2008 was a pretty big year for me, both in life and gaming. My wife and I bought our condo this year. That was pretty big. In the middle of the year, the Wii really started slowing down for me. This lead into me buying a PS3 in order to fill in my gaming time. I also bought the nicest, and most expensive, arcade stick I've ever owned, the Hori Real Arcade Pro 3. 2008 saw some really great games, some new, some great revivals and some really great art direction.

Here's a list of my favorite games of the year by genre:

Action



No More Heroes
Suda 51 showed developers that great games can be made for the Wii. Furthermore, he created a cast of quirky characters and utilized the Wiimote in a way that was interesting and waggle-free. The commentary included throughout the game spoke to internet, otaku, geek and gaming culture. We are Travis Touchdown and we should revel in it. No other action game this year got my interest and held it quite like No More Heroes. As soon as I finished the game, I replayed it. It's that good.

Fighting



Tatsunoko vs Capcom
This year has been a great year for fighters. Soul Calibur IV, Street Fighter HD Remix and, most importantly, Tatsunoko vs. Capcom. While HD Remix is a great fighter, TvC takes the prize. It marks the return of Capcom's beloved Versus series which has been dormant since 2001. While fighting game fans were worrying over the look of SFIV, Capcom announced TvC which is fully 3D but boasts a beautiful cel-shaded look that surpasses the art direction of SFIV. The controls have been simplified, much to the chagrin of most fighter fans, including me. After a few minutes with the game, I truly appreciated the look, feel and control scheme Capcom has created. TvC, while technically part of a series, stands strongly on its own.
Runner up: Super Street Fighter II Turbo HD Remix

RPG



Valkyria Chronicles
When I first started seriously gaming, RPGs were one of my staples. Of course, that was a time when RPGs lasted less than 40 hours and only 2 or 3 were released a year. Over time, I grew tired of RPGs and their trappings. I moved onto SRPGs since they removed a lot of the excess from RPGs. Sega redefined the genre for me again this year. Valkyria Chronicles is a mash up of RPG, SRPG and action. The story is as deep and interesting as anything Square has ever done. The SRPG influence is there but the micromanaging of individual units has been removed since changes to weapons, armor and grenades is automated and applies to classes instead of to characters. While the overall approach to combat is turn-based, moving units is done in real-time and requires a higher level of strategy than in most SRPGs since enemies will fire on your character as you move into position. Sega has also created a new graphic style that moves beyond mere cel-shading to add hatch marks and a watercolor look. Even the edges of the screen show the drawing underneath the paint. Gorgeous is the only word that describes it. To top it all off, the score is sweeping, epic and all around amazing.
Runners up: Chrono Trigger, Etrian Odyssey II and Dragon Quest IV

Handheld



Chrono Trigger
Square finally decided to release the fan-favorite Chrono Trigger to DS. It's the SNES game with a few new additions, specifically a new dungeon and a new ending. The game already had a ton of endings but one more is just icing on cake. The DS version is basically the superior SNES version with the PSOne anime scenes cut in. My advice for new players is to turn off the cut scenes as they interrupt the flow of the game. It's better without them but the choice is yours. This is the greatest RPG ever made so get it if you haven't.
Runners-up: Dragon Quest IV, Shiren the Wanderer, Space Invaders Extreme, Legend of Kage 2

Shmup



Castle of Shikigami III
2008 saw the release of some really good shmups. While BlastWorks was fun and inventive, Castle of Shikigami III wins the prize. It's a bullet hell shmup with a large cast of playable characters, each of whom boasts a unique play style. This alone provides a reason for multiple playthroughs. Also, Time Gal is in it.
Runner up: BlastWorks

Revival



Super Street Fighter II Turbo HD Remix
2008 was a great year for revivals. Capcom spearheaded this with games like Mega Man 9, Bionic Commando Rearmed, 1942 and Street Fighter HD Remix. These were not lazy revivals either. All of these games were completely built from the ground; no ports here. That said, it's only right that a Capcom game get this award. While Mega Man 9 and Bionic Commando Rearmed are all great, HD Remix wins the nod. It brought Street Fighter back, the way it was and improved on the graphics, gameplay and music. It's the perfect revival package.
Runners up: Dragon Quest IV, Mega Man 9, Bionic Commando Rearmed

Biggest Disappointment



Naruto: Ultimate Ninja Storm
Naruto: Ultimate Ninja Storm had the greatest cel-shading and some very epic battles. The fighting system is solid and the original Japanese language track is available. All of that is great. The problem is the formulaic nature of the game. The player has to take on a mission, complete it and then run around the village collecting scrolls to move forward. If this game followed the same structure as Clash of Ninja, it would have been perfect. I don't like unnecessary collect-a-thons in my fighters.
Runners up: Prince of Persia (I didn't have high hopes for this so it was only a slight disappointment)
Wii runs out of steam (I watched as the game selection on the Wii dried up)
Wario Land: Shake It (A beautiful, 2D hand-drawn platformer that bored me to tears)

Game of the Year



Valkyria Chronicles
Honestly, I'll play the fighters far longer than I'll play Valkyria Chronicles. The difference is that the fighters are extensions and embellishments on an existing formula. Valkyria also adds and embellishes a formula but it does so in a genre bending manner. The changes to this game have forced me to reevaluate my interest in the SRPG genre. It's game changing.