Kevin's Watch

What were your favorite games of 2007? Two in particular struck me:

Team Fortress 2. It has uber-addictive gameplay, balanced classes, and graphics that resemble The Incredibles. Instant classic, and I'll be playing it for years, just like Team Fortress Classic.

The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass. The dungeons may have been easy, but the sum was greater than its parts: its controls, all touch-screen, were surprisingly intuitive. The graphics were cel-shaded and resembled the Wind Waker. The sailing aspect was fun. It felt like a complete Zelda experience--the best one on a handheld since the Oracle games for Game Boy Color.


I'd add Super Mario Galaxy, because I'm sure I'll love it, but I won't be playing it till Christmas.

#1 Bioshock

#2 S.T.A.L.K.E.R.

#3 Portal

BIOSHOCK!!! Finally, Irrational is getting the mad props they deserve.

I LOVE SSII, I LOVE Freedom Force (pick it up if you can! It's mega fun!)

Tough choice. I must admit I liked everything about Team Fortress 2, except the way it played on the 360. Valve's network code was adapted to Xbox Live surprisingly badly, meaning that any time you wound up with players from Europe and the States in the same game, it was unbearably laggy. Discons were common and the matchmaking was just plain odd. I gather there's a patch coming, but too late to save the game for Xbox I'd say.

#1 Mass Effect. Not only a worthy successor to KOTOR, but just about everything I imagined a game like KOTOR could ever be. And it looks stunning

2# Call of Duty 4. Infinity Ward have dragged this franchise out of WWII and revitalised it in the process. The story missions are gripping and innovative and the multiplayer is incredibly deep, with novel RPG elements incorporated. I just wish it was easier to see the players against the backdrop, because I suck at the moment!

3# Portal. What can I say that hasn't already been said? A great original concept executed with style and bags of humour. It would've been the game of 2007, if it was a full game.

4# Halo 3. Bungie may have beaten at their own game by Infinity Ward, but Halo 3 is still an outstanding title. Bungie have favoured quality over quality in the changes they've made and the game feels fresher than you might expect, with some great set piece battles and greatly improved vehicle-based levels. The mutliplayer has also been further refined and is a great improvement over Halo 2 (which I found no fun at all). The 'Forge' mode promises to provide near limitless possibilities too, with great variants like Rocket Race already incorporated into the official playlists.

5# Shadowrun. This much-maligned game may have been the death of FASA studios, but the media backlash over it's high price-point and initially poor matchmaking code are largely responsible for that. At its core, Shadowrun is a highly original multiplayer FPS (if that isn't a contradiction in terms) that's a ton of fun. Bad luck and bad management may have made it a failure, but I'm of the opinion that fundamentally this is a better game than Team Fortress 2. Well worth picking up a cheap second hand copy.

I'll say either S.T.A.L.K.E.R or Bioshock. Most likely STALKER is the better game. Although I say most likely as I haven't gotten past a third of the game (Vista issues).