Well, turns out I do have some time. Christmas makes work go slow. So I thought I would share with you one of many blog posts of this kind you will undoubtedly see from now until the New Year...Top Ten of 2008.

This isn't just any Top Ten list though. No, this is my Top Ten list. That makes it more awesome-er than any of yours. So here it is, complete with a little blurb on why I chose each respective game.

Let the countdown begin...

10. Banjo-Kazooie XBLA



So I can hear some of you right now thinking, "How dumb is this guy?", but to be honest I don't care. It's only just been released on XBLA therefore it's eligible. It doesn't matter whether 14 year old DanGale is playing it in his dark bedroom with the sun shining outside and all the kids playing on the street or if 24 year old DanGale is playing it in his dark bedroom with the sun shining outside and all the kids playing on the street, this game is still absolutely brilliant. It's just plain, good, old fashioned fun. And at the end of the day isn't that why we all play games? With new widescreen support and the ability to play without fear of worn out analogue sticks fighting agaisnt you this is undoubtedly the definitive version.

Bring on Banjo-Tooie.

9. Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon



Of course most of us in the western world probably haven't played the Fire Emblem as much as we would have liked to, but of the five games that have been released ocer here so far it wouldn't be far off to say that this is the best one by miles. Whilst I love, love, LOVE Path of Radiance there's just something else I love more: portability. Quite literally I play this game everyday on my way to and from work. The suspend points make it easy to fold away. The gameplay is deep and engaging and the stat management is intuitive enough even for a strategy n00b like me. Plus, although I've yet to finish it, the story is shaping up very nicely. Icried a tear at the intro to the game alone. I just want to know if Marth will get his kingdom back and bring peace and prosperity to his people.

Oh, and before I hear anybody say, "But DanGahlay, it's not out until next year?" let me tell you that it's out here, it counts and it's bloody brilliant. You US gamers are in for a treat next year. This just makes us even...

8. Super Mario RPG



...alright, maybe not. After all in Europe we had to wait 12 years before this one found our shores. Released only this year means that I had to evade spoilers for 12 years! I am the true Spoiler Ninja. Eat that, Sterling!

Regardless of it's age though it was still one of the best games released this year, which shows the magic of a retro Square RPG. It may initially seem a little simple to seasoned RPG players but once you scratch the surface you can see that Square/Nintendo magic shine right through. The characters, the dialogue the mock-self depreciating attitude, even the battle system. It's all gold. This is the game that pretty much started the Paper Mario series. So that's another reason for it to be awesome. If you havene't downloaded it yet then I would suggest you do so.

7. Mega Man 9



Have you noticed a pattern yet with this list? So far all of these games can be considered "retro". A statement of who I am? Probably. A statement that retro games really are awesome? Definitely. None this year though was more retro than Mega Man 9. This game was the ultimate retro challenge. Even those that considered themselves retro were wetting there pants playing this game...including me. Wily's Castle in Mega Man 9 was perhaps the toughest yet. Especially the four platformed, ball spike throwing bosses. They gave me nightmares. Everything about this game screamed "retro". The sprites, the level design, the enemies, the music, the sound effects, hell, even the sprite flicker if you so chose. This was the perfect present Capcom could give those that yearned for a taste of the old.

6. Mario Kart Wii



This entry may be a little controversial, but really this was the best Mario Kart game yet. Sure, it was a little unfair on the better players. Sure you could get hit by three red shells in a row. But if you wanted a game to show off your driving skills then you should have probably picked up Burnout Paradise or something. For everyone else, the ones that just wanted to have a blast, the ones who just wanted to be a little crazy, this was the perfect antidote to the banality of life. This game cures depression. The bright colourfully designed tracks were some of the best in the series. My personal favourite was Moonview Highway. So detailed were the tracks that it actually felt you were driving around the Mushroom Kingdom. Of course if these new tracks really didn't float your boat there was always the retro tracks to play on your nostalgia. with 16 classic tracks returning, if you so chose you would never need to hit the 16 original ones.

Of course after the mammoth content packed Super Smash Bros. Brawl, Mario Kart Wii did seem a bit light. Then again, was it ever really meant to be taken as something else?

5. Professor Layton and the Curious Village


A second entry on this list from the DS. Professor Layton was a true, genuine classic. It was a murder mystery game that appealed to EVERYONE. And when I say everyone I don't mean those dreaded "casual" gamers, I truly mean everyone. Oh, apart from stupid people. Yeah, if you are stupid then there is absolutely no way this game is for you. The kind of mental thinking this game would dish out on you was as brutal as Mega Man 9 was on your thumbs. This game was hard, REALLY hard. Even now there are some puzzles I just can't do.

Though I'm told this is a personal favourite of Stephen Hawking.

4. Lost Odyssey



Now I'm not a huge fan of modern RPGs. Even the modern Japanese ones. It's just something about them that makes them try and be more than they should. Lost Odyssey however knew that there was nothing it needed to pretend to be. It didn't try to be clever, or original, or "innovative", or grounbreaking or anything other than a classic 3D RPG. The characters were not only likable, but also unlikable for the right reasons. For an audience to dislike a character because of the lack of character is usually bad design. But for an audience to dislike a character because of the character they truly our is genius. Jansen was that character for me. I really disliked him. But not in a Gears of War-Marcus way, in a truly genuine, human way.

There was nothing new about this game, and for that it's brilliant.


3. Super Smash Bros. Brawl



What can I really say about this game? The development time it took for this game really shows. There was so much content packed in that it was a fanboys wet dream. My favourite thing was the soundtrack. Not just the main theme either, but the whole soundtrack. Every last track lifted from the classics and either dropped straight in or revamped. The Kid Icarus modern theme alone is worth buying this game for. But you know my favourite thing about this game: The sheer depth anyone can play with. If like me you want to just sit around and beat people up you can. The game is a dream for beginners too. There's not much to remember. No combos. No button combinations. You can play it as a button masher and have a good time. But if you're serious about your brawling then you can turn off all items, head to final destination and make sure you're both playing as Fox. You can play the game like that too if you want too. And isn't that the sign of a great game? Something everyone can find something they like about?

2. Braid



Games as art. It's all a bit bollocks really isn't it? I mean you CAN look into the deep, philosophical meaning of every intricate detail to be found in Braid. You CAN deconstruct it's very essence. You CAN do that. But if, like me, you just want to play a great game filled with excellent platforming and intelligent puzzels that will entertain you over and over again then Braid is also for you.

Quite why there are forums, upon forums, looking into the meaning of every single detailed pixel is really quite beyond me, the true genius of this game isn't the pretentious art twattery lauded upon by indie art kids. No, the true genius of Braid is it's level design and control. The true test of calibre when it comes to games.

1. Lylat Wars



Let's face it, Lylat Wars has been not only the best game of 2008, but also the best game of '97, '98, '99, '00, '01, '02, '03, '04, '05, '06 and '07. It just can't be beaten. There's not really much to say other than this game will probably be the best game for the next ten years to come too. So bite me. This game is awesome in any year.

All in all, a pretty good list. Sure, some of you feel I copped out at the end but it really had to be said. :)