So for like the 3rd or 4th time, I'm starting to go through Half Life 2, this time back on my PC after my last attempt was on the 360. PC just feels better for the game and so far I'm picking it right back up. I got several games on my plate right now, perhaps too many heh. Unreal Tournament 3, Call of Duty 4, Orange Box, Halo 3, and hell, I just played Rainbow Six Vegas again tonight. I think I'm set for the most part for a while as there's even more games I still need to run through...Hell I haven't even beat Gears of War yet. Oh well, it will definitely keep me occupied for a while, which lately is what I need.

Tags: thoughts, halflife2

10. Guitar Hero III (XBOX 360)

The latest in the Guitar Hero series...what more needs to be said.

9. Crackdown (XBOX 360)

When I heard that the Halo 3 multiplayer beta was going to be included with this game I was incredibly skeptical. I figured that they would pair it with a game that probably was on the lousy side just to sell it. Despite the fact that I didn't get into the beta from the other ways, I wasn't originally going to buy it. But after reading some reviews and talking with some friends who got the game, I heard some good things and ended up buying the game. It was a great sandbox title. The GTA series always seemed to bore me. I would play any of the GTA games for maybe an hour, then get bored and never play the game again. Not Crackdown though, I played the game even beyond the Halo 3 beta. The extra stuff like the foot and car races were fun, and the combat and agility action were nicely done. My initial worries about the game were completely false as I thoroughly enjoyed it. 

8. World of Warcraft: Burning Crusade Expansion (PC / Mac)

The first expansion for World of Warcraft did several things. It increased the level cap to 70, added two new character races, a new profession, and of course added a whole new area to explore. The most important thing it did was provide more high level content to the game where as prior to this expansion, once you reached 60, there was only so much to do. Shortly after this game came out, I got my character to 58 and into the Outlands. I since have reached 70 myself. What this game has added brought more playtime into the game.

7. Warhawk (PS3)

Next to Resistance, this was the 2nd most played game I played on the PS3 when I still had one. It was a fun shooter that reminded me a lot of the Battlefield series, with slightly more emphasis on the air attack as well as being a 3rd person shooter. At $40 it was a pretty good deal considering most games for the next gen consoles go for around $60.

6. God of War II (PS2)

Probably one of the last exclusives if not the last exclusive to hit the PS2. And man was it good. The blockbuster sequel to the original God of War was incredibly fun to run through featuring the same blood, guts, and massive hit combos that we saw in the first one. Same puzzle like features and definitely a great game.

5. Unreal Tournament 3 (PC)

Unreal Tournament is back and this one definitely feels a lot more like the original UT which is always a good thing. UT3's graphics are amazing, the matches are of course the fast paced action shooter that we can expect from the UT games. Multiplayer online runs quite smooth and of course you have the standard "KILLING SPREE", "DOUBLE KILL" you can expect from Unreal Tournament.

4. Super Mario Galaxy (Wii)

First real game I picked up for the Wii and it was a good choice. I was a big fan of Super Mario 64 and it seems to follow a lot of the style that was used. Super Mario Sunshine was "meh" and I wasn't a big fan of how the controls felt. Super Mario Galaxy has been a lot of fun to play through so far and now adding the Wii controls really made it stand out.

3. Orange Box (PC)

When you actually think about it, Orange Box is actually a pretty good deal. I originally had it for the 360, but just couldn't get used to playing Half Life 2 with a controller. I've now picked it up for the PC and am much happier. 5 games for the price of 1 pretty much.  Half Life 2, Episode 1, Episode 2, Team Fortress 2, and of course how can I forget Portal. Portal is a fun game to play solving the puzzles...frustrating, but definitely a good time. Team Fortress 2 is also a great multiplayer match, waiting for my friend Brian to come back from break so I can get on with him.

2. Call of Duty 4 (XBOX 360)

Almost made my number one choice. but alas still a great game. The single player I have found to be "meh", but the multiplayer is loads of fun. Graphics are some of the best I've seen for the 360 and matchmaking as well as private matches are done well. You can pretty much just press a button and play. The level system for unlocking new weapons was kind of an iffy point for me, but definitely nothing to write home about.

1. Halo 3 (XBOX 360)

It was a real tossup for top game between Halo 3 and Call of Duty 4, but in the end, I have to say that I'm putting Halo at the top. Microsoft's biggest title gets its final (?) sequel as the Master Chief has to save the day. Single player campaign was well done, but short (my only real complaint). The multiplayer is definitely what seals it though. Through the forge (being able to customize maps), the theater (being able to review past matches with video playback) coming to the table, a lot was added to improve upon Halo 2. Graphics wise, it doesn't match other games like Bioshock or Gears of War, but the graphics are by no means bad. I still have a lot of fun going into matchmaking with friends and just going in guns blazing.

2007 Games that I Still Need to Get and Play

1. Bioshock (PC or XBOX 360)

I played the demo of this game on the XBOX 360 and it was pretty fun. I meant to get it, but so far it hasn't happened yet, but I do plan for it to. Definitely a game worth playing so hopefully soon I can bask in its goodness.

2. Mass Effect (XBOX 360)

Despite what I've heard about the longish load times as well as some minor graphical glitches, I still want and need to play this game. I'm a big fan of Bioware so it's definitely going to be on my list of games to get and soon.

3. Crysis (PC)

The game that supposedly melts computers looks amazing. A co-worker of mine says the game is one worth getting and from what I've seen, I better get it, especially now that my PC can definitely handle it.

Tags: 2007, bestgames, orangebox, halo, callofduty4

Many times now, single player can sometimes be looked over in some games in lieu of their multiplayer aspects and I myself am guilty of doing just that. So I figure I'd go through and list some of my favorite single player campaigns that I've played.

6. Gears of War

This is by far the first real big game for the 360 and it's a good one.  I was skeptical of the game for a while, but in the end decided I liked it and would pick it up. The single player is a challenge and the co-op aspect as in Halo adds to the fun part. Seriously though, chainsawing enemies? Quite fun to do. But the graphics as well as how everything is laid out in the single player is done very well. I really don't know what else to really say about it except that I really enjoyed the campaign as well as the multiplayer.

5. Rainbow Six Vegas

This game is tough to say the least, I'm still battling through it. While the pre-mission planning is nowhere like the original, you can of course still order your team around telling them to do this and that. The cover system that they made for this game is the best cover system I have seen to date. And the AI of the enemies, and your teammates isn't bad. Enemies will flank you, they will try to cut you off, they too will take cover from your fire. I'm maybe halfway through and I'm still impressed by how well the story is laid out and the gameplay is integrated.

4. Half Life

First I will say, I never beat the game sadly. I got pretty far but something would inevitably happen preventing me from beating it, computer crashes were most notorious. But beforeeee all that happened, The game was a lot of fun battling through alien monsters and head crabs.

3. God of War

The first PS2 game I ever got, and by far, still my favorite PlayStation game I've ever played. This game is just fun, and one thing I love about it is the little puzzles they put into the game.  While a lot of it is just plain brutal fighting, there are little puzzles that you need to solve to go forward or to beat a boss. One that comes to mind is that in order to beat the Hydra in the beginning, its not just about dealing damage with your blades. You have to realize that when the head goes down, you have to do something else (removed as to not give away what you have to do, sorry, look around, you'll figure it out) in order to knock the head out of commission.

2. Goldeneye for N64

Everyone still remember this game? I remember trying to beat this game on 00 Agent in all levels and what a trick it was. I still remember the 3 levels that I couldn't beat (2nd time in the bunker, Control, Aztec). The game was one of the biggest sellers for the Nintendo 64 console and with good reason. The single player followed the movie to some extent and the multiplayer, well it just kicked ass. One thing I liked was that silence and stealthiness actually mattered.  In some cases it was definitely helpful to use a silenced PP7 (PPK) than breaking out your AK and trying to just blast your way through not caring who reacts to you, but then again, the AI was pretty bad, but in all retrospects, it probably wasn't that bad for its time.

1. Halo: Combat Evolved

Of course Halo has to make it in to this list. Halo 1 that is, the game that launched the Halo Trilogy as well as the XBOX Console itself.  While the Halo 2 and 3 campaigns weren't bad, I don't think they quite lived up to the quality that the original had.  I still can't help but remember the second level in the game where you're thrown pretty much right into the fire. Landing on Halo your mission is to go around to 3-4 sites and rescue survivors from the onslaught of more and more Covenant forces. The openness of the level is what really impressed me.  It wasn't always about following a SPECIFIC path but moreso going from area to area in whatever order you want. Up until the very end of the game, you were neck deep in enemies and the final drive to safety was great.

Tags: thoughts, singleplayer, favorite

So I have some money set aside for my next game. I do plan on getting Crysis and UT3 for the PC, but as my upgrade won't be happening til Christmas, I'll wait for the new stuff before I get those. But as for my next game, It's pretty much a toss up right now between Call of Duty 4 and Mass Effect. I'm kinda leading towards Mass Effect as I'm a big fan of a lot of Bioware products (KoTOR, NWN imparticular). I played the Call of Duty 4 multiplayer beta and it wasn't that bad, but it also wasn't anything that special to me. Graphics were good, gameplay had some flaws in my opinion, but it still was relatively fun. Mass Effect seems to have a pretty good dialogue system and from what I've read, a pretty good combat system. I have heard of some issues regarding graphical glitches and of course long elevator rides hiding load times.

Right now, I'm still undecided but it will probably be a week or two before I buy it anyway, if I do before Christmas. Oh, sooo many games....

Tags: thoughts, masseffect, cod4

Tags: xbox, thoughts