Game of the Year 2007

Well its nearing the end of the year meaning it year end awards. Unfortunately in the world of video games these awards don't mean much mostly due to the fact that there so many Game of the Year (GoY) Awards. Seriously why the hell are there like 13 of these damn things?

Not only are there numerous GoY Awards given out by different media/publishing companies but they're not even consistent with each other making the whole award pointless. Don't get me wrong a lot of the times these awards do highlight great games but more often then most they act as another marketing ploy on a game that probably had significant hype surrounding it. So what am I going to do about it? Well I'm going to make my own picks of course.

I'll start with the list of contenders

Bioshock - This cinematic game made me hate seeing the words immersive in game reviews but it delivered just that in a nice (though at times creepy) tight story line. The game itself had solid game mechanics and stunning visuals that made it one of the must own games of the year.

Super Mario Galaxy - It took them a year after their next gen console release but Nintendo has finally stepped moved its Wii a step forward with the release of a Mario game. The game takes a unique change with its game mechanics while pushing the envelope for 3D platformers. However, despite being one of my favorite Mario's this is probably the weakest title on my list since it tends to incur a love it or hate it relationship among gamers.

Mass Effect - The giant space opera that is Mass Effect has shown that Bioware is still one of the best game developers out there. The game features a great deal of story and replay ability. However the flaws in Mass Effect lie in some of the game mechanics (with the exclusion of the real time battle controls) the game controls seem a bit jenky.

Call of Duty 4- Finally CoD has moved away from its WWII background into a more modern military shooter. The game features a stunning graphics engine and a much improved multiplayer experience. The problem with the game is that its extremely short and often leaves the player wishing someone would have taken the extra time to create a few more missions.

Halo 3- People now have reasons to own an Xbox (360) again, Halo 3 fills the gap of the must own title for the 360 putting it up there with Gears of War. The game features a ton of multiplayer updates making the game play balanced again and of course allows fans of the series to "Finish the Fight". The main issue with this game is a consistency issue in its level design. Some levels are designed perfectly for single/cooperative play and are a lot of fun to play, while others will often feel frustrating on single player or dull. This is a minor issue but its a significant one in fact that the campaign is much shorter than previous installments of the series.

And the winner is ...
Bioshock. I'm actually pretty surprised by the out come of this one being a pretty big Halo fan I could have easily given the chief the nod for the final installment of the series. However, Bioshock delivered in almost every aspect a game should, however I would have really liked to see a multiplayer aspect of this shooter.

Bioshock combines a great story with incredible visuals and sounds. Along with solid game mechanics Bioshock is one of the most enjoyable games I've played all year.

Special Should have been GoY Award - Portal - this awesome little puzzle game has taken the gaming world by storm. I was tempted to put this on the list but left it off mostly due to the fact that it was part of a bundle, this would be a killer DLC game for Xbox Live or PSN.

Must own game of year - Orange Box - take the industry shaping Half Life series add in a few expansions and two additional games (Team Fortress 2 and Portal). Gives you the must own bundle for any gamer for just about all platforms. There cannot be enough said about this bundle expect, if you don't have it go buy it.