All this week, Gamervision’s writers will be listing their five favorite games of 2008. These aren’t necessarily the best games of the year, they’re the ones that made the biggest impression on us, kept us coming back the longest, and most affected the way we think of, see and play games. These are the titles that will influence what we play and how we view the gaming landscape over the coming year and beyond.

Make sure to check us out next week when we announce our “Best Ever of 2008 Awards,” where we name our picks for the best in every genre in gaming, along with a few superlatives for other achievements in gaming. It all leads up to our presentation of our “Game of the Year” on January 2, so keep checking back with us for our assessment of the best of the year in gaming.

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2008 was a surprising year in gaming for me. In the wake of the year that I deemed to be the best I’ve ever seen as a gamer, developers and publishers alike had their work cut out for them trying to impress me. It didn’t take too long into the year for me to realize that ’08 would not only rival ’07, it would surpass it. This year gave me some of the best sports games, shooters, RPGs, puzzles and handheld games I’ve ever played. It wasn’t easy for me to narrow the whole year down to just five games, but that was my task. So now, without further ado, and in no particular order, here are my five favorite games of 2008.

Dead Space

One of my favorite games of all time is Resident Evil 4. The combination of intuitive controls, complicated yet solvable puzzles, challenging boss fights, and replay value in and of themselves are impressive; but this game is all about inspiring terror in the gamer. When I heard the rumors coming out of EA Redwood that Dead Space was going to deliver a gaming experience that would be comparable with RE4, I was excited, but cautiously so. It turns out my fears were completely unfounded. Dead Space does so many things right and truly brings survival horror into the current generation. The world of Isaac Clarke is fully realized, and completely terrifying. Dead Space’s triumph is in its attention to detail; the Ishimura feels like a living and breathing world, instantly familiar, and yet totally alien. This is really the job of any survival horror game - to create a world that is recognizable with an element of the unusual. Dead Space succeeds at this better than any other game in this generation, and certainly better than anything else in 2008.

Mirror’s Edge

I cannot explain exactly what it is about Mirror’s Edge that I love so very much. Maybe it’s the refreshing take on a dystopian future; rather than bleak and dingy, we get clean and sleek. Maybe it’s the fact that I love a game that presents the player with puzzles of increasing difficulty, while never becoming impossible. Maybe it’s the idea that I could play through the entire game without ever killing anyone. I can’t explain it, but I do love it. I think part of the reason it’s so hard to pin down why I love this game is because the game itself is so enigmatic. Is it a shooter? Is it a puzzle game? Is it a 3D platformer? Is it all of these things at the same time? Again, I don’t know if I have answers to these questions, but I know it doesn’t matter. Mirror’s Edge was one of my best gaming experiences in 2008.

LittleBigPlanet

One of the cutest, most fun, and instantly addictive games to come along in years, LittleBigPlanet made it to my top list of 2008 based solely on the time I spent playing the beta. My frustration with the myriad delays and issues surrounding the game’s release were all washed out of my memory the second I started playing. The combination of simplistic gameplay, a gorgeous design aesthetic, and a nostalgic feel make for a game that is as much fun to play alone as with a group of friends. If the game had only come with the levels on the disc, it still would have been one of the best games of the year. The addition of the creation tools, however, launch LittleBigPlanet into a whole different “level”. Sure, there have been server issues, but those can be fixed. The fact of the matter is that LittleBigPlanet is a game that, because of the tools it gives you, can never be finished.


Grand Theft Auto IV

I don’t know if I have ever played a console game with as much story, as much heart, as much humor, and as much to see and to do as I experienced this year with Grand Theft Auto IV. Anyone who has spent any time in the Big Apple will instantly see how close to reality Liberty City actually is. The whole city is open to you- from the bright lights of Broadway, to the Empire State Building, across the water to the Statue of Liberty and even the slummiest parts of Harlem. And you’ll need every inch of that city to learn the tale of Niko Bellic and his rise to power, which is as impactful and engrossing a story as the best crime cinema- a genre Rockstar has clearly borrowed heavily from. The single-player mode alone would have been enough to put GTA IV on my favorite list, but when you add in a multi-player mode that had me literally crying with laughter, you have one of the best games of not only the year, but the generation.

Boom Blox

As a lifelong Nintendo fanboy, it kills me to have to report that I didn’t get very many reasons to turn on my Wii this year. With a host of shovelware titles, waggle-fests, and Mario-themed kids’ games, Nintendo’s little money factory simply didn’t do enough to convince me to turn off my HD consoles. In fact, it’s probably safe to say that the year would have been a complete wash for me and Nintendo had it not been for Boom Blox. From the mind (or at least the IP lawyer) of Steven Spielberg, Boom Blox took a simple concept - knock things over - and turned into one of the most enjoyable party games I’ve ever played. With controls that felt nearly 1:1, adorable farm animal-inspired characters, and a library of hilarious sound effects and music, Boom Blox reminded me of why I became a Nintendo fanboy all those years ago- fun gaming.

 

Make sure you stop back tomorrow to find out which five games Sarah has chosen for her 2008 favorites!

 

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Review: Grand Theft Auto IV - Xbox 360

Review: Mirror's Edge - PlayStation 3