Favorite of the decade

Judging and reviewing past video games is difficult because of the technological advances that can transpire. This inseparable coupling with technology is the follly of video games. With film, the technological discrepancies are minute, and no where near as impactful; a film in 1944 could pass for a film made in 2004. However, two years in video gaming can serve as a hundred year span in film.

So, how does one judge something like the original halo or metal gear solid when comared to their sequels? I've tried to take a historical approach to this by juduging certain games primarily against their peers in the year they were released as well as against everything that came afterwards. This is challenging because not all fo the games on my list are games I played in their original release. Moreover, certain games, much like certain movies, are engrained in my youth and self identity, and as a result, can be overshadowed by nostalgia. For example, many people will claim Super Mario Bros 3 as the best in the series, but considering the size and scope of Super Mario World, how can that be a justified position? It can't, really.

One series is particulary difficult to examine, and that is The Sims. The original game made a huge impact in the industry and economically. Much has been written about the game, but what is interesting is that it is often cited as the best in the series. However, The Sims 2 in every way is more detailed, interesting, and open. However, The Sims 2 is just one game in The Sims 2 franchise. Numerous expansions to the game were released over the years that added new content and features. So, when examining The Sims 2, should the extra content be counted, and if it is counted, does the greatly increased financial cost deserve consideration as well? Finally, there's The Sims 3 which again improved upon its previosu installment, yet some found too complex and closed.

I should note that the technical limitations at the time of Shadow of the Colossus prevented me frrom enjoying it. I know some perople felt the same way about Mass Effect. With Mass Effect, people complained about the poor driving controls of the exploratory vehicle, and the technical issues of the Unreal Engine that runs the game. While I think the control issues are more based on preference than any technical merit, I would concede that the graphical flaws in the game are aggrivating, but not distracting to remove the impressive nature of the game as a whole.

Then, there's Halo, which is an oddity for me as I discussed previously. I don't want to come across as a snob that does not enjoy big action games and prefers indie ones, but the series does not motivate me in any way to become engrossed in its universe. Again, comparison to Mass Effect is deserved, because I was interested in that make believe world and read the books based on it because of their detail and rich setting. I just don't give a damn about the Spartans and a fake military fetishistic history of space marines.

This should give you just a little insight into the decision process that went into comprising my list. Again, it is a personal list and not necessarily a list that should be considered a "best" list.

Beyond Good and Evil

Bioshock

Half-Life 2

The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker

Mass Effect

Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty

Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater

Phoenix Wright: Justice for All

The Sims 2

Super Mario Galaxy

Favorite of the decade

Before presenting a list of my personal best of the decade, I stumbled upon a few interesting trends. The first is that Phillip Seymour Hoffman is undoubtably the definitive actor of the decade. In the 90s, he honed his craft in many supporting roles, such as in Boogie Nights, Magnolia, and others. But it was in the 2000s that we saw him emerge more as a leading man, and do phenominal work in everything. As a supporting man, he gave a wonderfully funny performance in Punch Drunk Love as the matress man. Then, he deservedly won an Oscar for his nuanced depiction of Truman Capote, which wasn't a caricature or mere impersonation like Jamie Foxx's rendition of Ray Charles. There's also his work in 25th Hour, which is proprably one of the best drunk performances ever. He's frightening in Before The Devil Knows You're Dead and pitiful in Synecdoche, New York. These are just a few of his wonderful performances.

Another thing worth noting is that my favorite directors of the decade are Quentin Tarantino and Paul Thomas Anderson. Every movie they made in this decade is in my top 10. One of my favorite directors, Martin Scorsese, only has one movie in my top 10. Gangs of New York is an interesting and spectacular mess and The Departed feels much more safe than I would have liked. And then there's Steven Spielberg, the filmmaker that intellectuals and snobs love to hate because of his popular success. He continues into his 4th decade of filmmaking to prove that he is one of the most talented filmmakers the world has eveer sen and challenges himself as well as the audience emotionally and intellectually. If his name was not attached to Minority Report and Munich, those two movies would be on more top 10 lists of the decade.

I comprised a short list of about 20 movies that I tried to narrow down to 10 that was based off of memory. I then tried to revisist as many as I could to see if I still felt the same way about a film. For example, I had a smile on my face the entire time watching Punch Drunk Love, and was unsure if I would still love the movie as much now. To my relief, I still enjoyed it. I did, however, not find the performace of Adam Sandler as amazing as I once did. In the end, I think he gave a servicable performance that is some times comically brilliant and other times limiting in his skill. Another film I wanted to revisit because I only saw it once in a theater was Lost In Translation. While I still find the movie charming and the core a great love story, I was greatly bothered by the amount of cultural insensitivity that was the entire comedic aspect of the film. Instead of being asked to laugh at Bill Murray and his inability to interact with a different culture, the film makes fun of the native inhabitants with stereotypical jabs such as the difficulty in pronouncing the letter "r", the speed at which they converse, and the average height of Japanese men. While a film called "lost In translation" should deal with these issues, it doesn't, and instead continues the American depiction of mockery to foreigness and xenophobia. This doesn't discredit the film, as I can't stand people who say The Birth of a Nation or The Searches aren't great films becaues of their racism, but in this instance, it does damper my personal enjoyment of the movie.

In any case, here's the list in alpahbetical order. I'll do a proper tribute to what I think is the best film of the decade next week.

adaptation

almost famous

the aviator

inglourious basterds

kill bill

punch drunk love

the royal tenenbaums

there will be blood

wall-e

zodiac