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Game of the Year Awards (2008)
Wow, what an amazing year for gaming. Considering the state of the economy, it's amazing that game development studios were still able to keep the level of quality so high. Every one of the following categories were packed with great games and it was no easy task picking just one. So without further ado, I present to you our top picks of 2008 . Let us know what you think!
Shooter of the Year
What makes a great shooter? Perhaps it’s unique gameplay that goes beyond the typical boundaries of what is considered a shooter. Perhaps it’s a major reworking of elements that provide compelling possibilities for teamwork and competition. Most likely still, it’s the willingness to innovate on a proven formula; to defy preconceived notions about how to build a FPS game. Left 4 Dead is without a doubt, guilty of all of the above. It is definitely among the most unique first person shooters of this year and without a doubt ridiculously fun. It not only succeeds as a standard FPS game with balanced but unique weapon choices, interesting scenarios and objectives and the like; but it proves that originality will be the key to building a better game.
Runner-ups:
Gears of War 2, Resistance 2: Fall of Man, Far Cry 2
RPG of the Year
The announcement that Fallout 3 would be primarily a first-person game was met with a resounding fanboy battle cry. The web was filled to the brim with apocalyptic predictions for the quality of this release. However, Bethesda proves to us once again that when it comes to open-world, they know what they’re doing. What makes Fallout 3 stand out against the multitude of other quality RPG releases this year is the ability it gives the player to make his or her own story. Sure, plenty of RPGs have side-quests and minor story arcs, but Fallout 3 is in a category all its own. Most of the objects, people, and locales you encounter during your travels are not tied to any actual “quest” but merely exist as part of a living, breathing world. Through your travels through Fallout 3’s wasteland, you really get the feeling that the world around you is not trying to railroad you onto a certain path. It’s not presenting you with a storyline you need to follow and distracting you with minor side-stops. No; in the world of Fallout 3, the world is yours to do in which whatever you please. It’s your own unique story, and in my book, that’s some top notch game design.
Runner-ups:
Fable II, Chrono Trigger DS
MMOG of the Year
World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King
Blizzard strikes again. Even their expansion pack is more polished and content filled than most other full MMO releases this year. With a fanbase so rabid and an income so ridiculous, Blizzard could have released WoW: Kick in the Groin and sales still would have been epic. Luckily for WoW fans and their future offspring, this was not the case. Blizzard once again proves that they do not release bad games. Hail to the king, baby.
Runner-up:
Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning
Strategy Game of the Year
Advance Wars: Days of Ruin is the latest installment in the Nintendo Wars franchise. Unlike past installments, it offers a dark and dreary story that does the franchise good - specifically the Advance Wars division. Gameplay is much improved this time around, with much smoother DS implementation, and a series first, online. It's certainly a hardcore game, but those that are after a good turn based title should not hesitate to pick up Days of Ruin as it offers days of fun.
Runner-ups:
Sins of a Solar Empire, Red Alert 3, Tom Clancy's Endwar
Action/Adventure Game of the Year
Wow, the sales numbers for this game still surprise me. $310 million on its first day? Legendary. Kicking the crap out of the previous console juggernaut, Halo 3, GTAIV was launched to near unanimous critical and fan acclaim. An incredibly huge sandbox for players to mess around in, an interesting and layered plot and superbly designed multiplayer make this one of the ‘must-play’ games of the year. It’s out on basically every major platform now (including PC), so if you haven’t gotten in on the action yet, what the hell are you waiting for?
Runner-ups:
Prince of Persia, Little Big Planet, Dead Space, No More Heroes
Fighting Game of the Year
Who knew watching Mario fight Sonic could be this entertaining? Brawl brings back the unique fighting mechanics it damn-near perfected in Melee and adds an extra sheen of polish and content. With a buttload of new characters (with some very cool cross-studio inclusions), ridiculous new maps, a surprisingly long singleplayer campaign, and some awesome new items; Brawl combines a winning formula with a gargantuan sum of new content.
Runner-ups:
Soul Calibur IV, Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe
Sports/Sim Game of the Year
Spore
Can you say ambitious? Because that’s the only word I can think of to describe Spore. Not content with just a life simulator, Will Wright took his very interesting mind back to the drawing board and came back with a freakin’ universe simulator. Sure, it’s not action packed, but since when evolution not take patience? The real accomplishment with Spore is the sheer number of different gameplay modes and elements it manages to fit into one product. It’s an open world adventure game, it’s an RTS, it’s a 4X game, it slices, it dices! Just thinking about the number of hours that can be poured into Spore before you go through all the content makes all my other games feel neglected.
Runner-ups:
Guitar Hero: World Tour, Rock Band 2, Burnout Paradise
Most Original Concept
Mirror’s Edge
Just hearing the phrase: “first person platforming sequence” can elicit a resounding groan from all the FPS veterans who have been there one to many times. So what did experienced FPS developer DICE do? Well they all gathered into a darkly lit room, checked for monitoring devices and then cooked up a devious plan… “we’re going to make a first person shooter with almost no shooting and almost all platforming! Not only that, but we’re going to make the player go fast! Muhuhaha!” Then, promptly realizing they needed to make money off of this game, the built said evil idea into an amazingly innovative product. A parkour game in the first person, who woulda thunk it?
Runner-ups:
Audiosurf, World of Goo
Indie Release of the Year
Audiosurf
This was a dream come true for those of us with huge music libraries and a love of casual gaming. Not only is the concept near totally unique, its crazy awesome fun! Take any music track you have in your collection and Audiosurf turns it into a level. The after playing through it, you can compare your score to anyone else who played through that song online. Combine that with free music to play through provided on a fairly regular basis and you got yourself a game that’ll never get old. It’s casual, it’s competitive, it’s a incredible amount of fun.
Runner-ups:
World of Goo, No More Heroes
Handheld Game of the Year
The World Ends With You
What A Wonderful World was the name of the Japanese release, but it should be called What A Wonderful Game. Offering a one of a kind rhythm battle system, a story that will keep you coming back for more, and a level of difficulty for everyone, The Worlds Ends With You made waves in the gaming world, and with just cause. RPG fans will love everything TWEWY has to offer - putting a modern twist on the age old formula gamers love. If you're after a DS hit, look no further!
Runner-ups:
Professor Layton and the Curious Village, Patapon, God of War: Chains of Olympus, Final Fantasy IV
Wii Game of the Year
Super Smash Bros: Brawl
What more can be said about Brawl? It is truly the definitive game on the Wii right now. Whenever you get a group together to game for a while, you can bet your ass Brawl is going to somehow find its way into your schedule. Brawl has proved without a doubt, to be the game to play on the Wii.
Runner-up:
No More Heroes
PS3 Game of the Year
Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots
In 2008, a question was answered: does Solid Snake still have it? Konami answered the question with the latest entry in the Metal Gear Solid Series, Guns of the Patriots with a definitive yes! Solid Snake returns with one of the most beautiful, fun and epic games ever. With the world being open ended this time around, it is up to the player to decide how to accomplish their mission. Kill, or avoid?! Amazing Game, here's to high hopes for MGS 5.
Runner-up:
Little Big Planet
PC Game of the Year
Valve is the king of shooters on the PC. No company even comes close to the levels of devotion its fans seem to give it. And there’s a good reason why… Valve doesn’t make bad games! From Half Life to Team Fortress 2, Valve has set itself up with an unbeaten track record in the shooter department. With their latest release, Left 4 Dead, Valve once again proves that it knows what the hell its doing. Combining fast and furious gameplay, an awesome focus on teamwork and freakin’ zombies; Valve has crafted itself a multiplayer masterpiece. Combine this with a hugely active modding community for Source engine games and you got yourself a replay value that cannot be beat.
Runner-up:
Fallout 3
Xbox 360 Game of the Year
This was just to close for us to call. I think these two games exemplify everything that is great about the platform. On one hand you have a amazingly cinematic, explosive, shooter. On the other, you have a deeply immersive, incredibly ambitious role playing game; both of them succeeding commercially as well as critically. Each amazing games in their own right, they once again prove the flexibility of the Xbox 360 and its incredible and diverse games selection.
Runner-up:
Fallout 3
Game of the Year
What more can I say about this game? I mean honestly. Picking up two awards already, Left 4 Dead seems like the game to have this year. Grab a few friends (or make a few if necessary), hop on a server, and have a blast. Rinse and repeat for as long as you like because this game is not going to get old anytime soon. It’s the zombie apocalypse. Bring friends.
Runner-ups:
Fallout 3, Fable 2, Metal Gear Solid 4, GTAIV
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