Continuing on the list…I give you the top 4 games of 2007 for me.
4. Halo 3 (360)
The game with the biggest hype of 2007 didn’t disappoint…most. The trilogy came to a solid conclusion, and it took you on some interesting twists and turns along the way. The beauty of Halo though can only be experienced by exploring the lore that surrounds it, which is masterfully expanded in books, comics and other literature. It’s especially well noted in the excellent advertising campaign for Halo 3 in which they depicted real life actors as veterans of the war in which the Master Chief fought in. The multiplayer modes are the richest and deepest we’ve ever seen on a console, and tools like Forge and the Replay Viewer are going to be new staples in console gaming. Did the game live up to the hype? No, of course not. No game could ever do that. But god damn was it a fun as hell ride.
3. Bioshock (360/PC)
As the “spiritual successor” to the System Shock series, Bioshock hit the PC and Console world by storm this year. The Action RPG became mainstream in this beautifully decorated underwater art-deco style world. The game was a beautiful blend of puzzles, action, rpg customizations all intertwined with a unique and twisting story which had one hell of a plot twister in it. Everyone will remember their first encounter with a big daddy, or the first time they saved a little sister. Now would you kindly continue reading my list.
2. Call of Duty 4 (PC/360/PS3)
Infinity Ward hasn’t missed a beat with Call of Duty 4. The game is actually their 3rd iteration of the franchise (3 was made by Teryarch), and everyone of the games has a unique flavor about it. Call of Duty 4 is all about cool weapons, insane firefights, and impossible situations. The veteran difficulty of the game will test your patience, but is still one of the most rewarding experiences in gaming to date. The graphics are superb, and at times look downright realistic. The story is an intertwining twist of characters from different backgrounds, and provides more than enough twists and turns to keep you interested. But the best part of Call of Duty 4 isn’t just the single player, it’s perhaps one of the deepest and most unique multiplayer experiences yet for a first person shooter. In a mix between an MMORPG and a shooter you level up your character by using killing enemies, completing objectives, and accomplishing tasks. Leveling up unlocks perks to customize your character, as well as unlocks the ability to use new weapons. It was a god damn genius move and it created some of the most addicting online play we’ve seen this year.
1. Mass Effect (360)
Every year there seems to be a game that just instantly grips me and I can’t stop playing it. This year, that game was Mass Effect. After the the mediocre experience I had with Jade Empire, Bioware came back big time with Mass Effect. Like Bioshock, Mass Effect took the RPG experience mainstream, and it did it without making any sacrifices. The game sported incredible visuals and a conversation system that flowed back and forth dynamically like watching a movie. The story was unique and interesting, and literally spanned across a galaxy in which you could freely explore and do side quests on. The core gameplay was based around a 3rd person shooter mechanic, but was well grounded in the rules of an RPG. Weapon upgrades, character specialties, and tons and tons of areas to explore all made this a truly amazing experience. I’m incredibly happy this game is part of a trilogy and can’t wait to see what the second one brings.
Mass Effect truly is the game of the year.
Note: It should be noted that because of the insane holiday season of all the good games, certain titles didn’t even get to be considered. Crysis, Assassin’s Creed, and Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune among them.
