61 Frames Per Second : top 10 of 2008

My Top 10 of 2008 in No Particular Order: Mother 3

Bob Mackey — Tue, 23 Dec 2008 17:00:00 GMT

It's the end of another year, and that can only mean one thing: it's list season. Inevitably, you're going to see top ten lists by the thousands; and, as an official member of the enthusiast press, I'm afraid I can't violate my directive. But, to make things a little more interesting, I've decided to assemble my 10 favorite games of this year in non-hierarchical form because--let's face facts--it's hard to pick a favorite. And unlike other top 10 lists, this one will be doled out to you in piecemeal for--oh wait, we've reach the end of the list! Thanks for playing.

I know, I know; Mother 3 didn't come out in 2008--its Japanese release date was April of 2006. But none of that matters when you're a love-starved Earthbound fan looking for his next fix--and besides, who's writing this list, you or me? Sorry for getting a bit emotional there, but I can't help it; Mother 3 is a game worth getting emotional about. Finally getting a sequel to something you've loved for over thirteen years is a pretty monumental event, especially when said sequel doesn't pee all over what made its predecessor good in the first place. Mother 3 may be tad different than Earthbound, but in keeping with the tradition of the series, it's completely unlike any game out there--despite being built on a very old, Dragon Quest-y foundation. And thanks to the heroic efforts of Tomato and his translation team, Mother 3 might just be my favorite game of the year. I now regret never ranking my list entries.

But my love of Mother 3 shouldn't come as a shock to any of you loyal readers out there; the fact that about 50% of my output on 61FPS has been entries about all things Mother proves that I'm absolutely crazy about the series in a "this man must be institutionalized for his own safety" kind of way. When the Mother 3 translation patch hit in late October, I celebrated the event by heading over to Fan Gamer and forking over some serious cash for unofficial Earthbound merchandise. I guess we should consider ourselves lucky that a game with such a troubled development history actually turned out good; otherwise, there wouldn't be such a call for celebration or the irresponsible spending of semi-disposable income. Of course, I haven't exactly finished the game yet, but unless it somehow makes all of my limbs fall off after exploding the final boss, Mother 3 deserves its ranking at the top of my best games of 2008 list.

Thanks for following these installments of the past few weeks; I'll be back in 2009 with more baffling choices. Happy new year!

The Final List:

Audiosurf
Braid
Grand Theft Auto IV
Fable 2
Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney
Persona 3: FES
Geometry Wars: Retro Evolved 2
Dragon Quest IV: Chapters of the Chosen
Rock Band 2
Mother 3

My Top 10 of 2008 in No Particular Order: Dragon Quest IV: Chapters of the Chosen

Bob Mackey — Fri, 19 Dec 2008 17:00:00 GMT

It's the end of another year, and that can only mean one thing: it's list season. Inevitably, you're going to see top ten lists by the thousands; and, as an official member of the enthusiast press, I'm afraid I can't violate my directive. But, to make things a little more interesting, I've decided to assemble my 10 favorite games of this year in non-hierarchical form because--let's face facts--it's hard to pick a favorite. And unlike other top 10 lists, this one will be doled out to you in piecemeal over the next several excruciating days! Please enjoy.

It seems that surprise has been a common factor in nearly all of my top ten of 2008 entries; with quite a few of the games that ended up as my favorites this year, I either didn't know what to expect, or I wasn't expecting much. But the DS remake of Dragon Quest IV was a little different--after all, it was a Dragon Quest game, and those buggers are about as familiar as you can get. Of course, I assumed the same thing of Square's Final Fantasy IV remake earlier in the summer, only to find the impressive technical improvements outweighed by a baffling new skill system and an unwarranted increase in difficulty. Thankfully, Dragon Quest IV: Chapters of the Chosen took a markedly different path; instead of warping its gentle features into the twisted form of a more modern RPG, the Enix side of Square Enix (and I can only assume the company is run this way) decided to preserve the super-fast, super-addictive game play of the original title by sprucing up the graphics a tiny bit, and generally making the already-simple NES RPG even more user friendly than it was in 1990.

For me, a lot of the joy caused by Dragon Quest IV came from the simple fact that I was finally able to play it. My story probably doesn't differ from most American console RPG fans who were getting into the genre at its least popular point: I had asked for Dragon Warrior III and IV for two different Christmases, but Enix's tiny print runs forced my parents to find alternatives (one of these was Crystalis, so I didn't have it too bad). And the original PSX version of DQIV's remake--which is what the DS version is based on--was promised in the American Dragon Warrior VII manual, but never actually came to America. When I finally got a chance to sit down with the game some 18 years after its original release date, I wasn't surprised to see how timeless it was--after all, that's what Dragon Quest is known for--but I was surprised to see how the dramatic departure from the typical Dragon Quest formula worked so well. Dragon Quest IX looks to be the same sort of shake-up, and I'm trying my best to stay alive for its inevitable American release. And you should do the same.

Related Links

My Top 10 of 2008 in No Particular Order: Audiosurf
My Top 10 of 2008 in No Particular Order: Braid
My Top 10 of 2008 in No Particular Order: Grand Theft Auto IV
My Top 10 of 2008 in No Particular Order: Fable 2
My Top 10 of 2008 in No Particular Order: Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney
My Top 10 of 2008 in No Particular Order: Persona 3: FES
My Top 10 of 2008 in No Particular Order: Geometry Wars: Retro Evolved 2

My Top 10 of 2008 in No Particular Order: Geometry Wars: Retro Evolved 2

Bob Mackey — Thu, 18 Dec 2008 21:00:00 GMT

It's the end of another year, and that can only mean one thing: it's list season. Inevitably, you're going to see top ten lists by the thousands; and, as an official member of the enthusiast press, I'm afraid I can't violate my directive. But, to make things a little more interesting, I've decided to assemble my 10 favorite games of this year in non-hierarchical form because--let's face facts--it's hard to pick a favorite. And unlike other top 10 lists, this one will be doled out to you in piecemeal over the next several excruciating days! Please enjoy.

Since I jumped on the current-gen bandwagon so late, the modern twin-stick shooter was an unfamiliar concept to me. I'd played a few of the old-school predecessors like Robotron and Smash TV, but, before picking up a 360, I didn't really understand how such limited gameplay could possibly hold my attention in our futuristic age of bells and whistles. Obviously, I hadn't yet experienced any of the Geometry Wars games at that point in time--otherwise, I would have been aware of my complete and utter wrongness. Geometry Wars 2's lack of superficial complexity is almost a necessity--with its insanely twitchy, adrenaline-pumping close calls, I don't think my brain could have handled much more than move, shoot, and bomb. And in applying these few concepts to six completely different game modes, developer Bizarre Creations makes developing stratgies a requirement for success--kind of unexpected from a game that, at first glance, looks like a screen saver gone horribly wrong.

My best memories of Geometry Wars 2 involve how it fostered in me a hatred for my fellow man. Displaying your friends' top ten scores before you start any game mode was an evil stroke of Genius on Bizarre Creations' part; never before in my life had I felt such a strong desire to destroy people I didn't even know. Every time my dinky little score would move its way up the chart, I would feel a sense of accomplishment that didn't even come when I graduated from college. And yet, there were constant reminders of my inferiority by those jerks (who I assume were cheating) that had scores I could never reach in my wildest dreams. It's true that I haven't picked up the game in a few months, but that's only because I've been training in secret. One day, history books will speak of my amazing score in Waves. Or not.

Related Links

My Top 10 of 2008 in No Particular Order: Audiosurf
My Top 10 of 2008 in No Particular Order: Braid
My Top 10 of 2008 in No Particular Order: Grand Theft Auto IV
My Top 10 of 2008 in No Particular Order: Fable 2
My Top 10 of 2008 in No Particular Order: Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney
My Top 10 of 2008 in No Particular Order: Persona 3: FES

My Top 10 of 2008 in No Particular Order: Persona 3: FES

Bob Mackey — Thu, 18 Dec 2008 04:00:00 GMT

It's the end of another year, and that can only mean one thing: it's list season. Inevitably, you're going to see top ten lists by the thousands; and, as an official member of the enthusiast press, I'm afraid I can't violate my directive. But, to make things a little more interesting, I've decided to assemble my 10 favorite games of this year in non-hierarchical form because--let's face facts--it's hard to pick a favorite. And unlike other top 10 lists, this one will be doled out to you in piecemeal over the next several excruciating days! Please enjoy.

I really didn't know what to expect when I picked up Persona 3: FES; I was initially drawn to the game by its budget price of 30 bucks, and the fact that I was about to have a lot of free time on my hands. My brief flirtations with the Shin Megami Tensei series usually ended in frustration--chalk that up to the fact that I only started messing around with the franchise with SMT: Nocturne, which was notoriously difficult. But Persona 3 was a pleasant surprise, aside from its typically slow JRPG start where you're not actually allowed to do anything for several hours. I wasted over 100 hours of my late spring/early summer 2008 time on this game, but that's really nothing to be ashamed of; Persona is a pretty good way to waste your life.

I've been doing my best to avoid Persona 4; as I've blogged in the past, I know that it'll take up most of my well-deserved multiple-week break from academia. But, since writing that initial post, I've been growing weaker and weaker. And I know what's going to happen. The rational part of my brain will say, "Yes, but you still need to finish the bonus content of Persona 3!" Then, after succumbing to my desires, Ol' Mr. Rational will spout, "But Bobbbbb, it's an Atlus game! You need to get a copy before you can't get one at all anymore!" Then, when my copy arrives in the mail, I'll say, "Hey, no harm in checking it out for just a few minutes, right?"

In other words, please stay tuned for my Best of 2009 list, where Persona 4 will undoubtedly make an appearance.

:(

Related Links

My Top 10 of 2008 in No Particular Order: Audiosurf
My Top 10 of 2008 in No Particular Order: Braid
My Top 10 of 2008 in No Particular Order: Grand Theft Auto IV
My Top 10 of 2008 in No Particular Order: Fable 2
My Top 10 of 2008 in No Particular Order: Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney

Joe’s Top Ten Games of 2008 – Number One

Joe Keiser — Tue, 16 Dec 2008 19:00:00 GMT

The official mandate has come down from the top—that it is December, and we all write about games, so we all have to pick some arbitrary number of them that we enjoyed above all others this year. I am taking on this task in the way of our forefathers, using their traditional number (10) and order (from great to most greatest). Games were chosen for this list using a highly scientific list of criteria, including but not limited to dopamine levels, blood alcohol content, tarot, and how badly I wanted a button making machine upon completion. This is my game of the year.

1. The World Ends With You

This one surprised me too, but the more I thought about it, the more I couldn’t justify not putting this vast, strange, innovative and compelling portable game at the top of my list. There’s a lot to think about here, so let’s dive right in.

The World Ends With You is, at its heart, about cacophony. It’s about the cacophony of urban living—too many people, too many sounds, too many thoughts and banal life stories. It’s about the cacophony of capitalism—too many constantly swirling brands and fads, too many “friendships” borne purely of what you buy and what you own. It’s a game about surviving the barrage, about blocking out the white noise to find your own value in the meaninglessness.

The story follows the meaning. It’s about a teenager who endures the constant assault on his senses by keeping it all out, and the strange, surreal events of a fatal game that forces him to confront and engage in life. But most interesting is that the mechanics of the game also follow along, and yet are somehow workable.

There’re a seemingly endless number of pins to collect, and each one performs differently in battle, and its abilities change again in the (admittedly kind of lame) minigame tin pin slammer. It’s not always clear what every pin does, sometimes even after they are tried. And even the individual pins aren’t static, evolving upon frequent use into strange new forms.

The battle system is actually two battle systems at once, with the pin-based system on the bottom and a variety of other systems on top. Success at the highest level demands success on both screens, which can sometimes feel like you need two brains and four eyeballs. There’s a myriad of ways to engage the enemy—in groups or alone, at any difficulty level you want, wearing specific brands. It’s a cacophony of design, and as a result players quickly educate themselves to cull whatever they deem meaningless and find the most effective means of survival. And once again, we’re back to enduring the barrage. The Worlds Ends With You is completely focused in how it presents and expects you to deal with chaos.

And it works, perhaps because this is how people actually live—it’s completely organic and satisfying, rarely overwhelming unless the player pushes to discover more. It’s no coincidence that the game takes place in the real life Tokyo district of Shibuya. The World Ends With You is saying something about the urban lifestyle.

If I were a teenager when this came out, this would unquestionably be my favorite game ever. Nowadays I have to look past rather than revel in its emo, thanatophilic story to get to the heart and beauty of the game; and yet even that feels in line with what how this game wants me to experience it. And experience it I did, several times in quick succession. It’s the DS’s most ambitious, best game, a classic of this age in gaming, and my choice for the number one title of the year.

Related Articles:

Joe's Top 10 Games of 2008 - Special Jury Prizes, Part 1, Part 2, Part 3
10 Games Nadia Played Instead of Working: The World Ends With You, Super Smash Bros Brawl
Bob's Top 10 of 2008 in No Particular Order: Audiosurf, Braid, Grand Theft Auto IV
Derrick's Top 13 Games of 2008 - Part 1, Part 2, Part 3
What Amber Didn't Play in 2008
Time Magazine's Top 10 Games of 2008

My Top 10 of 2008 in No Particular Order: Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney

Bob Mackey — Tue, 16 Dec 2008 19:00:00 GMT

It's the end of another year, and that can only mean one thing: it's list season. Inevitably, you're going to see top ten lists by the thousands; and, as an official member of the enthusiast press, I'm afraid I can't violate my directive. But, to make things a little more interesting, I've decided to assemble my 10 favorite games of this year in non-hierarchical form because--let's face facts--it's hard to pick a favorite. And unlike other top 10 lists, this one will be doled out to you in piecemeal over the next several excruciating days! Please enjoy.

Back in early 2006, when I picked up the first DS Phoenix Wright, I really didn't know what I was getting into. Sure, the novelty of the whole "lawyer sim" thing would've been enough to carry me through at least one game, but thankfully, Phoenix Wright was more than just a gimmick. For nearly two years, I found myself wrapped up in the epic trilogy of Phoenix Wright (at around 15-20 hours' worth of reading in each one, they'd make J.K. Rowling balk) until its inevitable end in late 2007's Trials and Tribulations. But after the wrapping up of Capcom's convoluted tale, I still wanted more--and after staring at the same dated sprites for three whole games, it was about time for a DS-developed lawyer quest, as Capcom had teased with the substantial bonus mission at the end of Ace Attorney. Capcom eventually promised to grant nearly all of my wishes with a brand-new installment in their created genre, but I was a little skeptical that the replacement of protagonist Phoenix Wright with some new, young pup would sour me on the sequel.

To be honest, Apollo Justice is almost exactly like the young naive Phoenix we saw in the first game--which is why it makes sense that the latter acts as his makeshift mentor. But the developers realized that the Wright archetypes of harried lawyer and ditzy assistant worked well for three installments, and this is true in Apollo as well. Tying in the history of the Phoenix series to Apollo was also a brilliant move, even though I wish a few more of the Phoenix characters would have popped up here and there; still, this technique worked well to bridge the two stories and start Apollo off on an epic quest of his own that the game promises by leaving so many plot threads hanging by the end. I'm really hoping we see a sequel announced soon; at the moment, Capcom's next game in the series is drastically different and stars Miles Edgeworth from the Phoenix trilogy. I fear that without any real conclusion to Apollo's story, I may have to turn to... fan fiction.

...Pray for me.

Related Links

My Top 10 of 2008 in No Particular Order: Audiosurf
My Top 10 of 2008 in No Particular Order: Braid
My Top 10 of 2008 in No Particular Order: Grand Theft Auto IV
My Top 10 of 2008 in No Particular Order: Fable 2

Joe’s Top Ten Games of 2008 – Part Three

Joe Keiser — Mon, 15 Dec 2008 16:00:00 GMT

The official mandate has come down from the top—that it is December, and we all write about games, so we all have to pick some arbitrary number of them that we enjoyed above all others this year. I am taking on this task in the way of our forefathers, using their traditional number (10) and order (from great to most greatest). Games were chosen for this list using a highly scientific list of criteria, including but not limited to dopamine levels, blood alcohol content, darts, and how well the box art fit into my photo mosaic of Satoru Iwata. Today is #4-#2.

4. No More Heroes

I don’t think I’ve ever cackled with glee more often at a game than I have at No More Heroes. It’s the ultimate otaku fantasy simulator, and it revels in obsession and bombast. It’s also the ultimate otaku simulator, and it revels in loneliness and sociopathy. Were the clunky town-based elements a bad impersonation of western sandbox design, or a cynical elbow to the ribs of western sandbox design? Is it a legitimately great game or a bad game that’s ironically great, and could it somehow be both? And what was up with that real ending? For No More Heroes, a game that loves and hates itself in equal measure, these questions could be debated endlessly. The most outrageous game of the year, and the must-play of the last twelve months that most people didn’t.

3. Grand Theft Auto IV

I’m fine with pouring the backlash on GTA IV. The game sold approximately five hojillion copies, so it can take it. But it’s important to not let that backlash become the entirety of the dialogue about the game, because the game accomplished so much. Niko Bellic, an unattractive man haunted by a violent life in Serbia, was a bold choice for the protagonist of a mainstream game. Liberty City was a palpable game world that stood at the forefront of environmental design both stylistically and, for a time, technically. It never held back, but it also didn’t court controversy for the sake of it. It always felt like it had something to say. And yes, it was a blast to play, the controls finally refined so it didn’t feel like you were in a constant battle with them (only an infrequent battle). It’s the best Grand Theft Auto by a country mile, it made me a fan of the series, and it’s also the first time I’ve been proud of the franchise for the way in which it represents the medium to the nation at large. The vast majority of GTA IV is what’s right about gaming, not what’s wrong with it—and to see that diminished in the face of PC bug discussions and whether or not the ending crumbled would be sad.

2. Rock Band 2

I spent most of 2008 playing Rock Band, and loving every second of it. But Rock Band 2 completely obsolesces its predecessor in every way, thanks to the most consumer-friendly feature list ever devised by a developer. Just about every issue with the first game, from nitpicking interface problems to frustrating band requirements, were all eliminated. The track list was of course killer but the game also included backwards compatibility with not just all downloaded songs, but the songs on the original game’s disc. The new online elements are interesting, varied, and keep Harmonix constantly in touch with the community. The DLC content grows without bound, getting better all the time. The only reason Rock Band 2 is not my number one game of the year is because most of the innovation happened in the 2007 version. But the series will end up defining the generation for me. This is the height of rhythm gaming, the height of party gaming, and the height of cooperative gaming. It might also just be the height of layperson ways to experience music.

Related Articles:

Joe's Top 10 Games of 2008 - Special Jury Prizes, Part 1, Part 2
10 Games Nadia Played Instead of Working: The World Ends With You, Super Smash Bros Brawl
Bob's Top 10 of 2008 in No Particular Order: Audiosurf, Braid, Grand Theft Auto IV
Derrick's Top 13 Games of 2008 - Part 1, Part 2, Part 3
What Amber Didn't Play in 2008
Time Magazine's Top 10 Games of 2008

My Top 10 of 2008 in No Particular Order: Fable 2

Bob Mackey — Mon, 15 Dec 2008 16:00:00 GMT

It's the end of another year, and that can only mean one thing: it's list season. Inevitably, you're going to see top ten lists by the thousands; and, as an official member of the enthusiast press, I'm afraid I can't violate my directive. But, to make things a little more interesting, I've decided to assemble my 10 favorite games of this year in non-hierarchical form because--let's face facts--it's hard to pick a favorite. And unlike other top 10 lists, this one will be doled out to you in piecemeal over the next several excruciating days! Please enjoy.

One of the major reasons Fable II surprised me with its greatness is that Lionhead's medieval sequel was completely off of my radar until I needed something to play in October. Before that, the last time I had flirted with any of Peter Molyneux's creations was 1999's Dungeon Keeper II--and many would've agreed that was the perfect place to leave the ambitious developer behind. But Fable II was a redemption for Molyneux, and one he desperately needed, at that; after nearly an entire decade of disappointments, gamers were getting less and less interested in the shit he'd been shoveling. Thankfully, Fable II is remarkably less fecal than his 00 output--it's actually damned good.

Looking back at all of the time I spent with GTAIV makes me wish that Fable II had been released in the early summer. The two games are completely opposed in design, yet they each offer their own massive areas to explore; Fable II, however, remembers that it's a video game, so it actually gives you things to do in its world. What little story exists in Fable II sits quietly in the background as you take advantage of all the little systems the game has to offer. Sure, it's glitchy, and just a little too easy--I don't even remember dying once--but Fable II basically lets you play God (a Molyneux standby) to the people of Albion, instead of permitting you to be impressed with a large, sterile world you can ice skate around in.

And hell, Fable II is the first time a game made me turn completely evil. I plan on taking it on another spin at some point in the future, if only to see what it's like to live a life where I don't kick chickens and marry multiple whores. If only real life offered such options.

Related Links:

My Top 10 of 2008 in No Particular Order: Audiosurf
My Top 10 of 2008 in No Particular Order: Braid
My Top 10 of 2008 in No Particular Order: Grand Theft Auto IV

Joe’s Top Ten Games of 2008 – Part Two

Joe Keiser — Fri, 12 Dec 2008 18:00:00 GMT

The official mandate has come down from the top—that it is December, and we all write about games, so we all have to pick some arbitrary number of them that we enjoyed above all others this year. I am taking on this task in the way of our forefathers, using their traditional number (10) and order (from great to most greatest). Games were chosen for this list using a highly scientific list of criteria, including but not limited to dopamine levels, blood alcohol content, dice rolls, and the likelihood that the game contains secret spreadsheets full of crime. Today is #7-#5.

7. Mirror’s Edge

Mirror’s Edge isn’t perfect by any stretch of the imagination, but in terms of adding to the language of the medium it’s probably the most important of the year. Prior to Mirror’s Edge, first-person platforming pretty much didn’t work (Jumping Flash aside); now it does, and it does in a gripping way that ensures it will be badly copied by many first-person shooters to come. But the way the platforming was handled also, perhaps more than any other game ever, made the player feel like they were truly inhabiting the body of the protagonist. Mirror’s Edge has a moment, and only one, where the camera leaves the point of view of Faith. It’s the most powerful gaming moment of 2008.

6. Persona 3: FES

I clocked over 80 hours in Persona 3, a game I bought in 2007, ignored, and then bought again in FES form in 2008. You’ve heard it before, but it’s worth repeating that this, alongside Final Fantasy XII, is one of the crowning RPG achievements of the PS2-led generation. The game’s nighttime combat was intensely dangerous, forcing you to rely on pre-battle preparation, in-battle on-the-fly strategizing, and ally AI that actually worked reliably (most of the time). The daytime relationship building was characterized by fantastic writing and a variety of interesting characters to interact with. Both of the elements were integrated completely by the well-executed social link system. The end result was a tight and unified gameplay experience that was gripping and loaded with heart.

5. Fallout 3

The Capital Wasteland of Fallout 3 is, as far as I’ve experienced, the most believable game world that has ever been rendered—it’s massive, reasonably empty, palpably terrifying, and even the repetitive elements smacked of the 50s-era obsession with manufacturing. And having spent a fair amount of time in DC in my college years, seeing it shattered but still recognizable was deeply affecting, to me becoming a place I had to save. Character growth and the VATs combat system played havoc with the part of my brain devoted to twinking. The wealth of places to explore was likewise overwhelming, as 70 hours in I still hadn’t seen all there was to see in the game. Part of the reason for that was a need to move on, but there’s also a part of me that never wants to see that game end.

Related Articles:

Joe's Top 10 Games of 2008 - Special Jury Prizes, Part 1
10 Games Nadia Played Instead of Working: The World Ends With You, Super Smash Bros Brawl
Bob's Top 10 of 2008 in No Particular Order: Audiosurf, Braid, Grand Theft Auto IV
Derrick's Top 13 Games of 2008 - Part 1, Part 2, Part 3
What Amber Didn't Play in 2008
Time Magazine's Top 10 Games of 2008

Joe’s Top Ten Games of 2008 – Part One

Joe Keiser — Thu, 11 Dec 2008 22:00:00 GMT

The official mandate has come down from the top—that it is December, and we all write about games, so we all have to pick some arbitrary number of them that we enjoyed above all others this year. I am taking on this task in the way of our forefathers, using their traditional number (10) and order (from great to most greatest). Games were chosen for this list using a highly scientific list of criteria, including but not limited to dopamine levels, blood alcohol content, coin flips, and the rate at which the number of in-game explosions approached infinity. Today is #10-#8.

10. Fable 2

I played Fable 2 during a two-week period in which I saw some significant real-life difficulties, so the game’s emotional moments, being fiction, didn’t resonate as strongly with me as they did with others. But that doesn’t mean I didn’t appreciate the risks the game took or the choices it forced the player to make. Yet while it went further than most games, it still didn’t go far enough, with punishment for doing the right thing in the face of temptation still being too easy to make up for later. But the game play was there; Fable 2’s shallow but broad mechanics encouraged experimentation while making sure there was always something new to try.

9. Mother 3

Yeah, this is a recent fan translation of an old GBA game. I don’t need to explain it, you know all about it already. The translation itself shamed some professional efforts, as it was flavorful but didn’t diminish any of the game’s most affecting moments. And the game itself was fantastic—it floated several candid depictions of loss on a sea of outrageous absurdity, a combination of themes that you’ll recall was loved by your college English professor. It’s easy to see why Nintendo opted to not bring this out in the States, as Mother 3 has a combination of themes and content that makes it almost impossible to market. But it was that combination that made Mother 3 one of the most unique and powerful titles in recent memory.

8. Spore

I feel like a lot of people didn’t really understand what Spore was trying to do, and why it was one of the year’s best games. Complaints like that most of the game modes weren’t fleshed out or complex enough were ridiculous—forcing players to figure out a whole new complicated set of interconnected rules every few hours isn’t a learning curve, it’s a learning Everest. Spore took the correct approach by instead being the first few hours of four very good games, staying put in the early periods that encourage playfulness and experimentation. Instead of throwing new rules at you, Spore throws out endless waves of surprising, often beautiful new content. The space phase is worth playing solely for this reason, as who knows when you’ll trip over your next tuxedo walrus? I often play games just to see what new art will be on the next screen. Spore is the king of games for this type of player.

Related Articles:

Joe's Top 10 Games of 2008 - Special Jury Prizes
10 Games Nadia Played Instead of Working: The World Ends With You, Super Smash Bros Brawl
Bob's Top 10 of 2008 in No Particular Order: Audiosurf, Braid, Grand Theft Auto IV
Derrick's Top 13 Games of 2008 - Part 1, Part 2, Part 3
What Amber Didn't Play in 2008
Time Magazine's Top 10 Games of 2008

Derrick's Top 13 Games of 2008 - Part 3

Derrick Sanskrit — Thu, 11 Dec 2008 19:30:00 GMT

Catching up? Read part 1 and part 2.

5 - The World Ends With You (DS):
The insanely ambitious action-JRPG probably makes the most use of all the DS hardware has to offer of all DS software with the possible exception of The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass, and even then The World Ends With You does it with so much more style and flair that the comparison seems woefully unfair. It's clear that Square Enix's Kingdom Hearts team put years of thought and research into what the DS could and could not do and the result is a game that breaks all expectations like so many angsty teenage hearts. It takes a truly great game to affect me outside of my gaming time, and much like Wii Fit got me thinking about jogging to the train every morning, The World Ends With You got me wearing pins on my bag for the first time since college, picking out just the right ones that may, someday, save my life in heated battle. Oh lord, did I love that dual-screened battle system...

4 - PixelJunk Eden (PS3):
2008 will go down in the history books as the year that downloadable games finally caught on. Okay, maybe not, but it sure feels like they finally delivered on the promise we'd heard for so long: fantastic independent games delivered straight to your home console, no retail environment required, at competitive prices. I loved echochrome and Cubello, and there is no denying the charm and brilliance of Braid and World of Goo, but the one that completely stole my heart and my thumbs was PixelJunk Eden. Not since Chibi-Robo: Park Patrol have I so enjoyed making flowers bloom. Not since Circus Atari have I so enjoyed soaring upwards into monochromatic point markers. Not since spring break have I so enjoyed atmospheric techno and pulsing colors.

3 - Super Smash Bros. Brawl (Wii):
The biggest-selling game of the year was easily one of the most anticipated, and while it may not be as fondly remembered as its Gamecube predecessor, Super Smash Bros Brawl delivered everything expected of it and then some. The frenetic multiplayer brawling was back, as always, with more characters than ever, including unlikely new faves like Lucas and Diddy Kong and first-time-ever non-Nintendo characters Snake and Sonic. Adventure mode came with an epic, if somewhat vague, storyline complete with luscious CGI cutscenes and gameplay and level design in no way dissimilar to the SNES classic Kirby Super Star (one of my all-time favorites). Classic, All-Star, Multi-Man, Events, Target Smash, pretty much every feature of Super Smash Bros Melee came back bigger and more beefed-up. Of course, the big feature of Brawl was access to the Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection, being able to fight people from around the world, either total strangers or your own friend lists, sending your friends video replays of your greatest battles, receiving new stages that your friends built in the surprisingly engaging stage builder, even betting on the brawls of total strangers in Spectator mode. What was my favorite feature? Taking snapshots, of course:

2 - LittleBigPlanet (PS3):
It is hard not to fall in love with LittleBigPlanet. The art direction, the music, the narrative and general use-your-imagination, make-whatever-you-want gestalt is sometimes intoxicating. I've already written at length about the charming adventures of Sackboy, so I won't reiterate the points of my review found here and here. I will say this: LittleBigPlanet so far is the only disc-based game that has made me happy I own a PS3 rather than an XBox or PS2. The endless potential of user-generated content guarantees that LittleBigPlanet will always be exactly as fun and exciting as you want it to be, if not moreso.

1 - de Blob (Wii):
Yes, my absolute favorite game of the year is on the Wii. No, that game was not made by Nintendo. No, I'm not messing with you. de Blob is, without a doubt, the happiest a game has made me since I first played Yoshi's Island on the Super Nintendo and relished in its blatant disregard for flashy CGI and polygons in favor of engrossing gameplay and a unique and heartwarming aesthetic. As a young progressive, I rally behind its anti-corporate, pro-independent artist storyline. As an audiophile, I bliss out to the interactively escalating soundtrack, as I've mentioned before, twice. As a solo gamer, I delight in the variety of challenges. As a social gamer, the multi-player paint-fests get my teeth gritting in a ferocious grin. If you have a Wii and enjoy playing any games that do not involve simulating sports/exercise/music playing, get de Blob. There, that's my review, just flippin' play de Blob because it's the best damn game that came out all year, and 2008 was an amazing year for games.

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Part 2

Related Articles:
10 Games Nadia Played Instead of Working: The World Ends With You, Super Smash Bros Brawl
Bob's Top 10 of 2008 in No Particular Order: Audiosurf, Braid, Grand Theft Auto IV
Joe's Top 10 Games of 2008 - Special Jury Prizes
What Amber Didn't Play in 2008
Time Magazine's Top 10 Games of 2008

My Top 10 of 2008 in No Particular Order: Grand Theft Auto IV

Bob Mackey — Thu, 11 Dec 2008 02:30:00 GMT

It's the end of another year, and that can only mean one thing: it's list season. Inevitably, you're going to see top ten lists by the thousands; and, as an official member of the enthusiast press, I'm afraid I can't violate my directive. But, to make things a little more interesting, I've decided to assemble my 10 favorite games of this year in non-hierarchical form because--let's face facts--it's hard to pick a favorite. And unlike other top 10 lists, this one will be doled out to you in piecemeal over the next several excruciating days! Please enjoy.

While reading the latest GameSpite update, I couldn't help but nod my head in agreement at Spite King Jeremy Parish's trenchant comments on the modern gaming blockbuster. Especially this:

It makes me angry that reviewers actually called GTAIV's narrative "Oscar worthy," because (1) no, it really wasn't and you guys seriously need to go and watch a good movie, OK?; and (2) that kind of empty praise is just going to encourage Rockstar to keep focusing on the sloppy, poorly-written pulp noir aspects of their creations to the detriment of the part that actually makes GTA unique and fun: the gameplay.

And yet, GTAIV still made it onto my favorite games of 2008 list. Have I lost all credibility? Did I ever have any? Don't fret, dear reader; GTAIV is one of my favorite games of the year by virtue of that fact that it occupied so much of my carefree summer (god how I miss it). When you make twenty attempts to beat a game's final mission, there's gotta be some love there, right?

Alright, maybe it was an abusive relationship. Certain things about GTAIV rubbed me the wrong way to the point of rugburn: the drastic dropoff in things to do from San Andreas, babysitting Nico's needy social circle, and the way the story--and Nico Bellic's motivation--sorta petered out as the game went on--with my cash flow well into the hundreds of thousands late in the game, it was never clear to me why Nico still needed "mahney." But despite all of these flaws, exploring Liberty City was downright addictive, and the bump to a new generation of hardware made GTA's typically renowned sense of scale all the more impressive. Most of the fun I had with GTAIV was out of the pure novelty value the game offered me with its new features; and even though the novelty value wore thin by about the 20th hour, I can't claim it was never there. To be honest, I was kind of conflicted about including GTAIV on this list in the first place, mostly due to all of the backlash it's received--even from me. But, long before the game started to wear on me, and long before that final mission made me want to murder the world, GTAIV was a legitimate hoot.

There, now the industry has a box quote for the inevitable Greatest Hits release.

Related Links:

My Top 10 of 2008 in No Particular Order: Audiosurf
My Top 10 of 2008 in No Particular Order: Braid
Joe’s Top Ten Games of 2008 – Special Jury Prizes