2003
 

For the PS2
This year has been a good bit better than last, game wise. I always think of the titles and try to remember how great there were at the time so I could do a list top five or whatever. fuck that. here are some games that were nothing short of awesome. I perfer RPGs so consider that... but if you like console RPGs, i'm your man.

without any doubt whatsoever, the best game is Disgaea: Hour of Darkness. It is a plain, ordinary looking strategy game. The look is vastly misleading. I consider it the arcade strategy game because, thought you will slip up a few times, this game is more about fun and outrageous stats than true strategy. And thank God..... I love my hardcore SRPGs but damn sometimes it gets so difficult that it is no longer enjoyed.

With a very dark look you will probably be baffled at the humor. Possibly the funniest script I've ever seen in a game is here. If you like leveling.... is 9,999 levels enough? More than once? Every character can reach 9,999. When you become very powerful but are losing your touch you can 'transmigate'; bassically suicide and reincarnating into a character who has outrageous base stats.

There are eight endings, a complex Dark Assembly (it's congress of hell), and tons of items....... matter of fact, the items are the biggest fault... There are way too many items. I put 180 ours into it... and didn't even get to level 500. Get it!


Other great games............ FFXI, FFX-2 and FFTA. Warcraft 3: The Frozen Throne.

ps what?

xbox baby!! w00t! 16 player halo action, awesome graphics... oh man, so much good stuff to list i wont even try...

but i am looking forward to Halo2, and fable!

oh,and i love me some starwars galaxies!

Gotta love Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic. Good story and fun gameplay.

SOCOM 2: Navy SEALs is one of the most addicting games out there (except for the damn rating system, DAMN YOU RATING SYSTEM! DAMN YOU STRAIGHT TO HELL!)

Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time had one of the most innovative game designs, and had some of the best gameplay ever.

And for pure action you can't miss Viewtiful Joe, which established itself as one of the best action games of all time.

Yes, definately a good year for games.

Max Payne 2 is my pick for GOTY2k3.

Honourable mentions: Call of Duty, Freedom Fighters, Jedi Academy, Jak II: Renegade, Silent Hill 3, NFS: Underground, GTA: Vice City.

If you think this year is good then wait till 2004
HL2, Doom3, Stalker, Far Cry, Ninja Gaiden, GT4, Jade Empire (may slip to 2005)

btw, forgot Rome: total war, Battle for middle earth

Mr. Deflok: I assume you are voting Vice City for the PC, since it technically came out in 02 for the PS2(otherwise I'd vote for it :)). Disgaea looks fun from watching my roomies play. I think I might have to vote for Zelda:Wind Waker as my favorite game of 03.

2003 is one of the best videogaming years in a long, long time. I now have a stack of games sitting in my room to play. :) The fact that Gran Turismo 4 comes out really soon isn't gonna help that fact, either. Better get playing!

-Lasereth

I generally tend to disagree with the masses on the state of the gaming industry, but i cant on this one. 2003 was a great year for gaming. Sure there are scores of uninspired sequels out there (E.A games: copy everything) but there are also a large amount of good work out there for all 3 systems. I cant really speak for pc games because i dont do much gaming on my computer..but it was a good year for consoles. I see next year the ps2 reigning as usual, with MS poised to take the #2 spot away from the big N if they play their cards right. This comming year could play a key role in how the new systems are going to fare when they roll off production lines in 2005.. good luck to all parties involvevd!

Crap, how could I forget to mention the gems on the GBA, FFTA, Sonic Advance 2, Sword of Mana... too many to name!

It still came out last year (2003) and was a vastly superior version to the PS2 original, I remember hiring Vice out for the PS2 when it came out and thinking "Crap, where'd they go wrong!" then I ended up buying it for PC last year and couldn't put it down for three months.

I think 2003 was far from a great year for video games, at least for PC. Aside from having big releases delayed until 2004, 2003 brought many disappointments, bad news, and sloppily made games. Disappointments for many with Halo, Splinter Cell, Raven Shield, and Deus Ex: Invisible War. The recent canning of the BIS team was also met with disappointment and, for some, anger.

I think Max Payne 2, at least, was a solid product, albeit very short. Although I haven't played it yet, I hear KotR was also very worthy. At best, I think 2003 was a mediocre year for PC games. There were some fun games, but I don't think they were groundbreaking.

But 2004? I'm very excited for the release of Half-Life 2 and Doom 3. I could care very little about what else comes out, just as long as I get to play those two games.