What I've got here is not a list of the greatest video games of the year. I already gave you that.
This is not a list of the 10 most amazing video game news stories or controversies.
No, instead, for the third year running I am presenting my list of the 10 Great Gaming Moments Of The Year.
(I published in full on Tuesday at MTVNews.com)
These are the 10 coolest, most interesting things I came across in the games I played during the last 12 months. Yes, I'm using really subjective criteria. I don't care. I like making this list every year as a way to highlight some small but shining touches that pop up in great and even not-so-great games.
To give you some context -- and to give time for the drumroll -- there were my lists for 2005 and 2006. (Click the links for full explanations of each moment)
The Year In Video Games: 2005's Greatest Gaming Moments
- Arguing With The Panda King: "Sly 3" (PlayStation 2)
- Assisting Digestion: "WarioWare Twisted" (Game Boy Advance)
- Battling A Virtual Chef: "EyeToy Play 2" (PlayStation 2)
- Clearing The Screen: "Lumines" (PSP)
- Climbing A Giant's Beard: "Shadow of the Colossus" (PlayStation 2)
- Rolling A Rainstorm: "We Love Katamari" (PlayStation 2)
- Sketching One's Own Wanted Poster: "Indigo Prophecy" (Xbox/PC/PlayStation 2)
- Feeling Guilty: "God Of War" (PlayStation 2)
- Training A Sheepdog: "Nintendogs" (Nintendo DS)
- Waiting For The Washing Machine: "World Of Warcraft" (PC)
My 10 Great Gaming Moments of 2006
- The 60-Brick Bonus: “Lego Star Wars II: The Original Trilogy” (PS2, GameCube, Xbox 360)
- The 66-Pin Strike: “Wii Sports” (Nintendo Wii)
- Bomb the Bridge: "Marc Ecko’s Getting Up" (PS2)
- Dog Throws The Car: “Half-Life 2: Episode One” (PC)
- Jack Bauer Goes On Tour: “24: The Game” (PS2)
- “Mario” Meets “Spy Hunter” With One Giant Leap: “Pursuit Force” (PSP)
- Hearing The Sound Of Victory: “Sound Voyager” (Game Boy Advance)
- Tea Time With Mrs. Sanderson: “Chibi-Robo” (GameCube)
- The Toilet-Paper Toss: “Bully” (PS2)
- Feeling The Video Game Blues: “Defcon” (PC)
And here are my Top 10 Gaming Moments for 2007...
[NOTE: For a more substantial explanation of each, skip ahead to my full write-up at MTVNews.com, which I've kept as SPOILER-free as possible, even for the "BioShock" one]
- A Change of Clothes: "BioShock" (Xbox 360) -- I can't say more without spoiling things.
- Defense for the Wicked?: "Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney - Justice for All" (Nintendo DS) -- I wrote about this late-game morality twist in August.
- Eating the Perfect Pellets: "Pac-Man Championship Edition" (Xbox 360's Xbox Live Arcade) -- The act of thread a "Pac-Man" maze like a master, a skill "Championship Edition" teaches and then forces players to execute like a pro -- faster and faster.
- Freefall Problem-Solving: "Zack & Wiki: Quest for Barbaros' Treasure" (Nintendo Wii) -- The game's first puzzle? Make yourself a parachute while you drop through the sky like a stone.
- A New Way of Jumping: "Portal" (PC, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360) -- No surprise here. I already wrote about this as video games' move of the year.
- The Slow-Mo Arrow: "Heavenly Sword" (PlayStation 3) -- Riding the back of an arrow, steering with a Sixaxis, this is motion control at its finest in 2007, on the PS3 of all things.
- Stumbling Through Not-Really-Iraq: "Call of Duty 4" (PC, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360) -- It happens after a big explosion. Anything more is a spoiler.
- The Tide of the Flood: "Halo 3" (Xbox 360) -- The moment in the Covenant level when they start animating corpses and coming back at you; it had happened in earlier games, but never quite with this kind of punch.
- The Undoing of a Contract Killer: "The Darkness" (PS3, Xbox 360) -- A personal favorite, a bug in this FPS turned an already unusual first-person dating scene into an accidentally profound encounter.
- Wonder of the World: "God of War 2" (PlayStation 2) -- The opening level. Who wasn't amazed by that one?
So what were your favorite gaming moments of 2007? What did I miss?
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