer of the Gothic game music), Danny Elfman, Jeremy Soule, John Williams, and more. There is traditional, modern, World, and all sorts of other music represented.

Body Count Award: Alien Shooter: Vengeance – Is this an award or a dubious distinction? Depends on your point of view, I suppose … Anyway, my review sums it up nicely: “shoot it once and you hurt it. Twice and you kill it. Three times and you blow it into little bits and stain the floor red. The game plays out from an isometric perspective, but the level of intensity and brutality is staggering. You are an alien slaughter machine – the game keeps track of your progress and reports back at the end of the game. I was told that over the course of the game I killed more than 16,000 aliens, most of whom were as large as the player.”

Body Count Honorable Mention: Shadowgrounds: Survivor – while it is nowhere near as brutal as Alien Shooter Vengeance, Shadowgrounds: Survivor works the same core concept – you are alone against staggering odds and have to take out thousands of aliens in order to survive.

Conclusions: regardless of your favorite genre, 2007 was a pretty darn good year for gaming. RPG’s had loads of commercial and independent release; shooters were in abundance; adventure games are clearly solidly back from the dead; strategy games of all sorts remain strong; and on and on. The PC is doing extremely well for being in a zombified state, and the ‘always failing’ PSP had a great year as well. The ‘only for kiddies’ DS dropped in some serious adult fun in terms of shooters, horror games, and RPG’s. And so on – gaming doesn’t fit into some neat little bundle someone decided it should – there are loads of systems and genres and styles because gaming is individual and personal and we should all enjoy the tremendous offerings we’ve been given this year and look forward to another great year in 2008!

Tags: Game Reviews, Misc