Time magazine names Halo 3 game of the year

by Alexander Sliwinski on Dec 11th 2007 12:15PM

It's time for Time magazine and every other publication to start dropping their "top whatever" lists of the year. Taking the high honor this year from Time in video games for being "a pebble that has been rounded over the centuries by the gentle splashing of the ocean waves" is Halo 3. The magazine notes that Bungie has refined the series to the point of "pure, unadulterated gaming bliss," though we're a little lost when it calls Halo "graphically gorgeous." Still, it's Time -- we're not expecting too much accuracy from the mainstream press when it comes to video games lately.

The next two spots on the Time list are held by The Orange Box and Rock Band, with both games getting their spots for presenting a bunch of things in one package. Rounding out the top five are Super Mario Galaxy and BioShock. With any luck, BioShock won't be missing from many mainstream lists just because it came out more than a month ago. Heck, we're hoping it doesn't get forgotten on a lot of industry lists.

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Tags: bioshock, halo, halo3, orangebox, rock-band, rockband, super-mario-galaxy, supermariogalaxy, time, Xbox-360

Reader Comments (116)

It's more of an award for the mainstream attention it garner than its actual quality.

Halo is a very polished game with tons of replay value that (checks bungie.net) around 700,000 people have fun playing every day.

How is that not a top quality game?

I'm not denying that you love the game or that it's a great game. But Time doesn't care about that. Time cares that there was Halo 3 Mountain Dew. Time cares that there were lines outsides of stores and that Master Chief is becoming a recognizable name.

The game could have stunk and Time would still have recognized the hype.

Additionally, with regards to claims of accurate reporting, Halo 3 is graphically gorgeous to the vast majority of the population. If you showed old H3 to gramps, I think he would be impressed, instead of responding that the HDR is over-used and that 40p of resolution was missing.

Also, why are people shocked by the superficial reporting of Time? It is the poor man's news magazine, not the Atlantic Monthly or the Economist.

Hey Hello,

Based on your logic, Deer Hunter is about on par with Halo 3 then in terms of quality based on the number of units sold right?

Do you also subscribe to the notion that quality movies are the ones that make the most money like Pirates 3 or Titanic?

Bioshock is overrated.

I agree, I think Gears of War would have been a better choice.

Except gears came out LAST year.

Actually I think is awesome but the research camera makes it a total cake walk.

Halo 3 again is great but considering the publicity and money invested it should win a Honorable mention award and let the others compete, let say Mass effect, Forza 2,Bioshock,Crysis,The orange box(personal favorite) and COD4 which I really want to play but I'm still waiting for the UPS guys.

Also I would like to add that Naruto rise of a ninja deserves a graphical achievement award also a special award for being an anime game that doesn’t sucks, if that is not an achievement I don’t know what it is.

Except Gears also still freakin rulez!!! So it doesnt matter when it came out lol.

You could give the award to GOW for PC if you wanted. I agree, it's so much better than Bioshock.

I agree with COD4 getting it over this. After playing both I really would have to say that COD4 is much more polished.

Why do the Gears comments get voted down? DAMN PS3 Fanboys get over yourselves already. Hate it or love it its still one of best and the most game played on LIVE. Come Gears2 and it will be back on top for a long ass time again. Rightnow rightnow.....its all about COD4!!

@Fenix

LOL... what makes you think PS3 fanboys voted your comment down?

@Fenix

I totally agree, and I would even consider myself a PS3 fanboy. Try as they might, I don't think Sony has an answer to the raw fun of Gears. Uncharted comes close, but it doesn't have the multiplayer component, which is obviously a huge plus for GOW.

ALL your fucking brown-grey shooter games SUCK SHIT.

Wow, that was amazingly constructive. Perhaps you should effin realize that I was giving props to GoW even though I don't own a 360. I'm an equal opportunity gamer...go have a "BM" somewhere else.

I'm sorry, what? GoW over Bioshock? Now, I didn't find either of them revolutionary per se, but Bioshock was definitely the better of the two, not just a gun-fest with characters that contain all the depth of a kiddie pool.

"Perhaps you should effin realize that I was giving props to GoW even though I don't own a 360."

What the fuck does that have to do with anything I said? I said I am bored of them all equally.

"I am bored of them all equally."

Huh...perhaps you should try using good English next time instead of saying that all of your "brown-grey shooters suck shit" as if they are **my** shooters. You sound like a fanboy or even a troll, and you certainly cuss like one.

aha.....ahahahaha....AHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

that is all.

Just like the iPhone was invention of the year

Well put.

Difference being the iPhone is a friggin incredible device. Halo being a poor series compared to other FPS games surrounding it.

The iPhone isn't that incredible. It has a gorgeous user interface marred by some bizarre functionality omissions (MMS, universal landscape text entry mode, VOiP, 3G data) and a high price point.

Yeah it' incredible. Incredibly elitist.

I actually heard a woman scream "I have money, look, I have an iPhone!" when someone asked her if she could pay for a service.

Seriously, what the hell.

Exactly you said it all, time picked Iphone as the invention of the year knowing all the flaws. Basing your ideas on what time says would be true folly.

MMS, universal landscape text entry mode, VOiP, 3G data

Shit that 98% of consumers interested in the iphone don't give two shits about.

$299 isn't that much. That's what I paid at the Apple store the day the price dropped. Any other device with the same features are AT LEAST as much money, if not more.

Well some of do care about some of those things (esp. universal landscape mode for me), but at least it's not a Motorola. Those things have inscrutable menu systems, as do many others, but Moto is the absolute worst (you know it's bad when the CEO admits it).

I like my iPhone because it does what it does pretty well (and syncs happily with my mac, but that's a different issue), instead of having unusable features that just tease me. But that doesn't mean I go around bragging about it.

Once again, Time is not the greatest news magazine ever. It is popular because it is very accessible (read: shallow), and mostly merely regurgitates popular opinion, instead of offering any real commentary. But I guess who's to say that the most popular invention/game/whatever of the year isn't the best? Depends on how you define your terms.

$299 isn't that much. That's what I paid at the Apple store the day the price dropped. Any other device with the same features are AT LEAST as much money, if not more.

Everything TIME has been declaring the best of anything lately has been pretty shocking, so this is no surprise. Even rabid Halo fans are upset that CoD4 didn't win at the Spike awards.

Follow the lemmings....

I agree. Seems to me to be the lazy predictable choice rather than one of thought.

And that's where they fail.Well they named Computer users persons of the year,what can you expect from them?

Also I think the guy that wrote that is an effing casual.

Now I have to say Halo 3 is great and everything.It should be nominated for 2007 GOTY in every site,show and scenario but it shouldn't win.

That's what I was just thinking. I mean, haven't they visited the internet and seen that pretty much everyone on here is a fucking retard?

That said, Halo 3 is still a pretty awesome game. I'd put it in my top 5 contenders for GOTY (along with Rock Band, Bioshock, Mario Galaxy, and CoD4)...just probably not at #1.

Uh..I wasn't saying everyone here is a retard or anything but seriously an award to people using or visiting sites like YTMND,4chan,Somethingawful and youtube not to mention kotaku?, That’s outrageous and a bitch slap to every scientist, engineer and doctors out there.

The only award that should be given to the people using the internets (Especially 4chan and ytmnd) is one for the people that saw stuff like Goatse,Gay porn,NEDM,Ogrish,Dead cat without going blind or insane.

Can someone please answer this question?

Why does Halo 3 get so much hate?

The game plays great, has a good multiplayer, campaign is pretty good, co-op, and has a great presentation.

I agree its not GOTY this year(Orange Box is EPIC) but it is still a worthy mention. Not to mention the fact it is now part of American Culture( I can't speak fot the rest of the world).

What we really should be doing instead of honoring one game honor ALL of th egood games this year:

Bioshock
Halo 3
CoD4
Orange Box
Assassin's Creed
Crackdown
Uncharted
Mario Galaxy
Mass Effect
Virtua Fighter 5
Guitar Hero III
Rock Band
Ace Combat 6(From What I heard the game is awesome)

And every other good game this year should be recognised(didn't feel like listing them all, just listed a few)

It doesn't get hate. We're saying exactly what you just said: Its a great game, but it doesn't deserve GOTY this year. There's just way too much other awesome stuff thats come out.

Desktop Tower Defense also deserves a worthy mention.

Don't even get me started on the PC mod community. Lots of good stuff came out this year.

you really put crackdown on that list?
LOL.
it barely passes as good, and encroaches on tedious work

As crono said Halo 3 is awesome but it ain't no Goty,not to mention that considering the resources invested in Halo 3 is kind of unfair.

If Halo 3 wins GOTY you better have a damn good reason of why is better than the orange box.

BTW is there going to be PSP awards? I say Castlevania Dracula X FTW.

The game itself doesn't cause the hate it's the gamers who consider it the second coming of christ which just annoys everyone else because they aren't exactly quiet about their love of Halo.

The people who start snarling and whining about Micro$$oft conspiracies and Halo's supposed mediocrity every time Halo 3 is mentioned are alot more annoying than people who consider it their favorite game.

I enjoyed Crackdown a lot more than I will enjoy Halo 3 but then I generally don't enjoy console FPS games. Bioshock is the one I've given a chance because its storyline and art style appeal.

It gets hate because 1) the storyline and dialogue are boring andgeneric. 2) chief is boring and needs a personality transplant. 3)the allies are boring and generic 4) the enemies are goofy andrepetitive 5) the weapons are mostly stupid 6) theres no real bossbattles 7) the driving is awkward and slippery. but most of all it gets hate because its mediocre in most everyrespect (i've dont play multiplayer, i got sick of that w/ golden)and yet its someone gets accolades like Game of the year; which itdoesnt deserve. Halo 3 is a decent game but its not even in my top25 this year.

My problem with Halo 3 is that they completely shallowed it out and changed the gameplay to make it more inviting for newer and casual players while shunning the hardcore community. The melee system, weapon balance, and map design are all severely flawed. Even the ranking system was broken so unskilled players could achieve high ranks. It's really a huge step backwards from Halo 2 or even the Halo 3 beta.

I used to be the biggest Halo fanboy I knew. I have T-shirts, posters, books, Halo 3 Legendary, etc. I was still logging 2 or more hours of Halo 2 a day before Halo 3 came out. But after a month or so of trying to like that game, I ave up and switched over to Call of Duty 4. Couldn't be happier that I did.

Ha! I thought you said the story was adrenergic there for a second, and I was stunned by the academic reference. No more low-brow "adrenalin-pumping" for me. I want pure adrenergic fun!

(damn finals driving me insane...)

I find your lack of Mass Effect or Super Mario Galaxy disturbing...

COD4 is sooooooo much better than Halo3 and thats saying alot because I still think Halo3 is definatly great.

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Reader Comments (116)

Posted: Dec 11th 2007 12:18PM mr nimblewick said

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