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Bob Colayco Associate Editor |
They Didn't Quite Make the Cut
By now, most of you have already seen our Game of the Year feature and have read about what we believe were the best games the industry had to offer in 2003. Because we structured the awards to be inclusive of all platforms, it was inevitable that some very excellent games would fall through the cracks and not gain any recognition in certain categories, particularly the ones that are extremely competitive. A few of my favorite games from 2003 received no mention in the awards. Thankfully, GameSpotting is the perfect forum to make amends for these gross injustices! Well, OK, none of these snubs are that dramatic, but they represent some excellent games that I spent a lot of time playing this past year, and I think that they deserve some extra recognition.
Praetorians
Praetorians is the most obscure game on my list. In fact, many of you are probably scratching your heads wondering what I'm talking about. It was released rather quietly in March of 2003 and managed to slip under the radar screen. Developed by Pyro Studios, the creators of the Commandos series, Praetorians boasts a fairly impressive pedigree. However, I wasn't impressed with the game because of that--as I've never been a huge fan of the Commandos games. I liked Praetorians because it distills everything that's fun about real-time strategy games and presents it to you in a package that's devoid of extraneous clutter. The strengths and weaknesses of various units are intuitive, as are their special abilities, so you don't have to spend hours poring over a strategy guide to understand what's going on. The sieges are satisfyingly epic, and the included 24-mission campaign is varied, challenging, and lengthy enough to easily warrant its purchase price.
Mario Golf
No, it's not as deep--and certainly not as realistic as Tiger Woods or Links. But somehow neither of those games came as close to being as fun or addictive for me as Mario Golf. I was hooked on this game for weeks after its release over the summer, and I still come back to it from time to time. The most impressive thing about it is how simple it is for anyone to pick it up and play, yet it still manages to be deep enough to keep more experienced gamers challenged and amused. Don't want to deal with spin and power strokes? You don't have to. But all of these features are right there, waiting to be used once you're comfortable enough to start peeling at the outer layers of the game. The later courses offer just enough Mario flair for you to remember that it's a Mario game (warp pipes and such) but not so much that I was ever annoyed by it. The side challenges kept me going when the regular matches started to wear on me.
NCAA Football 2004
This was my favorite football game of 2003. Maybe I'm biased, because I happen to like college football more than pro football, but I just could not stop playing this game for weeks after its release, even through the release of the more popular Madden and ESPN NFL games. The amount of depth to be found in NCAA 2004's dynasty mode is incredible. Winning a big game and seeing your team on the cover of Sports Illustrated gives you a satisfying feeling of accomplishment. After a season of gruelingly playing every game on Cal's schedule and taking the Golden Bears to the Rose Bowl, I had a surprising amount of fun just going through NCAA Football 2004's recruiting mode, which amounts to a turn-based strategy game. I'm almost ashamed at how much fun I had poring over pages of stats and carefully considering my sales pitches to fictional high school football players. It's almost as pathetic as spending hours reading about real college sports recruits (guilty as charged).
Viewtiful Joe
OK, I'm cheating here because Viewtiful Joe did get nominated in a few of our Game of the Year categories, including GameCube Game of the Year (which it very nearly won). Despite that recognition, I don't think it can be stressed enough how awesome this game is. At a time when the industry is awash in sequel after sequel and rehash after rehash, Capcom took a chance at being wholly original. They made a side-scrolling beat-'em-up years after the genre fell by the wayside. They released a cel-shaded game even as so-called "hardcore" customers sneered and continue to sneer at the style for being too childish. They could have tried hedging their bets by using a proven franchise to, at least, curry favor through name recognition; instead they created a brand-new character. Of course, none of that would be important if the game wasn't solid, and it was (and is). Even if the romance was brief, Viewtiful Joe was an experience I wouldn't ever trade for another Mega Man or Street Fighter.
GameSpotting: Final Fight
We get into one last verbal brawl before the year closes out.
