2008 Video Game(s) of the Year - Part 2

Here we go, my final say on what was video games in 2008. The big finale. Where I get to say what I liked best in video gaming in 2008. Now mind you, this is just my opinion, more specifically, the games where I had the most fun. Without further ado:

2008 Role-Playing Game of the Year
Fallout 3 - I had a ton of fun playing this game. I was a little nervous that Bethesda wouldn't get the feel of the Fallout universe right but I'll be damned if they didn't nail it. There is a special balance between the horrors of a post-apocalyptic world and the campy humor that is Fallout and these guys were spot on. The new first person perspective and the V.A.T.S system was a welcome addition to the game. I played the game Wasteland in 1988 and fell in love with the apocalyptic atmosphere that game had. Then came Fallout which, while not a sequel to Wasteland, was definitely a spiritual successor to the game. I played that to death as well. Fallout 2 was more of the same and sadly, the series faded after Brotherhood of Steel. I was so psyched that the series got revived and was very happy with Fallout 3. I hope it wasn't nostalgia that influenced this decision but it doesn't matter. I had a ton of fun with Fallout 3.

2008 Shooter of the Year
Left 4 Dead - This is the game that has prevented me from posting this already. I am always down with some zombie killing action but doing it with friends makes it all that more fun. The frantic action of going through a "movie" in 4-player co-op game is a ton of fun but I had the most fun playing versus mode as a special infected zombie. Being able to set a trap with all of your zombie friends for the survivors and incapacitate them all at once is wickedly satisfying. Choosing the Boomer zombie and barfing on all 4 survivors and sending hordes of frenzied infected is awesome. Going through the campaign as a survivor and reading the notes other survivors left behind is a nice touch too. "No zombie is safe from Chicago Ted". A close runner up is Call of Duty - World at War. The only thing that kept that out of contention is the map glitches in multi-player and the insufferable "n00b tube" spamming on Hardcore Search & Destroy missions.

2008 Arcade Game of the Year - Penny Arcade - On the Rain Slick Precipice of Darkness - Episode 1- I didn't play too many arcade titles this year but I had a lot of fun with the offering from the guys at Penny Arcade. The game play, story and humor were just right. Cannot wait to get my hands on Episode 2.

2008 Party Game of the Year - Rock Band 2 - Any game that I can get my wife to play deserves special mention. This game is so much fun to play with a bunch of people who aren't too self concious and just want to let loose. WE need to play more of this in 2009.

2008 Sports Game of the Year - Tiger Woods 09 - Believe it or not, this was the hardest category for me to pick this year. UEFA 2008 and Burnout Paradise were solid games but TW 09 edged them out with a solid return from TW 08. Everything is better in TW 09 except for the announcers. EA, bring back Gary McCord and David Feherty. They cracked me up even if the youth of today doesn't get their schtick.

2008 Action Game of the Year - LEGO Batman - This is the first LEGO game that I ever played and I was addicted to it immediately. This was a nice balance of action, puzzle solving and collecting followed up with a nice touch of humor too. I even went out and bought LEGO Star Wars - The Complete Saga because of this and will get LEGO Indiana Jones too.

2008 Biggest Disappointment of the Year - Brother's in Arms - Hell's Highway - I was sooo looking forward to this game since I loved the original XBOX's Road to Hill 351. Sadly, this game looked and acted like a last gen game not a current gen game. I wish they had more time to polish it up and produce a better product since the game-play concept is great.

2008 Biggest Surprise of the Year - LEGO Batman - I chose this because I thought that I would hate a LEGO game and that it would be too cutesy but I was surprised. I had a ton of fun with this game, so much so that I went out and grabbed all 1000 achievement points.

2008 Game of the Year - Fallout 3 - For reasons stated above, I had more fun and got more immersed in this game than any other. GTAIV missed the cut because I found myself getting bored and frustrated with the game after a few weeks of playing. The magic just wore off. Not so for Fallout 3. I am planning on going back into that world and do more exploring and also play the new DLC due out soon.

Thanks for reading and I will try to start doing game reviews on a regular basis as I get them and play them. Cheers! JEff