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Game of the Year: Gears of War

By JOSH KORR
Published November 27, 2006

Systems of the year

Nintendo DS Lite $129.99 and Wii ($249.99)

Nintendo is exhibit A for the Gears of War counter-argument: that, indeed, graphics aren't everything.

The DS Lite and Wii pale in comparison to the technical wizardry of rival systems. But they make up for it by appealing to gaming pros and novices alike with elegant design - both could be iPod cousins - and simple, innovative controls: touch sensitivity in one of the DS Lite's two screens and a motion- sensing controller for the Wii.

The systems' often-quirky games are geared toward more casual and all-ages players. Nintendo has actively tried to expand its audience by advertising in Time and other mainstream magazines, pitching games to senior citizens, and offering girls much more than Barbie and Bratz tie-ins.

And, of course, the DS Lite and Wii won't put you into debt.

PlayStation 3 and Nintendo Wii have dominated

headlines in recent days. But everyone who wasn't lucky enough to wait in long, cold lines - er, to score the new systems, we mean - will have to look elsewhere to fill their holiday wish list. (Okay, and the new consoles didn't come out in time to include individual games in this guide.) In that spirit, Times staff writer Josh Korr offers you his annual Video Game Awards for 2006:

(Xbox 360, Rated M for Mature, $59.99)

It's fashionable, when talking about video games these days, to downplay the importance of graphics. It doesn't matter how good a game looks, the thinking goes, if underneath it's the same old thing we've played many times before.

There's a lot of truth to that, especially when consoles are new and game developers haven't figured out how to best use the newfound power at their disposal.

Then there's Gears of War. While it's a fun, intense shooting game with a blessed lack of the 15-minute introductions and interminable cut scenes that have plagued many games this year, it's not too different from any other shooter.

But, oh my, does this game look amazing. The hulking characters show an unprecedented level of detail. Their uniforms, muscles and guns have subtle indentations, nooks and nicks that are the closest approximation of reality's textures we've seen. Earlier Xbox 360 graphics were too shiny and smooth; people looked like they were made of plastic. Gears of War reintroduces the subtle roughness and imperfections of solid matter.

It's not just the details that look great. The characters have exceptionally realistic body movement; they aren't overly smooth and liquidy like in many games. The hardest thing for 3-D graphics has been to accurately reproduce the mass of objects: their heft, the way they move and interact with gravity. Even CGI movies haven't totally figured this out. Gears of War and the next generation of games it heralds might be doing just that.

If you can stomach the copious, spurting cartoon blood, you'll want to see this game for yourself.

Also see: Call of Duty 3 (the Xbox 360 version, rated T for Teen, $59.99)

Honorable mentions

Guitar Hero II (PlayStation 2, rated T for Teen, $79.99 with guitar controller): The sequel to my top pick last year, Guitar Hero II has you pressing buttons on a "guitar" in rhythm to a slew of rock tunes. With easier hammer-ons and new three-button chords, it really feels like you're playing. Now two people can play together, one as rhythm or lead guitar and the other as bass. I prefer last year's set list, but this is still the most fun game out there.

Also see: Elite Beat Agents (DS Lite, rated E 10+, $29.99)

The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion (Xbox 360, rated T, $59.99): The save-the-world-from-demonic-invasion story is nicked from any number of fantasy movies. The bad British accents will make you cringe. But if you like immersive role-playing games, there's nothing better than Elder Scrolls IV. You could spend 100 hours exploring the game's 16 virtual square miles and side quests, and examining the thousands of objects you come across.

Also see: Final Fantasy XII (PS2, rated T, $49.99)

Okami (PS2, rated T, $39.99): A unique visual stunner, Okami is a living Japanese painting unlike any game you've ever seen. You play as a wolf goddess bringing color back to a darkened land, and learn special powers that let you "draw" on the screen to make different things happen. Hardly flawless, but well worth checking out and a benchmark for future visual experimentation.

Also see: Nothing else is like it.

Rockstar Games Presents Table Tennis (Xbox 360, rated E for Everyone $39.99): The makers of Grand Theft Auto surprised everyone by releasing this realistic pingpong game. And that's a good thing. Video game developers tend to get typecast and keep churning out the same kind of game. We should be surprised far more often.

Also see: Bully, another Rockstar Games effort (PS2, rated T, $39.99)

Viva Pinata (Xbox 360, rated E, $49.99): Think this game is just for kids? See how you feel after a pinata snake eats the cute little pinata mouse that just came to your garden. Why are the animals also pinatas in this open-ended, take-care-of-things-and-create-stuff game (a genre that I really need to come up with a better name for)? So when the kiddies' animals get eaten, they turn into candy rather than blood and gristle. A perfect gift for wives who put up with Gears of War marathons - as long as she gives you a chance to play, too.

Also see: Loco Roco (PlayStation Portable, rated E, $39.99)

Brain Age/Big Brain Academy (both for DS Lite, rated E, $19.99): The DS Lite became a Japanese phenomenon thanks partly to these brain teaser/puzzle games, which Nintendo marketed to senior citizens. The games didn't do too badly over here, either. The goofy faux-science - Brain Age reports what part of the brain is stimulated by each problem - is endearing, and there's plenty of challenge for all ages.

Also see: Tetris DS (DS Lite, rated E, $29.99)

Sid Meier's Civilization Chronicles (PC, rated E and E10+, $69.99): All four of the renowned history-strategy games in one box set, complete with expansion packs, a card game and a retrospective book. Be warned: This gift set is guaranteed to cause sleep loss.

Last year's games

The best games of 2005 hold up well, and they're mostly cheap. Look for God of War (PS2, rated M, $19.99), Resident Evil 4 (GameCube and extended PS2 version, rated M, $19.99), Psychonauts (PS2 and Xbox, rated T, $9.99 on Amazon), We Love Katamari (PS2, rated E, $29.99) and Guitar Hero (PS2, rated T, $69.99 with guitar controller. Josh Korr can be reached at jkorr@sptimes.com For more on the year's best games, see his video game blog at sptimes.com/blogs/videogames.

[Last modified November 26, 2006, 20:14:30]