2007 was quite simply a shit year for games. Call it a sophomore slump, the first major year of Sony's PS3 was a bust on all fronts, without anything really memorable outside of Call of Duty 4. This year was the complete opposite, with more memorable games coming out on a monthly basis than most of last year as a whole, here's what I consider the best of the best.
10. Soul Calibur 4: One of the many 4's on this years list, SC4 was gorgeous, easy to play and featured Darth Vader. Enough said.
9. Devil May Cry 4: The long awaited return of Capcom's blistering action brawler didn't disappoint. It looked great, felt right, and had all the high combo action and riffy butt metal you could ask for. In a lesser year, this would have been a contender for GOTY.
8. Bioshock: It was last years GOTY, but didn't hit the PS3 until this fall. Bioshock was an incredible play through, if only once, (twice for both endings). It featured great design all around, but in the end, it wasn't half of what it was hyped up to be, and proof that this year was an much better year for games than last.
7. WWE Smackdown Vs. Raw 2009: This year's Smackdown was epic, featuring the best lineup, controls, story mode and match types in years. While the options for Road To Wrestlemania weren't of the highest quantity, the production value for this mode was stellar, and besides that, it had fucking zombies!
6. Grand Theft Auto IV: While a sure fire guarantee for GOTY from 90% of the mainstream media, I wasn't all that impressed. I liked it, but damn if it wasn't one of the most flawed and graphically unimpressive games of the year. It was damn good, but this again was a great year for games.
5. Metal Gear Solid 4: Well shit, Snake got old, and this game was a blockbuster. Great controls, some of the best graphics of all time, and all the metal gear wackiness you could cram into a 50gb blu-ray make this one of the best games of all time. MGS4 would have easily taken the top spot, if the 40 hour experience wasn't 35 hours of cut-scenes and 5 hours of actual game-play.
4. Resistance 2: The follow up to the killer PS3 launch title may not have outshined the original, but it was still a riot nonetheless. 60 player online death-matching, and a sorely underrated single player campaign have kept this disc spinning in my system for more hours than I'd like to count.
3. Saint's Row 2: They had brass balls bringing this game out in the same year as GTA IV, and it paid off. Rocking the 2-player co-op online was easily the most fun I've had gaming all year. Listen up you primitive screw-heads, BUY THIS FUCKING GAME. If you like GTA and like having fun, you're really losing out if you don't get this game. Fuck the other reviews, this game is everything you wanted out of GTA IV. I'm serious.
2. Little Big Planet: I never would have thought a 2-D platformer would have been in contention for Game of the Year on my pimped out future box gaming system, but spending just 15 minutes with Little Big Planet will make you a believer. Building levels is easy, fun, and addictive. The beauty of LBP comes in the never ending waves of support of the community. With new community levels added almost every hour, an unprecedented level of charm, and the pick up and play ease of the game. This retro styled throwback is the wave of the future.
1. Fallout 3: Bethesda's follow-up to Oblivion is nothing short of incredible and is a modern western RPG lovers wet dream. The graphics, storytelling, and game-play are nearly perfect. You'll spend months wandering the wasteland of DC, and you'll have the digital experience of a lifetime doing it. The bleak apocalyptic future has never kicked so much ass.
Honorable Mentions: Rock Band 2, Guitar Hero 4, Mercenaries 2: World in Flames, and Overlord: Raising Hell
So there you have it. If you want to argue Metacritic scores, or what all the mainstream mags and sites have thrown out there, be my guest. I realize my opinions may ruffle feathers, but I judge games on a certain intangible "can't put it down" fun factor, that most people seem to take for granted.
J. "Not now sweety, daddy's playing games, go ask your mom" Sternberg
