1st Annual Review Frenzy Game of the Year Awards

Well 2007 has come and gone.

It was one of the greatest years in gaming history. The year of 2007 saw the release of a multitude of AAA titles on every system. There was never a time this year when the words "man there are no good games to play this month" were uttered. Not only were there a ton of games released, but there was something for people of all ages and interests. Everyone has that one game that they just fell in love with. The writers of the Review Frenzy have compiled a list of their favorite games of 2007 along with a few other categories. After that, there are the official awards based on votes by each writer. I will say I was surprised at some of the results.

Read on!

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But before we get to the awards lets take a look at the categories:

Best Singleplayer Game:
To the game with the most enjoyable and enticing singleplayer experience.

Best Multiplayer:
To the game with the most enjoyable and long lasting multiplayer experience.

Best Game That No One Remembers:
Awarded to the game that was really good but was either not played by many or that few still play.

Game that Revolutionized the Industry:
Awarded to the game that furthered the evolution of the videogame.

Biggest Letdown:
The game that everyone was hyped for, but did not deliver.

Best Downloadable Content:
Be it maps, characters, or new features, the award goes to the game who's development team gave gamers the best extra content.

Best Xbox 360 Game:
Awarded to the best Xbox 360 exclusive game.

Best Playstation 3 Game:
Awarded to the best Playstation 3 exclusive game.

Best Wii Game:
Awarded to the best Nintendo Wii exclusive game.

Best Handheld Game:
Awarded to the best game for when your pesky siblings are hogging the TV and you want to play games.

Best PC Game:
Awarded to the best PC EXCLUSIVE game.

Best Xbox Live Arcade/Playstation Network/Virtual Console game:
Awarded to the game that took a small amount of memory space and made the best use of it.

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Now before we get to the awards I would like to invite you all to read the ballots of all the voters. Not only did each of them give their picks for each category, but they went in depth about why they chose them. It is an amazing read and they put a lot of work into it so I strongly encourage you all to read them.

Killazilla | QualityJeverage | CrimsonViper | ChuckieJ | GLewis | ClownX | Shorap | StormPhoenix2 | Kiaffex

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THE AWARDS

Best Single player - Bioshock

Order BioShockfrom Amazon.com

Bioshock won this one handsdown with only a few votes against. It deserves every single vote it got. Never before has such an amazing story been told through the medium of a videogame. For many reasons I cannot mention due to spoilers that would ruin the game (just look at the ballots and you will see why but beware of spoilers) this was a story that could only be told through a videogame. But Bioshock was much more than a story. It was an experience. The atmosphere, music, people, plot, everything just molded together to form the city of Rapture. Words cannot do this game justice. It must simply be played.

Best Multiplayer - Halo 3

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What's that you say? Call of Duty 4 should be given this award? Our voters disagree. As you can see from their ballots, most of them thought that Halo 3 was much deeper and has better longevity than Call of Duty 4. While Call of Duty 4 is indeed attractive for its fresh and innovative gameplay, Halo 3 tops it in two very key aspects: total customization and a huge and active community to make use of those tools. Add the ease of use for sharing custom content and you have a game that is constantly evolving past even the developer's imagination. You cannot deny that down the road, once the community has fully grasped the games potential, Halo 3 will explode with amazing community created content that will keep gamers entertained for a long time.

Best Game That No One Remembers - Crackdown

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Crackdown. Everyone bought it for the Halo 3 Beta but fell in love with it while waiting for the Beta to begin. Sadly, once the Halo 3 Beta was over, many people sold Crackdown or doomed it to collect dust on their shelves. This is a true shame because Crackdown had so much to offer. From orb hunting to boss fights, to foot and road races, Crackdown had it all. I know tons of people that played through Crackdown many times. I personally played it through about 10 times and spent hours searching for orbs. There was so much to explore and do in that game. It is a true shame that it was swept under the rug.

Game That Revolutionized The Industry - Portal

While I disagree with this choice I can see where everyone is coming from. In the age of shooters, many games have succumbed to generalizations in the genre. Each game must have certain guns and a certain type of plot. Also there must be tons of blood and death. Gameplay (generally) does not change much between games save for a few unique touches to each. Portal came in and totally rocked the shooter world. With its simple controls, smashingly hard levels and challenges utilizing one of the most ingenius gameplay elements ever conceived (the portal gun), Portal was the fresh and revolutionary game that not only the shooter and puzzle genres needed but the entire gaming industry as well. Add to that the hilarious humor of your computer guide and you have a winner.

Biggest Letdown - Kane and Lynch: Dead Men

Kane and Lynch, one of the most infamous games to date. Disregarding the whole Gamespot incident, this game was just down right sour. The marketing for this game was huge, probably the biggest after Halo 3's. Everywhere you looked, on the TV, internet, and magazines, Kane and Lynch was there. The game's developers, Eidos, spoke of a game that was revolutionary on many levels. What we got in the end was a less than mediocre game. The graphics looked like something the Xbox 1 could have pulled off with ease. The aiming was bad, the camera was bad, and the AI was TERRIBLE. And the "revolutionary" multiplayer? Terrible. A fine example of a game with great potential and promises that does not deliver in the slightest.

Game With The Best Downloadable Content - Crackdown

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One of the greatest things that the next-gen brought with it was downloadable content. Now last gen DID have DLC but it was mostly just maps or characters. With the advent of better ways to distribute content and better tools, DLC has taken huge steps forward. No game shows it better than Crackdown. Crackdown's DLC added new game modes, new character models, new weapons, and new vehicles. However the thing that made it stand above the rest was Keys to the City. Keys to the City was Forge on steroids. The player was given complete control over his stats and was able to place massive amounts of whatever scenery or items he wanted. Everyone who downloaded this will attest to the fact that nothing was more fun then detonating 100 oil barrels underneath your SUV on top of the Agency tower.

Best Xbox 360 Game - Halo 3

*Stunning music* Yes, you read that right, Halo 3. Now before you get your panties in a wad and start organizing a mob outside my house let me explain. Most of our reviewers played all of the top Xbox 360 games. We determined that, out of the Xbox 360 exclusive titles, Halo 3 was the most complete package. It had a good story (not the most amazing thing ever but it was still good) that added "closure" to the Halo story arc plus four player co-op over Xbox Live. Not to mention the multiplayer which, though little was changed from Halo 2, was still just as fun and (thankfully) glitchfree. Saved films and Forge were also great additions. However I have to say one of the most impressive things about Halo 3 was its content sharing abilities. Not only can you go you your previous games or films and save the films or the game settings/maps with the press of one button, but you can also go on bungie.net and search through the content of everyone that plays the game. This makes it easier for organizations like MLG, community sites, and Bungie themselves to quickly distribute their content to those users that participate in tournaments or that just love to keep up to date with whats new. Wrap all this great stuff up into one disk and you have our 360 Game of the Year.

Best Playstation 3 Game - Uncharted: Drake's Fortune

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What's that you say? "The PS3 has no good games why do you even have this category?" Well my young padawans gather around and let me tell you something. The PS3 has finally found one and its name is Uncharted: Drake's Fortune. While to the glancing eye it may just seem like a Tomb Raider clone, it is much more. The storyline is really engaging and from what I have heard the developers did everything they could to make it seem like a movie experience. So think of it as an interactive Indiana Jones movie. Plus the visuals are nothing to scoff at either. If Uncharted is anything its a ray of hope for the PS3.

Best Nintendo Wii Game - Super Mario Galaxy

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Super Mario Galaxy. I believe I remember Shigeru Miyamoto saying "We built the Wii around this game" don't quote me on that though. Whether or not that is an actual statement the game certainly reflects that notion. The Wii, as a console, was designed with the mentality of turning the gaming world upside down. This is exactly what Super Mario Galaxy does. This game could not be done on any of the other existing consoles. Each "galaxy" is totally unique not only in level design, but in what you must do to find each star. From the classic Mario platforming, to a Super Monkeyball inspired level, there is so much to do. You are excited every time you unlock a new "galaxy" because you can't wait to see what it will contain. While the levels are not as open and more linear than Mario 64, Super Mario Galaxy still retains all the magic and fun that its Nintendo 64 predecessor did. If you have played this game there will be no doubt in your mind that this is the best Wii game out there.

Best PC Game - Crysis

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Really was there any doubt about this one? For the past few years we all have seen the videos, the screens, and the stage demos. We all knew this would be a great game. The visuals were just jaw dropping. The island that the game takes place on looks almost identical to its real-world counterpart when you compare a picture of the two side-by-side. The environments are just breathtaking. But its not just visuals that make Crysis the best, its everything about it. Mainly the physics of the Crytech engine and the ways it affects gameplay. Trees splinter and topple as your bullets tear through the jungle foliage. Need to get past a well guarded base without detection? Swim into the base and collapse a few huts then activate some of your suit modifications and get away while the rest of the base investigates the huts. Its the little things like that that come together to make a great game. Now only if I didn't have to wait 2 years to get a computer that runs it.

Best Handheld Game - The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass

Order The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass from Amazon.com

This was a close one. It came down to one vote between this and Pokemon. But Link defied the odds again and emerged victorious. Phantom Hourglass is a true DS game. Sure there are many DS games that come out but VERY few of them use the touch screen as more than a gimmick and even fewer of those are actually good. Phantom Hourglass is one of those few. The touch screen is not a major control for the game, it is the ONLY control for the game. Running, fighting, puzzle solving, its all done on the touch screen. You can also draw on your map (which stays on the top screen until opened) when you get clues or need to mark a place of interest. The puzzles are the best part though. There are some doors that need a special symbol written on them or you have to do some crazy boomerang skillz to hit a switch. For being a true DS game and using every facet of the DS in more than one way, The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass is the Review Frenzy's Handheld choice.

Best XBLA/PSN Game - Everyday Shooter

Everyday Shooter is a really interesting game. I don't own a PS3 but I keep hearing about this game. It was made by only one man, Johnathan Mak, and is basically the PS3 version of Geometry Wars. In his own words Everyday Shooter is: "an album of games exploring the expressive power of abstract shooters. Dissolute sounds of destruction are replaced with guitar riffs harmonizing over an all-guitar soundtrack, while modulating shapes celebrate the flowing beauty of geometry." After watching some videos of the game I was truly amazed. The art direction and flow of the game is just extraordinary. I cannot believe only one person did this. It's astounding.

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Game of the Year

And now its time for the top 3 games of 2007:

Game of the Year #3

For its amazing single player and addictive multiplayer.

Game of the Year #2

For its extremely deep and epic singleplayer that keeps you coming back to play it a different way.

Game of the Year #1

For giving a fitting closure to the Halo series, 4 player online co-op, Halo multiplayer, and an unlimited amount of possibilities thanks to its customization features.
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Well thats all folks!

On behalf of the Review Frenzy I would like to wish you all a happy gaming new year!

Lets see what '08 brings us.