Older: January 2009
Newer: March 2009

5 games in 2008

I know I always do these in February, but I'm really outdoing myself this year.

Soulcalibur IV

#5: Soulcalibur IV

While most of the new material seemed to revolve around new characters nobody cares about, the core gameplay was still good old Soulcalibur. Plus it was online and they brought back my beloved Create-a-Character from SCIII. Probably a good portion of my 100+ hours playing this were just in the character editor.

Valkyria Chronicles

#4: Valkyria Chronicles

I think this is close to the game I always wanted to make: tactical gameplay with minor action elements, beautiful, watercolor-inspired graphics, a plot that reminds me of an old SNES RPG, and of course, a soundtrack by Hitoshi Sakimoto.

Bionic Commando Rearmed

#3: Bionic Commando Rearmed

Note to everyone out there working on Extreme Pong or Final Fantasy Versus XIV-3: Advance-R: This is how you do a remake. BCR has got it all—classic gameplay, colorful graphics, a crazy sense of humor, and a phenomenal remixed soundtrack by Simon Viklund, who was also the game's producer.

Braid

#2: Braid

Although brief, Braid remains one of my most memorable and rewarding gaming experiences from last year. For those who don't own an Xbox 360, it's finally coming to PC in about a month.

Grand Theft Auto IV

#1: Grand Theft Auto IV

Hey, it's that game. Yes, it's not a perfect 10, and no, it's not as fun as the GTAIII trilogy, but I still had a great time causing trouble as Niko Bellic last year. I also played through the whole campaign a second time and did 100% of the side missions—two GTA firsts for me. Multiplayer GTA4 night remains a weekly highlight even more than six months after release—hopefully I won't be burned out by the time they release San Andreas 2.

Special Achievement Award: Metal Gear Solid 4

While there wasn't much actual game here, it certainly did have the best set pieces in any game. Chapter 4 was mind-numbingly awesome, from its opening surprise all the way to its I-can't-believe-this-is-happening final battle.

And finally, some other notable mentions:

Final Fantasy Tactics A-2 - While the gameplay is almost identical to its GBA predecessor, there's definitely no shortage of quests to complete. I don't think there's been another game in my DS since its release in August.

Geometry Wars 2 - Antoine de Saint Exupéry wrote, "Perfection is attained, not when no more can be added, but when no more can be removed." So Bizarre Creations looked at the current design of dual-stick shooters, took away the second stick, and created Pacifism.

Mirror's Edge - The free running sections were so much fun but the sloppy combat and controls more than made up for that. I hate this game.

Patapon - Great art style and concept, but the game is almost literally the same five seconds over and over for hours. Also there is no pause button.

Professor Layton and the Curious Village - Whereas Braid made me feel smart, Professor Layton and his zillions of puzzles made me feel stupid. Next time I'll avoid picking up any hint coins because I just couldn't resist using them.

Super Street Fighter II Turbo HD Remix - Hey it's Street Fighter II!

Older: January 2009
Newer: March 2009