geelw
01-01-2004, 09:21 AM
anyone who knows me also knows i absolutely HATE top 10 lists, especially when it comes to video games. every year, all the mags and game shows and sites roll out list after list, and for the most part they all say the same thing: the overhyped big bucks titles get listed and maybe one or two sleepers. anyway, i played waaaay too many good games last year, and finally decided to post some brief impressions of titles that put a smile on my face and/or were quite a bit of fun to play.
there are no 2D fighters or ball-based sports titles on the list because i'm not much of a fan of these genres. i DO, however give props to anyone out there who can put up with shelling out $40-$50 for what should be a yearly expansion pack (why can't you upload new football/baseball/basketball data onto a memory card or hard drive?). anyway, on to the list:
in no particular order, of course ;)
Wario Ware: Mega Microgame$ (GBA)- Nintendo pokes a bit of fun at itself and gives you dozens of quick little bites of a great-tasting pie. it's hard to put down once you start it up, yet if you're in a hurry, you can have a total blast while wating in line at the post office or on the bus to work.
Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time (PS2, Xbox, GC)- Jordan Mechner's classic character and gameplay reimagined wonderfully by ubisoft. Amazingly, the game looks great on all 3 systems, and even more amazingly, it makes you forget all about poor lara croft, if you're a tomb raider fan. Mechner wrote the story, in case you're concerned about the new game being one of those remade classics that forgets where it came from (ahem, pitfall and frogger, for example)...
Metal Arms: Glitch in the System (PS2, Xbox, GC)- one of many great sleepers this year. excellent action/shooter with a great new character and a wicked sense of humor. the game is fairly long and quite difficult at times, buit you'll be glad you gave it a go.
Disgaea: Hour of Darkness (PS2)- deep strategy/rpg with nearly endless leveling up and the ability to completely customize any character's attributes in the game. sure, it looks like a ps one game, but the character art is great, the voices and music are pure anime goodness (and selectable in english or japanese), and some of the more risque jokes will have you falling off your chair.
Ratchet & Clank: Going Commando (PS2)- Insomniac's skills with the hardware put many other developers to shame. this game is gorgeous to look at, gameplay is smooth as silk, and you get to blow the crap out of hundreds upon hundreds of enemies.
The Elder Scrolls: Morrowind- Game of the Year Edition (Xbox)- Bethsoft's great RPG gets updated with the bloodmoon and tribunal expansions, and another hundred or so hours of gameplay for $30. in all honesty, i still haven't finished the first game! thankfully, you can use your old xbox hd save with the new game. you'll DEFINITELY want to shell out the $20 extra for the 400+ page strategy guide. if you're looking for a game that'll take over most (if not all) of your free time, here it is.
Rogue Ops (Xbox, PS2, GC)- while it's not as polished as splinter cell or the other stealth games du jour, bits studios has done a pretty damn good job combining pc-style context sensitive and fast-paced action gameplay with some brain bending levels. Go for the Xbox version if you have the choice- it looks the best, and you can use your live headset to switch out nikki's weapons during the game.
Jak II (PS2)- well, jak's got a LOT more personality now (and a voice actor), daxter is still non-playble, and there's a much larger world to bop about in and adventure in. it's NOT grand theft auto clone some folks think it is. the plot is solid, the game is fairly long (and pretty tough at times), and it's here because naughty dog needs to revive rings of power using the same engine one of these days...
Fire Emblem (GBA)- this beat out ff tactics advance in my book because i've been waiting for nintendo to bring the series out here since i picked up the famicom game some years back. if you're a diehard strat fan, the opening tutorial is a pain, but once you get into the game, expect to spend some quality time with it.
Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic- thanks to the last two films, i haven't been a star wars fan for a while, but this one drew me back into the light side of the sw universe (the games). the third act is a bit talky and falls back on some annoying sw cliches, and the game almost loses itself there. but still, there are a load of memorable moments to be found here. also, the feeling that you're running about in some nice ralph mcquarrie pre-production artwork is really quite cool.
Arx Fatalis Xbox- if you've never played ultima underworld on the pc, here's the next best thing: a homage straight out of europe's arkane studios. featuring loads of cool weapons and armor to find, steal or kill for, at LEAST 50 spells to learn, and some excellent lighting effects. the game also is a bit of a brain teaser at times with multiple ways to get through the assorted caves, crypts, and dungeons. oh yeah, you king's field fans out there should defintely give this one a shot.
Otogi: Myth of Demons Xbox- from software and sega team up and deliver a great blend of fast paced hack & slash action and amazing (and a bit creepy) visuals and sounds. the story is pretty non-existent, and the main character, raikoh, says not a word, but you'll defintely feel transported into another realm as you make your way through the game's mythical japanese envvironments.
Colin McRae 3.0 (Xbox)- enough already! you can keep your "hollywood" style street racers and those annoying "tuner" cars (puh-leeeeze. if the movies are shit, why waste your time reliving the experience? )- this is the real deal, if you're a fan of pure all-out driving. no pretty boys or boob-shakin' mini-wearin' skanks here (not that i don't appreciate that stuff). just you and your car against the clock and some damn tricky courses. if the game had online play, it would be even better.
Broken Sword: The Sleeping Dragon (Xbox, PC)- a great adventure series makes the move to 3D, and is a magnificent game in most every aspect. the cinematic camerawork as you play puts many action games to shame, and it's worth a rental at least if you're looking for something a bit different than the usual "kill everything that moves" stuff that's hyped up over more cerebral games like this.
Silent Hill 3(PS2)- when you find yourself playing this game during the day and still getting freaked out beyond comprehension, well, that's a damn good barometer, i'd have to say. full of the most bizarre monsters in the series, some really unsettling content, and wacky as hell replay bonuses, this is one game that'll stay in your mind for weeks after you're done with it.
now where wuz i...
Midway Arcade Treasures (PS2)- the BEST $20 you'll spend on a game (actually, a bunch of damn good ones), period.
Goblin Commander: Unleash the Horde (PS2, Xbox, GC)- a RTS on a console system that works? yup, and it's probably the best pick up and play console RTS since herzog zwei. the developers managed to pull of a perfect control scheme for all 3 platforms. too bad the multi-player is limited to only 2 players, but who knows what'll happen if a sequel is made...
Viewtiful Joe (GC)- so, capcom can't make a good new street fighter game, but they can sure come up with a kick-ass beat-em-up that'll make your fingers bleed, and your controllers break. if there's ever another capcom vs. arcade fighter, guess who's gonna (no doubt) be a big playable character?
SpongeBob SquarePants (Xbox, PS2)- surprise, surprise. and i don't even watch the show. i had more fun with this game than i could have imagined, thanks to it's bizarre sense of humor and really sweet gameplay. sure, the levels are ridiculously HUGE, but it's one game that you probably won't want to put down anytime soon.
Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga (GBA)- simple controls and fun, funny, fast paced gameplay are the rule of the day here. even if you don't like the characters (i had to be shoehorned into a corner with a bat pointed at my head to play this), you'll definitely get your money's worth. you WILL wonder however just why nintendo isn't making game cube games that are this great...
Virtua Fighter 4: Evolution (PS2)- soul calibur 2 is great, but it wasn't as thrilling as the dreamcast original. vf4 was a surprise on the ps2, and this enhanced reissue (at a budget price) is even better. one caveat- the voice acting is REALLY terrible in both VF4 and SC II- can't SOMEONE get actors who don't try so damn hard to sound so damn awful?
Lost Kingdoms II (GC)- From Software's sequel to a game almost no one bought is so much more improved over the original that it seems like it's on another system. the visuals are gorgeous, the battles even more challenging, and it 's one of the best card battle games out there because it doesn't rely on cutesy licensed critters as a selling point.
Culdcept (PS2) actually, it's supposed to ship this month, but i finally played some of the import version last year, and when i heard it was coming out here, i nearly fell out of my chair. yeah, it's a board game with card battles, but there's a load of strategy involved, and the game will keep you hooked about 5 minutes into it...
Breath of Fire: Dragon Quarter (PS2)- capcom turns what could have been a standard RPG into a challenging little beast of a game with a nice visual style. play for as long as you can and risk it all, or crap out and start anew to see more of the plot. fish or cut bait gaming at it finest. anyone who claims to have beat this game on the first try (without cheating) is lying top to bottom...
Crimson Skies: High Road to Revenge (Xbox)- late, but well worth the wait. one of the best console flying games, and not just because the visuals and gameplay rock. while you're playing you feel totally transported into the game world, and that's the best compliment i can give. now if only they would have worked out those little issues in the latter half of the game, grrrr. still, it's a total blast...
Boktai: The Sun Is In Your Hand (GBA)- Hideo Kojima is crazy. Hideo Kojima is a genius. take your pick, but no matter what you say, you have to admit, Boktai is a damn cool little game. anything that gets us pasty-faced tv huddling trolls out of doors is a blessing in disguise. i'm sure all the girlfriends and boyfriends who were griping about how they never get to go anywhere while their sigoths (significant others) were sprawled in front of the telly flooded konami with all-new protests as they now got taken outside for outdoor cafe lunches and picnics and STILL got ignored in favor of a game... LOL
Bombastic (PS2) capcom, again!!! they managed to grab one of the most addictive puzzle games and stick the original devil dice on as well. buy it, and say goodnight to your social life.
The Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker(GC)- yeah, yeah, it wasn't as deep as the nes, snes, or n64 zeldas, but it was still a great game that shut up all the whiners bitching about the graphics. i could have done without the sea trips, but the game is quite a bit of fun, and it'll be interesting to see what miyamoto comes up with next...
Dark Cloud 2 (PS2)- defintely the best use of cel-shaded visuals in a RPG, and vastly improved over the original, DC2 has so much going on at times that it's hard to play without feeling overwhelmed at times. from the georama town making, to the picture taking/object creation, to the battles, which feature some of the wackiest looking enemies you'll ever see. it's hard to imagine what sort of sequel can come out of this game, but with level-5 working on a couple of other projects, who knows if there will be one?
Beyond Good & Evil (Xbox, PS2, GC)- a complete surprise, this is one of the coolest original games i've played in quite a while. a nice mix of adventure and action genres, there's also a load of humor and drama that makes the well-written story stick with you long after the game is over. too bad it's so short, but i'm sure these characters will appear elsewhere at some point...
there are no 2D fighters or ball-based sports titles on the list because i'm not much of a fan of these genres. i DO, however give props to anyone out there who can put up with shelling out $40-$50 for what should be a yearly expansion pack (why can't you upload new football/baseball/basketball data onto a memory card or hard drive?). anyway, on to the list:
in no particular order, of course ;)
Wario Ware: Mega Microgame$ (GBA)- Nintendo pokes a bit of fun at itself and gives you dozens of quick little bites of a great-tasting pie. it's hard to put down once you start it up, yet if you're in a hurry, you can have a total blast while wating in line at the post office or on the bus to work.
Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time (PS2, Xbox, GC)- Jordan Mechner's classic character and gameplay reimagined wonderfully by ubisoft. Amazingly, the game looks great on all 3 systems, and even more amazingly, it makes you forget all about poor lara croft, if you're a tomb raider fan. Mechner wrote the story, in case you're concerned about the new game being one of those remade classics that forgets where it came from (ahem, pitfall and frogger, for example)...
Metal Arms: Glitch in the System (PS2, Xbox, GC)- one of many great sleepers this year. excellent action/shooter with a great new character and a wicked sense of humor. the game is fairly long and quite difficult at times, buit you'll be glad you gave it a go.
Disgaea: Hour of Darkness (PS2)- deep strategy/rpg with nearly endless leveling up and the ability to completely customize any character's attributes in the game. sure, it looks like a ps one game, but the character art is great, the voices and music are pure anime goodness (and selectable in english or japanese), and some of the more risque jokes will have you falling off your chair.
Ratchet & Clank: Going Commando (PS2)- Insomniac's skills with the hardware put many other developers to shame. this game is gorgeous to look at, gameplay is smooth as silk, and you get to blow the crap out of hundreds upon hundreds of enemies.
The Elder Scrolls: Morrowind- Game of the Year Edition (Xbox)- Bethsoft's great RPG gets updated with the bloodmoon and tribunal expansions, and another hundred or so hours of gameplay for $30. in all honesty, i still haven't finished the first game! thankfully, you can use your old xbox hd save with the new game. you'll DEFINITELY want to shell out the $20 extra for the 400+ page strategy guide. if you're looking for a game that'll take over most (if not all) of your free time, here it is.
Rogue Ops (Xbox, PS2, GC)- while it's not as polished as splinter cell or the other stealth games du jour, bits studios has done a pretty damn good job combining pc-style context sensitive and fast-paced action gameplay with some brain bending levels. Go for the Xbox version if you have the choice- it looks the best, and you can use your live headset to switch out nikki's weapons during the game.
Jak II (PS2)- well, jak's got a LOT more personality now (and a voice actor), daxter is still non-playble, and there's a much larger world to bop about in and adventure in. it's NOT grand theft auto clone some folks think it is. the plot is solid, the game is fairly long (and pretty tough at times), and it's here because naughty dog needs to revive rings of power using the same engine one of these days...
Fire Emblem (GBA)- this beat out ff tactics advance in my book because i've been waiting for nintendo to bring the series out here since i picked up the famicom game some years back. if you're a diehard strat fan, the opening tutorial is a pain, but once you get into the game, expect to spend some quality time with it.
Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic- thanks to the last two films, i haven't been a star wars fan for a while, but this one drew me back into the light side of the sw universe (the games). the third act is a bit talky and falls back on some annoying sw cliches, and the game almost loses itself there. but still, there are a load of memorable moments to be found here. also, the feeling that you're running about in some nice ralph mcquarrie pre-production artwork is really quite cool.
Arx Fatalis Xbox- if you've never played ultima underworld on the pc, here's the next best thing: a homage straight out of europe's arkane studios. featuring loads of cool weapons and armor to find, steal or kill for, at LEAST 50 spells to learn, and some excellent lighting effects. the game also is a bit of a brain teaser at times with multiple ways to get through the assorted caves, crypts, and dungeons. oh yeah, you king's field fans out there should defintely give this one a shot.
Otogi: Myth of Demons Xbox- from software and sega team up and deliver a great blend of fast paced hack & slash action and amazing (and a bit creepy) visuals and sounds. the story is pretty non-existent, and the main character, raikoh, says not a word, but you'll defintely feel transported into another realm as you make your way through the game's mythical japanese envvironments.
Colin McRae 3.0 (Xbox)- enough already! you can keep your "hollywood" style street racers and those annoying "tuner" cars (puh-leeeeze. if the movies are shit, why waste your time reliving the experience? )- this is the real deal, if you're a fan of pure all-out driving. no pretty boys or boob-shakin' mini-wearin' skanks here (not that i don't appreciate that stuff). just you and your car against the clock and some damn tricky courses. if the game had online play, it would be even better.
Broken Sword: The Sleeping Dragon (Xbox, PC)- a great adventure series makes the move to 3D, and is a magnificent game in most every aspect. the cinematic camerawork as you play puts many action games to shame, and it's worth a rental at least if you're looking for something a bit different than the usual "kill everything that moves" stuff that's hyped up over more cerebral games like this.
Silent Hill 3(PS2)- when you find yourself playing this game during the day and still getting freaked out beyond comprehension, well, that's a damn good barometer, i'd have to say. full of the most bizarre monsters in the series, some really unsettling content, and wacky as hell replay bonuses, this is one game that'll stay in your mind for weeks after you're done with it.
now where wuz i...
Midway Arcade Treasures (PS2)- the BEST $20 you'll spend on a game (actually, a bunch of damn good ones), period.
Goblin Commander: Unleash the Horde (PS2, Xbox, GC)- a RTS on a console system that works? yup, and it's probably the best pick up and play console RTS since herzog zwei. the developers managed to pull of a perfect control scheme for all 3 platforms. too bad the multi-player is limited to only 2 players, but who knows what'll happen if a sequel is made...
Viewtiful Joe (GC)- so, capcom can't make a good new street fighter game, but they can sure come up with a kick-ass beat-em-up that'll make your fingers bleed, and your controllers break. if there's ever another capcom vs. arcade fighter, guess who's gonna (no doubt) be a big playable character?
SpongeBob SquarePants (Xbox, PS2)- surprise, surprise. and i don't even watch the show. i had more fun with this game than i could have imagined, thanks to it's bizarre sense of humor and really sweet gameplay. sure, the levels are ridiculously HUGE, but it's one game that you probably won't want to put down anytime soon.
Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga (GBA)- simple controls and fun, funny, fast paced gameplay are the rule of the day here. even if you don't like the characters (i had to be shoehorned into a corner with a bat pointed at my head to play this), you'll definitely get your money's worth. you WILL wonder however just why nintendo isn't making game cube games that are this great...
Virtua Fighter 4: Evolution (PS2)- soul calibur 2 is great, but it wasn't as thrilling as the dreamcast original. vf4 was a surprise on the ps2, and this enhanced reissue (at a budget price) is even better. one caveat- the voice acting is REALLY terrible in both VF4 and SC II- can't SOMEONE get actors who don't try so damn hard to sound so damn awful?
Lost Kingdoms II (GC)- From Software's sequel to a game almost no one bought is so much more improved over the original that it seems like it's on another system. the visuals are gorgeous, the battles even more challenging, and it 's one of the best card battle games out there because it doesn't rely on cutesy licensed critters as a selling point.
Culdcept (PS2) actually, it's supposed to ship this month, but i finally played some of the import version last year, and when i heard it was coming out here, i nearly fell out of my chair. yeah, it's a board game with card battles, but there's a load of strategy involved, and the game will keep you hooked about 5 minutes into it...
Breath of Fire: Dragon Quarter (PS2)- capcom turns what could have been a standard RPG into a challenging little beast of a game with a nice visual style. play for as long as you can and risk it all, or crap out and start anew to see more of the plot. fish or cut bait gaming at it finest. anyone who claims to have beat this game on the first try (without cheating) is lying top to bottom...
Crimson Skies: High Road to Revenge (Xbox)- late, but well worth the wait. one of the best console flying games, and not just because the visuals and gameplay rock. while you're playing you feel totally transported into the game world, and that's the best compliment i can give. now if only they would have worked out those little issues in the latter half of the game, grrrr. still, it's a total blast...
Boktai: The Sun Is In Your Hand (GBA)- Hideo Kojima is crazy. Hideo Kojima is a genius. take your pick, but no matter what you say, you have to admit, Boktai is a damn cool little game. anything that gets us pasty-faced tv huddling trolls out of doors is a blessing in disguise. i'm sure all the girlfriends and boyfriends who were griping about how they never get to go anywhere while their sigoths (significant others) were sprawled in front of the telly flooded konami with all-new protests as they now got taken outside for outdoor cafe lunches and picnics and STILL got ignored in favor of a game... LOL
Bombastic (PS2) capcom, again!!! they managed to grab one of the most addictive puzzle games and stick the original devil dice on as well. buy it, and say goodnight to your social life.
The Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker(GC)- yeah, yeah, it wasn't as deep as the nes, snes, or n64 zeldas, but it was still a great game that shut up all the whiners bitching about the graphics. i could have done without the sea trips, but the game is quite a bit of fun, and it'll be interesting to see what miyamoto comes up with next...
Dark Cloud 2 (PS2)- defintely the best use of cel-shaded visuals in a RPG, and vastly improved over the original, DC2 has so much going on at times that it's hard to play without feeling overwhelmed at times. from the georama town making, to the picture taking/object creation, to the battles, which feature some of the wackiest looking enemies you'll ever see. it's hard to imagine what sort of sequel can come out of this game, but with level-5 working on a couple of other projects, who knows if there will be one?
Beyond Good & Evil (Xbox, PS2, GC)- a complete surprise, this is one of the coolest original games i've played in quite a while. a nice mix of adventure and action genres, there's also a load of humor and drama that makes the well-written story stick with you long after the game is over. too bad it's so short, but i'm sure these characters will appear elsewhere at some point...