Some will agree, some will disagree, but 2008 was an amazing year for the PS3.

I can safely say that I've never bought as many games in a year as I have done in 2008 with the PS3. I look at my entertainment unit now, the rack of games that stare back at me, beckoning to be played - and get this tremendous feeling that we're in one of the best gaming seasons in history.

When have we had so many good games in such a short space of time? And when has the overall experience, online and offline, been so enjoyable?

If you can look past the reviews and criticisms and play the games for what they are, you will have loved 2008. Revamped series, new series', titles you had been gagging to see after years of hiatus - and new IP's you were hyped for. And for the large part, they delivered.

So taking a look back at what was - for me - gaming in 2008...





The year begun with a new title to me, but a well established franchise - Burnout Paradise. It was the first true open world racing experience I had and the first time Burnout would take this route. It worked. Undeniably, it's an enjoyable experience. The offline stuff is highlighted by spectacular crashes in wacky and sexy cars. Its edge of your seat arcade racing at its finest - and the online experience is no less impressive.

Completely seamless in transition, you just jump into the online stuff with mates without missing a beat. And you'll spend hours there sucking up the sights and crashing your best mates into walls while pushing to the front of the grid.

Burnout really stands out in 2008 as a flagship title. Its the one I probably remember the most and have certainly poured the most amount of time into. Very few Paradise owners are dismayed by their purchase. And with loads more content coming from Criterion next year, the deal is only going to get sweeter.





Devil May Cry 4 was up next. I'd never played a DMC game before. The first time playing it, I wondered why I hadn't too. February was an eye-opener to the series for me and certainly a good experience. It was kind of like a less-brutal Ninja Gaiden. You could play Devil May Cry without wanting to pull your eyes out and throw your controller across the room or out a window. Yet still it managed to maintain a strong combo-system and pretty exciting combat mechanics.

It is insanely fast but surprisingly manageable.

The only disappointment for me was getting to the halfway mark and then basically playing the entire first half AGAIN in reverse. It was a major let-down. Almost as if they'd run out of development time so just reversed the game with Dante.

Beside that though, Devil May Cry 4 was a very cool addition to the 2008 catalogue.





Anyone who knows me knows that Gran Turismo was a huge driving (heh) force behind my PS3 purchase. Pretty much only owning a PS2 for GT3, GT4 and GT Concept further illustrates my point. Back in September of 2007 when I first read that there would be a GT5 Prologue, it was set in stone. I'd have a PS3.

Gran Turismo 5: Prologue was and still is probably the shiniest and most polished racing title to hit the PS3. What a lot of misinformed people dubbed as a glorified demo has been one of my most-played titles. It got me to buy a Logitech Force GT wheel kit and it spawned a whole series of challenges here with fellow PS3F'ers.

It is a glimpse into what the next full GT5 release is going to be like. And for those of us GT nuts, something VERY nice to bridge the gap. The lack of Private Rooms/Friends races has hurt its longevity in the face of some recent racing titles, but the fact remains - Polyphony knows how to make a simulation racer. Fantastic.





After the massive disappointment that was Tiger Woods '08, I was desperately searching for another Golf title. It was found in March with Everybody's Golf: World Tour (AKA Hot Shots Golf 5). At first the 'animated' ****was a bit of a deterrent, but you get quite accustomed to the characters and cartoon finish when you realise that underneath lies a very solid Golf game.

Most importantly, it worked. Online was solid, you could play with your mates, it never hangs or lags and there's plenty of variation. Even some good DLC to boot. When you see Kratos walk onto the tee and belt a ball 300 yards, you know this is something special.





Bringing back memories of hours spent in the arcades as a kid, came Super Stardust HD. I remember playing games like Tyrian, Raptor and investing hours and as many silver/gold coins as I could muster, beating the high score. Those top-down shooters and space shooters were extremely addictive. And the modern incarnation is no different. Wasn't long after first downloading the demo that I was forking out the dough to get the full version.

In addition to having some slick graphics, SSHD has every game play element you'd expect from similar shooters. Future expansion packs broadened the games' appeal by adding split-screen and various 'party' mechanics and game modes. Its fast and furious, destroy everything attitude promotes some intense gaming. From basic 'Arcade' experience to the immensely difficult 'Bomber' and 'Survival' modes, there is plenty to do in SSHD.

Being the first game on the PS3 to get Trophy support saw another rise in SSHD's popularity later on. The leaderboards became extremely competitive and it was awesome to see a little PSN game get so much acclaim.

Still probably my favourite PSN title to date.





I hadn't intended on picking up Battlefield: Bad Company until it was something the Aussie Crew got behind. My days of FPS' had been left behind with hundreds of hours invested in the Quake series and Half-Life. The console era was for me, one I'd focused on primarily as a medium for racing games. Gran Turismo and the like. However, on finding PS3F and game discussion here, my range has been broadened considerably.

So it came to be that I grabbed Battlefield: Bad Company. The offline campaign was what I concentrated on originally. Just to get a feel of FPS' with a controller rather than a keyboard and mouse. It was certainly my first proper console FPS experience. Eventually I'd get into the online component.

Online was mostly enjoyable, but the lack of mic support at the time and odd freezes here and there put me off the multiplayer aspect.

Its a title that has been improved on over the last few months though and with mics working now and Trophy support added into offline and online modes, its one I'll be getting back into over the Christmas break.





And then came the jewel in the PS3s crown. Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots.

I have previously admitted I wasn't a big fan of the MGS series. Not by choice mind you, simply because I'd never known anyone with it and never had input on the series. All question was put to rest though after playing for a few hours on launch day. Wow.

The game that takes gaming to a new level. Showing what games can do and what games are capable of. Thankfully I'd done my research, caught up on much of the story, watched synopsis' of the prior instalments. It wasn't too much of a stretch to keep up.

It kept getting better. The epic experience continually going beyond what you could have imagined and expected.

A true keeper title. One you'd go back to and play again every 12 months at the very least just to see what gaming is all about.

About mid-year, gaming was starting to become an obsession. Hours invested in Burnout, other titles filling the gaps. Weeks spent with two play-throughs of MGS4.. something had to give. The girlfriend wasn't going to keep putting up with an evening of watching me playing games.

So along came Buzz! Quiz TV. Amazingly accessible to everyone, not just the missus. I've had the family sitting around for a game of Buzz and it can be surprisingly good fun both offline and online. A bargain too when you consider the game, and the quiz-buzzers all cost you no more than an average new release title these days too.

This is one of those 'party games', something you can show off when a friend who isn't too enthusiastic about gaming comes around for a visit. Easy to start and fun to play. Plenty of variation and loads of quiz questions.

The only downside for me was the online. It seemed like a great idea and a lot of us picked it up - but for whatever reason, an incredibly social game like this one... didn't have headset support. No banter, no chatter, no taunting, no congratulating during events. Why they decided not to include this is beyond me.

Nonetheless, good fun on an 'in-house' basis.





After recently purchasing a Logitech Driving Force GT and building a lounge rig for it, I was on the hunt for racing games that would really make use of the wheel setup.

I found that (oh man did I find it!) with System 3's Ferrari Challenge Trofeo Pirelli. I never thought a racing game could make you feel like you were at the wheel of an 1100kg, 380 kW Ferrari F430 GT2. As you struggle to maintain a balance of throttle through Eau Rouge in the rain, with 5 other cars metres off your chassis, your hands are sweating and your shoulders and neck are aching.

And its like this all the way through, every car, every race.. every challenge. Tiff Needell shows you the ropes and leads you through the basics, but after that you're on your own to master some of the worlds greatest race circuits in some of the most amazing Ferrari's of all time. The FXX, the 333SP, the 250 GTO. Each with their own subtle nuances and characteristics.

I honestly never thought I'd experience a racing simulator that was more of a sim than GT - but Polyphony are going to have to pull something special out of their hats if they're to topple the driving experience in Ferrari Challenge.

An amazing game, a brilliant driving marathon.





When Star Wars: The Force Unleashed threads first started appearing on the forum, I wasn't all that excited. It had been quite a while since I'd played a good Star Wars game and one that really made me want to come back for more.

SW:FU had a different outlook though.. put you in the path of the villain and give you limitless powers to dispatch your foes.

The scale of the Environments in SW:FU is quite impressive. You could pretty much fall off everything and jump anywhere if you had the path right. If almost felt open-world in some areas.

Despite some little bugs here and there, Force Unleashed is a great return to the Star Wars gaming franchise. After playing the demo I was sold on the full release - and the level design, coupled with a combat system that's really only limited by how wacky your imagination is.. it all adds up to good, mindless fun.





After last years' awesome Tools of Destruction, Insomniac took a break from Resistance 2 and delivered us Ratchet & Clank Future: Quest for Booty - a little mini story along the same story line as the ToD path. The fun is maintained and the graphics are - as is always the case for Insomniac games - amazing.

While you're blasting evil robotic Pirates into nuts and bolts, you're getting the urge to play ToD again. you don't want the experience to end - but suddenly - it does. And you're reminded that this was just a mini game, not a full release.

Despite the length, you only paid a small fee for this little dose of Ratchet & Clank goodness. So it feels better. And along the way you encounters some great new level design and a new platforming mechanic with the modified ratchet.

Its undoubtedly one of the coolest IPs around. Pixar on the PS3 really..





Anti-gravity racing was up next with WipEout HD, the first big PSN game that almost justified a disc release. Also the first PSN game to get a Platinum Trophy (not that I'd ever get it ), the next-gen WipEout is something special, running at a blistering 60fps in full high definition.

The futuristic menu system greeted you and it wasn't long before you were immersed in the fast (extremely fast) paced action. For a complete WipEout noob like me, the learning curve was pretty steep - balancing air brakes with dropping the throttle, hitting the boost pads, when to turn in, the snap-steering.. it wasn't like any ol' racing game - this was something else.

I spent quite a bit of time in the Photo Mode bringing screenshots across as wallpapers. Zone mode was especially great to look at.

Online was pretty solid from my experience and we had some good games, but ultimately it didn't really excite and I played it mainly offline to fill time.

This is one of those titles that rewards the very patient and most likely the skilled. Some of the Trophy requirements seem completely unachievable for me, at least with the amount of time invested so far. Not impossible, just improbable.

Difficulty aside, its a flash game - and for a PSN title, its a great pickup.





Possibly the biggest surprise of the year for me was a title from Disney, in the form of Pure, the wild ATV game that seems to not have only dropped off the radar recently, but its also one that was barely on the radar to begin with.

And for the life of me, I can't understand why.

At the time of its release, people were waiting on Motorstorm and ignoring it simply because it 'looked the same' and such. In fact, apart from ATV's, the two titles have virtually nothing in common.

Pure sets the benchmark for stunt-type games. The stunts and tricks in Pure are absolutely WILD - and the fact that you can pick from a huge range of ATV's, built from the ground up yourself, made this one all the more interesting and fresh, no matter how many times you played.

Loads of customisability, plenty of tracks and variations, even more tricks and stunts, plus a perfect online mode with mic support.. well, its a sadly underrated and underhyped title. I'm still playing this one when I'm looking for a release. Its fast, slick, almost perfectly executed, looks wonderful - and yet, hardly anyone has ever heard of it. Much less given it a chance.

Sleeper title of the year for me.





If you've ever wanted to be a part of a city-wide gang, run over the elderly, take to the skies in an Apache chopper and machine-gun the suburbs or blow up a delivery fan with a heat-seeking missile, Saints Row 2, is probably part of your 2008 game collection.

Its hard to summarise this game. Simply because there's SO much to do. The graphics *****s immediately dismissed it because it wasn't the worlds best-looking GTA-esque game. Those that could look past that fact were rewarded (and I mean truly rewarded) with some of the best fun the console has to offer. You can do everything. Literally anything.

Dress like a tranny, or a pimp, then steal a car, or a monster truck, or a sewage truck, drop a grenade into a group of people doing Yoga in the park, streak in front of the police... there's really no limits.