| 10. Mirror's Edge
To view links or images in this forum your post count must be 20 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.
Modern video games are incredibly complex creations, more so than we give them and their countless programmers, artists and exploding barrel technicians credit for. The feelings video games elicit, however, can be simple. Mirror's Edge is a complicated bundle of codes and clauses underneath its bold exterior, but its joys are immediate and primal. It's the game that made jumping exciting again.
And jumped we did, breathlessly across, under and over an urban race course, our persecutors mere steps behind us. Mirror's Edge cuts to the chase, here a vertiginous sequence of elegant platforming and a ruthless hunt for efficiency. It's absolutely thrilling, presented in a perspective usually reserved for blundering man-tanks. Yes, there are cumbersome guns -- a literal throwaway element -- and yes, there's fist-to-face combat that's more than a little challenging. How many controllers would have been spared had the "Test of Faith" Achievement been removed?
Mirror's Edge does stumble occasionally, but when it runs, it leaves most games in the dust. It's one of the most difficult, engaging, frustrating and satisfying experiences of the year. Chase it.
9. Dead Space
To view links or images in this forum your post count must be 20 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.
Many of us found our hearts eviscerated by Electronic Arts' welcome, if financially maddening, newfound appreciation for original property. And while survival horror is hardly an unexplored genre, it's rare that any company, even a juggernaut like EA, gets everything right the first time. Dead Space nails it, and whether it's an eerie trek through the bowels of a derelict space ship, or surviving being cut to ribbons by aliens, cultists or former co-workers, staying alive has seldom felt as satisfying as it does aboard the USG Ishimura.
Dead Space changes up the experience of shooting anything that moves by forcing us to focus on precision, rending limbs from bodies and turning each frightening encounter into a shooting gallery. It grabbed ahold of us with its many alien tendrils and didn't let go, and at times, with the lights turned down and speakers resonating the sounds of slimy things scuffling just out of earshot, it was easy to forget that what we were playing was just a game. Helping this is one of the most elegant and functional examples of UI ever designed. Truthfully, if the developers don't come away from Dead Space with heaps of accolades for this feat alone there is no justice.
With scares aplenty and more severed appendages than we can count, Dead Space is one of the most remarkable examples of survival horror to come along this console generation, leaving us wanting more as we check just one more time under the bed before turning out the lights.
8. FarCry 2
To view links or images in this forum your post count must be 20 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.
Would you believe that Far Cry 2 is a lot like the original Star Wars trilogy? It's true! Before he took to bludgeoning audiences with obnoxious special effects, director George Lucas delivered a coherent, lived-in world that seemed more cobbled together than intentionally designed. The spaceships were old and busted, the bars were filthy and sometimes, the hyperdrives just didn't work.
Far Cry 2's approximated Africa feels like just such a place -- dangerous, dirty and devoid of designer fingerprints. There's no level design here, no dynamic vegetation and no sophisticated radiosity. There's only a blistering sun creeping through the trees, their leaves shivering in fear of the approaching downpour.
And then you shoot stuff!
Though Far Cry 2's enormous map entertains movement in any direction, you're strictly set on a path of violence. But the world's organic nature can't be escaped, with even minor firefights threatening to set off spectacular chain reactions. Whether those play in your favor largely depends on your ability to deal with unreliable weapons, misfiring rockets and ravenous fires. It's a thing of beauty when your perfect plan degenerates to, "Right, I'm going to burn everything to the ground."
Be careful, though -- it's easy to get burned yourself. As your missions for Africa's duplicitous dictators become more lucrative and increasingly despicable, you may be surprised to find how easily your morals crumble under the weight of progress. Joseph Conrad would approve ... but he'd probably complain about the rapidly respawning guard checkpoints a little bit.
7. LittleBigPlanet
To view links or images in this forum your post count must be 20 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.
Upon further reflection, choosing LittleBigPlanet as one of our ten favorite games of the year is the ludological equivalent of Oprah adding an empty journal to her revered list of "must-buy" literature, or the Art Institute of Chicago proudly adding a coloring book to one of its exhibits. Actually, that analogy isn't completely sound -- said journal would have a wildly entertaining, oftentimes hilarious foreword, and the first few pages of said coloring book would have been filled in by Georgia O' Keeffe.
What we mean to say is that the common elements present in the other nine titles on this enumerated list of honors are absent -- or at the very least, extremely faint -- in LBP. The plot for the story mode is Super Mario Bros.-esque in its simplicity, the gameplay hearkens back to an era where providing the player with three commands (run, jump and grab) for their on-screen representation was commonplace, and the visual aesthetic is devoid of amber hues and eye-searing bloom lighting.
However, the genius of Media Molecule's magnum opus isn't imbued in what the developers themselves created for the prospective inhabitants of their texturized world -- it's in the tools that they've provided. Finally, players can breathe life into the virtual worlds they've been imagining since they pressed their very first power button, and picked up their very first controller.
The "teach a man to fish" proverb is often alluded to when describing games with a heavy focus on user-created content. Etched into the shiny backside of the LBP disc is more than just a mere fishing lesson -- the game provides its most dedicated players with a damn near-boundless Build-A-Fish Factory. We've yet to have an idea which we couldn't bring to fruition in some form using the game's expansive toolset. A motorbike race across a desert? A modern-day rendition of Ice Climbers? A pinball machine? An immolated, six-eyed duck with crab claws that sings Morris Day and the Time covers? All terrifyingly within the realm of possibilities.
We imagine that Media Molecule's proudest moment since the game's launch was not its warm critical reception, but rather, the first time a player published a level that rivaled one of their own in terms of quality and creativity. We recall clearly the first such level that we played -- it was a pretty startling moment for us as well, as it was the first time we realized that the tools we had in our possession were used to create the story mode we'd been tooling around in. Media Molecule had unknowingly issued the purchasers of their game with an invitation, or perhaps even a challenge.
"Think you can design a game better than us? We'd like to see you try."
6. Gears of War 2
To view links or images in this forum your post count must be 20 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.
When a game has you sitting on the edge of your seat, your heart pounding out of your chest, and the feeling that you might have a stroke any second, then you know the developer did something right. Even if that something might result in a nervous breakdown, or your eventual death.
That's what the Gears of War 2 Horde mode does. In fact, Epic could have just released this as a standalone game called Gears of War: The Hordening, and we'd still have picked it up. It trumps the regular multiplayer modes – broken matchmaking complaints aside – because you know that no matter how great the match is, or how skilled your teammates are, it'll all be over in a few rounds. Horde mode gives you fifty (50!) waves of enemies who grow more skilled and more difficult to down as you play. That's pure adrenaline-fueled addictive gamecrack right there.
Sure the campaign co-op mode is back, and the campaign now gives you the opportunity to ride on top of giant vehicles, drive tanks, and eventually pilot a Brumak – like Cliffy said (a few dozen too many times): Gears 2 is bigger, better, and more bad-ass. But it's easy to underestimate just how addictive Horde mode can be. If they ever created a DLC Horde level where you're piloting a Brumak, that's just about pure gold waiting to happen.
If all that isn't enough, Epic has sprinkled several upgrades and tweaks throughout this sequeltastic experience. If you hated that the old cover system that had you sticking to walls like Colorforms in '82, don't worry. That's been fixed. Now you don't have to peel yourself off of a concrete block to avoid getting killed. New weapons? Indeedily do. Nothing says "Howdy neighbor!" like the cranking barrels of the Mulcher, which is just one of several new ways to turn your opponents into ground hamburger.
From chainsaw duels to meatshields, Gears of War 2 offers an arsenal of improvements over the original (which, for the curious amongst you, was Joystiq's 2006 Game of the Year), along with plenty of colorful language and tons of gore -- including a lot of new choice quotes from The Cole Train. What more can you really ask for?
5. Braid
To view links or images in this forum your post count must be 20 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.
People exhibit different reactions upon playing Braid. Some, like Soulja Boy, show a child-like appreciation for the unique implementations of time manipulation in the game. It's hard not to smile, or let out a laugh, when your character gets hit by a demented Goomba and you rewind -- only to repeat the same mistake. The gameplay is incredibly accessible, and does a great job of teaching players new tricks as they progress forward. Slight alterations of the time mechanic make Braid feel consistently new and fresh.
There are others, though, that delve much deeper into the tale that Braid weaves. There are numerous interpretations on various forums, all with different answers to some of the game's most challenging questions: What is the princess running away from? What is the main character's fatal mistake? What is the true meaning of the princess?
Braid provides a tale that's less conventional than most, offering gamers an opportunity to become part of the creative process. In many ways, Braid is the closest video game approximation to poetry, allowing players to shape the experience into a truly personal one. For many, Braid is simply a journey, a fun toy in which the story is inconsequential. For others, the game is simply a bizarre parody of the Mario universe, with cute visual nods to the original NES game (the princess is in another castle!). Others still will see it as a warning against curiosity and the insatiable quest for power. There are many layers to the game, each reflecting the thoughts and concerns of the player and, like in poetry, Braid offers many images and creative hooks that allow players to come to unique conclusions -- all of which are valid.
The profound impact of Braid is rather surprising considering its humble origins. Although it may be a small, short downloadable game, there's so much to appreciate about Braid's intelligent design. Braid accomplishes much more than most retail games even dream of, and easily deserves its spot in Joystiq's Top 10.
4. Fallout 3
To view links or images in this forum your post count must be 20 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.
There was a point -- maybe three hours in -- when we were half convinced that Fallout 3 was intentionally trying to make us not like it. Here we were, in what is probably one of the most stunningly realized game worlds ever designed, feeling like we'd been duped.
The pace was plodding, the voice acting was dreadful, and we actually preferred engaging in face-to-face dialog with the ghouls than most of the human characters, who were, in a way, more ghoulish in appearance. Someone had us running fetch quests and the whole experience seemed nothing like the deeply engrossing adventure we'd imagined.
Then something changed. We don't know if it was the uncommon premise of one of the quests, a new location that had us floored, or simply the sight of an enemy's head fleeing its body in slow-mo during V.A.T.S. combat. Actually, thinking back, it was most likely a combination of everything we just mentioned, on top of being genuinely intrigued by where the main plot was heading.
So we went with it, sticking to the main quest ... and, before too long, it was over. The ending was all right. Mostly, we were left with a feeling of "That's it?" There was so much of the world map unexplored, so many quests unfulfilled. So many perks gone untested. We loaded a save we'd made just prior to the ending and set out to see what the Wasteland was hiding.
To view links or images in this forum your post count must be 20 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.
We picked a random destination and just hoofed it. It wasn't long before Fallout 3's true nature was exposed. This isn't a linear RPG; this is a world. Every ruin contains a mystery, and around every bend is a new (and often surprising) situation. It's meant to be lived in and combed for every last bit of the experience it has to offer. It's a role-playing game in the truest sense; when you're a hundred or so hours in, you feel as if you're leading another (far more exciting) life, one that you've carved out of civilization's remains.
There are so many things you'll miss if you don't get out and explore. We'd never have gathered up parts and made a railway rifle that pinned enemies to walls, or a flaming sword from a lawnmower blade. Or become obsessed with tracking down every last Vault Boy bobblehead, pre-war book, human finger ... or any of the myriad items that seem pointless, yet have a purpose.
Much like Fable II, this is a game to lose yourself in. To really inhabit the character you've chosen to be. And, like Fable II, to not want the experience to end (and be elated when you learn that there's more to come).
Despite spots of questionable presentation, downright ridiculous bugs that see enemies dropping out of the sky (or sailing off into it), and even the inability to earn certain Achievements if you don't perform a task just right, Fallout 3 is unquestionably one of the most engrossing, rewarding games you'll ever play. Its spot among Joystiq's top 10 games of 2008 was far from a given in those early hours, but is ultimately well deserved.
3. Left 4 Dead
To view links or images in this forum your post count must be 20 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.
"So there we were, just the four of us on the pier, the boat nowhere in sight and a tank charging at us through the trees..."
You've probably heard plenty of variations on this story over the past few weeks. But what's more surprising: That Left 4 Dead's horrifying scenarios seem so unique game-to-game that players think stories about them would be entertaining, or that we've heard so many of them and still can't get enough?
It's simple, both in plot -- four survivors try to escape the zombie apocalypse -- and in gameplay. But through its simplicity, L4D is able to address some multiplayer problems that might have seemed unsolvable just a few months ago.
Those solutions are so subtle, one might not even realize that's exactly what they are. How do you build a spirit of teamwork? Have players constantly risk everything to save their friends, then frequently force those friends to return the favor. How do you keep players from hoarding power-ups? Reward them for giving them away. How do you break up a long campaign? Let the players occasionally switch teams and play as the enemy. There's a wealth of really fresh thinking on display here.
A good match of Left 4 Dead is a singular experience, one that created its own vocabulary, its own codes of action nearly overnight. When we hear now that a friend or colleague is a "witch shooter," there's no further explanation necessary. (And yes, Griffin, we're looking at you.)
The allure of Left 4 Dead isn't just in its design wizardry though. The motivation of working as a team to bring down a tank works, in part, because of the disturbing audio and visual cues that accompany his arrival. Likewise, dirty, dirty witch shooters like Griffin are all the more vile because the witch's haunting cries make the moments leading up to his treachery so tense.
Through an almost absurdly simple premise, Left 4 Dead addresses some big ideas, providing a road map for future developers wishing to create true co-operative experiences. It may be just a skeleton, but we can't wait to see how other developers flesh it out in the coming years.
2. Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots
To view links or images in this forum your post count must be 20 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.
s it a cliché to call Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots the gamer's game? Of course it is. But that's the thing with clichés, they're just so perfect at explaining what we're too unimaginative to express in fantastic detail. Fitting then, that MGS4 is a near-impossible amalgamation of cliché and creativeness. A spawn of convoluted histories and a bold vision of gaming's future.
If it was up to creator Hideo Kojima to expound the merits of his masterpiece you'd be in for a verbose, probably boring -- and most certainly unplayable -- account. Thankfully, we will do our best to provide a terse study of Joystiq's runner-up to Game of the Year 2008. So then, what makes MGS4 so darn special?
Short answer: MGS4 is really strange. It's not that the game's strangeness isn't apparent to a casual player or newcomer -- just peep the truly bizarre opening: an obnoxious in-game ad (or is it?) followed by the best-looking digital fried eggs you've ever seen. But, and this brings us back to our cliché, to a video game lifer (a "gamer"), MGS4 is not unlike -- dare we mention -- a reader cracking open a postmodern novel for the first time. That is to say, MGS4 experiments with previously unknown possibilities of the medium (you know, it's "innovative"), while sticking to some established conventions. Perhaps it's true brilliance, though, is in its ability to present itself as distinctly ordinary. One could play through MGS4 from beginning to end, doze through the hours of cut scenes, and come away fulfilled, having played one helluva action game.
To view links or images in this forum your post count must be 20 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.
Here's another cliché: Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots is an onion. This game has layers. It's a rabbit hole. (There we go again ... ) It's difficult to characterize MGS4 in short-answer format -- without singling out each detail. A good suggestion, then, is just that: examine the details. There's an aching old man who's hip enough to sport an iPod and still sharp enough to steal an up-skirt peek (did you press L1 fast enough?). There's war -- changed, but still the same. A sweeping geo-socio-political discourse not quite on the level of Jared Diamond's Pulitzer Prize winner, Guns, Germs, and Steel, not nearly as organized (or based on real evidence) either, but, nonetheless, provocative enough to fuel a thoughtful dinner conversation. There are literal ghosts visible through the appropriate lens of a soldier stalking through the past. And there are ghosts that really aren't ghosts at all. There's love and revenge and redemption, spun together in a typical twist. And too many clones and government conspiracies to possibly keep track of (hence the companion database).
There are guns (lots of guns!), epic boss battles, insane challenges, insane polygon counts, a moving score (of the musical variety -- and there are game stats, too), a life-size microwave oven, pooped-in pants, hidden "idols" and photo shoots, cynical product placement, a monkey in a Mylar diaper, fourth wall-breaking references and -- enough! -- you get the point. With heads swirling, one thought is clear:
We really gotta play this game. One. More. Time.
1. Fable 2
To view links or images in this forum your post count must be 20 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.
In many ways, Peter Molyneux and friends at Lionhead had a steeper hill to climb than most of the games on this list. Fable 2 is, after all, the sequel to 2004's Fable – one of gaming's great "disappointments." It went something like this: the delta between what was promised and what was delivered was so great, that the press – roped in by the charming Molyneux – and by proxy the players, retaliated. The result: what really wasn't a terrible game is still now, years later, remembered as a disappointment.
Enter: Fable 2. Like Nintendo's illustrious Zelda series, Fable 2 is more of an aesthetic, as opposed to a narrative, sequel. You'll spot familiar gameplay elements, familiar narrative themes, and even some familiar places – this is definitely a Fable game. But it's also something entirely new: a new Albion, with a new Hero, new quests, a new enemy and, most importantly, the newfound ability to marry execution with ambition.
With so many things to do in the world of Albion, your experience is really your own; decisions will have long-lasting (and often irreversible) consequences. Return the deeds as a child? Invest in Barnum's Westcliff plan? Take a wife? Two wives? Have a child? Children? Each of these decisions will not only affect how you play the game, but determine what kind of game you're playing, culminating in the final and (depending on how you've played) uncompromisingly difficult decision.
But, was that decision final? Upon "finishing" Fable 2, you're right back in Albion, living with the outcome of yet another decision. There's a handful of new quests available and, more than likely, some left over. And you'll want to come back: Fable 2's unique side-quests defy most traditional RPG's "Mad Libs" design model – each of the game's surfeit of quests pairs nuanced characters with clever writing (in fact, nearly every facet of the game carries the unmistakable imprint of British humor) to deliver a rewarding – and most notably, a memorable – experience.
To view links or images in this forum your post count must be 20 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.
And we'd be remiss to neglect the game's achievements. Not just a handful of collectible badges for the OCD-set, Lionhead used the game's achievements to encourage exploration of its myriad mechanics. Consider The Goth: dye your hair and clothing black. Or The Hunter: Turn Safety off so you "kill a sweet, innocent, fluffy bunny rabbit." Yes, even the achievements share the game's cheeky sense of humor.
Fable 2's Albion feels like a living, breathing creation. A world that continues spinning, with or without you. Don't believe us? Turn it off for a month and see how much gold you earn from your properties. Or visit the shooting range in Westcliff, toggle the settings so you can see all the Fable 2 players on Xbox Live (not just your friends), and witness an ad-hoc bartering session, floating orbs pleading for dolls (you can only win one, but need six for The Dollcatcher achievement). Oh, and then there's the forthcoming DLC! But we digress ...
Fable 2 has not only refined Molyneux's original promise but, in doing so, has even surpassed many of our earlier, admittedly inflated, expectations for that game. Much like Molyneux, Fable 2 is the comeback kid, knocked down in the first round, but with too much ambition – too much heart, like they say in boxing – to stay down. |
Linear Mode
