I think this year has totally pwned for gaming, the best year ever in my experience (as a mostly FPS gamer, that is).

FPS-wise we've had:

UT2K4 - didn't play this but from the demo it seemed to do the usual 2kX stuff with even flashier graphics and new gameplay modes to boot. The essential fix for BM/MP action.

Painkiller - back to the old skool both in atmosphere and gameplay. Hailed by some as the spiritual successor to Quake. Not quite, but a fun and stylish game. The essential fix for gothic horde mayhem.

Far Cry - still haven't got round to this but the demo impressed me plenty enough. Great engine and a novel style combined with more tactical gameplay. The essential fix for tactical tropical island action.

Doom3 - bad-ass lighting, bad-ass monsters, dark and scary as fuck. This was cool. The essential fix for dark, evil, monster-bashing.

Half-Life2 - both of these in the same year? We are blessed. Stylistically, they should have been released at each other's time, with HL2's city and outdoor enviroments providing a breath of fresh air. Lots of technical trickery make a very stylish game. The essential fix for a cinematic experience.

Riddick - sneaking in at the 11th hour, this looks good and has reviewed well, and seems to combine the good looks of Doom3 with thoughtful gameplay. The essential fix of FPSness to tide one over until next year.

Now THAT is a lot of class and varied games. Only the delay of STALKER and the painfully obvious dumbing down of Deus Ex marred an otherwise FPStastic year.

Then from other genres...

40K: Dawn Of War finally married GW's ultra-rich source material universes to a classy, hi-tech and fun strategy game. Hurrah for the revolution.

Finally, Vampire: The Sexorade and Thief 3: Shite New Name To Appeal To XBox Fucktards used the ever-immersive FP perspective to enhance their role-playing and sneaky-sneaking gameplay respectively. For me the demo of the latter was pretty cool but got lost amongst other games, whilst the former I've just bought on a reduced price whim.

W3rd. 

To be honest I can't remember much of what went on, sorry. There were some cool Q1 SP maps, right?? Someone else better remind me of those =)

And Doom3 maps....haven't really taken off. Well, I'll keep hoping. 

I played this year was Painkiller. I dug it >:D 

BTW, go update TSFPSDD plz kthx. 

BTW, go get my updating access back from Telefragged plz kthx. 

BTW, go ask them yourself about your own site plz FYI. 

Far Cry - interesting game in both SP and DM (although my SP game is on hold because a scripted event that is supposed to be loading isn't, and I'm stuck *sigh*) I really like how AI reacts in Far Cry, and obviously the paradise theme is fantastically realized. The DM maps are actual DM maps and not just cobbled together from SP maps like some other games. Therefore they are really alot of fun, and the same can be said of all of the assault maps as well. Though I'm not a fan of playing assault with people I don't know because Far Cry's servers' ability to weed out dickheads and undesirables is nonexistent. Overall I would give it an 8/10 (would get a nine if the fucking single player didn't fuck up)

Doom 3 - *sigh* So much hype, so little delivery. Definitely the biggest disappointment of the year. SP is boring and repetitive, and even though the graphics engine is top notch, there's something about the textures that makes them look too milky and plasticine. I haven't even finished it because I was just too bored to bother finishing. Hopefully the SP community will crank out some maps with original looks and stronger gameplay. DM is a joke...thrown together, weapon balance sucks, maps are no fun. 4/10 Overall.

Half Life 2 - Wow. I played this almost nonstop for 2 days after I got it, and it was so good. Incredibly well realized environments and story. Strong, original weapons that actually factor into furthering the gameplay. There was also lots of nice physics puzzles to get through to break up the constant of shooting and driving. The vehicles were all top notch and easy to use, but not too easy. I literally smiled when playing certain parts of this game because it was just so good. The last half hour of gameplay was pure joy. DM is OK...needs work to reach an enlightened state. 10/10

Warhammer 40k: Mehhh. I only played the demo, but for a game that was being praised by alot of people, it didn't seem to offer anything new over other games that did this style simpler and with more balanced gameplay. Nice post Apocalyptic graphics but not much else. 3/10 

Doom 3: good.
Metroid Zero Mission: Awesome.
Half-Life 2: good. (Made awesome by Barney)
Far Cry: terrible! 

Shambler really does make the best threads. Shambler for prez in 2008.

Doom3, Painkiller, HL2 and FC all rocked, so let's move on.

Katamari Damacy was a wicked PS2 game which shouldn't be over looked. The level design was top notch in how the objects that formed the maze at one level became the objects you pick up at the next, but there's always a higher-level maze waiting for you. The scaling of the world was smooth, and I loved how you could pick up anything. See that milk bottle over there? You can pick that up. See that fotball stadium over there? You can pick that up. All you have to do is get big enough. And the music was so fun. There are few games that I would say are perfect: games that you could not add to or take away from without damaging it. Tetris makes that list, and Super Mario World does too. I'm adding Katamari Damacy to that list. 

But my PS2 has been with my brother at college. Maybe I can steal it back to play it :) 

HL2 had a story??

Anyway, I forgot Armed And Dangerous which was a little bit of vaguely humourous 3PS fun from earlier on. And....ah shit what was the other game. Oh wait there wasn't one. Doesn't quite compare to the big 7 (6 FPS and DOW which no matter how wrong Blitz is, is still a damn cool game). 

definately was a dark horse, hardly ever heard of it until it was out. Best strategy game evar!




Ps blitz is dumb 

Didn't really play many games this year...

Doom3: Was really dissapointed, but it's actually pretty close to what I was expecting... =\

Half Life2: Much better than what I was expecting, hehe. One of my favorite first person shooters (for single player, haven't tried the mp).

Uhm, I also played Zelda - The Minish Cap on GBA, and that was fun like most zelda games.

There are lots of other 2004 games I would have liked to try but didn't have the money/time for them. =( 

Or do other people think Halo2 was completely over-rated?

Don't even get me started on the level design of the first one.... 

Uhm, I also played Zelda - The Minish Cap on GBA, and that was fun like most zelda games.

Heh, just yesterday I got the Zelda GBA SP which gives you Zelda - The Minish Cap in the bundle. Loving it so far... the Gameboy zelda games are some of the only RPG's i enjoy, and this one looks up to the quality of links awakening so far!

Doom 3 - Thought it was good at the start, then got more and more and more bored. Still haven't finished.

HL2 - Still haven't finished, but thats not because it sucks. On the contrary, it's shaping up to be one of my favorite FPS's. It's great because the action is so more varied than most games in the genre, and everything has so much polish.

Painkiller - At times, this is an absolute joy to play, very satisfying, with some really fun weapons. Some shit weapons though, like that electric beam thingy. Spoiled slightly by even attempting to add a storyline. Those cutscenes were fucking dire, too... topless girl, but you don't get to see her boobies?! Poor show, guys. Was really liking the game still, until the end. The hell level is fantastic, great idea, but the boss combat was shit. Then the end cutscene was the shittiest shit in the whole history of shit. It was shit as fuck. 

Then the end cutscene was the shittiest shit in the whole history of shit. It was shit as fuck.


C'mon Starbuck, don't beat around the bush here, you're amongst friends, you can tell us what you really think... 

Doom3- Excellent
Far Cry - Still unfinished, Very Good.
Sacred- No 3D but this game is getting all of my time, almost the same way Diablo and DiabloII got. 

http://www.gamepro.com/gamepro/domestic/games/features/40848.shtml

Wow, Gamepro still exists. I remember back when print gaming magazines mattered. SF II was hot shit at the time. 

nice article