1- Valkyria Chronicles: Combining RPG, strategy, and third-person shooter elements with an alternate 1930's European setting, valkyria Chronicles is Sega's best title since Virtua Fighter 5. Each element in their own rights are not mind-bogglingly great, however when combined with the awesome visuals and story the total package is as unique and rewarding a game as 2008 saw.
2- Braid: The game has some bugs (namely the problems with it that occur if you move your gamertag to a new console) and its gameplay and steep price (for a downloadable title) may drive some away, but for those that 'get it' it represents the pinnacle of gaming. A simple gameplay mechanic that combines puzzle-solving with side-scrolling adventures and a little time manipulation thrown in becomes addictive as you try to find and obtain every puzzle piece.
3- Professor Layton & the Curious Village: While it is essentially a series of brain-teasers, it has the added advantage of having a nice little story tying them together. It doesn't hurt that the game look great (though it is mostly still screens) and sounds even better (there is actually some voice over work and it is fantastic). Though many will figure out the story's twist long before the game ends the journey is a fun one.
4- LittleBigPlanet: The art of the side-scroller has been lost in most game development studios, but LittleBigPlanet bucks that trend with great gameplay and deep, involving player creation materials. The game is among the most ambitious yet and unlike most ambitious titles, it manages to succeed in most areas.
5- Spore: Draconian copy protection aside and even forgiving the game for not delivering on every promise, Spore is a fantastic title. The game blends a number of game sty!es to produce a fun, addictive title that manages to be different evertime it is played.
6- Losy Odyssey: Though it doesn't break any new ground in terms of gameplay, Lost Odyssey has the esteemable virtue of being a solid jRPG that doesn't come from SquareEnix and doesn't have the Final Fantasy name attached. The total package is very enticing though no individual element is truly worthy of being remembered years from now.
7- Dead Space: New, exciting IP's are hard to come by, particularly when they have the letters EA attached to them, though Dead Space certainly fills that void. Following a minimal story, the players explore a space station while taking on many gross and unsettling monsters.
8- The World Ends With You: While the gameplay is simply a variety of scratchings on the bottom DS screen and the story isn't coherent, at least not early on, World is a fun, innovative title from SquareEnix of all people. It is simply wonderful to see them make something without Tri-Ace or Final Fantasy attached to it. I think it also shows that the people behind Kingdom Hearts deserve more time and funds to develop innovative titles.
9- No More Heroes: The boss battles are fun and the game can be pretty interesting, but the time between the boss battles is tedious and the story is so ridiculous as to not warrant mention. Still a bloody, violent assassination based game on the Wii is truly a shock to the system.
10- Patapon: Another in the line of rhythm-based games from Sony, Patapon manages to combine great graphics, beautiful music, and fun side-scrolling gameplay into an intriguing package.
A number of other fun, new franchises debued in 2008 as well, including: Infinite Undiscovery, Last Remnant, LostWinds, and many others.
As promised I got back to work on the Gears 2 review and it should be up today.
Peace
T-Dub
The symptoms include:
- Enjoying a search through video game stores but leaving empty-handed
- Passing on good deals for titles you want without an explanation
- Trying a number of games and finding nothing appealing
- Actually getting more excitment out of buying a new game than playing a new game
I contracted this unfortunate disorder shortly after Thanksgiving and haven't touched games (save Rock Band 2) since. In fact I finished Gears 2 but couldn't bring myself to review it and I stopped playing The World Ends With You. Everything else I have tried has failed to ignite a fire in my gaming belly. Anyone else go through these periods? If so, how do you get back into it? I want to sit down and enjoy a game (heaven knows I have plenty of ones to choose from) and yet nothing sparks an interest......
Guess I'll have to go play Rock Band 2.....
Following our expensive move into our new place in November of 2007, my wife and I decided to not do X-Mas because we were exhausted and our finances screwed after the unplanned move. I resolved to make X-Mas 2008 the best yet and set aside money for nice gifts, a big tree, and great food, which in-turn did lead to a fantastic holiday. In addition we had snow (a rare treat in the Seattle area, one that the department of transportation was unprepared for leading to many roads that are still unplowed) and my sister and her boyfriend came to stay with us for a while, which naturally led to 4-player Guitar Hero and countless rounds of Cranium and Scattergories (sp?).
As always I am more interested in giving my wife her gifts than opening my own (even more so this year as I didn't expect much after the new TV from the day after T-Giving sales!). As usual, Elizabeth made out the best, as I really attempted to outdo my previous year's gifts. In addition to the usual assortment of books & cds, I got her a Swarovski Charm Bracelet, some sexy high-heels from Carlos Santana (no they don't make an awesome guitar solo while she walks), and this really pretty strapless dress. Every year she is amazed by my ability to buy clothes for her, but given the volume of What Not To Wear she has subjected me to I feel as though I have learned a thing or two about women's fashion. I also enjoy known that while I give my wife great clothes she will wear her friends' boyfriends and husbands are buying velour tracksuits and miniskirts that are ten sizes too large. My favorite story is of a friend who circled things in a catalog she wanted and put an X over those she detested and only received the dreaded X'd out items for X-Mas.
As for my haul, I did pretty well despite the money already spent on the television. I got Call of Duty: World at War, Banjo Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts, Persona 4, and LittleBigPlanet, as well as the usual assortment of clothing and random items with the Yankee logo on them. My brother sent me a Brandon Jacobs (of the New York Giants) jersey which was great and my sister hooked me up with Robot Chicken Season 3, so now I can watch the great Sir Mix-a-lot sketch anytime I wish.
My favorite memory of this year however did not involve my wife, the new tv, visiting relatives, or snowfall, but rather our two cats. The night before X-Mas Eve I began putting presents under the tree, to which my wife argued the cats would tear up. I figured they would be okay because they hadn't damaged the tree. On X-Mas Eve I woke up early for work and left the bedroom to hear a strange jingling noise, where I found Weasley (the younger cat) playing with a little ball I didn't immediately recognize. It turns out they dug through the pile of presents, found the one with their toys in it, opened the paper, opened the packaging and were enjoying the toys a day early! I know this probably happens all the time, but for some reason I loved it, so I sat down and watched them play for perhaps ten minutes, before Weasley managed to lose the ball under the china cabinet....
Hopefully everyone else's X-Mas Day was fantastic and their families are healthy and happy.
T-Dub
Friends
Tracked Blogs
I'm sure you have questions to send in about what happened this week.
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