Top 5 Games of 2008

2008 has been a fantastic year for video games and 2009 is loaded to the gills with potential. To commemorate such a nerd pleasing year, each of the One Life contributors would like to break down their personal"Top 5 Favorite Games of 2008". Don't let us do all the talking though. Be sure to let us know what games kept your thumbs (or pointer fingers for you PC nerds) busy this year.

Adam Ballard

5. Patapon (PSP)
While 2008 was a great year for games in general, the PSP wasn't exactly the bell of the ball. In fact, there seemed to be a software drought for the system. All of this lackluster pressure managed to forge a few diamonds though, one of which was Patapon. Part rhythm game and part RTS, Patapon is a stellar handheld offering. It's got amazing an amazing art style, an addictive soundtrack, and is ridiculously fun to play. Patapon is easy to pick up and get into, yet also offers in-depth customization of your minions. Marching into enemy territory to murder and pillage has never been this adorable (and catchy).

4. Dead Space (PS3, Xbox 360, PC)
As a long time survivor-horror fan, it takes a lot to make me turn the lights on during a scary game. Mowing down zombies with a shotgun has become about as frightening as jumping on a goomba these days, so what's a cat gotta do to get his freak (as in frighten) on? EA Redwood Shores hit the nail on the head with their outer space survival horror title Dead Space. What makes Dead Space so frightening isn't just the grotesque amount of gore and walking abominations (which are aplenty), but the overall atmosphere of the game. Enemies come at you from all types of dark places, vents, and corridors and Dead Space does a great job of timing its scares. Also, gone is the tried and true head shot kill for enemies. Taking away such a fundamental law in video game rules is just one of many ways that Dead Space will have you playing in a well lit room with Disney's The Lion King playing on a separate TV. What? It calms me down.


3. Mega Man 9 (PS3, Xbox 360, Wii)
In an age of quick saves and infinite continues, it takes a game like Mega Man 9 to put you in your place. Built from the ground up with 8-bit bricks, Mega Man 9 is an homage of the NES' early Mega Man titles. The level design, enemy patterns, and boss fights are all in top form for the series. There's a good feeling that comes with beating any video game but Mega Man 9's insane difficulty makes conquering it a truly significant feat. To put it lightly, you'll feel like Andy Dufresne exiting Shawshank after besting Dr. Wily this go round.

2. Little Big Planet (PS3)
There's just something that can't be ignored about simple pleasure video games. While Mass Effect might offer a choice related story ala branching dialog, is that any more fun than playing Super Mario 3? Rejoice believers, for a new super fun simpleton has been born in the form of Little Big Planet for the PS3. LBP is all about navigating your Sack Boy (or Girl) through stages featuring larger than life everyday environments. The gameplay is simple, but based on a very intuitive physics engine that allows for creativity in clearing the stages. Also, players can access level design tools to create their own stages and challenges. While this "create a level" concept could easily have been a terrible montage of poorly re-constructed Battletoad's levels, the LBP developers have made a decent working rating system to keep well designed stages easily accessible. Working together with others to accomplish a goal doesn't reinvent the video game wheel by any means, but this "wheel" is used in such an approachable fashion that's it an attractive wheel nonetheless. Kind of like TI's (or TIPS's) 24s.

1. Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots (PS3)
To me, MGS4 represents brilliance in gaming. The story of Solid Snake has lasted two decades and the idea of it finally ending was a tough pill to swallow. Suffice it to say that Hideo Kojima and company not only finished up all the loose ends of the story, but they did it as respectfully to the series (and fans) as possible. Combining the solid gameplay, its cutting edge presentation, and Mr. Kojima's unrivaled direction, gives you a game for the ages. Imagine if every Star Wars film had gotten progressively better like the jump between Episode IV and V. That's the caliber of game MGS 4 is. While Kojima and crew are already hinting at another MGS "project", I tip my hat to them for even attempting to overcome the industry high bar that they have set with Guns of the Patriots.

Brian Thompson

5. Professor Layton and the Curious Village (DS)
This one took me by surprise. When it comes to the DS, I fully expected my portable world to be rocked by the remake of Final Fantasy IV, which is one of my favorite games of all time. But after dying for the thousandth time fighting some monster I could beat blindfolded when I was twelve, I realized some of the shine was gone. It may be technically impressive to replace colorful 16-bit sprites with pastel polygons, but it's also charm sucking. So, I played Professor Layton on a whim. I'm a sucker for French animation (kneel before my masculinity!), but I kind of hate puzzles. Somehow, though, strolling through a quaint little town solving crime and figuring out how to get all you sheep across a river without them being eaten by wolves is a recipe for success! There are a few games that engrossed me, frustrated me, or rewarded me more than Professor Layton this year. And by "few", of course, I mean "four."

4. Prince of Persia (PS3, Xbox 360)
You can read my review on this very site, but suffice it to say that Prince of Persia is the best platformer of this console generation. The meticulous art direction, flowing graphics, and cinematic score only serve to heighten the old fashioned fun of leaping and lunging from ledge to ledge. Plus, the combat is the bee's knees. I didn't touch on this in my review, but a lot of people have been deriding the prince in this game and praising his magical female companion Elika. While Elika's powers add a dose of fantastic to the game without ever getting in the way, she's really nothing different from the other soulful, headstrong female characters we've come to expect from any game written with a modicum of intelligence. And while the new prince isn't the kind of serious, mission-focused destiny monger of games past, he's definitely not just a dumb surfer dude as some other reviewers have lamented. He's a lovable rogue in the tradition of Han Solo or that crackhead who digs through my garbage and jokes around with me most mornings. Gotta love that guy. Even though he's kind of a dolt.

3. Fable II (Xbox 360)
Sure, I was a little disappointed in Fable II, but who couldn't be after Peter Molyneux promised it would do everything short of curing cancer and bringing your dead puppy back to life? (I miss you Mr. Paws...) But even though he didn't deliver the Greatest Game of This or Any Age, Fable II is still an immersive action RPG with a simple and addictive combat system, hilarious writing, Dickens meets The Brothers Grimm art design, and enough nooks and crannies to keep you going well beyond the admittedly short main quest line. Favorite moment? Earning admission into the Brotherhood of Shadows by eating a handful of baby chicks. A lesser game would have watered down the fun by forcing you to go on a menial fetch quest for the fluffy little avians, but Mr. Molyneux and crew simply add them to your inventory and let you crunch away while a seemingly evil door guard gags in disgust. This is called fun people.

2. Grand Theft Auto IV (PC, PS3, Xbox 360)
The only thing keeping Grand Theft Auto IV from the top of my list is the burden of comparison. This game looks and plays as well or better than any other. The new cover system adds a layer of fun missing from all the previous games' shootouts. The driving (which takes some getting used to) is fluid and tight. The missions never seem repetitive, cheap, or anything less than gripping. The characters and story are enough reason to play, and the multiplayer is fun enough to tack on another hundred or more hours for those of us with a high tolerance for emotionally stunted racists with headsets and Xbox Live accounts. But after flying around San Andreas on a jet pack, wearing a clown wig and Uziing ice cream trucks, even the deepest details of faux-realistic Liberty City come off a bit duller than they should.

1. Fallout 3 (PC, PS3, Xbox 360)
I enjoyed the previous two Fallout games on PC, but I was never a fanatic like some others. They're hilarious and a lot of fun to play, but they're also painfully slow, and the mechanics of a top-down PC RPG have always been a bit clunky. On the other hand, I am obsessive about The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion. I've played and replayed and wandered around Cyrodil so much that at times I start thinking about reality in terms of Oblivion. Did you know if you murder a random person on the street, you don't have to options to pay a fine, go to jail, or resist arrest? Well, you have to of those options. Anyway, Fallout 3 has been described as Oblivion with guns. In other words, holy crap. But the best part about Fallout 3--even better than the bloody and hilarious combat, the beautifully desolate post-nuclear Washington, D.C., and the swinging soundtrack--is the simple fact that this is possibly the closest to a hobo simulator we're ever likely to see. A lot of time is spent wandering the wasteland digging through garbage bins and bombed out houses looking for food and junk to sell. And in these trying economic times, it couldn't hurt to learn a bit of the hobo code. Now if only there were a suit of armor consisting entirely of an old pickle barrel with shoulder straps...

Jason Leavey

5. Super Street Fighter II Turbo HD Remix (PS3, Xbox 360)
Growing up on all of the Super Street Fighter II games, I felt abandoned when Super Street Fighter III debuted. It felt so unnatural to, so wrong, like Christmas in July. But luckily for me, Capcom came to realize that when you have a great formula, sometimes it's best to just reuse it as much as possible. Taking an incredible fighting game from the nineties, and updating it with HD Graphics, remixed music, and an improved control scheme helped make this one of the best games of the year.

4. Wii Fit (Wii)
I'll be the first to admit that the game only ranks high because it's half game, half peripheral. But what an incredible peripheral it is. In all of my experiences, it really works perfectly. The yoga and strength training exercises are responsive and really give you a workout. But for me, what it comes down to are the balance games. I could easily head soccer balls all day on Wii Fit.

3. No More Heroes (Wii)
This is one of the few games where I wasn't constantly punching the A button to skip through the story. And Travis Touchdown might be the coolest new character I've seen in a long time. Overall, everything about the game was extremely fun and the sequel can't come soon enough.

2. Super Smash Bros. Brawl (Wii)
Despite the broad criticism of the Subspace Emissary, I thought it was extremely enjoyable. Having an all-star lineup of characters to defeat a common foe was epic and masterfully executed. Plus the new characters, Wi-Fi multiplayer, and traditional melee modes are top notch.

1. Mario Kart (Wii)
If you were to tell me there would be a day where Mario Kart would use motion controls, I would have slapped you across he face and asked you not to get my hope up. Because nothing could possibly be cooler. Well, in 2008, Nintendo pulled it off and it was incredible. Mario Kart Wii featured double the courses of the previous installment, a boat load of characters, online tournaments, Wi-Fi racing and battle modes, and a new trick system. All of these factors help to make Mario Kart Wii the best installment in the franchise and the best game of 2008.