Editing the video games section of GIANT is a tough job, but somebody’s got to do it. After meticulously playing every game from 2008, I complied a “best of the best” list of must have titles from this year. Check them out here:
Best Third Person Shooter:
Gears of War 2 (Xbox 360)
Epic’s gritty anti-alien adventure not only expanded the Gears saga, but also refined the elements that made the original so great. The guts, guns and gory-glory were ever present, and the lengthy campaign and over the top run and gun game play kept your finger on the trigger and ready to slice up Locusts. And if that wasn’t enough to satisfy your appetite for destruction, the online multiplayer and co-op play options added massive amounts of replay value.
Best First Person Shooter
Resistance 2 (PlayStation 3)
Although Resistance 2 fell short in terms of a delivering lengthy single player campaign compared to Resistance: Fall of Man, the 60-player online campaign more than made up for it. Couple those game options with co-op story mode, and you’re essentially getting three games for the price of one. Given the price of video games, that’s a pretty good deal.
Best Social Game
Rock Band 2 (PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Nintendo Wii)
These days, it’s too expensive to go out for drinking and if you’ve stumbled into a karaoke spot that actually plays the music you want to hear, you know it’s going to take more than a few Bud Lights to really get grooving. Enter Rock Band 2. For the one time price of the average Friday night bar hop your whole crew can be thoroughly entertained by each others ability (or inability) to rock out on the guitar, bass, drums and mic.
Most Addictive Game
LittleBigPlanet (Playstation 3)
Why play through other people’s games when you can create your own? Seamless incorporating platforming elements with quirky fun, LittleBigPlanet proves that a game doesn’t need to have over the top violence in order to be fun. From a social aspect, it’s also one of the most engaging titles, allowing users to share the levels that they’ve made with other players through the PlayStation Network.
Best RPG
Fable II (Xbox 360)
“Should I live my life as a law abiding citizen and marry one mate and raise a family while embarking on an epic quest for revenge? Or should I loot, pillage and slaughter while committing varying degrees of adultery on my epic quest for revenge?
These are the questions you’re faced with in Fable II. And depending on what actions you choose to take, the look of your character will change. It’s the varying levels of morals that you choose to (or not) adhere to that make Fable II such a unique experience to go through.
Best Nintendo Wii Game
Super Smash Bros. Brawl
Equally addictive for the casual player as it is for the hardcore gamer, the third entry into the series dropped in slick gameplay and mixed it with the familiar Super Mario Bros. mechanics of jumping and hitting. Sometimes the best video games are the simplest ones.
Best DS Game
GRID
Packing a solid racing experience into the DS was no easy task, but Codemasters managed to pull it off while also adding elements not seen in Xbox 360 and PS3 version of the game. With the inclusion of the track creator, players could create their own tracks and share them with friends. Couple that with the licensed cars and the fact that GRID is set up to feel like you’re playing a console game in the palm of your hands and you’ll be as fast as you are furious.
Best PSP Game
Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII
In addition to being one of the best RPGs to ever hit the PlayStation Portable, Crisis Core‘s mix of new and old Final Fantasy elements, interlocking storylines and rich graphics also make it one best RPGs to drop in the last three years on any platform.
Best Game of 2008
Grand Theft Auto IV (PlayStation 3, Xbox 360)
The most visually compelling and robust Grand Theft Auto, ever. IV takes it “there”. And there, is almost anywhere you want it to be.
60+ hours of game play, loads of side missions, a compelling story line, multitude of hidden gems and an open world where cash is king and guns are the tools of the trade, made Rockstar’s first foray into next-gen consoles a must buy, must play and must replay.
