Since the last entry, I…

*Played more of “Secret Agent Clank,” of course.

Now that the demo’s out, I think it’s okay to point out one of the game’s most interesting features: it gives positive rewards for individual stealth actions. That may not seem like a big achievement, but it makes “SAC” a significantly different stealth game from any “Splinter Cell” or “Metal Gear” that I’ve ever played.

In gaming’s famous stealth series, the main consequence of sneaking past an enemy is a lack of failure. If you sneak past everyone in a “Metal Gear” game, maybe you’ll unlock a special set of camouflage. But from moment-to-moment, all you get is the relief of not triggering an alarm. In “Clank,” you get a score multiplier for each guard you sneak past or sucker punch into oblivion. You get positive reinforcement for a lack of direct conflict.

As a gamer, I’m so used to getting points or power-ups for having defeated enemies and getting nothing for walking past them. Who knew there was another way? The makers of “Secret Agent Clank” did.

Next: I will do surgery via the Wii. I hope.

This is the ninth and final entry in a series of posts about the games I played and/or finished for fun for the first time in 2007. For comparisons’ sake, see my 2006 list. My previous post in the series was about the PSP games I played.

As much as I played the DS in 2007, I don’t remember it being a very good year for DS games. There was some good stuff, but very little that struck me as great. I found that mildly disappointing, given the quality of the DS line-up in years past. Still, I had some fun…

My DS Games I Played For Fun 2007 Playlist
(Games I finished are in italics)

1) “Chibi Robo: Park Patrol”

I played this gardening-simulator-slash-action-game for many hours. I was determined to fill Chibi’s dirt-filled lot with a forest of daisies. Then I got frustrated by the shortness of the game’s days. Chibi needed to recharge for the night far too often. I did build a clock tower that seems like it can slow down time in Chibi’s world. Maybe that’s what I need to activate to more fully enjoy the latter half of the game?

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This is the eighth in a series of posts about the games I played and/or finished for fun for the first time in 2007. For comparisons’ sake, see my 2006 list. My previous post in the series was about the PlayStation Network games I played.

The long sordid saga about the games I played in 2007 is almost over. We now reach the two major portables, and, as I’ve noted before, my PSP stayed dormant for much of the year. Nevertheless, it finished the year strong.

It’s just that… well… it was an odd PSP year for me. The best games I played on the system were either released in 2006 or will be in 2008. Strange, no?

My PSP Games I Played For Fun 2007 Playlist
(Games I finished are in italics)

1) “Beats”

This was the first and so far only game I have downloaded to my PSP using Sony’s official store. (And, no, I have not downloaded any old games onto my system illegally, just some homebrew on my original fat PSP. Am I the only PSP owner in that category?)

2) “Crush”

Champions of obscure games, this is where you and I part ways. I loved the “Crush” concept: navigating a world that is can be crushed from 3D to 2D and expanded back to 3D. I wanted to love the game. I didn’t. I didn’t care for the narrative and found the controls inelegant. I would happily try a refined sequel, if ever there was one.

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This is the seventh in a series of posts about the games I played and/or finished for fun for the first time in 2007. For comparisons’ sake, see my 2006 list. My previous post in the series was about the Xbox Live Arcade games I played.

As a gamer, my favorite aspect of the PS3 in 2007 was the PlayStation Network. Also, it’s the only platform on which I paid for most of my games.

I’m not trying to show off, but to emphasize that even though I had plenty of games that video games companies sent to me for free, Sony’s inability to release a Sony PlayStation Network points card in the first year of the PS3’s existence forced me to have to make decisions I used to make all the time: do I want X game enough to pay Y dollars for it? And given that Sony still doesn’t bother to put demos out for all of these games, I was buying some of them before I even tried.

Sony, your inability to make life easy for me, forced me to work a little harder to experience your games. And you know what? It was actually worth it. On with the list:

My PSN Games I Played For Fun 2007 Playlist
(Games I finished are in italics)

1) “Calling All Cars”

Just a few weeks after this game’s release, I was disturbed and dismayed by how few people I could find online to compete with. I don’t even like online multiplayer games that much, yet this one, a quirky combination of bumper cars, basketball and capture the flag, clicked with me.

2) “Everyday Shooter”

One man makes one of the best games of the year. It’s fun, it’s beautiful to look at and listen to, and most interesting to me, it feels personal.

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This is the sixth in a series of posts about the games I played and/or finished for fun for the first time in 2007. For comparisons’ sake, see my 2006 list. My previous post in the series was about the Wii games I played.

I’m sure it’s clear by this point to Multiplayer readers that I played a lot of games in 2007. Most of them, to be quite honest, were mailed to me for free by gaming companies.

Nevertheless, my favorite way to get games was through the Xbox 360’s automatic-download service, which put a demo of a new Xbox Live Arcade game just about once a week.

Just because a new game showed up on my system each week doesn’t mean I tried them all. These are the ones I played for fun at home on my Xbox 360:

My XBLA Games I Played For Fun 2007 Playlist
(Games I finished are in italics)

1) “Aegis Wing”

A bunch of interns made it. I have to show some support for something like that.

2) “Alien Hominid”

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This is the fifth in a series of posts about the games I played and/or finished for fun for the first time in 2007. For comparisons’ sake, see my 2006 list. My previous post in the series was about the PS2 and Xbox games I played.

I can confirm that there was no Wii drought last year, at least not in my house.

In 2007 I played more Wii games than I did disc-based games on any other console. I popped in 24 of them and finished six. But when it rains, does it pour quality? I permanently ejected some of these games in mere minutes. Onward with the recount…

My Wii Games I Played For Fun 2007 Playlist
(Games I finished are in italics)

1) “Battalion Wars II”

Nintendo gave me early dibs on this game, but I would have played through it anyway. I’m told there are better, more complex real-time-strategy/action war game hybrids, but this one was pleasant and bombastic enough for me. And it has very pretty submarine-based levels.

2) “Big Brain Academy”

The DS was making me smart enough, thank you very much.

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This is the fourth in a series of posts about the games I played and/or finished for fun for the first time in 2007. For comparisons’ sake, see my 2006 list. My previous post in the series was about the PS3 games I played.

I’m so retro that in 2007 I still played some PlayStation 2 and Xbox games. Who can turn their back on old classics from yesteryear?

In fact, the ludicrously high quality of PS2 games I played in 2007 was another reminder of how wonderful the late part of a console’s lifespan can be.

My PS2 Games I Played For Fun 2007 Playlist
(Games I finished are in italics)

1) “Bully ”

Like “Resistance: Fall of Man,” this is a special-case game on my list: I started it in 2006, but finished it in 2007. Given the “Manhunt 2” madness that happened since I finished this game, it really feels like “Bully” came from a more innocent time. Really, there’s nothing more scandalous here than the ability to throw your schoolmates into their lockers or give them wedgies.

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This is the third in a series of posts about the games I played and/or finished for fun for the first time in 2007. For comparisons’ sake, see my 2006 list. My previous post in the series was about PC/Mobile/iPhone games I played.

Okay, PS3 fans, this is your chance to see what I played on what I believe is the largest video console ever built. This list does not include PSN or PS2 titles that I played on the machine. Nor does it include “Mess-Around-With-The-Machine’s-Touch-Sensitive-Buttons,” which is kind of fun in its own right, especially while dusting the thing.

And do note that this list is shorter than my list for the 360, but almost completely devoid of first-person-shooters. The PS3 is kinder and gentler.

But please, PlayStation fans, tell me what gems I missed.

My PS3 Games I Played For Fun 2007 Playlist
(Games I finished are in italics)

1) “The Eye of Judgment”

If you make a game with an eccentric peripheral set-up I will play it. I may not play it long. But I will play it.

2) “Folklore”

It looked great, but played really slowly. And seemed to be full of backtracking. This is the kind of game I would go back and play if there was a cheat code that just let me have all the Folks from the start. I’d just like to see them; not have to earn them.

3) “Formula One Championship Edition”

4) “Heavenly Sword”

Other than “Portal,” which wasn’t sold on disc on its own, this was the shortest console game I played all year. It also had one of the most trying end-bosses I faced in 2007 (up there with “God Hand“’s). It was also a welcome example of Sony’s attempt to fill 2007 with original games. I appreciate that.

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This is the first in a series of posts about the games I played and/or finished for fun for the first time in 2007. For comparisons’ sake, see my 2006 list.

I played 21 Xbox 360 games for fun in 2007. I finished seven of them.

My 360 whirred loudly for 21 games and, thankfully, never red-ringed. None of the 21 was a sports or racing game. Ten were first-person shooters, but that’s not my problem. That’s an issue for humanitarian Bill Gates, whose machine is the Charlton Heston of gaming consoles.

And these were just the games I played for personal amusement. I played many more at press events, at E3, at Game Developers Conference and a few in my dreams. I also played a bunch of Xbox Live Arcade games, but let’s save that for a later post.

Here’s my list, and, please, tell me what you think of how I spent my Xbox 360 year. Did I micro-manage my 360 time right?

My Xbox 360 Games I Played For Fun 2007 Playlist
(Games I finished are in italics)

1) “Assassin’s Creed”

I’m still playing this one. In fact it’s the final Xbox 360 game in my 2007 must-play stack, which is a different plastic hill than the gotta-try-these stack that includes “Kane & Lynch,” “Overlord” and “Shadowrun.” Interesting (?) aside: “Assassin’s” presented me with the game-reporter’s occasional problem. I liked it enough to play a few hours of it on a pre-released disc, then, wanted to finish it on the version sold in stores. That required me to start the game over from scratch, re-playing the first three levels of the game. And other people think the game was repetitive for them?

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