Filed under: Games
It might be the fifteenth of January 2009, but I’ve been busy finishing off a dissertation alongside dedicating myself to a rather lethargic way of life. Which has been working well, thanks for asking. I’m pretty poor at compiling lists and, well, the trouble with 2008 is that so many of the games I played were of a consistently high quality that I don’t really want to pick a single one. Not to mention my personal subjectivity, which means I’m about as impartial as the jury from To Kill a Mockingbird. Obviously, more important sites than mine have covered the cream of the crop in a far more erudite and scintillating manner than my miserable, grotty brain could ever articulate, but I thought I’d write up what I consider to be the best stuff from last year. They’re in no particular order, because I couldn’t possibly bring myself to narrowing the list down.
- Burnout Paradise
- Patapon
- Bionic Commando Rearmed
- Gears of War 2
- Crysis: Warhead
- Devil May Cry 4
- Grand Theft Auto IV
- Mirror’s Edge
- Fallout 3
- Braid
I could explain each choice, but I basically picked them for the same reason: they all resonated with me at whatever particular time I played them. They’re all great games, if you ask me. I’m really not too fussed about justifying why.
What I will say is this: something I believe has been consistent across many games in 2008 are attempts by developers to modernise gaming in a fairly interesting direction that I’ve never really seen before. I’m a cynical type, but I think when companies like EA are trying to inject new IP into their portfolios then everyone should take a few steps back and wonder exactly what’s gone on behind the scenes to make this happen. Mirror’s Edge and Dead Space (which I haven’t really finished, so it couldn’t make the list) were two phenomenally important games, regardless of any personal feeling towards the substance contained within the discs themselves. They’ve become a symbolic representation for developer ingenuity and creative engagement. They’re not the only ones, either. Burnout Paradise (another one by EA) did an incredible amount for my opinion of the racing game, and I also believe that Criterion are an incredibly talented set of developers. Typical dross excluded, I can’t help but feel that 2008 was a very satisfying year for games. Developers might not be redefining genre, but so much has worked within established genre rules to create something unique. With Far Cry 2 and Prince of Persia Ubisoft were trying a similar tactic: working around well-known intellectual properties they were trying to rewrite their own universes. While I, personally, don’t think Ubisoft’s tactic worked quite as well as EA’s, i commend both companies for trying. I implore them both to continue down this road instead of returning to regurgitating their tat. Leave that to Activision.
Finally, I think Capcom’s tactic of re-releasing retro games to whet appetites for modern iterations (Bionic Commando Rearmed, Super Street Fighter II Turbo HD Remix) has given me an untold amount of gaming pleasure in 2008. I’d never played Bionic Commando before, and going back to Street Fighter II has left me in a state of painful anticipation for IV. I think it’s an incredibly subtle bit of marketing, and one that works on a basis of pride in the products they’re peddling. Which benefits everyone, if you ask me.
