1. Metal Arms: Glitch in the System (Multi): This game quietly came out of nowhere and delivered the giddiest gaming experience I've had all year. First-time developer Swingin' Ape Studios have fused together the best aspects of Halo and Ratchet and Clank, along with more than enough original touches of their own to make this one a real winner. As you guide Glitch on his one-robot mission to defend the good folk of Droidtown in Rambo-style warfare against the evil Milbot empire, the game just keeps getting better and better. The control is spot-on, the shooting action is INTENSE, the variety and firepower of the vehicles and various robots at your disposal is impressive, the sense of humor is hilarious, and just when you think you've seen it all, the game surprises you again... and again. Best of all, with forty-two huge mission levels, Metal Arms offers a tremendous amount of "bang for the buck."

   This is the greatest third-person shooter of all time! Don't let the slightly kiddie look fool you--these robots are packing some serious heat and the challenging action will keep even seasoned gamers on their toes. Like the tagline says: "This 'bot's got nuts of steel."

2. Panzer Dragoon Orta (Xbox): Sega's celebrated dragon shooter franchise remains a Saturn exclusive no longer... Team Smilebit resurrected it for Xbox this year in a triumphant return to form. Featuring more depth than ever, with branching paths within each level, the ability to switch to three different dragon attack forms depending on which one is best for the battle situation, an entire "Pandora's Box" of unlockable bonuses (including the original Panzer Dragoon game), and the best visuals to grace the series--and perhaps the Xbox--yet. PDO is a 3D shooter fan's dream come true. Now where's that RPG sequel to Panzer Dragoon Saga?

3. SSX3 (Multi): The "King of the Hill" in snowboarding games returns, and better than ever! The huge virtual mountain that encompasses all game modes adds a new twist to the series, and the trick system has been refined to perfection, with "super ubers" and a nose press manuver that lets you extend combos (one of the only weaknesses of previous SSX games: combos were non-existeent or hard to keep going). There were a couple strong contenders for premiere snowboarding title this year with the release of Microsoft's Amped 2 for Xbox and Nintendo's 1080 Avalanche, but EA Big held onto their crown and then some.

4. True Crime: Streets of L.A. (Multi): Luxoflux did a commendable job creating a virtual Los Angeles with this game... I was able to crash a Hummmer right into my old apartment building in Westwood! While those expecting a Grand Theft Auto killer in True Crime might have been a tad disappointed, I was happily surprised at the diverse mix of gameplay it offered. The driving, fighting, and shooting engines were all well-integrated into a cohesive package, and the cop story was just cheesy enough to be charming. True Crime stands on its own as a different take on the "crime city" genre that GTA started. Plus it contains the best in-game recreation of a real life city yet.

5. Soul Calibur II (Multi): It took them awhile, but Namco finally delivered a sequel to 1999's landmark Soul Calibur figher on Dreamcast. For the first time, a Soul Blade/Calibur game was available on all consoles, and now each version had an exclusive character. Spawn and Link are great additions to the Xbox and GameCube versions, but PS2 owners got a bit of a throwaway with Heihachi of Tekken fame. Soul Calibur II doesn't add a whole lot to the series' usual game modes, but what's there is polished and about as fun as a fighting game gets. The Weapon Master story mode is particularly improved and can be a blast--as long as you don't get stuck in those infuriating dungeons

Best Games of 2003 by Genre
• Action/Adventure Game of the Year: Metal Arms: Glitch in the System
• Fighting: Soul Calibur II
• Platformer: Ratchet & Clank: Going Commando
• RPG: Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic
• Racing: F-Zero GX
• Strategy: Disgaea: Hour of Darkness
• Sports: SSX 3
• Shooter: Panzer Dragoon Orta
• Online: Crimson Skies: High Road to Revenge
• Other: Karaoke Revolution

Odds & Ends
• Best Developer: Ubisoft (for sheer number of quality games like Project BG&E, Prince of Persia, Rainbow Six 3, Rayman 3, Splinter Cell on handhelds, etc)
• Worst Developer: Core Design, for the "so not worth the wait" Tomb Raider: Angel of Darkness.
• Best Accessory: Sony's Eyetoy
• Worst Accessory: GameCube broadband adaptor. Still only supports one online game!
• Worst Game of the Year: Tomb Raider: Angel of Darkness
• Best Media Campaign: Nintendo's price cut ads with Zelda bonus disc pack-in
• Worst Media Campaign: N-Gage
• Overhyped Game of the Year: Enter the Matrix
• Best Box Art: Viewtiful Joe
• Worst Box Art: Karnaaj Rally
• Best Swag: Nokia's press conference giveaway N-Gage backpack
• Biggest Gaming News Item: Sony's E3 announcement of the upcoming PlayStation Portable (PSP)
• Best use of a monkey: Ape Escape 2
• Best New Franchise: Metal Arms: Glitch in the System
• Most Innovative: Boktai: The Sun is in Your Hand
• Worst Gaming Trend of 2003: Developers caving into censorship demands (Eidos for Hitman 2, Rockstar for Grand Theft Auto III & Vice City double-pack)

Zondaro's Top 5 Games of 2003

1. Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic (Xbox/PC): While fans of Star Wars weep at the destruction that Lucas heaps upon his own beloved franchise, those Canadians at BioWare went ahead and created a work of role playing art. Without a doubt one of the best Star Wars stories you’ll ever see on screen, and thankfully, you’ll have plenty of time to enjoy it before Lucas kills the franchise in 2005.

2. Viewtiful Joe (GC): For a while now people have said that all the gameplay mechanics of 2D have been done to death. That it was time for the Gameboy and it’s 2D games to just die already. And then this game came out and said “but, wait... what could we do if we had the power of 128bits?” Cheerful and colorful, Viewtiful Joe is everything that isn’t supposed to be popular anymore, and yet it’s one of the year’s best reminders that the 2D era isn’t done yet.

3. Halo (PC): Although it’s late to the party, marred by framerate and stability problems it’s still the best online action experience of the year. While only a glimpse of what Halo 2 on XBox LIVE will play like, it’s a must play for anyone who would call themselves a Halo fan. Those of you who’ve never played before will find the mixing of physics, vehicles, and flags to capture intoxicating.

4. Project Gotham Racing 2 (Xbox): A racing game for those of us who enjoy slick looking cars but hate oil changes. Packed with enough variety to hold your attention well past this Christmas season, and accessible to even the most ungainly of thumb jockeys. Remember: Garage -> Walk Mode -> Arcade Machine -> A Button to Play.

5. Prince of Persia (Multi): The only platformer this gamer has ever played all the way through. Filled with clever puzzles, kicky cool swords and great gameplay mechanics... all built by those crazy Canadians. At the bottom of this great list only because there should have been more of it to go around.

Best Games of 2003 by Genre
• Action/Adventure: The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker
• Fighting: Virtua Fighter 4 Evolution
• Platformer: Prince of Persia: The Sands of TIme
• RPG: Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic
• Racing: Project Gotham Racing 2
• Strategy: Advance Wars 2
• Sports: Top Spin
• Shooter: Geometry Wars
• Other: The Legend of Zelda Collectors Edition
• Online: Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six 3

Odds & Ends
• Best Developer: Ubi Soft (wow, from Ray-who? to ass kicking in one year!)
• Worst Developer: Shiny (for making Enter the Matrix)
• Best Accessory: Eye Toy
• Worst Accessory: Air Flow Controller
• Worst Game of the Year: Enter the Matrix
• Best Media Campaign: Sony (Live in your world, Play in ours)
• Worst Media Campaign: Nokia
• Overhyped Game of the Year: Half-Life 2
• Best Box Art: Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic (Xbox)
• Worst Box Art: Robocop (Xbox)
• Best Swag: Bioware’s Knights of the Old Republic Posters
• Biggest Gaming News Item: Half-Life 2
• Best use of a monkey: Ape Escape 2
• Best New Franchise: [Revitalized] Prince of Persia
• Most Innovative: Boktai - The Sun is in Your Hand
• Worst Gaming Trend of 2003: Internet Sparked Rumors

Off Topic

The year has finally come to an end. I can’t say I enjoyed 2003 all that much. My beloved “Halo 2” was delayed until 2004; “Half-Life 2” came into town, made a buncha noise, and then left me waiting in that dirty motel room all alone; for every game like “Knights of the Old Republic” there were at least three “Enter the Matrix” games that sold three times as much as they should have... and was it just me, or have rumors sparked on forums gotten really bad this year? The speed they spread with is akin to a computer virus that claims to be pictures of Paris Hilton naked.

Still, there were a lot of good games released this year. And for all the complaints of delays, I can’t remember a year where more games were delayed past the all important Christmas selling season. This is a good thing. Games that are delayed usually end up the better for it. Thanks to delays what was going to be the year of the first person shooter, instead became the year of the... hmm. 2003 really isn’t easily defined anymore is it? There wasn’t a plathora of any one genre this year.

Although, maybe the way games are now named, “Franchise Title: Name of This Years Version” is in itself a new genre. It wasn’t enough to call it Max Payne 2, it had to be “Max Payne 2: The Fall of Max Payne.” A lot of sequels released in 2003 were given this treatment rather than just adding another +1 to the number at the end. Maybe publishers realize that gamers don’t just want cookie cuter sequels. No, really! Please stop laughing.

Also, I can’t leave the year without finally commenting on Microsoft’s buying of Rare: SUCKERS! All that talk about a spectacular E3 showing turned out to be the wishful thinking of some MS executive. I can’t think of any other developer this side of 3DRealms that takes so long to make so little. That a company that big can’t finish a game in under three years utterly amazes me. And when they do finally finish a game it’s “Grabbed by the Ghoulies.” Just look at what Bungie and Factor5 were able to create in just under a year, and tell me Rare was worth the 300 million bucks.

Disappointments and delays aside, no matter what system you own, this was a good year to be a gamer. And next year will be better... until all the games get delayed again. Oh, and mighty console god if you’re reading, please let Halo 2 come out in the first half of 2004.

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