best-of-2007 posts(Subscribe to this feed)
Best 360 Games of 2007: Richard's picks

Just to get this out of the way, we're not doing an official Xbox 360 Fanboy Game of the Year Award or anything like that. There are only two of us on this site -- though we have the combined physical strength of 2.5 men -- and that would make voting a little silly. Thus, we will instead post our own individual takes on the best games of 2007 and why we picked them. Naturally, we'll stick to 360 titles, though we do occasionally play other consoles (I'm particularly enamored with Super Mario Galaxy at the moment, for example). So, read on for my personal picks for the best titles of 2007 (I'll leave the worst title for Dustin to decide).
BBC judges love Super Mario Galaxy
Nintendo games just don't always seem to rake in the high scores bestowed upon games on other systems, but one Wii title this year ran away with all sorts of accolades -- and the year isn't over yet. This time, it's the panel of experts (their words, not ours; your opinions may vary) selected at BBC news weighing in with the top games of the year, and Super Mario Galaxy shows up on three of the four top-three lists. While many of the games we expect appear on the lists (Halo 3, Bioshock, The Orange Box), there are a few surprises as well ... but it's Super Mario Galaxy that shows up most often. Score one for us.
[Via NeoGAF]
[Via NeoGAF]
Playboy: Heavenly Sword has 'Best Jiggle Factor'
There are some awards our favorite games receive that make us happy they get the recognition they deserve, and there are some that leave us ... well, scratching our heads. Take Playboy's Best of Games of 2007 awards for instance as it awarded Heavenly Sword the "Best Jiggle Factor" award. We're not really sure what it means, but we're pretty sure it's a compliment.
Here's what they had to say about the game: "This game has more than a few rough edges, but we loved its compelling scenario and character design. Nariko is gorgeous but also strong, angry and vulnerable. By the end, you don't just want to date her, you want to marry her."
It beat out other scandalous and lewd games such as Ninja Gaiden Sigma, Conan and Lara Croft Tomb Raider: Anniversary. With this well-deserved recognition, could it mean that Nariko could have a future spread in Playboy's Girl's of Gaming?
Here's what they had to say about the game: "This game has more than a few rough edges, but we loved its compelling scenario and character design. Nariko is gorgeous but also strong, angry and vulnerable. By the end, you don't just want to date her, you want to marry her."
It beat out other scandalous and lewd games such as Ninja Gaiden Sigma, Conan and Lara Croft Tomb Raider: Anniversary. With this well-deserved recognition, could it mean that Nariko could have a future spread in Playboy's Girl's of Gaming?
Playboy: Crush one of '07's most innovative games
There is perhaps no other PSP title as innovative and quirky as Zoe Mode's Crush, a puzzler that successfully implemented 2D and 3D gameplay like we've never seen before. And although the game never sold as well as it should have (Boo Sega's marketing department!), it has received the proper recognition from the critics that it deserves.To add one more accolade to the list, Playboy has chosen Crush as one of its runners-up for 2007's most innovative game. Being included among such wonderful games as Rock Band, Portal, Super Mario Galaxy and Assassin's Creed is no joke ... well, maybe the joke is that Assassin's Creed actually made the list in the first place. Nevertheless, it's great to see one of our favorite PSP titles getting a little more love.
If you still have yet to play Crush, then shame on you. However, there's still time to rectify this gross oversight by picking it up today and experiencing one of the most original games ever to grace a handheld.
Critics' top 10: 2007 vs. kittens
2007 is almost over, and the end of the year brings joyous tidings of List Season. It's the time for taking stock of the last 12 months of gaming, and trying to make sense of it by putting things in numerical order. Join DS Fanboy for our best-ofs, worst-ofs, and other categories-ofs.
When determining the best games of the year, it's a good idea to go at it from different angles: by referencing our own history of reviews, obviously, but we must also look to the wider journalism community. Our reviews, while insightful and entertaining, were not comprehensive. We just didn't play everything. In addition, one reviewer's opinion is simply not sufficient data to make definitive conclusions, even if that one reviewer is me.
So we turned to everyone else in aggregate to see what they thought of this year's releases. We've gathered the top 10 DS games of 2007 according to their Metacritic ranking. Keep in mind that many of these games tied in Metascore, meaning that if we were to rank the games, there would be fewer than ten positions. It's still sequential, but with a lot of tie scores.
We then carefully applied science to these games in order to convert the Metacritic numbers into a rubric we feel more accurately conveys the quality of these games. Head past the post break for Metacritic's top ten DS games of 2007, graded on a scale from adorable kitten video to unbelievably adorable kitten video.
Best of 2007: Games that remind me of your mother

I have fond memories of your mother -- yes, all of your mothers. Up until now, I've kept those memories separate from Wii Fanboy, mostly out of professional courtesy. After seeing how most of you ignored Zack & Wiki: Quest for Barbaros' Treasure, however, I have thrown civility out the window. The gloves are off now, and good riddance, as it'd be difficult to type about the games that remind me of your mom while wearing those restrictive mittens.
Best of 2007: Worst attempt at a cash-in

Best of 2007: First-party games [update]












