Runner-up: Max Payne 2: The Fall of Max Payne
I was told to write up a paragraph on Max Payne 2, but I’m unsure if I could tell you everything I loved about this game in just one. I fell in love with Max Payne 2 from the instant I started the game; as soon as the dialogue began, the bullets started flying, the bodies started falling and the blood started oozing. I felt pride when I succeeded, I felt sad when someone died: these are feelings one should have when playing a game. I don’t think I could write anything else other than that this is in fact a game you need to play.
Runner-up: Halo: Combat Evolved
The original Halo was a dream come true for Microsoft. Like Goldeneye on the N64, it sold consoles like hot cakes. People would play it or hear about it and then go out to buy a console the next day. Do you know an Xbox owner who doesn't have Halo? Exactly. It impressed the public and media alike, and proved that Microsoft was serious about gaming. Its arrival on PC is no surprise and just how well it will fair in a market full of other FPSs will be interesting. PC gamers have been waiting for two years to play Halo and now it's finally here. Was it worth the wait? Absolutely.
Halo is still the Halo will loved two years ago. It's not as fresh as it once was, but it hasn't lost any of its brilliance. The multiplayer is the main draw for PC gamers and that's where the developers have put the effort in and it shows. Many long nights are going to be lost, mark my words. The game's magic is still there and multiplayer has given it a revitalising boost which will keep it from aging for a few more years. Xbox gamers wishing to sample the wonders of Halo's online play should purchase it without question and PC gamers simply have no excuse not to.
Third Place: Call of Duty
Call of Duty is what Medal of Honor should have been. It combines the gameplay elements with the visuals and audio perfectly to recreate squad level engagements in which much of the war was fought. Your fellow soldiers are intelligent and competent in what they do and the story guides you through the beautifully crafted set pieces that the game is made up of. Multiplayer backs up the multiple difficulty levels, making for a solid lifespan, while the graphics and sound combine well to deliver an all-round authentic experience. For FPS fans like myself, this is something we've been waiting a long time for; a near-perfect WWII title that does complete justice to the men who fought in the conflict.
Second Place: Championship Manager 2003/04
The football fan's favourite is back for more and it was worth the wait. The depth of the management is immense, there's a ton to do and it'll always keep you coming back for more. There always seems to be a hidden gem of a player who you've never seen before, a different style of play to beat teams and a better training schedule to prepare your players for the months ahead. Simply put, Championship Manager 2003/04 is the best game out there for football management freaks. Pair this with Pro Evolution Soccer 3 and kiss your social life away.
First Place: Rise of Nations
Every once in a while, a game comes along that completely revolutionizes a genre of gaming. These games are few and far between, and often the most successful games of the day, and a foundation on which further games of the genre are built upon. Rise of Nations is this type of game. Just as Half-life revolutionized first-person shooters and Tomb Raider transformed action games, Rise of Nations marks the most elaborate leap in real-time strategy games since Star Craft. The great thing about it is though; Rise of Nations doesn't do very much different than other strategy games. It simply takes the best ideas from a wide variety of games, like Civilization 2, Empire Earth, and Age of Empires, and combines it into one unique package that is sure to please anyone.
Quite simply put, this is the pinnacle of RTS excellence. I would be shocked and dismayed if any other RTS game released in the next two years, excluding a sequel to this one, was better than this. Seriously people, this is not only one of the best RTS games ever made, but quite possibly one of the best games ever made, period. Even if you aren't a fan of the genre, at least check out the demo and give the game a shot.
On to the Xbox...
No comments
Add your own +