Eurogamer Readers' Top 50 Games of 2007
Bike-sheds. 5pm. No blades.
30. Warhawk
Sony, Incog / PlayStation Network
What we said: "Incognito has taken the DNA of Battlefield and crafted a sublime online console game - a virtual battlezone that serves up more than its fair share of wonderful audio-visuals, but more than that, plays beautifully, with every game you play supplying a key gameplay moment that only online gaming provides."
Weebleboy: "Okay, so it wasn't my actual #1, but it seems to have been forgotten in everyone's 2007 lists so I'll give it a wee boost and put it up here. A wonderfully addictive arcade Battlefield clone with a real epic feel, wonderful map design, and great balancing. Probably the most fun I've had playing online so far."
3william56: "Bringing online wargaming to the console masses, with elegance, simplicity, balance and kick ass dog-fighting. And the added bonus of calling an air-strike on half a dozen whining yank teenagers at a time is just the icing on the cake."
Tobydch: "Fantastic online play with no lag whatsoever! Other games like Uncharted and FIFA 08 were fantastic but nothing can beat the replay value in Warhawk - what an online experience."
29. Gears of War
Microsoft, Epic / Xbox 360, PC
What we said: "In a sense, Gears of War lives up to expectations in that it's one of the most intensely beautiful-looking games ever made, but is one that plays by the rules in the gameplay stakes. If you want to gorge on a next generation audio-visual feast then Gears of Wars is a king's banquet. But what of the gameplay pudding that Peter Moore so often reminds us that he likes? The proof, he says, is in the eating, and in this case Gears of War sticks to a well-worn recipe."
steddyman: "Great single-player and it was loads of fun with my friends in multiplayer. The game had such a feeling of weight, which is missing from Halo."
28. Ratchet & Clank: Tools of Destruction
Sony, Insomniac / PS3
What we said: "Whether Tools of Destruction is for you depends largely on whether you got on with the previous Ratchet & Clank games. If you did, and you loved them, then there's absolutely no reason not to go out and buy this, because it's a beautifully slick revision with some of the best videogame visuals around, and the usual excellent storyline to drag you along."
27. FIFA 08
EA, EA Sports / PS3, Xbox 360, PS2, PC, Wii, DS, PSP
What we said: "PES or FIFA? Well, perhaps the most pertinent point here is that FIFA 08 now feels more like an alternative to PES rather than a direct rival, due to its slower, more considered and realistic approach. The two series feel very much like they're on opposite ends of the spectrum now, with both possessing a host of merits, but ultimately providing two very different experiences. Maybe it's time we stopped torturing ourselves about which is better and started thinking about what kind of footy experience we're looking for, then make our decisions based on that instead. Now there's a thought..."
thehipster7: "Its football, movement and passing [are superb]. Takes some getting used to but blows away the school-yard kickaround that is PES. Online even the 5v5 has little lag, if there is some it's down to users connections and/or distance between players. Is fashionable to slate EA but not this time."
FranticUK: "The fact is that it has come from being Pro Evo's mascot to a more complete football package in comparison to Konami's offering this year. It looks to have far more potential going into the future with 5v5 (a brilliant addition), better gameplay and the sheer online and offline game options. Streamed podcasts, arena mode, party play with your mates on a local machine, licensed teams and stadiums all make this my favourite footy game so far."
26. Forza Motorsport 2
Microsoft, Turn 10 / Xbox 360
What we said: "Best of all you needn't have four interlinked TV screens and a bespoke racing chair to get the most out of this game - although that option is there for those who want it. Neither have you to spend hours under the bonnets, reading performance graphs or worrying about which spoiler is more likely to impress a girl and intimidate a boy. Forza 2 really is as universally appealing a sim racing game as one could hope for, and there's not a blue shell in sight."
renzo: "There's lots to love about Forza 2. The weighty feel of the cars, the easy-to-get-to-grips-with handling, the satisfying thunk of collisions, the Performance Indexing and Classing of cars, the car customisation options; that really is a lot of love. Yes, it did look a bit rough graphically, and the selection of tracks was a little disappointing, but overall a solid sim, and most importantly a satisfyingly enjoyable 'car game'."
Macross: "Simply amazing across the board. Yes it has its minor niggles, but I've never had so much fun with the online mode once Id found some decent people to race with. The customisation options are just the icing on the cake. Surely this is as close as you can get to the perfect racing sim!?"
25. Resident Evil 4: Wii Edition
Nintendo, Capcom / Wii
What we said: "Since it's only £25, you might as well take a punt if you haven't already played it. It's just a shame that one of the best ever action games has become another casualty of the Wii controller. Indeed, for a controller that was supposed to herald a new dawn of inclusive gaming there are a lot of third-party publishers who have yet to get their heads round it. Presumably, when they decided to create a Wii version of Resident Evil 4, Capcom envisaged an even more inclusive version of the best ever action game. What they got is a game that now looks dated, and plays exactly the same but with worse controls. Not exactly a new dawn."
24. SKATE
What we said: "As a first stab at something new, EA has landed one hell of a trick for the judges - and those of us who exist outside of this tenuous analogy - to enjoy while they await the arrival of one Mr Tony Hawk to see if the Birdman has finally had his wings clipped. The demo (which went up on Live recently) certainly doesn't wow in the same way that Skate does, making declaring this the definitive extreme sports experience somewhat easier for us. Punishingly difficult but ultimately rewarding, games of Skate's caliber are a rare breed and as far as first attempts go, it's been years since we saw one this accomplished. Just... sick, man."
dadrester: "Flawed masterpiece. Stupid and [GASP SWEARWORD] gameflow design vastly overshadowed by the most perfectly crafted core mechanics in a game I've seen since... well probably Tetris. Level design is amazing too. (Let's hope they fix the gameflow and implement Burnout Paradise's online system for a sequel.)"
Truk: "I can finally cruise around pretending to be a skater without the broken bones and torn face that my unwieldy mass and frightening lack of agility would result in if I tried to ride an actual skateboard."
sickpuppysoftware: "Inventive and challenging. It showed Tony Hawk up for the old set in his ways fool that he is. Online is great fun. It doesn't matter whether the people playing against you are far better or far worse. You either learn something or you have a good laugh. Uploading your videos would be genius if EA had bothered to test the website side of it."
23. The Witcher
Atari, CD Projekt / PC
What we said: "Well-intentioned clickety combat aside, The Witcher doesn't offer much the dedicated role-player won't have already seen elsewhere, but that's not such a bad thing. CD Projekt has taken time-tested elements from across the fantasy-RPG spectrum and tied them to a solidly crafted story that includes elements of racial discord, religious fanaticism and sexual promiscuity in its adults-only mix. Admittedly, these elements are rather crudely introduced and are handled with a rather endearing 'Look! Adult themes!' excitability, but there's certainly more to savour here than in most dungeon-crawlers. One for those who value story and character over technical innovation then, but definitely a game worth trying if the concept has tickled your fancy."
JayG: "The story, the graphics, the fighting way...simply amazing game."
Dynamize: "It's a modern RPG that actually has some tangible consequences to your actions and choices, and hasn't purged its fantasy world of the real world's thorny issues, darkness and unsavoury characters. This is good and to be encouraged. It manages all the previous, while also having solid character stat progression, a huge alchemy system, and satisfying punchfightswordkill situations; along with looking dashed pretty to boot. There may or may not be sexings, boobies and cards in there too. Coverage of this critical aspect of the game is pretty thin on the ground. Perhaps the developers could confirm or deny this?"
22. Puzzle Quest: Challenge of the Warlords
D3Publisher, Infinite Interactive / DS, PSP, PC, Xbox Live Arcade
ghearoid: "I've been playing it non-stop for months! My flatmate keeps asking me if I'm still playing the same game, he thinks I'm nuts. Ho-hum!"
Hendo: "I bought it twice. Do I need to add anything to that? Oh okay. Such a brilliant mix of two genres that I don't think have ever been mixed together before, and even if they have not quite as addictive as this, I'd wager. I bought the DS version when it came out and spent the next two months playing the hell out of it everyday. I traded it in when I had a massive clearout and then the XBLA version arrived. What else could I do?"
21. World of Warcraft: The Burning Crusade
Blizzard / PC, Mac
What we said: "In a genuinely striking move, The Burning Crusade simultaneously gives World of Warcraft veterans the swathes of new content they've been crying out for, and makes the end-game experience vastly more open to casual players or new players. Rather than merely catering to its hardcore audience, Blizzard has actually extended the accessibility of WoW to bring even more people into the fold."
ken8mac: "Slick, polished, and patched on a regular basis with, mostly, nice enhancements."
yagisencho: "This must be what Blizzard had in mind when they originally set out to make WoW. Not only the new zones beautiful, but the zone-based PvP objectives help make it feel like a real, dynamic conflict. The game is getting much closer to feeling like an RPG/RTS hybrid (at least on PVP servers)."