Question of the Week: What Q1 games will we still be talking about by year's end?

by: Randy - posted: 4/10/2009 2:19:00 AM

                             

Q1 of 2009 has come and gone, though some of its offerings are still certainly tied to our altars, hearts beating, fear dilating their pupils. 

What's one game released in the past three months that you'll still be singing praises of at the end of the year, and what's one game that deserves your loathing?

Sean Colleli:  My first choice would be Deadly Creatures because it's a really neat idea game done very well, but I have to say that Madworld takes the cake.  The game is so unabashedly gratuitous in every way it possibly can be, but underneath is a very solid beat-em-up with high production values and a striking art style.  It's easily a contender for Wii game of the year, not that that's hard to do these days.  As for loathing, I'm tempted to say Resident Evil 5, but that game wasn't bad per se, just spectacularly disappointing.  No, my loathing goes to the DSi, Nintendo's shameless triple-dip.  There isn't anything about it that warrants upgrading to the tune of $170.  The cameras, media functions and slightly bigger screens are all fluff.  It has the same SD-to-system memory problem they just got around to fixing on the Wii, and its music player doesn't even support mp3s.  All of the new features are incremental improvements to woo casual gamers, and you can bet we won't be getting anything worthwhile from the online store.  The DSi isn't a game platform, it's an overpriced yuppie toy that happens to play DS games.  Save your money folks--if you're a serious gamer, your DS Lite will continue to serve you just fine.  (Currently playing MadWorld, Grand Theft Auto IV, Far Cry 2)

Adam Dodd:  It's up to Sony to make sure we're still talking about Killzone 2 at the end of the year, perhaps some new DLC would assist with that?  I would've liked to say we'd still be talking about the somewhat disappointing Resident Evil 5; while I've enjoyed the game immensely, I just don't see that happening.  (Currently playing Killzone 2 and Dead Space...again)

Charles Husemann:  I imagine that we'll be talking about Killzone 2 at the end of the year and mostly in a positive fashion.  Barring a major announcement at E3 it's the lead title for the PS3 this year and if Sony is smart they'll keep the marketing campaign for the game going.  As far as disappointments I think we'll be talking about the flood of crappy iPhone and downloadable DS games.  We might see a few decent games for the platforms but it's mostly going to be shovelware or casual games.  (Currently playing Chronicles of Riddick: Assault on Dark Athena, Team Fortress 2, Peggle)

Randy Kalista:  If it hasn't happened yet, more game sites are going to have to buckle down and setup a DLC of the Year award.  This year proves that it's (almost) time.  Operation: Anchorage and The Pitt aren't necessarily racking in endless accolades, especially considering how many blasted trophies Fallout 3 raked in on its own, but The Lost and Damned will pretty much take the whole layer cake the second someone breathes GTA IV's name by year's end.  It's also a shame that Knothole Island was lost on so many of Fable II's critics, since Knothole's tale of heroic perception and self-deception was richer than the puzzles that unlocked it.  Otherwise, thanks for nothing, Stormrise.  This is somewhat unfair, since I haven't touched the game.  But with the stunningly dull artwork, Sominex character stories, and cavalcade of who-cares features, the Creative Assembly has proven that they have no business stepping out of Total War's bounds.  (Currently playing Command & Conquer Red Alert 3: Uprising, Silent Hill: The Escape (iPhone), EVE Online)

Sean Nack:  I don't know if I'll still be playing it, but I'll certainly still be comparing the storytelling abilities of other FPS developers to FEAR 2. Monolith set quite a bar there, combining gripping QTE's (which I'm not normally a fan of) with pitch-perfect environmental touches. Sadly, as I go through baseball season, I will be continually reminded of MLB2k9 and it's utter, utter failure. I was at a University of Oregon baseball game a couple weeks ago, and their infield just kept committing error after error, and I couldn't help but think that maybe 2k Sports had done some of their research right here in Eugene...  (Currently playing Resident Evil 5)