Best games of 2007 powered by gamespot

Starting with game of the year

SuperMarioGalaxy:
Deciding this year's winner for Game of the Year was probably the single toughest award deliberation that GameSpot's editors have ever had to participate in. Even narrowing our top list of finalists to just 10 games was extremely challenging and very, very, very contentious. Really, any game in our top 10 list would make a fine winner and could be easily supported by some very strong arguments.

Ultimately, it came down to Super Mario Galaxy as our top game because it is (by a narrow margin indeed) the best overall package of polish, gameplay, and presentation for what it is--a traditional but highly evolved platformer. Let's face it, this is a game that Nintendo could easily have phoned in and still sold about a zillion copies. We could've seen a game that took very few risks and more or less replicated the same old stuff we've seen in previous games. We could've seen a game that relied heavily on nostalgia value and trotting out the same old characters and reprised music tracks instead of adding in fresh and exciting new content. Traditionally, every Nintendo console has been christened with a blockbuster Mario adventure, and with every Nintendo console launch, fans everywhere are always ready and waiting to grab their copy simply because the game features their favorite video game plumber.

But that didn't happen. Nintendo didn't take so much as a single step back with Super Mario Galaxy, and instead reinvented Mario's traditional platformer adventures with beautifully designed levels that make unique use of zero-gravity gameplay and clever, enjoyable puzzles. All of the levels are varied and look fantastic, and they even add replay value because the game has a set of collectible stars that you can go back to hunt for, as well as a limited but still enjoyable multiplayer mode. This is a game that plays great and looks fantastic; this is a game that you can recommend to basically anybody who might have any interest in video games--without having to qualify it or apologize for it with "it's great, but."

Again, this was by no means an easy decision to make, but GameSpot's ultimate pick for the top game of 2007 is Super Mario Galaxy. That's no reflection at all on our other nine finalists, all of which are remarkably good games in their own right and all of which are absolutely worth playing. For a year like this, with so many incredible games available to play, the real winners are each and every one of us.



XBOX360:


The decision to make Call of Duty 4 our Best Xbox 360 Game of 2007 might seem controversial, but that's mainly because there were so many other incredible Xbox 360 games that could easily have taken the prize instead. The obvious choice seemed to be Halo 3, a tremendous and highly complete shooter package with a ton of multiplayer options and a much-improved single-player game...but then there was Rock Band, a music game that took all the joy of Guitar Hero to the next level with a multiplayer experience that transcended guitar controllers and plastic drum sets...or The Orange Box, which offers a ton of eclectic and extremely enjoyable experiences in one place...or Forza Motorsport 2, which is simply one of the best racing games we've ever played.

Yet Call of Duty 4, by the narrowest of margins, clawed and scraped its way to the top of the heap, and not because GameSpot has anything against any of the other finalists, which are all absolutely outstanding in their own right. No, this came about because more than any of the other games (but only just barely), Call of Duty 4 not only makes such a remarkable first impression, but also because it keeps us coming back for more. The game's single-player campaign, though as linear--and as unfortunately short--as you'd expect a Call of Duty game to be, stands as quite possibly the best example of a tightly scripted action game this year. Better still, the multiplayer is tightly designed and incredibly addictive. Rest assured, this was a very, very tough call, but we, the editors of GameSpot, finally came to agree that Call of Duty 4 was this year's top Xbox 360 game.



Best PS3:

Military-themed first-person shooters set in World War II have been done to death at this point, and while the Call of Duty games set in that theater have rarely been disappointing, Modern Warfare was a much-needed breath of fresh air for the genre when it arrived in November. As its title suggests, Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare eschews the battlefields of history in favor of a contemporary conflict that, although fictional, is every bit as believable. You play the story-driven single-player campaign from the perspectives of both a US marine and a British SAS operative. The campaign takes place in varied locations all over the world and is superb from start to finish. It's not a lengthy campaign by any means, but you'd be hard pressed to find a better solo experience this year, and it serves as an excellent primer for Modern Warfare's multiplayer content.

Playing Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare online isn't wholly unlike playing an online role-playing game, at least in so much as you have a persistent character who earns experience points and gains access to different weapons or abilities as you progress. The really impressive thing is that, even as a new player with access to a limited arsenal, you can play competitively with veterans who've unlocked every weapon and "perk" that the game has to offer. Perks are arguably Modern Warfare's most ingenious feature because they give you the freedom to customize your abilities to suit your play style without ever making anyone overpowered. The multiplayer maps are difficult to a fault, there are plenty of different modes to play in them, and an innovative challenge system encourages you to experiment with weapons that you might otherwise ignore by rewarding you with experience points for doing so. In conclusion, Modern Warfare is now the benchmark against which all console shooters will be judged, and we're not expecting it to be bettered anytime soon.


Best nintendo wii:

Although three of the top five Wii games of the year are all from the Mario universe, Super Mario Galaxy is the first "classic" Mario game to appear on the system. And what a debut it was! Galaxy took the traditional Mario gameplay and turned it on its head by shooting Mario into space, where he was forced to track down Bowser and Princess Peach yet again. However, he didn't face simple lava pits and koopas this time around. Instead, gravity itself became your enemy, as Mario was forced to make his way past black holes and shoot himself into the ether to continue his journey. Dozens of different galaxies required exploration before you could assault Bowser's massive reactor at the center of the galaxy and free Her Peachness.

Super Mario Galaxy might not have made full use of the Wii's special control schemes, but it's notable for being one of the best-looking Wii games to hit the system so far. The colors are bright and beautiful, and the level design is continually inventive, with a good spread of challenge for experienced gamers and beginners alike. The year has been a good one for the Wii, and Super Mario Galaxy is the brightest star in a particularly noteworthy constellation.


Best PS2:


This isn't just one of the best PS2 games of the year; it's one of the year's best games. It has the charismatic, god-whacking, antihero Kratos and his signature flaming-chain-whip-knives. It also contains fiends of every shape, size, and color to cut down. It has incredible graphics and wonderfully tasteful artistic design. It has an entertaining plot that sees Kratos squaring off against the biggest and baddest god of them all, as well as the fates themselves.

Of course, these showdowns take place as awesome boss battles that are bigger, bloodier, and more entertaining than practically any we've played since--and considering how impressive and over-the-top the first game's bosses were, that's pretty high praise. There's a reason so many new games have strangely similar button-mashing sequences. There's also a reason why God of War II isn't just more of the same, since on top of all the hacking, slashing, and deicide, there are also some incredibly clever puzzles; even as this epic adventure quenches your thirst for evil blood, it will challenge and expand your mind. Even though the once-mighty PS2 will finally be sailing off into the horizon, it received a very memorable sendoff in God of War II--easily the best PlayStation 2 game of the year.


Best PC:



In a way, this has always been Crysis' award to lose. Easily the most anticipated PC game in years, Crysis was on the wish lists of not only game players, but also hardware manufacturers and Microsoft itself. That's because Crysis is a reminder of the glory days of the PC, when technology could barely keep up with designers' ambitions. This is a muscular piece of work--a game that could only come out on the PC platform. It is the poster child for the absolute best in graphics.

At the same time, it also proved to be an outstanding and highly enjoyable game to play in its own right. Building on the concepts introduced in Far Cry, Crysis introduces the wild possibilities of the nanosuit--a high-tech bodysuit that gives you the ability to interact with the environment like never before. The firefights in the game are beautiful to look at, but extremely intense affairs that force you to think quickly--and reward you for doing so. It's a dynamic game, one that you can play several times to discover new things and to experiment with different approaches.

There are also moments in Crysis that made our jaws drop. For instance, the game pays homage to the great tank simulations of old with a wild and simply gorgeous tank battle. It also has a Hollywood-inspired aerial sequence. Even while you're battling for your life in some of the most intense battles ever, it's hard not to stop and gape at the sheer detail packed into this game. It's this potent combination of graphical beauty and gameplay brawn that have earned Crysis the distinction of being GameSpot's top PC game of 2007.


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