Game of the Year Obscuritiesby: Louis Bedigian
The awards you won't see anywhere else. Every December comes the time when the best games of the year must be selected, written about, and paraded for all to see. It sounds easy but never is - we all have our favorites, niche and mainstream, and we all think that our picks our best regardless of what anyone else is thinking. Ultimately, the overall Game of the Year winner is usually a title that not only receives the most votes, but close to 75% of them. It's the other categories - the special awards, genre winners and per platform picks - that result in stronger, differing opinions. This year I wanted to take another look at the games that no one looked at. The games that were hyped and sold well but were misunderstood, as well as those that simply rocked my world in 2007.
Best Game No One's Heard Of: Odin Sphere Being a video game journalist has its perks: you get to play a lot of games, write about what you love, and (if you're lucky) travel to industry events to preview demos of games that are not yet on store shelves. There's another perk that most people don't know about: playing games that you would have otherwise skipped or completely missed. In 2007, the best unheard of game that came my way was Odin Sphere for PlayStation 2. This action-heavy title is exquisite in gameplay and graphics, taking inspiration from Devil May Cry and Castlevania while harnessing a unique visual style that demonstrates artistic talent not seen anywhere else - not even on the next-gen platforms. The gameplay is addictive, the combat is deep and challenging (in spite of its beat-‘em-up repetitions), and the character designs are the best since Okami. My Full Review Most Over-Hyped Game That Deserves More Attention: Assassin's Creed Those who have played Assassin's Creed seem to fall into one of two categories: they love it and the innovative world dynamics or merely think the game is “alright.” That won't ever change. But the only way to determine which group you fit into is to play it. The constant positive/counter-positive hyperbole has made some gamers avoid it altogether - that's a huge mistake. I was guilty of it too until the controller was thrown into my hands at E3, which encouraged me to play the game more thoroughly at its release. Now I know which group I fit into. Do you?
Best Peripheral: Rock Band's Drum Kit Everyone raves about the heavier, sturdier, more realistic-feeling guitar that comes with Rock Band. But the drum kit deserves just as much attention. It's well built, highly responsive, and is loads of fun to use. In between songs, I couldn't help but drum random beats. All I could hear were drums hitting the plastic, but I didn't care. It just felt right. Donkey Konga, Drum Mania and Taiko Drum Master are fun, but their peripherals can't compare to this one. Worst Peripheral: Wii Zapper I'd rather point and shoot a toy gun at my television than point and click a remote while playing Resident Evil: The Umbrella Chronicles. Regardless, the Wii Zapper kind of sucks. It may look cool and fancy, but it's nothing more than a holster for your remote and nunchuck. The faux trigger is merely a piece of plastic that depresses the remote's B button when pulled. On the bright side, the Zelda shooting game (included with the gun) is fun. But if the Wii Wheel is of the same low quality as the Wii Zapper, Nintendo will have to include Mario Kart with the peripheral (as casually stated at E3) to get anyone to buy it.
Saddest Departure: Clover Studio Clover Studio, a Capcom division formed by some of their finest developers, closed its doors earlier this year. They were responsible for Okami, one of the last great PlayStation 2 releases, and one of 2006's most memorable games. Best News For E3 Attendees: The Show Goes Back to LACC Just days before Christmas, E3 2008 was officially confirmed with the announcement that it would return to the Los Angeles Convention Center. The event, scheduled to take place next July, will still be an invite-only affair without the convention center hoopla of the previous shows. But by having the expo in one location, we'll spend more time covering games (the purpose of the event) and less time running between hotels. What about those poor, sneaky gamers that were once E3 attendees but now shunned from the show under its new format? I haven't forgotten you. I'm still shooting for a North American event on par with the Tokyo Game Show, where both journalists and average gamers can get in on the fun. That won't happen anytime soon. But with PAX and E for All trying to fill the void, and with E3 showrunners listening to our requests (as far as the location is concerned, at least), we might someday get our wish.
Most Disappointing News For Gamers Everywhere: MGS4 Delayed - Twice! I attended my first E3 in 2005, the year Konami announced MGS4 and displayed its first trailer. The game appeared again in trailer form at my second E3, and in 2007, it appeared once more with another trailer. In fact, an entire E3 press conference was dedicated to the trailer's second showing (its first showing was during the Sony conference earlier that day). Finally in September and October the game was made playable to the press and general public at TGS and E for All. But because the game slipped from its fall '07 release to March '08, and then again to mid-08, we could end up having another E3 with MGS4. Fourth game. Four (potentially) E3s. Please, please Konami, don't make us wait past summer to play the finished product.
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