Aug 20, 2007

According to publicists, the year 2007 shall bear witness to the "greatest holiday lineup in videogame history." Wow. Don't you feel lucky just to be alive?

For once, however, the hype machine may be right. This fall is unusually stuffed with almost guaranteed gaming goodness. Microsoft's got Mass Effect, BioShock, Blue Dragon, PGR4 and the unstoppable beast called Halo 3. Nintendo is unleashing three of its most legendary franchises - Mario, Metroid and Smash Bros. - in a row. Even late bloomer Sony has people excited with exclusives like Heavenly Sword and the new Ratchet & Clank. And that's just the first party stuff.

Overwhelmed yet? You're not the only one. Trapped in the crossfire of these big guns will be forgotten victims, games destined for obscurity and poor sales numbers, regardless of their quality. Some have unknown titles; others have plain silly titles. Some are too similar to the heavy hitters; others are far too unique.

But not all of them deserve to die - a few, in fact, show signs of being superior to the A-listers above. Our purpose on the following pages, therefore, is to champion those hidden gems we fear most likely to be missed in 2007... and to convince you not to let that happen.

Short of pleading with the publishers ("Move to 2008, for God's sake!"), it's the best we can do.