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TheSilentGod

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My Top Ten Games of 2007

2007 felt like the year that the new consoles (360, PS3) came into their stride. I actually spent some proper time with the PS3 after buying it this year, and the 360 completely gripped my as my new favourite platform, supplanting the PS2 at last. I did get a sweet last goodbye with the PS2 thanks to a wonderful release on the old beast, and the PC continued to get some attention. The Wii was just there, but I even played that as the months progressed. There were so many great new games that were unrelated to any existing series, and that was the most refreshing thing of all about the year.

List items

  • As a fan of sci-fi, I was looking forward to Mass Effect. It looked like a spiritual successor to KOTOR, but with a Bioware twist to make up for the lack of Star Wars. Little did I know what I was in for. Bioware crafted the most realised and captivating sci-fi setting I had ever experienced, with a rich and masterfully crafted background lore. On top of this, they introduced incredible characters, a wonderful villain, stunning music and possibly my favourite ever story in the gaming medium. Sure, the combat is janky and the item menu's are poor, but it rises to greatness despite these. Mass Effect is a complete achievement, cementing itself and the series as possibly my favourite of all time and is my personal best game of 2007.

  • A complete surprise, and what an amazing game. I thought it was an imitation of Half-Life 2 initially, but the aesthetic and style of the world, the rapid introduction to Rapture, the unique nature of the enemies and little sisters and the ease of play all combined to make me fall in love quickly. The shooting and combat are actually good, and there are real rewards for exploring the immersive ruined city. The real gem was the story, which has one of the best twists in any game. While the ending itself was a letdown, the world it creates and the characters involved are gold standard. Bioshock remains one of the greatest games of its generation to this day.

  • I have always had an unabashed love for the Halo series, and this third release was the biggest game on the calendar for me at the years start. I was not disappointed, as Bungie had poured their heart into this incredible game. The campaign is superb, with a great variety of levels and only one stinker (Cortana) while the range of weapons and gameplay changes were like a complete smoothing over of Halo 2's core. The story wrapped up very nicely and the multiplyer quickly established itself as my favourite, and would remain so for several years. It is not the best game in the series, but Halo 3 was and remains a stunning achievement.

  • I was bored with World War 2, and so was Call of Duty. Infinity Ward changed shooters as a genre by bringing the setting into a contemporary setting. The singleplayer was exciting, directed to an expert level and fantastically paced. Yes it is linear, directed and lacked the depth of something like Halo, but it was a lot of fun and made you feel like you were in its world. The multiplayer also provided dozens of hours of fun with friends on some really well designed maps, and the perk system was pretty addictive, providing a reason to continue to play.

  • My personal swansong with the PS2, and what a game to go out on. Taking the formula from the first God of War and improving the mechanics of the combat and controls, and then ramping up the scale and stakes of everything else, God of War II is an immensely impressive game and one that is among the finest of its generation. The only reason it isn't higher is that it is inherently less impressive then the best games from the new hardware and it was quite similar to its predecessor. Still, a blood-pumping game.

  • One of the shortest games I played in 2007, but Portal was one of the most refreshing and funny. The actual mechanics of the game were natural, and the portal gun itself struck me as instant genius. It's minimalist design is beautiful and stretches to its narrative, with powerful moments and environmental narrative. Short, sweet and wonderful.

  • So the Wii was an immediately disappointing console for me. Its graphics were pretty bad, I didn't like the interface, but worst of all was the motion controls, which I hate in games to this day. Therefore it is exceptional that Super Mario Galaxy got me to play it at all and speaks volumes for how well crafted and designed it is. It is a fantastic example of a 3D platformer that has evolved over time, and the level design remains incredible and superior to many more recent games. One of Nintendo's best games on one of their worst platforms.

  • Half-Life 2 was still being continued by Valve at this stage, and Episode 1 had been a fun and well made, if unimpactful, release. Episode 2 fixed that by progressing the story in huge ways and containing some of the most intense, investing and dark moments of the entire series. In short, I loved it, and despite all the jokes, memes and shots around it, it is a true shame that Valve have never continued it 10 years later.

  • Gears of War was the first game that really demonstrated a new generation to me, but Assassin's Creed was the first time I was breath taken with the size of crowds and the details of an active city. It has aged poorly, and it isn't helped that its sequel was better in every way, but the first Assassin's Creed was a pretty good game with a rarely visited setting in the Crusades. I also loved the music and concept enough to go deep into the lore.

  • The first big PS3 game that I truly enjoyed (Resistance Fall of Man didn't do it for me), Uncharted was the mix of Tomb Raider and Indiana Jones that I never expected. Very smooth action, horror elements and a well told yet simple story made it a charming catch-up with Naughty Dog, a developer I had once loved but had missed out on in the last number of years.
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