God of War
God of War is hands-down one of the best video games I’ve ever played. Beautifully brutal, endlessly gory, with gameplay that is seamless (no loading screens!) and a combat system that just barely keeps it from being a no-brainer button masher… this game has it all. It even has a more-than-slightly engrossing storyline: the character of Kratos is well-conceived and pretty well executed within the confines of the game itself through a combination of flashback movies (nothing new), foreshadowing (very nice to see in a video game), and even some in-game mechanics.
The production designer deserves a big pat on the back, too: the game immediately creates this lush, decadent feel of Ancient Greece. Except for one easily overlooked flaw (Roman Legionnaires in Ancient Greece?) the games mood and theme are presented wonderfully.
Nice job, guys.