The Video Game Revue

Top Games of 2005

Happy new year, everyone. I'd like to kick off 2006 by listing what I figure are the top games of 2005. The top games of 2004 were World of WarCraft and Half-Life 2, which are some truly incredible games. Did 2005 stack up?

Parappa's Top Games of 2005

10. Zelda: Minish Cap (GameBoy Advance)

I thoroughly enjoyed this worthy addition to the Zelda series. It was not entirely new feeling, since it is essentially the same kind of Zelda game that A Link to the Past was, but it still managed to be fresh and exciting. It was a pleasure to see such a steadfast game recipie rebourne.

9. Gran Turismo 4 (PlayStation 2)

GT4 is a solid continuation of the Gran Turismo series, and continues to push the borders of excellence in racing games. It's hard to imagine that this game could have been any better without being made for a more high-performance platform.

8. Guild Wars (Windows)

This is the so-called MMORPG without a monthly subscription fee. While it is not a true MMORPG in many senses of the term, it is an engrossing RPG experience nevertheless. In my opinion, this the best value-priced alternative to World of WarCraft available so far.

7. We Love Katamari (PlayStation 2)

We Love Katamari is certainly a worthy successor to Katamari Damacy. It expands on the scope of the game while refining the gameplay slightly, and although the core game is basically identical, We Love Katamari is a better title to invest in. It also deserves credit for widening the audience for Katamari Damacy and bringing the game to new heights of popularity.

6. F.E.A.R. (Windows)

F.E.A.R. is perhaps the most technologically impressive game of the year, featuring stunning visuals that have drawn rave critical acclaim. It's a quality production that is worth visiting and revisiting, and it has given FPS fans the adrenaline-charged single-player experience that Quake 4 so obviously failed to deliver.

5. Shadow of the Colossus (PlayStation 2)

In some ways, Shadow of the Colossus succeeded more than any other game this year (well, almost any other game) in invoking in me the same sense of wonder about video games that I used to have as a kid. Technically, SoTC is a flawed game that runs choppily on the PlayStation 2 and provides a compromised experience as a result, although it may have inadvertantly appealed to my retro gaming sensibilities by reminding me of what it was like to play cutting edge games on inferior hardware "back in the day." Artistically, on the other hand, SoTC truly deserves to be hailed as one of the top games of the year. I hope to see more games with the same standards of quality and originality as this one in future years.

4. Mario Kart DS (Nintendo DS)

I've been really blown away by this ingenius hand-held racer, which manages to not only be excellent by hand-held gaming standard, but in fact to be a better racing game than other Mario Kart titles--even Mario Kart: Double Dash for GameCube. The finely tuned gameplay, heightened difficulty level, and impressive bouqet of race tracks provided by Mario Kart DS have blown me head-over-heels. Mario Kart DS has even ushered in the new Nintendo WiFi technology to provide multiplayer play over the internet. This really is an amazing game.

3. Battlefield 2 (Windows)

I loved the original Battlefield 1942 back in 2002 (has it been so long already?) and through 2003, but I was ultimately let down when Battlefield: Vietnam lacked the same degree of long-term staying power (that's what you get when the development studio changes, I guess.) With Battlefield 2, the series is back with a vengeance, and it truly is a worthwhile multiplayer experience. I used to dream about a multiplayer FPS that subtly blended RTS elements to make for a larger-scale strategic experience, and wondered how such a game could possibly be made to work online, given what a chaotic and uncooperative bunch of jerks random gamers on the internet can be. Battlefield 2 has taken large strides towards making that dream a reality, and I really have to commend not only the superbly immersive experience that it provides, but the clever social engineering that it employs to coerce players into working together more often than not.

2. Metal Gear Solid 3 (PlayStation 2)

The original MGS perfected the elements of setting and story-telling, while MGS2 introduced stunning gameplay and technological achievement. MGS3 combines the best of both worlds, with a plot and setting worthy of the original MGS (although, honestly, I will always prefer the original), and graphics and gameplay up to the standards of MGS2. The overall effect is mad genius, and MGS3 is a must have title for all MGS fans. Of course, I'm biased to have put the game up so high on my list, but it's a worthwhile bias to be a big MGS fan.

1. Resident Evil 4 (GameCube)

I don't really follow gaming news all that closely for the most part, so I didn't see RE4 coming. As a matter of fact, I pretty much went out on my birthday day thinking "I should treat myself to a new game" and bought RE4 primarily because it was the latest, greatest thing at the time. Imagine my surprise when RE4 dominated my life for the next two weeks as I voraciously poured 26 hours into finishing it. I've been ranting and raving about what a brilliant game it is ever since, and I've even managed to make partial converts out of a few of my friends. Most impressively, though, nearly a year later I still pop RE4 into my GameCube once in a while for some quick action, and I still contemplate playing through it again. I can easily imagine that even years from now I will enjoy the odd game of RE4 and speak well of it, because RE4 isn't just a technological marvel--it is a true masterpiece of a game.

Honorable Mentions:

Soul Calibur III
Burnout: Revenge
Dragon Quest VIII
Digital Devil Saga 2
Nintendogs

Intentionally Omitted (because I haven't had the chance to play them):

Psychonauts
Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow
Ace Combat 5
Devil May Cry 3
Tekken 5

posted by Parappa @ 4:13 PM