Game of the Year: Editor’s Picks

1. Machinarium

For listeners of the Game Central podcast, this pick should come as little surprise. Machinarium takes everything we love about the PC and exemplifies the real power of the platform: creativity and ingenuity. This is truly the adventure game for everybody, even rookies like me. In fact, as I neared the game’s ending, I didn’t even care what genre Machinarium technically fell under. All that mattered was how much the game impacted me emotionally and mentally.

From the opening screen, the hand-drawn animated and static visuals captivate like no other.  You could spend hours gazing exclusively at each new scene, studying the backgrounds and staring into their gorgeous industrialized intricacies, and it would not be time wasted. And sure, it’s 2D, but when a 2D game trounces every other 3D game out there in the illustrative department, does it really matter? Not in my book.

With so many other “PC” titles falling prey to the consoles and their decidedly limited modes of presentation and malleability, our platform is rapidly losing its direction. But games like Machinarium help the PC retain its true identity. This game singlehandedly highlights the PC’s authenticity as an entity wholly separate from the land of the PS3 and the Xbox 360. For this nuance alone, Machinarium deserves the golden trophy.

2. Batman: Arkham Asylum

Any time a PC game causes me to suddenly become compelled to engorge myself on its base narrative influences and underpinnings, it has to be special. Within days of firing up Arkham Asylum, I was so intrigued by the plot and characters, I immediately ordered 2 Batman graphic novels as well as Batman Begins on Blu-ray. Lemme tell ya folks, this behavior ain’t typical.

And from the wide lens of game design and development, Arkham Asylum is quite simply a masterpiece. Rather than creating a gigantic open world such as Far Cry 2 or GTA IV, Rocksteady chose to contain the free-form nature of the game into a tightly claustrophobic interwoven environment. You can still adventure around and discover secrets, but there’s never a lull in the action, and roaming from one area to another never takes more than a few minutes.

Plus, Arkham Asylum finally legitimizes gaming voice-acting as serious business. Mark Hamill puts forth an Oscar-worthy performance as the Joker, and every supporting cast member (with perhaps the exception of the armed guards) retains similar professional deliveries. For once, it’s obvious that big-time talented actors truly love what they’re doing for a game. When was the last time that happened? Probably never.

3. Torchlight

Torchlight is the epitome of value. Releasing for a paltry 20 green-backs, Runic Games crafted an action-RPG worthy of the highest praises normally associated with only the big boys. Once you begin your trek into the catacombs and realize just how insanely entertaining and charming Torchlight actually is, you’ll feel like you acquired the game at a steal.

Runic took all the annoying parts of usual RPGs and threw them flat on their backs. Running out of potions? Drop a town teleport scroll, walk through it, purchase some gear, walk back, and you’re right where you left off before. Bam. Easy. This is one of those games that’ll have you asking, “Why didn’t they think of this before??”

And to top it all off, Torchlight’s soundtrack is phenomenal. In an era of gaming where musical scores seem a tacked-on afterthought, this game gives that notion the proverbial middle finger. The sound effects are equally noteworthy, and every spell’s explosion or shattered skeleton’s echoes accentuates the supporting melodies.  If for some reason you haven’t yet taken the Torchlight dive, do yourself a favor and grab it. Your ears will thank you, and your PC gaming spirit will be renewed.

Honorable Mentions:
Braid
Plants vs. Zombies

Shame of the Year: Darkest of Days

It’s not often that you’ll gladly choose broken bones over gaming, but Darkest of Days manages to do just that. This game is so unbelievably terrible, so ridiculously painful to play, you’ll wonder if maybe it would have been better to just spend 40 bucks on a buddy of yours to come by and dislocate your kneecaps with a crowbar. Because at least that way, you can take comfort in knowing that the pain inflicted was intentionally self-imposed. For the love of everything sacred, if someone even offers to pay you for this travesty of a title, punch them in the pancreas and report them to the authorities; your sanity might very well depend on it. Don’t say I didn’t warn you: Darkest of Days is the Insultiest of Insults.

1. Machinarium

What can I say? A lot, apparently. Chris can too. It’s funny thinking back when I first heard of Machinarium; my initial impressions pertained to something along the lines of “Oh, cool graphics.” While indeed that is true, I had no idea it would impact me as much as it did when I reviewed it. There is so much charm and pure-blooded love oozing from this game, I can’t help but give it the acclaim it deserves. Amanita obviously had an unbelievable amount of passion while creating this masterpiece. In all honesty, I haven’t seen many PC games in recent years where the developer had that much care for the end result – it seems to me that that affection died out when developing games became more of a business than a passion. Nevertheless, Machinarium shines as a pinnacle example of what PC gaming is all about, and totally deserves the accolade of game of the year.

2. ArmA 2

I had an endless debate with myself about whether or not to place ArmA 2 as my number one choice. The innovation that both ArmA 2 and Machinarium placed on the pedestal makes it one of the hardest gaming decisions for me in a long, long time. It’s like Mohammed Ali fighting Mohammed Ali: two forces to be reckoned with, neither of which have any desire to go down soon.

ArmA 2 provides an experience like no other. Following in the footsteps of its predecessors ArmA and Operation Flashpoint, ArmA 2 is a modern military simulator that is ambitious as it is realistic (and as ridiculous.) The game’s world is the biggest sandbox in PC gaming and grants you to revisit your childhood of being a soldier, instead this time, being the most brutal and in-your-face presentation of those childhood memories. The game does not hold your hand by any means – be expected to die at least once a mission, and having a hard time even learning how to control the game. It surprises me when people get turned off by this, especially when it’s from self-proclaimed hardcore PC gamers. The reason? This is the most PC PC game made in the last ten years. Games like ArmA 2 perfectly define the PC’s strengths and build off them to a point where I can’t possibly see why someone can dislike it. Sure, the controls may not be the most user-friendly or your performance may be lackluster, but ArmA 2 raises the bar so high to what PC games can achieve that I can’t see developers not looking towards it for inspiration in the future.

3. Opera Omnia

Who says we should be limited to only retail releases from big publishers when naming the games of the year? When we get down to it, it’s the game’s quality that counts. Opera Omnia turned the puzzle game genre on its head and delivered an incredibly unique gameplay mechanic of reverse logic which earns it the third spot on my list. While the production is rudimentary, it gave me one of the most atmospheric experiences I’ve had since STALKER – which, for a free game, is more than enough to trump the big dogs of this year’s releases.

Honorable Mentions:
Dawn of Discovery
Torchlight

Underwhelming Underdog: East India Company

I’m always excited to see debut games of newly formed PC game developers. This was the case when I first heard of Nitro Games’ real-time strategy economy title East India Company. The game’s historical premise of leading a company to financial success through transporting goods, forming alliances, and battling other nations across the Atlantic and Indian Ocean surprisingly captured my interest. However, as pointed out in my review, the game was plagued with generic… genericness. Or in scientific terms: “DoomThreeitis.” It introduced all what the game had to offer in the first few minutes of playing, with nothing particularly unique to the game. To make matters worse, the actual gameplay itself just got tedious. To Nitro’s credit, they did attempt to resuscitate the life out of the game with a director’s cut edition and the Privateer & Pirate Bay expansion packs, but it was just a lost cause. I really hope they pull through with another game and blows this stale seafaring simulator out of the water.

1. Batman: Arkham Asylum

No other video game this year facilitates the complete experience of the player quite like Batman: Arkham Asylum does.  The game came as quite a surprise to me, as I could never expect a licensed franchise, especially one as thoroughly explored as the Batman universe, to achieve any sophisticated level of gaming greatness.  Despite the plethora of well-defined content, the developers of Rocksteady provide a reading of the Batman mythos so meticulously crafted that their resulting game conveys an astonishingly whole of comic references and well-paced adventures on Arkham Island.

No other game, too, can match the way Arkham Asylum truly unifies you, as the player, with the player character, the Dark Knight himself.  Batman’s power, skills, high tech gadgetry rest at your finger tips, and you’ll watch in awe at the flexible animations that depict the character.  Fantastic voice acting from Kevin Conroy and Mark Hamill commands the characters of Batman and Joker respectively.  Sequences caused by Scarecrow’s hallucinogens, moreover, let you control Batman as he delves into his deepest motivation and experiences his most tragic day in interactive ways that reflect a true mastery of the video game medium.  Batman: Arkham Asylum absolutely captivated me this year.

2. Braid

Braid reflects a unity, an artistry, and a vision rarely seen in video games.  Its 2D platforming gameplay hearkens back to its retro game roots, yet it parodies and innovates on those influences to create an original, pure experience in its own right.  Sure, its creator, Jonathan Blow, has enough grandiose pretentiousness as an auteur to humble even James Cameron; however, Braid stands apart as a sincere entity that successfully finds harmony between gameplay, narrative, and art in ways few other games have.

As such, Braid achieves far more than titles, such as Machinarium, that only illustrate their whimsical game narrative experiences through an old-fashioned, awkward separation between elements of story and gameplay.  The fact that you, the player, never lose control over Tim, the protagonist, throughout the adventure allows you to progress at your own pace, which contributes further towards a more satisfying experience.  Solving Braid’s time-bending puzzles felt particularly satisfying, especially since they grew progressively more 4th-dimensionally complex, yet ingeniously simple to execute.  From its expressive painted worlds, to its emotional use of music, to Tim’s desperate control of time and paradox, Braid not only pulls together its elements, it also marks an important point in the literary growth of game narrative.

3. Mirror’s Edge

Who knew companies like EA and DICE could actually give new IPs and, heaven forbid, innovation a chance?  Putting their long-standing money-making franchise, Battlefield, on the backburner, DICE developed Mirror’s Edge, a unique, surreal game about heart-pumping free running action.  The developer successfully recreated the adrenaline-fueled sensation from the first-person perspective of Faith, an agile runner.  Every leap between rooftops, every fast-paced chase from the dystopian world’s ever-present police, and every dizzying glance into the heights just beyond the edge captured the beauty, grace, and style of free running.

And DICE couldn’t give us a better environment to express a mastery of running than a jaw-dropping cityscape filled with multiple paths through skyscrapers, well-designed interiors, and even the exciting romp atop speeding trains.  Like Batman, the game makes incredible use of Unreal Engine 3 towards a stunning white-washed aesthetic filled with bright pops of solid color.  The major black mark that tarnishes the beautiful aesthetic comes in Faith’s clumsy weapons handing, though her melee skills do provide a fluid, yet challenging approach to combat.  Mirror’s Edge is also quite short, but for its brief narrative, it renders a cohesive experience worthy of recognition.

Honorable Mentions:
Left 4 Dead 2
Plants vs. Zombies

Dishonorably Discharged: Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2

No game, not even the travesty that was Darkest of Days, could disappoint me, as a PC gamer, more than Modern Warfare 2.  Granted, I must admit that I have not played the game, but I am well aware of its inexcusable lack of standard PC features.  Several elements are noticeably absent, including some that the game’s predecessor correctly implemented, such as dedicated servers, mod support, and advanced actions like leaning.  Combine those issues with the fact that the game requires Steam, and you’ll realize the developers effectively consolidated and “console-ized” the experience.

Unless I’m wrong, and these fundamental problems aren’t really so bad, I will stand by my initial opinion that Modern Warfare 2, as well as its developer, has wronged us PC gamers, and it clearly doesn’t deserve consideration for Game of the Year.  Please Infinity Ward, do the PC right next time and at least meet some basic PC game standards.