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Various publications' GOTY 2007 lists

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Posts

  • corin7corin7 San Diego, CARegistered User regular
    edited December 2007
    I lold Tonberry. Your passion is admirable.

    corin7 on
  • fkn creepfkn creep Registered User regular
    edited December 2007
    After about 30 minutes of SMG, I get motion sickness. Does this happen to anyone else? Feels like i've been on a rollercoaster and not in a good way.

    fkn creep on
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  • Grammaton ClericGrammaton Cleric Registered User regular
    edited December 2007
    bruin wrote: »
    http://www.latimes.com/technology/consumer/gamers/la-et-vidyear21dec21,0,2717204.story?coll=la-home-center
    LA Times wrote:
    Best of the Year:

    Bioshock
    Call of Duty 4
    Assassin's Creed
    Super Mario Galaxy
    The Orange Box

    Honorable Mention:

    Halo 3
    Rock band
    Ace Combat 6
    Cooking Mama Cook Off
    Lost Planet

    Worst Game of the Year:

    Lair

    Dishonorable Mention:

    Fusion Frenzy 2
    300: March to Glory
    Tenchu Z

    Aww, man...I loved every second of Tenchu Z. I even beat all 50 missions on all three difficulties for acheivements/fun. I guess I'm a ninja apologist.

    Grammaton Cleric on
  • corin7corin7 San Diego, CARegistered User regular
    edited December 2007
    worst game is lair? Really? Amongst all the shovel ware out there a game that got average reviews and some people really enjoyed is the worst?

    corin7 on
  • Radikal_DreamerRadikal_Dreamer Registered User regular
    edited December 2007
    corin7 wrote: »
    worst game is lair? Really? Amongst all the shovel ware out there a game that got average reviews and some people really enjoyed is the worst?

    I could see that though. I personally enjoyed it until the last level I could stand to play... I forget what number mission it was, but jesus christ the game just fell apart there. It wasn't the controls or anything that a lot of reviewers complained about that did it for me. In fact, I liked the controls. It was the fact that I HAVE NO IDEA WHY I LOST THAT LEVEL 5 TIMES. They literally don't tell you why you lost, and I have no clue. I was doing completely great, and would just get the mission failed screen. After losing this way a few times and still having no clue why I lost in the first place, I wanted to throw the controller. A game that dashes your hopes or could be fun, etc, is almost worse than a game that's just bad and no one cared in the first place.

    Radikal_Dreamer on
    theincidentsig.jpg
  • WickerBasketWickerBasket Registered User regular
    edited December 2007
    fkn creep wrote: »
    After about 30 minutes of SMG, I get motion sickness. Does this happen to anyone else? Feels like i've been on a rollercoaster and not in a good way.
    Yeah, it happens to me too. It also happens to me on the low gravity level of Ratchet and Clank. It must be the whole disorientating thing. If I play too long I get a headache.

    WickerBasket on
    "please get on point coward baby magets."

    PSN = Wicker86 ________ Gamertag = Wicker86
  • RainbowDespairRainbowDespair Registered User regular
    edited December 2007
    corin7 wrote: »
    bruin wrote: »
    Yeah, it actually came out in Europe a few days before it did here. If you go in with the right expectations (shallow story is the most important one), it's a really good time. Very entertaining.

    It has some of the best enviromental art in a game. Eclipsed IMO by only Heavenly Sword.

    Agreed. The Ice Caves in Blue Dragon when viewed on my parent's nice HDTV just plain blew me away for beauty.

    RainbowDespair on
  • The_ScarabThe_Scarab Registered User regular
    edited December 2007
    bruin wrote: »
    Yeah, it actually came out in Europe a few days before it did here. If you go in with the right expectations (shallow story is the most important one), it's a really good time. Very entertaining.

    Sounds like a lock for my january sales shopping then. along with crackdown and ratchet.

    The_Scarab on
  • bruinbruin Registered User regular
    edited December 2007
    Stupornaut wrote: »
    This is completely unrealistic, but I'd really like to see Forza 2 in one of these lists, and not just "best Xbox racing game of the year" or something. The paint customization alone should've helped people make a case for it.

    It was on a ANM editor's list and probably a couple more. Yeah though, it's being overlooked. Best racing sim released to date in my opinion.
    corin7 wrote: »
    bruin wrote: »
    Yeah, it actually came out in Europe a few days before it did here. If you go in with the right expectations (shallow story is the most important one), it's a really good time. Very entertaining.

    It has some of the best enviromental art in a game. Eclipsed IMO by only Heavenly Sword.

    Agreed. The Ice Caves in Blue Dragon when viewed on my parent's nice HDTV just plain blew me away for beauty.

    The mosaic town, holy fucking shit. I spent like a hour just walking around looking at it with my jaw open.

    bruin on
  • VyolynceVyolynce Registered User regular
    edited December 2007
    You know what? Fuck you gaming media websites/magazines.

    You should all wish you had a top list as awesome as mine:

    I agree with most of this list, but I'm one of those weird Nintendo fanboys who doesn't like Mario platformers. :)

    Vyolynce on
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    AC:NH Chris from Glosta SW-5173-3598-2899 DA-4749-1014-4697 @vyolynce@mastodon.social
  • corin7corin7 San Diego, CARegistered User regular
    edited December 2007
    corin7 wrote: »
    worst game is lair? Really? Amongst all the shovel ware out there a game that got average reviews and some people really enjoyed is the worst?

    I could see that though. I personally enjoyed it until the last level I could stand to play... I forget what number mission it was, but jesus christ the game just fell apart there. It wasn't the controls or anything that a lot of reviewers complained about that did it for me. In fact, I liked the controls. It was the fact that I HAVE NO IDEA WHY I LOST THAT LEVEL 5 TIMES. They literally don't tell you why you lost, and I have no clue. I was doing completely great, and would just get the mission failed screen. After losing this way a few times and still having no clue why I lost in the first place, I wanted to throw the controller. A game that dashes your hopes or could be fun, etc, is almost worse than a game that's just bad and no one cared in the first place.


    I do agree our enjoyment of all entertainment has a direct correlation with our expectations. Still I imagine 2007 easily produced a 100 or more games that suck far worse than Lair. I really have no way of knowing as I haven't played it yet. Probably it will be the next game I pick up. I surprisingly have really been enjoying the sixaxis portions of Heavenly Sword so I am hopeful I will atleast get a kick out the flying a dragon with them.

    corin7 on
  • Tonberry KingTonberry King Registered User regular
    edited December 2007
    Vyolynce wrote: »
    You know what? Fuck you gaming media websites/magazines.

    You should all wish you had a top list as awesome as mine:

    I agree with most of this list, but I'm one of those weird Nintendo fanboys who doesn't like Mario platformers. :)
    I like Galaxy and most mario games, but I'm still waiting for the goty material to pop up in the latest mario platformer. I definitely need to get back to it and give it a second chance. Metroid Prime 3, on the other hand, has done plenty to prove it's my goty. I'm pretty pissed that so many of these websites are relegating the game to a such pathetic spot on their lists or some don't even put it on there. The game deserves just as much praise as the original prime.
    Also, where is the Rune Factory love:rotate:

    Unite for PA GOTY '07!

    Tonberry King on
  • CantidoCantido Registered User regular
    edited December 2007
    I can't stop playing Bioshock. I've played that thang more than Halo 3. I'm listening to The Ocean on His Shoulders right now.

    Too bad about the conclusion of the game. Ken Levine admitted that he underestimated how engrossing the story was, that the last 3rd of the game disappointed.

    Cantido on
    3DS Friendcode 5413-1311-3767
  • StupornautStupornaut Registered User regular
    edited December 2007
    Cantido wrote: »
    I can't stop playing Bioshock. I've played that thang more than Halo 3. I'm listening to The Ocean on His Shoulders right now.

    Too bad about the conclusion of the game. Ken Levine admitted that he underestimated how engrossing the story was, that the last 3rd of the game disappointed.

    I know a lot of people have complained about that final section, but it beats the hell out of Xen -- and the original Half-Life is one of my favorite games ever.

    LATE-GAME BIOSHOCK SPOILER
    I also like how the tone of BioShock's story shifted just enough to really drive home the idea that you can't really have a free market utopia where everyone's some sort of independent titan. ("These sad saps. They come to Rapture, thinking they're gonna be captains of industry. But they all forget that somebody's gotta scrub the toilets. What an angle they gave me- I hand these mugs a cot and a bowl of soup, and they give me their lives. Who needs an army when I got Fontaine's Home for the Poor?") The eventual realization that it wasn't just people going apeshit from genetic modification but also waging all-out class warfare -- in Apollo Square, you find out Rapture actually has slums -- is, if not as big a gut-punch as the "a man chooses, a slave obeys"/Atlas=Fontaine twist, still a good reveal.

    Stupornaut on

    Stupornaut.jpg
  • Speed RacerSpeed Racer Scritch scratch scritch scratch scritch scratch scritch scratch scritch scratch scritch scratch scritch scratch scritch scratch scritch scratch scritch scratch scritch scratch scritch scratchRegistered User regular
    edited December 2007
    Vyolynce wrote: »
    You know what? Fuck you gaming media websites/magazines.

    You should all wish you had a top list as awesome as mine:

    I agree with most of this list, but I'm one of those weird Nintendo fanboys who doesn't like Mario platformers. :)
    I like Galaxy and most mario games, but I'm still waiting for the goty material to pop up in the latest mario platformer. I definitely need to get back to it and give it a second chance. Metroid Prime 3, on the other hand, has done plenty to prove it's my goty. I'm pretty pissed that so many of these websites are relegating the game to a such pathetic spot on their lists or some don't even put it on there. The game deserves just as much praise as the original prime.
    Also, where is the Rune Factory love:rotate:

    Unite for PA GOTY '07!
    It's because it's competing against Halo, COD, Bioshock, and Orange Box.

    It's a great game and all but dang if that isn't some tough competition.

    Speed Racer on
  • XagarathXagarath Registered User regular
    edited December 2007
    Vyolynce wrote: »
    You know what? Fuck you gaming media websites/magazines.

    You should all wish you had a top list as awesome as mine:

    I agree with most of this list, but I'm one of those weird Nintendo fanboys who doesn't like Mario platformers. :)
    I like Galaxy and most mario games, but I'm still waiting for the goty material to pop up in the latest mario platformer. I definitely need to get back to it and give it a second chance. Metroid Prime 3, on the other hand, has done plenty to prove it's my goty. I'm pretty pissed that so many of these websites are relegating the game to a such pathetic spot on their lists or some don't even put it on there. The game deserves just as much praise as the original prime.
    Also, where is the Rune Factory love:rotate:

    Unite for PA GOTY '07!
    While I'd rate Portal and Galaxy above it, Metroid Prime 3 is indeed an amazing, amazing game.

    Xagarath on
  • SilentCoconutSilentCoconut Registered User regular
    edited December 2007
    It's because it's competing against Halo, COD, Bioshock, and Orange Box.

    It's a great game and all but dang if that isn't some tough competition.

    Bioshock, maybe. Metroid Prime 3 is not a shooter. It's a Zelda game in the first person.

    SilentCoconut on
  • FyreWulffFyreWulff YouRegistered User, ClubPA regular
    edited December 2007
    [toothorn]

    Our game, Immortal Defense, won Strategy GOTY from GameTunnel.

    http://www.gametunnel.com/articles.php?id=657

    [/toothorn]
    Needless to say I agree with their list!

    FyreWulff on
  • ZxerolZxerol for the smaller pieces, my shovel wouldn't do so i took off my boot and used my shoeRegistered User regular
    edited December 2007
    That's completely rockin', FyreWulff.

    Next year, I'm going to release Hyper Hump Mastar Xtreme 2: Hump Harder (sequel to my number #1 smash hit), and it's going to win GOTY everywhere. Just you fuckers watch.
    Someone please for the love of Bhudda take my copy of Visual Studio away from me. D:

    Zxerol on
  • Speed RacerSpeed Racer Scritch scratch scritch scratch scritch scratch scritch scratch scritch scratch scritch scratch scritch scratch scritch scratch scritch scratch scritch scratch scritch scratch scritch scratchRegistered User regular
    edited December 2007
    It's because it's competing against Halo, COD, Bioshock, and Orange Box.

    It's a great game and all but dang if that isn't some tough competition.

    Bioshock, maybe. Metroid Prime 3 is not a shooter. It's a Zelda game in the first person.

    While I 100% disagree, it doesn't matter. Even if it's not an FPS, it most certainly looks like one, which is bound to draw comparisons.

    Speed Racer on
  • bruinbruin Registered User regular
    edited December 2007
    http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/23/arts/23schi.html?_r=2&th&emc=th&oref=slogin&oref=slogin
    BEST NEWCOMER: BIOSHOCK

    MOST DIFFICULT DELIVERY: THE NEW E3

    BEST ADAPTATION OF AN ADORED INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY: THE LORD OF THE RINGS ONLINE

    BEST UNAMBITIOUS REPRESENTATIONS OF THE STATE OF THE ART: HALO 3 AND SUPER MARIO GALAXY

    BEST SINGLE-HANDED RESCUE OF A MAJOR GAME SYSTEM: RATCHET & CLANK: TOOLS OF DESTRUCTION

    GAME OF THE YEAR: MASS EFFECT

    Super Mario Galaxy isn't ambitious? Really, New York Times? Really?

    bruin on
  • MeisterMeister Registered User regular
    edited December 2007
    bruin wrote: »
    http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/23/arts/23schi.html?_r=2&th&emc=th&oref=slogin&oref=slogin
    BEST NEWCOMER: BIOSHOCK

    MOST DIFFICULT DELIVERY: THE NEW E3

    BEST ADAPTATION OF AN ADORED INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY: THE LORD OF THE RINGS ONLINE

    BEST UNAMBITIOUS REPRESENTATIONS OF THE STATE OF THE ART: HALO 3 AND SUPER MARIO GALAXY

    BEST SINGLE-HANDED RESCUE OF A MAJOR GAME SYSTEM: RATCHET & CLANK: TOOLS OF DESTRUCTION

    GAME OF THE YEAR: MASS EFFECT

    Super Mario Galaxy isn't ambitious? Really, New York Times? Really?

    Well it's pretty much Mario 64 on with waggle controls on the Wii. Instead of platforms, there's planets, but the only difference between the two is more confusing camera angles and controls.

    I'm not saying SMG is a bad game. I thought it was pretty fun. It's just not really innovative.

    Meister on
    3DS friend code friend code: 4485-1155-2584
  • bruinbruin Registered User regular
    edited December 2007
    Meister wrote: »
    bruin wrote: »
    http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/23/arts/23schi.html?_r=2&th&emc=th&oref=slogin&oref=slogin
    BEST NEWCOMER: BIOSHOCK

    MOST DIFFICULT DELIVERY: THE NEW E3

    BEST ADAPTATION OF AN ADORED INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY: THE LORD OF THE RINGS ONLINE

    BEST UNAMBITIOUS REPRESENTATIONS OF THE STATE OF THE ART: HALO 3 AND SUPER MARIO GALAXY

    BEST SINGLE-HANDED RESCUE OF A MAJOR GAME SYSTEM: RATCHET & CLANK: TOOLS OF DESTRUCTION

    GAME OF THE YEAR: MASS EFFECT

    Super Mario Galaxy isn't ambitious? Really, New York Times? Really?

    Well it's pretty much Mario 64 on with waggle controls on the Wii. Instead of platforms, there's planets, but the only difference between the two is more confusing camera angles and controls.

    I'm not saying SMG is a bad game. I thought it was pretty fun. It's just not really innovative.

    Every damn level in the game has like nine different gameplay mechanics I've never seen in a game before

    OK, I'm exaggerating, but the new ideas:levels ratio in the game is much greater than in any I have played in a long time

    bruin on
  • MeisterMeister Registered User regular
    edited December 2007
    bruin wrote: »
    Meister wrote: »
    bruin wrote: »
    http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/23/arts/23schi.html?_r=2&th&emc=th&oref=slogin&oref=slogin
    BEST NEWCOMER: BIOSHOCK

    MOST DIFFICULT DELIVERY: THE NEW E3

    BEST ADAPTATION OF AN ADORED INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY: THE LORD OF THE RINGS ONLINE

    BEST UNAMBITIOUS REPRESENTATIONS OF THE STATE OF THE ART: HALO 3 AND SUPER MARIO GALAXY

    BEST SINGLE-HANDED RESCUE OF A MAJOR GAME SYSTEM: RATCHET & CLANK: TOOLS OF DESTRUCTION

    GAME OF THE YEAR: MASS EFFECT

    Super Mario Galaxy isn't ambitious? Really, New York Times? Really?

    Well it's pretty much Mario 64 on with waggle controls on the Wii. Instead of platforms, there's planets, but the only difference between the two is more confusing camera angles and controls.

    I'm not saying SMG is a bad game. I thought it was pretty fun. It's just not really innovative.

    Every damn level in the game has like nine different gameplay mechanics I've never seen in a game before

    OK, I'm exaggerating, but the new ideas:levels ratio in the game is much greater than in any I have played in a long time

    Can you give me some examples? I'm not trying to be a jackass; I'm just genuinely curious since I didn't see that many.

    Meister on
    3DS friend code friend code: 4485-1155-2584
  • bruinbruin Registered User regular
    edited December 2007
    Next-Gen's top 10 blunders of 2007

    Spoiler'd because it's long
    #10 – The Non-Elite Elite

    Heading into mid-2007, Microsoft had a problem. Everyone agreed that its Xbox 360 had the best games and the slickest online system, but the system just wasn't selling up to expectations. Fortunately, this problem had a solution: cut costs, reduce the price, and pack in a game. Microsoft ignored this solution.

    Instead of cutting costs, Microsoft kept the same expensive hardware design and then added even more features and jacked up the price. Now, for only $20 shy of the price of a PlayStation 3 you could own a wireless-less, HD-DVD-less system with a larger hard drive and that thunderous Xbox 360 fan noise. To its credit, it did have a sweet black paint job...

    #9 – This Heading Guaranteed 100% Free of Wii Puns

    Nintendo has had a tremendous year. Everything it touches turns to gold, it seems. Yet, they also have made a critical miscalculation: they have undersupplied the Wii hardware for over a year. If we take their production throttling denials at face value, the only reasonable conclusion is that they simply haven't believed their own success. Seriously, what else could it be?

    One's imagination runs wild imagining Nintendo's twisted logic:

    First Quarter '07: Sold 1 million Wii systems in the U.S. and six different titles in the top 20 charts. We could increase production, but what if this is just left over demand from the holiday?

    Second Quarter '07: Sold yet another million Wii systems in the U.S. and another six titles in the top 20 charts. Still, the trolls on NeoGAF say the Wii is just a fad, so better not increase production just yet.

    Third Quarter '07: Sure, we sold another 1.3 million Wii systems, but what if we make another million and no one buys them? What are we doing to do with all that extra stock? We'll be ruined! Keep production where it is.

    Fourth Quarter '07: Oh shi... People are still buying it? MAKE AS MANY AS YOU CAN AND DO IT NOW!

    Now an analyst has revealed a price for Nintendo's commercial conservatism: $1.3 billion lost this holiday due to Wii shortages. Damn, that stings.

    If it's any consolation, Nintendo, your former tormentor – Sony – will probably also lose $1.3 billion this holiday, but for precisely the opposite reason...

    #8 – We've Got a SKU Just for You!

    Remember when the two Xbox 360 models were announced back in 2005? All the pissing and moaning about two models with different specifications – the Xbox 360 Premium with a hard drive and wireless controllers and the emasculated Xbox 360 Core. It was a lot of fun. Phil Harrison famously said of Sony's PlayStation 3 plans, “I think we wouldn't take that [multiple SKU] strategy. We wouldn't create confusion”.

    Oh, the shame! In just the first year Sony has marketed four different models of PlayStation 3. It launched with two versions – the 20Gb and 60Gb models – and then introduced an 80Gb model in July and a 40Gb model in October. Given the current rate of hardware revisions and Sony's stated goal of a 10-year console cycle, there will be no fewer than 40 PlayStation 3 models by the time the platform retires. As each model cuts features, analysts expect the final version to be just a stylish, shiny black box that does nothing more than take tens and twenties in through the disc slot.

    To help consumers sort out the different PS3 models, we've created this handy chart:

    ps3blunderchart.jpg

    #7 – Surprise! Zombies!

    The corporate VP of Microsoft Game Studios, Shane Kim, had a secret. Each morning he chuckled quietly to himself, knowing it would make a huge splash at E3 in 2007. Then a Game Informer interview ruined it. You can't really improve on the original, so just read for yourself:

    Kim: I think one of the most important, subtle announcements at the Xbox 360 briefing is that Resident Evil is coming to Xbox 360. Yes, it’s from Capcom, who’s been a great supporter of us.

    GI: But we knew that two years ago.

    Kim: What?

    GI: Resident Evil. It was shown at TGS two years ago.

    Kim: No, but coming to Xbox 360.

    GI: Yeah. It was at the press event.

    Kim: I don’t think so.

    GI: I’m positive. I was there.

    Kim: Really?

    GI: It was shown at both press conferences.

    Kim: That RE5 was coming to…?

    GI: Yep.

    Kim: I’m going to have to confirm that. That was supposed to be the big announcement.

    Most industry Q&As are glorified spin doctor sessions, and that's why this particular interview is so refreshing. Reading it and imagining Kim's bravado crumbling as he realizes his big secret wasn't a secret to anyone except him – it's just priceless.

    #6 – Sony Exec Offers to Buy PS3s

    When SCEA executive VP Jack Tretton speaks, everyone listens. Sometimes this works out, sometimes not.

    In his January 2007 interview with Electronic Gaming Monthly, it most certainly did not. In response to reports of PlayStation 3 systems sitting unsold on store shelves, Tretton famously replied: “If you can find a PS3 anywhere in North America that's been on shelves for more than five minutes, I'll give you 1200 bucks for it." If people on the street can see that the systems aren't moving, then Tretton should have known as well. Still, his ill-timed boast isn't unique – it's merely part of the larger hubristic posture Sony has assumed for far too long.

    It would be easier to forgive him if he'd learned his lesson, but even as late as July Tretton was calling the Wii a lollipop while comparing the PlayStation 3 to a lobster and steak meal. And in November he said the PS3 was only down 1-0 in the second inning of a baseball game. Let's hope there isn't a mercy rule that calls the game early.

    #5 – Alone Against the Empire

    Right before the Game Developers Conference keynote, one of the most prominent videogame blogs, Kotaku, published a rumor about an as-yet-unannounced PlayStation 3 online service dubbed PlayStation Home. Kotaku attempted to verify the details but Sony refused to comment. Further, Sony requested – then demanded – that Kotaku not publish the story.

    Kotaku published their information anyway, with appropriate journalistic caveats. In response, Sony sent an email blackballing Kotaku.

    Kotaku published that too.

    The nerd rage backlash against Sony was immediate and intense. Rants were pounded on in forums, blogs posted unflattering Photoshopped images of Phil Harrison, and all five PlayStation 3 owners agreed to return their systems.

    Later that same day, Dave Karraker, the senior director of corporate communications at SCEA, made nice with Kotaku again and even invited them back to Sony's GDC events.

    Like nothing else in recent memory, this event warned game companies that they still need the videogame media. The solution, of course, is to get all those videogame journalists under a non-disclosure agreement as soon as possible, and keep them there. Regrettably, that plan appears to have worked.

    #4 – Game Over Gerstmann


    When a big-budget game gets a negative review on a site plastered with adverts for said game and the reviewer is subsequently sacked, you can't really be faulted for initially thinking the events are all related. Fortunately the Greeks had a saying for just this moment: post hoc ergo propter hoc. For those of you who don't speak Roman, that means “after moneyhat, therefore because of moneyhat.”

    Which is all to say, we don't know for sure how much Jeff Gerstmann's Kane & Lynch review figured into his late November firing. Granted, it did look a mite bit suspicious. The Kane & Lynch promotion that Eidos had purchased on GameSpot – decorating the margins of the site with Kane & Lynch graphics – ended just after the news broke that Gerstmann was fired. Then CNet, the parent company for GameSpot, hurt its own credibility by issuing uninformative non-denial denials for almost a whole week. In the meantime, websites and forums worked overtime generating rumors, unflattering GIFs, and raw nerd rage.

    One possible explanation that has nothing to do with moneyhats: a new administration at GameSpot wanted to clean house a bit and Gerstmann seemed like the kind of guy who could be let go and – with all his industry experience – land squarely on his feet. If indeed this happened, then the problem isn't so much in the idea itself but in the execution and timing. Imagine if GameSpot had given Gerstmann a fitting send-off in early 2008, complete with a retrospective of his tenure at the site. Given reports of GameSpot Complete subscription cancellations and the site's tarnished reputation, you can bet that future firings will be handled with a lighter touch.

    #3 – It's Just a Toy Guitar and Some Music

    After two iterations of hardware and software, you'd think that the people behind Guitar Hero III and Rock Band could make packages free of glitches. You'd think it, but you'd be wrong.

    Let's take Guitar Hero III first. While the PlayStations and Xboxes are, shall we say, experienced the Wii was the first Nintendo system to get a Guitar Hero product. The reviewers gave it a good grade and gamers seemed happy initially but then someone listened a bit more closely and realized something peculiar: both the left and the right channels of audio were identical! The port by Vicarious Visions claimed to have Dolby Pro Logic II audio output and, at the very least, stereo sound but in fact was neither. It was plain mono.

    Don't you think someone at Activision should have noticed? Or maybe Sony...no, wait, force of habit...Nintendo, who had to approve the game for sale?
    Or how about all those reviewers? Not a single peep. Odd that.

    Then there's Rock Band. It's bad enough that EA and its partners could not produce enough of the game's custom hardware to sell anything but $170 bundles for the holidays. Even worse, the hardware EA did manage to ship had guitars marred by “an imperfection with the strum bar," at least according to an official statement. How hard can it be? It's a plastic guitar, not a Stradivarius, for crying out loud.

    To its credit, EA promised to replace the bum instruments and then even tacked on a free EA game when those replacements didn't go out quickly enough to satisfy the pitchfork-and-torches crowds on the internets. And for its part, Activision has agreed to begin replacing those lacking Guitar Hero III Wii discs sometime in 2008, this time giving consumers one with both channels of audio. To demonstrate their understanding and patience, some GH3 Wii owners have filed a class action lawsuit.

    #2 – We Already Bought All the Good Ones, Right?

    Powerful men like John Riccitiello, chief executive of Electronic Arts, have their fingers on the pulse of the industry. If big moves are afoot, you can bet that they know about them well in advance. So when Riccitiello oversees EA's acquisition of BioWare and Pandemic for $855 million and later says the industry has “been largely picked” for mergers, you can take that wisdom to the bank.

    After all, a man like Riccitiello wouldn't say something like that just three days before the announcement of an $18.9 billion merger between his company's biggest rival and the company that publishes the game with more paying subscribers than Sweden has citizens. No way he'd get caught off guard like that.

    Right?

    #1 – Red Ink of Death

    With a year's headstart and exclusive hits like Gears of War, Microsoft started 2007 looking every bit the confident market leader they'd longed to be since 2001. Beneath that sanguine exterior, however, lurked a horrible, horrible truth: “Things break.”

    So said Microsoft's Peter “Antoinnette” Moore of increasingly prevalent Xbox 360 hardware failure – known colloquially as the Red Ring of Death – in a May 2007 in an interview with Mike Antonucci of The Mercury News. Within two months Microsoft publicly acknowledged finding several design flaws which were killing systems and took a $1 billion charge to extend consumer warranties. That charge alone cut Microsoft's profit for the quarter by 25%.

    A chastened Microsoft now says it has its problems sorted. We'll see.

    bruin on
  • scootchscootch Registered User regular
    edited December 2007
    so much easier to agree on the blunders :)

    scootch on
    TF2 stats
    PSN: super_emu
    Xbox360 Gamertag: Emuchop
  • GuekGuek Registered User regular
    edited December 2007
    Meister wrote: »
    Can you give me some examples? I'm not trying to be a jackass; I'm just genuinely curious since I didn't see that many.


    galaxy didn't innovate outside of genre, meaning it didn't suddenly change platforming. But it did innovate heavily within the genre itself. Platforming upside down on a gauntlet level is something I haven't seen before. There was also a plethora of walking on walls or changing gravity itself to get to certain locals. We should also mention the other offshoot ideas that are represented in the trial galaxies. That being ray-racing, ball balancing and...bubble blowing? Those were all fun (YES. RAY RACING WAS FUN, YOU COCKS :P) and things we really haven't seen before. Those were also things that are only possible with the wii-mote.

    There are other examples but to list them all would simply be a means of detailing the level variety. Just about every galaxy in the game was fresh and implemented a new idea that hadn't been seen in the game before. In this case, I think "innovation" is a pretty bland buzzword...but regardless, I'd say that galaxy innovated plenty.

    Guek on
  • Goose!Goose! That's me, honey Show me the way home, honeyRegistered User regular
    edited December 2007
    For all you complaining about the Orange Box being in a top ten, if they separated it into different parts it would take up three spots of the top five.

    Goose! on
  • bruinbruin Registered User regular
    edited December 2007
    Eurogamer's top 10
    10. S.T.A.L.K.E.R.
    9. Team Fortress 2
    8. Mass Effect
    7. Halo 3
    6. Call of Duty 4
    5. Zelda: PH
    4. Crackdown
    3. BioShock
    2. Super Mario Galaxy
    1. Portal

    I recommend clicking the link above and actually reading the article. They had a bunch of their writers comment on each of the games so even the ones at the top of the list have some haters. It's an interesting read.

    bruin on
  • darleysamdarleysam On my way to UKRegistered User regular
    edited December 2007
    Eurogamer wins for even acknowledging Crackdown came out this year. Also, surprise entry for Stalker, but not one I feel inclined to disagree with. A sad lack of skate, though.

    Also, see people, this is what happens when you take Orange Box as separate products (which I know I was saying that's how it seems to me, but I'd prefer for it to be listed as a single product in these lists, so I'm not being hypocritical). TF2 and Portal take up two slots, and push out another mention.

    darleysam on
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  • bruinbruin Registered User regular
    edited December 2007
    I don't see that as a problem if they're two separate games

    But at this point we're just beating a dead horse

    bruin on
  • darleysamdarleysam On my way to UKRegistered User regular
    edited December 2007
    I agree, it's a completely pedantic argument.

    I really just want to see skate on more lists.

    darleysam on
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  • PharezonPharezon Struggle is an illusion. Victory is in the Qun.Registered User regular
    edited December 2007
    bruin wrote: »
    Eurogamer's top 10
    10. S.T.A.L.K.E.R.
    9. Team Fortress 2
    8. Mass Effect
    7. Halo 3
    6. Call of Duty 4
    5. Zelda: PH
    4. Crackdown
    3. BioShock
    2. Super Mario Galaxy
    1. Portal

    I recommend clicking the link above and actually reading the article. They had a bunch of their writers comment on each of the games so even the ones at the top of the list have some haters. It's an interesting read.

    YESSSS

    Pharezon on
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  • bruinbruin Registered User regular
    edited December 2007
    http://kotaku.com/338725/kotakus-overall-game-of-the-year

    3. Zelda: PH
    2. Uncharted
    1. Super Mario Galaxy

    bruin on
  • FugitiveFugitive Registered User regular
    edited December 2007
    bruin wrote: »
    Eurogamer's top 10
    10. S.T.A.L.K.E.R.
    9. Team Fortress 2
    8. Mass Effect
    7. Halo 3
    6. Call of Duty 4
    5. Zelda: PH
    4. Crackdown
    3. BioShock
    2. Super Mario Galaxy
    1. Portal

    I recommend clicking the link above and actually reading the article. They had a bunch of their writers comment on each of the games so even the ones at the top of the list have some haters. It's an interesting read.

    It's nice to see Portal finally take the #1 slot somewhere. Say what you will abut the epic storytelling of games like Bioshock or Mass Effect, Portal is probably the biggest example of videogames as art to date, the kind of story and emotional impact you can't find in other mediums.

    The writing and ending song get quoted a lot by reviewers, but the way you flinch when you realize what you have to do to the Companion Cube? That's art.

    Fugitive on
  • SabanSaban Registered User regular
    edited December 2007
    Too many good games came out this year, any other year and orange box would have fucked every other game in the ass when it came to top 10 lists.

    Saban on
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  • RandomVinceRandomVince Registered User regular
    edited December 2007
    Fugitive wrote: »
    The writing and ending song get quoted a lot by reviewers, but the way you flinch when you realize what you have to do to the Companion Cube? That's art.

    I did that without flinching, probably because of the number of times
    it deflected an energy ball onto the roof and 50 random bounces later, into me. It's just a box :P

    Mind you, Portal as #1 over SMG on Eurogamer ... that's a tough call to make as both are exceedingly awesome titles.

    RandomVince on
    ULTIMATUM, n. In diplomacy, a last demand before resorting to concessions.
  • SilentCoconutSilentCoconut Registered User regular
    edited December 2007
    bruin wrote: »
    Eurogamer's top 10
    10. S.T.A.L.K.E.R.
    9. Team Fortress 2
    8. Mass Effect
    7. Halo 3
    6. Call of Duty 4
    5. Zelda: PH
    4. Crackdown
    3. BioShock
    2. Super Mario Galaxy
    1. Portal

    I recommend clicking the link above and actually reading the article. They had a bunch of their writers comment on each of the games so even the ones at the top of the list have some haters. It's an interesting read.

    Yeesh, the part about Halo 3 is especially scathing. When 10 of your 13 staff members rip on the game, how can you really put it in the top 10? I really like their inclusion of Stalker and Crackdown though (and the guy who raved about Gears of War in the Halo 3 section), and what they say about Mass Effect is dead on.

    SilentCoconut on
  • darleysamdarleysam On my way to UKRegistered User regular
    edited December 2007
    bruin wrote: »
    Eurogamer's top 10
    10. S.T.A.L.K.E.R.
    9. Team Fortress 2
    8. Mass Effect
    7. Halo 3
    6. Call of Duty 4
    5. Zelda: PH
    4. Crackdown
    3. BioShock
    2. Super Mario Galaxy
    1. Portal

    I recommend clicking the link above and actually reading the article. They had a bunch of their writers comment on each of the games so even the ones at the top of the list have some haters. It's an interesting read.

    Yeesh, the part about Halo 3 is especially scathing. When 10 of your 13 staff members rip on the game, how can you really put it in the top 10? I really like their inclusion of Stalker and Crackdown though (and the guy who raved about Gears of War in the Halo 3 section), and what they say about Mass Effect is dead on.

    Yeah, that surprised me too. I like Eurogamer, I like Halo 3, so to see it there in the charts and yet near enough everyone that wrote pissed all over it and complained that it dared sully their top 10, seemed a bit out of place.

    Anyway, I much prefer reading stuff like Gamespot's Dubious Honours list (not that I really like Gamespot anymore, but the list is worth a read), because it's much easier to agree on what sucked, rather than what was best.

    edit: it's not a GOTY list, but I didn't seen another thread for it, this retrospective on 2007 from Eurogamer is looking like an entertaining read.
    http://www.eurogamer.net/article.php?article_id=89788

    darleysam on
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  • bruinbruin Registered User regular
    edited January 2008
    4 Color Rebellion individual writers' picks

    Super Mario Galaxy (3)
    Zelda: PH (3)
    RE4: Wii Edition
    Aquaria
    Metroid Prime 3

    Joystiq GOTY

    10. Mass Effect
    9. God of War II
    8. Peggle
    7. Assassin's Creed
    6. Halo 3
    5. COD4
    4. Super Mario Galaxy
    3. Rock Band
    2. BioShock
    1. Portal

    bruin on
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