The ten best videogames of 2008
Here's a convenient list of Variety's videogame critics' top ten games of 2008, along with our most disappointing and most overrated, all in one place. For full details on all our choices, read the detailed posts we've been doing for the past two weeks. And don't forget to vote for your favorite games of 2008 in the Cut Scene reader awards here.
A few interesting stats:
-The only thing all four of us agreed about: "LittleBigPlanet" as one of the year's three most most overrated videogames (Thus the not-too-unexpected barrage of comments)
-The two games listed by all four of us in different categories: "Fallout 3," on three top ten lists and one (ok, my) most overrated; "Grand Theft Auto IV," on my top ten, Leigh's most disappointing, and Tom and Chris' most overrated
-The game mentioned the most on our top ten lists: Tie between "Fallout 3," "Braid," and "No More Heroes," all listed by three of us
-If points were awarded based on our rankings, what game comes out as Variety critics' overall top choice? "Fallout 3" with 25 points, followed by "Braid" with 19 and "No More Heroes" with 15. Even if you take away a few points when one person calls a game overrated, "Fallout 3" remains number one. Which doesn't make me happy, but I know when I'm outnumbered...
Leigh Alexander
10. Midnight Club: Los Angeles
9. Chrono Trigger DS
8. Braid
7. Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia
6. Mega Man 9
5. PixelJunk Eden
4. No More Heroes
3. Fallout 3
2. Persona 4
1. Metal Gear Solid 4
Most disappointing: Far Cry 2, Grand Theft Auto IV
Most overrated: Professor Layton and the Curious Village, LittleBigPlanet
Tom Chick
10. The Club
9. Sacred 2
8. Multiwinia
7. Midnight Club: Los Angeles
6. Patapon
5. EndWar
4. Fallout 3
3. Banjo Kazooie: Nuts and Bolts
2. Saints Row 2
1. Far Cry 2
Most disappointing: Too Human, Star Wars: The Force Unleashed, Haze
Most overrated: Grand Theft Auto IV, LittleBigPlanet, Braid
Chris Dahlen
10. Fable 2
9. Gears of War 2
8. Everybody Dies
7. No More Heroes
6. Rock Band 2
5. Professor Layton and the Curious Village
4. Left 4 Dead
3. The World Ends with You
2. Braid
1. Fallout 3
Most disappointing: Spore, Mirror's Edge, Fracture
Most overrated: Grand Theft Auto IV, LittleBigPlanet, Castle Crashers
Ben Fritz
10. Metal Gear Solid 4
9. Grand Theft Auto IV
8. Star Wars: The Force Unleashed
7. No More Heroes
6. World of Goo
5. de Blob
4. Braid
3. Fable 2
2. Left 4 Dead
1. Boom Blox
Most disappointing: Wii Music, Wall-E, Spore
Most overrated: Fallout 3, LittleBigPlanet, Patapon
Chris Morris reports on the business and culture of video games and offers analysis of recent events and industry trends.
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wow. its amazing that these lists were all better than this one.
http://www.gameolosophy.com/Games/Top-10-Best-Video-Games-of-All-Time.543819
that was terrible!
Posted by: Brian Johnson | February 20, 2009 at 03:17 PM
ITT: Men sobbing about lists they disagree with. On the internet.
And only Leigh liked Persona 4 enough to put it on a top ten? That's a shame.
Posted by: Dorian Cornelius Jasper | January 07, 2009 at 06:06 PM
GTA: IV was the game of the year.......so if that was dissapointing you may as well say that 2008 was a dissapointng year as a whole for videogames (Of course, if you actually said that, you would probably be admitted to an insane asylum).
Also, LBP overrated??? Don't you people like good games??? Haze, Too Human and Mirror's Edge were overrated....LBP was awesome. It sounds like a couple of 360 fanboys are just annoyed that LBP was a better game than "Gays Of War 2" (30 minutes to find a match in online mode??? 1001 glitches??? Same boring, uninspired story??? HONESTLY, 93 is a pitiful score....well, maybe it's good by 360 standards but Gears 2 didn't even deserve that) and "Fable 2" (Which really should just be called "Fable: Only this time WITH all the things that were originally promised").
Still.....since nobody EVER expected those two Xbox 360 garbage exclusives to be good......i suppose that's why they weren't overrated, it's not much of a surprise they both got pathetic reviews compared to LittleBigPlanet.
Posted by: David Macphail | January 07, 2009 at 05:35 AM
The problem, Eric, is that some of Variety's writers are clueless as to the actual presence of a game in LBP. It has a sizeable single player. Furthermore, when has user created content EVER been a negative? Why is "you must invest time to create quality" a revelation nowadays? Why does Variety feel that it must control the hype, or combat it to save face after being 'misled' by it? If you take that approach to all PS3 games, you don't deserve to be writing. And I've seen your other PS3 reviews.
Look, it's bias and stupidity on Variety's part. Understand?
However, your film reviews are decent.
Posted by: eternity. | January 06, 2009 at 12:21 PM
YES! LBP definitely overrated. The novelty gamers novelty game which you use to entice your girlfriend to pick up a joypad and show to your Mum at Christmas, then realise how shoddy the controls are for a platform game released in the 90's, let alone 2008. You will have traded it in by March.
Posted by: Sticky | January 06, 2009 at 02:15 AM
Its peanut butter jelly time.....
Posted by: PJBOI | January 06, 2009 at 02:08 AM
@Eric: ---What's the problem?---
I'll let you in on a little secret.
Variety is owned by Microsoft. [/secret]
http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/press/2007/Sep07/09-19MSNVarietyPR.mspx
Posted by: Brad | January 05, 2009 at 11:34 PM
Mirror's Edge most dissapointing ?!?!
LittleBigPlanet big dissapointment?
Grand Theft Auto IV sucks ???
You guys are seriously on some kind of expiremental medication or there is no other possible
excuse for such pathetic reviews coming from "gamers".
You disgraced and demeaned every successful big hit
highly rated by gamers and gaming press alike.
Apparently you did this to attract negative attention
or are you really that much out of focus and out of this
planet ?
Posted by: Valsam | January 05, 2009 at 10:48 PM
Christ, this is pathetic. The broken, shoddy teenager's-wet-dream-quality adventure novel in video game form is ahead by a wide margin, and Littlebigplanet, far and away the greatest game of the year and one of the best of all time is ignored. Worse, actually, you lot have the gall to consider it overrated or a disappointment.
Perhaps you would be better suited to another field of "journalism," what with talents like yours.
Posted by: eternity. | January 05, 2009 at 10:00 PM
lol never seen a gathering of more pathetic opinions and gamers(if u wonna call yourself that) on 1 website in my life...how do you people run these sites? u think anyone can just write an opinion dont you? lol you shouldnt be allowed on the internet.
Posted by: sasa k | January 05, 2009 at 09:57 PM
Star Wars the Force Unleashed in your top 10 games? Ahead of games like Metal gear Solid 4?
...OK....
[face-palm]
*Why I don't go to Variety for Game Reviews*
Posted by: japan.steve | January 05, 2009 at 09:55 PM
I don't think LittleBigPlanet is overrated, but it was certainly overhyped. We've been getting love letters in the enthusiast press to this game since GDC of '07 (February of that year I believe?). I love this game, and I've barely touched the creation aspect. I don't understand why a really excellent platformer with creativity as a bonus is not getting it's due. The launch was a disaster due to online issues, but the patches have fixed most issues people had with the game. This just leaves a really fun experience with beautiful graphics, textures, and environments. What's the problem?
Posted by: Eric | January 05, 2009 at 04:25 PM