The First Annual Wootties
I’ve always wanted to make a top ten list of my favorite this
or that of the year. Since I’ve been ignoring my favorite
hobby as of late on this site, I thought that a list of my favorite
games of the year would be in order.
Making the list was more difficult than I thought. I’ve
played a ton of games this year. I was suprised to learn
that a decent amount of them came out in 2001, not 2002, so I had
to trim my list a bit (don’t worry, it did not effect the winner).
I was also surprised to learn that the PC dominated my list.
For someone who owns all three current console systems,
I thought I played them much more.
In the end, my top 5 mostly came down to play time.
How much time did I spend with the game?
Which ones really, truly hooked me?
Which ones busted in to my already busy schedule, possibly
victimizing another game in the process?
In the very end, I was very happy with my choices.
1. Nascar 2002
This choice will surprise a lot of people – it even surprised my
wife. How could a racing game that takes place almost entirely on
oval tracks garner my “GOTY” award? There’s one very simple answer:
online play.
A one hundred lap spin on a Monday night might not sound like a whole
lot of fun. But add 20 other real drivers, who constantly trade
paint and jostle for position, and you have more than an hour of
white knuckle action. Pit stops mean something. You better watch
your tires. You’ll need them for those last 10 laps. The wonderful,
self-policed community at
Online Racin gives me a great playground
in which to play. There’s never a shortage of very good competition.
My enjoyment of the game is enhanced by my enjoyment of the sport.
Each week I get the opportunity to take a spin around the same venue
as the real drivers. Jeff Gordon and I get to spread some rubber around
together.
Just recently, nearly a year after I purchased the game, I renewed my
three month contract with Online Racin and moved up to the next level
of competition. It seems that I’ll be turning left a lot next year
as well.
Battlefield took the internet by storm in September. The demo
had me captivated for months. I once heard someone mention that
the best game they played this year was the demo of Battlefield
1942. It didn’t take the release of the real game to know that
they had something special.
Slap 16, 32, or even 64 players on a battlefield and let them go
at it. The missions are based on historical battles.
Ever want to storm the beach at Normandy? Here you can.
Each battlefield is strewn with drivable vehicles. See that
B17 over there? You can fly it. Don’t forget to bring a
couple of buddies along to be man the guns on both the top
and bottom of the plane.
See that tank? Hop in and lay down some justice. And it
doesn’t stop there. Battleships, aircraft carriers,
submarines, and artillery are all fair game.
The focus is on ease of use and quick action but I can’t remember
a war game that did such a good job of making you feel like
you are there. You might run up a hill only to spot a tank.
Just as he sets his sights on you, a buddy flys by and
drops a bomb front and center. Don’t forget to thank him.
That AAA gun on the horizon and the smoke spewing from his
tail means he’ll soon be meeting the ocean.
3. Mafia
Nascar was a surprise to everyone else. Mafia was a surprise to me.
I’ve played Grand Theft Auto. This whole driving, shooting thing
has been done. Hasn’t it? Not like this.
Hop into vintage (well, vintage without the manufacturer’s licence) cars
and take a slow spin around some very seedy corners. It’s the 1930’s
and your luck’s about to change. Chased by the one mob family
only to become the member of another. Time to work your way up the ranks.
Hop in a car and you get a slower version of Grand Theft Auto. Hop out
and you get Max Payne, with a bit more realism and without all of
the special effects from the Matrix. The freedom that the open world
offers is awesome, all rendered beautifully on my screen. It also did a great job
of using my 4.1 Klipsch speakers. O to hear the rain falling on tin
rooftops once again….
A great story holds it all together. The Don keeps you busy. Tony
Soprano
wouldn’t have it any other way.
Yes, Tony Hawk 3 came out last year but cut me some slack. I got it for
Christmas. At the time, my wife was a bit unsure of her purchase. I hadn’t
specifically asked for it but there it was under the tree.
I didn’t know extreme sports were my thing. Now I’m a devoted fanboy.
Tony pulls off all sorts of moves. Flipkick over this. Frontside grind
on that. String together a combo to impress the ladies. Get Chuck’s
poor tongue off that pole. The missions are fun and quite addictive.
I spent last January starting an earthquake in San Francisco and
helping some poor kids deal with a bully. Now two other extreme
games occupy my time: its sequel, Tony Hawk 4, and a game
that made my second list, Aggressive Inline.
5. Madden 2003
I won the Superbowl with the
Ravens about an hour ago. All they were
missing was a great receiver, mysteriously named K.Wootton, some
help on the offensive line, a corner from free agency, and
Sam Adams back. Todd Heap came into his own and Jamal Lewis
carried the load (much like in real life). The strech run featured a bruising running attack
with the occasional big play. The Rams didn’t stand a chance.
If you can’t tell, the franchise mode has me hooked. Raise your team
from the ashes. Sign, draft, and cut players. Negotiate their
salaries. Attend the scouting combine. Deal with the salary cap.
Play as many seasons as you want. See what you have during the
preseason. Think I’m done now that I have the Vince Lombardi trophy?
Think again.
That’s the top five. If you like games and you don’t own any of them, get out
to the store (they would also be great presents for some late Christmas shopping).
I’ll add another list sometime with numbers 6 though 10. I’ve already
elected them. I might as well make someone read about them.
