Super Mario Galaxy - Mario makes a triumphant return in what many are calling the "true" sequel to Super Mario 64. Players get to guide Mario through many gravity defying levels. What makes this game a must have is the fact that it is the first original Mario game for the Wii. It does a great job of showing just what can be done with the Wii in terms of graphics and control when developers take the time to build a game from the ground up with the Wii in mind. More and more developers who are hopping on the Wii bandwagon need to take note of how this game plays, and they need to stop "tacking on" controls for games that were not intended to be played with the Wii remote.
Guitar Hero 3 - The third instalment of this great series lets you rock out on all the platforms (good luck finding a copy though). The game improves upon the previous versions by adding better progression, great music, and online play.
Call of Duty 4 - The popular fps series takes a shot at modern warfare with great effect. The developers of this game did their homework and brought us one of the best shooters of the year. Be warned that if you want to play this on the PC, you must have a good amount of RAM and a really good video card to experience it in all it's glory. Both the PC and Xbox 360 versions feature a great and innovative online play which see's players levelling up when they perform well.
The Orange Box - Half Life 2's episodic adventures make their return in this great box set of game from developer Valve. This game gives gamers what has to be probably the biggest bang for their buck as The Orange Box includes: Half Life 2, Half Life 2: Episode 1, Half Life 2: Episode 2, Team Fortress 2, and Portal.
Assassin's Creed - Ubisoft pulled out all the stops with this fantastic looking game. Assassin's Creed was promoted to the nines by Ubisoft's producer/love child Jade Raymond. Stealthy action set in the Third Crusade with a sci-fi twist. Assassin's Creed delivers on the notion of "games as art" along with a good dose of great gameplay. We can hardly wait for the sequel.
Bioshock - What some are calling "Game of the Year", Bioshock seemed to have come out of nowhere and delivered a solid punch to the single player fps market that seems to have been a bit lacking on the Xbox 360. Along with the equally impressive PC version, the game delivers a great steampunk inspired world to play in, memorable and frightening, Bioshock may be a great new franchise for developer 2K Boston/ 2K Australia.
Rock Band - Developer Harmonix Music Systems, previously of Guitar Hero fame, jumped ship from publisher Activision to realize their vision of a full band based rhythm game with astounding success. With publisher MTV Games licensing music tracks performed by actual artists and the potential to download all new content, and even talk of bands releasing albums that are "Rock Band enabled", this will not be that last we hear about this game.
Overall 2007 has delivered some serious gems of games. One that has seen some original games and some sequels that don't feel like sequels as they have been totally redesigned. We can only hope this is just the beginning of a great consol war. In 2008 we will see some great games come to light, stay tuned for future article preview the best of what 2008 will offer.
