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STEVE WATTS

Electronic Aficionado
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Member Since: 3/2006  Last Seen: 5/16/2012

Newsvine Decided: Best Games 2008

Mon Dec 29, 2008 10:09 AM EST
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By Steve Watts

Live Poll

"Game of the Year 2008" should go to...

View Results
  • 30142
    Grand Theft Auto 4
    4%
  • 30143
    Penny Arcade Adventures: Episode 2
    0%
  • 30144
    Left 4 Dead
    4%
  • 30145
    Super Smash Bros Brawl
    4%
  • 30146
    Little Big Planet
    8%
  • 30147
    Braid
    0%
  • 30148
    Mario Kart Wii
    0%
  • 30149
    Rock Band 2
    0%
  • 30150
    Fallout 3
    75%
  • 30151
    Spore
    0%
  • 30152
    Wii Fit
    4%
  • 30153
    Tom Clancy's EndWar
    0%

VoteTotal Votes: 24

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For the third year in a row, Newsvine has come together as a community to chat about and nominate the year's best interactive experiences. Polls are closed, and only one question remains: what is the best game of 2008?

Like last year, users also chipped in with a number of user-created categories. This year, we'll be listing those categories separately with credit given to the user, between the Genre and Miscellaneous categories. Thanks to all who participated, by nominating, voting, and suggesting new categories. Out of the following Genre winners, a poll will be open for the next week to decide Newsvine's "Game of the Year," when this story will be updated. Happy voting.

Best Action Game: Grand Theft Auto 4

Was there ever any doubt? Niko's cautionary tale on the American dream doubled its closest competitors, Mirror's Edge and Dead Space. Rockstar took a chance by releasing this game well before the usual crop of big fall games, but it's a series that can't help but be memorable.

Best Adventure Game: Penny Arcade Adventures: Ep. 2

The Adventure crop was light this year, consisting of only two games, and Penny Arcade beat Strong Bad handily. Both nominations were a return to the classic days of Adventure games, and it looks like downloadables are allowing the purest form of the genre to return.

Best FPS Game: Left 4 Dead

We're all used to the best FPS game being packed with big fall releases, but this year there were surprisingly few contenders. Left 4 Dead might be a surprise choice this year, but its infinite replayability (and zombies!) gave it more than double the votes of any other games in the category.

Best Fighting Game: Super Smash Bros Brawl

This was one of our tightest races. The casual-friendly Brawl just barely inched out a victory over the more technical and hardcore Soul Calibur IV, which goes to show how broadly the market is expanding.

Best Platform Game: Little Big Planet

One of the most critically praised games of the year, Little Big Planet is an experiment in platformers, letting players make their own stages and share them. This lends it the kind of longevity that vaulted the little Sackpersons to the top spot.

Best Puzzle Game: Braid

Last year's Puzzle winner (Portal) dressed itself as an FPS, and this year's is marked with the trappings of an old-school platformer. Both were undoubtedly puzzles at heart, and the small independent project with some heady concepts took home the prize.

Best Racing Game: Mario Kart Wii

Like the Smash Bros Brawl victory, this casual title won out over the likes of the Burnout and Midnight Club series.

Best Rhythm/Music Game: Rock Band 2

Like last year's award, its sequel won against the new Guitar Hero game. Deja vu.

Best Role-Playing Game: Fallout 3

Our most commanding victory, Fallout 3 left its closest competitor (Fable 2) in the dust by nearly a double-digit lead.

Best Sim Game: Spore

Spore didn't have much competition this year, but there was never much doubt that Will Wright's latest game would win for this one.

Best Sports Game: Wii Fit

Remember Super Smash Bros Brawl and Mario Kart Wii?

Best Strategy Game: Tom Clancy's EndWar

This was another tight contest, due more to lack of votes than a wealth of them. EndWar barely beat out Command & Conquer 3.

From CaliforniaNative: Best Kid/Teen-Friendly Game: Little Big Planet

From Bryan Carr: Best Handheld Game: Professor Layton / Apollo Justice (tie)

Most Innovative: Mirror's Edge

Runner-up: Little Big Planet / Spore (tie)

Most Visually Stunning: Gears of War 2

Runner-up: Prince of Persia

Best Writing / Story: Fallout 3

Runner-up: PAA: Ep2, Fable 2, Apollo Justice (tie)

Best Voice Acting: Gears of War 2

Runner-up: Call of Duty: World at War, Fallout 3, Left 4 Dead, Harvey Birdman

Best Music/Sound Design: Dead Space

Runner-up: Braid

Best Cinematics: Metal Gear Solid 4

Runner-up: Gears of War 2 / Dead Space (tie)

Best Multiplayer: Left 4 Dead

Runner-up: Super Smash Bros Brawl / Rock Band 2 (tie)

Best Downloadable Content: Rock Band 2

Runner-up: Burnout Paradise

Best Game (Short Work): Penny Arcade Adventures Episode 2

Runner-up: N/A

Best Game (Arcade/Network): Braid

Runner-up: Mega Man 9

Best Game (Remake): Super Street Fighter 2 Turbo HD Remix

Runner-up: Bionic Commando: Rearmed / Kingdom Hearts Re: Chain of Memories (tie)

Best System: Xbox 360

Runner-up: PC

Best Developer: Bethesda

Runner-up: Epic / Valve (tie)

Best New Character: Sackboy (Little Big Planet)

Runner-up: Isaac (Dead Space)

Biggest Surprise: New Xbox Experience

Runner-up: Mega Man 9 / Overhyped Spore (tie)

Most Anticipated of 2009: Resident Evil 5

Runner-up: Brutal Legend

Game of the Year: Fallout 3

As we can all clearly see in the poll to the right, Fallout 3 really ran away with the vote, claiming 75%. It wasn't surprising considering it won by the highest margin of victory in its category, but let's all give a hearty pat on the back to Newsvine's "Game of the Year" for 2008.

  • Enjoy this article? Help vote it up the 'Vine.

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Published to:

Steve Watts

Well here it is, folks, the fruits of your labor.

I decided to make the user-created categories stand out a bit more this year, to give the users who contributed a little pat on the back. I also think I might make a "Best Party Game" Genre for next year, since the Wii is making that category blow up.

Any surprises? Anything totally obvious? Feel free to discuss what won so far and what you'd like to see win for Game of the Year in the comments below.

I'm favoring Fallout 3 for the win, both as a personal preference and for what I would wager on for the big prize. It won by the largest margin of any of the awards, and usually that means it will win pitted against other contenders as well.

  • 3 votes
Reply#1 - Mon Dec 29, 2008 10:18 AM EST
Russ R.

What I'm surprised most about this list is the lack of surprise. But that's not too surprising either.

2007 as a year seemed to be a real outlier on the scatter plot graph of great gaming. It was just a phenomenal year with great game after great game coming out. And honestly, 2008 as a year isn't something to shake a stick at either, but in comparison to last year it does seem to be on the downward side of the slope. But, that's something I just wanted to say and I'll leave it at that.

As for this year, I was really sure that GTA 4 was going to take the top spot mainly based on what I hear and read from other sources. That conversation usually dips into the realm of "can it win GotY because it was released in the second quarter". That argument always seemed weak to me and just felt like a means to get people talking about the game again. The story is compelling, the graphics looked great (finger animations aside) and the replayability is all there. Yet I lost interest in it for reasons that I really can't explain. I definitely think it deserves the Best Action Game accolades that we've given it, but I'm hard-pressed to give it Game of the Year.

This year my GotY has to go to Fallout 3. As a game it's done something to me that no game has done in a long time. I think about different ways to play through same events. It has me wrapped up in exploring a desolute grey (or is it gray) wasteland. And as I type this I'm mapping out my stats for a new character re-roll so that I can be sure to experience the game in a completely new way. It really has me by the horns.

I know there are a wide range of feelings on Fallout 3 but that's where I bucketed my vote.

  • 2 votes
Reply#2 - Mon Dec 29, 2008 1:13 PM EST
Steve Watts

Agreed on the difference of years. 2007 was such a massive year for great games, 2008 couldn't help but feel a little more let down. But while I think 2007 had more polished experiences, 2008 seemed more daring. There were a lot of games out this year that tried totally different things, and that's pretty exciting as we move into 2009.

I know that GTA4 has already topped a lot of lists, but I hesitate for the same reasons you do, and then a few more. It was a great game and hit on all the right GTA notes, and the city did feel richer, but Rockstar didn't pull off the serious storyline very well, and some of the control problems were still present. Smaller, but present.

Speaking of odd GotY picks, didn't GameSpot give it to Metal Gear Solid 4? I liked the game and everything, but the cutscenes were a bit excessive and the gameplay was simply a Japanese developer catching up to modern action game conventions. Kudos to Kojima for closing up an ambitious project, but I just didn't feel like it transcended the genre. Or even previous MGS games, really. Most MGS-heads I talk to still feel like MGS3 is the coup de grace, despite it's wonkier controls.

  • 1 vote
#2.1 - Mon Dec 29, 2008 2:27 PM EST
Mykola Bilokonsky

I dunno, I give MGS4 my much-coveted "Meh" of the year award.

And I'm a huge fan of the series - #2 is my favorite game of all time, and I'll talk your ear off explaining why.

But 4 was just...well, I dunno. Nothing in it gripped me - it didn't speak to me in the way the previous titles had. I feel like it had maybe the best gameplay of the series, but the most overblown and ridiculous script. And we're talking about a series where the Shark was Jumped so many iterations ago that that doesn't even factor in.

It just lost all of the humanity that the older games seemed to have. And the worst part is that I'm not even particularly upset by that, just kinda indifferent.

I'm eager to see what Kojima cooks up next. I feel like he shoulda stopped with snake after MGS3, but it looks like they're not gonna let him.

    #2.2 - Mon Dec 29, 2008 2:51 PM EST
    Russ R.

    Having not finished and never playing a MGS game since 2, I had almost completely forgot the MGS 4 came out this year.

    Regardless of the reasons that you guys mentioned above I thought it may still have had its core following and shown up on the Gamevine list in a couple of the major categories. I had to go back and look at that nominees and see that it's only winning Best Cinematics?!

    Again, I'm not a big MGS fan but the hype to reality ratio on this one seems like a 2008 surprise to me.

    (Great. I hope this doesn't turn into an MGS thread now...)

    • 1 vote
    #2.3 - Mon Dec 29, 2008 3:26 PM EST
    Reply
    Steve Watts

    On the subject of surprises this year, I didn't bring this up in the nominations thread, but how about the PlayStation 3?

    I remember EGM dubbed 2008 the "Year of the PS3." The idea was that by giving the system more unified support through Home, along with exclusives like Resistance 2, Killzone 2, Metal Gear Solid 4, and Little Big Planet, this year was going to turn around all the PS3-naysayers.

    Anyone who's seen reports from the MSM the last few days know that's not the case, because they're painting a pretty gloomy picture. I don't think the PS3 is in dire straights like they do, but it certainly didn't have the dramatic comeback this year. Home is a chat lobby and feels rushed. Killzone 2 was delayed to next year. Resistance 2 and MGS4 were both fine, even great, but not mind-blowing. Little Big Planet is really the only product that ended up being exactly what everyone expected, and it's performing below sales expectations.

    Like I said, I don't think the PS3 is a failure, like some are saying, but this was supposed to be the year that it reclaimed its throne as the king of the hardcore gaming landscape. I don't think it did, and from the looks of our "Best System" award, most people agree.

    • 1 vote
    Reply#3 - Tue Dec 30, 2008 11:26 AM EST
    Scott (Scoop) Butki

    I'm a puzzle guy in the <a href="http://sbutki.newsvine.com/_news/2008/06/29/1623313-memoir-my-name-is-scott-and-im-a-tetrisholic-"> tetris/</a>jewel quest mode

    so i was searching for the puzzle category but i've heard of this game nor do i know what fps means?full player something?

    frontal packaging scandal?

      Reply#4 - Tue Dec 30, 2008 10:03 PM EST
      Steve Watts

      Thanks for the insight, Scott. It's easy to forget in our little bubble that some people don't follow all the jargon and may not know what we mean. "FPS" stands for "first-person shooter." Basically, you're a guy with a gun, and the perspective of the game is through the eyes of said guy with gun. If you've seen shots of games like Halo or Call of Duty, those are good examples.

      Our "puzzle" winner for this year was Braid, which is only on the Xbox 360 for now, but I believe it was recently announced that it's coming for the PC as well. It resembles something more akin to an old-school Mario game, but the trappings are still about problem-solving and critical thinking.

      If more traditional puzzle games are your thing, I'd recommend Professor Layton for some really clever riddles and brain teasers, or Peggle Nights for more arcade-like action.

      • 1 vote
      #4.1 - Tue Dec 30, 2008 11:51 PM EST
      Scott (Scoop) Butki

      yeah i dont play shooter games (its the pacifist in me) so my curren favorites are more like bejeweled twist. i've been thinking of starting a puzzle review column

        #4.2 - Tue Dec 30, 2008 11:55 PM EST
        Reply
        Scott Watts

        MGS4 would be my game of the year, but I say that not having played most of the other contenders, so I should probably just recuse myself.

        I disagree in that I don't think it was trying to play "catch up" to any particular action titles' controls as it still feels fundamentally like a tweaked MGS control scheme, which is and has always been an acquired taste (that I thankfully acquired pretty early).  I think it's awkward to a lot of people, but it's necessary for the kind of action game it is.  It's changed, but not so much that I can point to many specifics and say it's closer to a particular action game convention. 

        If I were to compare to MGS3, I would say MGS3 has a tighter story (partly because it isn't tying so many loose ends), and it's a sentimental favorite, but MGS4 exceeds it in terms of gameplay and, obviously, all things technical.

          Reply#5 - Wed Dec 31, 2008 7:31 PM EST
          Steve Watts

          I disagree in that I don't think it was trying to play "catch up" to any particular action titles' controls as it still feels fundamentally like a tweaked MGS control scheme, which is and has always been an acquired taste (that I thankfully acquired pretty early).

          Maybe that was the wrong phrase.

          My point was mainly that the producers knew that the control scheme was pretty awkward, and brought on an American (Ryan Payton) for the expressed purpose of "Americanizing" the controls. That is to say, bringing them up to scratch with other modern action games. I think even Kojima himself has said that American games have surpassed Japanese ones in a lot of ways, which was a motivator behind bringing Payton on. And right after the project was finished, Payton moved to a different studio, so it's pretty clear he was brought in as Mr. Fix-It.

          • 1 vote
          #5.1 - Thu Jan 1, 2009 1:57 AM EST
          Scott Watts

          In that case, I just don't see where Mr. Payton did all that much.

            #5.2 - Thu Jan 1, 2009 10:35 AM EST
            Reply
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