2007 Video Game Holiday Buyer's Guide - Page 2

Cited as the game’s most unique online feature is the experience system that tracks your progress from game to game. As player's grenade, knife, and snipe opponents during matches, they gain “experience points.” When a certain level of experience is earned, the player earns a promotion in rank (and self-esteem). Each new rank earned by the player opens up more multiplayer options, more weapons, and more weapon attachments. It’s a pretty big deal.

This leveling system successfully splices a fantastic first-person shooter experience with elements of a role-playing game (RPG) in an online environment. For its ability to effortlessly mix genres, and the potential of its single-player campaign, Call of Duty 4: Modern Combat earns the number five spot.

4: Super Mario Galaxy
Release Date: November 12
Developer: Nintendo
Platform(s): Nintendo Wii

As if the citizens of the world didn’t have enough reasons to pine for a Wii, Nintendo will unleash its unstoppable mascot unto the masses the second Monday of November. Galaxy is the third Nintendo-developed 3-D Mario game in the 25-year-old series, and Reggie Fils-Aime (President of Nintendo of America) has called it the first true sequel to Super Mario 64.

This time around in the Mushroom Kingdom, Mario must pursue creatures that have taken Princess Peach into the far reaches of outer space. To find his iconic princess, Mario must search the bizarre planets that litter the galaxy, and defeat the evil minions and bosses that infest their vibrant surfaces.

Of course, Mario games have never been about the story as much as they’ve been about top-notch game play. This trend seems poised to continue in Galaxy as players use their motion-sensitive Wii Remotes to guide Mario through the universe using such items as the Gravity Arrows, Fire Flowers, and Super Mushrooms.

Making a triumphant return to the series are “suits,” (last seen in Super Mario Bros. 3) which, when worn, give Mario new abilities to utilize while solving the puzzles that Bowser has placed in his way. To this point, only two suits have been announced for Galaxy: The Bee Suit, which allows Mario to hover and climb on giant honeycombs, and The Boo Suit, which gifts the plumber with the characteristics of his ghostly adversaries The Boos.

There are still question marks surrounding Super Mario Galaxy, such as the usefulness of the promised cooperative mode and the slower overall feel of the game. But, with a track record like the one Nintendo has built for its mascot, any feelings of angst toward this game are probably much ado about nothing.

Article Author: Ben Wood

Ben is a junior at the University of Oklahoma. He is majoring in Journalism with a minor in Film and Video Studies, but that's probably not what it's going to say on his degree certificate when he graduates.

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