Best Shooter Nominees - Golden Joystick Awards 2011 – Dead Space 2, GoldenEye 007 - Part 5
Just to recap, we have already gone through the main chunk of the nominees for the Best Shooter category for the Golden Joystick Awards 2011, with the likes of the PlayStation 3 exclusive Killzone 3, THQ’s Red Faction: Armageddon and Homefront, Bungie’s
Xbox 360 exclusive Halo: Reach, Bethesda’s disappointing Brink, Electronic Arts’ Bulletstorm, Crysis 2 and Activision’s Call of Duty: Black Ops.
So we thought it would be nice for a change to introduce the categories that include survival-horror titles.
Dead Space 2
The first Dead Space was a surprise for everyone who played it. It was an absolute gem of a game, combining both RPG elements with a inspired shooting all wrapped up in an atmospheric and terrifying package.
A game where headshots were not as important as dismembering the limbs of the necromorphs (read the bad guys) using more tools than firearms, it soon grew a fanatic cult following.
Dead Space built on the strong foundations of the first game and took the series to a whole new level. Introducing a whole host of new mutated enemies for players to fear and dismember, as well as some of the freakiest bosses one has ever encountered in
a game, Dead Space was more intense in every sense.
The one criticism it did receive, in light doses though, was the fact that it was slightly more action oriented than its predecessor. That is not to say the game was not scary though, players often had to change their pants on more than one occasion during
a playthrough, but it was less survival-horror and more survival-action.
Another major change was that the game’s lead character could talk now. It was significant and can be likened to Valve’s Half-Life protagonist, Gordon Freeman, finally talking – huge!
There was a multiplayer component added as well, though the necromorphs versus human mode variations did not pay off as well as the developer Visceral Games would have hoped.
Our verdict: In the end, Dead Space 2 is another dark horse to maybe sneak the award, however, it is unlikely especially with the likes of Halo: Reach and Black Ops. However, high sales equal more fans and more fans equal more votes so one cannot write off
the game so soon.
GoldenEye 007
Having the honour of being the only Nintendo Wii exclusive title to have been nominated is an achievement in itself for the Eurocom developed GoldenEye 007, but seeing the acclaimed publisher behind the series, Activision, it does not come as too much of
a surprise.
GoldenEye 007 brought back the four player split screen offline competitive multiplayer mode and the ensuing nostalgia propelled it to Wii stardom.
It was by the far the best looking shooter on the Nintendo console with its gameplay equalling the looks. The action was fast paced and intense, with multiplayer bringing back the days of four friends fighting for top spot and a seat on the couch simultaneously.
Our verdict: Sadly not even Daniel Craig can help this one take the top prize, however, it should finish in the top half when the voting concludes.
Readers can continue reading about the nominees for the Best Shooter category in the next article:
Best Shooter Nominees - Golden Joystick Awards 2011 – Part 6
Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are the writer’s own and do not reflect the editorial policy of Bettor.com
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