As the curtains begin to close on 2008, it’s time once again for our annual 'Best Of' video game awards.  Like 2006 and 2007 before it, there's no set category, but I myself am going with a top-five model, along with a honorable mentions listing.  Feel free to add in your own categories as you see fit, but just to get things started:

-TOP GAMES OF 2008

-BEST GAMES YOU'VE PLAYED THIS YEAR RELEASED BEFORE 2008

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Will be back with my own entries in a bit!  (Hint: my Game of the Year is in the thread title itself.)  :)

Best of 2008: Rock Band 2

I said before and I stick to it, it's an improvement in every way over the original (not counting the fact that you can play the songs from the original on it). The song selection is better, the notecharts are improved, hyperspeed is added, DLC has been amazing (seriously...Dr. Feelgood, Peace Sells, Live at Donnington -ACDC-, Screaming for Vengeance and Moving Pictures make me a VERY happy goldfish) and the 1p mode is great. I use a Les Paul to play, but the guitar controller is much improved too. To be fair, World Tour is much improved over GH3 and has some cool additions (the clear bubbles, GH Tunes), but I play RB2 a lot more. The multiplayer is way superior (if one band member fails in World Tour, everyone fails...You can't save people like in RB) and I like the song list more (even without factoring in any DLC). WT lacks 80's love. Either way, doing the mike+guitar thing is a blast in both games. "ALL ABOARD!!!"

Runner-Up (besides World Tour): Smash Brothers Brawl

Okay, kind of an unfair pick (it's really the ONLY other 2008 game I've played this year...Megaman 9 is something I have, but it's hard to play properly on the 360 controller) but it rocks. Lots of variety and good, clean fun. Really the only game you need for a party, although 1 on 1 can get boring because it's much slower than Melee.

Tatsunoko vs Capcom will also go down as one of the classics from 2008 as well, but I lack the means to play it again (and people to play it with). Praying for a US release and a soundtrack soon.

Pre-2008

Winnar: Guilty Gear XX Accent Core

I didn't bother getting this game when it came out. Didn't look like they added enough to it to make it worth playing again. Well, they added Force Breaks and rebalanced the cast again and added JUST enough new moves/properties to make it a much more worthwhile upgrade than Slash. Honestly, the best fighter I've ever played and I'll probably be playing it next year too.

Runner-Up: Ducktales (NES)

Okay, this started as a joke...I told a friend of mine I could beat this game in under 10 minutes. Well, I did (after dying a few times in the Amazon) and since then, I've been speed running it whenever I get a few extra minutes. It's on the short side, but it still looks and plays great, making it an ideal speed run game. It's not hard, but considering rushing through the game often leads to mistakes, it's a fun tradeoff.

Ahh, yes, it's that time of the year again!
Lots and lots of lists!
Love it!

I won't make a top 5 for everything, but I'll do it by console:

Best of 2008

XBox 360: Gears of War 2. Awesome, just awesome. The main campaign is fantastic awe-inspiring stuff, which puts pretty much everything else I've played this year to shame. I even slogged through on Insane difficulty, which doesn't make you like the game more, believe me, but it was still a load of fun.
And Horde is so much fun it keeps me coming back for more, which is an absolute first for online modes for me.

PS3: To be honest, nothing exclusive was worth the title GotY, but I guess it's got some good multiplat games. I really enjoyed Fallout 3, despite its technical flaws and "we ain't even bothering to hide the fact that we just copy-pasted Oblivion"-ness, it was still good fun.
But a max of level 20!? WTF!? Why on earth would you create such a huge game, and then pretty much tell the player that there's no real point in exploring anymore at level 20!? That's just dumb.
I guess I should mention MGS4 but it did nothing for me as a game. Absolutely fantastic cinematic experience, but extremely dull game. It's not good at anything it does, the sneaking is boring, and the action is clunky and awkward. I couldn't even be bothered to play through it again.

DS: The World Ends with You: God I love this game, it's a shame it kinda bombed in Japan, although it seems to have done well for itself overseas. There's maybe a few too many cutscenes, but the gameplay is solid, fun and rewarding. Sequel please!
And because this was actually a 2007 game by Japanese standards, I'll add the Japanese DS GotY: Professor Layton and the Last Time Travel, you know it's good, and you know you'll never get to play it unless you learn to read Japanese
Although you're doing the same stuff in every game, apart from some mini-games, the puzzles are still clever, creative and fun. Plus, this time we actually get a rather decent story as well. And even though I thought this was going to be a trilogy, it says To Be Continued at the end....hmmm.....
I'll give some kudos to Capcom for Ryusei no Rockman 3 and finally making it fun to play and not such a damn nuisance like the previous two.
Also, Disgaea DS but, yeah, just a port of an old game I guess. Might as well include Chrono Trigger too then.

Wii: Metroid Prime 3. Yeah, that's 2008 over here. Great game, once again, and I don't mind they toned down the difficulty somewhat. Other than that, nothing for the Wii has interested me this year, although that 428 game by Sega is supposed to be very good.

DLC: Megaman 9, bitch! Yeah okay, so THIS was the best game I played on Wii actually. Old Skool, classic, ass-kicking fun. The Blue Bomber still has it in him, after all these years! The retro thing was cool, I definitely loved the music, but I don't see why the graphics couldn't have been a tad shinier.
The chiptunes have a real charm inherent to the sound, but I don't think the same thing can be said for the graphics.

PS2: Tomb Raider Anniversary Yep, another case of Japan getting games far too late. Still, best damn Tomb Raider game I've played since, well, the original probably. This is what remakes should be like, bigger, better, prettier and easier to control.

So that's it for this year, I don't think I'm forgetting anything.

As for best non-2008 game: I DON'T REMEMBER. There must have been something, but I forgot.
Man, I have trouble remembering even what came out THIS year.

Let me guess, Home? *rimshot*

I'll get to this a bit later today, I just had to make that joke.

Contrary to Amazingu's post, my GOTY is a PS3 exclusive.  None of this "timed-exclusive" bull either.

So BY FAR the best game I've played that came out in 2008 has to be Valkyria Chronicles.  It had absolutely everything I wanted in a game and just kept on excelling.  The graphics are superb, as is the music and execution.  I haven't gone "fanboy" on a game in a long time, but this one did it to me.  Closer runner-up:  PixelJunk Monsters. 

A for the pre-2008 releases, my pick has to be Etrian Odyssey.  Haven't played the second one, but the first one was a piece of pure genius.  Very old-school, but very rewarding at the same time.  Again, everything came together to create such a wonderful, cohesive piece of art.  The music was great, as was the gameplay and difficulty. 

Honorable mentions:

- Folklore
- Bionic Commando: Rearmed
- Picross DS
- Baroque
- Sin & Punishment

... and to those who haven't figured it out, Angela's GOTY is Rhythm Tengoku Gold.    Great choice Angela!

A winner be you.  Heh, "Home"..... SonicPanda is such a silly butt.

Fab choices so far, guys.  Still belting out my write-up, should go live in a couple of hours.

TOP FIVE GAMES OF 2008:

5) Mega Man 9 (DLC/PS3) - Capcom's tickled our retro funny bones by delivering good on their promise: a genuine, fully-realized Mega Man sequel molded from the purest NES resources.  Nine plays out like a greatest hits of classic Mega Man design; wind-changing jumps, disappearing blocks, pit-popping enemies, a full-on Wily castle finale..... Along with a slew of new masochistic deathtraps, worthy bosses, a spot-on chiptune soundtrack, and replay longevity in the form of downloadable content and Challenges/Achievements, Nine makes a spectacular return to form.

4) Bionic Commando Rearmed (DLC/PS3) - A first-class remake at a rock-bottom price, Capcom and GRIN have brought classic Bionic Commando back in a big way.  Striking that meticulous balance of new and old, Rearmed brings to the table the same exacting gameplay and hardcore challenge of the original, but with a more lenient learning curve, an ultra-slick graphical makeover, cool new pattern-based bosses, and kickin' music remixes.  All of this plus bonus Challenge Levels surmount to one incredible value-based package.  With Mega Man 9, 1942, and Super Street Fighter 2 Turbo HD Remix, it's been a stellar year for downloadable games, due in no small part to Capcom.

3) Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of The Patriots (PS3) - It seems I've been waiting for this game for much of the latter part of my gaming life.  MGS4 is the ultimate culmination of a series that has had a major impact on me: the hype, anticipation, and resulting finality may very well be unmatched by anything that will ever come out again.  The story alone was worth biting the PS3's pricey bullet for, but with it comes an astronomical production billing. The presentation, awash in minute Kojima-esque fan service and details, fulfills the impossibly high Metal Gear standard, and the newly-christened “westernized” controls allow for further expansion on the already in-depth tactical espionage action.  Yes, there are valid complaints to be raised against the vast number of lengthy cutscenes - and as brilliantly shot and entertaining as they all are, they can overwhelm even the most ardent MGS fan.  Still, as a title that's aiming to wrap up a 21-year history, it delivers admirably, and Kojima must be commended for seeing this dense and long-standing mythology to its conclusion.  GT's video review said it best: "The game's all-encompassing approach may be the only way this monumental saga could end.”

2) Gears of War 2 (360) - I'm glad I stepped up to the 360 plate this year, just in time to experience the frenetic, testosterone-drenched awesomeness that is Gears of War 2.   One of the most well-paced and leanest action titles I've had the pleasure of playing since Resident Evil 4, the addition of new weaponry, enemies, and melee execution moves, combined with the Gears pedigree of cutting-edge graphics, phenomenal set pieces, and tightly refined gameplay, makes this a supremely satisfying sequel.  Jablonsky's Hollywood orchestral music score hits the listener like a well-placed curb stomp, and the new Horde Mode guarantees replay far beyond the excellent single-player campaign.  As for the story, yeah, there's a number of plot points that still need resolving (I’m looking at you, Sires!), but any excuse to put out another badass sequel of this caliber is fine by me.  "Bring it", I say - in my best Marcus Fenix voice, natch.

1) Rhythm Tengoku Gold (DS) - Unshackled creativity and innovation drive this second entry of the now celebrated Rhythm Tengoku series, and it's nothing short of perfection.  Every facet of the game shows off Nintendo R&D1’s developmental prowess, as Gold is masterfully executed, and packed to the brim with quirky charm, bonuses, cameos, and in-jokes.  The stylus functionality, an initial concern for many, is pulled off with amazing precision.  The stylus also allows for extended variety in gameplay; unlike the limited mechanics of the original, Gold has you tapping, flicking, and sliding to the rhythm, and mixing it all up provides a far greater sense of interaction with the music.  The indispensable soundtrack by Tsunku is diverse, upbeat, and expertly crafted around the game's ingeniously wacky level designs - these are tunes that the player will inevitably get vested into, and will remain with you long after you've switched off the game.  In short, it’s a worthy follow-up to the original’s score. 

Back in '06, I had stated that the original Rhythm Tengoku didn't have the depth or the longevity of Ouendan or Elite Beat Agents, but that gap has closed considerably since then.  Not only does Gold pair up with the big boys of portable music-rhythm action games, but it's also one of the DS's very best.  No other video game this year has kept me coming back time after time again - it is such an extraordinarily entertaining and polished piece of software, that there can be no other for my 2008 Game of the Year.

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HONORABLE MENTIONS:

Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney (DS) - Apollo's legal debut made for more than a decent showcasing, but when stacked against his spiky-headed mentor, Justice isn't served quite as vigorously.  The script is the game's best asset and with Alex Smith back at the localization helm, the same clever, witty writing that made up the first Phoenix Wright comes through in spades.  The gameplay and story flow, however, are a disappointing step back, with toned down investigation phases, stripped away evidence to present, and a complete lack of presentable Profiles.  Some might balk at the heavy, lingering emphasis on Phoenix's story arc, or the deadly serious tonality of the core plot.  Still others may be turned off by the decidedly limp resolve by the end of the game.  I'm going to have to take a bit from each column, but the game does succeed in leaving a tantalizing boatload of story possibilities for future titles.  I'm really hoping for a good “turnabout” for the next game.  (And that, my friends, will be my last pun for the year.  Thank yew.)

Professor Layton and the Curious Village (DS) - Lateral puzzles and an engaging mystery story come together in lovely matrimony.  With wonderful production values from Level 5, appealing character designs, and an excellent localization effort (it couldn't have been easy converting some of the more Japanese-centric puzzles), it's easy to see how Layton has gained such a strong fan base.  Here's hoping we get the next two games in the series over here.

No More Heroes (Wii) - I think GameLife's Kohler said it best: "Swinging a knockoff lightsaber, assassinating a crew of wacky killers, and schlepping coconuts around a park for spare change? This isn't just what Wii needs more of -- it's what gaming needs more of. No More Heroes wasn't produced on the biggest of budgets, and is a bit rough around the edges. But the hilarious story, go-for-broke style, and satisfying action make it a must-play."  With that said, I really couldn’t get into the town and exploration portions as much as others have, and thought it would’ve been a leaner, better game without 'em.

Super Smash Bros. Brawl (Wii) - I'll be honest, I got about as much into Brawl as every other game in the series - which is to say, not very much.  Not even the lengthy single player mode was able to stave off my apathy toward the game.  But I'm giving it an honorable mention, because for a Super Smash Bros., it does most everything right.  The graphics burst with eye-catching colors and a silky smooth framerate, the music score is a classy reunion of video game music themes, and there’s secrets and unlockables galore.   It's just a shame the online play was so borked.

Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII (PSP) - It's tough for the once-devoted Square-Enix/RPG fan to get excited over a non-remake nowadays.  Which is why Crisis Core came off as a very welcome surprise; it’s a “today” JRPG that I actually enjoyed.  The gameplay is easy to pick up, while the quick battles and optional side missions are perfectly suited for on-the-go gaming.  It’s also one gorgeous looking PSP title, with an excellent music score to boot.  Above all, it was awesome re-visiting the futuristic tech-world of FF7 again; its characters, its mythos, and the thematic threads of heroism, desire, and honor are a driving force that made Zack’s journey a fulfilling one.

Grand Theft Auto IV (PS3) - Even though I've long stopped playing the game regularly, and haven't even finished half of the overall missions yet, the few sporadic times I pop it in, the sandbox element just completely sucks me in.  Being a native New Yorker, Rockstar's imagining of the Big Apple is clearly the highlight of the game; the scope of Liberty City is just awe-inspiring this time around.  Superb voice acting, characters, and storytelling round out the package, but the biggest compliment I can give Grand Theft Auto IV is that, someday, I'll want to finish the game all the way through.  That very prospect would be a GTA first for me.

Boom Blox (Wii) - Consider this statement for a moment: Steven Spielberg brought us one of the best Wii games this year – and perhaps one of the most accessibly enjoyable games on the system yet.  The concept of knocking down something by hurling an inanimate object at it is something anyone can understand, and the brilliance lies at how accurate they were able to replicate such an idea virtually.  The block physics are super realistic, the puzzles have a fantastic learning curve, and the variety stays fresh and interesting throughout.  The ranking system is nicely implemented, too; it's lenient enough so that it allows you to finish any stage long after the set requirements - but those requirements are there for the hi-scorers and perfectionists.  Awesome work, Spielberg; too bad Indy 4 didn't turn out as well.  (ZING!)

Trauma Center: Under The Knife 2 (DS) - Although UTK2 will offer very little to vets of the series, it does feel like the most balanced and fleshed out of the four available Trauma Center titles.  On the DS, the game is still one of the shining examples at how to properly utilize the touch screen, and compared to the Wii versions, the stylus mechanic is simply better in terms of accuracy.  Operations are more streamlined, and the implementation of an Easy mode ensures that everyone can get in on the surgical game.  But it's the music score that really dazzles.  Manabu Namiki keeps that peppy TC jazz flavor intact, while sprinkling some awesome, near shmup-style trance/techno elements here and there.  Namiki downplays the sense of urgency by a few notches, but the music is certainly more stylistically enjoyable to listen to overall.

Kirby Super Star Ultra (DS) - Another year, another title that satisfies my desire for a classic yesteryear game turned portable.  An all-time favorite from the 16-bit days, Super Star still offers the most Kirby mileage for your buck. The touch screen-based extras are superfluous at best, and the graphical and animation makeover neither makes nor breaks, but the original games are still a major blast to play.  It’s still baffling as to why they decided to remap the attack/jump buttons from Y/B to B/A - it’s a nagging transition that I could’ve done without.  Still, Super Star as a portable; is it wrong for me to get such a warm, fuzzy feeling every time I say, "Now I've the Gourmet Race in my pocket!"?

Time Hollow (DS) - Probably my sleeper hit of the year, Konami’s anime-style point and click adventure with a detective spin possesses a surprisingly deep and compelling narrative, with lots of genuine twists to the plot to keep it fresh and exciting.  The character designs are particularly noteworthy, and while there are a couple of lulls in the gameplay when it comes to the constant backtracking of areas, anyone who loves a good mystery story should be gobbling this up.

LittleBigPlanet (PS3) - Got a bit of a love/hate thing going for LBP.  On the one hand, I’m completely enamored with the lush, vibrant graphics, the widely imaginative character designs, and the charming soundtrack.  But on the other hand, the core gameplay really doesn't cut it for me.  Sackboy’s floaty, often imprecise feel can be a serious exercise in frustration.  I can understand the rudimentary approach they were going for, and maybe such implementation was necessary to accommodate the physics of the game, but it drove me batty on too many occasions.  Which is a shame, because the premise of running through these beautiful levels, partaking in the game's ultimate collect-a-thon scheme makes it a fun, albeit severely flawed experience.  I do applaud the community-based nature of the project, though, and folks have made some very impressive levels in just a short period of time.  Plus, when you're teamed up in multiplayer, the game's prohibitive controls aren't nearly enough to bog down the fun you have just scrambling about, and helping each other get those few items you couldn't get by yourself.

Chrono Trigger (DS) - And yet another classic turned portable; I can just picture this as a cheesy yesteryear commercial - the kid reaches into his jeans pocket, pulls out a full-sized Jetbike.  "Chrono Trigger, now on the go.  Take her for a spin."  On a technical level, this port is flawless; exactly as you remember it from the SNES original.  The DS mode of play frees up the top screen, where you can finally see battles unhindered without having to play musical chairs with the top/bottom menus.  Like Final Fantasy VI Advance, the script is a tad less colorful than Woolsey's original, but in its place is a more accurate localization, so it sort of breaks even.  The extra dungeons and monster arena battling are sort of there for those who want it, but the new ending explaining Magus’ and Schala's fates is, as the inevitable tie-in to Chrono Cross, well founded.

Super Street Fighter II Turbo HD Remix (DLC/PS3) - It's taken a long time to get here, but it's finally come.  At last, Street Fighter 2 in full high-def, and it is GLORIOUS.  A pox on the Udon haters; I love the new look graphical look, and they've done a great job at replicating the original SSF2T characters, frame-by frame, without sacrificing gameplay.  The netcoding so far has been a cut above, and I've sunk in hours of online matches with minimum lag.  There's a learning curve for veterans of the original when it comes to the new tweaks, but nailing them is half the fun.  Kudos to OCRemix for their remade soundtrack, and kudos to Capcom and Backbone for serving one hell of an appetizer before Street Fighter IV hits home early next year.

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BEST GAMES YOU'VE PLAYED THIS YEAR RELEASED BEFORE 2008:

Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare (PS3) - One of the first titles of this current generation that genuinely impressed the hell out of me, and one that made me take another look at the first-person shooter genre.   Few could hope to match CoD4's level of excellence; this badboy is adrenaline-soaked, looks and sounds incredible, and plays insanely well.  Hardcore AI on both sides of the battle lines, and the bullet penetration dynamic is super realistic.  The single-player campaign, while on the short side, is a gripping and gritty look at modern warfare.  It's the much lauded online mode, however, that's the true draw.  The flexible variety of Perks accompanies a wide bevy of competitively fun combat modes, and an incentives-based ranking system kept me hooked in a way I never thought online gaming could ever be capable of.

BioShock (360) - BioShock is the Xbox 360 equivalent of MGS4 for the PS3: the catalyst that drove me to finally buy the system - and ironically enough, it was the arrival of the PS3 port that made it so.  I can see why it won so many awards last year; Rapture is a captivating world, with graphics that have equally awed with their highly detailed art deco design, and shocked with its macabre touches.  The water effects are nothing short of breathtaking, and the realized vision of a once beautiful and now decayed underwater city was captured perfectly.  The core adventure is a linear one, but variable difficulty modes, a user-friendly save/load system, a myriad of plasmids and weaponry, and Achievements worth earning assured my visit to Rapture again and again.  BioShock ranks about equal to Call of Duty 4 as my favorite FPS in recent memory.  But while CoD4 places its laurels on its great online play and intense action, BioShock immerses the player with a more well-rounded and memorable single-player adventure.

Gears of War (360) - The original Gears holds up extremely well, and has served as a fine Locust ripping warm-up to the "bigger, better, more badass" sequel.  It’s here that I’ve been introduced to the manly escapades of Delta Squad, to Lancers, and to Hammer of Dawns.  I was surprised at the challenge that even Casual mode brought to the table, and each set-piece battle was a joy to plow through.  Gears 1 does have a few edges over Gears 2; it relegates story to a barer minimum, keeping the action rigid and constant.  And I actually kind of miss the presence of Berserkers and the Kryll in G2.

OK, let's dance. Taking Angela's format so things stick out a bit in a soon-to-be morass of text.

TOP 10 GAMES of 2008

10) Boom Blox (Wii) - This is one of those games, like Chu Chu Rocket before it, where I don't even touch the 'main' gameplay staple but devote myself for hours at a time to its puzzle mode. There's something to be said for a simple puzzle game like this.

9) echochrome (PSN) - There's also something to be said for a brain-crushingly intricate one as well. I've always enjoyed perspective puzzles in print, and making a full game out of one where you fudge physics to make a path is beyond brilliant. Oh, and a Good Idea Bad Idea trophy for Sony:
Good Idea - uploading 1000 user-created levels and Trophy support to the PS3 version
Bad Idea - deleting existing saves on the HDD to accomodate the Trophies

8) Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots (PS3) - This one's kind of funny; I'd expected to put it higher. But really, the first time through, the fatalistic tone of the game kept me from enjoying the experience the way I wanted to, which is a shame since Snake Eater before it struck the perfect seriocomic balance. Good game? Definitely. A host of parts I'll love forever? Absolutely. But everything I'd hoped it would be? Not quite.

7) Devil May Cry 4 (PS3/360) - Let's put two points right on the table: It's not anywhere as good as DMC3, and Nero's scenes are pretty lame. That said, it's still a lot of fun to play, and even though listening to Nero's a bit of a pill, actually playing as him is a kick. And Dante, well...he's Dante.

6) Apollo Justice Ace Attorney (DS) - Another one that would've ranked higher without its bitter aftertaste. Whoever thought it was a good idea to go about (spoilers ho!)wresting away from an up-to-that-point exciting story to do two solid hours of time-traveling Magataming (neither missed nor nostalgic) which ultimately serves to completely defang the climactic day of court at story's end deserves a good hard kick to both shins. Aside from that though, a typically entertaining (if a bit softball) entry in the series, with a bunch of characters I wouldn't mind seeing again.

5) Chrono Trigger (DS) - There's a couple of things that irritate me about this port. The 'new' font borrowed from the FF Advance games is tougher to read than it should be, the retranslation is a bit flat at times and a bit too wacky at others (Lucca having a moment of gay panic while meeting Ayla? Really?), and the much-vaunted 'perfect soundtrack recreation' completely botched my favorite piece in the game (Tyrano Lair)*. But it's still CHRONO TRIGGER for pity's sake, and kicking ass on Top 10 lists even 13 years later.

* - Also, not S-E's fault, but I got completely diddled out of the preorder bonus from Gamestop's website because they canceled and resubmitted my order after I called about it being a week late. Drat it up one side and down the other.

4) Megaman 9 (PSN/WiiWare/XBLA) - I don't buy all the "stunning return to form, best MM game in 20 years" hyperbolic prose that's been tossed about the internet these past few months, but there IS no denying it's a hell of a game. Best Megaman game I played this year, though? Well...

3) Valkyria Chronicles (PS3) - A game by Sega. A tactical game. A Sakimoto soundtrack. And the best of all those categories in nearly a decade.

2) LittleBigPlanet (PS3) - Let me stress right off the bat that I HAVE NOT PLAYED THIS GAME ONLINE. AT ALL. So when I rank it as the second-best game of '08, that tells you I've had one hell of a good time playing Story Mode. Simply put, it's the best co-op multiplayer game I've seen in a long long time, and it singlehandedly convinced my sister to get a system of her own to play. NPD numbers be damned, that's not nothing.

1) No More Heroes (Wii) - Every review of this game you'll find will tell you it's unpolished, it's ugly, and the town parts are boring as hell. Whatever. For my part, nothing else this year made me laugh half as much as this one did. This is a game where you pull at t-shirt out of a dumpster emblazoned with a mustachioed sun and wear it to a fight with a deliveryman with nipple cannons, get set on fire for overfilling a gas tank, assassinate the same guy over and over for cash to buy wrestling videos, and where every entertaining boss fight is punctuated with a hi-score screen and someone calling to tell you your porn rentals are overdue. If NOTHING in that last sentence amuses you, I don't know what to say.

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10 BEST GAMES PLAYED THAT WERE RELEASED BEFORE 2008

10) Rez (DC/PS2/XBLA) - Finally got to try this one. I love it, but I kinda suck at it (can't clear Stage 4 to save my life).

9) Gradius V (PS2) - Ostensibly I suck worse at this one, but it's awesome.

8) Gurumin: A Monstrous Adventure (PSP) - I miss cute adventure games like this; PS1 used to be full of 'em.

7) Mario Strikers Charged (Wii) - Never ever EVER play the computer, it cheats like crazy. But this is the most fun I've had in multiplater with a Nintendo-made game this year (more on that later)

6) Contra 4 (DS) - Not the best Contra ever, but definitely in the Top 3. Clearing Challenge Mode makes you feel like a GOD.

5) Street Fighter III: 3rd Strike (via Street Fighter Anniversary Collection, PS2) - I was never able to find it for Dreamcast back in the day, and sort of just forgot about it in the years I was out of work. But it's great. I'm even willing to forgive Capcom for naming the worst character after me, that's how great it is.

4) Wario Ware: Twisted (GBA) - Winner of the "You're Playing That AGAIN?" Award for 2008. Great game to play in a crowd, just for the looks you get.

3) Super Mario Galaxy (Wii) - Technically I started it on New Year's Eve 2007, but what the hell. A genuinely fun game that makes up a lot of the bad feelings left after Sunshine came through. Screw those purple coins, though.

2) Zack & Wiki: Quest for Barbaros' Treasure (Wii) - Another one of those cute adventure games I mentioned above, but this one's more graphic adventure. There's just something about the style and presentation of games like this and Gurumin that carries me further through frustration than say, Metroid Prime would. I've not finished it, but I'll be damned if I'm FAQing it. P.S. Pirate Bunnies are awesome.

1) Megaman Powered Up (PSP) - Likely part of the reason I don't accept the idea that MM9 is The Only Way Megaman Should Be is because this game got everything I love about Megaman right, and gave me things I didn't know I wanted on top of it. Screw MM9's stupid drama, I want Sybil Iceman and Giggling Wily. Forget Protoman, I want to play as all the bosses and Roll (Roll is HARDCORE). I don't want a neverending random stage, I want grab brilliant and devious fanmade levels online. Powered Up trumps MM9 in every way important way (excepting music, of course, but MM2 beats both anyway - Gutsman's remix is incredible, by the way) and is rightful heir to the title of Best Megaman Game Ever. Period.

OK, it's waaaay later than I thought it was, so I'll cut it here and call this Part 1. Tomorrow I'll finish writing and add three more categories: 5 Worst Games I Played, Top 5 I-Love-Videogames Moments, and 5 Things I Hated About Games This Year.

I'm just about wrapping up the game on Hardcore difficulty, and I firmly believe it's the way the game should be meant to be played.  As we all seemed to agreed in the official Gears 2 thread, Normal was a bit too much on the easy side; Hardcore puts together a formidable and interesting challenge, where enemies possess more realistic stopping power.  (As Jay exemplified, though Locust types still kind of blend in with one another, the heavy hitting ones are a bigger threat on the higher difficulty.  Boomers, for instance, can once again kill you with one shot, or at least leave you in critical condition from a splash-back hit.)

The Lucca thing..... maybe my memory is patchy, but I could've sworn that moment was present even in the SNES version.  At least I remember she got drunk in the original, too. 

LBP excels at the concept of "the more, the merrier" - you've gotta check it out online sometime with more players, it's a total hoot.  Also check out Neogaf's most excellent thread of play-worthy user levels.

Doesn't it??  Doesn't it??  I picked up Dual Spirits a few months back and again tore through the game's contents in its entirety.  I've played so much C4 at this point, that it's been difficult getting back in the groove of the original Contra and Super C.   Shit, these are games I once was able to complete with my eyes closed without losing a single life..... now I need to rely on the multiple-lives codes just to get through.  Please feel free to slather me with weaksauce.

Tell that to all the Sean fans out there, for there appears to be many.  Basketball bonus round FTW!

Ahh, my 2004 Game of the Year.  But unlike other GOTYs, this one has had serious lasting appeal.  Just how hardcore Twisted am I?  In a fit of extreme fandom, I bought up two more copies of the game, in addition to the import and domestic version I already owned.  That's four copies of the same title in my possession.  You know, just in case the gyro sensor breaks or wears down on any one of 'em.  ;)

Say it with me: "Powered Up 2, based on MM2."  ..... We can dream, right?

Excellent.  I'll let you field those categories, then - I look forward to plugging in entries for those.

I just picked this up for my friend as a Christmas gift, I hope he likes it.

Top 3 Games of 2008:

3) Advance Wars: Days of Ruin (DS) - I loved Advance Wars: Dual Strike, so I was a little miffed when I first heard that DoR wasn't going to include a lot of the features that were present in AW:DS. Upon playing DoR, however, I found a game that had much better balance and was just as fun as previous games in the series. The online multiplayer and map sharing were great new features, but for me the ability to finally replay Story Mode missions was the best new addition. I still miss that Black Boat, though.

2) Professor Layton and the Curious Village (DS) - Move over, Brain Age. Professor Layton does a much better job of exercising one's brain while making the experience more fun (not to mention more frustrating). I also loved the European ambience and can't wait for the next game in the series.

1) Rhythm Tengoku Gold (DS) - What Angela said.

With Rhythm Heaven coming out next year, I have a feeling RTG will be my GotY two years in a row.

BEST GAMES YOU'VE PLAYED THIS YEAR RELEASED BEFORE 2008:

X-Men Legends II: Rise of Apocalypse (PS2) - Yeah, it's more of the same, but I've always been a fan of the Age of Apocalypse arc and it was great to see it interpreted for the game.

It wasn't in the original US version, but it was in the original Japanese version. The lesbian subtext was completely removed from the US translation, which is odd considering that they kept the transsexual Flea joke. From what I remember of the fan retranslation, there was at least one other joke involving Lucca's sexuality during the ending where Marle and Lucca size up the game's male characters.

If I recall correctly, I believe Breath of Fire IV had four scenes removed in the US as well, three of them centered on sexual innuendo: a peeping Ryu that gets bashed in the face with a rock, a blushing Ryu that accidentally touches the breast of female party member when putting his hand out in front of her to stop her and a female character that drops trow to prove she is a female. All were rather trivial in the vast scheme of things but the removal of the fourth scene was regrettable as it had a lot more to do with the story and left somewhat of a gap concerning the fate of a particular character.

Actually, I'd really like to see them skip ahead and Power Up Megaman 9. It's practically tailor-made for it, and they could replace the stupid drama with cartoon charm. Admit it, it'd be awesome to flatten Magmaman's face with Roll's broom.

Anyway, picking up where I left off...

5 Worst Games I Played in 2008

5) Crosswords DS (DS) - I really expected more from this one. A good recognition system, some cryptic crosswords, maybe Dell quality if not Games Magazine caliber. But even on higher difficulties you're still getting clues like "AAP, ___, CAP" and correcting a computer that thinks every "I" you enter is supposed to be an "L". Is there a good puzzle game like I've described someone could point me toward?

4) Super Puzzle Fighter II Turbo HD Remix (PSN/XBLA) - I'll say right now I've played the living snot out of Puzzle Fighter over the years on Saturn. So when I saw it available to download I pounced. Saturn has never had reliable memory storage, and it's a pain to set up every time I want to play, so a version I can play on a currently-connected system with a reliable HDD is a no-brainer, right? Except there's nothing to unlock via Street Puzzle Mode because there is no Street Puzzle Mode. There's also fewer taunts, less personality, and -- oh, but there's online play isn't there? Well I guess that fixes everything. Waste of friggin' money, this.

3) P.N.03 (GC) - It's almost a reflex, really. I see a few games marked down to $2 and I grab them instinctively. Most of the time I'm pleasantly surprised, or at least meet the expectations you get out of a $2 purchase. But this THING (I hesitate to call it a game) has proven that it's possible to feel ripped off at even level of investment. Essentially you play a Matrix-inspired hitwoman constantly grooving to a rhythm you're supposed to keep while you do your mission. But EVERY TIME you go to fire your weapons she has to pause and do so stylishly, without letting trifling things like homing missiles distract her. It's like an unholy lovechild of Tomb Raider and Bust-A-Groove. The most enjoyment I got out of this one was the time the short preview trailer for Viewtiful Joe, a game I've owned for years and have beaten multiple times.

1 *tie* ) Mario Kart DS (DS) & Mario Kart Wii (Wii) - Remember that preference chart I made awhile that put MKDS at about midlevel and MKWii a few paces lower? Forget that, these two share the basement. I've put in enough time on both of these now (ALONE, I should note) to realize how much I utterly despise what Mario Kart has become. In the 64/Double Dash days, my sister and I knew nothing of speed-boosting techniques and managed to get every trophy anyway from co-operation, savvy weapon use, and sheer piss-headedness. This is good. But both DS and Wii skew the gameplay so that these techniques must be used constantly to even have an outside chance at getting gold. Worse still, MKWii doesn't allow multiplayer GP Mode AT ALL (and Battle Mode stinks to high heaven). So now my sister and I can't play together anymore, and have to cheat to stay competitive if we play at all. To hell with that. We've pretty much left the series for dead in favor of other experiences, like LBP. As far as I'm concerned, Double Dash was the last (and best) Mario Kart.

---

5 THINGS I HATED ABOUT GAMES THIS YEAR

5) Don't call it a comeback - As I mentioned before, I loved Megaman 9. But the wave of 8-bit apologism that came with it is something else again. It's a blanket attitude that dismisses so many good things that happened between Megaman 6 and now, bringing to mind the bit from the Simpsons where Homer shouts at BTO that he wants 'no new crap, Takin' Care of Business, NOW.' Megaman 9's a great game, but god, some of its fans drive me nuts.

4) Regional lockouts - Why do these exist, again? PS3 will play Blu-Ray games from around the world, but I'm still forbidden from playing PS2 and PS1 titles from overseas (I finally gave in and bought an import PS2)? I have to avoid updating my Wii just to have an outside shot at playing Tatsunoko vs Capcom? And now Nintendo is adding lockouts to portable systems now? The world's gone mad.

3) Preorder nonsense - Preorder bonuses are great. They're even better when you actually get them. Nearly everything I preordered this year for bonus loot this year was either delayed, rerouted, or just not awarded at all. That's not a carrot, that's a shell game.

2) Sex sex sex - I'm not a prude, but 2008 made me feel like one. A few examples:
Devil May Cry 4 had a spy ninja-kicking around without underwear and a bullfrog using sapphic-tendril play to lure in food.
Apollo Justice had more panty jokes than the Collected Works of Ranma 1/2.
Metal Gear 4 gave you the opportunity to photograph its lady mercenaries in all sorts of ways before disposing of them, and boob-jiggling in the Codec screen by shaking the controller.
Izuna 2 sold itself on the promise of a cheesecake poster.
Half the women in Soul Calibur could suffocate a rhino with their torsos.

A little of this always happens, sure. But this year in particular was a little crazy, and I feel awkward about it.

1) Sacrificing content for online play - It's the Era of Social Gaming, and it's taking all the fun out of games. Mario Kart won't let you play with a local friend because You Should Be Playing Online. Puzzle Fighter's castrated because You Don't Need It, You Can Play Online. Soul Calibur's slower because Online Play Demands It. And so on. Online play is ostensibly a good thing, but when developers use it as a crutch to validate an otherwise subpar product, it sucks. And it's happening more and more.

Bedtime. Top 5 Moments to come, I'm still ironing out the order in my head.

I guess I fall in that category, since I can probably count on one hand the number of MM games I've liked between X5 and this (or in the case of Powered-Up and the X remake, want to play, since both are on the PSP only), making about 7 years worth of games that had me looking back at the original series and some of the X series to remind myself what the big deal was. Honestly, Megaman was a series that has had so many spinoffs and so many games of questionable quality (or in the case of the Zero/ZX games, so much crap between the good parts of the games) and ones that deviated from what made the series great to start with, a return to the roots was probably the best thing for it. Castlevania could do well to learn a lesson with what they did with MM9...The fact that they made a fighting game on the Wii based on the franchise merely confirms that.

On that note...

I guess what I didn't like about this year was looking at the Wii library and counting on one hand the amount of games I would actually pay money for on it. I mean, PS3 is in the same boat, but at least its' sales reflect it somewhat, in that it's dead last in the current gen (and whatever I want on it is also for 360 pretty much, save for LBP and BlazBlue when it comes out, but I expect a 360 port at some point for that one). I remember I said the Wiimote was a gimmick when it first came out, then I reconsidered that it might be a great idea if used properly...now the more I use it and see what's out for it, the more right I think I was initially. Whenever I see people playing that stupid Bleach game with it, I just want to grab the Wiimote and nunchuck and throw them across the room.

One hand (and one is an import anyway that probably isn't coming over here):

Tatsunoko vs Capcom
Smash Brothers Brawl
Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance
Twilight Princess (maybe)
Mario Galaxy (maybe)

Virtual Console is sweet though...Turbo Grafx CD games for the masses!

Hah.  Couldn't disagree more with most of this.  The part I do agree with is that Mario Kart Wii was kinda lame.  Mario Kart DS, however, was brilliant and easily the best in the series.  I had SO much fun with that one, both online and off.  I didn't care for Double Dash.  The two character mechanic, clown cars, and goofy boosting system just didn't do it for me.

Mario Kart Let's Rank Get!

Great MK Games:

01. Mario Kart DS
02. Mario Kart 64

Good MK Games:

03. Super Mario Kart

Mediocre MK Games:

04. Mario Kart Wii
05. Mario Kart Double Dash

Bad MK Games:

06. Mario Kart Super Circuit

Wow, it's really amazing to see how wildly different everyone thinks about Mario Kart.

I'd say:

1. Super Mario Kart (best)
2. Mario Kart Super Circuit (great)
3. Mario Kart DS (very good)
4. Mario Kart 64 (just good)
5. Mario Kart Wii (dull)
6. Double Dash (trash)

Absolutely hated Double Dash. Blegh.
I agree with SonicPanda that the series has come to rely too much on the Blue Spark thing for success, but I would say that Double Dash is probably the absolute worst offender in that regard, to the extent that I'm really surprised you claim to dislike speed-boosting, yet still love Double Dash. Seems like a total contradiction to me, but maybe that's just my personal experience with the game.

Nah, the nutty people I'm talking about are the ones arguing that it's the first good MM game in 20 years, and sometimes will actually argue that sliding was a bad idea to begin with. And by the by, I loved Powered Up, but Maverick Hunter will break your heart.

Oh...wow...Sliding...bad?

Wow, guess that's why they make strait jackets.

I can only recollect three real stinkers I played this year.  Offenders, sound off!

3 Worst Games I Played in 2008

3) Metal Slug 7 (DS) - Maybe my expectations were set a bit too high.  Coming off of Contra 4 made me think SNK could work the same revitalizing magic that WayForward did for the sidescrolling arcade shooter genre.  And while MS7 isn't necessarily a BAD game, it is a really uninspired one.  There's a cut and paste feel to the graphics, the sound is completely recycled, the music sits on top of the lower tier of the series, and nothing about the gameplay formula really excels for it to deserve an actual sequel moniker.  At least the chats with Cindy are mildly amusing.  ;)

2) Nanostray 2 (DS) - I placed up a lengthy rant in this thread here, but the long and short of it is, Shin'en was simply trying to cram in too many ideas, and the whole thing turned out sloppy.  I miss the variable weapons selection of the original, and the touch-screen option of movement was a total waste.  Still, it wasn't a total loss; playing N2 made me realize how much I appreciate the first game, and initiated me to track down the better control-configured Danshaku. 

1) Samba de Amigo (Wii) - Deep down, I didn't want to believe it, but what everyone has said about Samba de Amigo is true: the Wii controls are complete shit.  No amount of calibration, either be it with a nunchuck or two Wiimotes, could ever get close to replicating the feel of the arcade or even the Dreamcast original. And it's not even about trying to replicate the original so much as it's about making the game work in ANY capacity for the Wii.  The constant movement and position changing is just too much for the sensor bar to detect properly, resulting in a ridiculously broken experience.  It's a sin that Gearbox could taint the Samba brand with such a shoddy port, but it's also infuriating to think the game MIGHT have worked if it was adapted for the upcoming Wii MotionPlus instead.

3 THINGS I HATED ABOUT GAMES THIS YEAR

3) "No trophies for you." 
I never thought much for Achievements or Trophies - that is, until I got the 360 and started earning them for the games I really enjoyed.  That's why I was disappointed to see certain PS3 titles not getting patched; Metal Gear Solid 4, in particular, should've been a no-brainer.  I'm holding out hope that Konami will implement it eventually, because I would gladly play through the game in its entirety again to earn them all.  Ditto Call of Duty 4, but given Infinity Ward's obstinate attitude about not throwing in any more support for the title, that may be a lost cause. 

2) "Wii want (good) games, damn it!" - All in all, 2008 was a very underwhelming year for the Wii.   Yes, No More Heroes started the year off well, and Boom Blox ended up being a very pleasant surprise.  Brawl and Mario Kart might've appealed to their respective crowds, but the much anticipated Wario Land Shake It! was a lukewarm experience at best.  Even the ports I was looking forward to fell flat by their dubious inclusion of Wii-centric controls; the waggle combat in Okami really could've been handled better, and Samba de Amigo was a defective mess.  I'm really hoping for reform with the Wii next year - and that upcoming titles like MadWorld, Punch Out!, and Sin & Punishment 2 don't disappoint.

1) "A system update is required.  Again." - The most aggravating thing about the PS3, to me, has been its constant need for firmware updates.  I can't recall how many updates I've had to go through since getting the console earlier this year, but it felt like an inordinate number of times for what almost always appeared to surmount to very trivial changes.  The worst part is that these updates can take SO DAMNED LONG to download -- which ups the inherent danger of the update bricking your system should the download get cut off in the process.  Not only that, there's also the potential risk that the firmware itself could be hazardous to your console.  Remember 2.50?  Granted that was a pretty significant update, and Sony did react fast at taking it down -- but there was still damage done to quite a number of systems.  Who's to say it won't happen again?  It's gotten to the point where it's a necessary precaution to not download an update right away, and look out for any negative reports before deciding to install. 

Sigh, every time I see an update, it makes me yearn for the days of the good ol' pop in and play cartridges.

What did I enjoy this year?

Tales of Vesperia, Fallout 3, Valkyria Chronicles, Megaman 9, Persona 4.

What disappointed me this year?

MGS4, GTA4, DMC4, LBP, a whole bunch of JRPGs.

Which JRPGs did you play? I'm not a huge fan of JRPGs, although there are some great ones for sure. If I had time, I would play Oblivion (or Morrowind for that matter)! Those are my type of RPGs...

cheers,

-avatar!

I played pretty much all of them released this year. ... well, played is an overstatement. I got an hour and a half into "Infinite Undiscovery" before returning it and 18 hours into "Tales of Symphonia: Dawn of the New World" before giving up in disgust.

Haven't tried "The Last Remnant" yet but I've heard very little good about it.

This hasn't been a good generation for the genre. I thought "Tales of Vesperia" was good, "Lost Odyssey" was okay and the rest are varying degrees of bad.

Yikes, I haven't posted in a while.  I've kept up with reading here but haven't actually contributed much.  2008 has been a pretty craptacular year for gaming for me.  2007 was MUCH better (more than a year later I'm still willing to say Mario Galaxy and Portal are two of the greatest games I've EVER played).

The good:

Mario Kart Wii.  If they hadn't COMPLETELY SCREWED UP BATTLE MODE, this would be my favorite Mario Kart game of all time.  They nailed the mechanics (after the stupid lack of hopping in MK:DD!!) and it's wonderful to do power slides with an analog stick instead of the painful d-pad on the DS.  Tons of multiplayer options and a shockingly good online mode (considering we'd just come off the abysmal Brawl) made this into a game that I've played more of with my friends than anything since Melee.  Easily my game of the year.

Super Smash Bros. Brawl (Wii) was good too, but trying to play online is just no fun at all.  I think I'm in the minority around the people I hang out with in thinking that it's actually a bit better than Melee as a game overall.  I think the biggest problem with it is that it was WAY too hyped and it's really not the end-all-be-all of video games that they seemed to want us to think it was.

Braid (XBLA) So I still have NO ****ING CLUE what the story was about in this game, but the gameplay was genius.  I haven't felt that kind of satisfaction in figuring out puzzle solutions for quite some time.  Lovely, lovely game, and well worth the price of admission... despite what some people on the internet say.

Dr. Mario (WiiWare) Sure, this is the same as most versions of Dr. Mario, but the online version rules.  My biggest disappointment is that they didn't include a 4 player local option.  Guess I still need to have a Gamecube and Puzzle Collection around for gaming parties...

LostWinds (WiiWare) Not as compelling as Braid, but still unique and creative and lots of fun.  I'm probably in the minority of people in that I WANT my games to be short these days - I just don't have time to play many super long games.  2 hours of fun gameplay is better to me than 50 hours of mediocrity.

The "meh" (hey, it's in the dictionary now!):

Dragon Quest IV (DS) I bought this after seeing lots and lots of positive word of mouth online.  It's... okay.  I'm not really blown away by it in any way.  It's better than any previous experience I've had with Dragon Quest, but it just hasn't held my interest very much and I'm languishing in Torneko's chapter and have been for months.

Animal Crossing: City Folk (Wii) I LOVED the other two Animal Crossings and put tons and tons of time into them.  This one just doesn't offer enough new.  I've played it two or three times since getting it and haven't really felt like picking it up since.  This has got to be the most disappointed in Nintendo first party releases for Christmas in all the years I can remember playing games.

Bomberman Blast (WiiWare) WHERE IS MY DISC VERSION, HUDSON?  I'm extremely angry that we don't get the option of playing the single player mode, since I LOVE classic Bomberman adventures.  I would've easily paid $30 for it.  As far as the game itself, it's not bad, but I feel like Bomberman games should really be 2D.  The 3D has always seemed awkward to me.  I'm still waiting for a Bomberman game that's as good as either Bomberman '94 or Saturn Bomberman.

The WHERE IS ALL MY FREE TIME 2008 games I own but haven't played yet:

Baroque, No More Heroes, Persona 3 FES, Persona 4, Banjo Kazooie: Nuts and Bolts, Infinite Undiscovery, Too Human, Lego Indiana Jones, Rhapsody, The World Ends with You.  Also: lots of games from previous years that I haven't gotten to yet.

And finally, I have played a few games this year that are older but are worth mentioning.  I finally got a 360 in November, so I got to play through Half-Life 2 instead of just playing Portal in Orange Box at a friend's house.  It was... okay?  Great sense of immersion and the physics were pretty amazing, but the technical side of things was all that wowed me.  I didn't find it all that special outside of that.  Why does everyone love Gordon Freeman as a character?  He barely even IS a character!

I also played through Banjo Kazooie on XBLA, since I never played the N64 original.  It took me about 6 hours to adjust to the camera rotating the wrong direction (AND THEY DON'T LET YOU CHANGE IT), but outside of that I had a blast with it.  MUCH less collect-y than DK64, which was a pleasant surprise.  I also found myself wishing that N64 games on the VC would get as much attention.  The game looks lovely when smoothed out and put into 16:9.

The last major game I played through this year that's old was Alundra (I think I played that this year and not 2007?  I can't quite remember).  It's pretty good, but I was annoyed by how some of the puzzles worked.  I like how in the Zelda games all of the puzzle solutions make sense within the game mechanics.  I remember several times in Alundra thinking to myself "how the hell did they ever expect me to even think that would work?"  Still fun, though.  And probably the last Working Designs game I'll ever play. 

I didn't play as many games as much as I wanted (seriously, there's too much good stuff coming out nowadays) so I'll leave it at a top 5 for both categories:

Thomas' Picks for the Best Games of 2008

5. Braid
It's been years since a title caught me by surprise like Braid did. It reminded me of ICO, 'nuff said.

4. Castlevania: Order of Eclessia
Reminds me of Aria of Sorrow in more than one way. Bravo's for doing away with the anime style (and yay for hooker boots!).

3. Metal Gear Solid Online
More fun than it should be (as it's far from perfect). Excellent level design and original modes of play made this a big time-waster.

2. Professor Layton and the Curious Village
I wish I could delete this game from my memory and discover it anew. Its cast of likeable characters, atmosphere, excellent puzzles and soothing music made it impossible for me to put this game down.

1. Persona 3: FES
The perfect JRPG? I found myself coming back for more each time: the combination of social interaction and dungeon exploring form the barebone of almost every modernday RPG, but none has ever been as appealing to me as FES.

Thomas' most played games of Times Gone By 2008 edition

3. Shenmue
Never completed it back in the day, so this summer I set out to do so once-and-for-all. Its epic-ness and attention to detail still stuns 10 years later.

2. Final Fantasy Tactics: War of the Lions
not the best port BUT MY WHAT AN EXCELLENT TRANSLATION THIS IS! I never understood a single thing of what was going on in the PS1 version and thankfully that prevented me from being bothered to finish it. I miss u Matsuno :'(

1. Picross DS
Someone save me...

I've been meaning to give Braid a try, and I suspect it'll be my first ever Live Marketplace purchase.  Looks like it did moderately well.

News flash: The male obsession for hooker boots has grown to unhealthy proportions since Ecclesia hit.  Oh you dirty-minded bastards, you.

.... Yeah, she does look ridiculously cool, though.

I wish I could've dug MGO, but I just couldn't.  Aside from Konami's cumbersome ID log-in system and broken pack upgrades, the gameplay was simply too plodding and unfulfilling for me to really get into.   MGO is exactly the sort of game that would've turned me off of online gaming for good.

Since I haven't seen a follow-up yet from SonicPanda, I'll just go ahead and list mine now.

---

TOP FIVE I LOVE VIDEOGAMES MOMENTS OF 2008

5) Metal Gear Solid 4 / "Laugh With Me!" - Far and away my favorite boss battle in MGS4, Laughing Octopus' is clever, suspenseful, and kickass intense.  I think of the four B&B, they put the most care in developing her persona; she's downright menacing.  As if the camouflaging and window/roof crashing weren't enough, she got me good when I was stalking quietly, and that tentacle comes down from the ceiling and grabs Snake's head something terrible.  Yipes!

4) Metal Gear Solid 4 / "Snake's Final Mission" - Those last moments when you realize that Snake is about to fulfill his final mission, that one last punishment he must endure.... well, it just gave me goose bumps.  From the trailers to the opening title, we've been leading up to this very sequence - and once it happened, it stunned me into silence and disbelief.  But it's the aftermath, that concluding conversation that Sunny has with Otacon that really got my emotions swimming.

3) Grand Theft Auto IV / "I <3 Liberty City" - As mentioned, the thing I dig most about GTAIV is Rockstar's complete re-imagining of New York City in the form of Liberty City.  As a native resident of NYC, there were several times in the game where I'm just driving or walking around, and I get this overwhelming sense of déjà vu - that yes, I've actually BEEN here before, in real life.  The attention to detail in the roads, the highways, the architectures, and the ethnic diversity of the neighborhoods make this an impressive virtual tour of the City.  (There's far less trash-talking from the residents in real life, though.) ;)  Being a resident of Queens specifically, lemme just say: DUKES BOROUGH REPRESENT.   

2) Super Street Fighter 2 Turbo HD Remix / "Get ready to start, wake up your burning soul again." - Oh, the thrill of one-on-one Street Fighting, how I've miss thee.  Playing the game live with such a readily available online community brings me back to the good ol' arcade days, where I've been getting a beating just as much as I've been giving it.  There are fewer joyful video game moments than finishing off your opponent with a glorious combo after a particularly intense match, but it's the experience you gain when fighting against others that's the true draw.  Observing your opponent's patterns and getting to know the ticks and deeper nuances of the characters makes playing live both enjoyable and a learning experience.

1) Rhythm Tengoku Gold / "You win! Perfect!" - For those striving for Perfect Campaigns, I think the feeling one gets after completing them can best be described as exhilarated relief.  Your nerves on end during a song, knowing that you can crack at anytime if you're even a hair off rhythm..... it's a trying experience to be sure, but success results in a badge proving your incredible skill, that golden PERFECT glittering around your stage.  You've got fifty chances to experience that feeling, and the last one will make you feel like you're King of the World.

D'oop, you're right. Completely blanked there. Gimme some time and I'll scratch it up tonight. To Be Continued...*Ace Attorney Suspense theme*

EDIT: Aaaand it'll wait 'til tomorrow since the browser closed itself unhelpfully in mid-post after I'd been typing for 20 minutes. #@&#$...

OK, keeping comments short in case of future accidents...

TOP 5 "I LOVE VIDEOGAMES" MOMENTS OF GAMES PLAYED IN 2008: GAMEPLAY EDITION

5) Megaman 9 - The Extra Met - The first time you encounter this is priceless. The last sanctuary is breached and nothing is safe.

4) Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots - Fury Strut - Since Angela has Octopus covered, I'll mentioned my favorite MGS4 moment stemming from my play (spoilers?): Strutting around pre-dawn Amazon in a guard disguise to the rhythm of The Fury pod music I'd just collected. I was quickly noticed and attacked of course, but for a minute-and-change, I felt like the Crown Prince of Cool. Oh, and a mini-cheer for finally being able to access Boss Mode on Subsistence with a PS3. I essentially spent the week between getting the system and GotP fighting The Fury over and over again.

3) LittleBigPlanet - Boom Town - By all rights and by all other accounts, this stage should have been an exercise in frustration. But playing with family and friends as I was, it was a steady stream of blowing each other up and laughing our asses off. Eventually we concentrated and did it the 'right' way, but it was great fun all the way. Oh, and best tune on the soundtrack, as well.

It's just too bad we're too scared to play it now until Sony fixes the stupid data issues.

2) No More Heroes - Shinobu - Shinobu's not the coolest boss in the game, but she's the first truly great one, and it was during this fight that I finally mastered the combat system well enough to knock her around properly. Extra points for an excellent backdrop and battle theme.

1) Megaman Powered Up - Roll Refuses to Lose - I expected this to be a nice little bonus, but clearing Hard Mode first while adapting to play with nothing but a broom (albeit a very powerful broom) turned out to be one of the most challenging and certainly the most satisfying gaming experience I had all year. I've said it before: Roll is HARDCORE.

TOP 5 "I LOVE VIDEOGAMES" MOMENTS OF GAMES PLAYED IN 2008: HANDS-OFF EDITION

5) Mario Strikers Charged - Intro Video - Never mind Brawl, this is the coolest intro to a Nintendo game I've seen this year. They even electrocute a Pianta! What more could I ask for? If you haven't seen it, watch the first 2 minutes of this video (except the user-introduction, why do people still do that?): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xxdff2LOMf4&fmt=18

4) Contra 4 - Extending an Arm in Friendship - You don't get a second chance at a first impression, and C4's second boss made the best entrance I've seen all year. Unfortunately, there's no really good short video of the scene, so you'll have to skip ahead to 5:45 on this one: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aNfV4U6eVfU&fmt=18

3) No More Heroes - Shake Down - Comedic highlight of '08, no question. I'll just link a vid and not spoil it here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1xlF8CNCcio&fmt=18

FWEEEEE

2) Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots - Shaky Reunion - Another scene worth not spoiling, this one felt like it was included just for me, fan of the character that I am: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PQrmsqpI1ss&fmt=18

PS: No clue why the player in the vid didn't pull up flashbacks on the last part.

1) Super Smash Bros. Brawl - The Soundtrack - I haven't put this into the 'Top 8 soundtracks' poll because I'm not sure it's eligible, but damn it, it should be. Throw out all the borrowed tracks and you still have more than 100 fresh arrangements, mostly stellar, from the best selection of VGM wizards ever assembled. Shimomura arranging Ishikawa alone was worth the price of admission.

LOWEST MOMENT OF GAMES PLAYED IN 2008

Dewy's Adventure - Nestle's Crunch - You want to advertise on the back of the manual, fine. But if this is the future of advertising in games, I'm out. As the lone comment on this video says, it doesn't stop here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OtI-UJwsFyU

I voted but forgot to use the list but I forgot now with all this coursework/exams this week. The one I liked the most released last year though was Super Mario Galaxy. I stopped myself from seeing anything and when I went to launch event it surprised me a lot trying it first time!

I would problably include new Castlevania but that isnt even out here so can't have an opinion on it. I just remembered that Lost Odyssey was on my list as its a pleasure to listen to and really goes well with game. 

Just noticed this is something completely different from soundtrack list topic! Anyway these games were part of my favorites for last year. I will edit this with better info when I have time.

I still prefer the alternative version of this scene.  It makes said character's exit of shame that much more appropriate.

That particular moment made me go "Capcom, you F*CKING ASSHOLES!", but with a smile on my face
Still, 3 extras on 1 screen? That was too good to be true anyway.

Wow, that's just....stupid.
The Japanese version doesn't have this, fortunately, and I quite liked the game actually.