Top ten games of 2007

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By Dave Stevenson

Posted on 21 Dec 2007 at 16:31

Command & Conquer, in IT terms, is as old as the hills, providing some of the PC Pro team with their first experience of real-time strategy. The formula was perfected ages ago; all Command & Conquer 3 had to do was come up with a genius storyline and killer graphics. Success on both counts, we're pleased to say. C&C3 adds the Scrin, an alien race bent on getting hold of Earth's tiberium reserves, besides the inevitable inclusions of NOD and GDI forces. Add the first class cut scenes, graphics and sound effects and you've got a game that will keep you up until the wee small hours.

4. Crysis
Finding a more hotly-anticipated game from the past year is tough. Not only did Crysis have to follow up from the beautifully polished Far Cry, but it had the added pressure of being one of Microsoft's favourite DirectX 10 demos. Abject failure on the latter, we're afraid: the DirectX 9 and DirectX 10 versions are all-but indistinguishable from each other. The good news is it doesn't matter. Crysis looks absolutely stunning in either iteration, and is one of the finest first-person shooters available. Not only do you have an absolutely enormous gameplay arena to call your own, but you can hijack trucks, tanks and even an airship on your way. The graphics are absolutely stunning, and the voice acting top notch.

3. Geometry Wars
Not many top-ten games cost under a fiver, but Geometry Wars is a great example. At just $4 (around £2), it's one of the best ways we can think of to stay up until four in the morning. "Just one more game" has never run truer. Controlling your ship with one set of keys and the direction of its fire with another, it's hard to get the hang of initially, but once you become fluent you might not stop until your fingers are bleeding and your keyboard's a sorry shadow of its former self. It even looks good. It's downloadable from Steam, and there's very little reason we can think of not to own it.

2. Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare
So good we gave it six out of six. Call of Duty 4 is perilously close to first-person perfection: an element of thinking and planning, but mostly simple all out assault. It lacks the emotional resonance of its World War II predecessors, but it's hard to name a more absorbing action game. You split your time between the gung-ho American forces and an SAS unit, variously charging around blowing things up and launching surprise assaults on unsuspecting rebel forces. The soundtrack is absolutely brilliant, the voice acting first class, and the AI absolutely brilliant. If you've ever been disappointed by a present-day army game, this is the one to restore your faith.

1. The Orange Box
Half Life 2 is getting on a bit now, but it's a sign of its quality that it still makes top ten lists. But how about this for a deal? Half Life 2, plus episodes 1 and 2 of the same (the latter being particularly good) as well as Portal, a brilliant concept in which you fire your Portal Gun at a wall to open a gateway to another area on the map. If you don't already have Half Life 2, The Orange Box is the way to go. Even if you do, the extras in this box are good enough to justify the asking price on its own.