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We here at Destructoid really care.

Since we knew our announcement of Game of the Year for 2008 was going to be so important, we decided to make sure everyone in the world could fully enjoy the excitement. Therefore, for the blind people, we created the above video full of delicious audio for your extra sensitive ears. And for our deaf friends, you can hit the jump for the big reveal and treat your super-powered eyes to a glorious dance of text.

Oh, wait, how will the blind people read this and know to play the video?

Crap.

Eh, well, blind people don’t care about videogames anyway.

Out of yesterday’s final six nominees, which game took the prize? Watch the video or hit the jump to find out. Or, even better, DO BOTH!

[Thanks for putting together the amazing video, R3Y!]

Last year BioShock took the coveted crown of Destructoid Game of the Year. What game will join its ranks and take the title this year? By reading your comments in yesterday’s list of the finalists, it seems everyone has different opinions about what game is the best of the best.

Some people screamed for Braid and Castle Crashers, pointing to them as forerunners of this past year’s downloadable uprising. Others felt Fallout 3 offered the most ambitious role-playing experience of the year, while some preferred the retro feel of Lost Odyssey. And there was plenty of justified arguing that the multiplayer revolution that is Left 4 Dead and the epic, jaw-dropping presentation of Metal Gear Solid 4 were unrivaled this past gaming year.

But which game won?

Drum roll, please. Thank you for the envelope, random hot girl that is standing next to me in a luxurious, sequined ball gown. The nominees for Destructoid Game of the Year 2008 are:

Braid
Castle Crashers
Fallout 3
Left 4 Dead
Lost Odyssey
Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots

And the winner is ...

*ripping envelope*

LEFT 4 DEAD!

Besides videogames of course, one thing most gamers have in coming is their love of zombies. From Shaun of the Dead to Dead Rising, adding zombies to anything -- even something completely random -- usually makes it that much more awesome. Think about it: imagine adding zombies to a movie like Out of Africa. Awesome! How about throwing a few flesh-eaters on Wisteria Lane to terrorize the Desperate Housewives? MORE AWESOME!

What makes Left 4 Dead so amazing, though, is the zombies are only icing on the already incredible cake. Valve’s multiplayer masterpiece truly is a revolution in videogames. In fact, some of the editors here feel it created its own genre, sort of a hybrid between a perfectly paced single-player campaign and an almost flawless, unique co-op experience.

But don’t just take my word it – here is what some of the other Destructoid editors had to say:

Colette Bennett: Left 4 Dead was one of the few multiplayer experiences this year that actually got me to crawl out of my solo gamer cave and play with friends. Well, that and I never stopped being spooked by the sound of The Witch.

Samit Sarkar: There's a reason I've been "hating on" Valve for not bringing Left 4 Dead to the PS3 -- I'm supremely jealous of people who own 360s and gaming PCs. I've only played a few rounds of L4D, but the little time I spent with it made me want it even more than when I was just reading up on it prior to its release. Get on it, Valve/EA!

Brad Rice: I repeatedly punch Necros for buying the survival edition of Fallout 3 instead of putting that extra $50 towards getting Left 4 Dead.

That's about all I can say.

Anthony Burch: Left 4 Dead is the not only the best zombie game ever made, but the best game in a genre it itself invented. I've never before seen the pacing and structure of a (remarkably intense) single-player game jammed into a multiplayer experience, but Left 4 Dead has convinced me that we should be seeing a hell of a lot more hybridized gameplay like this in the horizon. The multiplayer's pretty unbalanced and we're still waiting on more maps, but hell if Left 4 Dead isn't a must-buy nonetheless.

Jordan “Grim” Devore: What I love most about Left 4 Dead is how it's got such a small amount of content (almost all of which is fantastic), yet the game's replayability is on par with that of an arcade classic. By creating a formula that makes slight changes to what you as the player see in-game and completely socializing the zombie apocalypse scenario, Valve has made an unforgettable co-op experience and one of the best multiplayer titles I have had the opportunity of playing.

So, there you have it: Left 4 Dead is our pick for Destructoid Game of the Year 2008. Please know that it was a tight race this year and any of the other nominees could have easily won. This year was just that good.

All in all, 2008 was an amazing year to be a gamer. Left 4 Dead is an instant classic that completely deserves all of the accolades it is receiving. Congratulations, Left 4 Dead. Don’t get too drunk tonight celebrating; we all want to play you tomorrow.

Previous Destructoid Game of the Year Winners


Continue: More Feature stories





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155 comments | showing # 1 to 50

Wootex's Avatar
Wootex at 12/19/2008 13:56
I'm sick of zombies, I've become jaded by them and am completely ready for a new form of gaming cannon fodder to come be the focal point. I hope that left 4 dead is the last gasp for them and the game of the year 09 will involve... I don't know, something else.
JTHomeslice's Avatar
JTHomeslice at 12/19/2008 14:05
Whoa, where the hell has Brad Rice been?
taumpytears's Avatar
taumpytears at 12/19/2008 14:05
What? I'm not entirely sure Left4Dead deserved this.
flabzilla's Avatar
flabzilla at 12/19/2008 14:08
Wow I'm surprised to see Lost Odyssey in there for a nomination, everywhere else seems to want to ignore its existence.
paulink's Avatar
paulink at 12/19/2008 14:10
Playing hours on end with a bunch of buddies tends to make me think otherwise, but to each to his own.
JadedWriter's Avatar
JadedWriter at 12/19/2008 14:12
MGS4 will always be my game of the year.
seltzermx's Avatar
seltzermx at 12/19/2008 14:12
How can anyone ignore Lost Odyssey? It was awesome!
Zombutler's Avatar
Zombutler at 12/19/2008 14:13
Haha, Great narration Chad...best award show ever indeed. AlsoOMGWOOTL4DOMGYAYBBQ
BFeld13's Avatar
BFeld13 at 12/19/2008 14:13
THIS IS BULLSHIT! DESTRUCTOID IS TEH BIASEST.
BlindsideDork's Avatar
BlindsideDork at 12/19/2008 14:13
At least broke Castle Crashers didn't win!
weedgan's Avatar
weedgan at 12/19/2008 14:14
Wow, this sucks.

L4D wasn't that great.
Phantom Spaceman's Avatar
Phantom Spaceman at 12/19/2008 14:15
Left 4 Dead = Half Life 2 Mod of the Year!
eljay's Avatar
eljay at 12/19/2008 14:16
Well the photo gallery in the RSS feed gave it away completely :P
Sam Spectre's Avatar
Sam Spectre at 12/19/2008 14:16
AMAAAZING!
Colette Bennett's Avatar
Colette Bennett at 12/19/2008 14:17
Good point, JadedWriter...I think we will all have our own personal games of the year. Mine didn't even make the nominees list ;)
GrayFox's Avatar
GrayFox at 12/19/2008 14:18
Wow, surprising choice, but excluding Braid it is the correct one IMO.
KanadianKain's Avatar
KanadianKain at 12/19/2008 14:19
the fact CC is still broken is reason enough that i boycott them and wont support indie behemoth ever again. wankas

braid was great, but not my favorite by any means,

L4D is cool, but not enough VS levels imo. and seeing as everyone claims is basically just a mod of thesource engine, i think charging full price for the game was sorta an insult... great game tho.

(dont own a PS3, sorry MGS)

as for LO, after watching this, ill probably be buying it next week.

Fallout, imho, you deserve the GOTY... but of course, thats just my 2 cents :)
dgschrei's Avatar
dgschrei at 12/19/2008 14:21
You've got to be fucking kidding me! L4D? That shouldn't have even been in the nominees. It's a generic shooter with floaty controls that runs on an enginge that by today's standards is totaly outdated. It's also embarassingly short and the fact that the enemies can spawn from different directions definatly does not equal longer gameplay.

I would have easily applauded you for a decision on any of the other 5 nominees. In a way they all deserved to win, but L4D is in no way GOTY material. If anything it is the worst game Valve ever released.
GaveUpTomorrow's Avatar
GaveUpTomorrow at 12/19/2008 14:22
Out of the group up there, I pick Left4Dead. But my personal game of the year is Battlefield: Bad Company, followed by LittleBigPlanet.
SephirothX's Avatar
SephirothX at 12/19/2008 14:22
BWAHA HA HA HAHAHA

*deep breath*

BWAHAHAHAHAHA

Seriously, this was the most jaded decision they could have made and it is clearly a choice made only by the editors and none of the external Destructoid community. This game is by no means a legit contender for GOTY in any other contest, and for those who read my post when they announced the GOTY finalists I pointed out everything that makes this game flawed.

There is no way a floaty mediocre Half Life 2 mod with subpar graphics and an inexcuseable short campaign is better than the likes of a Metal Gear Solid 4.

Destructoid should be ashamed.
Dan CiTi's Avatar
Dan CiTi at 12/19/2008 14:23
This is a joke right?
jp007's Avatar
jp007 at 12/19/2008 14:24
Everyone shitting on Left 4 Dead must not have any friends.
Stodgy Gamer's Avatar
Stodgy Gamer at 12/19/2008 14:24
Left 4 Dead as Game of the Year? I guess I can dig that. Personally I enjoy Left 4 Dead although I actually have yet to play Live (the idea of getting eaten by zombies while simultaneously getting degraded by twelve year olds). I always think that Game of the Year should be something that is able to give something to every type of gamer. Therefore, Left 4 Dead seems more and more like the logical choice among the other nominees.
Anus Mcphanus's Avatar
Anus Mcphanus at 12/19/2008 14:24
I thought Braid was going to win for sure. Glad I didn't put any money down on that.

Out of the list I think fallout 3 is my game of the year.
Zombutler's Avatar
Zombutler at 12/19/2008 14:26
STFUAJPG
Hamza CTZ Aziz's Avatar
Hamza CTZ Aziz at 12/19/2008 14:27
Seriously, this was the most jaded decision they could have made and it is clearly a choice made only by the editors and none of the external Destructoid community.

Ummmm, duhhhhh. This was the editor's game of the year choice awards. We didn't have community voting.
Takeshi's Avatar
Takeshi at 12/19/2008 14:27
MGS4 is the only game that gave me goosebumps. Therefor it is my winner.

@Colette, what game is that?
Tactix's Avatar
Tactix at 12/19/2008 14:28
Nice! I'm excited to get Left 4 Dead over the holidays so I can join in the GOTY fun! :D

Also, that 3 minutes of narration was better than the whole (however long) VGA's...more of a reason to have our own Destructoid televised awards show. :P
SephirothX's Avatar
SephirothX at 12/19/2008 14:28
@ Hamza CTZ Aziz
Yeah, but from the outside looking in... a majority of the community thinks Destructoid is 'meh' at best... while the editors think its the best thing since sliced bread. Makes it kinda look like they dont pay attention.
Projectexodus's Avatar
Projectexodus at 12/19/2008 14:30
Hmm... I'm quite tempted to get this game, but I'm not sure I like the idea of having to depend on other people in order to have an enjoyable experience.
Miguelcar808's Avatar
Miguelcar808 at 12/19/2008 14:31
I was right yesterday.
My only comment about the game is:

"It takes a special type of situation for someone to love and admire EA, and is Gabe Newell talking about L4D on the PS3.
John Riccitiello, your the man ;) "
brainderailment's Avatar
brainderailment at 12/19/2008 14:31
I politely disagree because Left 4 Dead is not very fun in single player.
blehman's Avatar
blehman at 12/19/2008 14:32
GAME OF THE YEAR MULTIPLAYER FRIDAY NIGHT FIGHT TONIGHT!!
necrozen's Avatar
necrozen at 12/19/2008 14:32
Good choice. I had fun with L4D. But I only played it for like 2 weeks. I keep meaning to pick it back up.

I would have chosen MGS4, but to each their own. Oh and that video kicked ass - nice narration, Chad.
jp007's Avatar
jp007 at 12/19/2008 14:33
@ SephirothX

"a majority of the community thinks Destructoid is 'meh' at best"

Is that fact? Maybe you should just...leave... if you think it's so 'meh' around here...
blehman's Avatar
blehman at 12/19/2008 14:34
"...a majority of the community thinks Destructoid is 'meh' at best..."

Really? You must not have gone to PAX. Don't come next year plzkthnxbai.
SephirothX's Avatar
SephirothX at 12/19/2008 14:35
Simple fact is that this game is by no means GOTY quality. Upon launch it was outdated in every way.

--Graphics = subpar
--Controls = Floaty, the original Half Life controls are argueably better. Other FPS titles have much more refined controls, along with the ability to actually aim your gun.
--Length = Inexcuseable
--4 Player Coop = Halo 3 did virtually the same thing first, as did other games before H3.
--Versus Mode = Subpar and lacking content
--Lots of Zombies = See: Dead Rising, Resident Evil,
--Zombies Attacking from Different Spawns = See: COD: World At War "Nazi Zombie" mode.
Druid 01's Avatar
Druid 01 at 12/19/2008 14:35
LONG ASS DRUM ROLL, but i agree

didn't play MGS though so i can't weigh in on that front
R3Y GUTI3RR3Z's Avatar
R3Y GUTI3RR3Z at 12/19/2008 14:35
Too defend the editors on this one, I think out of all the games that dropped this year, Left 4 Dead did something far superior then the rest of the titles... it was fun. A lot of fun.
Mr Gilder's Avatar
Mr Gilder at 12/19/2008 14:35
Personally, I'm really dissapointed in this. Although wonderful in concept, I found Left 4 Dead to be sloppy and unremarkable in execution. I'm sure multiplayer fans get a real kick out of the game, but I'm of the opinion that a game bereft of any single player experience of merrit shouldn't even be in the running for GOTY status. I should have seen this coming, based on this site's overall enthusiasm for the game, but I really did expect more in the end.
Hamza CTZ Aziz's Avatar
Hamza CTZ Aziz at 12/19/2008 14:35
SephirothX:

Well it's our awards. It's what we thought was the best. We all voted on our top ten games of the year and Left 4 Dead is the one that got the most.
Zombutler's Avatar
Zombutler at 12/19/2008 14:35
Sephiroth are you brain damaged?
MrJunko's Avatar
MrJunko at 12/19/2008 14:36
Agreed. I love Left 4 Dead. Thanks for the zombie love Destructoid!! :D
hammburglar's Avatar
hammburglar at 12/19/2008 14:37
SephirothX is clearly unaware of the concept of differing opinions. It's editors choice and that's what they chose. That can't be disputed. I'm sure there's plenty of people that disagree with what your choice would be. That doesnt make it wrong.
SephirothX's Avatar
SephirothX at 12/19/2008 14:37
@jp007 and blehman :

Okay excuse me. A majority of XBox Live thinks its 'meh' at best... Y'know, when the broken multiplayer of Gears of War 2 ranks higher on the activity charts then L4D.
Colette Bennett's Avatar
Colette Bennett at 12/19/2008 14:40
@Mr. Sadistic -- Persona 4. :)
Druid 01's Avatar
Druid 01 at 12/19/2008 14:41
i don't understand the ZOMG TIS JUST A MOD argument. its very different from half-life but it does use the same engine so their are similarities. i don't hear people saying every game on epic's unreal engine is just a gear mod.
Druid 01's Avatar
Druid 01 at 12/19/2008 14:41
gears*
Sharpless's Avatar
Sharpless at 12/19/2008 14:41
LOL at all the butthurt people. Left 4 Dead deserves it, hands down. This industry has forgotten how to make really fun games just for the sake of making fun games, and Valve did it with L4D. Left 4 Dead is simply a fun game. Fuck graphics, fuck story, fuck innovation -- L4D is a good, fun game to play with other people. The end. It is the purest, most fundamental gaming experience you'll find, this year.
scottoid's Avatar
scottoid at 12/19/2008 14:42
cool but Metal Gear Solid is my GOTY. followed by Fallout 3.
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