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GAME ON!
By Ian Bonds
December 30th, 2005
THE GAME ON! AWARDS, 2005
Well folks, another gaming year has come and gone. We’ve seen new consoles arrive, and a plethora of gaming goodness (and badness) come down the pike. So, as always, we wrap up the year in gaming with our annual Game On! Awards. Not your typical categories or winners here, but just a list of stuff that I feel should be remarked about in remembrance of what passed in gaming for 2005. Some good, some not so good, but all of them are…um…well, yeah, enough with the intro. The envelope, please…
BEST GAME YOU NEVER PLAYED
Sure, there are plenty of games out there to choose from, but some, while good, just slip through the cracks. There are unique games like KILLER 7, which offer style and substance over control and gameplay; arty titles like SHADOW OF THE COLOSSUS, where the look and feel of the game is one that should be hung on a wall but when you play it seems like 16 magnificent boss battles; or even high-rated games like SPLINTER CELL: CHAOS THEORY which got well deserved high marks and reviews, but sadly sat on store shelves.
The best example of a great game that you never played this year, however, goes to PSYCHONAUTS, the amazing action platformer from Tim Schafer. Unique characters, great storyline, tight control and gameplay, and fantastically cool visuals seemed to have been passed over by the average gamer. If you’re a platforming fan at all, you MUST seek this game out.
MOST DISAPPOINTING SEQUEL
For some folks, the anticipation is half the fun. But when the game you’re looking forward to keeps getting delayed week after month…and sometimes, after year, a gamer can start to worry. For some games, like WWE WRESTLEMANIA XXI, there should have been more waiting, as the game that was released didn’t feel finished. Others, like RAINBOW SIX: LOCKDOWN were a letdown in that they changed too much of the core gameplay elements and story and fans were just disappointed by the game as a whole.
This year’s winner (or loser, if you prefer), however, is GRAN TURISMO 4, taking the opposite route of not improving or changing ENOUGH over the last game. While the visuals indeed got some sharpening, and there was a bevy of cars to unlock, all in all, it felt like more of an expansion on the last game than a sequel…and for those fans that waited the three years in anticipation of this game, they felt very cheated indeed.
BEST MOVIE BASED ON A GAME
Wait, I’m sorry, such a thing doesn’t exist.
BEST GAME BASED ON A MOVIE
This is a category that doesn’t often have many nominees, but this year seemed to break ground in that many of the games presented this year licensed from film properties actually DIDN’T suck. While THE MATRIX: PATH OF NEO had a few control issues, it was still a decent action title, and offered fans the ability to finally play as The One. And while EVIL DEAD: REGENERATION was a new take on the sequel to the series, it’s budget price and easy controls outweighed it’s repetitiveness.
Still, when it came down to it, the winner of this category actually would up in a tie. Both THE WARRIORS and PETER JACKSON'S KING KONG scored high enough in my opinion to come away champs. THE WARRIORS has some of the best beat ‘em up brawling action, not seen since the hey-day of DOUBLE DRAGON (even including a 2D side scrolling version of the game in that vein once you complete the main adventure) and KING KONG truly showed how movie games should be done: with the complete guidance of not only one of the top developers in the business, but the filmmaker as well…right from the start of the FILM’S production (so it actually winds up finished when it’s released and not rushed out…ENTER THE MATRIX and AEON FLUX, I’m looking at you).
WORST LISENCING
This honestly should just be called the EA award. From BATMAN BEGINS’ futile attempt at making a superhero SPLINTER CELL FOR DUMMIES, to their acquisition of the NFL, negating all opposition, they’ve made some of the most heinous blunders, and yet still manage to stay on top, due to their endless rehashing of their titles year after year.
The most heinous, however, is the complete destruction of what could have been a fantastic fighting game license in MARVEL NEMESIS: RISE OF THE IMPERFECTS. Why were all the EA created characters stronger than the Marvel ones? Why was there only one attack button, let alone not any real variety between each character’s fighting style? WHY DID THE THING HAVE EARS? All of these questions were asked, but none were ever answered. And Marvel fans everywhere suffered for it.
BEST SYSTEM LAUNCH
This year, we saw the release of two new video game systems; the PSP and the Xbox 360. One is for the portable gaming fan with a deep pocket, and the other is for the next generation of games and gamers…also with deep pockets. One boasts high definition support and a fantastic online community, great interface, and stunning realistic graphics. The other offered not only gaming on the go, but movies and music as well, making it the high-end equivalent of a Gameboy smashed into an iPod.
Sadly, neither wins this award. The PSP was plagued by a dearth of titles at its launch, and still hasn’t quite hit its stride with killer apps yet. The Xbox 360 also doesn’t have many titles yet, but the simple fact of you not even being able to readily find a SYSTEM to play them on kind of makes title support a moot point. What’s there is nice, but most gamers are selling what they managed to secure on eBay for a higher price in the secondary market.
RETRO GAME OF THE YEAR
This year more than ever, we saw game companies releasing classic collections of their top rated and remembered games. MIDWAY ARCADE TREASURES 3 was released in an all-racing edition, and TECMO ARCADE found its way to store shelves with RYGAR and TECMO BOWL on board. There was even a TAITO collection, featuring SPACE INVADERS. Sadly, most of these collections didn’t offer ENOUGH of a variety of good games, just mediocre ones with a few exceptions.
Not so with CAPCOM CLASSICS COLLECTION VOL. 1. Here was a fantastic array of some of the companies arcade best, with a spectacular array of extras to unlock as you progressed through the quarter munching sensations. And while it may not have been a perfect collection (as many folks would have liked the NES versions of some titles over the SNES ones) it was certainly one for the record books on its sheer nostalgia factor, as well as the number of hits contained within. Well done.
CONSOLE SPECIFIC – BEST OF THE BEST 2005
Here, for the first time in Game On!, I’m going to pick my top hits for each console this year. For some, it’s not an easy task, as there is so much to choose from. Others, it’s far easier than it should be.
GAMECUBE GAME OF THE YEAR
Well, here’s the easy one first. This year, Gamecube didn’t have much going for it. The new ZELDA game was delayed, and there wasn’t much 3rd party love when it came to cross-console titles. However, it started the year strong with one of the best games…well, ever to be released. Of course, I mean RESIDENT EVIL 4. From it’s compelling (and zombie-less) storyline, new control scheme and camera angle, and stunning near-next-gen graphics, this was the game to beat, and it was released in January. Well played, Nintendo.
GAMEBOY ADVANCE GAME OF THE YEAR
Admittedly, I didn’t play much of my GBA this year, as the DS and PSP held most of my interest for gaming on the go. Still, there was one title that, while I was playing it, I raved endlessly about. THE LEGEND OF ZELDA: THE MINISH CAP held me in like no other GBA game has in a long time, and took me back to the heyday of playing LINK TO THE PAST on my SNES. The new weapons and moves for Link were fantastic and fun, the world of the Minish was new and exciting, and I couldn’t wait to get through the adventure, just to play it all over again.
DS GAME OF THE YEAR
This was a tougher choice, as two games kept me glued to my DS more than I spent eating this year. And while MARIO KART DS’ WiFi and multiplayer are not to be missed, and the single player experience is a great one, for me, it doesn’t get any better than CASTLEVANIA: DAWN OF SORROW. The game reinvigorated my interest in the series, as well as made me long for even more 2D adventures. The handheld CASTLEVANIA’S are always the best, it seems, and this one continues the tradition. Not only that, but it’s just a fantastic action game in its own right. While NINTENDOGS may be the game to sell systems to the younger crowd, their older brothers will steal them to play DAWN OF SORROW.
PS2 GAME OF THE YEAR
Another tough choice, as there were some serious contenders for this platform as well. Near the end of the year, Sony showed some amazing 1st party support with titles like SLY 3, RATCHET: DEADLOCKED and SHADOW OF THE COLOSSUS. But all in all, they paled in comparison to the epic adventure held within GOD OF WAR. From its fantastic storyline to its killer combo system and kick-ass anti-hero Kratos, Sony’s got a brand new franchise on it’s hands. Here’s hoping it only gets bigger and better from here.
PSP GAME OF THE YEAR
The little handheld that could. While it didn’t have the greatest launch in the world, and many of the titles are either rehashed ports or badly designed new games, there still are a few gems in the system’s collection. One of these gems has a history of being a big game on the home versions, so it’s magnificent to have GRAND THEFT AUTO: LIBERTY CITY STORIES be just as epic as its console big brothers. Good representation of the series’ key points, same high level of production in the missions and cut scenes, and there’s even some fantastic and fun multiplayer thrown in. The wait was worth it. Now let’s get some other games for the system that are just as good, so it doesn’t get lonely once you beat this title.
PC GAME OF THE YEAR
This year saw Game On!s first official PC reviews. And while my PC did get a bit sick during the year which prevented me from playing many, there was still one game that made me glad I started reviewing PC titles. THE MOVIES keeps me playing through all hours of the night, and keeps my creative juices flowing the way they should for someone who claims in the real world to be a filmmaker anyway. F.E.A.R. gets a close runner-up award for sheer flat-out FPS brilliance, but THE MOVIES has me all the way, hook line and sinker. If not only of what I can do with it now, but of what’s to come with the eventual expansions and sequels.
XBOX GAME OF THE YEAR
This was probably the hardest console to choose for, as many of the game’s exclusive to the system this year didn’t really stand out. HALF LIFE 2 is a great game, but pales in comparison to its PC version, with its dropping frame rates and entirely omitted multiplayer. SPLINTER CELL: CHAOS THEORY and PSYCHONAUTS are fantastic games, and look and play best on Xbox and Xbox Live, but aren’t exclusive to that console. And while CONKER: LIVE AND RELOADED and ADVENT RISING were well anticipated, the end results for each were a bit disappointing as a whole. That said, the choice I was left with was a bit of a shocker. For me, the best game on the Xbox this year was…PHANTOM DUST. A fantastic (and cheap) little fighter that strayed from the norm in its design and execution, PHANTOM DUST offered a large variety of missions, attacks and gameplay, as well as a cool online mode. It may not be the one you’d expect, but it should be the one you seek out.
XBOX 360 GAME OF THE YEAR
The new kid on the block. Sure, I haven’t even checked in with any real reviews of the game’s I’ve played for the fledgling system yet, as Christmas was a hectic time, let alone it took me forever to get my hands on a system in the first place. And while the system’s launch was filled with pumped up ports of sports titles and PC shooters, there was still a few brand new gems to behold for the new guy. While CALL OF DUTY 2 would be a shoe-in to win, it’s a port of the PC version, and disqualifies it from my voting process. Therefore, the winner for the 360 is none other than KAMEO: ELEMNETS OF POWER. While most folks out there haven’t even picked up this game, they’re doing themselves a great disservice, as it is one of the most lush and stunning platformers in a long time. Developer Rare has returned to classic form and crafted a beautiful, creative and most importantly fun game with which to get lost in. Here’s hoping to see more of the same as the system continues.
AND NOW…
…with those categories finished, it’s time to present the final two awards of the year. The moments you’ve all been waiting for: The Best, and Most Craptacular Games of the Year. After much careful deliberation and gnashing of teeth, I bring you the big winner, and the big wiener.
CRAPTACULAR GAME OF THE YEAR
This year…yeah, there was some shit thrown our way. SHADOW THE HEDGEHOG had the speed of SONIC, but made you slow down to shoot stuff…and it wasn’t even all that fun. TRUE CRIME: NEW YORK CITY had a very cool storyline, but was just as glitchy as the previous title (if not more so). And the less I say about MARVEL NEMESIS the better. But for the biggest bonehead game…much like the Highlander, there cane be only one…and that one is:
BEATDOWN: FISTS OF VENGEANCE (PS2, XBOX)
From the horrible voice acting, terrible story and the downright deplorable gameplay, you’d think the folks that brought us FINAL FIGHT could have done a better job with the 3D brawler. Capcom, take note of games like THE WARRIORS, or even MORTAL KOMBAT: SHAOLIN MONKS…and fix whatever you need to before FINAL FIGHT: STREETWISE comes out. You don’t want another BEATDOWN on your hands ever again.
But with that out of the way, we can now present our…
GAME ON! GAME OF THE YEAR 2005
It was a tough race, to be sure. There were games that captivated me, like PSYCHONAUTS, games that made me appreciate how the game was told over how it was played, like KILLER 7, and games that just flat fucking ruled like SPLINTER CELL: CHAOS THEORY, CALL OF DUTY 2, and PRINCE OF PERSIA: THE TWO THRONES. But for my money, my decision was made back in January…
RESIDENT EVIL 4 (GAMECUBE, PS2)
This is quite simply the reason to own a Gamecube. This is the reason we still play games; to see them evolve like this one has, like this series has, to such amazing success as this game. And while the PS2 port offers a bit more than the Gamecube version, both are still simply the pinnacle of ideal gaming. Story, graphics, control and sound, all executed brilliantly. Even back in January, there was no contest.
And thus, the awards were given out. The winners cheered, the losers wept, and someone saw a few new guys trying to break into the after party. See you all next year.
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