Most Thrilling
- Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas - Never was a big fan of any of the other games in the series, but this one had me hooked for a long while. Hell, if I didn’t have so many friends ganking my copy from me, I’d probably still be addicted to it.
- Chronicles of Riddick: Escape from Butcher Bay - Excellent game. I was completely hooked for three days with this game. I would’ve been hooked longer, but I had beaten the game, and it didn’t really have much replay value. Immersive game, with the best graphics I’ve seen on the Xbox, a great storyline, and just plain great gameplay.
- Counter-Strike Source - Sure, it’s the same Counter-Strike that we’re all used to, minus all the maps and the variety of character models… But something came with the engine change that completely redefined the way I see CS. It’s almost like a completely new game for me, and I’m addicted all over again.
Most Disappointing
- Half-Life 2 - Yeah, I know many people loved it, but to me it just completely failed to live up to the greatness of the first game. The gameplay was more “varied,” but less fun. It seemed to me that HL2 was just a series of gimmicks and “cool” ideas thrown together to form a barely cohesive experience. There were less weapons (hell, one “weapon” could only be used in a 20 minute set of scenes) and less monsters (What happened to the howling dog? The big fish monster that was in HL1 and in the HL2 intro?). And, to make matters worse, it seems like the Combine used the exact same tactics and “moves” that the military characters in HL1 used; and there weren’t even any Ninja assassins.
- Halo 2 Single-Player - I was one of the people that actually was looking forward to Halo 2’s single-player experience, and it was a complete letdown. I mean, come on, it’s the exact same game as the first after the first three levels. Plus, the whole “Covenent Invade Earth” idea seemed to be just a pull to get people to play when, in fact, only one or two levels were actually spent on Earth. Multiplayer (LAN-based; not a fan of the idea of Xbox Live!) is feckin’ great though.
Games Somewhere In-Between: DOOM 3, Rome: Total War, Call of Duty - United Offensive, and The Sims 2.
Great Looking Games for 2005: Guild Wars, Jade Empire, S.T.A.L.K.E.R., and Dungeon Siege 2.