Your Favourites of 2008

[Linkachu]

Because it's just that time again… and I meant to post this over a week ago >>

Think back. Way back! No... Not that far. Just a year back. I can't even remember what was released in January 2008. Years bleed together XP

Here be the thread in which you state your favourite games from 2008. Give it some love. You can be as formal or informal as you want: list them at random, list them by console/handheld, or list them by "Best RPG", "Best Action", "Best Graphics", etc. Either way, let's discuss our favourites. Just remember to tell us briefly why you picked what you did.

I'm just going to list them by console (can‘t find the energy to go anymore in-depth). My favourites of 2008:

On DS
- Final Fantasy IV: One of the games I remember most from ‘08. Numerous remakes of my favourite RPGs have left a lot to be desired, but FF IV's was pretty well spot on. The voice acting was a nice quality, the music was beautifully remixed in places, the graphics were very pretty and made for nice cut-scenes, the script was possibly the best one the game has seen, and it was tougher than I'm used to. The only thing that could've made it better for me was if they'd added the extras from FF IV Advance in, but since this was a remake of the original game I hardly hold that against them.

- Kirby Super Star Ultra: This is one of my shameless choices, because how could I not love it? It's pretty well an updated port of the original Kirby Super Star - which I adore - and does nothing but improve on it. The game play feels smoother than ever, the music quality is more or less unchanged (if not better), the CGI cut-scenes are cute, and the new levels/mini-games are all highly appreciated. I'm a bit torn on the multi-player because it's a bit less open than the original was (which is understandable on a handheld platform), but each player having their own screen is nice. The little touch-screen options added were subtle yet helpful, too.

… Yep. Unless I'm missing a few key releases, my favourites for ‘08 were all remakes/ports. The only reason I haven't mentioned Chrono Trigger's updated port is because I've yet to complete my copy


On Wii
- SSBB: I think this one's a bit of a no-brainer. The only thing that falls short for me with Brawl is the quality of its WiFi servers and the extreme lag. Otherwise… I'm content. I personally consider it an improvement over Melee in every way. The nitty-gritty battling changes just don't concern me in the least because I‘ve always just played the series for fun. SSE co-op is incredibly fun, and all the little extras kept me playing for quite awhile. The stage builder can feel limited but it gets the job done, and being able to share stages, replays and pics is a welcome addition. As for the music collection… Easily one of the best compilations a game has ever seen. Bloody beautiful work.

- Animal Crossing City Folk: And like Kirby SSU, this would be my shameless choice for Wii. AC CF wasn't a huge advancement over Wild World, and actually downsized the size of your completed home, but it's pretty well everything I expected it to be… I've been playing it for almost a month and a half now and can't see myself stopping anytime soon. So, while I definitely wouldn't call it the "best of 2008" for Wii, it's still a favourite of mine.


On 360
- Tales of Vesperia: What's this? You're not one of the big name 360 games! =O And still easily my favourite 360 release of the year. This is possibly my choice for favourite game of 2008 even, because it's done for me something console RPGs haven't done in years… I love this game. Love the characters, love the world, love the plot and all the twists… I'm so glad I decided to buy it on a whim over Tales of Symphonia 2. I know the Tales series isn't for everyone, nor would I ever recommend it as such. People could easily criticize the voice acting, and the game does fell like it borrows from many sources… but like hell do I care. It's hugely fun for me and never ceases to put a smile on my face. In my mind ToV easily rivals ToS (GCN) , and something tells me that when it's all said and done it'll surpass it.


And, that's my very informal post. XP Even though I bought a couple of games for 'em this year, I'm not going to list PSP or PC. I haven't played my copy of Star Ocean: First Departure yet, and as fun as Spore is... it's just not a favourite.

 

[Magpie]

My memory must be very poor, because I'm seriously struggling to think of what games I've bought this year XD

Spyro: Dawn of the Dragon (Wii)
I've been a fan of Spyro since the original game came out. I'd always loved Dragons, so it was a must get game at the time and I've loved the series ever since. The flying aspect of this game, plus the two player option makes this in my eyes a great game. Me and my brother have a 'loose' relationship at the best of times, but we've both really enjoyed the team-work involved. I like the battle system too, gaining experience crystals to level up your elements added a sense of achievement. Very much recommended for sibling bonding XD

Dead Space (Xbox)
Now I must say this was s confusing one. I enjoyed it in a 'Oh My God! I'm going to have a heart attack' sort of way. I've never jumped so much in my life, and trust me, there were a few screams XD
I didn't play it, but I watched my Boyfriend play it all the way through (He screamed too).

I can't remember anything from the beginning of the year, so if/when I remember I'll add to my post XD

 

[Plapti]

My top 6 games for the year.

Call of Duty: World at War (PS3)

Awesome game. Graphics look awesome on the PS3, even on an old television. The weapons in the game were like the best I've ever seen, and the online component is awesome. Just have to find the time to Prestige more. As for the story mode, it's focus on the Americans and Soviets (Russians in case people are wondering who the Soviets are). The missions were awesome, repetitive, but still enjoyable, especially the 'Black Cats' mission. Awesome game overall. A zombie mode couldn't hurt it either.

Resistance 2 (PS3)

Resistance was awesome. The aliens looked so sweet, with awesome details. The weapon variety was nice too. Storyline as well. Resistance 2 follows in Resistance's footsteps right? You bet it does. With new Weapons like the Splicer and upgrade versions of staple guns like the Bullseye and Auger, it's awesome. The storyline flows really well and the graphics are awesome. Details of the environment were well done as well. The online is quite nice too. Just a little annoying to find matches, but once you find one, you'll be playing a couple of rounds at least before leaving. Great game, and of course Imsomniac Games gets quite a hand.

Super Smash Bros Brawl (Wii)

Obvious. Awesome mechanics, graphics and soundtrack. An awesome game for an Wii Owner. Must have. Updated outfits for returning Brawlers was awesome, plus the inclusion of the new characters and stages. The challenges mode and coin shooter were nifty, albeit, mostly a time killer thing. Awesome game, sad thing is that I haven't been playing it much.

Sonic Chronicles (DS)

Awesome game, especially for Sonics first RPG Game on the DS. I love how the game is run by stylus only. It adds a unique touch over other RPG games I have for the DS. Although some of the attack and defense sequences are long and brutal, they're really easy to master when you get going. The attacks have a nice variety of side effects, from poison to distracted, it's great. The cast of characters is good too. Eggman being one of them is awesome. And Team Soinc, Team Rose, and Team Dark are all in the game. Awesome trios. The game is really sweet. Only let down, the money system. Rings found on the ground never come back, so most of the money made is from selling extra items, which you can't really don in the first parts of the game. Otherwise, a fantastic game.

Advance Wars: Days of Ruin

As I'm a fan of the Advance Wars series, I easily got hooked into the game. Having new units and strategies is one thing, but a complete change from the previous game was a change for good. This one goes down into more nitty-gritty, strategy takes all, unlike the previous ones, where one turn can change the flow of the battle. The story line is also perfectly suited to the mood and atmosphere of the game. Most importantly, is the online capability. Being able to make/save up to 50 maps and share them all is amazing. That and the online battling over Wi-Fi is awesome. A great game if you like turn-based strategy games.

Final Fantasy Tactics Advance 2: Grimoire of the Rift

Viva Ivalice. Awesome game. Suits my turn based strategy thing quite nicely. Lots of job classes make it so fun. The storyline was great too. All those extra missions too. Best thing though, introduction of characters from other Final Fantasy Games. Not telling who to prevent spoilers. And the new judge system. That and I still have to beat one particular thing before I can say I've finished the game (mostly).

 

[PalkiBlake]

(Merged this with the previous topic of the same subject, so made a slight edit to your post in the process)

Mine is Super Smash Bros Brawl. Just getting to reunite my fighting skills with this game was great and I also like the newcomers ( my favorites were Meta Knight, Lucario and Sonic, not sure about Snake, though ???.). I also like subspace mode, way better than melee's adventure (great movies, too)!

 

[KoL]

For me, 2008 yielded a very poor crop of games - I can't think of a single new release I bought last year that impressed me in any real way, except for one: Final Fantasy VII: Crisis Core. I got this game for christmas and it certainly did not disappoint - it looked amazing, had good music, and an interesting (if somewhat confusing at times) battle system. I would have liked to have said Brawl, but for me the game eventually grew very stale and boring. Now I know most games don't last forever, but Melee never grew stale at all - I played it right up until Brawl was released, then played Brawl for about 6-7 months, then traded Brawl in for Street Fighter IV and went back to playing Melee. The disappointment that Brawl gave me combined with a severe lack of games that caught my eye in 2008 made it a thoroughly underwhelming year all around from a gaming perspective. I can only hope 2009 turns out differently.

 

[The Suicune]

On PS3: LittleBigPlanet
I'm impressed. This game is so innotive, this game basically brings out the things that online gaming was made for. Play. Create. Share. Although the ending was a little abrupt it sends out a good, whole-hearted message for the younger players, and the story-line levels are really worth playing.
On 360: Gears Of War 2.
The sequel has definately lived up to the standards of the first GoW, it may even be better. All aspects of the game are amazing, the gameplay is easy to grasp the concept of, the graphics are clear and detailed. Sometimes you don't even need words in a cutscene to see a character's feelings, you can just tell by how expressive their face and eyes are. The story really grips you, one minute a cutscene had me in tears and then something will happen that makes me laugh with in the next five minutes. Amazing game, better than Halo 3 in my eyes

 

[Chibi]

DS:
Haven't given too much thought on it, but one of my favorites if Professor Layton and the Curious Village. I'm not a biggie on puzzles, but it kept me entertained and actually I enjoyed it very much. The anime cutscenes were just so cute (OMGAFERRISWHEELEVERYBODYRUNFORYERLIVES!) and the plot was well constructed, if predictable at some points. But all in all a good game.
PS2/Wii:
I don't have a Wii but Okami is a PS2 game I have which made its way to the Wii. Okami, in my opinion, is one of my most favorite games ever. And I have a LOT of games. One of the key things I love about is you play a wolf, not a human, which is one of the main reasons I got it. Even though you get an array of godly powers the game is still challenging even though you can flippin slow down time at will. It is also one of the longest games I played, it took me two weeks to beat it on my first try (I had school though) and three times I believed I beat the game before another plot twist was thrown in my way. A ton of side quests was fun and plot was nicely created and the enviroment was stunning and everything about it was just...amazing.

 

[Lucario454]

(Merged this with the previous topic of the same subject, so made a slight edit to your post in the process)

Mine is Super Smash Bros Brawl. Just getting to reunite my fighting skills with this game was great and I also like the newcomers ( my favorites were Meta Knight, Lucario and Sonic, not sure about Snake, though ???.). I also like subspace mode, way better than melee's adventure (great movies, too)!

I think that's my favorite too. My cousin bought it and we played to the end. I always called dibs on Lucario. ;D

 

[ShinyCharizard124]

I liked the ATV racing game Pure for the Xbox 360 and also the songs on Rock Band 2 for 360 were phenomenal. That's pretty much it for '08. I hope 2009 is more promising!

 

[sunny1213141515]

IMO, 2008 wasn't a very good year for gamers. :/ I like role playing games the most, and there isn't much that came out.

With the exception of Harvest Moon DS: Cute & Island of Happiness, Pokemon Ranger Shadows Of Almia, and Pokemon Mystery Dungeon Explorers of Time/Darkness, 220 held little interest. My favorite games have come from 2007.

So I'd have to say my favorite is Harvest Moon Island Of Happiness. *shrug* It was nice to have a new place to explore in the Harvest Moon world, but it was harder to play than the other ones. Harvest Moon: Friends/More Friends of Mineral Town was better.