Best of the Rest: Chris' Picks of 2007

by Christopher Grant { Jan 2nd 2008 at 10:30PM }

Sam & Max: Season One (PC)

Yeah, it's sort of stretching it since two of Season One's six episodes "aired" in ye olde 2006, but I'm figuring that majority rules (not to mention the first episode of Season Two came out in November) and the retail package was released in '07, so Sam & Max Season One is number one on my list of the best of the rest this year. Actually, these Sam & Max episodes have a lot in common with our #1 choice for Game of the Year: superb writing, genuine humor, bite-sized portions, clever puzzles, and a hefty dollop of charm.

Half-Life 2: Episode Two (PC, Xbox 360)

To be honest, I almost feel bad about leaving HL2: E2 off the Top 10 list while its Orange Box-mate Portal gets all the accolades. From beginning to end, it's an incredible experience, owing to Valve's legendary design prowess and excellent writing. Maybe I was expecting something new, or maybe one of my favorite game series of all time is getting old and I just don't know it yet. Or maybe this year was just too chocked full of great games.

Everyday Shooter (PS3)

Last year was my first as an IGF judge and, in that role, I experienced plenty of really unique and creative games. One of the standout titles was Everyday Shooter, described as "an album of games" by its one-man creator Jonathan Mak. Though I've lost track of many of the other finalists, Everyday Shooter's release on the PlayStation Network guaranteed the quirky shooter would find a larger audience, including me.

Uncharted (PS3)

Ludwig described it perfectly as Indiana Jones and the Gears of War. Naughty Dog's Uncharted is the definition of a cinematic action game: start with the gorgeous graphics, and stick around for the great writing and impossibly good voice acting. But now I'm torn, best female video game side kick: Alyx or Elena?

Pac-Man CE (Xbox 360)

The most impressive thing about Pac-Mac Championship Edition is that Toru Iwatani, the original Pac-Man creator, managed to reinvent the original formula for an entirely new audience twenty-five years after Ms. Pac-Man. Make no mistake, despite internet grumping following the announcement ("just another Pac-Man?!"), this is the most major variation in the Pac-Man formula since he put a bow in his bonnet and chomped in some different mazes. Add in XBLA leaderboards and Iwatani just recreated the arcade experience for a whole new generation. Brilliant.

Most disappointing: The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass (DS)

Confession: I love action-adventure games, I adore Wind Waker, and my cats are named Link and Zelda, so it's with a heavy heart that I find myself unable to enjoy Phourglass. Is it the obnoxious central dungeon conceit? Or perhaps the totally broken sailing mechanic? No, I think it's my giant ham hock obscuring most of my tiny DS Lite screen. Why can't I just use the D-pad for 98% of this stuff?

New Year's gaming resolutions:

Play Metroid Prime 3 and Mass Effect. Oh, and get really good at CoD4 multiplayer. Oh, and spend more time in Halo multiplayer. And Team Fortress 2. And replay Half-Life 2. And finish Tomb Raider Legend. And the Darkness. And replay BioShock. You get the idea ...

Tags: Best-of-the-rest-2007

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

Anam @ Jan 2nd 2008 11:09PM

You can have your fancy-shmancy Pac-Man game. I never liked the original to begin with. I'm more of a Lode Runner guy and Sierra's version (I think it was called Lode Runner: The Legend Returns) was my championship edition.

By the way, am I correct that Everyday Shooter is coming to Xbox Live? I think I read that somewhere...

Noshino @ Jan 2nd 2008 11:17PM

regardless of which console it is on, Everyday Shooter is an amazing title, and everyone should try it at least once...alone though, for some reason, only when I was playing it alone was I able to feel the beauty of the game

Noshino @ Jan 2nd 2008 11:20PM

wow, so I didn't realize that my comment would still show despite not having input my password...XD

FidliousWong @ Jan 3rd 2008 9:02AM

Noshino, normally when you replay, you should answer the question.

Anam? The answer is three cheesecakes. Just kidding. Nope, Everyday Shooter was financed by Sony, and published by Sony. I believe the creator is now a part of Sony as well.

Antonio @ Jan 2nd 2008 11:33PM

Damn, Phantom Hourglass took quite a beating today. What's so broken about the sailing? I did everything with few, if any, problems. The only thing that bothered me was acquiring parts. I never rose above four hearts for the ship.

mr mobius @ Jan 3rd 2008 12:03AM

There are more hearts for the ship????

I'll admit that this game has took a beating from the bloggers of Joystiq.

I enjoyed the game, and do have mixed feelings about central dungeon, but I don't find the sailing extremely annoying since it is quite compac and when you eventually do have to sail a slight distance, you get access to the golden frogs. I enjoyed actually being able to sail AND use the cannon at the same time instead of either one or the other which meant to get a good cannon shot and not waste cannon balls, I was a sitting duck in WW. It just doesn't feel the same as Epona galloping across the beauty of Hyrule. The water is just too lifeless, and moreso in the DS because of lack of the day/night cycle and less enemies (including the groups of pirate watchtowers which were fun to attack and would have been better as could now shoot and move together).

Beatz @ Jan 2nd 2008 11:34PM

It's hard not to consider Phantom Hourglass a disappointment considering the amount of time it took to come out and the games it had to compete with. Here's to hoping the next portable Zelda is as good as Minish Cap (and hopefully with the same classic controls)

FidliousWong @ Jan 3rd 2008 9:33AM

Yes, a game on par with Minish Cap would be lovely. Especially since Minish Cap took shit from Labyrinth and Beyond the Looking Glass. Just think, a handheld Zelda based on a book with empty pages. A lost Tomb of Prophecy, if you will. As you explore, pages get filled in. Actually, now that I've said it, that a hell of an idea for an action RPG....

DAMNIT! WHY DO I CURRENTLY HAVE TO BE WORKING ON TWO OTHER GAMES RIGHT NOW!

Slaziman (B-B-BRUSHED WITH FAAAAME) @ Jan 3rd 2008 2:07AM

I had the problem with my hand covering the screen too, but positioning myself so that only the stylus ever covered the screen fixed the problem.

dastardly007 @ Jan 3rd 2008 4:28AM

Totally agree about Phantom Hourglass. Huge disappointment for me as I loved Wind Waker.

Don't force stylus control on me - give me the choice!

JakubK666 @ Jan 3rd 2008 7:54AM

Something a la Super Mario 64 where you had 3 different control settings would be appreciated.

Stuart @ Jan 3rd 2008 10:20AM

As someone finishing up minish cap just so I could feel justified going into "Phourglass", all these joystiqers are making me nervous. Perhaps I should just continue chopping away at DMC3?

Brello @ Jan 3rd 2008 12:49PM

Agree with Zelda. So many glaring flaws and time wasters. So much time is spent backtracking, sneaking, sailing, solving ridiculously easy puzzles... A big letdown. Then again, I've been tired of the "solve this dungeon's puzzle using the item found in this dungeon" formula for a while now. It's not really a puzzle if they hand you the solution every time. After you're fully armed with all your gadgets? Game ends.

Cash @ Jan 4th 2008 12:50AM

I really wanted to like Sam and Max because I loved the original game from Lucasarts and the comics + TV show that came out after, but the voices for Sam and Max were so horribly miscast I couldn't get into it. When you grow up with a character, you develope in your head a set way of how they should act and sound. Anything new or different grinds against that set preconception, and the result is not a feeling of jubilation or entertainment, rather sheer annoyance.