**My comments on the passing of President Ford can be found at www.mvass.com**
Well it’s that time of year again. Time for the best and worst of what was 2006. I’ve already mentioned some of my thoughts about the year previously, now for some lists. Come on we all love a good list, sometimes even a bad one. Hopefully I will have the former and not the latter.
First off are video games. Yes, the bane of wives, mothers and girlfriends. A good game is worth it’s weight in coffee, or caffeinated drinks if you prefer, and then some. A bad game makes you think the ladies are right (unless you are Mr. Samuel Jackson – his wife loves them and so he married her or so he said at the Spike Video Game Awards). My preference is PC games, though I have a PS2 as well. My thoughts on other systems is culled from Gamespot.com, a site I find to be quite accurate and useful.
The number one game I played this year has to be Worldwide Soccer Manager. Most may not have heard of this one, it’s a European game but it’s fantastic. Very addictive and fills the time until the next World Cup, or the next version, quite well. If you love soccer (football to the rest of the world) you need this. It’s not a action game, but watching the matches play out is so close to the real thing you will be caught in it’s web quickly.
Guitar Hero is the second best game of the year to me. Yes I know that Guitar Hero II is out, and I have that as well. But I like the music on the original better. There is nothing like rocking to a classic rock song and feeling like you are playing it yourself. It’s as close to being in a rock band as I will ever get. If you want to do well on expert I suggest extreme practice or knowing how to play a guitar, I’m still not near that point yet.
Third for me is Elder Scrolls IV : Oblivion. Immersive, graphically beautiful and open-ended. It’s hard to ask for more. There is little better than doing what you want in a world you can master. For the casual gamer it’s better than a MMO (massively multiplayer online game), and for those that are cheap. Expect to dedicate days and weeks to the game, looking for that better piece of armor, or sneaking into that one room to rob.
The new Wii system demands to be discussed as the sports are easily the best new innovation in some time. The Legend of Zelda has been a constant favorite since I was in college and the latest is no different.
On the other end are the games we really don’t want to ever remember playing.
First I must mention my hate of all the GTA rip offs. I find them to be playing to the worst stereotypes and making them glamorous. I dislike the thought and the intention. There is no benefit or justification of these games.
Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas. The kids all want this, and none of them should see it. Unless you hope for your child to become a buffed up, ignorant, pimp-drug dealing- gang member. I have nothing against violent games. I will not say that any game should not be made. But I don’t like this and never will.
Torino 2006. Like virtually any game that tries to cash in on a theme this fails. What more do I need to say than curling?
Superman Returns. Decent movie, crappy game. This helps to reinforce the idea that you never buy a game that is based on a movie. It’s just a way for the movie makes to suck away more of your money, regardless if the movie was good or not.
Infinity: The quest for earth. I’m not sure when this popped up. It’s supposed to be a free MMO, based in space. Of course like many of the new MMO’s (especially the free ones) it’s broken. Or not yet finished. Why it should exist as only part of a game I don’t understand.
2007 should be interesting. A lot of MMO’s are supposed to be coming out. Vanguard is the first one I think I will be checking out. That is after it launches and the bugs are found. Give it a month from launch and look for a review.
This is what I think, what do you think?
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