Best games of 2008 (Part 3)

Biggest Game That Failed to Capture My Imagination: Metal Gear Solid 4

Perhaps the last of the great third-party exclusives, this PlayStation 3 epic was a serious contender at many outlets for game of the year. I’d never played a Metal Gear game prior to this, so I tried to prepare by reading up on the back-story. It was a lot to digest, but when I played the game what really turned me off was just the weird control scheme.

For Xbox fans, the Splinter Cell series has really defined stealth-action, and the controls in that series were generally so well thought-out that Metal Gear Solid 4’s scheme is just clunky and odd in comparison. The game also does a horrible job of bringing you up to speed on the mechanics. Normally, tutorial levels step you through increasingly intricate moves until they’ve covered the basics you need to strike out on your own. But MGS4 gave you incredibly brief sequences where, say, you move around a vehicle, and then you get thrown in another lengthy cut scene until the next short sequence, which, in terms of teaching you how to play the game, bears little relation to the previous sequences.

Reality check: Given the accolades heaped on this game, creator Hideo Kojima obviously did something right. Just today, a coworker said MGS4 had some absolutely epic moments in it that are worth suffering through the crummy bits. This may be one to revisit later in 2009 during the midyear lull.

Favorite Downloadable Game: Braid

An evocatively melancholy story about lost love, Braid was one of the most critically acclaimed and innovative games of the year. Mechanically, it’s an homage to Super Mario Bros., but with the added element of time manipulation. Braid’s unique visuals are rendered as gorgeous Impressionist-style paintings, and the slow, cello-heavy soundtrack heightens the doleful mood. Each level is a polished gem of design, and your time-bending abilities get more intricate as the game progresses.

Reality check: Braid can be wickedly hard. In fact, it’s probably the hardest game I played last year. Of course you can go online if you need help, but the satori-like revelation that comes with cracking the puzzles unaided is its own reward.

 

 

 

Favorite Unsung Masterpiece: Mirror’s Edge

This was hands down one of the most original games of the year. Essentially a first-person 3D platformer, Mirror’s Edge is set in an authoritarian city-state of the near future that blends atmospheric and architectural elements of Tokyo, Singapore, Hong Kong, New York, LA and London. You play as a “runner”, or underground courier of illicit information, who eludes police by running, leaping and sliding through urban landscapes.

The first thing you’ll notice about Mirror’s Edge is the vibrant aesthetic. Absent are the grays and browns of (excellent) games like Gears of War 2, Fallout 3 and Call of Duty. From the sparkling blue sky to the bold primaries of many of the buildings you run on and through, Mirror’s Edge presents a world blossoming with color.

Of course you’ll also notice the unique perspective as a player. There’s nothing new about first-person games, but here, you’re not brandishing a gun and you frequently see your hands and feet. Mirror’s Edge is basically a parkour simulator, and the first-person viewpoint allows for some truly vertiginous moments, especially if you ignore your mother’s old advice and sit (or stand, which is even more immersive) too close to your television. One thing I loved is that you are encouraged to finish the game without firing a single shot at a human being. You can certainly obtain guns by disarming police that stand in your way, but I found it more believable and interesting to eschew weapons entirely and rely on speed and smarts to get me out of trouble.

The story in Mirror’s Edge deserves special mention as well. It’s not perfect, but this marked one of the few games that made me care about the main character. Electronic Arts’ DICE studio crafted a believable and sympathetic person in the character of Faith, and I found myself eager to see how the next chapter played out. There are some decent if clichéd twists, and although the ending is somewhat unsatisfactory in the sense that it doesn’t tie off all the loose ends, there is enough of a payoff emotionally and game-play-wise to deliver a sense of closure.

Reality check: There are a few really nasty difficulty spikes in the game that require you to pull off a series of complex moves with little or no margin for error. Expect a four to five places where you will die 20 to 40 times trying to execute one of these intricate sequences. I normally hate games that are so demanding, but in this case was so intrigued by the story and visuals that I kept plugging at it.

(Tomorrow: Favorite Xbox Exclusive, Best Game I’m Most Eager to Play Once I Finish What I’m Currently Playing, and Best Unfinished Game!)

Best games of 2008 (Part 2)

Favorite Driving Game: Burnout Paradise

Why it’s a winner: Open world. Dozens of sweet cars. Spectacular crashes. Hundreds of challenges. Seamlessly integrated online play. Sure, Burnout Paradise isn’t the most realistic racer around, but when you’re smashing through a billboard 50 feet up in the air at 120 mph, who cares?

This is also a game I could pick up and play for just 15 minutes, or for hours on end. It’s also one I could share with Harlan. A benefit of the open-world, menu-less design is that it encourages exploration and lets you just cruise around checking stuff out. Perfect for a 7-year-old who doesn’t have the fine motor skills required to thread a speeding muscle car down a narrow alley or nudge an opponent just enough to send them careening into a concrete pillar without dooming yourself to the same fate.

Not only is there an incredibly variety of stuff to do in this game, but impressively, Electronic Arts and Criterion are keeping things fresh with new downloadable content such as new cars, new game modes, and even plans for an entire island that will be one giant playground for pulling outrageous stunts.

Reality check: If you like more authenticity and the chance to try out real-world cars and tracks, then driving simulators like Forza 2 and Gran Turismo 5 Prologue are probably more up your alley.

Favorite Online Game: Left 4 Dead

Less a shooter than your own personalized zombie survival movie, Left 4 Dead attains its fullest brilliance when you play online with three other people. Sure, there are only four levels, but each time it feels fresh due to the different strategies you and your cohorts come up with. In the weeks after Left 4 Dead came out, the halls at work each morning were filled with conversation about the previous night’s exploits. It’s one of those games that will have you asking in disbelief: “Did you see that?”

Left 4 Dead has delivered the most polished co-op experience to date. If you do not work with your teammates, you will die, and they will die, and the story will end. Yet you don’t have to rely on the goodwill of your friends, incentives to help out are built right into the game. Tight and taut, with the perfect mix of jump-out-of-your skin horror and campy humor, Left 4 Dead is a fresh and compelling online experience.

Reality check: Left 4 Dead might prove to be too limited, given that there are only four missions, only five firearms, and the same four characters to choose from. It remains to be seen how much staying power it has, but there are certainly hours of zombie-blasting fun to be had here nonetheless.

Biggest Time-Suck: Rock Band 2/Guitar Hero World Tour

It was clear more than a year ago that these competing franchises aimed to evolve into platforms offering a whole new way to enjoy your favorite music.While most people seem to gravitate to one or the other, I find my playing time split pretty evenly between them. Between Rock Band and Guitar Hero series, I’ve logged hundreds of hours of playing time, saving me the hassle and expense of constructing a real life or learning an actual instrument.

Rock Band 2 has so far shaped up as the critics’ choice as Harmonix and MTV fixed almost everything that was wrong with the already excellent first installment. The game does a great job of paying homage to rock music while not taking itself too seriously. Rock Band also offers the best selection of downloadable songs, with literally hundreds of tracks spanning classic rock, punk, country and metal.

Yet the wildly popular Guitar Hero has proven to be the sales king, and World Tour cuts into Rock Band’s turf in a big way by offering a new drum set and redesigned guitar that are best-in-class. Developer Neversoft also came up with a character creation tool that is superior to Rock Band’s. While their downloadable content isn’t as robust as their rival’s, they have some key acts like Jimi Hendrix, and they are doing cool things with bands like Aerosmith and Metallica.

Either way, whether it’s picking up an axe to relax by jamming through a few songs at the end of a long day, or breaking out the whole band kit for social fun when company is over, these music games deliver massive amounts of playing time and more than justify their expense.

Reality check: Selling at nearly $200 for the full band kits, these games cost almost as much as the console you play them on. While you’re sure to find many songs that please you, there will be quite a few that you hate but still have to slog through to proceed in career mode (yeah, I’m looking at you, PDA by Interpol). Getting four people up and playing is also still a bit of a chore.

(Tomorrow: Favorite Downloadable Game, Best Game That Failed to Capture My Imagination, Favorite Unsung Work of Art)