PS Fanboy Best of 2007 award winners

Game of the Year
Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare
Call of Duty 4 accomplishes so much, on so many different levels. Although a multiplatform title, the team at Infinity Ward did an incredible job to ensure that the PS3 version performed just as well as, if not better than, the Xbox 360 version. Visually, the game is almost unsurpassed. There is an incredible amount of variety in the levels, and each one is meticulously designed with beautiful textures, lighting and special effects. Gunning enemies down from a copter may be one of the most visually realistic sections in gaming so far. The single player campaign may be brief, but features intelligently designed level designs and beautiful set pieces that put other FPS games this year to shame. The story is filled with surprises, and your jaw will drop more than once throughout the emotional campaign.Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare
Not only does Call of Duty 4 succeed at providing one of the most compelling single player adventures this year, it also has an incredible multiplayer community. No matter what type of gameplay you prefer, chances are you'll find it in CoD. Prefer a fast, arcadey deathmatch? Or, do you want an ultra-realistic mode that turns off the HUD and makes each shot as lethal as it should be? The number of customizations available make the experience unique to each player. Add Perks and real-times skills changing, and you have an accessible multiplayer game that's as deep as you'd like to make it.
Don't miss out on Call of Duty 4 just because it's a multiplatform game. Infinity Ward's stellar job on the PS3 must be commended, and the excellent multiplayer support shows that the free PSN can offer an experience just as compelling and worthwhile as XBL. Call of Duty 4 is a game that will have you coming back for more, and more -- and we can't wait for Infinity Ward's next game.
Reader's Choice: Game of the Year
Uncharted: Drake's Fortune (31% of votes)
Uncharted stole the hearts of PS3 Fanboy readers, and for good reason! It's an incredible game that features the best graphics of the generation so far, fantastic gameplay, and a surprising story that features some of the most lovable characters of the year. The gunplay takes cues from Gears of War, but adds its own unique take on platforming and adventuring, making it an adventure that'll engross you from beginning to end. Kudos to Naughty Dog for showing the world what the PS3 is capable of, and hiding one of the scariest levels in gaming this year.Uncharted: Drake's Fortune (31% of votes)
Runner-up: Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare (22%)
Best Graphics
Uncharted: Drake's Fortune
Uncharted is the best looking game of the console generation so far, and easily demonstrates the superior graphical power of the PS3. Everything about the game is so incredibly detailed, from the varied and realistic character animation and movement, to the lush, living environments. The engine somehow manages to render a realistic landscape, with dense jungles, crumbling fortresses, and rushing water without a single hitch to the framerate. It might not beat Crysis, but it gets damn close -- and you don't have to spend $2k for the graphics card to run the game.Uncharted: Drake's Fortune
Reader's Choice: Best Graphics
Uncharted: Drake's Fortune (46% of votes)
There really was no competition for Naughty Dog's incredible technical showcase. PS3 Fanboy readers overwhelmingly agreed that Uncharted topped other stunning PS3 games. Of course, runner-ups like Ratchet & Clank and Heavenly Sword are no slouches in the visual department. The real winner? Your eyes.Uncharted: Drake's Fortune (46% of votes)
Runner-up: Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare (17%)
Best Multiplayer
Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare
Did we mention the incredible depth of Infinity Ward's latest shooter? Just in case you missed our rant, the multiplayer of Call of Duty 4 is stellar. The variety of weapons, grenades and special abilities (like airstrikes) make each battle challenging and fun. There's nothing more satisfying than flashbanging an enemy, getting close and knifing them in the back. Okay, there's one thing better -- being on the ground, life nearly at zero, as you fire at your enemies and take down a few before you bite the dust.Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare
Reader's Choice: Best Multiplayer
Warhawk (41% of votes)

Hope you have a lot of friends, because our favorite thing to do in Warhawk is grab three other controllers, and team up split-screen against the online community. The jump-in jump-out functionality of Warhawk makes it one of the most fun online experiences we've had, and the online community just gets more intense by the day. The sense of scale is what makes each battle so unique: levels can be massive, and battles can happen on a variety of fronts. Whether you love to take it to the sky, or fight on the ground, there's so much to see and do in Warhawk.Warhawk (41% of votes)

Runner-up: Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare (38%)
Best Original Soundtrack
Everyday Shooter

We love the orchestral scores of Lair and Heavenly Sword, but one game had us humming all year long. That game is Jon Mak's Everyday Shooter. The colorful mix of fantastic guitar tunes was augmented with a truly synesthetic presentation that makes your gameplay actions truly affect the music. It's fun to play with music in games like Guitar Hero and Rock Band -- but playing and making music in Everyday Shooter takes it to a while new level.Everyday Shooter

Best Story
Folklore

Folklore stands out amongst the candidates for daring something new and different from other games. The murder mystery of Doolin may have a slow start, but once its intricacies start unraveling, you'll find yourself utterly compelled to the very end. The twists and turns add a very sinister flair to an otherwise colorful world, and the shocking mid-game twist will have you thinking for days.Folklore

Best Action/Adventure Game
Uncharted: Drake's Fortune
It got Game of the Year from readers for good reason. No other action game this year offered a balanced amount of challenge for gamers of all types -- casual and hardcore. Multiple difficulties and intelligent enemy AI makes every battle one to remember.Uncharted: Drake's Fortune
Best Downloadable Game
Everyday Shooter
Sony did a fantastic job of making this category very difficult to vote for. So many great games are available on the PSN, but one squeaked by the rest. Everyday Shooter takes top honors for its challenging gameplay, beautiful presentation, and unique chaining system that changes in each of the game's nine levels. The sense of exploration and discovery in Jon Mak's shooter is unparalleled for the genre.Everyday Shooter
Best Driving Game
Motorstorm

There's a reason why Sony bundled Motorostorm with every 80GB system. It's fun. It's fast. It's pretty. The lack of split-screen multiplayer is a total bummer, but the intensity of each arcadey race is what separates this from the pack. We're really looking forward to next year's awards when Wipeout HD and Gran Turismo 5 Prologue will go face-to-face.Motorstorm

Best Fighting Game
Virtua Fighter 5

Honestly, this category is a tough one to decide in. We love the precision fighting of Virtua Fighter and its sleek next-gen presentation. But, on the other hand, at least Tekken gives us online play. Shame on you Sega for not patching the PS3 version to meet the standards of the Xbox 360 version of the game. We award you Best Fighting Game for having a great fighter ... but we're doing it angrily.Virtua Fighter 5

Best Shooter
Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare
You got the point by now, right?Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare
Best Puzzle Game
Super Puzzle Fighter II Turbo HD

What makes Super Puzzle Fighter stand out in such a crowded category is its inclusion of great multiplayer support. Go grab another controller and fight against a friend -- or connect to PSN and (attempt to) play online.Super Puzzle Fighter II Turbo HD

Best Downlodable Content
Rock Band

Rock Band is a pretty awesome game. And EA has done an incredible job of ensuring that there's a steady stream of downloadable content for the game. We like having choice in a music game, and Rock Band has done exactly that.Rock Band

Best Music Game
Rock Band
Grab three of your friends, because Rock Band is the greatest music game ever. Drums, guitars and vocals -- what more can you ask for? A terrific campaign mode, with fun character and band creation tools make the experience of being in a band that much more real. Terrific cooperative gameplay and a fantastic graphics engine puts Guitar Hero to shame. A steady stream of DLC makes Rock Band the music game to get ... provided you have musically inclined friends.Rock Band
Best RPG
The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion

Don't let its tardy arrival on PS3 fool you into forgetting about Oblivion. The massive world of Elder Scrolls is ready to engross you. The PS3 version integrated new content, and improved the graphics and loading quite considerably from its Xbox 360 counterpart. This earned Game of the Year nods when it was released on Xbox 360 -- and it remains a great game.The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion

Best Strategy Game
Bladestorm

Trust us. This category was a lot better on PSP Fanboy.Bladestorm

Disappointment of the Year
Lair

The PS3 had a few upsets this year, but none were as devastating as Lair. For PS3 haters, the game exemplified everything wrong with the system. The graphics underwhelmed due to its shoddy framerate, and the SIXAXIS controls seemed "tacked on" by many. If the mistakes of E3 2006 were manifested into a game, Lair would be the result. As one of the first high-profile PS3 exclusives after a long drought of games, PS3 owners and haters alike agreed that Factor 5's dragon game just didn't deliver. And thanks to its subpar performance, other PS3 exclusives got tarnished by its shadow.Lair

And so concludes PS3 Fanboy's Best of awards for 2007. And remember this: if you thought our choices were bad this year, wait until next year. The PS3's upcoming 2008 library looks like it'll bring out the devilish flamebaiters in all of us. See you in the comments section!









Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
sultan @ Feb 16th 2008 8:18PM
The reason the PS3 of VF5 doesn't include the online plays is because SEGA never wanted it to be there in the first place. They didnt' want it on the 360 version but thats all microsoft has under it's belt is to suck people in with the claim of online play. Personally I feel online play in a fighter is just boring anyways. It's much more fun in the arcade or with people next to you. The reason SEGA never wanted online play in the VF series is due to how the games collision detection works. It's so good because it uses the FPS of the game to tell whether something hit or not, it's so accurate beacause offline it's at a constant 60fps. It's never possible to gaurantee that will be the case online so the collision detection system could suffer because of it. Tekken has online play yes, but also one of the most shallow fighting systems there is. I commend SEGA for staying true and not including the online play when they weren't forced to do so.
Wonderflex @ Dec 27th 2007 6:15PM
So why isn't Uncharted game of the year? Not that COD4 isn't amazing; it just seems like Uncharted had a whole lot more awards.
TripleTags @ Dec 27th 2007 7:30PM
controversy .. any outlet that calls drakes fortune some GOTY is admitting that well enough is left alone.
batmanhill6157 @ Dec 27th 2007 6:16PM
not a bad list at all
nimaj21 @ Dec 28th 2007 12:15PM
damn, uncharted is "that good" imma go cop that.
drdre74 @ Dec 27th 2007 7:58PM
man you sleeping on uncharted! lol well alot of people are.
Hashbrown_Hunter @ Dec 27th 2007 6:30PM
I laughed my ass off at the Strategy category.
Pretty solid "Best Of..." feature. Bring it on next year!
SteveMB @ Dec 27th 2007 6:39PM
You don't have to spend $2k on a graphics card for Crysis. I spent less than $1k for my computer and it runs Crysis with no problems at all. (512MB 7950GT)
The_Doctor @ Dec 28th 2007 3:59AM
http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/hyperbole
Jake5678 @ Dec 28th 2007 7:13AM
I think he meant that you have to have a really good card to make crysis look like uncharted. On the other hand you need a good HD-TV to make Uncharted look at its best.
XanthouS @ Dec 27th 2007 7:05PM
Why is EA credited for the flood or DLC for Rock Band? They're merely a distributer... It's Harmonix that puts the sweat and blood into these weekly releases, a MTV Games who arranges many of the licenses.
Other that that little rant, this was a well done award list. I feel much better about my CoD4 purchase now. If only my PS3 would get a decent connection to our wireless router...
catonmyhead @ Dec 27th 2007 11:04PM
Drake "best graphics of this console generation so far"??? Come on, it looks good...but not THAT good. For all the consoles, I'd give the award to Gears of War...still the best looking game so far. Drake wasn't bad, but didn't offer anything that Tomb Raider hasn't in the past.
Hyams @ Dec 27th 2007 8:42PM
But Gears is all grey ... grey ... red ... grey ... red ... grey ... grey ... grey...
joey2joey @ Dec 27th 2007 10:00PM
Have you played resistance fall of man? Beets gears easily. And uncharted. Also, in Uncharted, I would never have guesed that I would get an MP40. Reminds me of all those WWII games, exept for all the well; play the game you'll see. People who think that Call of Duty 1 was the first WWII game are wrong the origonal medal of honor was really the first. It came out on the PS1. Plus, bioshock beats gears in graphics for 360.
chasegamez @ Dec 28th 2007 3:17AM
you must not have a HDTV yet
when you get one then talk
its the best looking game on any console
hands down
Ben @ Dec 28th 2007 7:15PM
and unreal tournament III clearly beats all of those. i don't see why no one can recognize that this game has the best graphics out there, period
John @ Dec 29th 2007 2:33PM
Drakes was a nice game but I kinda enjoyed Ratchet and Clank a little more. People who like Lair please please stop admitting it to people. Just play the game and move on. Folklore nice story Gameplay was just very slow. I love the Idea of fighting with summoned creatures just it moved kinda slow. Another catagory missed is best violent game of the year. I'm liking Kane & Lynch. I call it Bullets and Death. Also Rock band should get more love that really is a great freaking game and I don't even like rock music...... or do I.
robert @ Jan 4th 2008 11:37AM
http://ps3forums.com/showthread.php?t=117437
any of those Uncharted screenshots easily kills Gears of War.
shortyvs @ Dec 27th 2007 8:02PM
Good list. I love the fact that the fans' picks are included. I just got Uncharted for Christmas and I can already see why the fans love it so much. Also, seeing as how Everyday Shooter beat Rock Band for best soundtrack, among it's other award, I just might have to download it.
Brian Spence @ Dec 27th 2007 8:43PM
sigh, still the busting on Lair...
I know I'm not alone to say that I was more than pleasantly surprised by Lair after the bad reviews. IT'S FUN! REALLY!!!!!
seansloan @ Dec 27th 2007 9:43PM
Ill take your word for it brian.Im not rolling the dice on that one.I do think that im the only one who was bored to tears with "folklore"though.If the demo was supposed to "sell" me it didnt work
bootiemon @ Dec 28th 2007 6:56AM
agreed! Lair is a fun game, I don't care what the reviewing publications opinions are.
Akamaru @ Dec 28th 2007 9:26AM
Lair is really a decent game. I really enjoyed it and I still own it. Rent it for yourself PS Faithful, you will not regret it.
Geph @ Dec 27th 2007 9:50PM
Excellent list. Gamespot completely overlooked Oblivion in the RPG category.
No complaints here except for the lack of a sports category and NHL 08 is the most underrated game of the year.
eugene @ Dec 28th 2007 2:14PM
nhl 08 is f**king awesome... and uncharted best two f**king games out now.....
Andrew Yoon @ Dec 27th 2007 10:13PM
Yeah, we just don't play enough sports games to feel confident about reporting on them. An unfortunate, sad truth.
Kspraydad @ Dec 27th 2007 10:29PM
My son got SOCOM Tactical Strike for PSP and Uncharted for PS3....he's playing SOCOM first...damn.
I'm pissed as he hasn't opened UC yet and I really want to play it (I love gifting games that I'm going to like!)...
RWilloug @ Dec 28th 2007 12:37AM
Good list, though I'm dissapointed Ratchet & Clank got shut out. One of my favorites from this year.
Dahk @ Dec 28th 2007 1:40AM
I'm not too sure about Uncharted coming close to Crysis lol. If graphics also includes things physics wise and interaction with the environment, Crysis blows everything out of the water.
Then again, Uncharted was limited by the frickin' ESRB ratings lol (couldn't shoot fish dead, because it was 'violent' in ESRB ratings).
Dahk @ Dec 28th 2007 1:47AM
"Have you played resistance fall of man? Beets gears easily."
Wrong. And beets are a vegetable =).
"Plus, bioshock beats gears in graphics for 360."
That's a bit more right. But both are still absolutely amazing. So is Uncharted in that respect.
... And really this is a pointless argument, cuz the awards are obviously only for PS3 games =D. Which actually leads to supporting the fact that the first year of PS3 wasn't the greatest, but hopefully MGS4/Killzone2/GT5 will rectify that and own those graphics awards next year.
fireflymr @ Dec 28th 2007 5:04AM
No Assassins Creed?
Jake5678 @ Dec 28th 2007 7:16AM
Super Puzzle Fighter II Turbo HD is a great game! Too bad noone's ever online to play it with me... :(
Jakob @ Dec 28th 2007 7:41AM
Just finished Uncharted, and WAAUUW the best PS3 game ever.
9,5/10, I can't wait for a sequel.
jango fett @ Dec 28th 2007 8:25AM
man il be real with this... i think a ps3 exclusive should be the game of the year. you all sold out by giving and award to a game that is also on the xbox 360 and looks just the same. i mean i spend $600 dollars on my video game console thats out of this world, only to know that i really didnt have to. i could have easily save $200 and get an xbox. god im so dissapointed. i feel betrayed and let down...
catonmyhead @ Dec 28th 2007 9:56AM
ok. calm down. Yes, I have a HDTV. 46" samsung LCD. Yes, I have played Resistance (not overly impressed...definitely not better than anything on any other systems). This is just my opinion. The fluidity and graphics of gears were better than drake in my opinion. gears is mostly grey and red...I'll give you that, but drake is brown and green. I have all 3 systems and so far haven't seen anything that has blown me away on ps3.
Me @ Dec 28th 2007 10:04AM
catonmyhead, I do thing UC sometimes looks Too green and brown :) But Having played GOW I think UC looks cleaner and crisper and the lighting and shadows on the jungle are amazing.
bonedog @ Dec 28th 2007 11:03AM
Eye of Judgment didn't win best strategy game?! Are you kidding me?! I call for a RECOUNT!
slearl @ Dec 28th 2007 11:01AM
"the free PSN can offer an experience just as compelling and worthwhile as XBL"
You're kidding, right?
watcher @ Dec 28th 2007 11:10AM
I agree Uncharted wins hands down over Gears having played Gears over and over and owning Uncharted I have to say that Gears doesn't beat Uncharted in the graphics area. Gears is really good, but the characters aren't as life like as they are in Uncharted.
Why? Well the top reason imo is that Uncharted has graphic environmental interaction on a level that Gears does not. In fact the characters in Gears only interact with their environment when they take cover. For example, Gears characters don’t look any different in water like Drake does in Uncharted. Drakes clothes, gets darker and wrinkled when he gets in the water, so it really looks wet and dries over time. Gears characters don't have anything close to that level of character detail. Uncharted also has a lot more enviormental destruction than Gears does. You can take cover in many areas in Gears and your cover is never destroyed. There are lots of spots in Uncharted where you hiding spot gets wrecked and you have no choice but to find somewhere else to hide.
It's a lot easier to make great graphics with characters that never really change when you eliminate character / environment interaction, but when a game like Uncharted pays as much attention to the interaction of the characters with their surroundings as they do with the graphic detail you have a serious end product to compete with.
AG23 @ Dec 28th 2007 11:15AM
Uncharted is by far and away the best graphical game to grace a console and my GOTY. If you don't have an HDTV yet, you owe it to yourself to get one and play Uncharted.
Seriously, Uncharted is amazing! Uncharted truly shows what the PS3 is capable of and the PS3 is only a little more than a year old!
corbinthenooby @ Dec 28th 2007 1:52PM
Dude why do they keep on having these awards it's pointless because there hasn't been that many good exclusives this year for this system. What is it to try to make you Sony haters feel better about your Masturbation Station.
RagingStormX @ Dec 28th 2007 2:10PM
Gear of War....come on. I have played and beat GOW 2 and I can tell you that Call of Duty 4 has better graphics than that. Mind you, GOW isn't shabby by any means but its no where near being the king of graphics for consoles. I may be a sony fanboy, but I am more loyal to a good game (thats why I played and beat GOW..that game rocks)...Uncharted deserves its best graphics award. But I must comment, nothing at this present moment on a console can hold a candle to Crysis....NOTHING! That game running at its full graphical potential is second to none.
RagingStormX @ Dec 28th 2007 2:12PM
sorry...I ment to say I have beaten Gears of War twice lol..not GOW 2 :S.
Colin McGinn @ Dec 28th 2007 3:29PM
@ crysis video commenter guy
sorry, but, you lied.
http://en.expreview.com//?p=146&page=7
Colin McGinn @ Dec 28th 2007 3:31PM
Note: GeForce 8800 Ultra Triple SLI
Carlton @ Dec 28th 2007 5:15PM
Crysis still looks better than anything else when it's running on an 8800gt (about £170).
Unfortunately, the gameplay becomes tedious about halfway through.
As for the awards... Virtua Fighter beating Tekken? And you call yourself Sony fanboys!!!
Seriously though, you must be either:
a) total graphics whores
or
b) sh*t at fighting games
Tekken > all
russ99 @ Dec 28th 2007 8:19PM
If you guys did a PS3 Sports Game award, I totally agree NHL 08 would win hands down...
brock fesnor @ Dec 28th 2007 10:51PM
What is the best sports game of the year. why isn't it included in this article. this is strange
Titty Pink @ Dec 29th 2007 1:19PM
Wasn't the best year for the PS3???? What the hell do you guys want? Compared to the 360s first year, its NO CONTEST. I can't think of a console with more great games in the first year. Assassins, Motorstorm, COD4, NBA 2K8, Ninja Gaiden, Warhawk, R6 Vegas, Heavenly Sword, man the list goes on and on. Man, I just don't get it. And Drakes IS the best looking console game PERIOD, and thats no bullshit. Crysis IS sick, and its even better to hear a PS3 game mentioned in the same breath, let alone a game in a totolly different genre. The PS3 is SO underrated, but thats cool. I can live with it.
Lard @ Dec 29th 2007 1:45PM
COD 4 as best game of the year? Rubbish.
Sorry, but playing a multiplatform game which lets you simulate being in Blackwater deserves a flaming pile of poo on the doorsteps of whoever created it, and nothing more.