What a year we've had. Can you think of a better twelve months for gamers in the last half-decade, except maybe last year? Console hardware has been cheap, there's been competition over the handheld market with the release of two major bits of kit and we've had tons and tons of great games. We've had huge sequels and a great crop of new games right on our doorstep and even if they all arrived at the same time, we've been spoilt rotten and loved every minute of it. Our Game Of The Year awards celebrate the best and brightest of this year's videogames, along with those we'd rather forget about. The choices we've made have been extremely tough, but here they are – the best of 2005.
Best Story - Fahrenheit / Indigo Prophecy (PS2)
This award goes to game released in 2005 that has the best story. By story I mean, well, everyone knows what a good story is, right? This year it was Fahrenheit that offered a plot that kept your hands glued to the controller – a rare feat in today’s world of mindless action games and shoot-em-ups.
The first thing you notice about Fahrenheit is its substitution of 'new game' for 'new movie'. It's a mere indication of what is to come and the ambitious intent of its developer; to tell a story and create a game that sacrifices neither narrative or interactivity. To do this, writer and director David Cage must sell his audience a gameplay model that allows them not to influence the overall plot, but to dictate how each scene plays out.
The game accomplishes this with some style, taking cues from other media and weaving together a plot, which the player can't help but be enthralled in. Fahrenheit raises the bar for the genre and is undoubtedly one of the finest adventure games of this or any generation.
Finalists - Shadow of the Colossus (PS2)
Biggest Disappointment of 2005 - Xbox 360 hardware shortage
What got your goat this year? For us there was on problem that stood out taller than the rest…
We waited bloody ages for them, and could only get one for the UK staff, with our offices over the pond receiving 2 consoles; only after queuing up in the wind and rain, with tents, stoves and PSP's to keep them company, mind.
The whole thing reeks of getting in the Christmas sales, and whilst you can't blame them, you wont sell many during the Christmas period when there's only 5 to be divided between 20 million people.
Even more infuriating, as highlighted in our feature, shops seem to be doing their utmost to get you in their stores by falsely displaying as if they have consoles for sale. You wander in, go to the back of the store (past all the cunningly placed special offer stands), see the small notice that there isn't any in stock, and leave with £500's worth of DVD's and games under your arm.
Our advice is, besides shopping online, to wait until the 360 is readily available before buying one. Prices on eBay are extortionate, if anything goes wrong with the console you'll be waiting ages for Microsoft to replace it, plus shops and websites will no doubt be offering the 360 along with handfuls of games and accessories, with discount off, to try and shift them.
The best things come to those who wait. Sadly.
Finalists - Zelda being delayed, Too many half-assed ports hitting the 360
Best Multiplayer Game - Battlefield 2 (PC, PS2, Xbox)
What was your favourite multiplayer game of 2005? There were quite a few goodies this year, online and offline, but for sheer technical achievement we think one title really stood out.
I was born to lead. The day I came out the shrink-wrap DVD case and on to the dusty field, I just knew it. A good squad leader, especially of a full six-man unit, has respect. I would lead a silent, on-foot point capture, spotting enemies and spurring on my men. We'd run into the opposition - my lethally accurate spec ops class G36 tearing down enemy players as my teammates scrambled for the flag. Once obtained, our engineer would grab the captured chopper, and my men, already boarded, would wait for me as I planned the logistics of our next move. Lift off.
Battlefield 2, like every other game, is based on a number of experiences the designers have planned the player to go through. Multiplayer makes the order and specific circumstances of these less predictable, but the principal is the same. It's the surprisingly excellent design choices that make BF2's memories so alarmingly cinematic.
Team play innovations, graphical supremacy and the thundering roar of enemy jets combined with persistent stats all work together to really put you There. There being any one of the varied, immaculately crafted maps, each available in 16, 32 and 64 player sizes. The generous choice of class, vehicle and squad dynamics allow for combinations and emergent tactical options that will keep you playing for weeks. Battlefield 2 is one of the best multiplayer first person shooters ever made – you should probably buy it.
Finalists - Mario Kart DS (DS), Star Wars Battlefront 2 (Xbox, PS2, PC)
Best Original Game - F.E.A.R (PC)
This award goes to the best game released in 2004 that is not based on a license or other previous game or series. The developers of the game have had to invent their own story, characters, environments and so on, meaning that creating a successful game is even more of a challenge than normal.
F.E.A.R is the most intense first-person shooter I’ve ever played. It doesn’t do it by bombarding you with ear-splitting explosions, or keeping you at the brink of death, but through sheer atmosphere, design, and pacing. Even if you aren’t a tactician when it comes to first-person shooters and prefer run-and-gun mayhem, this game will slow you down and get you into the crouch position. F.E.A.R will have you leaning around corners, taking very careful shots at only the most vulnerable spots on your enemies’ bodies. You’ll be more environmentally aware, searching frequently for objects around you that can serve as shields, looking for pillars that can be used to ricochet grenades off of. Bottom line: F.E.A.R will change the way you play FPS games and along the way it will deliver an awesome experience that will have you asking for more.
Finalists - Shadow of the Colossus (PS2), Indigo Prophecy/Fahrenheit (PS2, Xbox)
Best Handheld Game - Mario Kart DS
What was your favourite game to play on the go this year? Is it the same as ours?
For me, it’s the little things that make life so great. Watching the snow fall during the week before Christmas, hugging my girlfriend close and feeling the affection returned, munching Cheez-Its while watching Whose Line Is It Anyway? And of course, playing Mario Kart. Ever since Nintendo threw together the seemingly ridiculous mix of Mario, go-karts, and heat-seeking red shells and released it as Super Mario Kart on the SNES, I’ve been a diehard fan of the series. Some games I’ve had to let go of as I’ve grown older (bye bye Pokemon, I’ll miss you!) in order to maintain some semblance of masculinity and maturity, but I’ll be damned if societal pressures will keep me from screaming like a ten-year old girl as I bump and battle for position in Nintendo’s fabulous Mario Kart DS.
I’ll just come out and say it, Super Mario Kart for the SNES is still the best Mario Kart game ever. But you must realize that I place the original on an extremely lofty pedestal; in fact, it’s one of my top ten favorite videogames of all time. That said, Mario Kart DS is easily the second best Mario Kart game ever, and is nipping at the heels of the SNES classic like a pesky, out-of-control Chain Chomp. There isn’t anything truly innovative about the DS iteration of the series, but everything is just so clean, polished and balanced that you can’t help but be amazed at what Nintendo has managed to pull off.
Finalists - Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories (PSP)
Best Game Based on an Existing License, Best Visual Presentation, Game of the Year - Resident Evil 4 (PS2, GC)
So this is it, this year our runaway favourite title of the year is also unsurprisingly the game with the best visual presentation and the best game based on an existing license. And no zombies in sight...
Since its debut on the PlayStation in the mid-nineties, the genre-defining Resident Evil series has had its highs and lows, though it's always remained at the front of the survival horror genre. Yet it's not enough to call Resident Evil 4 just another success, because this is probably the single greatest horror-themed action game ever created. Now on the PlayStation 2, Resident Evil 4 sure doesn't cut any corners in translation from the original GameCube version released earlier in the year. Like that game, this is an stunning achievement in a variety of ways: Its inspired, state-of-the-art cinematic presentation works extremely well with its relentless, white-knuckle action, all of which is wrapped up in a nice, lengthy adventure full to the brim with hidden secrets and bonus extras. It obviously isn't for the squeamish or for those otherwise not qualified to play this blood and guts, mature-rated game, which is a shame for those guys, because it's hard to imagine anyone else not being consistently thrilled and impressed by what Resident Evil 4 has to offer.
Finalists - F.E.A.R. (PC), Shadow of the Colossus (PS2), Brothers in Arms: Road to Hill 30 (PS2, Xbox), Indigo Prophecy/Fahrenheit (PS2, Xbox), Forza Motorsport (Xbox)
See you next year the guys, and keep playing those games, we sure will be!
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