Reno's Top 5 Games of 2003

1. Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga (GBA): If there was ever an award for funniest game of the century, this game would win it, hands down. Not only does it manage to feature every damn character from the Mario universe in one game, but it successfully introduces a new villain. It pays homages to past Mario games, and it's not afraid of poking fun of itself, usually at the expense of Luigi. Poor guy.

2. Virtua Fighter 4: Evolution (PS2): To me there was no other fighting game that could provide the experience that Sega's upgraded fighter could in the past year. Simply put, it was perfection. The new Quest mode gives the single player experience a whole new dimension, and the gameplay is as solid as it was last year. This is the new standard in fighting games, and not even Soul Calibur 2 makes the cut here. The undisputed king of fighters.

3. Viewtiful Joe (GC): After the somewhat lackluster year Capcom had with Devil May Cry 2, the various MegaMan titles and P.N.03, it was obvious that Capcom needed something to breathe new life into it. Then along came Joe. With some classic 2D-style gameplay and a charm that both old-school gamers and newcomers alike could appreciate, Capcom has finally found a new franchise to run with. Let's just hope that they don't milk it. Oh, who am I kidding, this is Capcom.

4. Zone of the Enders 2: The 2nd Runner (PS2): The first ZOE was a real disappointment to me. It lacked energy, personality, and above all else, good gameplay. I was still skeptical when I purchased this title early this year, but it proceeded to surprise the hell out of me. The gameplay was great, every battle was frentic and tense, and most importantly, it was entertaining. With tons of unlockables and some memorable battles, ZOE2 is what every action gamer needed after the disappointing Devil May Cry 2

5. WarioWare Inc.: Micro Megagame$ (GBA): By far one of the most demented and unique games ever released. A collection of mini-games that kept you going for hours upon hours was made to be played on the GBA. There's not too much to say about this game that hasn't been said already, but this game along with Mario & Luigi, Advance Wars 2, and Fire Emblem have made the Game Boy Advance the system to own this year.

Best Games of 2003 by Genre
• Action/Adventure: Zone of the Enders 2: The 2nd Runner
• Fighting: Virtua Fighter 4: Evolution
• Platformer: Super Mario Advance 4: SMB3
• RPG: Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga
• Racing: Project Gotham Racing 2
• Strategy: Disgaea: Hour of Darkness
• Sports: NBA Street Vol. 2
• Shooter: Panzer Dragoon Orta
• Other: Culdcept
• Online: Project Gotham Racing 2

Odds & Ends
• Best Developer: Electronic Arts. They've been consistently the best for the entire year. NBA Street, SSX3 and others have proven that.
• Worst Developer: Neko Entertianment, because they developed Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle. For that, I can never forgive them.
• Best Media Campaign: Sony's "Live in your world, play in ours"; It's simple, yet so effective.
• Worst Media Campaign: Microsoft's "It's good to play together"; I never liked any of the ads for this campaign, although the chick in the Amped 2 commercial is pretty smokin'
• Best Accessory: Game Boy Player
• Worst Game of the Year: Charlie's Angels Full Throttle, by far.
• Overhyped Game of the Year: Enter the Matrix
• Best Box Art: Disgaea: Hour of Darkness
• Worst Box Art: Star Wars: Rebel Strike. Blech.
• Best Swag: My Soul Calibur sword from E3 2003. Believe it!
• Biggest Gaming News Item: The unveiling of Final Fantasy XII. I can't wait!
• Best use of a monkey: Ape Escape 2
• Best New Franchise: Viewtiful Joe
• Most Innovative: Magic Pengel
• Worst Gaming Trend of 2003: Free roaming, non-linear gameplay a la Grand Theft Auto. Not every genre benefits from it, y'know.

Odds & Ends
• Best Idea Ever: GT4 Prologue. A $30 demo disc that people will instantly snatch up. And I thought only Nintendo would be crazy enough to do it!
• Waitress most likely to be hit on during E3 2004: Nini. By Reno. Booya!
• Game I want to hate so much because of it's brokeness but I cannot: Soul Calibur 2
• First game to make bullet-time fun: Viewtiful Joe
• Best game to feature Agent Smith: Double Dragon Advance
• Number of hours pondering my existence while editing this feature: 2

Bahn's Top 5 Games of 2003

1. Crimson Skies (Xbox): Quite simply one of the best online dogfighting games ever unleashed. Until now, no other game has been as addicting, immersive and exciting. Forget the single-player mode. Once you’ve had a taste of online competition, you’ll never want anything else.

2. Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time (Multi): Action/adventure redefined. Hand the crown to Ubi Soft for developing a challenging and quite possibly one of the most visually stunning titles to emerge from their development portfolio. I love the visuals and without a doubt, certain puzzles will leave you coming back for more (thank goodness for the ability to control time - you’ll need it). Moreover, the story is solid (quite possibly one of the best among the entire franchise), giving a new meaning to the term, epic.

3. Batman: Rise of Sin Tzu (Multi): While it’s still a few notches short of being perfect, Rise of Sin Tzu emerges a winner. Since it appears we’ll never get an updated version of Streets of Rage, this serves as the next best thing. If you can mash buttons, you’ll feel right at home and it’s perfect for those moments when you need to let out some aggression.

4. Mario Kart: Double Dash!! (GC): I must admit that Double Dash didn’t seem nearly as appealing until I learned of the new twist Nintendo had in store. Co-operative play on a single racing kart. Suffice it say, this feature gave this installment the innovative boost to attract newcomers and old-timers alike. Featuring a variety of memorable characters from the Super Mario universe and tons of hidden secrets, this is a game which you’ll endlessly play - and enjoy every minute of it.

5. Mario and Luigi: Superstar Saga (GBA): Originally, I planned to pick up this game some time in late January. And to be perfectly honest, I was pretty clueless what the game was about. But after picking up every other recent Mario installment (sans Mario Golf for GameCube), I decided to add this to my collection. Mario & Luigi is a quirky little game, combining the best elements derived from platformers and RPGs. Thus far, it’s become one of my favorite handheld titles this year. The only problem now is finding the time to play it since my girlfriend hogs my GBA to play The Sims: Bustin Out!

Best Games of 2003 by Genre
• Action/Adventure: Beyond Good and Evil
• Fighter: Soul Calibur 2
• Platformer: I-Ninja
• RPG: Final Fantasy X-2
• Puzzle: Tetris Worlds
• Racing: Moto GP 2
• Sports: ESPN Football
• Shooter: Time Crisis 3
• Other: The Sims: Bustin Out
• Online: Crimson Skies

Odds & Ends
• Best Developer: Ubi Soft
• Worst Developer: 3DO
• Best/Worst Accessory: Mad Catz Xbox Headset
• Overhyped Game of the Year: Enter the Matrix
• Best Swag: Pokemon Pinball: Ruby/Sapphire and a Cobalt GBA SP
• Biggest Gaming News Item: Nintendo drops GameCube price to $99
• Best use of a monkey: Super Monkey Ball 2
• Best New Franchise: Splinter Cell (tactical espionage redefined baby!)
• Worst Gaming Trend of 2003: Cel-shading (and it’s likely to continue into the new year...)

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