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 for their platform? And the Game of the Year? Continue reading to find out folks…
Developer of the Year
Winner: Nintendo
Mark Samela: Nintendo has continously made the best games in the industry. Nintendo relies on itself to keep its consoles afloat, and they do it very well. Super Mario Galaxy, Zelda: Phantom Hour Glass, Nintendo's list of awesome games goes on for days. If you want a quality developer, don't look any further than Nintendo.
Owain Brimfield: They should take this just for Mario Galaxy, really, but Nintendo have consistently proven themselves the best games developers in the business, and 2007 was no different. These are the guys to beat when it comes to making gaming fun.
Theo Fraser:Super Mario Galaxy. That’s it, that’s the sole reason why Nintendo are still #1 when it comes to making games. But not only that, they managed to produce the DS’ top game in The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass, and continue their foray into new territory with the announcement and unveiling of the Wii Balance Board back at E3. There are a ton of extremely talented developers out there right now, and I don’t want to take anything away from them, as they are more than deserving of the credit they receive. However, Nintendo has yet to be matched in my eyes, and it will take something phenomenal to knock them off the top spot.
Sean Garmer: With its main franchises there is no one better that knows how to handle them, and how to get the best out of every facet of it. Phantom Hourglass and Mario Galaxy prove that Nintendo still have it, and will be competing for a long while to come.
Mark Samela: Naughty Dog has created in my opinion the best story of the year. Uncharted: Drake's Fortune is a hollywood movie come to life. Drake is the best character I've seen in a video game in years. The voice acting is top notch, the graphics are amazing, and the gameplay is incredible. I never once got bored with Uncharted. Ratchet and Clank is a great compliment to Uncharted, but Uncharted was the best PS3 game of 2007.
Rod Oracheski: Uncharted does more right than it does wrong, and could be a good jumping off point for a new franchise.
Best Nintendo Wii Game
Winner: Super Mario Galaxy (Nintendo Wii Platformer, Nintendo) * Unanimous Choice *
Vincent Chiucchi: Is there really anything better on a Nintendo console then the flagship Mario title?
Owain Brimfield: I won't be entirely surprised if this remains the best game on the console until the end of the system's lifespan. Not that I don't have faith in the Wii, but Galaxy is just that damn good.
Theo Fraser: Woah, Galaxy is cleaning up the awards this year, and rightly so. No surprises here, really. Metroid Prime 3 was awesome, and there were other notable releases such as Zack & Wiki and Resident Evil 4: Wii Edition, but Super Mario Galaxy was far and away the best of this year’s Wii offerings. After the mildly disappointing Super Mario Sunshine, this is a welcome return to form for the portly plumber.
Rod Oracheski: No doubt here at all. For many of the hardcore gamers among us, and that's probably most of the people who read gaming-dedicated websites, this might be the only game you have in your Wii for months.
Sean Garmer: I think we all knew who would win this before the voting began, but it was no doubt the best game on the system. Mario has a way of captivating you with its games, and even though it’s a tried and true formula, for some reason almost every time there is a new game it does something to keep you playing. This game is no different.
Best XBOX 360 Game
Winner: Bioshock (XBOX 360 Shooter, 2K Games)
Mark Samela: BioShock created quite the atmosphere for gamers. The first fight with a Big Daddy is something that I'll remember for years to come. BioShock was all about creating memorable moments, and the gameplay was top notch for the first half of the game. The plasmids were a blas to use, and I couldn't help but listen to every tape I could find so I could find out what happened to Rapture. The best 360 exclsuive game of 2007? I think so.
Owai n Brimfield: One of the most stylish and idiosyncratic gaming experiences of the year, Bioshock was an undoubted success and proved that new and original actioners could hold their own against established franchises
Theo Fraser: There was a lot of hype for Mass Effect, and while it did end up being a very good game, the total package was marred by some bugs and other minor issues. Bioshock, on the other hand, fully lived up to its hype and delivered an outstanding experience from start to finish. It looks tremendous, it’s a pleasure on the ears, it plays well, it hooks you in and keeps you intrigued until the end, and in a market saturated by sequels and old ideas rehashed in a new guise, this is a welcome original concept. In my book, that’s all you can ask for from a game.
Rod Oracheski: It's tough to go wrong with this title, and interesting to note this is a single player games with no multiplayer or online component at all.
Sean Garmer: Its very fitting that this has won, even though it didn’t have a ton of hype, but it wouldn’t need it, as it amazed us in other ways . It has wonderful graphics, an intricate story, and the gameplay is fun. Yeah, it doesn’t have online, but that just means they don’t always need it.
Runner-Up: Mass Effect (XBOX 360 RPG, Bioware)
Best PS2 Game
Winner: God of War II (PS2 Action/Adventure Game, SCEA)
Mark Samela: The perfect swan song to one of the greatest consoles ever made. God of War 2 improves on everything that God of War 1 did. God of War 2 has an epic story, and does action/adventure gameplay perfectly. The only flaw I saw with God of War 2 is that it should have been released on the PS3, which is why we have God of War 3 coming in 2009.
Rod Oracheski: It's dying, but it's not dead yet. God of War II keeps the PS2 relevant.
Best PC Game
Winner: The Orange Box (PC, XBOX 360, PS3, Shooter, Valve)
Vincent Chiucchi: You get five games for the price of one. Aside from the two you'd probably already have, one is a good expansion to a great FPS, one is the multiplayer title FPS fans have waited over 10 years to play, and the other one has become so popular that if sold by itself for $60, it would still probably be a great deal. The Orange Box was a triumph. I'm making a note here: "HUGE SUCCESS".
Chris Evans: The Orange Box was my personal Game of the Year and it is certainly worthy of being the Best PC Game. It combined so much, HL2/Ep1/Ep2/Portal and TF2 all in one package. These are all Game of the Year candidates in their own right, and to get them all in one package was just great.
Owain Brimfield: Does it really qualify as a single game? I think so, and it's a game of many different chapters and subtleties. This is one of the best titles released on the PC in years, so if you haven't picked it up by now you're doing yourself a major disservice.
Theo Fraser: It really says something about how darn good Half Life 2 is when it effectively wins the same award in consecutive years. Obviously, this is a bigger package this time around, adding in the innovative Portal, the Episode 1 and 2 expansion packs and of course the awesome multiplayer offering of Team Fortress 2. That is a hell of a lot of Half Life goodness right there, and I guarantee there’s something in there that everyone can enjoy.
Rod Oracheski: It's a value pack that has actual value. It'll also run on something less than a supercomputer, so that's a bonus.
Runner-Up: Crysis
Best Nintendo DS Game
Winner: Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass (Nintendo DS Action/Adventure, Nintendo)
Theo Fraser: This was the reason to own a Nintendo DS in 2007. It’s the freshest a Zelda game has felt in years, and Nintendo managed to make the stylus-only controls work, and work immensely well at that. It feels so natural, as do the many other terrific uses of the DS, such as blowing out fires with the microphone, closing the DS itself to stamp an image on a map, and a couple of ingenious puzzles thrown in that force you to think outside the box. Nothing else came close to utilising the DS in the same manner, so Zelda deserves props for that in itself, but it also brings out the best of the handheld both graphically and audibly, and the cinematics and cutscenes add so much to the overall presentation that you can’t help but be impressed.
Runner-Up: Contra 4 (Konami)
Best PSP Game
Winner: Final Fantasy Tactics: War of Lions (PSP Strategy Game, Square-Enix)
Owain Brimfield: Link's on a bit of a roll of late, with many reviews naming this the best Zelda since Ocarina Of Time. Well, I always preferred Majora's Mask, but that doesn't prevent Phantom Hourglass from being a worthy winner and certainly the finest handheld adventure ever seen.
Theo Fraser: I’ve spoken about the game in enough detail in other sections, but yes, Phantom Hourglass is totally deserving of this award, blowing anything the PSP had to offer out of the water. It’s a fantastic game and needs to be played by anyone who considers themselves a true gamer.
System of the Year: XBOX 360
Mark Samela: The Xbox 360 is far from a good console hardware wise when put up against the PS3, especially when you look at the 3 red lights problem. But the 360 has something the PS3 didn't have in 2007, and that was games. A video game console lives or dies by the software, and the 360 offered the best line-up of games this year.
Vincent Chiucchi: XBOX 360 and Wii had a good year and great games, but the Xbox 360 just had more. Off the top of my head, Xbox 360 had Halo 3, BioShock, Call of Duty 4, and Rock Band. Wii had Super Mario Galaxy, Zack and Wiki...and I really can't think of anything else. Kudos to Microsoft on a great year. Just get rid of the RRoD and you just might be the winner of the console wars.
Owain Brimfield: The console wars took some interesting turns in 07, and Microsoft has to be the solid choice for the win - the Wii may have been more in demand, but in terms of the sheer number of quality titles available the 360 outshines it all the way. Let's hope Microsoft can back up the system's successes in the coming year.
Theo Fraser: The hardware issues seem to be largely behind them, and Microsoft has a software library that can't be denied. Ease of development means that multi-platform titles often look and run better on the 360, and also makes them a free timed-exclusive for Microsoft as the PS3 version sees delays. If someone's just getting into the next-gen systems, it's hard to justify telling them to get something other than a 360 to start out.
Rod Oracheski: The hardware issues seem to be largely behind them, and Microsoft has a software library that can't be denied. Ease of development means that multi-platform titles often look and run better on the 360, and also makes them a free timed-exclusive for Microsoft as the PS3 version sees delays. If someone's just getting into the next-gen systems, it's hard to justify telling them to get something other than a 360 to start out.
Sean Garmer: Nintendo had Mario, 360 had many other hits, and the better of the multi-platform arena. I don’t think you can argue with that.
Runner-Up: Nintendo Wii
Game of the Year:
Winner: Super Mario Galaxy (Nintendo Wii Platformer, Nintendo)
Mark Samela: Super Mario Galaxy is part of a dieing breed. Today video games are all about gore and killing, but Super Mario Galaxy stands out above the rest as what video games should be: fun. Super Mario Galaxy is the equivelent of Super Mario Bros 3, perfection of it's genera. Super Mario Galaxy may not have been the most innovative game, but it is far and away the must fun you can have in a video game. Bringing video games back to their roots, Super Mario Galaxy is not only the best game of 2007, but the best game of the past 3 years.
Vincent Chiucchi: Mario might not seem as original to some anymore after all these years, but damn it, his games are still a whole lot of fun to play. Plus, in a year where we had controversy over games with over-the-top violence, the morality choice of killing little girls, and supposed sex scenes, it's refreshing to see Mario prove that you don't need any of that stuff to make a great video game.
Chris Evans: I haven't had the chance to play this game, but I know from all I have seen and read that it is brilliantly fun. Going back to how games should be and letting you enjoy yourself, it is worthy of getting the top spot.
Owain Brimfield: Easily the best game released in 2007. It's almost a given that Mario's latest "pure" effort will prove to be the best game released in whatever year it turns up (see also: Mario 64 a decade ago). Galaxy, though, is so far ahead of the competition it's almost amusing. One of the best games you will *ever* play, and I have no hesitation in according the game that accolade.
Theo Fraser: Ah, ‘Game of the Year’, a category that always sparks debate and more often than not a hefty amount of criticism. But really, can you honestly make a case viable for any other game over Super Mario Galaxy this year? The runner-up, Orange Box, is a fantastic package, but a big part of that is a game that’s been out well over a year now. It wouldn’t be right giving it top honors. Other award-winning titles this year are either sequels or games based on old ideas. Sure, Bioshock and Uncharted are original games, but neither do anything to particularly reinvent their genre. Super Mario Galaxy constantly reinvents itself along the way, staying innovative until the bitter end, and puts a fresh spin on the Mario series. Ask anyone who’s played it; it’s a joy from start to finish, and I defy anyone to try out the first 5 minutes and not break into a heartfelt smile. This is gaming perfection, pure and simple, and I am proud to play a part in naming it 411’s Game of the Year.
Rod Oracheski: Super Mario Galaxy sticks to the formula, but expands on it in a few ways at the same time. It might be more of the same, but that's hard to complain about when it's still fun to play. Orange Box gets the nod as runner-up for being the best value package in a long time. All it was missing was some multiplayer that wasn't team-based.
Sean Garmer: Whatever you want to say about Mario, whether it is one of the greatest acheivements in gaming history, or more of the same, there’s no doubt that it showed everyone that the Wii has great potential. The way it plays is new for a somewhat dying genre. The best thing it shows, is that no matter how old Mario gets, the games are still enjoyable to this day, and this one continues the trend very well.
Runner-Up: The Orange Box
Well, that’s it folks. We’ve been proud to give you our choices for the Gaming Awards. Don’t be afraid to leave comments with your thoughts as well. We will be back soon with the regular game roundtables. Until then, later everyone.
Nintendo as Developer of the year is utter bullshit really... They made what, three full length games? (Wii Mini-game centered games, and Mario whoring not included...)
Posted By: Travis (Guest) on February 18, 2008 at 06:40 PM
