Game of the Year, 2005

I have mixed feelings about this year in videogames... It seems like so much attention was being given to the next generation that this last year of the current generation was seriously neglected. I was planning on making up a list of the top 5 games of 2005, but there just weren’t that many stellar games this year. In fact, I can’t even come up with three titles... so for this year, it’s just the game of the year.

But, what a game. God of War for the PS2 was absolutely incredible and is easily the best game ever released on the PS2. The gameplay and controls are almost perfect, it feels as though the controller was custom designed for the game. The story and cutscenes are very high quality, an excellent reward for passing tough sections. And the graphics and animation are beautiful as Kratos cuts through wave after wave of mythological creatures. God of War would take game of the year in most years, but in this year of lackluster titles, its brilliance is blinding.

Another thing to note from this past year is the longer staying power of top tier games. Halo 2 was released over a year ago, and it still gets good playtime by every gamer I know. World of Warcraft was released around the same time last year, and it now has 5 million players worldwide! Pikmin 2 was another 2004 title I spent a good number of hours with this year, even after I beat it. So, last year’s solid line-up kept me busy during this year’s drought. I’m guessing that this trend of longer lasting games will continue... With downloadable content on Xbox Live, developers are better able to keep their games fresh and exciting. I guess that’s a good thing, but I’d like a little more variety than I got this year...