Cut Scene readers' top ten games of 2008
Last month when we started our countdown of Variety critics' top ten games of the year, I asked Cut Scene readers to weigh in with their votes and 47 of you responded. 74 different games received votes, a wide array ranging from most of the year's most acclaimed AAA titles to some indie Web titles like "I Wish I Were the Moon" and "I Fell in Love with the Majesty of Colors," both of which received multiple votes, but didn't make the top ten.
Amongst the biggest vote getters, it was a very tight race between the top eight, with only a 30 point spread between #8 and #1 (description of how I calculated points at the bottom).
Ultimately, Cut Scene readers aren't all that different from the rest of gamers, with our top ten representing many of the most acclaimed, and best selling, titles of the year. Perhaps the only real surprises to me are "Dead Space," which got good but somewhat mixed responses, doing as well as it did; indie darling "Braid" making it well into the top ten; "LittleBigPlanet," for which we Variety critics got so much flack when we called it "overrated," scoring a somewhat distant #9; and, I'll admit, I didn't think the game at #1 would actually make it all the way to #1.
But anyway readers, I'll let you all evaluate your own choices. Here they are:
9. LittleBigPlanet (Sony / Media Molecule), 41 points.
8. Fable II (Microsoft / Lionhead), 80 points.
7. Braid (Number None), 85 points.
6. Left 4 Dead (Valve and EA / Valve), 86 points
5. Rock Band 2 (MTV and EA / Harmonix), 88 points.
4. Grand Theft Auto IV (Rockstar / Rockstar North), 93 points.
3. Dead Space (EA / EA Redwood Shores), 96 points.
2. Fallout 3 (Bethesda Softworks / Bethesda), 100 points.
1. Gears of War 2 (Microsoft / Epic), 110 points.
(I assigned ten points to #1 choices, nine points to #2, etc. For people who declined to rank their choices, points were distributed evenly. Games that weren't released in 2008 were disqualified, though I did allow 2007 games like "Mass Effect" and "Bioshock" that had versions released in 2008.)
Chris Morris reports on the business and culture of video games and offers analysis of recent events and industry trends.
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Quote: The list lacks- dare I say it- much "Variety," which to me means that the signups didn't reach a broad enough audience.
You're reading "Variety", my friend. If you're not here for pro-360 or anti-PS3 articles, then you shouldn't be reading Ben Fritz's works in the first place.
Posted by: Brad Meine | January 16, 2009 at 02:01 AM
The list lacks- dare I say it- much "Variety," which to me means that the signups didn't reach a broad enough audience.
Posted by: James | January 13, 2009 at 07:52 PM
Max, MGS 4 actually came in #11 in readers' voting, if that makes you feel any better.
Posted by: Ben Fritz | January 13, 2009 at 01:35 PM
I feel like my eyes are deceiving me. Is there really a top 10 list for 2008 without Metal Gear Solid 4? Most other top 10 lists have MGS4 at #1. This seems like a pretty major oversight.
Posted by: Max Perry | January 13, 2009 at 12:30 PM