And the runner-up is…

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If there’s one thing Resistance: Fall of Man has going for it, it’s style. From the very start, you feel that you’re playing something along the lines of a historical shooter such as Medal of Honor, right up until the point that you come face to face with a giant alien monstrosity, and you realize that the M1-Garands have been replaced with a homing RPG designed for close quarters combat.

The problem with Resistance that kept it from claiming the almighty crown is the fact that there’s nothing there that the average gamer, and a sci-fi one at that, can’t make a reference to. While the game flows well, and the graphics are great, there’s nothing catchy to it. You could indeed play Medal of Honor or Call of Duty and receive the same experience with little variation in between. Sure, the graphics are on-par with most next-gen titles on the market, but nothing in terms of gameplay really shout that this should be a #1 game. Better luck in the sequel.

And the winner is…

Red Orchestra has certainly come a long way. Originally existing as a free mod for Unreal Tournament 2004, it climbed the ranks of the Make Something Unreal contest and eventually clinched the "Grand Price" slot, earning a free Unreal Engine license and funding for Tripwire Interactive to create a standalone retail product.

And create one they did. Moving forward from the already excellent, well balanced and realistic modification, they created Ostfront, the stand-alone product that’s available through Steam. The graphics are somewhat so-so, but the gameplay and environments more than make up for it. The weapon dynamics add to the intensity and frustration of the gameplay, requiring a separate button to use the iron sights of each weapon, as the digital cross hair is missing. That, paired with the vehicles equipped with excellent physics, and you’ve got one hell of a first-person shooter.

[next, Game of the Year]

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