2007: The cake is a lie

A year in gaming. In vague order of awesomeness. [Although in full disclosure, I should probably state that I played Picross DS more than any other game this year. But you don't really want to hear me talk about glorified Sudoku. Do you?]


Bioshock

BioShock is easily the most overrated game of the year. Despite a phenomenal introductory sequence and one of the most distinct and original settings to ever grace a first person shooter, the game still traffics in the genre's most egregious crimes: tedious item gathering, useless skill upgrades, repetitive enemy design, and horrendous ai. Quite curiously, the game's most praised aspect is its most banal. There has been much talk of the moral-based gameplay, but considering the game's philosophical backdrop in Ayn Randian objectivism, the game is practically a rail shooter. For all of the in-game discussion about freedom, the moral choices are insultingly binary and have a negligible impact on the development of the game. Don't even get me started on the supposed "plot twist" which is as meaningless as trying to psychoanalyze the nameless soldier in Doom. Disappointing.


Metroid Prime 3: Corruption

The first act tries to mimic Halo, and the game suffers for it. Metroid has never been about plot or character development, but atmosphere and isolation. I was ready to abandon the game until I entered Elysia and suddenly everything clicked. The level design for SkyTown is inspired and reawakens the joy of experiencing Samus as a morph ball in three dimensions. While I appreciated the incorporation of Samus's ship into some of the puzzles, I feel the series has followed the law of diminishing returns partly because there are only so many variations one can do of traditional Metroid weaponry. I think it is time for a radical rethinking of the franchise.


Rock Band
Have you seen that video of me on Facebook yet? Enough said.

Well... enough said until Harmonix takes advantage of full album downloadable content.


Mario Galaxy

Simply a joy. There is something emotionally satisfying in another caliber Mario game, which is why you will probably spot Galaxy atop most critics' end of the year lists along with some narrative about the back-to-basics "fun" factor. All of which overshadows how frustrating Galaxy can be. While the game's generosity in extra lives conceals the occasional camera problem, later challenges can be maddening due to vertiginous level design and imprecise controls. That being said, it is hard to stay mad at a game of such levity and playfulness.


Portal

The game of the year. Economical, ingenious, stunning. And it only takes 4 hours to play through. Beyond the sheer excitement of the portal device (which I would describe, but words seem inadequate; just trust me when I guarantee it will make Half-Life 3 the greatest game of all time), Portal features the best writing on any console. Consider this: the game makes the choice of "euthanizing" a weighted box a heartbreaking dilemma (the creators of Bioshock could learn a thing or two). Even the speed runs are mindblowing. Portal is in every way unprecedented and unparalleled, and delivers a radical sense of possibility in next generation gaming.