"Games of 2007" has never existed. Now it does. This is a list of games I played in 2007. Each game gets its own fun category. I also list some stats from my playthrough, and a paragraph or two with my thoughts on the game. I gathered stats from old save files, but a lot of them were lost to time. I tried to find any mention of the games in my old blog, and I grabbed those thoughts when I could. I link to the old posts when I could find one or two. Some games I never wrote about, so I had to rely on my memory. Please enjoy.
Cruising Around Town
Midnight Club II (PS2)
Release date: 04/09/2003
Date played: 01/03/2007
Hours played: NA
Completion status: Mostly
Achievements: NA
Screenshots taken: NA
Acquisition date: NA
Acquired from: NA
Price: NA
I played a lot of Midnight Club II, but never did beat it 100%. Street racing is a lot of fun in this game, and so is cruising through the three cities. Not as good as the Burnout games, but I still like it.
Needs More Sea Shanties
The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker (GCN)
Release date: 03/24/2003
Date played: 01/06/2007
Hours played: 15.75
Completion status: Complete
Achievements: NA
Screenshots taken: NA
Acquisition date: 12/01/2006
Acquired from: NA
Price: $19.99 (List $19.99)
My save file says I only have 15 hours of playtime in The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker, but I am positive I beat it. It is closer to 40 hours. This is my favorite 3D Zelda game. Before I played it, I was turned off by the graphics, but now I think they are great and fit the game well. This game has my favorite iteration of Ganondorf; I sympathized with him a little bit. It can take a long time to sail across the map, but the journey is worth it. There is so much to find from islands to treasures. All of the dungeons and items are top notch (as always). Love this game.
Welcome To 3D, Friend
Super Mario 64 (N64)
Release date: 09/29/1996
Date played: 01/19/2007
Hours played: 22.00
Completion status: Complete
Achievements: NA
Screenshots taken: NA
Acquisition date: 12/15/2006
Acquired from: Nintendo Store
Price: $10.00 (List $10.00)
I am pretty sure this is the first I beat Super Mario 64. This game was amazing when it first released, and it is still amazing now. A lot of platforming developers had a hard time transitioning to 3D, but not Nintendo. They showed everyone how to do it. The music is amazing, and the level design is top notch. I will continue to play this game over and over, and love it every time.
Checks All Of The Boxes
The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess (Wii)
Release date: 11/19/2006
Date played: 04/21/2007
Hours played: 53.25
Completion status: Complete
Achievements: NA
Screenshots taken: NA
Acquisition date: 11/19/2006
Acquired from: Target
Price: $45.00 (List $49.99)
I bought The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess when I bought my Wii, and it was the reason I played Wind Waker. The items and dungeons in Twilight Princess are some of my favorites in the series. Hyrule is huge, and Nintendo throws in a Twilight Realm to explorer on top of it! Midna is a bit snarky, but she is a wonderful companion. It checks a lot of boxes to make a great Zelda game, but I feel like Nintendo did not take any risks with the game. I still love it though.
More Gods More Problems
God of War II (PS2)
Release date: 03/13/2007
Date played: 05/08/2007
Hours played: 16.00
Completion status: Complete
Achievements: NA
Screenshots taken: NA
Acquisition date: 03/13/2007
Acquired from: NA
Price: $49.99 (List $49.99)
God of War II does everything the original game did, but better. It is a late Playstation 2 game, and it takes full advantage of the hardware and Sony Santa Monica's talent. It looks great and plays great. There are some new items and weapons. Other than that, it plays the same except a little smoother. I like the story in this game better. In the first game, Kratos was mainly angry at Ares. Now, he is angry at all the gods. It is a brutal and enjoyable revenge story with excellent moments. It sets up a third game, and I look forward to it.
Can I Buy The Sandals And The Bombs?
The Legend of the Mystical Ninja (SNES)
Release date: 02/01/1992
Date played: 05/08/2007
Hours played: 2.25
Completion status: Early
Achievements: NA
Screenshots taken: NA
Acquisition date: 05/03/2007
Acquired from: Nintendo Store
Price: $8.00 (List $8.00)
I come back to The Legend of the Mystical Ninja often. I have beaten it in the past and enjoy it. I played some coop with a friend in 2008. We did not beat it. There is a lot to do and explore in this game. Buying a bunch of sandals to move faster is an unexpected treat. Your weapons can be upgraded, but they downgrade if you get hit. It is an interesting system. I do not really remember the story, but I do remember that it is bizarre. I am sure I will keep on playing it again and again.
More Minigames
Wii Play (Wii)
Release date: 02/12/2007
Date played: 06/01/2007
Hours played: 8.00
Completion status: Complete
Achievements: NA
Screenshots taken: NA
Acquisition date: 03/01/2007
Acquired from: NA
Price: $49.99 (List $49.99)
Like Wii Sports, Wii Play is a collection of minigames to showcase the Wii remote. It includes a shooting range, table tennis, air hockey, billiards, fishing, and a few other games. My favorites are the shooting range, billiards, and tanks. I had fun playing with friends, but not as fun as Wii Sports.
Proof That Video Games Are Art
Shadow of the Colossus (PS2)
Release date: 10/18/2005
Date played: 06/14/2007
Hours played: 7.25
Completion status: Complete
Achievements: NA
Screenshots taken: NA
Acquisition date: 06/14/2007
Acquired from: Target
Price: $15.00 (List $19.99)
A friend recommended Shadow of the Colossus to me, and I picked it up at Target. My friend has good taste. The game only has a few enemies, but they are all unique boss battles. Although there is very little dialogue, the story is absolutely heart-wrenching. The art style is unique and fits the tone of the game perfectly. It is hard to believe this is a Playstation 2 game; it looks so good! This game is an absolute masterpiece.
"Booking," 6/19/2007
Welcome To Cart Racing
Mario Kart 64 (N64)
Release date: 02/10/1997
Date played: 07/11/2007
Hours played: 5.50
Completion status: Complete
Achievements: NA
Screenshots taken: NA
Acquisition date: 03/27/2007
Acquired from: Nintendo Store
Price: $10.00 (List $10.00)
If I had owned a Nintendo 64, Mario Kart 64 would have solidified my love for the series. It has four player split screen, which is a must when I want to trash talk my friends. The level design and music are topnotch. Most of the things I love about Mario Kart DS came from this game.
Another Round
Super Mario World (SNES)
Release date: 08/13/1991
Date played: 07/17/2007
Hours played: 10.75
Completion status: Complete
Achievements: NA
Screenshots taken: NA
Acquisition date: 02/05/2007
Acquired from: Nintendo Store
Price: $8.00 (List $8.00)
Super Mario World is my favorite 2D Mario game. The level design is unmatched. There are so many little secrets in the levels and the overworld. The music is catchy and is always fitting. The game introduces everyone's favorite dinosaur, Yoshi! This is not my first time playing it. I have played it several times to completion, but I am choosing to add it to the "Games of" list now. I will be playing this game when I am sitting in the nursing home.
Great Fantasy Setting
Warcraft III (PC)
Release date: 07/03/2002
Date played: 07/19/2007
Hours played: NA
Completion status: Complete
Achievements: NA
Screenshots taken: NA
Acquisition date: NA
Acquired from: NA
Price: NA
I started playing through the Warcraft games and reading the books last year. I got really into the lore and wanted to play Warcraft III again. I am not a big fan of the hero units and micro focus of the gameplay, but the story and lore are great. I love the world Blizzard built. The dragons have unique magic, the orcs have a cool history, and the elves come in light and dark flavors. Humans got pulled into an always present battle between good and evil. I have never played the MMO, but I am a fan of the world of Warcraft (not to be confused by World of Warcraft).
2D And 3D
Super Paper Mario (Wii)
Release date: 04/09/2007
Date played: 10/19/2007
Hours played: 27.50
Completion status: Mostly
Achievements: NA
Screenshots taken: NA
Acquisition date: 06/14/2007
Acquired from: Target
Price: $49.99 (List $49.99)
I wish I would have finished Super Paper Mario. I had a lot of fun playing it, but I got sidetracked by another game. I was on the last level, too! The gameplay has a 2D meets 3D vibe. Bowser is a fun character to play as. Some highlights are watching him swim and vomit fire. It is one of the best games on the console.
"Booking," 6/19/2007
Waggle No More
Dragon Blade: Wrath of Fire (Wii)
Release date: 09/25/2007
Date played: 10/23/2007
Hours played: 4.25
Completion status: Midway
Achievements: NA
Screenshots taken: NA
Acquisition date: 09/30/2007
Acquired from: NA
Price: $39.99 (List $39.99)
I like Dragon Blade: Wrath of Fire. One of the reasons I bought it is because it is written by Richard A. Knaak (Dragonlance novels, Diablo novels). It is a budget title. The graphics are awful. For a Wii title, the controls work well. I was not able to just waggle the Wii remote to attack; it requires more precise movements. I fought one dragon, and it was intense, but fun. It was very satisfying landing the last strike. I stopped playing after the first dragon; I got sidetracked. I should pick it back up.
"Forum Up," 10/3/2007
"Early Review," 10/9/2007
The NES Classic
Super Mario Bros. 3 (NES)
Release date: 02/12/1990
Date played: 11/15/2007
Hours played: 9.25
Completion status: Complete
Achievements: NA
Screenshots taken: NA
Acquisition date: 11/12/2007
Acquired from: Nintendo Store
Price: $5.00 (List $5.00)
Super Mario Bros. 3 is another classic game. I like to replay it from time to time. While waiting for a friend to get off work so we could play some Hellgate, I ended up beating every level in three hours. The physics and controls are perfect. The powerups are cool. Hammer, frog, and racoon suits. The P-Wing! So good. The levels are excellently designed. I could skip them using the whistle, but why would I?
Not Quite House Of The Dead
Resident Evil: The Umbrella Chronicles (Wii)
Release date: 11/13/2007
Date played: 11/18/2007
Hours played: 1.00
Completion status: Very early
Achievements: NA
Screenshots taken: NA
Acquisition date: 11/13/2007
Acquired from: NA
Price: $49.99 (List $49.99)
I love arcade light gun shooters, and Resident Evil: The Umbrella Chronicles is just that. I am not a fan of the Resident Evil series, but I bought this game anyways. It has a few gimmicks added to the on-rails formula. I did not get very far, but I did play coop with a friend. I liked what I played, but I got – surprise – sidetracked.
Finally, He's Back
Super Mario Galaxy (Wii)
Release date: 11/12/2007
Date played: 12/08/2007
Hours played: 27.50
Completion status: Complete
Achievements: NA
Screenshots taken: NA
Acquisition date: 11/15/2007
Acquired from: Target
Price: $49.99 (List $49.99)
Super Mario Galaxy is the true successor to Super Mario 64. The level design, music, controls, and story are the best – up to this point – the series has to offer. It has its frustrating moments, but everything else makes up for it. I beat the story, but stopped playing before I got all 120 (actually 240) stars. I vowed to get all the stars someday, and I did in 2020. I should note, my 2020 post said I had not play this game since 2007, but I actually played it again in 2010 before the sequel came out. I do not know how many stars I got on that playthrough.
"The Post Game Show," 12/9/2007
Right And Wrong
Unreal Tournament 3 (PC)
Release date: 11/19/2007
Date played: 12/09/2007
Hours played: NA
Completion status: Complete
Achievements: NA
Screenshots taken: NA
Acquisition date: NA
Acquired from: NA
Price: NA
Unreal Tournament 3 does some things right. For the most part the gameplay is unchanged. The physics are a little different, but it does not deter from the fun. The graphics are amazing. The new Vehicle Capture the Flag mode is fun. The impact hammer is impactful... to skulls. Faking your own death is an interesting, but mostly funny and worthless mechanic. The hoverboard is a brilliant addition to this series. It allowed me to get back to the action quickly.
Unreal Tournament 3 does a lot bad. The menus on PC are atrocious. It requires an online account to play single player. I always loved the range of AI options for non-player opponents in the Unreal series, and I am disappointed that there are only three settings for the AI in 3. For some reason Epic Games tried to shoehorn a story into the basic gameplay of Unreal Tournament. Calling the flags, FLaGs does not make the game more fun. I also did not need a story reason for why I cannot pick up a FLaG with my vehicle. Oh, and the story ends with a cliffhanger. At least I was able to play through the campaign with a friend. Overall, it is more Unreal and I like it, but it does disappoint.
"Unreal and Hoverboards," 10/14/2007
"This Week the Trend," 12/5/2007
"The Post Game Show," 12/9/2007
Another One Unfinished
Burnout Dominator (PS2)
Release date: 03/06/2007
Date played: 12/22/2007
Hours played: 8.75
Completion status: Midway
Achievements: NA
Screenshots taken: NA
Acquisition date: 12/05/2007
Acquired from: NA
Price: $49.99 (List $49.99)
I got about halfway through Burnout Dominator. I am not a big fan of Burnout's crash mode, so I am happy that this game does not have it. It is more Burnout, and I love it. It is a good last hurrah for the Playstation 2. I just got sidetracked.
Setting The Bar
The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past (SNES)
Release date: 04/13/1992
Date played: 12/31/2007
Hours played: 13.25
Completion status: Complete
Achievements: NA
Screenshots taken: NA
Acquisition date: 02/05/2007
Acquired from: Nintendo Store
Price: $8.00 (List $8.00)
The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past is timeless (ha!). I remember trying to play this as a kid, and I always got stuck early into the game. Beating it now on the Wii was fun. The dungeons, items, and story set a high standard for the Zelda series. It is easy to come back to this game and replay it.
Digging For Diamonds
Hellgate: London (PC)
Release date: 10/31/2007
Date played: 2007
Hours played: NA
Completion status: Complete
Achievements: NA
Screenshots taken: NA
Acquisition date: 10/31/2007
Acquired from: Gamestop
Price: $219.98 (List $219.98 for Collector's Edition and Founders Subscription)
Hellgate: London is both fun and addicting. It satisfies the same itch that Diablo II does. Hacking up demons and the undead, and shooting them in the face is even more fun with friends. It has a little bit of an MMO vibe, where the stations are populated with various players, but the combat areas are instanced to you and your party. The music is outstanding; it really adds to the atmosphere of each level. I like the modification system for items; I was able to create some cool items from the junk I scavenged from bad items.
Unfortunately, there is a lot of bad to this game. It is loaded with glitches. Hopefully patch 1.0 can fix some of them. There is a lot of potential in the lore for a good story, but the story is poorly executed. I wish it had full voice acting. I felt like I was just running around for no real reason. Unfortunately, a patch cannot fix this. The randomized levels are also poorly executed. All of the levels pretty much look the same, with only a couple of different types of areas. The best levels were the handcrafted ones. Overall, there is a great game underneath the glitches, randomized levels, and bad story.
"I'm Going to London," 11/1/2007
"Early Hellgate Review," 11/6/2007
2007 Summary
Games played: 20
Total hours: 232.25*
Oldest game played: Super Mario Bros. 3 (NES) - 02/12/1990
Newest game played: Unreal Tournament 3 (PC) - 11/19/2007
Most hours played: The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess (Wii) - 53.25***
Total spent: $688.90**
Game of the year: God of War II (PS2)
*Midnight Club II (PS2), Warcraft III (PC), Unreal Tournament 3 (PC), and Hellgate: London (PC) are not included in total hours.
**Midnight Club II (PS2), Warcraft III (PC)), and Unreal Tournament 3 (PC) are not included in total cost.
***Hellgate: London (PC) probably has more hours.
That is a lot of games! I graduated from high school, and I started college this year. It appears I still have plenty time to play games. It was great to play/replay some classic games, like Super Mario 64 and The Legend of Zelda: Link to the Past. Having a Wii also allowed me to play some Gamecube games I missed out on, like The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker. I probably played Super Mario Sunshine this year, but I have no record of it. I have been anticipated games like Hellgate: London, God of War II, Super Mario Galaxy, and Unreal Tournament 3 since they were first revealed, so it is great to actually get my hands on them. They might not have met my expectations, but they are still fun. Even with all of these games, there are some that came out this year that I missed.
Uncharted: Drake's Fortune. I did not get a Playstation 3 until 2008. Check out "Games of 2009" for my thoughts on this game.
The Witcher. This was not really on my radar. I ended up playing it 2011, but did not get very far. I hated it.
The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass. I think I played Phantom Hourglass this year, however, I did not like it. I sitll do not like.
The Darkness. This game looked cool. I never did play, probably because it looks a bit too scary for me.
Crackdown. I am not a big XBox fan, so I thought this looked cool, but I did not play, even when I got a 360.
BioShock. I watched a friend play some of it, and it is too scary for me. I ended up watching a playthrough on YouTube. It was good, but I had the twist spoiled for me.
Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare. I played this game for the first time in 2011, but I did not write about it until "Games of 2014."
Halo 3. Even though I am not a Halo fan, I have to say something about Halo 3. I played some multiplayer with friends, but that is pretty much it. I have not played any of the single player.
Assassin's Creed. This game was not on my radar. My friend bought it on the 360, and I played some of it. I had a lot of fun. You can read my thoughts in "Games of 2009."
Mass Effect. I tried to play this game in 2009, but could not get into it. I played it again in 2012, and loved it. Read "Games of 2012" for more thoughts.
Crysis. I played this game on and off from 2007 to 2011. I finally beat it, and my thoughts are in "Games of 2011."
The Orange Box. I bought it in 2008 just for Portal. You can check out "Games of 2008" for my thoughts on that game.
Thank you for reading this remaster. It is a lot of work to gather the stats and my old thoughts. I spent a lot of time digging through save files and old blog posts. I hope you check out some of those old post. I am not a great writer, but I was even worse back then. If you can find any of the good games on this list, I recommend you check them out. You might find your new favorite game.
- Royfuss