TIME magazine loves its list, and the well-known publication has produced a top ten games of 2008, with some interesting additions. Predictably, GTA IV has taken the top spot, but Jon Blow's indie darling Braid came in at a respectable two.
The list, as penned by Lev Grossman, also includes some more obscure entries, such as Flash game Hunted Forever, and iPhone App Fieldrunners. Here is Grossman's full list:
- Grand Theft Auto IV
- Braid
- LittleBigPlanet
- Rock Band 2
- Gears of War 2
- Dead Space
- Star Wars: The Force Unleashed
- Hunted Forever
- Fieldrunners
- Spore
As you reach the seventh entry, please don't panic, you're not going insane -- that IS Star Wars: The Force Unleashed listed as one of TIME's top ten games of 2008. Personally, I'm surprised Dead Space is there too, but for some reason people think that game was the second coming of Christ.
Despite a few amusing entries, I do like to see it when non-specialist press is able to demonstrate some real knowledge of the medium. Including more obscure titles on the list, as well as giving due respect to Braid, is encouraging stuff. Hopefully this list will give these lesser known games a boost.
I mean ... provided they're better than The Force Unleashed.
Contest:
9:40 AM on 12.08.2008
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But Fallout 3 is my personal game of the year.
I call bullshit.
No Fallout 3?
FAIL
Fallout3 deserved that spot, not some half-assed platformer that was 2 hours long with a vague storyline.
Braid, lol.
At the very least it did something somewhat new to it's genre... If GTA (along with all of its clones) would simply disappear, the world of gaming would be a better place... it was really great like 6 years ago, but even freshly-baked, delicious death pie goes stale in 6 years time.
Braid and LBP are probably the only 2 games on that list that are fun, memorable, and relatively unique. (I haven't played the iphone game though_
I resent that comment. I worked hard on that insult. :P
Go suck master chief's dick and GTFO my destructoid please.
You bore me.
Seriously that game takes waaaay longer than 2 hours if you solve the puzzles on your own (no youtube), and even more if you want the stars (even with youtube). It actually required thought which may escape some. At XBLA level of price it was a good deal, better than some other crap out there. So if you didn't like it, fine. But seriously, no need to to rip on the people who appreciated it.
i demand a recount
No, all TFU did was create AI that ran away from you when convenient. Half Life had been doing "force" power shit with the gravity gun, and MANY games had done other "force" power stuff long before hand. Bioshock was better at it than TFU was.
Fail the list on Spore for more than anything for citing a bland and short played Sim derivative.
And while I play Gears and Rock Band 2 more than anything, including sequels that added nothing new to the franchise seems like a cheat way to pad out this list by including big selling titles.
IMO, Fallout 3 deserves nothing less than the Best Picture Oscar, Best Dramatic Series at the Emmy's, and Album of the Year at the Latin Grammy's. And CMA's album of the year.
Quoted for truth.
I also think it's hilarious that these kinds of lists are coming out and there are still a few games that are not out yet, like Persona 4. Considering the 3rd game made it to quite a few top tens, the fact that they can't wait for 4 seems kinda silly to me.
And yeah, GTA4 isn't a -best game of the year-, not in a million years.
Whether or not you liked either, they both represent epic achievements in art direction, production value, and gameplay.
Other than that... hmmm... I can't really think of any other deserving games. Maybe Mario Galaxy? That was this year, right?
Galaxy was released in November '07.
Um.....yeah.
Good for them!
p.s. What The Force unleashed?
/flamesuit
when i got it on release i didnt stop till i completed it. Hey, where the hell is MGS4 and Fallout 3!?
You're all idiots.
/sarcasm
GTA IV is a sequel...