As the year of 2008 comes into it's final, coldest month it's good to have a look back and see what brilliant game releases there were, and mainly, choose which one of these was the best game of 2008.
Throughout the whole year there have been some awesome video game releases on the Nintendo Wii, Xbox 360 and Playstation 3, but in my opinion, the later half of the year would have to be the best. Between September and November there were some awesome game releases, dozens infact, and they have kept me and millions of other gamers entertained this year.
Here are just a few of the awesome games that have been released in the past year:
Lost Odyssey - I thought this game was pretty good, although the combat of the game was not my favorite it was still good gameplay, but also, extremely long, 4 disks, really took some time to get through it all.
Condemned 2 - Although the game is rather brutal and not for the feint of heart, the hand to hand combat makes the game really good. The game is rather dark and jumpy at times, it really brings you into the game.
Battlefield: Bad Company - This is the best Battlefield game so far, mainly because it's the first one with an actual campaign. I thought the ability blow up a hole in a building was awesome, you could run any direction at a building and make your very own door.
Lego Indiance Jones - I am a great fan of all of the Lego games, they are brilliant and great fun. Although the Lego games are very short, the humour added to them is awesome.
Lego Batman - Pretty much the same game as Lego Indiana but with a few new features, still an awesome game to play, especially as a group. Every Lego game so far has been great, they are fun for the whole family and everyone will enjoy them.
Civilization Revolution - I only played this game a few times on the Xbox 360 but I thought it was amazing, alot different from any other Civilization game.
Devil May Cry 4 - I know of alot of people that have said that this game is great, but I don't really see it. I played the demo on the Xbox 360 and thought, "hmm, alot of jumping". I thought the game was very repetitive, not my cup of tea.
Mario Kart Wii - Although I am not a fan of most of the Mario games, I really liked playing this one. Especially when you have the special Wii steering wheel, it makes the game alot of fun, although its better to play as a group, it's still alot of fun on your own, a must play for Wii lovers.
GRID - I never liked this game, the graphics were very good but because you could rewind time if you crashed, I thought it ruined it.
Burnout Paradise - The only problem with this game is the repetitive factor, you do alot of races and then get a new license, once you get that license you have to repeat all of the races again, just a little bit harder to get another license. Although the game was great for a drive around, the whole campaign got slightly tiresome after a while.
Super Smash Bros. Brawl - Even though I only played the game once or twice it was great fun. The basic controls and fast paced gameplay makes it really fun to play as a party. The ability to jump around as Kirby makes it a great and funny game, great in a party.
Metal Gear Solid 4 - Although this game has alot of movies scenes within it, which sometimes can run on for longer than needed, the bits where you get to play are awesome, I though the graphics were great as was the storyline, when you got to play it that is.
Rock Band - Amazing, I have always loved the Guitar Hero games, but when this was released I just had to get it, I loved the set list and loved the new instruments, amazing game and a must play for any music game lover.
Rock Band 2 - This game is brilliant, although it;s basically the same as Rock Band 1, it comes with a wider and more expanable set list, awesome to play and great fun in a group.
Guitar Hero World Tour - This game, like with Rock Band is a brilliant game, the new instruments were awesome but I thought the set list really dragged it down, obviously it depends on your taste but I wasn't amazed by it.
Grand Theft Auto 4 - You can't really complain about this game, all of the other GTA's have been awesome but this one managed to top the lot. Outstanding graphics and the ability to change the way the game ends depending on the choices you make just makes it even better. With the addition of new content coming next year, I'm looking forward to it.
World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King - Only World of Warcraft players will want to read this one, but this game is rather good, a new level cap plus new raid content, new land to explore and a new class. This game will keep me entertained for many hours.
Gears of War 2 - Outstanding, just one word needed really. The graphics of this game were absolutely amazing and the storyline was mind blowing, it's continuous action with non stop blood. This is a must play game for any Xbox 360 owner and I look forward to the next one.
Star Wars: The Force Unleashed - Although the game was good, and it had alot of hype before it was released, once it was, I was not totally amased by it all. Although the look and gameplay of it was great, the length of the storyline was terrible, plus because it has no online play, the game was over with a few days and it now sits on the shelf.
Left 4 Dead - If you loved games like Counter Strike and Half Life, you will love this, it's made by the same people, Valve, but this time it's based on zombies. You battle your way with 3 other people to get out of the city. I personally like the emphasis on team work within the game, plus every gun and weapon is really realistic.
Fable 2 - Although the majority of the game was great, there were some bits that were just ok. The entire storyline, gameplay, graphics and the ability to change the game by the decisions you make. But the length and difficulty of the game was a let down, I found it to be alot shorter than the original Fable and it was also alot simpler as you didn't seem to face any tough bosses. Although it does have some downsides, I still say it's a great game.
Mirror's Edge - Some might say this is a bad game, too much like Assassins Creed, but I loved Assassins Creed. I personally thought that Mirror's Edge was great, the graphics were outstanding and the whole storyline was great, the only downside I found was the cut scenes, they looked really poor to be honest.
Far Cry 2 - This game was absolutely awesome, the graphics were great and the ability to change the game as you play, also while coping with malaria, it just makes the whole game more intense to play. You have a wide range of weapons to choose from all to help you gain an advantage on your enemies, plus the game features are awesome. All these things made the game absolutely great, one of the best of 2008.
Call of Duty 5: World of War - This game had alot to live up to, it had to beat CoD4 which one a number of awards this year. I personally didn't like CoD5 as much as 4 because it went back to the World Wars. But that aside, the gameplay and graphics were great, although it didn't quite live up to the reputation left by CoD4.
All of the games listed above were really fun to play and kept me entertained all year round but it's come to tell you what my game of the year is, although it's a really difficult decision. I would personally have to choose between Rock Band and Gears of War 2 and because of the amazing fight scenes and outstanding graphics and storyline, I would have to choose Gears of War 2 as my game of 2008. What's your favorite game of the year?
Caribbean Holidays and All Inclusive Holidays are great for this Winter.
