Top 5 games of 2006

[Bootaaay]

It's been a good year for gaming, the PS3 and Wii have launched worldwide (almost ;)), the Xbox 360 has continued to expand on it's launch last year, MMO gaming has reached the mainstream thanks to the ever increasing userbase of World of Warcraft and classic franchises like The Legend of Zelda and Final Fantasy have released new top quality instalmants, acclaimed by critics and fans alike. Overall there's been more great games than you can shake a stick at, but which 5 have been your favourites?

In no particular order my top 5 is as follows;

Valkyrie Profile 2: Silmeria (developed by: Tri-Ace, published by: SquareEnix, platform: PS2)

http://suprfile.com/src/2/56l1xwm/valkyrie-profile-2-silmeria-20060508042347933.jpg (http://suprfile.com/get.php?id=56l1xwm) http://suprfile.com/src/2/56l3csv/valkyrie-profile-2-silmeria-20060926092247481.jpg (http://suprfile.com/get.php?id=56l3csv)

The original Valkyrie Profile is one of my favourite RPGs of all time, so the sequel had a lot to live up to - fourtunatly Tri-Ace didn't disapoint and delivered a lengthy, challenging RPG with a cool battle system that manages to retain the unique style of the original while providing somthing fresh in the wake of a multitude of generic JRPGs.

Dragon Quest VIII: Journey of the Cursed King (developed by: Level-5, published by: SquareEnix, platform: PS2)

http://suprfile.com/src/2/56l95z1/dragon-quest-viii-journey-of-the-cursed-king-20050516011419752.jpg (http://suprfile.com/get.php?id=56l95z1) http://suprfile.com/src/2/56lann6/dragon-warrior-viii-20041111030143625.jpg (http://suprfile.com/get.php?id=56lann6)

What DQ8 lacks in challenge, it makes up for in sheer scope and enjoyment - a simplistic turn-based battle engine conceals a game with hidden depth, and after putting in the time becomes very fun and rewarding. The game is truely a pleasure to play through, be it thanks to the beautiful cel-shaded graphics, the engaging side-quests or simply the great length of the story mode. This was my first DQ game, and it's ensured i'll be picking up everything the series has to offer from now on.

Gears of War (developed by: Epic Games, published by: Microsoft, platform: Xbox 360)

http://suprfile.com/src/2/56lgp2o/gears-of-war-20061107034945940.jpg (http://suprfile.com/get.php?id=56lgp2o) http://suprfile.com/src/2/56lix55/gears-of-war-20061107035019971.jpg (http://suprfile.com/get.php?id=56lix55)

It's awesome when a game thats been hyped as much as Gears of War has actually turns out to be just as great as everyone made it out to be - and Epic Games awesome tactical shooter has managed to do just that. It's set the bar for next-generation graphics with some amazing lighting and effects that only help enhance the tense atmosphere that playing Gears of War generates. For me, the most notable thing Epic has achieved here is that they've made the tactical shooter genre accessable with the addition of Halo-style arcadey combat to the in-depth tactical approach of games like Ghost Recon.

Okami (developed by: Clover Studios, published by: Capcom, platform: PS2)

http://suprfile.com/src/2/56lnhtd/okami-20060914033455508.jpg (http://suprfile.com/get.php?id=56lnhtd) http://suprfile.com/src/2/56lpfv9/okami-20060310045419691.jpg (http://suprfile.com/get.php?id=56lpfv9)

The first thing you notice about Okami is the beatifull art direction. Featuring an amazing cel-shaded look heavily influenced by Japanese Sumi paintings, the whole game is littered with references to Japanese culture and mythology that makes the game a joy to play through. It's been a long while since a game for a non-Nintendo platform has managed to capture what makes playing Zelda so enjoyable, but Okami manages it - and while it may be relativly short and not particularly challenging compared to some itterations of the Zelda franchise, the entertainment comes from exploring the world of Okami and progressing through the storyline.

Test Drive Unlimited (developed by: Eden Studios, published by: Atari, platform: Xbox 360)

http://suprfile.com/src/2/56lv896/test-drive-unlimited-audi-revealed-20060830015836056.jpg (http://suprfile.com/get.php?id=56lv896) http://suprfile.com/src/2/56lw2jc/test-drive-unlimited-20061121045344869.jpg (http://suprfile.com/get.php?id=56lw2jc)

Test Drive Unlimited marks the biggest innovation in the racing genre for years by taking the classic 'win races, earn money, buy new cars' forumla and taking it online. Eden Games have carefully sculpted over 1000 miles of hawaiian island where thousands of gamers can progress through the game, compete, collect & trade together and quite frankly they've managed to make a game that far more accesable and enjoyable than all the Gran Turismo's, Project Gothams, Forza's and Need for Speed's put togther. The game has a real attention to detail, be it from the beatiful car models, the highly detailed car interiors or the multitude of ways gamers can interact with each other (such as forming car clubs with your mates and challenging other clubs, or just cruising around the island using the communicator to converse with your group).

Not every game could make the list so here are my honorable mentions;

PS2 - FFXII (easily the best FF since 8), Tales of the Abyss (highly underrated JRPG), Yakuza (AM2s answer to the question - "what would Shenmue be like if it was full of Yakuza's and violence?")

Xbox 360 - Pro Evolution Soccer 6 (best version of the series yet imho), Ninety Nine Nights (underrated button masher), Dynasty Warriors 5: Empires (this is what Dynasty Warriors originally should have been, well over a decade ago - still, it's nice to finally play the definitive version of DW)

DS - Yoshi's Island DS & New Super Mario Bros (best platformers in ages, totally reminded me how awesome SNES era platformers could be)

Wii - Wii Sports (simply because of it's unniversal fun and accesability), The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess (awesome game, should've been in my top 5 but I haven't completed it yet)

[Adamaniac 791]

I saw this thread a while ago but I haven't had the chance to post in it yet, sorry Bootaaay. :( Anyway I have only actually bought 4 games this year (all for PSP) so I guess I shall have to make a top 4 list instead. :laugh:

Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops (Developer: Kojima Productions, Publisher: Konami)

Yay :thumup:

The Gameplay: Finally, after 2 card based PSP Metal Gear games (which were actually quite good fun to play) the real Metal Gear Solid gameplay experience has arrived on the PSP. Pretty much everything you could do in MGS3 has made it into Portable Ops including the movable camera from Subsistence and CQC feels easier to carry out on the PSP. Although instantly recognisable as an MGS game there is also a new strategy layer to the game, making for a truly unique gameplay experience. Rather than being on a solo sneaking mission players must recruit enemy soldiers to their side and create a small army (the FOXHOUND unit) to achieve their aims. Also the new mission structure allows for bitesize, handheld friendly chunks of gameplay. Collecting soldiers is a huge part of the game, you will mainly recruit them via the single player game however you can fight for them online, recruit them via access points (making great use of the PSP wifi) trade them with friends (Metal Gear Pokemon anyone? :laugh: ) and every solder you find has unique stats and abilities. Also a thing that MGS has always been great at, putting the lives of enemy soldiers in your hands and making you question whether you should kill them on moral grounds has been expanded on thanks to the recruitment system. MGS1 allowed you to spare enemy lives by stunning them with kicks and punches rather than shooting them, MGS2 gave us the tranquiliser gun, meaning players could send them to sleep rather than lethally shooting them and the hold up in which enemy soldiers begged for their lives, MGS3 gave us interrogations in which enemy soldiers also begged for their lives and the "fight" with The Sorrow in which you encounter every soldier you killed in the game up to that point wailing in pain due to the way you killed them and finally in MGS:PO every enemy you encounter is a potential recruit to your cause and can be converted to be one of the "good guys".

Controls: Kojima Productions have done a good job at translating the MGS control method onto PSP, of course it is different in a few ways to the PS2 control method and is slightly harder to initially grasp but it doesn't get in the way of the gameplay.

Graphics: MGS: Portable Ops has some of the best graphics I have seen on PSP. Character models are extremely detailed, explosions look absolutely brilliant, the environments look great (almost on par with MGS3) and it wouldn't look out of place on PS2 in my opinion.

Sound: Along with the great graphics, Portable Ops sounds great too. Enemy footsteps and voices allow you to distinguish which direction an enemy can be found in. The ambient music in each level also captures the mood well and makes for a deeper experience. The music in the comic style cuscenes is also brilliant and "Calling to the Night" that plays in one of the cutscenes and over the end credits is perhaps my favourite piece of MGS music. The voice acting over the comic style cutscenes is absolutely fantastic too, especially Dwight Schultz (Howling Mad Murdoch from the A-Team) as Python, and David Hayter is as great as ever playing Snake.

Story: The story is brilliant for a PSP game and rather than being just a Metal Gear side story it is part of the main series continuity and is rather important in the grand scheme of the Metal Gear timeline. As any good MGS title does it reveals plot elements that make you think about other games in the series all over again and interpret them differently. It also adds a few pieces to the puzzle of the Metal Gear timeline and a few parts of the overall story become clearer. Of course it also raises a few more questions whilst its at it which allows fans to come to their own conclusions about some parts of the story.

Nay :nada:

The Gameplay: Whilst MGS:PO feels like MGS3 in the way it plays there have been a few omissions that make absolutely no sense at all considering the PSP controls would easily allow for them. Firstly you can no longer snap the necks of enemies despite being able to get them into a chokehold and choking them until they become stunned. Why is this? That means that to actually kill an enemy you will need your character to carry a lethal weapon such as the knife or a gun which can be a burden considering each combatant can only carry a maximum of 4 items. Also players can no longer crouch when inside lockers or pressed up against walls meaning in some instances the enemy will spot you whereas under the same circumstances in MGS2/3 you could have crouched and avoided detection. Also the Chameleon system that allows soldiers under your command to blend in with the enemy if they have the correct uniform can sometimes fail and your character will be spotted and apprehended by the enemy for no apparent reason.

Controls: Whilst there isn't much wrong with the controls sometimes is can be hard to aim weapons in First Person View thanks to the PSP's analog nub. Also adjusting the camera with the d-pad requires the player to stop moving first but then again this can easily be rectified by a quick push of the L button that moves the camera directly behind the player character.

Graphics: As good as the graphics are why are wheels on any trucks encountered hexagons? This wouldn't be such a problem but on most levels Campbell's truck is the first thing you see.

Sound: Where is the MGS main theme? It was in two of the trailers for MGS:PO but was absent from the main game, why? (I'm just nit picking here)

Story: Whilst the story is great and will make sense to MGS fans it is perhaps the least accessible story of the whole series for newcomers. I would at least recommend playing MGS3: Snake Eater beforehand if you want to know what the characters are on about half the time. Also voice acting is only included in the comic style cutscenes, there is loads of text only dialogue during the game that in my opinion should have been voiced.



Overall: It may seem like there are quite a few bad points about this game but perhaps I am just being overly critical considering MGS is one of my favourite game franchises. Most of the "bad points" I have mentioned won't even be an issue to most players. Anyway I must say that this is the best new PSP game I have played all year, scratch that, the best PSP game I have played yet. Practically everything about it is spot on and it feels like the proper MGS experience players know and love on home consoles. If you are an MGS fan you need to buy a PSP just to play this, if you own a PSP you really need this in your collection.

(Syphon Filter: Dark Mirror, GTS:VCS and Metal Gear Ac!d 2 overviews to follow)