The Outlander best and worst of 2007

[Pavlos]

The Outlander best and worst of 2007 (the inevitable Autonauts spin-off)

 

Terrible titles (alliteration is entirely unintentional, there) aside, with 2007 drawing to a close, let's throw a poll to find out the best and worst games of the year.

 

I'd say we're best off with the following (roughly arbitrary) categories:

 

Game of the Year

Best Story

Best Character

Best Art Direction (what's the artistic merit; e.g. Bioshock isn't all that great, technically, but the art is absolutely fantastic)

Best Graphics (the technical side of the above - which game revolutionised computer generated images for you?)

Best Sound Design (music and sound effects)

Best RPG

Best Shooter

Best Strategy Game

Best <InsertGenreHere> (I'm not listing all the genres... )

 

Worst Game

Biggest Disappointment (may not be a bad game but it wasn't all the hype said it'd be)

 

Best Game you replayed

Best Game EVAR (including 2007)

Best Retro Game (what was the best oldie you played for the first time?)

 

I'm hoping we can have a bit of discussion about the games too.

 

As for me:

 

Game of the Year - Bioshock

Best Story - Neverwinter Nights 2: Mask of the Betrayer

Best Character - Andrew Ryan (Nero fiddles as Rome burns, Ryan plays golf as Rapture crumbles; the amoral idealist of objectivism...)

Best Art Direction - Bioshock

Best Sound Design - Jade Empire

Best RPG - Neverwinter Nights 2: Mask of the Betrayer

Best Shooter - Portal (sublime - a shooter where you don't shoot anything!)

 

Biggest Disappointment - The Witcher (I really wish I could get into this game seeing as how everyone keeps on saying how wonderful it is but the story just puts me to sleep)

 

Best Game EVAR - Planescape: Torment (what else did you expect?)

Best Retro Game - System Shock 2 (how is it still scary when I'm fighting large flesh-coloured boxes?!)

 

I can't fill half of my own categories; isn't that just promising? >_>

[Miltiades]

Game of the Year: Super Mario Galaxy

Best Story: Mass Effect

Best Art Direction: Bioshock

Best Graphics: Crysis

Best Sound Design: Jade Empire

Best RPG: Mask of the Betrayer

Best Shooter: Call of Duty 4

 

Biggest Disappointment: Assassin's Creed

[mimartin]

Mine is going to be a little one sided.

 

Game of the Year Mass Effect

Best Story Mass Effect

Best Character Saren from you guessed it Mass Effect

Best Art Direction Mass Effect

Best Graphics Let me think…Mass Effect

Best Sound Design Mass Effect (first game I’ve ever bought the soundtrack to)

Best RPG Mass Effect

 

Worst Game Halo 3

Biggest Disappointment Halo 3

Best Game you replayed Oblivion and replayed again and again…(thanks again, stoffe)

Best Game (Ever?) Mass Effect

 

Biggest Disappointment: Assassin's Creed

Oh, I don’t want to hear this. I just order this on someone’s recommendation around here. Where is Cygnus Q'ol?

[stingerhs]

Game of the Year - Crysis

Best Story - Mass Effect

Best Character - Jackie Estacado from The Darkness

Best Art Direction - Bioshock

Best Graphics - Crysis

Best Sound Design - Crysis

Best RPG - Mass Effect

Best Shooter - Crysis

Best Strategy Game - World In Conflict

Best Innovation - Portal

Best Expansion Pack - Medieval II: Total War - Kingdoms

Xbox 360 Game of the Year - The Darkness

Wii Game of the Year - Resident Evil 4

PS3 Game of the Year - Assassin's Creed

 

Worst Game - n/a

Biggest Disappointment - Kane and Lynch

 

Best Game you replayed - Sid Meier's Pirates!

Best Game EVAR - n/a

Best Retro Game - The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind

[Miltiades]

Oh, I don’t want to hear this. I just order this on someone’s recommendation around here. Where is Cygnus Q'ol?

 

Heh. I'm gonna buy it myself, anyway. The reason I think it's disappointing is because of repetitive gameplay and some other small stuff, that doesn't make this game excellent. I just had high expectations for it, but I think it's a good game, nonetheless, and I'm sure I'll enjoy it.

[Balderdash]

Game of the Year Mask of the Betrayer.

Best Story Mask of the Betrayer. Easily.

Best Character Gann (from MotB).

Best Art Direction Bioshock.

Best Sound Design The Darkness.

Best RPG Mask of the Betrayer.

Best Shooter The Darkness.

 

Best Game EVAR Planescape Torment

[igyman]

Game of the Year Portal. It's definitely the most original.

Best Story Half-Life 2 Episode Two

Best Character G-Man, the one and only.

Best Art Direction TimeShift

Best Graphics Unreal Tournament 3

Best Sound Design Heroes of Might and Magic V Tribes of the East

Best RPG S.T.A.L.K.E.R.

Best Shooter Unreal Tournament 3

Best Strategy Game Command & Conquer 3 Tiberium Wars

 

Worst Game n/a

Biggest Disappointment n/a

Best Game you replayed n/a

Best Game EVAR Vampire The Masquerade Bloodlines

Best Retro Game Mafia

[Rabish Bini]

Game of the year: Halo 3

Best Story: The Simpsons Game

Best Char: Homer as a giant ball

Best Art Direction: N/A

Best Graphics: N/A

Best Sound: An elite dying in an online Halo 3 match

Best RPG: N/A

Best Shooter: CoD 4 and Halo 3

Best Strategy: N/A

 

Worst Game: Pro Evolution Soccer 6

Biggest Dissapointment: Pro Evolution Soccer 6 and Fifa 08

Best Game you replayed: Warlords Battlecry II

Best Game EVAR: Warlords Battlecry II

Best Retro Game: Duke Nukem 3D

[Lantzen]

Game of the Year: Mass Effect (I bought a xbox just to get this game:))

Best Story: Mask of the Betrayer

Best Character: GLADOS xD

Best Graphics: Crysis

Best RPG: Mass Effect

Best Shooter: Team Fortress2

Best Strategy Game: Supreme Commander, followed by World in Conflict

Best Puzzel game: Portal

Biggest Suprise: Overlord and Portal

 

Worst Game: Two Worlds

Biggest Disappointment: The Witcher and *gasp* Bioshock *gasp*

 

Best Game EVAR: Fallout2

Best Retro Game: Fallout2

Special mention: Can't just leave out Planescape from the list ^^

[Lance Monance]

Game of the Year: Portal

Best Story: Halflife² Episode 2, Witcher

Best Character: Glados, Andrew Ryan, Geralt

Best Art Direction: Bioshock

Best Graphics: Crysis

Best Sound Design: Halflife² Episode 2

Best RPG: I only played the witcher..

Best Shooter: Portal.

Best Strategy Game: Most recent DotA version for Warcraft TFT. lol.

 

Worst Game: I don't play those.

Biggest Disappointment: Bioshock

 

Best Game you replayed: Did not replay anything.

Best Game EVAR (including 2007): Can't say, there are many I would consider among the best.

Best Retro Game: Plancescape: Torment (still playing it atm)

[Cygnus Q'ol]

GAME OF YEAR - Mass Effect

BEST STORY - Mass Effect

BEST GRAPHICS - Assassin's Creed

BEST SOUND EFFECTS - Call of Duty 4 Modern Warfare.

BEST ORIGINAL SOUNDTRACK - Jade Empire

BEST NON-PLAYABLE CHARACTER - "Urdnot Wrex" Mass Effect

BEST RPG - Oblivion is more true to the genre than Mass Effect

BEST EXPANSION PACK - Shivering Isles

BEST SHOOTER - Call of Duty 4 ModernWarfare, put your hands down!

BEST SPORTS - Fight Night 3 (TigerWoods'08 runner up)

 

WORST - Marvel Alliance

BIGGEST DISAPPOINTMENT - NBA2K3(still no D)

BEST RE-PLAY GAME - TIE (KotOR & Oblivion)

BEST RETRO GAME & SYSTEM - GTA for PS2

BEST ANCIENT GAME & SYSTEM - Goldeneye for Nintendo64

BEST ARCHAIC / PRE-HISTORY GAME - TechmoBowl

[Rogue15]

Game of the Year Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter 2 and Call of Duty 4

Best Story -Halo 3

Best Character -Master Chief

Best Art Direction GRAW 2

Best Graphics GRAW 2

Best Sound Design CoD4

Best RPG (haven't played any new ones this year)

Best Shooter Call of Duty 4 FTW!!!!

Best Strategy Game GRAW 2 in a few ways

Best Multiplayer Game: Call of Duty 4

 

Worst Game

Biggest Disappointment Halo 3 multiplayer (aside from coop campaign)

 

Best Game you replayed Xbox Splinter Cell Trilogy

Best Game EVAR (including 2007) Call of Duty 4, would've been GRAW 2 if it had a better online game matching and ranking system

Best Retro Game (what was the best oldie you played for the first time?) played? not sure. beat Splinter Cell.....and they said return of the king had alot of endings...

[Corinthian]

Game of the Year: Mass Effect

 

Best Story: Mass Effect

 

Best Character: Urdnot Wrex, Mass Effect

 

Best Art Direction: BioShock

 

Best Graphics: Call of Duty IV

 

Best Sound Design: Call of Duty IV

 

Best RPG: Mass Effect

 

Best Shooter: Call of Duty IV

 

Best Strategy Game: Company of Heroes: Opposing Fronts

 

Best Frisbee: The Witcher

 

Worst Game: The Witcher - Probably wasn't the worst game, but it was the worst one I played.

 

Biggest Disappointment: The Witcher

 

Best Game you replayed: Arcanum

 

Best Game EVAR: Fallout

 

Best Retro Game: Blades of Exile

[HerbieZ]

Mine is going to be a little one sided.

 

Game of the Year Mass Effect

Best Story Mass Effect

Best Character Garrus from you guessed it Mass Effect

Best Art Direction Mass Effect

Best Graphics Let me think…Mass Effect

Best Sound Design Mass Effect (first game I’ve ever bought the soundtrack to)

Best RPG Mass Effect

 

Worst Game None!

Biggest Disappointment None really

Best Game you replayed Oblivion and replayed again and again…(thanks again, stoffe)

Best Game (Ever?) Mass Effect

 

Oh, I don’t want to hear this. I just order this on someone’s recommendation around here. Where is Cygnus Q'ol?

 

QFT! My only changes being Garrus as the best character and no crap games. Other than that, me and mimartin are gaming clones. It's also the first game soundtrack i ever bought.

[*Don*]

Best shooter is definitely Halo 3

[mur'phon]

Got a new comp this year, and therefore played a lot of "old" games for the first time, and didn't get time to test too many new ones

 

Game of the Year: kotor

Best Story: The Witcher

Best Character: HK-47

Best Graphics: World in Conflict

Best Sound Design: World in Conflict

Best RPG: kotor

Best Shooter: Half life2

Best Strategy Game: Supreme commander

Nicest surprise: The Witcher

Worst Game: Halo 3

Biggest Disappointment: medieval 2

Best Game EVAR: Vampire the masquerade

[Commander Obi-Wan]

Game of the Year: Mass Effect, for once I didn't overhype a game. Though, BioShock is very close as well.

Best Story: Mass Effect. can you get more in-depth in story than this game?

Best Character: Wrex. Definitely my favourite character (aside from myself) in Mass Effect.

Best Art Direction: BioShock

Best Graphics: BioShock. Hands down.

Best Sound Design: Mass Effect/BioShock

Best Shooter: Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare or Gears of War (I didn't get a chance to play it until this year)

Best Soundtrack: I have the Gears of War and BioShock soundtracks, which are qutie fine I must say. Though, I haven't gotten my hands on the Mass Effect one yet.

Best Sports Game: NHL 08. Very pretty game.

 

Best Game you replayed: BioShock. Bet it twice in the same week and enjoyed ever bit of it. And I haven't replayed Mass Effect yet.

[Ravnas]

Mass Effect has a great soundtrack, But Anyways

 

Game Of The Year:Call Of Duty 4

Best Story:Mass Effect

Best Art DIrection:Call of Duty 4

Best Graphics:Mass Effect

Best Sound Design:Bioshock

Best Shooter:Call Of Duty 4

Mild Disappointment:Halo 3

Best Character:Joker(Mass Effect)

Best Game Ever:KOTOR 2

Best Rpg Ever:Oblivion