2007 Year in Review: Video Games

My game platform of choice is the XBox 360 so my favorite games of the year were all played on that system. In December I did play some games on the Nintendo DS, but none of those games could break into my top 5. All of these games were released in 2007.

5. Halo 3
I had not played any of the previous titles in this series where Master Chief battles a collection of alien races called The Covenant. Due to this, I wasn't invested in the storyline and working with the controls in the single combat mode took some time. However, the best part of the game is the versus mode. Battling a friend in the various maps is just a blast.

4. Lego Star Wars: The Complete Saga
I had previously played both versions of this game (new trilogy and original trilogy), but I was glad to get this new game that combined all 6 movies into one. This allowed you to play any of the characters throughout the saga. The game is great for all ages.

3. Crackdown
This game proved to be a very original third person shooter combined with a super hero game with some Grand Theft Auto action to boot. You play as a super cop that becomes more powerful as the game proceeds. Throwing cars, jumping across rooftops, and using powerful guns adds to the fun as you battle the mobsters that have overrun the city. The open feel of the game kept it fresh and fun through the whole story, plus it has a good replay value.

2. Assassin's Creed
This trailer shows some of the greatness of this game. The game has stunning graphics, a great story, and addictive game play. You play as Altair, an assassin during the Crusades, who must go on mission to find information and take out city leaders. Besides the original story, the game also features climbing features that allows your character to climb most surfaces. The ending had me eagerly awaiting a sequel.

1. Bioshock
When I first bought a 360 back in 2006 it was specifically to get Gears of War which remains one of the best games I've ever played. In 2007, the release of Bioshock caught me by surprise and blew me away. After a plane crash, you find yourself in the underwater city called Rapture. It's an idealistic, art deco city that has gone horribly wrong. You must find your way through the city and encounter many wondrous and disturbing things. The story, graphics, game play, and music are all top notch. The twist in the story leads to a great ending that had me eager to replay it and awaiting a sequel. It would be very interesting to see if a movie could be made from this game.

The other games I played this year on the XBox 360:

• MLB 2K7
• Spider-Man 3
• The Orange Box
• The Simpson's Game

The other games I played this year on the Nintendo DS:

• Brain Age 2
• Drawn to Life
• The New Super Mario Bros.