Good releases for the Gamecube, Playstation 2, Xbox, Gameboy Advance and Nintendo DS were few and far between, with the glut of the best games of the year coming out around the holiday season, just like last year and pretty much every year in the industry’s history.Making matters worse was the delay of a few of the most anticipated games of year, from Nintendo’s new Zelda for the Gamecube to Metroid Prime: Hunters for the Nintendo DS (once a launch title, now in development hell).
Perhaps the most ingratiating delays were those for the Square-Enix games Final Fantasy XII and Kingdom Hearts II. Is Square-Enix becoming the new Rare, taking their precious time on making sure their games are stupendous, or has upper-management at Square-Enix gone crazy? Reports point to the latter – the head producer for Final Fantasy XII reportedly took refuge at a Japanese temple over the summer, praying to the Japanese gods for the quality of his project, all before releasing a statement he was withdrawing from the project due to “long term health problems.” And Kingdom Hearts has always been a little… what’s the nice way to put this… eccentric? No… laced with LSD? That’s better.
Luckily, the good games that actually happened to come out this year were really, really good. No game spoke of this truth more than Resident Evil 4, released for Gamecube early into the year and recently out for the Playstation 2. It has garnered more “best game ever” rants than any other game this generation from videogame critics (and its sales haven’t been too shabby either, especially considering the fact that it’s a gory Mature-rated title on the kid-friendly Gamecube).
2005 also saw some excellent remakes of old classics, such as the re-release of timeless classic Final Fantasy IV for the Gameboy Advance and the excellent reworking of a lost Nintendo 64 classic that was Conker: Live and Reloaded.
Alas, now it’s time to look at the 10 games that were, simply, the best console games of 2005.
Note: This list does not include ports of games that had come out in 2004, such as the Xbox’s GTA: San Andreas and Half-Life 2.
Resident Evil 4 – Gamecube and Playstation 2
Resident Evil 4 took the videogame world by storm by wowing videogame critics into claiming it one of the greatest videogames of the current generation. Resident Evil 4 did so well with the critics that the game is now ranked No. 5 (Gamecube version) and No. 6 (Playstation 2 version) respectively on the list of the most critically acclaimed games of all time (www.gamerankings.com).
So… it’s a really good game, then, right? Though Resident Evil 4 doesn’t entire offer anything new – the over-the-shoulder third person gunplay was first seen on the Nintendo 64’s Jet Force Gemini – never before in this generation has an adventure/action game been this immaculately executed. Besides the pristine graphics, the controls, gameplay mechanics and level design are all polished to perfection. The fact that Resident Evil 4 is one of the most user-intuitive 3D action games of all time makes its release something to be cherished.
Resident Evil 4 also offers many thrills outside of its fun, monster-shooting gameplay; the story, characters and boss fights are all incredibly memorable. The game is also incredibly long, 20 hours long, which is almost unheard of for a Resident Evil game.
The icing on the cake is the game’s well-designed character-building system, where you can buy upgrades that range from reloading speed and additional scopes for main character Leon’s assortment of guns.
Will you still want to play it in 2006?: Yes, because landmark titles like these only come around once a generation.
Devil May Cry 3: Dante’s Awakening – Playstation 2
Most gamers would have switched this game with Playstation 2 heavy-hitter God of War on their top 10 games of the year list.
While God of War is deep and engaging, no game this year offered more pure videogaming action than the Playstation 2’s Devil May Cry 3. The game’s focus is simple: offer gamers a non-stop barrage of button-mashing glory, and wrap the game up in a package of well-choreographed special moves and fantastic graphics/audio.
Oh, and it’s hella hard too.
Will you still want to play it in 2006?: If you’re looking for a sugar-rush of videogame fun, look no further. Just don’t except an enlightening story.
Prince of Persia: The Two Thrones – Playstation 2, Gamecube and Xbox
Prince of Persia: The Two Thrones (the third game in the recent series) breaks very little new ground, but you really won’t care when you’re having this much fun slowing down, reversing and freezing time in a gorgeous videogame world with characters that you actually care about.
The combat is as absolutely amazing as it was in Warrior Within, but this time the game is wrapped up in a much more enjoyable story and you can actually see what you’re doing onscreen, thanks to much brighter environments.
Will you still want to play it in 2006?: Fans of the first two Prince of Persia games definitely should pick this one up. Everyone else? Why not?
Gunstar Super Heroes – Game Boy Advance
This reworking of an old Sega Genesis classic is perfect for pick-up-and-play fun. The gameplay and game mechanics are as genius (and as startlingly simple) as they were back in 1994.
Will you still want to play it in 2006?: Treasure fans will want to pick this one up, but for those looking for a deep, lengthy game, pick up Final Fantasy IV instead.
God of War – Playstation 2
This Playstation 2 blockbuster gives mature gamers exactly what they want: furious gameplay, lots of blood and gore, excellent boss fights, crazy moves and a smoldering action hero. A sequel is a no-brainer.
Will you still want to play it in 2006?: The action-adventure genre has slowed down quite a bit this year, so play it now before the next big thing comes out and you stop caring.
Final Fantasy IV Advance – Game Boy Advance
Square-Enix’s excellent update of a role-playing game classic couldn’t come at a better time during 2005’s RPG-starved wasteland.
The story, characters and gameplay are perfection. One of the best games of its kind; a must own, no matter what system you play it on.
Will you still want to play it in 2006?: Gamers have been playing it for 15 years since it first came out on the Super Nintendo in 1991. Why would 16 years later be any different?
Conker: Live and Reloaded - Xbox
It’s a shame that this will be the first time most gamers will get to play this Rare-developed masterpiece. Sure, it’s gory and its crude, but it’s a Rare game: the graphics and audio are absolutely top-of-the-line, the humor is fun and oh-so-British and the boss fights are a delight.
Will you still want to play it in 2006?: Now’s your chance to play a forgotten classic from 2001. What are you waiting for?
Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow – Nintendo DS
Two Castlevania games came out this year: a 3D one and a 2D one. Which one would you rather play? The 2D one, of course – this is the series that defined the 2D goth-action genre in the 1980s and the one that redefined the 2D action-adventure game with the release of Metroid-orientated cult-classic Castlevania: Symphony of the Night in 1997 for the original Playstation.
Also, it’s the closet thing to Metroid you’re going to get this year, so snatch it up before Metroid Prime 3 comes out.
Will you still want to play it in 2006?: Unfortunately, the Nintendo DS’s gimmick is wearing thin fast, as is its sales numbers. Play it before it becomes irrelevant, unless it already is.
Shadow of the Colossus – Playstation 2
This artsy gargantuan of a game sports this year’s most fascinating artistic vision and some of this year’s most amazing music. Buy this game before it becomes $100 on eBay.
Will you still want to play it in 2006?: This game defined the indie-videogame in 2005, and will be relegated to cult-status in 2006. The game has some flaws on a technical level – the framerate is horrendous, for instance – so you’ll want to play this game before you become spoiled by the new hardware that comes out this year, the Playstation 3 and the Nintendo Revolution.
Lumines – Playstation Portable (PSP)
I felt it was necessary to honor this year’s coolest new gadget, the Playstation Portable, so here I present you with the system’s best game: Lumines, a puzzle game with a music-orientated twist.
Will you still want to play it in 2006?: This game is addictive as hell, so if you want to get any actual work (or homework) done in 2006, you’ll want to stay clear of this genre-bender.
Honorable mention:Zelda: The Minish Cap – Gameboy Advance
The fact that this Zelda insta-classic flew by under the radar of most gamers this year is a tragedy, but it’s forgivable considering the lack of publicity and the fact that it was overshadowed by news of it Gamecube big brother, Zelda: The Twilight Princess.
SSX: On Tour – Gamecube, Playstation 2, Xbox
SSX: On Tour isn't nearly as good as the series' latest installment, SSX 3, but it was fun nonetheless.
Amped 3, Perfect Dark Zero and Kameo: Elements of Power – Xbox 360
Like the system or not, the appeal of these three fantastic (and pretty!) exclusive launch games is undeniable.
Dragon Quest VIII: Journey of the Cursed King – Playstation 2
The best original role playing game of the year – and its graphics were created by the developers of the Playstation 2 cult-classic Dark Cloud 2. Yay!
We Love Katamari – Playstation 2
This loveable and innovative series didn’t wow us the way the original did last year, but who’s complaining?
Mario Kart DS – Nintendo DS
Who doesn’t like Mario Kart? Anyone? Anyone?
