Best 360 Games of 2007

By Shabbir
13th Jan 08

Introduction

Well, it has been a great year for gaming in general. While you might think that it was just another year like always, many would highly contest that since just looking at the quality of games out there shows that this generation is now in full flow.

Nintendo has been going from strength to strength with both the DS and Wii, and it’s difficult to say where they will be in a year from now. Will the fad of the Wii finally wear out, or will it just continue?

Sony has had probably a disappointing year. The unfortunate sales of the PlayStation 3, mainly due to the high price point and continuing lack of games has really put Sony in a bad position for the console wars. There have been some glimmers amongst a dull line up, such as Ratchet and Clank Future: Tools of Destruction and Uncharted: Drake’s Fortunate. Unfortunately these games just didn’t seem to have the console-selling effect that something like Super Mario Galaxy and Halo 3 has.

And finally there’s Microsoft. Another year for Microsoft has seen a steady stream of solid titles, and of course many failing consoles with the infamous “Red Ring of Death”. While Microsoft have improved the reliability of their consoles dramatically, I’m sure most would agree there’s still some more work to be done. However, that doesn’t stop the games from continuing to flow in, with high profile titles like Halo 3, The Orange Box and BioShock. While they may not all be exclusives, it’s clear that the majority of current gen games so far run better on the Xbox 360 rather than the PlayStation 3.

Now, on to the very best of 360, not in any particular order. I’m sure some of you may be more than annoyed with my choices, but these are the standouts for the reasons I will outline.

BioShock

Ken Levine returns from System Shock fame to bring BioShock, dubbed the spiritual successor of the Shock games. And it certainly is worthy of this title! To get more information on the plot and so forth, you can check out the BioShock review, but the game mechanics itself stand out, especially from a shooter games norm.

Some may comment on BioShock as simply being a shooter with a single moral choice, however looking deeply into it you realise that you become engrossed in the atmosphere, the environment and the entire world of the game. It has really been created almost eerily realistic that it feels you are there, living in the loony underwater city of Rapture.

The way the environments can be utilised in battles makes it even better. As you play through the game, you will begin to notice more about the world and just think to yourself that this certain point may hold an advantage point in an upcoming chaotic battle with numerous psycho Slicers and Big Daddies.

What really makes the game stand out as you can guess is the world itself. It is so intriguing that you find yourself wanting to know more about what happened in Rapture. The pure curiosity of this will make you run around, with no bearing to the current “quest” at hand, just so you can emerge yourself in the seeping atmosphere.

And the shooting isn’t half bad either. The battle system is solid, a nice blend of magical abilities known as plasmids and the usual array of weapons that can be upgraded. Some RPG elements are thrown into the mix, and rather than feeling like a piece of crap dumped in for good measure, add to the game depth and character development (not plot-wise, but to improve your player).

At the end of the day, a simple choice for one of the best games Xbox 360 has seen this year, and possibly across all platforms - certainly a worthy contender.

Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare

This was the biggest shock for myself. A Call of Duty game that isn’t based in World War II? Now that’s just crazy talk!

Fortunately, this was the best possible move for the CoD franchise, and it has proved highly successful. Turning away from the usual WW2 charades, CoD concentrates on, as the title suggests, modern warfare. Much of the game is taken place in the Middle East, without a particular country being quoted, and the power struggle and enmity against the West.

You play the role of soldiers in both the SAS (a specific division of the British army) and the US Marines. When playing in these roles, the majority of the time you will be with your squad members. The combat is engrossing thanks to this since each individual helps in a fight and provides useful dialogues.

The voice acting is top notch, and much of the story and mission briefing is told through this method rather than having lines of text appear on the screen. This is a much better method since you are always in the game world, doing something when suddenly new orders may come in. This gives that sense of urgency and you have to get a move on at times!

The graphics have been cited as being one of the best of this gen and certainly are solid if not groundbreaking. What makes them so good is that they are consistently good all the way through the whole single-player and multiplayer versions.

And as for the multiplayer, this has been one of the most enjoyable experiences of multiplayer goodness of the year only to be compared with Team Fortress 2. The levelling system works extremely well and the addictiveness is right up there to level up as much as you can, similar to that WoW experience! (World of Warcraft for those who are unfamiliar).

CoD4 is a solid FPS title, and when I say solid, I mean it in entirely all departments of the game. It is pretty understandable that this should be up there with the best of the year.

The Orange Box

So is this a game, or should the award go to a single game from this product? It’s hard to decide, but seeing how it is being sold as a single SKU, we must therefore just it as one title. The fact that there are five absolutely incredible games in there is just… remarkable!

So, rolling out the heavy guns give us Half-Life 2 Episode 2, the trump of The Orange Box. This is the main title, and the latest in the ongoing Half-Life 2 episodes. Itself, it brings more Half-Life goodness in completely new environments, with new enemies and a deepening plot, which just seems to grow without getting out of hand. Valve certainly know where they’re going with this series, and it’s no wonder Half-Life gets the attention it does.

There are also Half-Life 2 and Half-Life 2 Episode 1, just to ensure everyone is brought up to date with the series, and having a graphical update of course doesn’t hurt.

Now there’s the great multiplayer madness and enjoyment that is Team Fortress 2. The characters themselves make the game, along with the awesome cartoon style graphics that runs unbelievably smooth. When you first see it in action you’ll think that it’s an animated movie, however the gameplay is slick to say the least, as well as chaotic goodness!

And finally in this SKU, we have the diamond that has caused many critics give it an award on its own, Portal. A highly addictive and well thought puzzle game, Portal puts the player in different arenas or stages with a gun that creates portals, with your aim being to get from A to B. Many, including myself, are hoping that Valve will build on this some way and hopefully bring another game or some extra content.

So five games, in one product and for the price of a normal game too! Now that’s a deal, and seeing the quality of the games, they could individually stand up for an award. However, Valve have been kind and gave a Christmas present that no one should have missed out on!

And the rest…

“Where the frig’ is Halo 3?” I hear you asking. Well, yes it certainly is a good game, however it’s not something that is so special that it stands out. Yes, it certainly sold well, but hey, Britney Spears sells well too.

My main problem that possibly got me on the wrong side of Halo was that everyone was saying how awesome the game series was. However, coming from a rich FPS background of the Quake series and then the Half-Life series, Halo seemed bland in comparison and a step backwards when compared to those shooters.

Comparing something like Half-Life 2 to a Halo game is difficult, but seems obvious to me which gives a more enjoyable and enthralling experience. The same goes for something like BioShock and the surprisingly good Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare. Don’t be too sad though, since Halo 3 wasn’t too far off!

So what else did the year see? There was the good sandbox styled games such as Assassin’s Creed and Crackdown. Both somewhat suffered the same problem of repetitiveness however were fairly enjoyable. This genre of games really suffered with the delay of Grand Theft Auto IV.

There were some other surprises here and there, but nothing to shake the hardcore player. A few glimmers like Medal of Honor: Airborne and the somewhat over hyped John Woo Presents Stranglehold, which was an enjoyable play through but no way near the best of what the year had to offer.

And let us not forget some of the games that were released rather early and some of you may have forgotten about. There was The Darkness, which had varied success with the critics but was a very solid game with a few letdowns, such as the annoying parts where you go into the past. These sections of the game really did not play well and didn’t make much sense either, but it was there nonetheless.

Forza Motorsport 2 hit stores earlier this year and was probably the best racing game offering to 360 gamers. There wasn’t really much competition, just Project Gotham Racing 4, which to be honest, feels like is steadily on the decline with Geometry Wars being the only relieving factor.

And finally, let us finish on a high note. There weren’t many epic RPGs out there, some good games like Eternal Sonata and an average Blue Dragon, but it’s clear that Mass Effect stood out amongst this crowd. Brought by BioWare, infamous of their work on Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic games and the Neverwinter Nights series, Mass Effect truly is an epic game.

Mass Effect is not without its flaws however, some annoying loading times, repetitive side quests with little to gain from make it dim slightly but it is still a great game. Seeing that it will be a trilogy, I can only hope that BioWare take into account the mistakes made here and improve on them for the next iteration.

Wait, not quite done yet!

So what has next year got in store for gamers? There are some highly anticipated titles, so let’s just take a quick moment despite probably running out of space for my article!

The high profile games are yet to come, such as Grand Theft Auto IV. With three trailers being released, all using in-game graphics, we still haven’t really seen direct gameplay. Rockstar stated that an April released is scheduled, but I wouldn’t be surprised if this game sees the light of day closer to those long Summer days.

Sony fan boys, and heck gamers everywhere, have Metal Gear Solid 4 waiting for next year. It’s difficult to say when the game will be released, however I know the wait will be worth it. The big question is though; will it really remain a PS3 exclusive?

And let us not forget Devil May Cry 4, the numerous trailers have had everyone scratching their heads thinking about the possibilities of the plot, but we will have to wait and see.

Sony will be banking on their high profile games, and hopefully Gran Turismo 5, to make this year theirs and boost their console sales. Nintendo will be hoping that Super Mario Smash Bros. will continue the phenomenal success of the Wii while Microsoft will hope to continue the steady sales with a range of solid titles, maybe GTA4 standing out the most for them despite not being an exclusive.

Lastly though, let me just throw it out there, how about seeing a bit more of Yakuza? Japan will have the third game and yet there’s no sign of the second. What’s going on Sega, get it sorted!

-- Shabbir 13th Jan 08