2008: Top 10

Top 10 games of 08

1. NHL 09: This game has easily stolen more hours away from me than any other game this year. The improved hitting, additions of Be a Pro and EASHL, and above average online community made this the best sports game I’ve ever come across. NHL 09 is for Hockey fans what The Bible is for Christians.

2. Fallout 3: Just when Fable (and every other RPG from this year) had let me down, Fallout 3 was released, and changed everything. When was the last time you could explore such a vast world, customize your character to no end, and play a game that was different every time you loaded it up? Some would say Oblivion (made by the same developers, Bethesda), and that’s all good and well, but then I’m forced to ask… Where’s the Cannibalism? GNS has run a good amount of articles on the enjoyments of Fallout 3, so if you’re still not sure if it rules, read up.

3. Gears of War 2: Take what worked in Gears of War, add the best multiplayer game mode of the year (Horde), step the campaign up to epic proportions, add online photo capabilities, and you get an improvement on one of Microsoft’s best exclusives. The online versus modes are still a little awkward for my tastes, but the Horde and Co-op modes are flawless. Chainsaw duels were another fun addition, as were tons of different executions. Few games roll over this much greatness, and still bring this many improvements to the table, but Epic Games pulled it off.

4. Grand Theft Auto IV: Rockstar took their series from campy, b-movie ground, and stepped it up to an Oscar contender as far as story/atmosphere/voice acting all goes. Niko’s story is the deepest, and most intriguing in the series. The new engine surpasses anything the last gen of GTA’s did, with a lack of load times between islands, the best physics of any sandbox game to date, and the addition of a cover system make this a must play title.

5. PIXELJUNK Monsters: Co-op Tower Defense on a console for less than fifteen bucks? Yes, please. This game takes the RTS genre for consoles, and turns it on its head. The music is catchy, the gameplay is straightforward, and the addiction is hard to kick. Few strategy games have more replay value than Monsters, and any PS3 fan with an internet connection, is doing themselves a disservice if they don’t have this on their HD.

6. Left 4 Dead: An FPS that is more focused on running than it is on gunning, and that’s the perfect arcade format for a zombie shooter. You may have heard “what’s the button to aim down the sight,” many times whilst taking on zombies with L4D noobs, but rarely did the complaint linger long enough to annoy. This is another in a list of great co-op games released this year, which is a giant upgrade from previous years, and I’m hoping to see some extra content released for this down the road. Don’t let us down Valve!

7. Devil May Cry 4: Perhaps the forgotten game of 2008, Devil May Cry 4 started 08 off with a bang. Capcom brought the best horror/action franchise back for a next-gen iteration, and the results were above average. At first, players may have been a little thrown off by starting as Nero, but after seeing his vast array of attacks, grew to enjoy the character. The first place I ever saw two gun-fighting characters shoot each other’s bullets away like a sword fight, and here (unlike in the film Wanted) it actually fit the action. Devil May Cry 4 brought the boss battles, post-game unlockables, and and non-stop monster slaying, that fans of the series come to expect.

8. Braid: I’ve yet to play all the way through this game, but it’s been on my mind more as of late, than any XBox Live Arcade game I’ve ever played. I’m sure half of my interest came with the hype train that caused me to download the game, but the puzzle solving is too much fun not to want more after each session. The gameplay isn’t as deep as some of the games on the list, but the story can hang with any game on this list, when it comes to quality. The same can be said for the Music and Art direction.

9. Super Street Fighter II Turbo HD Remix: It’s been a long while since a fighting game (especially 2D) held my interest, but since downloading SSFIITHDR, I’ve found nothing few things more enjoyable than a quick one on one session in Street Fighter. The art has been stepped up from the arcade version, and so have a lot of the characters it seems. I can’t recall a fighting game with as many enjoyable characters to play as, but in SSFIITHDR it’s harder for me to find a player I don’t enjoy. If you’re looking for a game to fit in between other games, or you own an arcade stick that needs to get some use, download this game right away.

10. Rock Band 2: I don’t usually like to support games that just port over last year’s version, but Rock Band 2 stepped it up in the places it matters most, song selection, and instrumentation. Improved equipment is a big plus, but being able to grab all the songs of the Rock Band 1 disc is pretty revolutionary. If more sequels found a way to integrate the original’s content (Gears 2 did this also), there’d be less gamers screaming rape any time a new sequel was announced a year after the original.

There’s my 10 favorite of the year. Mostly games for both systems, with some downloadable games thrown in there. I’m glad to see the year brought tons of co-op experiences, which I think are usually my favorite gaming experiences. Be back before New Year with my most anticipated of 09… MERRY CHRISTMAS and HAPPY HOLIDAYS!

2008: The Games

Army of Two (played on: Xbox 360): A decent co-op game at first, but as the game went along, and nothing new happened, it became redundant.

Call of Duty: World at War (played on: Xbox 360): Just can’t get back into the WWII scene. Been there, done that, Pacific or otherwise. Bring on Call of Duty: Nam already.

Castle Crashers (played on: Xbox 360): A great Xbox Live experience the first bunch of times through, but a complete version of this game, with tons of maps to battle through, would have been much more ideal to anyone looking to level their characters up.

The Club (played on: Xbox 360): The least common denominator of shooters. “Let’s go kill a bunch of people in a warehouse for no reason whatsoever!” No thanks.

Condemned 2: Bloodshot (played on: Xbox 360): A first person game that asks for more than shooting, and while the puzzle portions are a bit of fun, and the atmosphere is creepy, the replayability and combat are lacking too much to warrant a purchase.

Devil May Cry 4 (played on: Xbox 360): A great installment into one of the great on-going action series. Dante returns halfway through the game, but the real star is Nero (Virgil’s son/clone?). Non-stop monster battling fun in this great next-gen sequel.

Fable 2 (played on: Xbox 360): If you like a game holding your hand through everything, and only having to tap the A button anytime your character is supposed to be doing something different, then this game is for you!

Facebreaker (played on: Xbox 360): What didn’t everyone learn from Ready 2 Rumble boxing? Boxing games built towards the arcade and not simulation equals fail… Unless it’s Punchout!

Fallout 3 (played on: Xbox 360): Experiencing Fallout 3 for the first time this year was a lot like experiencing No Country For Old Men in theaters for the first time last year. Few experiences in my life standout as more enjoyable. Fallout 3 is everything I could want in a post apocalyptic shooter/rpg.

Far Cry 2 (played on: Xbox 360): Cliche’, Cliche’, unbalanced gunfight, take medicine, drive forever. Rinse. Repeat.

FIFA Street 3 (played on: Xbox 360): Street games just don’t have the longevity of regular sports games because of the lack of players in the games, and no franchise features. FIFA Street 3 has gameplay at a pretty fun level, now to load up on the roster and features.

Jman and Friends debate the existence of Gold Flamethrowers

Gears of War 2 (played on: Xbox 360): An upgraded campaign, an online mode that doesn’t involve playing against a team of cry babies, but a weakened online versus. It’s hard to call Gears of War 2 a downgrade on the first Gears, but the ridiculousness in EPIC removing the stun on people holding their chainsaw in an attacking position, has made online versus broken at best. Still a fun game, but hardly the GOTY candidate I was hoping for.

Geometry Wars: Retro evoled 2 (played on: Xbox 360): The sequel to possibly the most addictive game on the XBLA. Sorely lacking in Online multiplayer, and hard to warrant a purchase for anyone who already owns the original. The added game modes are merely just dressed up training missions for the real game (Evolved).

Grand Theft Auto IV (played on: Xbox 360): This game stepped the GTA free roaming up with no loading different areas of the map, rag doll physics, and cab services. The lack of weapons, different kinds of vehicles, and doing the same missions over and over keeps this game from being perfect, but it’s still leaps and bounds ahead of games like Saints Row 2 (which after viewing at length, I avoided a playthru of).

Guitar Hero: World Tour (played on: Xbox 360): Activision further robs Harmonix of all the greatness it creates. There are a good number of bands on here that I enjoy, that Rock Band doesn’t have (The Mars Volta!), but the presentation here is too dull to keep me coming back.

Left 4 Dead (played on: Xbox 360): Zombies everywhere! I can’t think of a shooter that lived up to the hype better than Valve’s Left 4 Dead. It brought everything it promised (Director A.I., Online multiplayer fun, tons of zombies to kill), which is more than I can say for pretty much any other game this year. If you like a quick pace with your shooting, look no further.

Lego Batman (played on: Xbox 360): A fine installment in the LEGO series, but still not a great game. These games are as face value as they come, and while I love the Batman license more than most any other, this game still didn’t do it for me. A lot of characters in this one to play as, but since they all feel pretty much the same, they’re more like re-skins. Play if you enjoy the Lego series, avoid otherwise.

MLB 08: The Show (played on: PS3): The best baseball game to come out in ages. Next step is getting the Road to the Show mode online. If they did that, MLB 09: The Show could be a system seller for Sony.

Madden NFL 09 (played on: Xbox 360): See: Last decade of Madden games…

Mario Kart WII (played on: Wii): Mario Kart proves to be one of the greatest video gaming series of all time again by re-inventing the wheel, so to speak. Possibly the only game on the Wii that I truly enjoy besides Wii Sports, Mario Kart Wii is an upgrade in the franchise. The implementation of the Wheel controller is perfect for the system and series.

Mirror’s Edge (played on: Xbox 360): Free running the game. If that interests you, that’s cool, but I found nothing redeemable about it. The action stinks, there aren’t enough colors I feel like a lot of the time, and don’t even try getting into the story.

Jman checks on Salcido’s victim

NHL 09 (played on: Xbox 360): NHL 08 + Be a Pro Mode + Stick lifting + way “crunchier” checking animations + EASHL = The best sports game ever released… By far.

Ninja Gaiden 2 (played on: Xbox 360): Some of the least fun you’ll ever have partaking in Boss battles. Ninja Gaiden brings a good bit of fun through the platforming and fighting off other ninja, but when it comes down to the Boss Fights, instead of being fun like DMC 4, they’re quite tedious. Not a better game than Ninja Gaiden for the original Xbox.

PixelJunk Monsters (played on: PS3): The sleeper of 08. Released in late January, this game is the only reason I could ever understand for owning a PS3. If you enjoy a good game of Tower Defense, this game is just for you. The only console TD game I’ve ever played (still haven’t tried Lock’s Quest on DS), and I hope this leads to more releases in the genre.

Rainbow Six: Vegas 2 (played on: Xbox 360): Rainbow Six: Vegas with a sprint button, and a sweet leveling system. An upgrade for sure, but nothing worth an extra 60 dollars.

Rock Band 2 (played on: Xbox 360): Practically the exact same game as far as in song play goes. The new music store option is pretty sweet, and makes purchasing DLC a lot clearer (no more sitting in the XBL Marketplace waiting for the sidebar to scroll up so you can see the name of the band whose song you’re looking at). The ability to port over the majority of Rock Band’s songs makes this game a pretty perfect sequel.

Soul Caliber IV (played on: Xbox 360): I’ve never enjoyed games about character wielding dull swords, axes, and the like, and Soul Caliber IV is no different. If I’m going to play a sword fighting game it’ll start with Bushido and end with Blade.

Star Wars: The Force Unleashed (played on: Xbox 360): This has the same problem as Soul Caliber IV to me, a dull Lightsaber is not a Lightsaber at all, and taking more than one strike to down an enemy goon makes these some dull ass Lightsabers. The story is kind of cool if you are still down with ignoring George Lucas-sized plot holes, and wielding to force to smash TIE Fighters into each other rules, but that’s about it.

Super Street Fighter II Turbo HD Remix (played on: Xbox 360): I eagerly awaited this one, and was not let down by the results. I was mad that you can only play the demo with another person, but a demo isn’t really needed when it comes to this classic series. The gameplay is great, but the XBOX 360 remote still blows when it comes to fighting games, so getting lucky and finding an arcade stick would greatly improve gameplay.

Too Human (played on: Xbox 360): Silicon Knights can sue Epic Games all they want, and blame the Unreal Engine for this game’s failures, but none of it takes away from the fact that this game isn’t good. Some people can look past Too Human’s flaws like those who enjoyed Two Worlds last year, but like that, it’s a lost cause. Fallout 3 came along and showed everyone how Action/RPG’s are to be done, but this game probably stole sixty bucks from a lot of people.

That’s it as far as I can tell. I missed out on some big games due to not owning a Wii, PS3, PSP, or PS2. Hopefully next year I can double the amount of this list, but we’ll see. Maybe I’ll get Gamefly or something like that. Be back with GNS’s, the Gaming Never Sleeps 08 awards, within the week.