2007 Sparkys

Ladies and Gentlemen,

It is now time for the first annual Sparky awards. These awards are for the greatest and the worst of 2007. They'll be given away over the next two weeks and will be divided into two sub-categories- The 'best in games' and the 'best in tech'. Then one champion of champions will be promoted overall as the biggest waste of*ahem*best thing ever(of 2k7) First up-

THE BEST IN ACTION GAMES 2007 (and there was much rejoicing)

Winner: Halo 3

Runner's Up:
Bioshock
Assassin's Creed

I'll bet you're surprised. After all, it seems to be all the rage to sling mud at H3. But, then again, that's always the case when something reaches the heights of popularity that the Halo universe has. It is, unarguably, a force in the gaming world. Halo 3 is polished to a chrome-like shine. So much so that it almost blinds. It's cool, it's a perfected experience (both single and multiplayer), and most of all- it's fun. Thank you, Bungie. I can't wait for the Chief's next Marathon.
Bioshock and Assassin's Creed are both exceptional experiences and deserve to be on this list. Certainly an argument could be made for both to have won. But not in my mind.

THE BEST IN RTS 2007

Winner: Supreme Commander

Runner's Up:

Universe at War

Command and Conquer 3

There were a lot of good RTS's this year- and a lot of them were surprisingly good. I'm not usually the kind to get enamored with them but this really was a banner year. Both C&C3 and Universe were gems -as were a bunch of others- but none had the grandeur of SupCom. Truly the awesome blaster was aimed at this one. And it caught one right in the temple. The sheer scope of the battles and the varied unit types and the number of them- phenomenal. The weakest point of the title is the story, weak at best. But for some reason, I don't care. And I'm a huge proponent of having a solid story behind the experience. The game is just so much to handle though, I barely noticed. Action packed+fun+beautiful= RTS GOTY

THE BEST IN RHYTHM 2007

Winner: Rock Band

Runner Up:
Guitar Hero 3

No other music game even comes close to Rock Band. Not just settling for guitar, RB gives you bass, drums, and lead vocals to play with too. I can't imagine anywhere else the genre could possibly go- all the bases are covered right here. The song list is impressive to boot. The Mtv backing was used well here, RB got a kickin song list without having the Mtv logo plastered all over the place. Not only is this puppy fun all by your lonesome, but it's better than ANYTHING ELSE at a party. Well done to all involved.

THE BEST IN RPG 2007

Winner: Mass Effect

Runners Up:

Super Paper Mario

The Witcher

Mass Effect is an engrossing, beautiful, and cinematic experience. Simply awesome. It's been a while since an RPG has sucked me in as much as this one did. Right from the opening, you just know this is going to be a special game. The conversational scripting is very well done and the action sequences are great. I even just enjoyed wandering around the Citadel- again, awesome. Even if you just have a passing interest in RPG's, I think you'll thoroughly enjoy this.

and THE SPARKY GAME OF THE YEAR IS -

HALO 3

The end cap of one of the most popular series in gaming history comes to a close and it's successor begins. (you did watch the whole ending right?) What didn't I say in talking about H3's action game win? The single player is very well done, the multiplayer rocks and I love everything about the universe Bungie has created here. That probably makes me biased but I really think this is a hat trick here for MS and Bungie. Well done all around.

Runners Up:
Bioshock
Mass Effect
Rock Band