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Like letting your weird, stinky aunt kiss your cheek, doling out end of the year awards is a necessary evil. We don’t understand why everyone feels compelled to make gigantic lists of the best games of the year, coming up with obscure categories just to make sure every game walks away a winner. “Best Use Of Catwoman In A Game” doesn’t seem very fair.
But alas, we are slaves to our beloved readers, so once again we gulped down some Red Bull, huddled up, and randomly spit out Game Revolution’s Best of 2004 Awards!Hooray for recognition! |
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Ye Olde Rules If it ain’t broke, don’t break it. Last year’s policy seemed to work well, so once again, Game Revolution has opted to do a little bit of everything. In addition to awards for the best of each genre, check out our Top 5 games of the year! Then, go ahead and write us nasty letters telling us how we got it all wrong…again. That’s why they made a ‘delete mail’ button. Game Revolution gives out awards as it sees fit. If there are no worthy recipients in a certain category, no awards will be given. Editor’s Choice awards are given to games that did not win in a particular category, but caught the eye of the GR editorial staff and just had to get something. These games exemplify the upper echelon of video and computer gaming over the past year. Only games released during the 2004 year are eligible. Awards are based on a complex formula involving a shoe horn, whipped cream, Elmer’s glue and a copy of Gigli. Our hats off to the winners! |
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| Best Action | |
| Best First-Person Shooter | |
| Best Online | |
| Best Racing | |
| Best RPG | |
| Best Sports | |
| Best Strategy | |
| Editor’s Choice! |
| Welcome to our nightmare.
Trying to determine GR’s Top 5 Games of the Year was a painful experience for everyone involved. The truth is that there were plenty of games worthy of being in our Top 5 – far more than just 5 – and the process of weeding out the great from the greater was wrought with anxiety, arguments, and at least one known death. It got so grim, we even considered doing a Top 10 instead just to honor more games, but then we realized that would be exactly double the workload and promptly embraced the Top 5 idea again. So despise, discuss, or defend the list to your heart’s content, but don’t dare disagree that all five of the following games totally rocked 2004. |
Rome: Total WarPublisher: Activision Forget all those silly epic movies – if you want to experience largescale warfare, look no further than Rome. A technical marvel, Rome: Total War stunned PC gamers with its impressive scope, intricate detail and inimitable delivery. Strategy fans simply couldn’t do any better in 2004. |
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Splinter Cell: Pandora TomorrowPublisher: Ubisoft Sam Fisher goes online and kicks all kinds of ass in this fantastic sequel. Pandora Tomorrow‘s compelling cat-and-mouse multiplayer proves that you don’t need giant guns and hectic action to be a super agent. |
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Katamari DamacyPublisher: Namco It’s the little engine that could! Katamari Damacy rolls right past the overhyped heavy hitters and earns a spot in our Top 5 due to its innovative gameplay and impeccable style. Five months later and we’re STILL singing those damn songs. |
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Grand Theft Auto: San AndreasPublisher: Rockstar Look, we’re not thrilled that GTA keeps winning GR awards, but no one does what Rockstar does. San Andreas is bigger and better than its Game of the Year winning forbears, a massive undertaking that is without peers as a single-player game. It just keeps going, and going, and going…. |
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World of WarcraftPublisher: Blizzard It was a close call, but we simply couldn’t resist the tremendous accomplishments of Blizzard’s first massively-multiplayer outing. By fixing classic flaws that have plagued the MMORPG genre and delivering a rock solid world from day one, World of Warcraft is a study in smart, efficient, and caring game design. More importantly, it’s just about the most addictive, exciting and rewarding game we played all year. In a landscape filled with tweaked sequels and redundant play experiences, World of Warcraft serves as reminder that nothing beats fresh material, particularly when it comes with orcs and zombies. We tip our caps to the folks at Blizzard for wowing us once again and proudly present them with our Best Overall Game of 2004 Award. |
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| Brainiacs prefer strategy and jocks dig sports, but everyone likes a good action game. The biggest genre is also filled with some of the best games we’ve played in ages. Here’s the cream of the enormous crop. |
| GAME OF THE YEAR! |
Grand Theft Auto: San AndreasPublisher: Rockstar Often imitated but never dupliated, the GTA series stands alone atop the action genre. San Andreas is more than just another sequel – it’s the best GTA yet. Featuring addictive, frantic gameplay set in an immense, gritty world, this game contains more outrageous things to do than you can wave a glock at. Three times another charm for Rockstar. |
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| THE RUNNER-UPS! |
| Splinter Cell: Pandora Tomorrow Publisher: Ubisoft Developer: Ubisoft Platform: Xbox Though it came out early in 2004, Pandora Tomorrow’s brilliant mix of stealth and action created an easy winner. Its unrivaled sense of tension and beautiful delivery set the stage for the fantastic, revolutionary online experience. Sam Fisher gets another hard-earned medal from GR. |
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| Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater Publisher: Konami Developer: Konami Platform: PS2 Solid Snake takes to the hills in what might be the final installment of this legendary action series. Great new gameplay features and several memorable boss battles help Hideo Kojima’s vision slither its way into a GR Best of 2004 award. |
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| Ratchet & Clank: Up Your Arsenal Publisher: Sony Developer: Insomniac Games Platform: PS2 We’ve been fans of the R&C games for a while, but Up Your Arsenal literally blew our minds with its awesome combat and deep weaponry. Don’t be fooled by the cute, furry outfits – these hardcore mascots deal with stress by blowing it up in one of the best action experiences this year. |
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| With so many games released this year, we decided to create a separate category for the hugely popular genre of shooting things. Some major, major sequels hit shelves in 2004, but we narrowed the field down to the ones that truly deserve to be lined up in our scope. |
| GAME OF THE YEAR! |
Half-Life 2Publisher: Vivendi A project five years in the making, the sequel to one of the greatest games of all time completely floored us with its unbelievable look. Leaps and bounds more advanced than anything else out there, Half-Life 2‘s amazing engine wasn’t just for show – the gameplay, production and excellent scripting led to a thrilling shooter. Tack on Counter-Strike Source and you get the most complete PC frag package of the year. |
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| THE RUNNER-UP! |
| Halo 2 Publisher: Microsoft Developer: Bungie Platform: Xbox It broke sales records left and right, made the front page of every newspaper in the country and oh yeah, it was a pretty good game, too. If you didn’t play Halo 2 online, you missed the best multiplayer fragging found on any system this year. |
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| We’ve reserved this category for games that are primarily played online, which means there are a lot of contenders. Ultimately, though, there can be only one. |
| GAME OF THE YEAR! |
World of WarcraftPublisher: Blizzard We’re not sure what’s more impressive: the fact that Blizzard managed to create such a stable, smart and addictive MMORPG in their first try, or the fact that they managed to do so in the face of so much competition. Either way, World of Warcraft is a riveting game, the best massively-multiplayer game of the year and, quite possibly, ever. |
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| If you have at least one working hand and one working eye, you can play a driving game. If you also happen to have a taste for the finer things in life, you’ll surely be tempted to play the best of the year. |
| GAME OF THE YEAR! |
Burnout 3: TakedownPublisher: EA
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| What used to be reserved for creepy Dungeons and Dragons geeks (ie. the GR staff) is now the dominion of the masses, thanks in no small part to the terrific role-playing games that gave us new lives in 2004. |
| GAME OF THE YEAR! |
Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic IIPublisher: LucasArts An even longer time ago in a galaxy a bit further away, a civil war divided the Jedi order. Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic II: The Sith Lords takes the top RPG honors this year, along with a special award for Longest Game Title. Redeem yourself through the power of the Light side, or, should you crave power more than humble good deeds, you can seize the power of the Dark side for your own benefit. Complex, thoughtful and well written, the force is very strong in this excellent sequel. |
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| THE RUNNER-UP! |
| Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door Publisher: Nintendo Developer: Nintendo Platform: GC It’s a little hard watching Mario go on a power diet, but it’s incredily easy to enjoy his smart, funny RPG excursion. Picking up right where the N64 game left off, The Thousand Year Door pokes fun at classic Nintendo conventions while providng a long, satisfying trip through the flatlands of mushrooms and goombas. |
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| Picking a top sports game is no easy task. Is football better than soccer? Is baseball better than basketball? We’ll let you make the call on that, and GR will handle the tough stuff by giving our top sports game honors to… |
| GAME OF THE YEAR! |
Winning Eleven 7Publisher: Konami Ask most of the world which sport rules, and without fail you will receive chants of ‘Futbol! Futbol! Futbol!’ Well, in this case we totally agree. Winning Eleven 7 is the ultimate recreation of soccer, a picture perfect blend of accessible gameplay and advanced functions. GOAL!! GOOOOOOAAAAALLLL!!!!! |
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| THE RUNNER-UPS! |
| MVP Baseball 2004 Publisher: EA Developer: EA Canada Platform: PS2 | Xbox | GC 2004 saw the end of a cursed era as the Red Sox finally won a World Series. EA figured they’d get a monkey off their back as well by rebuilding their baseball games from the ground up. The resulting MVP Baseball 2004 is an absolute monster thanks to its great control and visuals. |
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| ESPN NHL 2K5 Publisher: Sega Developer: Visual Concepts Platform: PS2 | Xbox No hockey season? No problem, so long as you have this low-priced, high-quality game on your shelf. ESPN filled the icy lockout hole with awesome gameplay, terrific graphics and more options than you can smack in the face with the pointy part of your stick. They even fixed the fighting. |
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| What started as a simple game of chess (or was it tic-tac-toe?) has evolved into some of the most complex computer programs on the planet. Lucky for us, some of them happen to be really fun, too. |
| GAME OF THE YEAR! |
Rome: Total WarPublisher: Activision Though the competition is fierce, this particular road leads straight to Rome: Total War. Capable of rendering thousands of soldiers on the battlefield, Rome‘s brilliant engine brought the epic scope of historic conflicts right into your PC. Then it went a step further by incorporating deep dynasty elements like city construction and extensive diplomacy. Bold, impressive, innovative, and huge, Rome: Total War handily conquers the genre. Hail Caesar! |
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| THE RUNNER-UP! |
| Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War Publisher: THQ Developer: Relic Platform: PC No matter how you paint it, war is violent, bloody and aggressive – three words that accurately describe the commendable carnage of Dawn of War. Furious battles filled with all sorts of gruesome details only scratch the surface of this well-balanced strategy beast, which also happens to feature some of the coolest unit design we’ve ever witnessed. Let the sun shine in. |
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| Some games defy categorization, while others are just too cool to ignore. The following games warmed our cold editor hearts by breaking the mold and pushing the boundaries. Kudos to the honorees! |
| Katamari Damacy Publisher: Namco Developer: Namco Platform: PS2 Without a doubt, this is our favorite weird game of 2004. You’re a ball of stuff out to accumulate more stuff. Why? Don’t ask, it will only confuse you. Instead, go find 20 bucks and a copy of this funny, addictive, and flat-out superb game. |
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| Sly 2: Band of Thieves Publisher: Sony Developer: Sucker Punch Platform: PS2 What seemed like a one-trick, cell-shaded pony of an action/adventure game grew into a wonderfully told story filled with likeable characters, reminding us why the platforming genre got so big in the first place. Pssst…Nintendo…hope you were taking notes. |
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| The Chronicles of Riddick: Escape from Butcher Bay Publisher: Vivendi Developer: Starbreeze Platform: Xbox | PC How to get around the Curse of the Movie License? Don’t base your game on the movie. Butcher Bay tells a completely different story from the cinematic mess of anti-hero, Riddick. With a good story and creative exposition, this game escapes the curse…although we guarantee the movie won’t win any awards. |
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| Baten Kaitos Publisher: Namco Developer: Monolith Soft Platform: GC With a seamless blend of traditional gameplay and a smart, complex battle system based on collectable card games, this quirky Japanese RPG got quickly addictive. Join Kalas on his quest for vengeance, collect Magnus cards to defeat your foes, and have a ton of fun along the way. Original and deep, Baten Kaitos turns up a winner. |
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