Last time, in typical Polas fashion, I waited until mid-April to give you my favorite games of the previous year. So consider it a special treat that not only are you getting a Game Of The Year article less than a week removed from said year, but you're getting a Top 5 Countdown instead of what became a long-winded Mega Man rant. Hey, speaking of which...
I was having a discussion with my webmaster about whether or not I should make a Top 5 or Top 3 for this piece, considering there were 4 games I really wanted to spotlight. Knowing my tastes, he asked if I was including whatever MMBN game came out last year. I pointed out that it was the fifth one, which would actually sync up nicely with the #5 spot on my list, which is the main reason it's here.
Of course, there are other reasons for Battle Network 5's inclusion, many of which can luckily be found here so I don't have to type any out. Basically, it eliminated the bad taste left in my mouth by MMBN4, and was a lot closer to the greatness of 2-3, which each came in second place in my 2002-03 GOTY runnings. Hey, there hadn't been a new Mortal Kombat in about 5 years, compared to the usual 5 weeks that pass between Mega Man games. Anyway, whether or not you enjoy the game's new Liberation Missions will greatly affect your enjoyment of this game, but overall it's an extremely fun installment for fans of this niche series, which includes me and several hundred thousand Japanese, among others. Maybe it's not so niche. I'm also glad to say that after playing the Japanese version(s) of MMBN6, 2006 looks like an even better year for Battle Network.
 |  |
BN5 also shows that there are still some faint signs of life on the GBA, along with other great games like Gunstar Super Heroes and the upcoming US release of Drill Dozer. Even the slight disappointments like Mega Man Zero 4 and Sigma Star Saga were worth playing at least once. The GBA may be stepping aside (and rightfully so) for the DS, a system we'll definitely be getting to, but it has proven its staying power and has played a huge part in keeping old-school, or dare I say, retro-type gaming alive.
I didn't want to like this game. Hype in any form gets pretty annoying, but especially for an unproven franchise that has yet to justify it. Maybe I'm just sick of those damn Celebrity Ice Skating commercials on FOX, but I sure as shit wanted to punch David Jaffe in the teeth after the fifteenth time I saw him build up his new game as an all-encompassing action title of epic proportions (even after you buy it, on the special features!). God of War is not a revolutionary action title. But I must admit, it is a very good one.
 |  |
Amidst everything else, like the top-notch graphics, the acceptable puzzles, and everyone's favorite Greco-Roman version of Hot Coffee (don't worry, this one's supposed to be in there), the main draw is the combat system. All kinds of crazy combos can be wrought with Kratos' dual chain swords of doom, on the ground or in air. With this in mind, and adding in all the extra doodads like the Rage Meter, damaging spells and bonus weapon(s) combined with a good level-up system, battling through the game never gets old, a problem that plagues many similar games. This is also due to the fact that God of War is sadly on the short side, but extra modes and higher difficulty settings add to the replay value. Incidentally, you could take everything I just said in this paragraph and apply it to the new version of Rygar that came out 3 years ago, but maybe that's just sour grapes on my part. Lousy Sony hype machine. In any case, God of War is a superb 3D action title and I'd recommend it to any fan of the genre.
Well, you had to suspect this was coming. No one bought it, no one liked it, so it's perfectly reasonable to assume it would appear on Polas' Best of 2005 list. The important thing here is that I liked it, and lauded it as a possible GOTY candidate a few months ago, so it damn well makes the damn list.
 |  |
A more palatable explanation for Flipnic's inclusion stems from the same logic that propelled Katamari Damacy so far in 2004 - it was something different. In an industry that's more and more concerned with pushing out lackluster tripe to ensure maximum profitability, it's incredibly refreshing to see someone take a chance for a change. Like KD before it, Flipnic most certainly delves into largely uncharted territory. Unfortunately, in this instance charming quirkiness was replaced with sleek retro pretentiousness, plus nobody's cared about pinball since 1979 (aside from crotchety baby boomers and some people who visit/run this site).
It's not even traditional pinball by any stretch, and it has its flaws, mainly the programmers themselves getting kind of bored around the third level, and trying to make up for it with the too-short Geometry stage (above). Still, I find the whole presentation charming and fun in a strange way. Anyone who remembers the wacky nonsense that comprised Pinball Month knows where I'm coming from on this one. Flipnic is great for anyone looking for a change of pace with an open mind about the whole pinball experience. What an odd sentence to type. I should also point out that I never got around to playing Metroid Prime Pinball as of this writing, but I'm fairly sure I wouldn't have enjoyed it as much.
I could have easily made this whole list DS games, and I don't think I would have gotten too many arguments. But remember, this is "Polas' Best", not "Overall Best", so you're on your own finding those other excellent DS games that aren't so much my cup of whatever Bub and Bob are swimming in on the main page. Mario Kart, however, has always been a favorite of mine, and this is the first version to successfully refine the series by taking the good parts of the four games before it (don't bother looking it up; there was a very good GBA one called Super Circuit that almost got it right), jettison the stuff that didn't work, and put it all together in what I would say is the best Mario Kart to date.
 |  |
Obviously, Mario Kart DS also has one other important aspect going for it - the online factor. I've been waiting for someone to make me care about online gaming. and aside from maybe Guilty Gear or Mortal Kombat on Xbox Live, this is it. Free, easy, and excellently executed (™ Bret Hart). You can argue that the "Friends" system is flawed (it is), that snaking is cheating (it isn't, but it can get annoying), and so forth, but for a first step into online gaming, Mario Kart does an above average job, and the gameplay itself is near perfect. Oh, and to anyone who added me through this, I added you but my router's been disconnected since right before the holidays. Sorry.
 |  |
Even without online, the wealth of characters, cars, modes (mission!) and tracks (including RETRO tracks!) coupled with the smoothest, most balanced gameplay in MK history (no more CPU catching you after nearly lapping them) makes this one of the best games of the year, if not the best. Unfortunately, there could be only one...
Honestly, #1 and #2 are pretty interchangeable. But looking back, I think I got more overall enjoyment and playtime out of Castlevania by a slim margin, so it gets the top spot. Many say that Castlevania attained perfection with Symphony of the Night. Even though I greatly enjoyed the CV games that preceded it (including Simon's Quest. JERKS), I'd be hard pressed to disagree. Likewise, the two GBA games that followed in its footsteps were both very good, but flawed for different reasons I won't get into here. The third game, Aria of Sorrow, turned out to be the best yet, and I knew a DS sequel would be lovely, especially when it was announced that several of the guys who worked on Symphony would be involved.
 |  |
The only real complaint I can find about this game is that it's "Aria 1.5", but to a lifelong Mega Man fan, that's no problem whatsoever. The graphics may only be slightly improved (some areas more than others), but Dawn of Sorrow can hold its own with Symphony of the Night, not only visually, but the soundtrack as well, especially the 'Lost Village' theme. In fact, Dawn of Sorrow is the only game since SotN, 2D or 3D, that a majority of fans of the series have held in the same regard as far as overall quality. Quite a compliment, and I don't disagree at all.
 |  |
The controls are spot-on, the weapons are varied, and the soul system is back, improved and expanded from Aria. Memorable boss battles, a great "castle" (including one area that will be dear to old-school Castlevania fans, right up to the boss), and plenty of extra modes go a long way in establishing replay value. As you might expect from recent Castlevania games, there's a mode where you can play through the game as another character, but Dawn of Sorrow gives you 3 to control (ala Castlevania 3's character switch system, appropriately enough), and the choices (especially one of them) are not only bigtime fan-pleasers, but varied enough to justify their presence. And while the "trap bosses with the stylus" aspect is a bit tacked on, you'll have a hard time going back to non-dual screen systems when it comes to having your map and stats right there, without having to pause.
Dawn of Sorrow may be the best of the longstanding Castlevania series, but even if it isn't, it's certainly the best game I've played this year.
So there you have it, Polas' most enjoyable games of 2005, including a GOTY that some people may actually agree with this year. When or what will the next update be? You never can tell. Polas is finally a college grad, so I'd like to say the updates will be more plentiful, but you and I both know that's likely a bold-faced lie. Still, there's already a "lost" CD-I review that just needs to be written up (I really wanted to clean up the images and get sound samples first). After a slow holiday period and a lackluster Q1, some juicy info on next-gen (and the last squirts of the current-gen) happenings should be coming soon. Or maybe I'll just become inspired out of nowhere to find another dopey Karnov game. Anything is possible for next time, my friends. You can use the time between now and then to figure out how a new Mario RPG, Sonic the Hedgehog, and non-sucky Mortal Kombat adventure game didn't make the list. Cheerio for now, and may 2006 bring us more 2D games for 3D systems.
PREVIOUS GOTY WINNERS
1999-2000: Shadow Man (N64, DC)
2001: Super Smash Bros. Melee (GC)
2002: Mortal Kombat Deadly Alliance (PS2)
2003: F-Zero GX (GC)
2004: Mega Man X8 (PS2)
