Game of the Year 2008: 30-21
Christmas is over, all of the games have been released and our hands have had a thorough workout. 2008 has undoubtedly been a fantastic year for gaming, with many of our favourite franchises seeing new releases, not to mention a tide of all new titles. As is tradition at this time of year, Thunderbolt has put together its top 30(ish) games of 2008, of which this is the first part. Disagree? Think we’re idiots? Leave a comment and have your say.
30=. LocoRoco 2
In a time where games generally involve sex, drugs and violence, the original LocoRoco was an entirely refreshing platformer which proved that fun doesn’t have to involve senseless killing. The sequel builds upon this idea to a much greater degree; it’s a game to smile to, a game of pure joy. Levels are lovably designed and compared to the original, offer a huge amount of variation. The central gameplay mechanic hasn’t changed, but it never really needed to in the first place. As well as a pleasant single-player, the amount of unlockables on offer means the game just keeps on giving. LocoRoco 2 is magical.
Oliver Banham
30=. Lego Indiana Jones
From the success of the Lego Star Wars series, Traveller’s Tales have yet again hit the ground running with another George Lucas classic. Taking definitive (and not so definitive) scenes from all three films the game plays out in much the same manner as previously, with Dr. Jones’ college being the game-world hub. You could says it’s as much of a rehash with Indiana Jones textures, but even with the slight graphical improvements it has never been about the direct visuals. You play these games because of the comic-nature that lends itself to Lego - I mean, how can you not laugh at a rolling head with its zombie-like body chasing after it. The memorable characters are all there, all unlockable and playable; the cut-scenes allow you to reminisce, making you want to dig out the DVD for that scene; the rather unnecessary infuriating camera and perspective problems that have you jumping to your doom, again and again. It’s all as you remember it before, it’s as good as before, and now you get to play the ever-enviable Dr. Henry ‘Indiana’ Jones. Just don’t call him Junior.
Steven Chan
30=. Saints Row 2
The sequel to “that game like GTA” on the Xbox 360 more than takes Rockstar’s blockbuster and our Game Of The Year for a run for its money. Far less realistic and lacking in polish and yet somehow much more fun than GTA IV, Saints Row 2 allows gamers to customise their character right down to his or her voice before gunning it through the streets of Stillwater. A story of revenge takes players from every corner of the map, driving different vehicles and, of course, shooting the many weapons available. Locations vary from towering skyscrapers to underground dungeons and your ordinary residences, but the fun is how much carnage you can wreck in and around the city.
James Frazer
29=. Call of Duty: World at War
Even though World War 2 has been slated by the press as a gaming graveyard, I really enjoyed Treyarch’s latest dabble into the Call of Duty series. With an excellent Russian campaign and addictive online mode, there is still large amounts of fun to be had with an engine that is beginning to creak. Unfortunately, if the series is to progress any further, it does look as if Infinity Ward are the team to do it. With that said, World at War amounts to a valiant effort from Treyarch, who improved over Call of Duty 3 considerably.
Nick Akerman
The PlayStation 3 launch was pretty farcical in all honesty, the initial games showed little hope and new titles were taking too long to come out. There were however, two glimmers of light; Resistance: Fall of Man and MotorStorm. MotorStorm was a fantastic off-road arcade racer and now two years later it’s replacement takes over the reins and improves in every area. More vehicles, more tracks, better location and more features out of the box including split-screen for up to four players; this time you get to see the look on you adversaries face as you shove them off the track and plummet to their (temporary) destruction.
Mark Johnson
28=. Castle Crashers
Nutty art fits perfectly with overly violent beat-em-up gameplay, as Castle Crashers proved to us this year. In a similar vein to Left 4 Dead, the great part about Castle Crashers is the highly cooperative multiplayer, pitting you and three other people against hordes and hordes of jaggedly designed enemies. The graphics are colorful, but not distracting, and all of the characters look superb. Castle Crashers is a feast for the eyes and a fantastic multiplayer game to play with friends - and it’s only fifteen dollars!
Bart Robson
Feed the pets, pack the kids off to the grandparents, send the other-half away for the weekend and sit back for the best way to spend a weekend. Football Manager is widely regarded as being the ultimate football management game and with good reason offering arguably the best gameplay and a huge database of players. 2009’s incarnation boasts an overhauled transfer system and most excitingly of all a 3D match engine. Just don’t get too annoyed when your star striker breaks his leg in the first five minutes of the season.
Mark Johnson
Brawl is everything you could possibly have wanted from a sequel: it’s comfortably familiar; there are more characters than you know where to sit them; and it boasts a (for the most part) functioning online mode - as well as retaining the unparalleled joy of local multiplayer. It’s a thoughtfully written love letter to all their fans and perhaps even to Nintendo themselves, who these days are having to prove who their real audience really are anymore. Brawl may have found itself lost this year amongst the big hitters, but when the dust has settled and time has passed, few games from 2008 will still be seeing regular action like Super Smash Bros. Brawl. Plus, can booting that Sony flag bearing, mullet adorning serial murderer between the eyes ever get old?
Craig Nye
28=. Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Vegas 2
The bad guys are loose and have hostages; when the chips are down, who you gonna call? Ghostbusters they aint, instead this crack team of elite special forces are trained in the art of killing terrorists. The beauty of Vegas 2 is commanding your team through debris and seemingly impossible situations to get closer to your overall target. This sequel brings with it some emotional circumstances, such as listening to the thumps on a door grow weaker as a crowd of trapped hostages slowly die from being gassed, and challenging environments where danger lurks in every corner. Almost forgotten since release, Rainbow Six Vegas 2 is certainly one of the top shooters on the market today.
James Frazer
28=. Unreal Tournament 3
Unreal Tournament 3 was undoubtedly one of the most under appreciated arrivals of this year (as well as last year on other platforms). The title delivered all of the fast-paced “twitch style” gunplay that one would expect from the Unreal Tournament series. Put that together with a variety of creative weapons, a bevy of multiplayer modes, and top notch sci-fi visuals powered by the Unreal Engine 3 and you have one of the most popular games of the year right? Ok, maybe not. But run-and-gun aficionados should appreciate all that this shooter has to offer.
Darius Studdard
27. Prince of Persia
Despite an enchanting and beautiful appearance, Prince of Persia suffers from many of the same problems seen with the series after The Sands of Time. With simplistic combat that forces players to tackle the same enemies over and over again, there is something special missing from the overall formula. Throw in largely repetitive platform sections as well, and you have yourself an accomplished, yet extremely modest title that doesn’t quite match up to the competition of 2008.
Nick Akerman
26=. God of War: Chains of Olympus
Proving that handhelds can offer just as epic an adventure as console equivalents, Ready At Dawn delivered a consistently amazing experience on PSP with God of War: Chains of Olympus. The combat was slick and suitably brutal, and neither too complex nor too simple, and the story provided the player with a great background to previous games, answering but also raising questions. And the visuals, well, who ever thought PSP games could look this good? Every inch of the PSP’s power was used to the max with this game, and all for the right reasons, simply marvelous.
Oliver Banham
26=. Mega Man 9
The Blue Bomber returned in 2008 with an 8-bit classic Mega Man game, and it’s as hard and challenging as it was 20 years ago. With a difficulty level as hard as the first two games, Mega Man 9 is the antithesis of Bionic Commando: Re-armed, featuring true-to-form 8-bit graphics that look like they’re straight from the NES and tunes that will get stuck in your head for days as you try to beat all of Dr Wily’s menacing Robot Masters and save the world once again. Do it all over again as Proto Man with the downloadable content pack that enables you to finally play as Mega Man’s mysterious brother. Being able to slide is so next-gen.
Patrick Coakley
26=. PixelJunk Monsters
There’s just something infectious to be found in the organized chaos of PixelJunk Monsters. From the charming colorful graphics to the soothing ambient soundtrack, Q Games has created a truly unique and beautiful take on the tower defense genre. The strategies are simple and easily digested but executing them is where the real fun is hidden, especially when you bring along a friend. PixelJunk Monsters can appeal to everyone, and that’s exactly who should be playing it.
Sean Kelley
As one of those rare titles in the horror genre that is actually frightening, Condemned 2 unfortunately flew a bit under the radar this year. Ethan Thomas’ exploration of a city seemingly on the brink of insanity and his own inner demons is full of several moments that will make you jump out of your seat. Add on some cool forensic investigations that blend in perfectly with the gameplay and you have a surprisingly robust experience. Besides, who knew that beating crazed bums up with a toilet seat could be so much fun?
Darius Studdard
25=. Soul Calibur IV
Fans of fighting games had no further to look in 2008 than Soul Calibur IV. The classic weapons-based fighter returned to its original glory with an incredible package for console gamers to enjoy. Fans of the franchise had no reason to be disappointed this time around with its smooth combat, an insanely addictive player creation mode, and the addition of online play (which, needless to say, adds tremendously to the replay value). In a gaming environment saturated with shooter after shooter, a great fighter like this should certainly be celebrated.
Darius Studdard
24. Banjo Kazooie: Nuts and Bolts
Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts and Bolts is not for everyone. The drastic change in direction threw a lot of people off, but those that give it ago and invest some time will be pleasantly surprised. It still maintains all of the humour and wacky characters from past titles whilst adding a new, innovative way to play. The vehicle creation is easy to get to grips with, and it’s immense fun building your own outlandish creations to just mess around with or use to complete one of the many challenges on offer. Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts and Bolts was overlooked this winter, but it’s a title adding something new to a tired genre that should earn a place in your games library for 2008.
Richard Wakeling
23. Galactic Civilizations II: Twilight of the Arnor
Galactic Civilizations II is the definition an evolving game. Though released in 2006, Galactic Civilizations II is as strong as ever, thanks not only to numerous patches but also to two wonderful expansions, the latest of which is Twilight of the Arnor. This new expansion further reinforces Stardock’s effort to add a unique feel to each race available for play in Galactic Civilizations II by adding unique tech trees to each race. These tech trees can result in dramatically different styles of play, thus increasing the variety of strategies available to the player. Twilight of the Arnor also makes other strides, improving the game engine, improving the AI, adding a larger galaxy size for sandbox play, and adding scenario and campaign editors. The sum total of all of these additions is that Galactic Civilizations II now has virtually everything that a turn-based strategy gamer could want. And it helps that the fundamentals of the game remain strong - the artificial intelligence, always a star, remains strong, as does the well though-out economic model.
Matt Smith
22. Mirror’s Edge
Although not the instant classic many wished for, Mirror’s Edge was a wholly original and exciting adventure. With the aid of vibrant primary colours and a cleverly designed city, DICE have laid the groundwork for what could turn out to be a superb series. Granted, they need to fix the dire ‘combat’ sections and produce an engaging story, but the free-running alone highlights the innovative appeal the series hold.
Nick Akerman
21=. Mass Effect
Representing their first effort for the Xbox 360, Mass Effect takes full advantage of next-gen graphical power, providing one of the most beautiful games to ever be seen on that system. Bioware adds to the impressive graphics scripted sequences that take the concept of the in-game cinematic to the next level. It is obvious from the beginning that Mass Effect intends to be a space opera, but unlike most games, or even movies, which aim for that goal, Mass Effect actually manages to deliver a unique and dramatic world. Mass Effect also manages to raise the bar in other areas, as well. The dialogue system is wonderful. Mass Effect capitalizes on the fact that players often are going to make by-the-gut dialogue choices by providing short, sweet summaries of what the main character will actually say. Mass Effect also advances important but often neglected aspects of story-telling, such as the relationships between characters and the realistic facial expressions. For these reasons, and the quality of the game in-general, Mass Effect will likely prove to be one of the most influential RPGs in years.
Matt Smith
21=. Valkyria Chronicles
The PS3 has been starved of good exclusives thanks to previous staples like Devil May Cry 4 and Final Fantasy XIII jumping ship to the Xbox 360 as well. Valkyria Chronicles is shockingly beautiful, with a rich alternate-history story and great characters. It takes the gameplay of classic strategy RPGs like Fire Emblem and blends it deliciously with tactical shooter controls - a true peanut butter and chocolate moment. It’s a shame that the game has slipped almost entirely under the radar, because it deserves to be thrust under the limelight. A great game - and a new IP, no less - that will unfortunately slip out of memory.
Bart Robson
Read our second Game of the Year article right here.
Comments
wrote on Friday 2nd January 2009
wrote on Friday 2nd January 2009
wrote on Sunday 4th January 2009
Add your own comment