411 Gaming Awards 2007 - Part 1
Posted by Sean Garmer on 02.11.2008
I know its about a month or so later than other sites may have it, but we wanted to take a long time to think about it. Regardless, come join the staff, to see who they've selected for some big awards for games released in 2007.
Welcome, I know it’s probably about a month after everyone else’s, but the 411 Games staff is proud to present…
411 Game Awards for the Year of 2007
The 411 Games Staff Contributors
Mark Samela- Writer of the SIXAXIS Report for the Games Zone, it’s about all things Sony.
*Jordan Williams- Writer of the Working Title for the Games Zone. *
Rod Oracheski- Game and DVD Reviewer for the Games and Movies Zone, he also just started a new column in the Games Zone called Achievement Unlocked
Ramon Aranda- The Games Zone Editor
*Ty Huston- Game Reviewer and News Man. *
Chris Evans- Game Reviewer and News Man.
Theo Fraser- Writer of Nintendophiles for the Games zone, it’s about all things Nintendo
Sean Garmer- Host of most things involving Roundtables in the Games Zone, Game Reviewer, Writer of America’s Football (its about American Soccer) in the Sports Zone. Also the Host of the brand new Football/Soccer Fact or Fiction in the Sports Zone.
*Asterik means= These Staff members contributed to the voting, but were unable to write blurbs. *
*One last Note: Runner-Ups are only listed if there was a clear winner in the voting. *
Now that you’ve met the contributors, which games have we chosen as the best of 2007? Continue reading to find out folks…
Best Story:
Winner: Hotel Dusk: Room 215 (Nintendo DS Mystery Game, Nintendo)
Mark Samela: A DS game wins best story of the year, especially among all of the massive storyline from games like BioShock and Mass Effect. That my friends, is impressive.
Vincent Chiucchi: Adventure games are known to make up for their limited gameplay by telling a great story with characters to make you care about, and that's exactly what Hotel Dusk does. All the characters have a personality and their own little quirks that'll make you either come to like or hate them. This "interactive mystery novel" is a must for anybody that loves the story aspect of games.
Owain Brimfield: Glorious. This is genuinely like reading a superb mystery-noir novel, and the story is only enhanced by the lovely stylized visuals. Probably the most compelling pure adventure game I've played since Monkey Island, due almost entirely to the fantastic plot.
Sean Garmer: If you haven’t been able to appreciate the wonderful story in this game, you should go find it. There is a game to be found here, but most of it is like reading a mystery novel, and boy is it intriguing. Who said things that involved “pointing- and- clicking” were out of style. Hotel Dusk proves that you can be noticed on a portable console.
Best Graphics
Winner: Crysis (PC FPS, Microsoft)
Mark Samela: If you have a certified super computer this game does have the best graphics of any game in 2007, for the rest of us, just stick to games like Uncharted: Drake's Fortune. Crysis is good, but it'll be a couple years before graphics cards that can run it become affordable.
Vincent Chiucchi: When your game is so beautiful that it actually forces people to upgrade their computers, then yeah, I guess you win the best graphics award.
Theo Fraser: I don’t think you’ll find any arguments here. Even running on Direct X9, Crysis still looks fantastic, but on DirectX 10, it’s simply phenomenal. Graphically, it’s the true definition of ‘next-generation’ gaming. Obviously, the game looks fantastic from the moment you load it up, but it’s the little touches that never cease to amaze, from the motion blur as you frantically move your sights around the screen, to the wisps of smoke and flames escaping into the air after an impressive explosion, or the way the leaves rustle as you brush past in the undergrowth. Games have never looked this good, and it will take something pretty astounding to surpass it in the near future.
Rod Oracheski: Graphics are a continual game of one-upmanship, and Crysis raised the bar yet again. The game itself might have been a bit lacking, but there's no denying the graphics blow everything else away...if you have the hardware. Bioshock is a solid second to the title, doing things well both technically and artistically.
Runner-Up: Bioshock
Best Soundtrack & Score
Winner: Rockband (XBOX 360, PS3, PS2 Music Game, Harmonix)
Mark Samela: Rock Band has some truly amazing songs. Red Hot Chille Peppers, Foo Fighters, Queens of the Stonage, Weezer, this game rocks *literally*. Sure other games with original soundtracks like Super Mario Galaxy are totally awesome, but there's no competing with the licensed stuff. Drunken singing in Rock Band can't be topped.
Owain Brimfield: I'm a sucker for rock n' roll, and while there were undoubtedly many games with quality original scores, Rock Band provided the perfect entertainment soundtrack for many gamers. Plus, any game that features 'Don't Fear The Reaper', the greatest song ever written, has to take this vote.
Rod Oracheski: The more I play Rockband, the more I forget about Guitar Hero. A great song list that's being continually augmented by reasonably-priced DLC, and a solid mix of master tracks with well-done covers.
Sean Garmer: While I thought Guitar Hero 3 was the better game as a whole (especially from the Guitar’s point of view) but the song list and downloadable content help put it over its competition. The songs are great and fun to play.
Runner-Up: Guitar Hero III (Activision/Red Octane)
Mark Samela: Note to third party developers, you're not Nintendo, new franchises from third party don't work on Wii. That said Zack and Wiki was an alright game, hopefully it'll get some advertising if they make a sequel *I think they already are*.
Vincent Chiucchi: If you're the kind of person that complains about no good third party games for the Wii and didn't buy this, please smack yourself in the head. Zack & Wiki may have a childish presentation to it but the challenging puzzles is the real appeal of the game as it uses the Wii remote in several unique ways. Plus even after initially beating it, there's tons of Capcom related stuff to collect and loads of secret treasures that leads to a possible secret ending.
Owain Brimfield: Fantastic to see a genuinely original game like this get the recognition it deserves - hopefully this can help boost its sales performance. Easily the best implementation of the Wii's functionality outside of some choice first-party titles, Zack & Wiki should be held up as a beacon for Wii developers to aim at. Unique and bloody good fun, too.
Theo Fraser: Sadly overlooked due to its release around the same time as Super Mario Galaxy, this is easily the Wii’s best third-party title and certainly right up there with some of Nintendo’s finest offerings. This should be used as a model for future Wii developers when looking for unique and appropriate ways to utilize the Wii remote. I hear it’s been knocked down to under $30, so you’ve got absolutely no excuse now. Go buy it! You seriously won’t regret it, and you’ll be doing the gaming industry a massive favor by supporting an original title.
Sean Garmer: Truly one of those games that if you own a Wii you need to take a look at. Looking for treasure was never done quite as brilliantly, this gives a glimpse of hope for Wii’s third party help.
Most Over-Hyped Game
Winner: Halo 3 (XBOX 360 FPS, Bungie)
Mark Samela: It wasn't bad by any means, but Halo in 2007 doesn't mean as much as it did in 2001. Sure sales numbers disagree with me, but there were a lot better games in 2007 than Halo 3. I appreciate the effort put in by Bungie, but they need to totally give their gameplay section an overhaul, not just putting shoe polish on their games *the forge* and calling it good.
Vincent Chiucchi: Well yeah Halo 3 got over-hyped, but at least it was mostly satisfying.
Owain Brimfield: It'll be a while before I can bring myself to play Halo 3, simply because I'm still sick of hearing about it. Great game it may be, but bah gawd it was propagandized to fuck. Theo Fraser: I’m not going to be too harsh; Halo 3 is still a very good game. It’s just not the Messiah of Gaming that we were led to believe it would be.
Rod Oracheski: You couldn't go anywhere without seeing something on Halo 3 in the months leading up to the launch. Microsoft had it easy though, with retailers and news outlets piling on the hype all on their own - everything from Slurpee cups to Mountain Dew Fuel something-or-other. On the bright side, at least it lived up to some of the hype, unlike Lair.
Sean Garmer: Geez, it seemed that before Halo 3 launched almost everything had something Halo on it. That doesn’t take away from the fact that it was a very good game in its own right, but then again, it’s very difficult for anything to live up to the hype that gets placed on it. I mean, I think the New England Patriots are a testament to that. If anything, sales showed that it’s still a huge deal.
Mark Samela: Portal is a much better original game in my opinion, but I appreciate what Zack and Wiki accomplished. That said, point and click adventure games are far from original, but Portal is one of the most original games we've seen in the past 10 years. Make a note guys, Portal is a huge success.
Vincent Chiucchi: Oh geez, now I almost feel bad that I didn't vote for Portal. But nonetheless, Zack & Wiki took puzzle games into a new and interesting direction, and actually made great use of the Wii Remote functions.
Theo Fraser: This ties in as to why it received the award for Most Underrated Game; it deserves to sell millions because it is extremely refreshing and makes some really original and innovative use of the Wii’s motion control. As I said earlier, THIS is how developers should be approaching Wii games. If this is Capcom’s first-generation offer on the Wii, I can’t wait to see what’s in store for us over the next few years.
Runner-Up: Portal (Valve)
Worst Decision of the Year: Sony Dropping the Backwards Compatiblity on the PS3
Mark Samela: I mean come on, how much is Sony saving on this feature? Making a PS2 new can't cost them more than $50, so putting the parts into the PS3 should be nothing but a given. How do you think the PS2 did so hot when it had no games? Everyone put in their favorite PS1 game or a DVD movie and there you go. Next thing you know the PS3 won't play Blu-Ray movies. Stupid decision all around by Sony, hopefully users will keep pressuring Sony until they put BC back into the PS3.
Vincent Chiucchi: I'm actually surprised this won, because I was under the impression that gamers didn't care about the backwards compatibility since so many of them own PS2s anyway. Either way, I still don't understand what is so hard about making these systems backwards compatible when the PS2, Wii, the GBA and DS did it all so easily.
Owain Brimfield: Well, this genuinely influenced my decision to buy a PS2 instead of a PS3, and if there are more gamers like me, then Sony may just have taken a bit of a backwards step here.
Theo Fraser: Just a mind-bogglingly dumb idea on Sony’s part. Sony has such a rich back catalogue of games; surely you’d want to capitalize on that as much as possible? But no, Sony decided that it wasn’t such a big deal and dropped it for future PS3 models. The thing is, whilst the PS3 catalogue of games is still relatively in its infancy, you need backwards compatibility to help sell the console, as it brings with it a huge boost to the console’s appeal. Sony made a massive boo-boo with this decision.
Rod Oracheski: After spending a year or more talking about how BC was 'the way' and the 360 sucked because it didn't offer it, Sony should have known better - doubly so with the PS3 lineup still shy on must-have games.
Sean Garmer: I would support this move, but if you are gonna dog the competition for not having a great form of backwards compatibility, what does that say about you? When you drop “the supposed better way.” Not much really, in fact, it makes them look really awful. If you put yourself in Sony’s shoes this was probably the only way (other than removing the Blu-Ray player) to get the price down. Their thinking is that everybody has a PS2, and mostly they are probably right on that, because it is still the biggest selling console today. They still don’t have their big guns at the moment, to compensate for not having the backwards compatibility, so yeah. Probably, it was just to make people that bought a PS3, have to buy a PS3 game and not just buy it to have a Blu-Ray player, and play old PS2 games, until something “cool” comes out. Truthfully, Sony could have just lowered the price 100 dollars, left the BC in there, and then those that did own a PS2 and a memory card could trade it in for, I think, around 75 dollars. The main point here is, it doesn’t really help Sony to take this out when it has been the model for BC for many years.
Worst Game of the Year:
Loser: Lair (PS3 Motion Control Dragon Flying Game, SCEE)
Mark Samela: So much for the hype, if anything this proves to me that games can't be exclusively SIXAXIS control. Lair had all of the promise to be something special, but forcing a game to use SIXAXIS is inexcusable. At times it just feels uncomfortable, and most of the time the control doesn't work like it should. Analog could have saved this game, and because it failed to live up to the hype Lair was the worst game of 2007.
Vincent Chiucchi: A really bad control scheme and lame Hot Coffee jokes turned Lair into the biggest disappointment of 2007.
Most Anticipated Game of 2008
Winner: Super Smash Bros. Brawl
Mark Samela: Honestly, what more can be said about this game that everybody doesn't know by now? Mario vs. Sonic vs. Snake, that's game over man. Don't worry about finding a Wii, worry about finding a copy of Brawl sitting on shelves. Everyone and their mother needs to pick this game up, hell, I'm going to pick up 2 copies for my cats, it's just that damn good.
Vincent Chiucchi: Smash Bros is one of the greatest Nintendo games of all time, and Wii owners have been waiting for this since, well, day one. With the Dojo and other Brawl related sites, our anticipation for this game just keeps growing and growing. I only hope that this game doesn't become the Most Anticipated of 2009 by suffering even further delays.
Owain Brimfield: I don't think the importance of finally being able to make Mario and Sonic fight each other can ever be emphasized heavily enough. That alone would make this a gaming landmark, but add in 42 other playable characters and a huge plethora of gaming options and you have yourself what should prove to be the most enjoyable multiplayer game of the coming year.
Theo Fraser: It was the highest selling Gamecube game of all time, and this year, the sequel comes to the Wii. With an improved and extended line-up of characters to choose from, a heavier emphasis on single-player modes AND the inclusion of online play, this has got fans hyped up, and rightly so. Gamers can finally live out their dreams of pitting Mario and Sonic against each other in a combative environment; that’s certainly going to be the first match I test out! Can’t forget the inclusion of Solid Snake either; the cast of fighters in Brawl is extremely varied, and there’ll be a ton of fresh match-ups for Smash Bros veterans to sink their teeth into. It’s hard to pick the one area of the game I’m looking forward to the most; I’m just eager to get my hands on the whole package. We’ve got a ton of great games to look forward to this coming year, but this is shaping up to be the equivalent of gaming Nirvana.
Sean Garmer: This game is going to be awesome, and I can’t wait, end of story. Seriously, what’s left to say, the game has its own website to fuel the freaking hype.
Best Platformer
Winner: Super Mario Galaxy (Nintendo Wii Platformer, Nintendo) *Unanimous Choice*
Mark Samela: Best platformer of the year? How about best platformer in the past 3 years. The true successor to Super Mario 64, this game defines the genera. Good luck to anyone looking to improve on 3D platforming, Super Mario Galaxy is near perfection. The real question is where does Mario go next? Super Micro Mario? It's not too farfetched.
Vincent Chiucchi: Mario is the king of all platform games. Period.
Owain J. Brimfield: Mario IS platforming.
Theo Fraser: It didn’t have all that much competition, but despite that this was still easily the best platformer of the year, and quite possibly the best we’ve seen since Mario’s N64 days. Nobody makes platformers like Nintendo, and it’s clear from the level design shown in Galaxy that Nintendo are still at the top of the mountain when it comes to innovative design and development. I can’t speak highly enough of this title; my words could never do it the justice it deserves. A highlight of the decade, for sure.
Rod Oracheski: This one seemed an obvious choice, and our unanimity points to that being true. Mario might be one of the most overused characters in gaming, but when he's appearing in his own games (not party, soccer, kart, or dance party games) he's the top of the heap.
Sean Garmer: Whether it had competition or not, there’s nothing that was going to touch this game, Mario made the platforming genre what it is today.
Best Shooter:
Winner: Bioshock (XBOX 360 & PC Shooter, 2K Games)
Mark Samela: The plasmids and Big Daddies are what makes BioShock as good as it is. Call of Duty 4 has superior weapons and is overall a better shooter, but BioShock is much more strategic, and fighting a big Daddy is one of the best moments to be had on a 360.
Vincent Chiucchi: This year had a lot of great FPS games, but I'd have to give the nod to Bioshock for being somewhat different by having that plasmid system.
Theo Fraser: It didn’t necessarily do anything revolutionary for the genre, but what it did do, it did in style. I can’t think of any other game this year that just oozed atmosphere in each and every pixel. Shooters aren’t often renowned for excelling in the storyline department, but Bioshock delivers a stellar plot with a major twist along the way, and you’ll get out of it as much as you put in; there are a bucket load of little touches here and there that emphasize the story and fill in the gaps. It helps that the gameplay is also awesome and the AI is intelligent, making each and every gunfight a hectic affair, and you’ll certainly be sweating as you enter the next room, wondering what creature will emerge to keep you from exploring the world of Rapture any further. Bioshock is an experience that shouldn’t be missed, so if you’ve yet to try it, go grab yourself a copy right now and enjoy 2007’s finest shoot ‘em up.
Rod Oracheski: While Call of Duty 4 has an extremely addicting multiplayer mode, the power of Bioshock's presentation can't be denied. It's a worthy winner.
Sean Garmer: Bioshock’s story is very enthralling, and though it is an FPS at heart, the way it plays makes it a tad different from the other ones out there. It is not about Modern Warfare, or killing kooky aliens, weird creatures, with cool weapons, and a scary little girl? That’s dynamite. Not to mention it is just a beautiful game, with a great score, and the production wasn’t really matched this year, except for one other game. 2K hit a homerun with this; I hope we see a sequel at some point.
Runner-Up: Call of Duty 4
Best RPG
Winner: Mass Effect (XBOX 360 RPG, Microsoft Game Studios & Bioware)
Theo Fraser: For once, this year was actually a little light on quality RPG offerings, but of those that did see a release, Mass Effect stands atop the pile. Bioware are the masters at creating a cinematic experience, and this is evident here with some top notch voice acting and a terrific script to go along with it. With this title, Bioware have once again cemented themselves as the kings of RPG development. Rod Oracheski: Controversy over two minutes of skin aside, Mass Effect is a solid first step into a trilogy and offers a great storyline that you can experience a few different ways.
Sean Garmer: Talk about a category that really had no competition. Mass Effect was really the only RPG like itself that came out in 2007. Blue Dragon is the only one that could come near it, but very much like its PS2 counterparts, it is an ode to old school RPG’s. Persona 3 was different in many good ways, but it just was never going to compare with it. That being said, Mass Effect is not my cup of tea, I hate RPG’s like it and KOTOR. I’m a big JRPG fan, but I can understand how it appeals to others, and there’s gotta be a reason it is winning all of these awards right? Kudos to Bioware for its fine work.
Mark Samela: The only real competition was the Tekken 5 remake on PS3 in my mind. Smackdown vs. Raw has been the exact same game since 2005, it's nowhere near what it used to be. Virtua Fighter is still an incredible game, and if you take the time to master it, is about as good as fighting games get. So even though it's almost by default, Virtua Fighter 5 is the best game of 2007.
Owain Brimfield: I don't think you can deny that this is one of the deepest fighting games ever created, and could conceivably one of those games that you'll still be playing well into the next decade simply because there's so much to master. Greatest fighter since SF2 Turbo in my book.
Runner-Up: Smackdown vs. RAW 2008 (All Systems Wrestling Game, THQ & Yukes)
Best Action/Adventure Game
Winner: Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass (Nintendo DS Action/Adventure, Nintendo)
Theo Fraser: With Twilight Princess being released less than a year apart from this, I was worried that the Zelda series was headed for stale territory. Fortunately, Phantom Hourglass surpassed all expectations and ended up being the freshest Zelda title since Link’s first move into 3D. It’s extremely innovative in its use of the DS and constantly stays interesting by throwing new game mechanics at you with each new dungeon. It helps that it looks fantastic, too! Link is infinitely more expressive in cel-shading, helping to make the proceedings a lot more atmospheric. It may be a controversial statement, but this is arguably the best Zelda since Ocarina of Time.
Rod Oracheski: I picked up C&C: Tiberium Wars on a whim, having left the C&C series behind quite some time ago, and was surprised how well it translated over to the 360. Good balance and a decent story mode make this one a winner.
Runner-Up: World in Conflict (PC Strategy Game, Sierra Entertainment)
Best Use of a TV/Film License in a Video Game
Winner: The Simpsons Game (All Systems Platformer, EA)
Vincent Chiucchi: This game perfectly captures the humor of The Simpsons and takes it up a further notch by adding in tons of video game parodies, references, and cameos. From the "Video Game Clichés" you can collect to meeting the 2D Simpsons to fighting Will Wright as a boss, this is quite possibly one of the funniest video games I've ever played.
Owain Brimfield: Easily the best Simpsons game yet, this one had me giggling for weeks. Homer's rolling ball attack is one of the most ridiculous things I've seen in a game in ages. In a good way.
Rod Oracheski: Personally I didn't like this game all that much, aside from the presentation. The gameplay was generic and the camera was terrible, and having it win Best TV/Film License says a great deal about how bad TV/Film-licensed games still generally are. I think we forgot (and I include myself in that) about that 360-exclusive Naruto game, which was actually good.
Sean Garmer: I love the Simpsons, and I loved Hit & Run, so I had high expectations for this game. Yeah sure, it is not perfect, it has its problems, but it is hilarious and does the Simpsons justice. That’s very important when you are gonna use a license. Just the way the Simpsons are, you can forgive some of the shortcomings of the game itself. I’ll just say this, play the game with a friend.
Best Puzzler
Winner: Puzzle Quest: Challenge of the Warlords (Nintendo DS, PSP, PS2, & XBOX 360 Puzzler, D3)
Runner-Up: Zack & Wiki: Quest for Barbaros Treasure
Best Driving Game
Winner: Forza Motorsport 2 (XBOX 360 Driving Game, Microsoft Game Studios)
Mark Samela: I still think Motorstorm was the best game of the year, but Forza had a tremendous amount of customization options. Motorstorm was a blast and a half, it was truly something to behold. Forza is a nice alternative to Gran Turismo, but Motorstorm was the most fun I had in a racing game this year.
Sean Garmer: Forza continues to push driving games to the brink of true realism. With tons of customization options, your car receiving internal damage, and the huge list of cars available is just some of the cool things in this. You can actually get it free if you get a 360 now too. The graphics are pretty awesome as well. Just a great all around racing game, Gran Turismo is certainly feeling the heat now.
Runner-Up: Motorstorm (PS3 Driving Game, SCEA)
Best Single-Player Experience
Winner: Super Mario Galaxy
Vincent Chiucchi: These days big title games seem to focus on making online multiplayer so damn great that they forget about the single player experience. Luckily, Mario is still around to provide us the fun in playing alone and not being yelled out my immature brats online.
Owain Brimfield: Quite frankly, you could buy this game, get yourself a pizza menu, and never have to leave the house for weeks. It's just a glorious gaming experience that proves you don't need to have 127-player simultaneous online gaming to revel in the pure joy of gaming at its finest.
Theo Fraser:Galaxy is such a joy to play simply because it manages to reinvent itself at numerous points throughout the duration of your quest to save Princess Peach. Just when you think you’ve seen everything there is to see, Nintendo throw something new at you, whether it be a new power-up or a new type of gameplay. It never gets old, and that’s why you’ll race through the game, easily racking up 5-6 hour sittings at once. One cold, winter day I actually played this from sunrise to sunset. Sure, I need to get a life, but nevertheless there is no denying that Super Mario Galaxy is a perfectly formed title, which delivered unquestionably the best single player experience of the year.
Best Alternative Sports Game
Winner: Mario Strikers Charged
Mark Samela: I think that Super Mario Strikers Charged should be the best sports game of the year, this game is addicting. This is the only sports game that my friends and I will actually get together and hold tournaments with. The Hammer Bros and Boo own you all.
Owain Brimfield: I don't think anyone saw this coming, did they? I certainly wasn't expecting this to be as good as it is, but it's a damn enjoyable party game. Plus, it provided a first glimpse into the online gaming potential of the Wii, which was hugely exciting for many Nintendo fans.
Sean Garmer: With its pseudo Soccer game, that turns out to be more like Hockey than anything with its fierce hitting and wild scoring, it ends up being a pretty fun game. I got addicted one night and played through half the game just because it was so much fun. When you think of arcade sports there aren’t many that touch Strikers.
Best Traditional Sports Game
Winner: FIFA 08 (All Systems)
Owain Brimfield: Hang on, I remember when the FIFA franchise was a bit of a gaming joke. When did they actually start making decent games for the series? Ah well, it served EA well, as FIFA 08 was the most enjoyable version of the series I've played since about 1996.
Sean Garmer: I remember those days too, but this year’s FIFA really broke ground. This can truly be called EA’s first Soccer Simulation, the pace, the way it plays, not to mention the amount of teams and players are very similar to the true game. I’ve bought FIFA every year, but this was the first year that I had to fight myself to put it down. Yes, being a footy fanatic doesn’t help that, but FIFA was very good this year. It may have gotten some votes in past iterations, but this is the first year, EA deserved to be honored for the good work they did here.
Mark Samela: This game is far and away the best multiplayer game this year. The action is always intense, and anyone can get good at it if they try it long enough. The game is incredibly balanced, and a majority of the maps are a blast to play on.
Theo Fraser: The Call of Duty series has always had a strong multiplayer offering, and there is certainly no exception in this fourth entry. You’ve got a ton of match types at your disposal to keep things fresh, and the maps are extremely well thought out. Put simply, it’s just a blast to play. On PS3 I was very impressed with the lack of slowdown online, even when you have a hectic 18-man gunfight going on. This is bound to be an online favorite for quite some time.
Rod Oracheski: Very few games have the kind of staying power that Call of Duty 4 has had. The multiplayer, with its focus on leveling and acquiring new (if not more powerful) weapons and perks is very well done. They could use some new maps though, kind of getting tired of the same old maps.
Runner-Up: Rockband
Well there you have it our awards for 2007. No, I’m just kidding, but you’ll have to wait till Tuesday or Wednesday to find out who won the specific system awards, and of course, Game of the Year. Until then, see ya later.
