I can’t really talk about the best games of 2007 because I didn’t play every game that came out this year. Even if I had, it’s all subjective anyway. What I can talk about are my favourite games of 2007, and why. I can also give random awards to games that deserve recognition. So let’s begin…

OMG Its Magic Award:
Super Mario Galaxy.

Galaxy is truly one of the most fun gaming experiences I have had in years. Playing through the game gives this great sense of discovery, all the time. Every level, you’re wondering what new thing awaits you, exploring new areas, trying out different things, its simply magical.

If you own a Wii, go buy Galaxy. If you don’t own a Wii, then go out and buy one (I know, its still stupidly difficult) and then buy Galaxy.

Best Deal Ever Award:
The Orange Box.

Even if you’ve already played (or already own) Half-Life 2 and Half-Life 2: Episode One, The Orange Box is a fantastic deal. I would gladly pay $20-30 for each of Team Fortress 2, Portal and Episode Two and my money would be well spent. Instead, you can get all three, plus the original Half-Life 2 and Episode One for a ridiculously great value.

Unfortunately, that isnt enough and I feel I must break down the three new component parts further…

Best Way to Spend 3-4 Hours Award:
Portal.

Portal may only be 3-4 hours but it is 3-4 hours of pure bliss and I can’t think of anything bad to say about it. It has more fun packed into those 3-4 hours than games with 20+ hours of gameplay. There wasn’t a single moment in Portal where I wasn’t completely engrossed in the game and having fun.

It is the first time in as long as I can remember where my brain was introduced to something completely new in a game and I had to think in new ways to figure out how to solve the puzzles. Each puzzle I solved felt like an accomplishment - like I had actually done something that required thought.

Something I completely did not expect was the writing of the game: It is fantastic. It’s darkly humorous throughout and I don’t think anyone expected that. Both the writing and the delivery of the dialog is spot-on and it really adds to the atmosphere of the game.

As an aside, I would also award this game Best New Game Mechanic, Best New Videogame Villain and Best Dialog.

The game is fresh and brilliant and deserves all the praise it gets. It also deserves your attention and you should make an effort to play it.

I was Emotionally Shocked. Twice. Award:
Half-Life 2: Episode Two.

Episode Two was great. Sure, it was more of the same, but it did progress the Half-Life 2 story, which is a damn good story. Those guys at Valve keep adding new tricks to their Source engine and it does look nicer with each new addition. The gameplay was largely the same, though there were a few pretty memorable encounters throughout, in particular that Vortigaunt fight and the somewhat epic end battle.

Now something I have always liked about the Half-Life games is that they tell the story through scripted scenes where you really feel involved. This continues in Episode Two and the emotion put into the voicework at the very end of the episode… it gave me chills. I’ve been scared by games before. I’ve also experienced various forms of happiness because of games. I can’t recall ever being so stunned or emotionally effected by a game before.

Reason to Not Close Down the Internet Award:
Team Fortress 2.

Team Fortress Classic was fantastic back in the day. A great online multiplayer experience with teams and multiple classes to choose from. Team Fortress 2 took that formula and tweaked the shit out of it. Everything is slicker and tighter and it all comes out so polished its hard not to have fun.

I’m impressed with so much about the game. The variety of classes, the near-perfect (and ever-improving) balancing of those classes, the exceptional quality of the maps and the visual style of everything. From across a map, seeing just a character’s silhouette, I can tell what class that character is and what weapon they’re holding. In so many other online games, everyone looks so similar that it’s tough to distinguish different classes from very close up. Everything was extremely well thought out in this game and the proof is in the gameplay.

With nine different classes to play, I’ll be working on mastering this for a long time to come. Definitely the Multiplayer Game of the Year.

OMG What Was that Noise and Where Did It Come From? Award:
Bioshock.

Bioshock is gorgeous. I’m not even talking about the technical achievements the engine can output, although those are impressive. I ran it on my 4-year-old machine and it was still beautiful. The art guys who worked on this game made a completely convincing world with Rapture and I was completely immersed in it.

The game itself was a great shooter that was excellent fun. There were many different ways to kill guys and I loved them all. I loved the story of Rapture and Andrew Ryan. I loved the way the city was falling apart and slowly being reclaimed by the sea. I loved the way I couldn’t play it in the dark with the sound turned up loudly because hearing the characters moving about the city creeped the hell out of me.

I would also give BioShock awards for Best Art Design and Best Story.

I Didn’t Power Off My DS Until I Finished It Award:
The Legend of Zelda: The Phantom Hourglass.

I guess this means Phantom Hourglass is the Best DS Game Ever. I’m okay with that. It’s a solid action/adventure game and was lots of fun to play. Zelda games are usually pretty fun and the translation to the DS was a nice, smooth one. Controls were tight and the addition of being able to write things on your maps allowed for more complex puzzles. Big thumbs up.

I Can’t Believe I’m Playing a Game with Unicorns and Rainbows Award:
Peggle Deluxe.

I just as easily could have given it Casual Game of the Year, but Peggle is something special. When I first heard about it, I was skeptical. When I first loaded it up, with its childish, cutesy artwork and a fucking unicorn teaching me how to play the game, I was ready to call bullshit on anyone who said it was any good. The mechanic is simple but it’s pure and damn if it isn’t really fun and addicting. It isn’t something I’m going to sit down and play for 4 hours, but when I’ve got 20 minutes to spare it really hits the spot. Also, those 20 minutes often spread out to 30 or more…

If you haven’t already, I would highly suggest you pick up the demo from Popcap’s site or on Steam (hell, the whole game is only $10 on Steam!).

In conclusion, Super Mario Galaxy, The Orange Box and BioShock are my top games of 2007. I love them all. Hard.