Archive for 2007

Please nominate your favorites for the following categories in the comments. We’ll pick the top four nominations for each category for a final vote.

Note: 2007 releases only. Only games for PS3 are allowed. Games that only run on other platforms can’t be nominated, although feel free to discuss them. Demos and betas are excluded (such as GT5 and Home), but PSN-only games are fair picks.

UPDATE: The game needs to have had a western (Europe or North America) release in 2007 to be qualified. Games that are only out in Japan in 2007 are not eligible. Singstar and Resistance are eligible (both have 2007 Europe releases), Hot Shots Golf is not (released in Japan, won’t see western release until 2008).

UPDATE: Since this is a PS3 site, we are moving PS2 titles to a dedicated category. PS2 titles will not eligible for other categories.

UPDATE: I will keep an eye on this thread for further nominations. We will do a final vote later this month.

Best Fiction: Not only the best story or plot, but also the best characters, dialog, and setting.

Best Visual Wow Factor: Not necessarily the most technically sophisticated, or the highest paper specifications, but the title that delivers the biggest overall “wow” factor

Best Pioneer: What game did the most to push the field of video game entertainment forward?

Best Internet Multiplayer: This covers competitive play, co-op, and social networking features. Which is the best overall?

Best “Other”: Pick an area not covered by the other categories where a game particularly excelled. Did any game particularly wow you with music or the controls or the sound effects, or the art work, or the level design? Name both the game *and* the “other” category.

Most Overrated/Overhyped

Most Underrated/Underhyped

Best Surprise of the Year

Biggest Disappointment of the Year

Best PS2 Game Compatible with PS3

Game Of The Year: The best overall game of 2007

This title is scheduled to hit PSN in December and rumored to hit next Thursday.

Not much info is available, but it very clearly looks like a tower defense title. If you haven’t played a tower defense game, they are really simple, very addicting, and somewhat mind numbing games. There are several free Flash versions:

These games seem like low hanging fruit: easy to make, very addicting and fun to play, yet mostly unoriginal.

Yet, despite the unoriginal concept, and plethora of free variants on the web, a well done rendition of this type of game would be a real safe crowd pleaser.

Speaking of safe crowd pleasers, why doesn’t PSN offer the staple checkers, chess, and card games that are so popular on Yahoo? Sure, they are already available everywhere, but they are pretty easy to develop and have such a wide appeal.

Anyone else looking forward to this?

Should PSN focus on safe crowd pleasers like this one, or risky and experimental titles, or a mix of the two?

We’ve spent a ton of time talking about games on this site. This post compares different types of video games to their non-video game parallel.

Video Games: Frequency, Amplitude, Guitar Hero, Rock Band
Non-Game Parallel: Playing a real instrument.

Why play with a plastic guitar, when you can practice with a real instrument? I don’t think these are exclusive behaviors at all. I enjoy a little of both. The games are much more forgiving and are easier to play and appreciate, while the real instruments can be far more rewarding when you are in the mood to give them your full concentration. If you do love music games and haven’t touched a real instrument in years, I would definitely recommend giving it a shot.

Non-Game Leisure Activity: Reading a novel
Video Game Parallel: Narrative driven single player experiences such as Grand Theft Auto, Manhunt, or Resident Evil.

I love certain really good narrative driven single player games such as Manhunt or GTA. These seem to fill the exact role in my leisure activities that novels do for other people. They are both linear, solitary, story driven experiences.

Video Games: Brain Training, PQ, and other puzzle Games.
Non-Game Parallel: Crossword puzzles, novelty puzzle books.

The title “Brain Training” implies genuine learning, but it is merely a catchy title for a puzzle game. If you want to really learn something put down the crossword puzzle and the game controller, and go master a new craft, build something new, grow your career skills, or take a challenging course at a local college.

Video Games: Multiplayer Deathmatch titles. A few familiar examples are Resistance, Warhawk, and COD4.
Non-Game Parallel: Playing cards or shooting pool with a group of friends.

Both game and non-game variations of these activities are simple, repetitive, prmarily social experiences. The non-game variants provides more social face to face interaction, while the video games provide more convenience, variety, and technology.

Non-Game Leisure Activity: Exercise. Going to a gym, riding a bike, going for a run, doing laps in a pool, playing on a intramural team, etc.
Video Game Parallel: Wii Fit, Eye Toy Kinetics, DDR games, etc.

These video games are really a novelty at this point. Almost everyone prefers real physical exercise, however the video games are probably appreciated by a small niche audience. DDR is also great fun for kids.

Can you identify any other such parallels? Do any of the above parallels miss the mark? Do you prefer the game or non-game variations? Speak up in the comments.