Gifts for Gamers
Sure, the sequels were great this year, but don't overlook these other great titles.AMERICAN-STATESMAN STAFF
Tuesday, December 14, 2004
It's been the year of the digital sequel, the year of the comfortingly familiar made better.
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| Screenshot from "Fable." |
Unlike many movie franchises, a number after a video game title is usually a good thing, the promise of a heaping helping of the familiar with new visual flair and surprises, a signal to players that the success of their old favorite has been rewarded with an infusion of money and talent. "Halo 2." "Half-Life 2." "Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas." Doom 3." "Rome: Total War." "The Sims 2." "Lineage II." "Everquest II." "Final Fantasy XI."
All sequels. All great games.
You can't go wrong with these titles. But it's also been a good year for gamers looking for the new, the different and the innovative.
Take, for instance, the caped crusading of the addictive "City of Heroes," from Austin's own NCSoft. When it launched in March, the game sent a shockwave through the industry with a massive multiplayer game that circumvented tedium by offering instant super powers and gameplay that was, first and foremost, fun.
Or another shocker of the year: "Far Cry," from the German company CryTek, which was king of the mountain of first-person-shooters for most of the year, and is now a great bargain and still a fantastically fun sci-fi game.
And if you loved "Half-Life," you've already bought yourself "Half-Life 2. If you loved "Halo," you fell all over yourself rushing out to buy "Halo 2" last month, when that game created the year's biggest splash and broke all records by raking in more than $125 million in a day in the United States.
So with our lists we're focusing on the games and geegaws that aren't sequels, that escaped the tried-and-true, that flew under the radar and managed to offer something innovative and fresh. And look at it this way: With these, you run much less risk of giving something the gamer in your life already bought on Day One.
Best all-around: "Half-Life 2" (PC)
"Half-Life 2" on this list should be no surprise to anyone who keeps up with video games. Coming on the heels of an interminable five-year wait and following what many consider to be the finest computer game ever made, "HL2" delivered in graphical prowess, a moody and convincing world and in its other big gift to games, Valve's "Source Engine," a physics-utilizing platform that's going to be the backbone of many great games and mods (including the very recent "Half-Life 2: Deathmatch," which has to be seen to be believed) to come. The rare oft-delayed game worth the wait and one that restored the luster of PC games over console titles. $50. Rated M for Mature.
Most innovative: "Katamari Damacy" (PS2)
This is the another must-buy for a completely different reason. It's small-scale, out-of-nowhere charmer, the kind of game that combines the simplicity of "Tetris" with the loopy humor of Nintendo's "WarioWare Inc." You roll your cosmic space "Katamari" ball over common objects, creating a sticky ball of incongruous shapes. Cats, benches, trees — they all become part of your rolling universe. Great music, great gameplay and the best use of a console system's get-in, play, get-out aesthetic. $20. Rated E for Everyone.
Best Real-Time Strategy: "Rome: Total War" (PC)
This great sequel took every element that made the first two Total War titles wonderful and improved on the formula, giving players the heady experience of commanding huge armies on ancient battlefields on the path to empire. Extremely fun, yet historically accurate enough to make one feel virtuous while playing. Marred only by weak multiplayer support at launch. $40. Rated T for Teen.
These are the games and devices that broke the mold this year, breathing new life into gaming with new ideas and styles.
"City of Heroes": (PC) The most innovative massive multiplayer game in several years will have a lasting influence with its easy learning curve and innovations in team play and character creation. $30, plus monthly subscription fee. Rated T for Teen.
"Evil Genius": (PC) Fresh gameplay makes you the archvillain out to thwart James Bond types and conquer the world. Nasty, light fun. $30. Rated T for Teen.
"Fable": (Xbox) Microsoft deserves kudos for creating an entirely new role-playing series, a genre that's tough to get right on a console if you're not "Final Fantasy." "Fable" is promising. We bet its sequel will be even better. $45. Rated M for Mature.
"Far Cry": (PC) This surprise from early this year ruled for months as the best first-person shooter of all time, until it was deposed by "Half-Life 2." It's now a great bargain and still a fantastic game. $27. Rated M for Mature
"Full Spectrum Warrior": (PC and consoles) The most realistic depiction of what our soldiers in Iraq are facing in house-to-house fighting. Another surprise hit that lets you command a squad against grittily realistic opponents in a modern setting. $27. Rated M for Mature.
Jakks TV Games: (TV) Plug-and-play TV games like "Ms. PacMan," "SpongeBob" and "Video Poker" make great stocking stuffers. Priced at less than $20 and super simple to use, these retro titles with built-in controls will dominate a lot of TV screens on Christmas morning. $18. Ages 5 and older.
"Katamari Damacy": (PS2) This sleeper was one of our favorites for its simplicity, great soundtrack and über Japanese feel. Roll your ball over stuff, adding items to your growing "Katamari." Fun and brilliant. $20. Rated E for Everyone.
"Mario Power Tennis": (Nintendo Gamecube) A surprisingly deep and challenging sports game featuring Nintendo's marquee characters. There are a few more realistic tennis games out there, but none of them are as fun to play. $45. Rated E for Everyone.
Nintendo DS system: Nintendo could have made a souped-up version of its GameBoy Advance, but threw out the rules with its "Dual Screen" portable system, which has a normal screen and a touch screen. Will its PDA-meets-Mario gambit work? We may have to wait until Sony introduces its PSP portable system to find out. $220, all ages.
Nintendo retro games: (GameBoy Advance) All right, maybe we cheated a bit. Games such as "Super Mario Bros.," "Dr. Mario" and "The Legend of Zelda" are part of a series. But in this line of repackaged Super Nintendo-era games, you get to see where those series got their roots and to play games from an earlier era, before Dual Shock controllers and DVD-based games. The games, priced low and with their great gameplay still intact, would make excellent stocking stuffers. From $18. Rated E for Everyone.
"The Political Machine": (PC) In a year of fractious elections, "The Political Machine" became the first mass-market election simulation game. Want to avoid an argument? Be careful with whom you play. $10. Rated T for Teen.
"Sid Meier's Pirates": (PC) Launched just in time for Christmas, this is a complete remake of a beloved 1987 classic, taking full advantage of a decade and a half of technological advancement to create the best seafaring adventure ever. $45. Rated E for Everyone.
"Vampire: The Masquerade Bloodlines": (PC) The best new game based on a D&D line is built on the "Half-Life 2" engine, making it super cool to look at. Vampire genre fans everywhere are drooling over this one. $40. Rated M for Mature.
"World of Warcraft": (PC) With its huge launch and glowing reviews, this massive multiplayer game battered down the door with a game that is both easy to play and deeply detailed. Another online game done right. And sure, it's technically part of the "Warcraft" series, but it's an entirely new kind of Blizzard game, marking a new chapter from a great game maker. $45 plus monthly fee. Rated T for Teen.
— Joe Stafford, Omar Gallaga
