Jeff On Games

Darius decided to do this, so I think I will as well. Unfortunately, 2007 was a pretty hectic year for me, so I never really got around to playing everything I wanted to play. At least most of what I played I enjoyed, so that’s good.

1. Rock Band – I like the way Rock Band feels. It just feels more fun to play to me, regardless of whether I’m playing with others or not. The drum addition is awesome, though hard, even for a seasoned percussionist.
2. Super Mario Galaxy - I’ve really enjoyed this game so far, which is saying something because I didn’t enjoy Mario 64 (which is, I believe, punishable by death in some states) or Mario Sunshine. Galaxy feels different somehow, and I’m just enjoying playing it.
3. Portal - Was just awesome. I can’t stress enough how awesome this game was.

There are other games that I got to play that I feel really were “worth playing” though I wouldn’t rank them in my top.

1. Skate – Not as big a fan of this as Darius, but I enjoyed it. It felt really good to play, the control scheme was interesting, and the sound design is fabulous.
2. Bioshock – It was great, but I wanted more out of it somehow. To me, it felt like “just” a shooter, which I’m not really interested in anymore, especially on Xbox (I know there was a PC version available, but money is tight….). The art direction was good, the story was interesting, but it just generally felt flat.
3. Assassin’s Creed – The movement in this game just makes it fun. Regardless of how you feel about the story, the actual assassinations, and the combat, the just moving around the city feels good, and that makes it worth playing in my opinion.
4. Overlord – At least to see the minion system in that game. It’s fun, but I never even got half way through it, since the bugs pretty much turned me off after a while. That and, as a completionist, I felt like I was spending way too much time looking for all the cool additional powers. That’s my own fault though.

Then there are the games I *wish* I had a chance to play this year:

1. Mass Effect – Just haven’t picked it up. Don’t have the time for it anyway. I’ve yet to actually like a KotOR style RPG, but I really want to like Mass Effect, so I really want to give it a shot. Maybe early next year.
2. Everyday Shooter – Only on PSN, and I don’t have a PS3. I have played this game, and it is amazing, but I need to play more. Always more.
3. Metroid Prime: Corruption – I loved Metroid Prime. I was happy with Prime: Echoes, and I hear Corruption is excellent. I just have to pick up a copy.

Other games people really enjoyed this year?