-- Levi Buchanan";
Games_Bestof2007_ActionAdventure[i++] = new Array("","'Uncharted: Drake's Fortune'","","http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/j/msnbc/Components/Photo_StoryLevel/071214/Brill-Games/uncharted_Sony.hmedium.jpg","","", "", "", "", "", "", "", "Sony", "239", "423", "#000000", "", "", "", "");
Games_Bestof2007_ActionAdventure[i-1].body = "
'Uncharted: Drake's Fortune'
This rumble in the jungle is the absolute highlight of the PlayStation 3's rocky first full year on shelves. \"Uncharted\" is a rollicking adventure yarn that delivers plenty of thrills – as well as some excellent quiet moments between its lead characters, Nathan Drake and Elena Fisher. That the writing in \"Uncharted\" is as dynamic as the action will surprise a great many gamers used to wholly dispensable narratives that lamely frame breakneck adventure games.
But don’t worry: “Uncharted” isn’t all talk. This game sends you to a mysterious island to track down the possible resting place of El Dorado, the famed golden city. Nathan and Elena will push through lush jungles, jump across gorgeous ruins and endure plenty of scrapes.";
Games_Bestof2007_ActionAdventure[i++] = new Array("","'Super Mario Galaxy'","","http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/j/msnbc/Components/Photo_StoryLevel/071214/Brill-Games/galaxy_Nintendo.hmedium.jpg","","", "", "", "", "", "", "", "Nintendo", "239", "423", "#000000", "", "", "", "");
Games_Bestof2007_ActionAdventure[i-1].body = "
'Super Mario Galaxy'
There's just no other way to put it: \"Super Mario Galaxy\" delivers. The cosmic rollercoaster sends Nintendo's affable plumber out into space, collecting stars and defeating cutie-pie menaces in order to save Princess Peach, the damsel-in-distress that has needed Mario's help since 1985.
\"Galaxy\" features the richest gameplay for the Nintendo Wii since \"The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess\" debuted alongside the system in November of 2006. Hardcore gamers concerned that the Wii would end up a resting place for ultra-casual games and mini-game collections can put their fears to rest when booking this ticket to deep space.";
Games_Bestof2007_ActionAdventure[i++] = new Array("","'Ratchet & Clank Future: Tools of Destruction'","","http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/j/msnbc/Components/Photo_StoryLevel/071214/Brill-Games/ratchet_Sony.hmedium.jpg","","", "", "", "", "", "", "", "Sony", "239", "423", "#000000", "", "", "", "");
Games_Bestof2007_ActionAdventure[i-1].body = "
'Ratchet & Clank Future: Tools of Destruction'
\"Ratchet & Clank,\" known best for their outrageous arsenal of crazy weapons, made their first stop on the PlayStation 3 in time for the holiday rush – and just in time. After enduring a very slow summer, \"Ratchet\" was the perfect kick-start for the machine and a reminder that there is some very powerful stuff under the PS3's glossy black hood.
In their latest adventure, Ratchet and Clank must square off against a villain determined to drive Ratchet's race – the Lombax – into extinction. The ensuing race through the galaxy is full of great sights, solid gameplay and a great sense of humor. Gamers that think only tours through gritty war zones can provide intense thrills will be proven wrong time and time again.";
Games_Bestof2007_ActionAdventure[i++] = new Array("","'Bioshock'","","http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/j/msnbc/Components/Photo_StoryLevel/071214/Brill-Games/bioshock2_2K%20Games.hmedium.jpg","","", "", "", "", "", "", "", "2K Games", "239", "423", "#000000", "", "", "", "");
Games_Bestof2007_ActionAdventure[i-1].body = "
'Bioshock'
If any game in 2007 could settle the \"Are games art?\" debate, it's 2K's \"BioShock\" for the Xbox 360 and the PC. This intelligent shooter slips players beneath the waves to infiltrate a lost paradise built by a genius/madman called Rapture.
In order to solve the riddles of this dead city, players must make use of gene-splicing powers called Plasmids. Mastering the use of Plasmids to push back the monsters of Rapture is incredible fun, but be careful that you don't lose yourself in the beautiful details of this game.";
Games_Bestof2007_ActionAdventure[i++] = new Array("","'God of War 2'","","http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/j/msnbc/Components/Photo_StoryLevel/071214/Brill-Games/godofwar2_Sony.hmedium.jpg","","", "", "", "", "", "", "", "Sony", "273", "312", "#000000", "", "", "", "");
Games_Bestof2007_ActionAdventure[i-1].body = "
'God of War 2'
The PlayStation 2's \"God of War 2,\" was a graceful swan song for the aging system. From the moment the game begins, gamers are smacked between the eyes with incredible sights. Even the first level, a fight around and inside the Colossus of Rhodes, pops with more \"wow\" than almost every PS2 game released this year – combined.
The game is heavy on ultra-violence, so it's entirely inappropriate for younger players, but mature gamers that can see how this bloodshed works in service to the game's excellent story will feel a real sense of triumph every time they bring a mythological titan to its knees.";
Games_Bestof2007_ActionAdventure[i++] = new Array("","'Ninja Gaiden Sigma'","","http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/j/msnbc/Components/Photo_StoryLevel/071214/Brill-Games/ninjagaiden_Tecmo.hmedium.jpg","","", "", "", "", "", "", "", "Tecmo", "239", "423", "#000000", "", "", "", "");
Games_Bestof2007_ActionAdventure[i-1].body = "
'Ninja Gaiden Sigma'
Tecmo's \"Ninja Gaiden Sigma\" is based on the action game for the original Xbox, but this PlayStation 3 version ratchets everything up a notch, from the powerhouse graphics to the crazy crimson spatter that results whenever ninja Ryu enters the room. \"Ninja Gaiden Sigma\" adds extra moves and weapons for Ryu, and gamers will put them all to the test to cut down the monsters and minions of the Vigor Empire.
\"Ninja Gaiden Sigma\" is not an easy game. Mastering Ryu's dangerous ballet of swords while surrounded by incoming foes is a real accomplishment, requiring serious practice until the right rhythm is found. But once Ryu gets his groove, this game is almost as fun to watch as it is to play.";
Games_Bestof2007_ActionAdventure[i++] = new Array("","'Crackdown'","","http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/j/msnbc/Components/Photo_StoryLevel/071214/Brill-Games/Crackdown_Microsoft.hmedium.jpg","","", "", "", "", "", "", "", "Microsoft", "239", "423", "#000000", "", "", "", "");
Games_Bestof2007_ActionAdventure[i-1].body = "
'Crackdown'
The big joke at the beginning of 2007 was that \"Crackdown\" was simply the free game packaged with the demo of \"Halo 3.\" The laughs died down when gamers finally got their mitts on the game, which turned out to be one of the Xbox 360's breeziest, most playable action games thus far.
Imagined as a mix of comic books and \"Grand Theft Auto,\" \"Crackdown\" slipped you into the uniform of a supercop that needed to clean up a city full of dangerous criminals. The go-anywhere game was full of powerful weapons and slick cars, but the most exciting feature was the decreasing effects of gravity on your officer as you collected more and more agility-boosting orbs.
This is not a game to necessarily be taken seriously, but it does provide a ton of thrills that will keep any 360 owner on the couch when they're finally tired of being harangued by foul-mouthed 13-year-olds during online \"Halo 3\" matches.";
Games_Bestof2007_ActionAdventure[i++] = new Array("","'Contra 4'","","http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/j/msnbc/Components/Photo_StoryLevel/071214/Brill-Games/contra_Konami.hmedium.jpg","","", "", "", "", "", "", "", "Konami", "273", "182", "#000000", "", "", "", "");
Games_Bestof2007_ActionAdventure[i-1].body = "
'Contra 4'
Nintendo has positioned the DS as the handheld machine that both hardcore gamers and casual players can agree on, but with games like \"Brain Age 2\" and \"Nintendogs\" stealing headlines, it's pretty clear which side is getting the most attention. Konami's \"Contra 4\" is a love letter of sorts to twitch gamers, the kind of player that relishes memorizing shot patterns and making near-impossible jumps.
\"Contra 4\" is not very forgiving, however. Should you run out of extra lives and continues in the middle of the game, you will start at the very beginning the next time you play. That alone will turn some gamers off, but for that breed that loves a good challenge from yesteryear, \"Contra 4\" offers some fun, old-school run-jump-and-gun antics.";
Games_Bestof2007_ActionAdventure[i++] = new Array("","'Resident Evil 4: Wii Edition'","","http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/j/msnbc/Components/Photo_StoryLevel/071214/Brill-Games/resevil4_Capcom.hmedium.jpg","","", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "237", "423", "#000000", "", "", "", "");
Games_Bestof2007_ActionAdventure[i-1].body = "
'Resident Evil 4: Wii Edition'
\"Resident Evil 4\" was the best game for Nintendo's troubled GameCube and it enjoys a new lease on the afterlife with this special edition for the Wii. The tale is largely the same but still provides a good scare: When Secret Service agent Leon Kennedy investigates the disappearance of the president's daughter in a strange European village, he discovers a sinister cabal of parasite-infected townspeople.
The once-vibrant graphics may appear a bit muted compared to those found on the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, but Capcom's zombie-hunter makes up the difference with potent mood and atmosphere. However, it's the introduction of the Wii Remote as a method for taking aim and slashing at incoming monstrosities that makes this game a sweet play.";
Games_Bestof2007_ActionAdventure[i++] = new Array("","'Metroid Prime 3: Corruption'","","http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/j/msnbc/Components/Photo_StoryLevel/071214/Brill-Games/metroid_Nintendo.hmedium.jpg","","", "", "", "", "", "", "", "Nintendo", "226", "423", "#000000", "", "", "", "");
Games_Bestof2007_ActionAdventure[i-1].body = "
'Metroid Prime 3: Corruption'
\"Metroid Prime 3: Corruption\" is the kind of game the Nintendo Wii was made for – using the Wii Remote, players actually direct an on-screen weapon at incoming alien nasties. And it works beautifully, offering gamers a level of interaction that just isn't possible with a regular controller. There is something satisfying about literally taking aim before squeezing off a few shots at a space pirate.
Finishing off a trilogy that started on the GameCube, \"Corruption\" follows heroine Samus' flirtation with an alien substance called Phazon. This stuff gives Samus heightened skills in short bursts, but if she overdoes it, she risks the deadly corruption hinted at in the game's subtitle. The game may not look as boffo as \"BioShock,\" but developer Retro Studio didn't short gamers on atmosphere.";
Games_Bestof2007_ActionAdventure[i++] = new Array("","'Naruto: Rise of a Ninja'","","http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/j/msnbc/Components/Photo_StoryLevel/071214/Brill-Games/naruto_Ubisoft.hmedium.jpg","","", "", "", "", "", "", "", "Ubisoft", "234", "423", "#000000", "", "", "", "");
Games_Bestof2007_ActionAdventure[i-1].body = "
'Naruto: Rise of a Ninja'
Now, not every Xbox 360 owner will necessarily be down with \"Naruto: Rise of a Ninja,\" as it traffics heavily in storylines and characters straight out of the ultra-popular ninja anime series. But for hardcore fans of \"Naruto,\" or gamers that think they can keep up with the mythology, Ubisoft delivers unto them a surprisingly vibrant adventure game with loads of action and fighting elements.
Controlling the little ninja Naruto, players can explore every nook and cranny of a very well-constructed Konoha Village and its immediate surroundings. Just checking out the town is worth an hour or two of gameplay before diving into the story and learning the intricacies of the fighting system, which is pleasingly deep, but not so technical that it keeps hardcore brawler fans at arm's length.";
Games_Bestof2007_ActionAdventure[i++] = new Array("","'Lost Planet: Extreme Condition'","","http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/j/msnbc/Components/Photo_StoryLevel/071214/Brill-Games/lost-planet_Capcom.hmedium.jpg","","", "", "", "", "", "", "", "Capcom", "239", "423", "#000000", "", "", "", "");
Games_Bestof2007_ActionAdventure[i-1].body = "
'Lost Planet: Extreme Condition'
\"Lost Planet: Extreme Condition\" was released at the very beginning of 2007 and its still a head-turner all these months later. Capcom's arctic action game is set on a frozen wasteland infested with monsters that must be eliminated to harvest their body heat. With the hero's life force always dropping due to the intense cold, quickly moving from fight to fight becomes the only way to survive.
Capcom's chiller is a real looker, too. The ice world is brilliantly rendered and the enemies are almost distractingly attractive. Like many Xbox 360 games, \"Lost planet\" has a solid multiplayer mode over Xbox Live that extends the lifespan of the game well beyond the closing credits. And thanks to its release so early in the year, the game can often be picked up at a slight discount, making it a solid value.
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// END editorial data