1) Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time Game of the Year 2003, those of you who have played it will know why. In an era when the ‘open world’ concept was still relatively new, gamers felt liberated by its non-linear approach. Purists to the late 80s classic loved the new parkour skilled Prince with a hugely impressive repertoire of combat skills that did not involve a gun. The music that was true to the setting and original PC game as well as mind-boggling puzzles that certainly had me up all night when I was at university!
2) Scarface: The World Is Yours (2006) A quasi-sequel to the legendary film, this game had me addicted! The dialogue is hilarious, the gamplay awesome with brilliantly thought out in-game challenges. In fact I found navigating the cars on this was infinitely better and a whole lot easier than most racing games namely Gran Turismo 4. However, some of the graphics in some challenges did appear to be weak but the classic 80s soundtrack more than made up for it. And if you’re an 80s cat like me that goes some way to quell any unrest.
3) Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas (2004) Slightly controversial to feature this low in my list as many hardcore fans would dub this by far and away the greatest PS2 game of all time. This game was certainly addictive to anyone who played it! With a well thought out eclectic soundtrack, never-ending places to roam with endless challenges and minigames, I know men-folk who have still yet to complete it! The dialogue was witty and controversial as GTA always is with that notorious sex scene. A landmark in ‘open world’ gaming as players could choose how they explore and play the game. A required addition to any serious gamer’s collection.
4) The Warriors (2005) Based on Walter Hill’s 1970s cult classic. For purists like me the game stayed true to the film with excellent focus on New York in this period and the rival gangs competing for territory with their unique fighting traits and distinctive ensemble. The fact that the entire game is set at night further adds to its character and charm with the fisticuffs and brawling a breath of fresh air to the usual shoot-em-ups. However, as much as I loved playing this game there were a lot of things that jarred me about too. Maybe the developer, Rockstar Games, knew that the game would only appeal to a niche market so deciding not to invest heavily during the game’s development stage. The graphics on some of the levels is truly awful and basic, the soundtrack is woeful and the fact that I completed the game in a couple of weekends left a rather sour taste in my mouth. I found some of the minigames boring but overall the game is at least an 8 outta 10.
5) Fifa 2005 No list is complete without a football game and as I’m not a ‘Pro Evo’ man it’s gotta be Fifa! The thing with football games is that they are either awesome to play and simple to navigate the players or rubbish graphics with overly complex controls. Fifa 2005 is certainly the former. It’s predecessors were good but not great but this instalment was a very welcome addition to the franchise. The introduction of ‘first-touch’ was warmly received and many of the world’s great players were still in their prime, which meant they were still very good in this game. In fact when I first played this version and found the gameplay a joy to behold I was actually thinking Fifa 2006 is going to off the hook! As progress and the Enlightenment would dictate that one should positively build on any accomplishments you manage to achieve. Unfortunately EA Sports didn’t see it like that, and Fifa 2006 and Fifa 2007 were pants.
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