My Honorable Mentions
During our recording of the season finale of GamerGeeks, both Kelly and I mentioned some games that were not able to make our list of the best and worst of the year. I wanted to give them special recognition here. First off, let’s start with five games that were very good, and a majority of them were a hard decision to take off of the list.
BAYONETTA (Sega/Platinum Games, 360) – I mentioned this game during our show, while Kelly mentioned Dante’s Inferno as #5 on her best list. I strongly disagreed with her on this one, as it could be considered a Dishonorable Mention candidate. I also compared it to the much better Bayonetta. The control was much better, the storyline more enticing (I admit I’m not as much of a fan of the Divine Comedy as Kelly is,) and the game was filled with tons of fan service to classic Sega players, including stages reminiscent of Hang-On and Space Harrier. You may notice that in my description I only have the 360 version listed, and that’s not because I’m pulling a Ubisoft with what they’re doing with Assassin’s Creed Brotherhood (claiming it as a PS3 exclusive, which it isn’t,) but it is because the 360 version is the more polished one, with a fast frame rate and higher detailed visuals. Only the massive screen tearing prevented the game from looking perfect.
HALO: REACH (Bungie/Microsoft, 360) Kelly’s choice for #1 Best of the Year. While I don’t hold Reach in that high a regard, I still feel it is an excellent shooter, and a wonderful swan song to Bungie’s involvement in the Halo franchise. All my negative thoughts of ODST have been removed, and the addition of an excellent space combat stage was well worth the price of admission. Now Microsoft, I beg you, PLEASE make a Halo based space combat game next year!
SUPER MARIO GALAXY 2 (Wii) – I loved the first Mario Galaxy, and the second game is no exception. While it still gave me feelings of disorientation, the platforming aspect is Mario at his best. No wonder the best games on the Wii are Nintendo first party titles. Well, not all of them. Cough Metroid Other M cough
SCOTT PILGRIM VS. THE WORLD: THE GAME (Ubisoft, 360/PS3) For once, a licensed movie game that doesn’t suck! Not only if this Ubisoft’s redemption for Turtles in Time Reshelled, it is an excellent four player beat em up reminiscent of the 8-bit classics, namely River City Ranson (which I still consider one of the best games of all time.) Even the chiptune soundtrack by Anamanaguchi deserves special praise. It was so good I ended up downloading and playing it on iTunes.
INFINITY BLADE (ChAIR/Epic Games, iOS) This game came after Kelly and I recorded our show, but if you want a game that shows the graphical powers of the iPhone 4 or 4th Generation iPod touch, as well as the iPad, this is it. While the combat seems reminiscent of Punch-Out on the NES and Wii, the combat is enticing, as well as uncovering all the weapons, armor, shields, helmets, and magic rings and mastering them to level up. While multiplayer would have been nice to have from the start, future DLC promises new areas of the castle to explore, as well as online combat. I can’t wait!
Ok you’ve seen the good games that deserved an honorable mention, now it’s time to see two specific games that deserve dishonorable mentions for being bad, but not bad enough to make the list.
WIPEOUT: THE GAME (Activision, Wii) I do not even know what I was thinking when I forgot to put this monstrosity on the list. Based on a show that’s a ripoff of a much better show, Takeshi’s Castle (and its hilarious US version of MXC,) Wipeout the Game is a mess. Horrible graphics (even for the Wii,) an inexcusable choppy frame rate, weak commentary, and nonresponsive controls: the perfect combination for a horrible game.
NBA ELITE 2010 (EA Canada, 360/PS3) Yes I know this game did NOT come out, except for one copy that sold on eBay, but does that mean that Elite will be ineligible for the list? WRONG! Any game that gets cancelled at the last second because of a buggy demo, even with a hilarious bug such as Bynum Christ, is a failure in my opinion. The cancellation of Elite is a serious blow to the once invincible EA Sports empire, and I’m sure that 2K is laughing all the way to the bank.
One more thing, the end of the year material is not finished yet. Coming on the 31st, I will be giving my annual awards, leading up to our annual nominations! Stay tuned.
Currently Playing: Goldeneye (Wii,) Fallout New Vegas (360)
Waiting For: MAGFest 9