My Favorite Games of 2005

Well, I couldn’t let Next Generation have the last word. Here’s a list of my favorite games discovered this year. I’d love to hear what yours are. I won’t go as far as to say these are the BEST games of 2005, cause who the hell am I to say that? But here’s my nod to the games that entertained me this year.

RPG

• Baldur’s Gate: Dark Alliance II (Xbox): While Dark Alliance was also really great, I think I enjoyed Dark Alliance II all the more because my character – my beautiful Ysuran – rocked. I have a weakness for Elves who carry around books and are manly enough to wear skirts. You can read my Ode to Ysuran for further testaments of my love. Besides all that, though, the game incorporated some great features that enhanced the experience from the first one: the workshop where you could build your own weapons, and the ability to equip several weapons at once. You can’t go wrong with that kind of game play.

Mystery/Adventure

• Scratches (PC): Hands down one of the best games I’ve ever played. The guys at Nucleosys were sweet enough to send me a preview version of the game (review coming soon), and it’s awesome. Creepy, nightmare-enducing, thought-provoking, and beautiful. I don’t have one bad thing to say about this game, except that March 1st is too far away and I can’t wait for its full release.

Sports

• Top Spin (Xbox): I love tennis, and though I’m not generally a fan of sports video games, Top Spin rocks my world. Can’t wait for Top Spin 2 on Xbox 360. I get tingly just thinking about it. My one complaint about this game is that the female players didn’t seem as well-developed as the male ones. Perhaps that’s my imagination, though. We’ll see what TP2 brings my way.

FPS

• F.E.A.R. demo (PC): I didn’t get F.E.A.R. for Christmas after all, so I guess I’ll go pick it up sometime next month. FPS games are not my genre, but I have to say this demo made me question why. Sure I sucked at it. But I had a lot of fun, and I’m certain with a little practice, I’ll actually hit things.

MMORPG

• World of Warcraft (PC): Even though I didn’t play the game as much as I should’ve this year, it still remains my favorite MMORPG. While City of Villains is up there as well, I don’t think it’s won my heart like WoW has, and possibly never will. My account – which I cancelled during the months leading to my move to France – is now back on. Looking forward to levelling my Night Elf some more. Bimbo-giggle and all. I do miss the dance…

Zodiac/PDA

• Ultimate Bowling Fighter (Zodiac): I reviewed this game a couple of months ago, and even now, I still consider it one of my favorite games to play when I can’t sleep or I’m in the metro or waiting around for something, or just don’t feel like playing on the Xbox or PC. I don’t know why it’s so damn addictive – but it is.

Other

• Singstar (PlayStation 2): If you know me at all, you knew this was coming. I finally got my hands on it, but had to return the PlayStation 2 I’d borrowed so I have it no longer. But with some luck, we’ll get to play it on New Year’s. I’ll probably be drunk off my ass and not hit a single note – but what else is new? In the meantime, I did get Xbox Music Mixer for Christmas – only I’ve been sick with a sore throat all week and not been able to play with it. We’ll see if it’s as good as Singstar.

That’s it for my list this year. What were your favorite games?