Something went wrong. Try again later

TheSilentGod

This user has not updated recently.

210 0 68 24
Forum Posts Wiki Points Following Followers

My Top Ten Games of 2006

2006 - the year the Xbox 360 usurped the PS2 as my number 1 platform of choice. The PC still got a lot of my attention and I continued to play the PS2 and original Xbox, as well as have a Nintendo console for the first time since the N64 with the release of the Wii, but the 360 was definitely my number one platform. This was the year that the 'next gen' hit me and the motion controls excitement rose and almost immediately died after actually trying it in person! Release wise it was not the biggest blockbuster, but there were some gems in the calm before the storm of the following year....

List items

  • Bethesda finally brought me back to Tamriel after 4 years away with the release of Oblivion. It may have lacked the unique nature of Morrowind, but when I stepped out of that sewer into the fields of Cyrodil I was hooked for literally hundreds of hours. A vast open world with great design and quests, a feeling of being involved in meaningful decisions and changes to the world and a far better combat system made Oblivion an easy game of the year for me in 2006.

  • The first big exclusive on the 360 and one worth getting the console for, Gears of War took the Resident Evil 4 gameplay improvements and massively improved on them again. It introduced a great new setting and story, with responsive satisfying gameplay and incredible multiplayer that finally challenged Halo 2 for my time, Gears of War was the full 'next gen' package. It also looked stunning at the time.

  • Yes it may be an expansion, but if anything Dark Crusade was better than the base version of the game. Adding the Necrons and Tau, toally alien races, while improving the selection of units for the others, improving the game balance, adding a huge new campaign where all the races are payable, and doxens of new maps, Dark Crusade was the kind of expansion that modern DLC can only dream of being. Easily merits a place on this list.

  • Creative Assembly continued the winning Rome formula with the sequel or reimagining of the Medieval period with Medieval II. Big selection of factions and fantastically in-depth and impressive battles alongside a wonderful soundtrack and graphics made this one of the most impressive games I had ever seen. I still felt the diplomatic options and scale of provinces were off, but those are small complaints compared to everything Creative Assembly got so right here.

  • Taking the template of galactic scale expansion and conquest from the first game and while improving the mechanics in every way made this a lovely game to play. It also helped that Stardock added new races and an improved storyline. I just wish the space battles were more interesting!

  • It may have lacked the sheer scale of its predecessor, but a big graphical boost, beautiful music and pretty damn good storyline make this stand out as a good RPG with a lot going for it. It could have been stronger in certain areas and it was certainly no Jade Empire, but it did justice to the world of Dungeons and Dragons, and the chapter 2 trial remains a really fun memory for me.

  • The last hoorah for MK on the PS2, and one where Midway just threw all the characters into the mix. The story seemed very much like the final entry into the series and the Konquest mode had finally become a proper story for the first time. The actual fighting was a bit slow and had not really improved over Deception, but I still really enjoyed this.

  • Half-Life 2 ended on something of a cliffhanger, and Valve promised to ease the wait for a sequel (ha!) with the release of episodes, starting with this.

    It was short and sweet, but I enjoyed its continuation of the story and the re-immersion in the expanding world of Half-Life.

  • The big PS3 game at launch and one that I only played in 2007. Fall of Man was a fast and challenging shooter but ultimately one that fell far short of what the likes of Gears of War achieved, and was no where near the standards of games like Halo and Timesplitters 2. Still, I do have fond memories of trying this on the highest difficulties, and the setting was interesting.

  • Nintendo were kind enough to pack this into the box with my Wii and, much to my surprise, it wasn't bad! Essentially a glorified tech demo, but a very good one, Wii Sports was a great party game with friends. It was also nothing more than that, but it certainly had its moment in the sun and was perfectly competent at demonstrating the Wii.
Load Comments