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Posted on: Mar 17, 2008
OXM's 2007 Game of the Year Awards
WORDS BY: The OXM Staff
Multiplayer Game of the Year
Call of Duty 4
Infinity Ward gave COD4’s multiplayer all the trimmings — several gameplay modes, 16 maps, balanced weapons, a smart party system, and a groundbreaking character-progression method that lets you create your own soldier classes and earn experience as you go. Team play is rewarded, but individual heroics help the greater good, too. It’s a stunning, gripping, and utterly complete multiplayer experience.
Just Missed: Halo 3, GRAW 2
Worst Game of the Year
Space Giraffe
Apologists say, “At least the team at Llamasoft was trying something new, and hey, it was only $5.” We say that noble, cheap failures are still failures. Aggravating visuals, a deficient tutorial, and counterintuitive mechanics (your avatar automatically fires…but you get more points by ramming into enemies) made Space Giraffe thoroughly uninviting, if not downright hostile to players.
Studio of the Year
Harmonix
The Boston-based studio founded by ex-MIT musicians unleashed Rock Band on the world in late 2007 — which almost makes you forget that the same studio also shipped the excellent Guitar Hero II back in March 2007. Throw in downloadable tracks for both titles, and you’ve got a double-bill that rocked the 360 to its core.
Just Missed: Bungie, Irrational/2K Boston, Infinity Ward
Sidekick of the Year
Wrex (Mass Effect)
Never before have we wished that a big, creepy alien was a real dude we could actually hang out with. Brilliant dialogue, pitch-perfect voice acting, and incredible comic timing made Wrex the most charming, fun, and just plain cool giant armored lizard we’ve ever (virtually) met.
Just Missed: Arbiter (Halo 3), Lynch (Kane & Lynch: Dead Men)
Innovation of the Year
Portal
New game mechanics don’t come along often, but tearing holes in the fabric of space-time in Portal ranks as the best new trick we’ve seen since…well, since Valve introduced the gravity gun in Half-Life 2. Redefining the term “short and sweet,” Portal blasted a future of action/puzzle possibilities wide open. Call this one the Game of the Year Within a Game.
Just Missed: Saved Films (Halo 3)
Achievement Whore of the Year
Avatar: The Burning Earth
Madden’s launch-year easy-breezy Achievements look like actual work compared to the Gamerscore giveaway that is Avatar. A brain-damaged orangutan can hammer away at one button on the first level and earn 1,000 points just for attacking a string of enemies. Of course, we didn’t use it to pad our Gamerscores. Yet.
Just Missed: TMNT, Scene It? Lights, Camera, Action
Worst Ending of the Year
Assassin’s Creed
You can’t even call it an ending — the characters pretty much just turned off the lights and left the room. Literally! The only way we even knew the game was over was when the 100-point “you finished the game” Achievement popped up. WTF, Ubisoft Montreal? For all the eavesdropping, stealth-killing, and general horseriding around we did, we wanted at least some sort of payoff.
Just Missed: BioShock, The History Channel: Battle for the Pacific
PREV
Sat, 10/17/2009 - 19:14
Posted by wickland
Bioshock is still one of my favorite games.
Mon, 03/31/2008 - 16:16
Posted by skanlakers
"infinity ward making cod4 great after creating the craphole that was cod3 (opinion)"
The reason that cod3 was a craphole is because infinity ward didn't make cod3, Trerarch (or something like that) did.
Thu, 03/27/2008 - 12:22
Posted by Deaths Head 419
Bioshock is an amazing game, Halo 3 is sheer awsomeness, and Call of Duty 4 is simply intense. But Rock Band is the best by a mile. Play World Tour mode with 3 other people. Nothing else like it, anyware.
Wed, 03/26/2008 - 14:46
Posted by C2daHANDLA
i understand bioshock is a great game definitely a ten.... but come on, shooter of the year???? i can understand maybe story of the year ( if you had that categorie ) or campaign of the year (if you had that ether). but seriously look at bungie and all of the gamers they have brought to the 360 with halo 3 or infinity ward making cod4 great after creating the craphole that was cod3 (opinion) seriously. bioshock even possibly deserved game of the year. you have to also consider that it didn't even have live, the biggest reason why this console puts the wii and the ps3 to shame.
i still love your magazine though and i do agree with rockband as game of the year cuz it brings together friends more personally than any other game has done before
Wed, 03/26/2008 - 09:02
Posted by Deathfire7
Why did that dumb alien guy win sidekick of the year, the obvious choice was Companion Cube, never before have I felt so connected and emotionally bonded to a geometric shape. (with hearts) Add in masterful voice acting and slick animation and you have your real winner!
Tue, 03/25/2008 - 16:13
Posted by Reaper213
Hey yo I got Rock Band and I totally agree with there decision of making this the Game of the Year. When I got Rock Band I was like "I don't even listen to rock so why did I get this" but once I played it I instantly got hooked on it. I played for at least 5 hours a day for the first month. Now I am hooked on to Rock and I would like to see any other game beat this one. So yall better stop sippin on that haterade and respect.
Tue, 03/25/2008 - 16:03
Posted by Bakino
I know Rock Band is a good game, but there are better games, in my opinion that is. I think Halo 3 and CoD4 are way better than Rock Band, and I even think Skate. is a better game than rock band, and come on, Bioshock as shooter of the year? I didn't even think that game deserves a 9.0.
Tue, 03/25/2008 - 11:58
Posted by dietcoke4fatty
I have rock band and play it aaallllllllooottt, but cum on! you ignor your own review and the price of rock band was steep, the graphics were bad and the game has a little to much chick rockand the guitar was a big piece of plastic crap
Mon, 03/24/2008 - 17:40
Posted by chewbacca15
Although I completely agree with halo trece being multiplayer of the year. u can make some really fun stuff in forge:)but i also think rock band deserved at least runner up
Mon, 03/24/2008 - 17:30
Posted by chewbacca15
hello?
Mon, 03/24/2008 - 09:46
Posted by M6645
I thought that Gaz from call of duty 4 would at least be a runner up for sidekick of the year
Sun, 03/23/2008 - 18:28
Posted by soxfreak56
ppl who have rock band and have friends who can play it with them will understand why oxm chose this game.
Sun, 03/23/2008 - 13:44
Posted by puertorican88
I thought it was Kool OXM chose RockBand it was different. I mean every year they pick either pick a Halo Sequel, GTA Sequel, or just some other shooting game. Don't get me wrong I like shooting games of all kinds but every year thats what they pick a goddam shooter. So this year they chose something completely different which shows the value they have for games that are not from the shooting genre.
Sun, 03/23/2008 - 11:28
Posted by akducker
OXM chosing Rock Band as game of year proves to me how utterly clueless OXM really is when it comes to reviewing games. OXM ignored their previous reviews and chose a game that wasn't even one of the top games in 2007!. COD4, Halo3, Bioshock, and Mass Effect all should have been chosen before Rock Band.
Fri, 03/21/2008 - 16:40
Posted by eson
Rock band totaly deserved it. Greatest experience ever and DLC keeps me coming back.
Fri, 03/21/2008 - 09:33
Posted by dietcoke4fatty
i thought scores represented how good the game is if a 9.5 is awsome then shouldnt a 10 be better??
Fri, 03/21/2008 - 09:29
Posted by dietcoke4fatty
there were like 5 10s this year and you choose rock band? imean rock band is defenently one of the best games but not thee best. you could have chose a game that set the new standerds for a shooter, like i dont know, maybe bioshock or cod4!
Fri, 03/21/2008 - 08:26
Posted by DMAN2323
Rock band as game of the year??? come on OXM
Wed, 03/19/2008 - 20:02
Posted by oldguygamer
From the oldguygamer:
I want Mass Effect! When is it going to be cheap?!
Wed, 03/19/2008 - 13:17
Posted by NateyPoo546
Rock Band......really? wow
Tue, 03/18/2008 - 09:12
Posted by Dan OXM
Starmin, good point, but keep reading -- the Rock Band entry explains some of that. So does the podcast roundtable discussion.
Mon, 03/17/2008 - 23:22
Posted by MitchyD
Come on, Shockerra! Look around!
http://www.oxmonline.com/article/features/mag/oxm-2007-game-year-awards-...
-- http://www.nukoda.com --
Gamertag: MitchyD88
Mon, 03/17/2008 - 20:13
Posted by starmin76
It's funny, In the same issue you reveiwed Rock Band, you stated Mass Effect was the best 360 game yet. Wuh????
Mon, 03/17/2008 - 18:25
Posted by SHOCKERRA
You didn't include the reader quotes! Oh no, I was surely seeking more exposure.
Ross (SHOCKERRA)
Mon, 03/17/2008 - 17:03
Posted by freakwaph
Rock Band deserves it. It keeps me and my friends playing for 8 hours straight one night, and then the next morning, we get up and play, take a break for a while, and play for another 8 hours.
And the drums are just what pulls it all together.