As all of you probably know by now, every gaming site and their mother is announcing their candidates for 2008 Game of the Year. Since this is our blog you are going to get my opinions. Unfortunately since I am just a regular guy like you, I have played a limited number of games. I’m going to breakdown the games I’ve purchased or played to entirety in 2008, then reveal my top 3 games of the year for the 360.
Xbox360-
Gears of War 2, Madden 2008, NBA 2K8, Fifa 2009, Grand Theft Auto IV, Fallout 3, Ninja Guiden 2, Call of Duty 4
Without further ado here are my picks…
3) Fifa 2009
I can not deny this game a spot in my top 3 due to the amount of time I have already put into this game. They have made some key additions and adjustments to the prior installments and its more fun than ever. While this is not a top title in the United States, this is the highest selling video game in Europe (other than Dr. Kawashimas Brain Training for the Nintendo DS)
This game is fun for so many reasons. I love how they added the celebrations. There is nothing better than running wild on the field after a dirty goal and giving a nice fist pump or chest slide. There are a wide variety of celebrations that are extremely enjoyable. They have made the gameplay challenging enough that there is a lot of challenging moves and tricks you can accomplish on your way to goals. Once you have mastered the controls, dominating in Fifa09 is a high you will not experience in many other sports titles from 2008. Fifa is way more condusive to online play than Madden or NBA 2k8.
The only downsides are that if you are inexperienced at the controls there is a learning curve you will have to overcome. Also there are still some pesky animations that are out of your control which sometimes affect gameplay negatively.
Check out my top 360 games after the jump:
2) Gears of War 2
This game is maybe the most visually stunning game I have ever played. Ser. guys, this game is absolutely unreal. Basically, Gears of War 2 builds on everything Gears 1 did and makes it better while making the story line even more engulfing. The cover system works fluidly, the gunfights are complex with a variety of human and alien weapons, and the multi-player has been massively improved with the introduction of the Horde mode.
I have to say my first play through of this game blew me away. I find the chauvinism and bro-love wildly entertaining as long as you realize its meant to be funny. This game is not friendly to some younger crowds, but being 24, I fucking loved it (gotta swear when talking about Gears 2). I felt the need to stop the human race anhilation, so I would easily get into whatever ridiculous quotes Cole Train and Marcus were rattling off.
My only real complaint with this game is the matchmaking can often take too long with random players, I’m sure Epic has probably tried to address this issue by now.
1) Fallout 3
For any fan of RPG’s Fallout 3 is an unbelievable, free-wheeling adventure. To anyone who thought Oblivion or Morrowind was even slightly entertaining… put those games on the shelf. Fallout 3 is equally expansive, and miles ahead in entertainment value. The addition of the VAT’s system has added a big ass caboose to the Bethesda RPG train. This game is flat out awesome. While I chose to beat this game in about 30 hours, you could probably play this for 100. There are limitless possibilites and endless exploration.
There are bugs, but it is to be expected with the amount of depth involved in this instant classic. One time I was wondering the wasteland with a giant black triangle coming out of my head (taking up half the screen). Also, this is one of those games you have to play for multiple hours at a time (15 minutes just isn’t enough). However, I can look past these minor issues because this game is freakin’ cool. I did not anticipate scouring a nuclear wasteland being so much fun!
Note: I am extremely satisfied with all the titles I bought or played through in 2008. I would recommend any of the games listed in the beginning of this article.
Do you agree with my top3? Leave your favorites in the comments!
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