best-of-2008 posts (Subscribe to this feed)

Alright, perhaps "debate" is a somewhat enthusiastic label for a question none of us have ever seriously considered. Which is more worthy of a prestigious award -- the cratered theater of war in Activision's Call of Duty 4, or the smiling planetoids of Super Mario Galaxy? We can't come up with a way to decide, which is precisely why we're grateful that the GAME British Academy Video Games Awards (for games that are sold by GAME) have decided to lump both into the "Best Game" category:

• Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare
• Fable II
• Fallout 3
• Grand Theft Auto IV
• Rock Band
• Super Mario Galaxy

Before you object to the British Academy of Film and Television Arts' seemingly outdated choices, note that the period of valid entries spans October 26, 2007 to December 31, 2008 due to an earlier delay in ceremonies. The messy result, of course, is two Novembers duking it out. You'll see the rest of the quality-riddled categories after the break.

Who cares which games Joystiq lovingly selected as 2008's best? The only games that count are the ones chosen by George Washington and Ben Franklin, and we don't mean Imagine Founderz. We're talking about the top-selling titles of the year. By combining some platform-spanning SKUs, MTV came up with what it thinks is the most accurate top 5, more so than the one released by the NPD earlier this month.

The top slot is still held by Wii Play, but we think you'll be surprised by how the other four positions shake out. See the full list right after the break.

Penny Arcade Adventures: On the Rain-Slick Precipice of Darkness
It's almost a no-brainer if you know me: Take the Penny Arcade "universe," send it back in time, turn it into an episodic video game – blending old-school adventure and Final Fantasy-style turn-based RPG mechanics – and then have PA's Jerry Holkins (aka Tycho) handle the writing while adventure-game legend Ron Gilbert pitches in with design. Oh, and then release it on every platform under the sun, including Windows, Mac OS X, Linux, Xbox Live Arcade, and PSN. Perfection.

Oh, and the first installment was really great (I'm still working through Episode 2).

We know we asked you about the most surprising game of 2008, but which was your overall favorite? We know this can be difficult, seeing as how the DS was the recipient of many amazing games this year. But, hey, that's how it is for that wonderful handheld.

Which of the plethora of great games that released in 2008 would you say was the best of the bunch? Was it on our list?

We're quite amazed we haven't asked you this yet, to tell the truth. It's pretty straightforward. What Wii game would you crown as best of the lot in 2008? Is it a WiiWare game? Is it a retail game? Was it on our list?

"Wait, did he just start his list with Spider-Man: Web of Shadows?" Yes, internet. Yes, I absolutely did. Besides being the best superhero game ever made, WoS also featured some genuinely funny writing, an addictive RPG-lite structure and utterly fantastic combat. It was fun from beginning to end and I want to play it again right now. Critical darling? No, it wasn't. But this is how I'm rolling this year, so deal with it.

You really should have seen my personal top five for our GOTY voting. It was flawless, just a gorgeous amalgamation of hardcore favorites with just enough love for the casual crowd. It was so good, in fact, that I'm going to completely flip out and use my best of the rest picks as indulgently as I possibly can.

Prince of Persia
Wait ... really? This is in my personal list and not our main top ten? Look, I love my coworkers, but I'm going to punch them all in their stupid, stupid faces for this disgrace. Prince of Persia is one of this year's most elegantly designed games, one that does away with disruptive deaths and punishing repetition. While I'll concede that the difficulty posed to veteran platforming fans (myself included) is minor, I think it's naive to believe that every game is -- or should be -- designed with a similar, player-opposed intent and structure. This game and its seamless expression of motion isn't meant to be beaten, but enjoyed and absorbed. It's inspired, poetic and even funny. So what if it was easy?

Culdcept Saga
Culdcept's unique blending of Monopoly and card collecting finally tapped these shores in February. Though the series has never enjoyed much recognition outside of Japan, take one trip around the board and you'll see why Culdcept Saga remains one of the most addictive and fun strategy games available for any platform.

Peter Man Tell 'Em has kicked off '09 with a wildly entertaining review of Eurogamer's "Top 50 Games of 2008," headlining with the question on all of our minds: Where The FIFA? From the outset, Peter Moore's rant makes it clear that his is a man's world, summoning well wishes for his distinctly heterosexual males club -- also known as EA Sports Nation: "I hope you all have had a restful few days and have been able to get your sports fix in front of the TV without your wife/girlfriend/mom/mum giving you a bad time ... "

In Peter Man's real talk, there is no place for the seemingly sissy; games like Bangai-O Spirits or World of Goo. And Tomb Raider in the Top 50? No thanks. Who wants to play as ... a girl? (Note: Please excuse Boom Blox and Mirror's Edge's apparent lack of manliness -- trust Moore, it's in the game.) But, beneath the posturing exterior, Peter Man drops hints of latent insecurity. Though Moore has membership in an elite fraternity of buff game execs (true story: the presidency was decided by an arm wrestling match between Moore and Strauss -- guess who won?), he is just as susceptible as the rest of us are to body image issues perpetuated by games. How could Peter Man not be threatened by the sheer power of the Bangai-O bots? Or the Goo's killer combo of unrivaled flexibility and unnerving strength? Or Ms. Lara's emasculating sexuality?

The real tell, though, is this: "I was surprised to see Wii Fit included [at #25], which I thought would make the top 10," writes Moore. Clearly, this is a man obsessed with mastering the physical potentials of the body. A perfect fit for EA Sports, then. And a great businessman to boot. While the media continues the "Wii dissing," Peter Man is heaping on the Nintendo praise. After all, a man's world is measured by units. And no one put more units in gamers' hands -- heck! under their feet, too -- than Nintendo did last year.

While the PSP library was rather small this year, it still had a number of high quality gems (all released in the first half of 2008). The diversity of PSP's library is reflected in the diversity of critic's choices for their PSP Game of the Year. We chose God of War, but other outlets had differing ideas.

• GamePro chose Patapon as handheld GOTY. "This hasn't been the best year for portable systems, but there were a few bright spots. The PSP, surprisingly, garnered 75 percent of the vote."
• GameTrailers chose God of War: Chains of Olympus. "It has it all. And it has it on the go."
• GameSpot chose Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII. "The ending is also one of the most emotional moments in gaming, and the ability to achieve this level of storytelling on the PSP is an incredible feat. Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII is not only one of the best games on the PSP, but it's one of the best role-playing games we've seen in a long time."
• GameSpy chose God of War: Chains of Olympus. "Ready at Dawn's graceful touch makes Chains of Olympus feel like a real handheld experience rather than a PS2 game with a smaller screen and longer load times."
• IGN chose Patapon. "It's just pure, simple, unadulterated fun, and it's fun that quickly spirals into outright addiction as more commands and unit types are unlocked throughout the course of the game."

Choosing a GOTY in 2008 was far more difficult than in 2007. Why? The number of great games on PS3 exploded in 2008. However, the writers and readers of PS3 Fanboy both agreed on one game: Metal Gear Solid 4. It was a tough vote, with LittleBigPlanet creeping in right behind it.

Last year, critics were pretty much unanimous about one choice: Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare. However, the diversity of PS3's lineup this year shows how even the critics are varied in their choice for PS3 GOTY. Here are what some other outlets chose:

• GamePro chose LittleBigPlanet as PS3 and overall GOTY. "Despite the deluge of ultra-violent shooters, our favorite game this year was the user-fueled platforming fun of LittleBigPlanet."
• GameTrailers chose Grand Theft Auto 4 as PS3 and overall GOTY. "The game manages to create characters and situations that make you genuinely care."
• GameSpot chose Metal Gear Solid 4 as PS3 and overall GOTY. "It's surprisingly easy to pick up and, at the risk of sounding cliche, it's almost impossible to put down even after you've beaten it."
• GameSpy chose LittleBigPlanet (but chose Fallout 3 as its overall GOTY). "There's nothing like this game anywhere else, and that's the beauty of LittleBigPlanet."
• IGN chose Metal Gear Solid 4. "Metal Gear Solid managed to tie almost every plot point together, piled on the cinematic flair and played more accessibly than any previous game in the series"
• Joystiq chose Metal Gear Solid 4 as their top PS3 game of the year. "MGS4 experiments with previously unknown possibilities of the medium (you know, it's "innovative"), while sticking to some established conventions."

Prince of Persia
I spent an entire day writing this one paragraph, trying to figure out how to best describe how I feel about the game. Two of the three words I wrote down -- poetic, elegant, artistic -- happen to be in Ludwig's Best of the Rest entry for it, and given that you've probably heard that angle ad infinitum from other sources as well, let me instead discuss the optional dialogue, which at times made me laugh as much as Monkey Island did years ago. Protip: Whenever possible, hit the "Talk to Elika" button until the camera stops zooming in -- trust us, you don't want to miss the I Spy conversation. No offense to my Joystiq colleagues, but it's a shame this didn't make it into the Top Ten.

Rock Band 2
If one wanted to know the depths of my love for this series, they'd need only observe two things -- my battered, cymbal-expanded, wireless RB2 drum kit, and the two bottle cap-sized blisters currently pulsating beneath the pinkies of my two hands.

This game didn't get much GOTY chatter this year for being a "glorified expansion pack" -- but Harmonix should be recognized for putting together a package that fixes literally every problem with the already-amazing original. They should also be recognized for dropping the best soundtrack of any rhythm game, ever. Costello? Talking Heads? Interpol? Dinosaur Jr.? Harmonix, you spoil me.

God of War: Chains of Olympus
Albeit quite a bit shorter than the console installments, this portable chapter in one of my all-time favorite series was just as lovely, action-packed, and wonderfully presented as its "big brothers." It's a shame that a PS2 port hasn't been made -- or at least a downloadable version playable on PS3.