Fable II (Played on Xbox360)
The second entry in the Fable series was impressive, but ended up well, not leaving really any taste in my mouth. Everything's there: A unique fiction that takes place in a lovingly crafted world, a variety of optional and required activities, and an entertaining combat system.
Yet while I was playing the game I felt little-to-no need to explore like i did in Fallout, and had very little interest in doing additional sidequests. I felt very little need to play the economy, doing little other than dabbling. I did have lots of sex with a variety of women. At the same time!
When G4's X-Play named it Game of the Year, I was genuinely surprised, but I'll admit it - I think I'm in the minority here. Fable itself wasn't disappointing; I was only disappointed that I didn't like it quite as much as everyone else.
Metal Gear Solid 4 (Played on PS3)
I think this is it: My Game of the Year. I'm always hesitant to choose one, but there was just so much here. As a Metal Gear fanboy going back to at LEAST the first Metal Gear Solid on PSone if not even further back, it was a lot of fun to watch the game truly evolve for the first time since MGS1 not only in the gameplay but in the story.
On the gameplay side, Kojima productions managed to modernize the controls and interface without losing the essence of Metal Gear. The controls didn't clunky anymore. It's hard to know what to write here because for me, everything just worked so well.
The story was a veritable wet dream for Metal Gear Solid fans. It tied up all the loose ends from the first three games, which is a feat to behold. It's almost like Kojima planned it out, or something! It really feels like the proper end for a long running series. The boss battle at the end was a perfect way to remind the player of all the history without whacking them over the head. For once, Kojima managed to make a point without a 45 minute cutscene!
You Might Have Missed...
This is going to be a nice, quick list of things you might have missed this year in all the blockbuster releases.
On the Wii, there was Boom Blox and de Blob. Both of these games brought something rarely found on the Wii: engaging and entertaining gameplay! Boom Blox is essentially another party game, but the puzzle mode is more than enough single player for anyone. What I liked about it the most was that it wouldn't work on any other system. You NEED a Wii remote to play the game. Zelda, Mario, Mario Kart, et al - those games would work fine with a standard controller. de Blob isn't quite as easy to define. It's definitely single player focused, and it was absolutely made for the Wii. The graphics don't stand out quite as much as I'd like, but they easily surpass 90% of the Wii's content. The controls aren't quite up to par with some of the better games (er, Boom Blox), but they still work. The game is notable purely for being something other than shovelware, honestly, but to be able to say it's actually worth the disc it was pressed on? Even better!
Another game that could fall under the Wii category, but doesn't have to, is World of Goo. This was a nice independent release that took a great art and music style and combined it with my intense love of making tall things. You use the little goo balls to make a structure that can support itself, to allow as many gooballs as possible escape. Having purchased this for the Wii, I would suggest instead purchasing it for the PC - the controls are going to work a lot better with a mouse than with the Wii remote. Make sure that you actually do buy it, though: the 90% piracy rate is ridiculous, especially with the game hitting the virtual shelves for the low-low price of $9.99. Seriously.
On the Xbox Live side, Castle Crashers was a good bit of fun. I'm sad to say I didn't play much of it multiplayer. I played through it long before the multiplayer was working. The one time I DID try to play it multi, my power went out. That just screamed "Maybe you shouldn't play this with your friends." But you should! It's cool as hell.
If you look to the left at my "Now Playing" queue, you'll see Yakuza 2 in there. I haven't finished it - the fall blockbusters, once again, got in the way. But as one of the last games on the PS2 this and its predecessor Yakuza are two of the most interesting games on the system. They're unique RPGs that don't resort to magic, turn-based combat, and belt-and-zipper fashion. At $20, the second game is priced to own, and the optional first-game-flashback makes buying the first one unnecessary if you're not interested. I know you have a PS2, why don't you own this game?! It's bad ass.
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