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TheSilentGod

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My Top Ten Games of 2005

2005 continued the momentum that the incredible 2004 set, and many big titles that were delayed in Europe in 2004 released this year instead. I continued playing the PS2 was my main platform of choice, nicely complimented by the Xbox and PC. The very end of 2005 had the release of the Xbox 360, which I picked up for Christmas and was finally introduced to the next generation of games. This was initially underwhelming (I vividly remember playing the 360 for about 2 hours on Christmas Day and then putting the PS2 back on) but it would later become my platform of choice.

List items

  • I had been a follower of the Metal Gear Solid games since the first one. I appreciated their quirky nature, the convoluted but very well done story, and the range of characters. However, Metal Gear Solid 3 exceeded all my expectations. It had the style of a Bond film, but took the setting into the past instead of directly following from Sons of Liberty, with a different cast of characters. The story was brilliantly written, the boss fights better than ever and the visuals and music are wonderful. The stealth mechanics were also improved from Sons of Liberty, and it really felt meaningful to play around with camo or stock up certain supplies. There are too many great moments that make it magical to mention them all here but really it is, for me, the most memorable game in the series and one of my favourite games of all time. The ending may have even cause me to shed a tear or two, and it earned them. Snaaaake Eaaaaater!

  • I had played many RPG’s before Jade Empire, but it did something that none of the others ever had; it was in an Asian setting rather than the standard European fantasy, and this made it stand out immediately. It allowed me to live out my martial art fantasies in a wonderful world, with great characters and a typically brilliant story from Bioware. It reminded me of Kotor in numerous ways, but I still feel it is a much better game, and deserved to get greater recognition than it did. Some great twists and turns and dark moments like the haunted forest just make Jade Empire a wonderful experience that still stands the test of time. Deserves a modern remake/remaster.

  • I played the Resident Evil games when they came out, and was exposed to them through the love that many of my friends had for the series, but this was the first game in the series that I truly thought was impressive on all levels. The controls clicked much better this time, and the change to an over the shoulder view without fixed cameras made it a much faster paced experience. It was also quite frightening at times, with the village and regenerators being stand-out moments. With the exception of the escourt sections (truly terrible) this was one of the greatest action games I had ever played, and was easily the most impressive game in the Resident Evil series.

  • It may have been quite late on in the PS2’s life-cycle, bit God of War was a new game that was worth the wait. A third person action game in the footsteps of Devil May Cry, God of War game us a ridiculous but wmpowering brutal protagonist in Kratos and allowed me to cut my way through Greek mythology. The story was actually pretty compelling, the music blood pumping and the world was lavish. The opening fight of the game against the Hydra remains one of the most inspiring sequences I have ever experienced in vido games and singlehandedly cements God of War in my mind. It may not have the full style of a Devil May Cry, but it presented me with a more satisfying and complete experience.

  • The gem of the 360 launch lineup, Condemned was the first foray into the next gen that I experienced and really enjoyed. Genuinely creepy, though I have never been actually frightened by it, with some great psychological sections and vicious combat, this was a daring and ambitious release. Great little game and one that put Monolith on my radar as a developer that I would follow.

  • Ok yes, it is an expansion pack, but Winter Assault added enough that I feel comfortable putting it on this list. An exciting and driven campaign with multiple factions, a return to the great multiplayer with even more maps and the addition of a new playable faction, Winter Assault greatly improved the core Dawn of War package and kept me playing the PC.

  • Devil May Cry 2 was downright awful, but Devil May Cry 3 saved the series by going back to what was actually good about the series; an irreverent tone, smooth responsive combat and challenging difficulty. Devil May Cry 3 went back to actually addressing the story of the series and expanded on the first game while bringing massive improvements to spectacle fighters. I think God of War was a better game without having combat mechanics as good as this, but Devil May Cry 3 was still fantastic.

  • Easily the king of the MMO's and probably the best one to this day (maybe Guild Wars 2, but this is certainly more influential) and one that is easy to see why. I remain bitterly disappointed that my beloved RTS series ended with the release of World of Warcraft, but its scale, the style of the visuals and art, the music and the attention to the setting make it a very playable and fun experience. All of the expansions over the years have meaningfully changed the game and kept it relevant, and overall it is just an immensely impressive achievement.

  • Improving on its predecessor in all areas while also keeping the spirit and tone, Battlefront II does the work of a great sequel. It was just a thrill to play some of the great battles of the Star Wars universe, and as some of the iconic characters. The clone wars setting was a great addition, and the modern reboot can only dream of achieving what this game did.

  • Unreal Tournament may get the lion's share of attention, but Unreal Championship 2 is, for my money, the best game in that universe. Frantic and intense local multiplayer along with a really good soundtrack and fun campaign made this one of the sleeper hits of the Xbox for me and a great game to end my time with that console before its successor released.
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