Games of the Year - Xbox
It's been a tough year for Microsoft's freshman effort, but there have been some pearls.
The Xbox now boasts the highest spec, in all departments, the best online strategy and the best third-party relationships in the business. This being the case, the machine has spawned some awesome games, and here’s our pick of the best.
As he didn’t got a look in, in the rest of the field, in third place we see Tony in his latest Activision powered skate ‘em up.
As you will know if you've followed the progression of the Tony Hawk's Pro Skater series, the third game made one very important gameplay leap, known to aficionados as 'revert into manual'. The first two releases in the series allowed players to continue combos for as long as they liked, as long as a ramp wasn't included. In the third title, following a ramp trick, the player could tap R2 to perform a revert, the act of switching from left to right-foot-forward, and then tap up, then down, to go into a manual, or a wheelie to the uninitiated. This meant that it was possible to perform long, intricate combos across a variety of ledges, rails and ramps. The unlimited combo was born and the series changed massively. Tony 4 is entirely based around this concept, and is a brilliant example of how a videogame should be.
In second place is Bungie’s epic Halo: Combat Evolved. Halo’s got gameplay to spare, taking important ques from both Half-Life and Quake 3. Halo charges you with the deadly mission of trying to destroy the Covenant, mankind’s greatest enemy. Players can use an assortment of alien and human technology to blast through the levels. Intelligent computer controlled officers are also on hand to help dish out the punishment. AI-driven FPS gaming at its very best.
And this year’s Xbox game of the year has to be Splinter Cell. Halo scuppered itself due to its unfinished nature and poor ending. Splinter Cell is the complete game.
It’s fair to say that the development team played its fair share of Metal Gear Solid, not a bad thing. Yet they obviously decided to combine it with gameplay. It’s tactical espionage at it best. Claustrophobic, atmospheric with deep dedicated mission-based gaming.
As he didn’t got a look in, in the rest of the field, in third place we see Tony in his latest Activision powered skate ‘em up.
As you will know if you've followed the progression of the Tony Hawk's Pro Skater series, the third game made one very important gameplay leap, known to aficionados as 'revert into manual'. The first two releases in the series allowed players to continue combos for as long as they liked, as long as a ramp wasn't included. In the third title, following a ramp trick, the player could tap R2 to perform a revert, the act of switching from left to right-foot-forward, and then tap up, then down, to go into a manual, or a wheelie to the uninitiated. This meant that it was possible to perform long, intricate combos across a variety of ledges, rails and ramps. The unlimited combo was born and the series changed massively. Tony 4 is entirely based around this concept, and is a brilliant example of how a videogame should be.
In second place is Bungie’s epic Halo: Combat Evolved. Halo’s got gameplay to spare, taking important ques from both Half-Life and Quake 3. Halo charges you with the deadly mission of trying to destroy the Covenant, mankind’s greatest enemy. Players can use an assortment of alien and human technology to blast through the levels. Intelligent computer controlled officers are also on hand to help dish out the punishment. AI-driven FPS gaming at its very best.
And this year’s Xbox game of the year has to be Splinter Cell. Halo scuppered itself due to its unfinished nature and poor ending. Splinter Cell is the complete game.
It’s fair to say that the development team played its fair share of Metal Gear Solid, not a bad thing. Yet they obviously decided to combine it with gameplay. It’s tactical espionage at it best. Claustrophobic, atmospheric with deep dedicated mission-based gaming.
Read More Like This