Best edge-of-your-seat moment
Anthony Capone - Writer
Uncharted 2: Among Theives. If you could steal yourself away from the gorgeous scenery, then Uncharted 2: Among Theives' action-packed train sequence was one hell of an adrenaline-pumping ride. Vaulting over speeding carriages while contending with gun-touting goons and a helicopter with rocket launchers certainly had us glued to the screen (and controller).
Michael Kontoudis - Writer
Batman: Arkham Asylum. Creeping through the sewers beneath Arkham, watching ripples form on the surface of the water...
Michael Pincott - Writer
Resident Evil 5. Although Resident Evil 5 wasn't really scary, it still had some tense moments. The early sequence where you're introduced to a horde of zombies backed up by the Executioner had its tension heightened by the fact you were still getting to grips with the (somewhat awkward) controls. A later sequence in which you'll skulk around trying not to upset a lab full of Lickers is great too.
Denny Markovic - Writer
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 multiplayer: The loading screen after finding a match. You sit there, waiting for that bar to fill, just waiting to check if you've got green bars or are screwed over again by lag. Intense.
War might be hell, but so are the loading times and lag for Modern Warfare 2.
Best DLC to a game
James Varoutsos - Writer
Burnout Paradise. The DLC Criterion developed for this game turned what was an already brilliant game into something so much more fun. More vehicles, more places to race and large improvements on the whole to an already awesome game.
Jason Picker - Writer
Fallout 3. While Broken Steel gave the game a higher level cap and a lot of extra content, Point Lookout to Fallout 3 gave the gift of making this awesome game feel fresh again. Ever wanted to blow the head off those irradiated weirdos from The Hills Have Eyes? Load your virtual shotgun and wonder no more.
Michael Pincott - Writer
Grand Theft Auto: The Ballad of Gay Tony. Rockstar not only managed to create a chapter of DLC very different from its cousin, The Lost & Damned, but they also managed to seamlessly weave the third component of their Liberty City crime epic with the other two to round out the story coherently. Between the skydiving and finally finding out what happened to those diamonds, TBoGT was a fitting conclusion to the series.
Denny Markovic - Writer
Wipeout HD: Fury - Loads of new content, an insanely slick interface redesign and a boost to the already beautiful visuals. What more could you want?
Series that should go to hell and die
Jeremy Jastrzab - Executive Editor
Dragon Ball. While I'm a huge fan of the anime, it's blatantly clear that they have nothing else to do with the story and that they aren't going to make it anything more than a kid's game. No more thanks.
Michael Kontoudis - Writer
The Zelda franchise. No, hear me out. This series doesn't so much need to die but be subject to a critical re-think. The formula is becoming very stale, and Nintendo needs to tinker with the core elements to keep things fresh and relevant.
Jason Picker - Writer
Guitar Hero and its many iterations. Seriously, this cash cow is dry and its nipples are bleeding.
Brendan - Managing Editor
Guitar Hero. I'm with Jason. Guitar Hero can go to hell and die.
Denny Markovic - Writer
Guitar Hero. Just like the two above, I'm sick to death of Guitar Hero.
Johnny Cash rocks out to Elliot Smith. Not in poor taste at all.
Next stop, Hollywood – game that should be made into a Hollywood movie
Adam Ghiggino - Deputy Communications
Katamari Forever. Tell me you don't want to see a robot god-king destroy all the stars in the sky while a tiny prince rolls up continents on Earth on the big screen. Roland Emmerich, your ultimate disaster flick is waiting.
Jeremy Jastrzab - Executive Editor
X-men Origins: Wolverine. Yep, they already tried that but they did it wrong. Make it like the game and you have a winner.
Jason Picker - Writer
Uncharted 2. Hell, just put the cutscenes together and release it – I’d pay to see it.
Denny Markovic - Writer
InFamous. If this were a movie, it would be all kinds of awesome.
Worst Gaming trends
Jeremy Jastrzab - Executive Editor
DLC announced before release. Personally, I always thought that DLC should be something consciously put out following a game's release to improve and expand on what we have, rather than another blatant marketing hook or trade blocker. Oops.
Denny Markovic - Writer
Regenerative health. I still think it's crap. I prefer the intensity of surviving with three health packs left and hunting down another. Good times.
Jason Picker - Writer
Fitness games. Maybe it’s because I’m fat. In any case, if I want to get fit, I’ll actually go outside like a normal person. Ha ha, as if - there are too many games to play.
Best Gaming Trends
Jeremy Jastrzab - Executive Editor
Interesting niche titles on the Wii that are good: Cursed Mountain, Muramasa, Tales of Symphonia and the upcoming Fragile. More Please!
Denny Markovic - Writer
Digital downloading: It's cheaper, easy to acquire, and with our internet getting faster and faster, not too big a problem to download anymore. Yay!
Jason Picker - Writer
Sexy midget ninja games. Ok, so it's not a trend yet, but let's start it. Anyone?
Best Collector's edition
Adam Ghiggino - Deputy Communications
Modern Warfare 2 - The Prestige Edition may have been really, really pricey, but you know what? I don't regret getting it. Including the Hardened Edition, which itself had some cool extras like Call of Duty Classic, the coolest part was undoubtedly the night vision goggles. And best of all? The goggles - they do something!
Denny Markovic - Writer
Uncharted 2 - Fortune Hunter's Edition. There's only like four or something available and you have to freaking win it. It comes with a replica dagger. Now THAT is a collector's item.
Jeremy Jastrzab - Executive Editor
They all suck.
Jeremy hates collector's editions. We aren't implying anything with this picture. It's totally random (Ed: I'll grouch on your Christmas bonus...).
WTF moment of the year
Joseph Rositano - Writer
Destroy all Humans: Path of the Furon. There are a lot of WTF moments in Path of the Furon but one particular moment stands out for me. In the mission Close Encounters of the Furon Kind, Crypto organises a huge rally by dropping flyers which advertise the arrival of alien life on Earth. The humans gather at a stadium where Crypto appears in his spaceship, and the humans try to communicate with him via musical sequences. The scene is an obvious reference to Close Encounters of the Third Kind, but what makes it all the more hysterical is that Crypto speaks perfect English and is just toying with the humans. It gets better though; the spectacle attracts the attention of a rival alien species and a boss battle ensues. The boss’s weak spot is the egg sack at the end of its abdomen, however, it looks like a pair of gigantic testicles. To see for yourself, click here to check out a YouTube video.
Jeremy Jastrzab - Executive Editor
Ninja Blade. When you're riding a missile like a skateboard, throwing train carriages at demons or drop kicking a giant spider through a window, the entire game is one big WTF?!?!?!? moment.
Jason Picker - Writer
Batman: Arkham Asylum. Where to start? This game was full of them. Ok, I’ll just pick one - how about the final Scarecrow scenario (you know the one). I wonder how many people returned their game as faulty, or reset their consoles?
James Varoutsos - Writer
Guitar Hero 5. Getting the late Johnny Cash to sing such great classics as Rammstein and Children of Bodom.
Denny Markovic - Writer
infamous. The ending. Totally don't expect it.
Character you’d go gay/straight for
Jason Picker - Writer
Uncharted’s Nathan Drake. I’d let him seduce me with corny funny one-liners and that “I pretend not to care but really I do” persona, and then he’d rock my world. He’d be gentle and thoughtful, but probably wouldn't want to snuggle afterwards. I like that.
Kim Ellis - Writer
Dragon Age's Morrigan. A spellcasting hottie with a perchant for snarky comments and evil deeds. She can cast a spell over me any day.
Joseph Rositano - Writer
Assassin’s Creed’s Lucy: She may look like a pushover but behind that pretty face is an athletic, mystifying and intelligent woman who knows what she wants and isn’t afraid to get her hands dirty. I can almost feel her hands strapping me into the Animus for a wild ride.
Well that's it. We had to stop it there before someone hurt themselves. It's been a great year. To all PALGN's faithful readers have a great New Year!
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