FEATURES - NGEB Award Show 2005 :: Forward 2005 kicked ass for a lot of reasons, first and foremost of which was the Nintendo DS. The DS has grown up to be not only a fun and interesting handheld, but a system with an incredibly strong lineup that's been making sales figures the likes of which dwarf even Sony's console. Meanwhile, great games have been coming out for Nintendo's other systems as well, and it's been nothing but pure fun. Let's reflect on one of the best gaming years in recent memory tonight. BEST GRAPHICS - DS Nintendogs - This game was adorable from head to toe, but it probably would not have been so well-liked in America were it not for the incredibly realistic models and motions of the Nintendogs themselves. These visuals helped nail down the fact that even with all its gimmicks, the Nintendo DS is a fully capable next generation handheld. Yes you are! Yes you are! **scratching DS's belly** Runner-Up: Mario Kart DS - GCN Resident Evil 4 - Its graphics were but one of RE4's many admirable qualities. These were some of the most photo-realistic visuals in any game ever, and it was all rendered in realtime (unlike prior games in the series). There was really nothing left to be desired here. It's games like this that make us wonder why people think we need new hardware so soon. This stuff was just jaw-dropping! Runner-Up: Donkey Kong Jungle Beat - GBA Gunstar Super Heroes - This game pulled out every last trick of the Game Boy Advance graphics hat and did it in a way that kept each level unique and fun: round side-scrolling levels that rolled like the inside of a barrel, bosses that attacked as if moving in 3D space, and an overhead flight shooter level that rivaled even the most modern arcade offerings, just to name a few. This game was an intense throwback to the action games of the SNES era, and its stunning looks helped sell the package as one of the Game Boy greats of 2005. Runner-Up: Legend of Zelda: Minish Cap BEST MULTIPLAYER - DS Mario Kart DS - Even with its cutbacks when the game went online (see "Biggest Disappointment" below), the multiplayer modes in Mario Kart DS were the Nintendo DS's finest to date. What was arguably the best gameplay, control, and character roster the long-running series had seen so far could now be played against 7 human opponents, either as close as in the same room or as distant as the opposite end of the Earth, and all they had to own was a Nintendo DS and Mario Kart itself. The game could also let 3 players who didn't even own the game join in on their DS's (albeit offline and using one pre-determined character). While Animal Crossing: Wild World's online features may have been a bit more streamlined, Mario Kart DS was an undeniable multiplayer phenomenon. Runner-Up: Animal Crossing: Wild World - GCN TimeSplitters: Future Perfect - The GoldenEye 007 boys brought the awesome back again. This time, TimeSplitters 2's highly intricate level design system was improved even further and dozens of new playable creatures and characters made their way into the fold, some pushing the ridiculous meter off the charts. This game was a fantastic party shooter, and its co-op play was just as fun. Runner-Up: Super Mario Strikers - GBA Pokémon Emerald (sort of) - The Game Boy Advance saw really no high-quality, new multiplayer designs in 2005. Indeed, it is rare for the system to receive one at all if it's not in the form of a Pokémon RPG. While Pokémon Emerald, the FIFTH version of the game using the Game Boy Advance build, came out this summer, it hardly seemed fitting of any awards its predecessors had already received several years in a row. Let's hope developers find new ways of taking advantage of the hardware's multiplayer port. Maybe Nintendo will release a WiFi adapter for the aged system next year. Who knows? MOST INNOVATIVE - DS Electroplankton - Very rarely is a game released that is so bizarre, its very identity as a video game comes into question. Electroplankton was just such a game. Created single-handedly by an artist named Toshio Iwai, this game starred 10 varieties of organisms who could be manipulated to produce music. Abstract in its presentation and all but lacking any goal at all, Electroplankton caused more than a few gamers to scratch their heads, but played perfectly into Nintendo's scheme of providing brand new experiences for the DS even in its first year on the market. (Expect the game to arrive in America this January.) Runner-Up: Trauma Center: Under the Knife - GCN Donkey Kong Jungle Beat - Take the Donkey Konga drums and use them in a new game; a side-scroller, perhaps? Blasphemy! This game could've very, VERY easily been a terrible gimmick, but as it stands, it was incredibly enjoyable. For all the "Mario clones" (as Shigeru Miyamoto puts it) we see in the genre, Jungle Beat was for sure one of the most out-there and bizarre of the bunch. Definitely a one-of-a-kind gaming experience that will likely always remain so. Pick it up while it's still in stores! Runner-Up: Geist - GBA Wario Ware Twisted! - It's truly amazing that even after 16 years, Nintendo can continue to publish some of its most innovative games on a Game Boy system. Wario Ware Twisted! (and its far less successful counterpart, Yoshi Topsy-Turvy) was a brilliant example of this. Taking the now-familiar, but still wholly unique, Wario Ware "microgame" formula and adding tilt sensor technology to the mix, Twisted! provided addictive gameplay the likes of which gaming had never seen. It was all in all an unforgettable experience that left my arms in knots. Help. Runner-Up: DK: King of Swing BIGGEST DISAPPOINTMENT - DS Drawbacks in Online Play - Yes, FINALLY Nintendo jumped aboard the online gaming boat, and man, did they make a splash. Over 40 percent of players who bought Nintendo's first online-capable game, Mario Kart DS, tried out playing online in its first week on the market. That's huge, compared to Microsoft's Halo 2's measely 18% in its first week. However, it can't be ignored that Nintendo's first two online games both had scaled-back features when the games went online. For instance, Mario Kart DS was unable to support certain obstacles in online play, and so about a third of the game's levels were taken out of the mix. Also, items couldn't be held behind the driver, hurting some of the game's strategy elements. Granted, for the most part, the experience was smooth and worry-free. After all, it's hard to complain when you're getting online play for free. (NOTE: For something so trivial to be a system's greatest disappointment in its first year is highly remarkable. Nice work, Nintendo!) Runner-Up: Still no localization of Jam with the Band - GCN Delaying Zelda - Dang. Had Twilight Princess come out this November, 2005 could've gone down in history as the single greatest year for video games ever. Not only that, but it could've served as extremely strong competition for the XBox 360 launch (as if that needed any help sucking). However, this shouldn't have been much of a surprise, as Zelda games are almost always delayed, and it's probably for the best, since Wind Waker was rushed and turned out a little short due to cutbacks. Let's hope this fantastic game kicks a lot of butt this Spring. Or else... **angry noise** Runner-Up: Once-exclusive monster hit, Resident Evil 4, got ported to PlayStation 2 - GBA Micro Game Boy, Gigantic Price - The Game Boy Micro is cool looking and fun to carry around, no doubts about that. But it's hard to see where Nintendo's taking us with this model of the system. It lacks one of the Game Boy Advance and Game Boy Advance SP's huge purchasing points - backwards-compatibility with all classic Game Boy and Game Boy Color games from 1989 to 2001. That's a massive library Nintendo just threw away, and nobody seemed to care but us. To add insult to injury, they asked 100 dollars for the new piece of hardware, when you could get an Advance SP for 20 dollars less. Was sleeker design worth the cost of cash and a vast gaming library? Not according to us. The Micro was Game Boy's, as well as Nintendo's, biggest disappointment this year. Runner-Up: Pokémon Emerald LOOKING AHEAD - DS New Super Mario Bros. - It's Super Mario Bros. and it's new. There aren't very many other things in the gaming world that are better than these separately, let alone together! In all seriousness, this game could easily be either a fantastic achievement or a disastrous flop, but we're excited nonetheless to see what happens next year. So far we know there's gonna' be co-op play, in which one player plays as Mario and the other as Luigi, which is just awesome. All we can say for now is that we eagerly await more news about this game than about any other upcoming DS title. Runner-Up: Metroid Prime: Hunters - GCN Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess - Once again, this game is gonna' rock. We all know it. Zelda has always been a "grade A" series of games that comes as close to perfection as anything in this world. Beautiful visuals that rival the next generation of games and fresh concepts for the series (such as compatibility with the Revolution controller and combat on horseback), all built on the solid engine introduced in the last GameCube installment, Zelda: Wind Waker, promise to make this edition no different in those regards. Runner-Up: Chibi Robo - GBA Mother 3 - Every year we post this game as our most anticipated for the Game Boy Advance, but this year we really, really mean it. Shigesato Itoi, the series' creator, recently came out and assured the public that Mother 3 is STILL on its way to GBA and is coming very close to completion (supposedly, Japan should see it early next year). EarthBound was a fantastic Super NES RPG, and its sequel could very well be the last great game for a Game Boy system. Our 11 years of waiting are finally almost over! If you're a Nintendo fan and you're not excited, well... you should be. Runner-Up: Drill Dozer GAME OF THE YEAR - DS Animal Crossing: Wild World - This year saw so many fantastic DS games. Kirby Canvas Curse, Meteos, Advance Wars: Dual Strike, Nintendogs, Mario Kart DS, Animal Crossing Wild World, and in Japan, Jump Superstars and Osu! Tatakae! Oendan! all rocked so hardcore, it's just beyond words. To pick the best of this bunch is like picking which of your ten fingers you'd want to keep the most should you only get to keep one (say, in an Iranian prison or something [please call my lawyer]). However, Wild World was an almost perfect experience. It built upon its GameCube predecessor in several ways, which is simply amazing, considering it was a handheld title. It let players go online for free and mess around eachothers' towns from half a world away. It was also a title that was easily approachable and recommendable for all gamers. As a single packaged unit, Animal Crossing really offered the most and stood just slightly above the crowd. Among such an amazing lineup, that was easier said than done. Runner-Up: Mario Kart DS - GCN Resident Evil 4 - Resident Evil 4 took the gameplay of an already successful series and bent it to comply with new rules. Realtime 3D graphics, smoother control, faster action, and meaner monsters. Could've been very bad, right? But luckily, Capcom knew exactly what they were doing, and #4 was easily the strongest game in the series, as well as one of the best games in the GameCube's library. Yes, it was that much of a triumph. If I were one of the people working on this game, I'd happily consider it my magnum opus. Runner-Up: Donkey Kong Jungle Beat - GBA Wario Ware Twisted! - The already strong, however young, Wario Ware series got its best edition yet in the form of Twisted! this year. A fantastically original game with delightful charm and grace in its simplicity, this latest Wario Ware was nothing but the best Game Boy game of 2005. If you needed handheld fun and didn't own or couldn't afford a new DS, this game was a great reason to buy a much cheaper Game Boy Advance, SP, or even Micro (well maybe not a Micro). Should amazing, original games like this keep coming out for the Advance, it may yet have a reason to exist in the DS/PSP world. Runner-Up: Legend of Zelda: Minish Cap Closing Comments So what's the year-end report for us Nintendo fans? The DS rocked, no doubt about that. What's in store, though? Not a lot of new games are visible on the horizon just yet, but we're willing to bet this young system's future will be a bright one indeed. The GameCube is seeing its last days, but it's not as if there's anything to regret. It's brought us a lot of fun and we'll be playing its games for years to come on the Revolution, along with the rest of Nintendo's stellar consoles past. The company's plans for Game Boy's future are a little less clear. Will we ever see another system that plays classic Game Boy games? Will there be enough strong new Advance releases to keep Nintendo's "triple threat" paradigm alive? Will the DS ultimately replace the Game Boy? Give us something to look forward to in 2006, that's for sure! 2005 was in a lot of ways an awful year for human beings around the world. It would be extremely naive to pretend like Nintendo helped us get through these difficult times, but we're a Nintendo site, and that's what we do best! ^_^ At least Nintendo lets us all have a good time. What else is there to say? Nothing for now. Goodnight!