The year 2008 was big in gaming and still has more to go, a lot more. There were well-known titles which were and are to be released this year viz. Metal Gear Solid 4, Grand Theft Auto 4, Gears of War 2, Halo Wars, Guitar Hero IV etc. There are many more that may not be covered in this feature.
But we are trying to see what really happened in 2008 and what might happen by Fall. So far things were golden for gamers in this year and they still know that there is a lot more to come.
In this feature we will see who were the ‘CHAMPIONS’ of 2008 games which were totally a blessing for the industry, which gamers just won’t get over.
1. God of War: Chains of Olympus, SCEA (PSP)
God of War needs no introduction; it’s the most “action packed and stunning graphics” game series on the PS2 and with this prequel on PSP they proved that whatever can be on PS2, CAN be on PSP too. Just like the PS2 version, the graphics were strikingly anti aliased. There was absolutely NO loading throughout the game apart from one in beginning. The game was remarkable.
It was a bit short though, average time ranging from 5-7 hours. But the PSP owners got to taste the God of War experience as much as what the PS2 ones got to. The story was set 10 years before the first God of War on PS2 while our protagonist Kratos was working errands for the Gods. The story was satisfying and gave substance to Kratos and the series over all. GameRankings gave it 92%.
2. Burnout Paradise, Criterion Studios, EA (PS3, Xbox 360, and soon on PC)
The fifth game in the high adrenaline racing series changed the way the Burnout games were. This was their first in the next gen series so they added the open city for free roaming and surprisingly still Burnout Paradise ran at a fantastic 60 frames per second. Like all the Burnout games, it had high speed racing and battles amongst cars.
The physics was greatly augmented and the crash graphics were eye-catching. The game is sandbox style now so we could go all over the city and stop at any traffic light to start the race. The game was fairly received with minor flaws like no immediate restarting if you wanted to, in a situation when you know that you will definitely not win the race. The famous crash mode was changed to Showtime mode which could be started anywhere, anytime.
Speaking of time there were no day and night cycles or even changing weather conditions. It could have been better but did not disappoint nonetheless. It was just that for a first timer to Burnout, the open area and intimidating racing were too nerve racking at first. Game Rankings gave it 88.5% for Xbox 360 and 87.5% for the PS3.
3. Grand Theft Auto IV, Rockstar Games (PS3 and Xbox 360)
Grand Theft Auto is a very well-established game series for action sandbox style game play. It is the first game series which created the open city area and started a new era for video games as many other developers started building similar games and were publicly branded GTA-clones. Its fourth iteration is 4 years in making and the first one on the next-gen consoles.
The Liberty City from GTA 3 was recreated to reflect a very close version of modern day New York. The game was exceptionally triumphant in achieving 100% scores by everyone except a few which still gave it close to a 100%. The new Eastern-European protagonist Niko Bellic and his story were well received and the game dialogues were regarded as Oscar-worthy.
This truly was a history creating game and it showed that Rockstar really worked 48 hours a day to achieve Grand Theft Auto IV. Details about the realism and astonishment of the game can be endless. It holds 97.7% on GameRankings and is a dominant contender for Game of the Year.
4. Far Cry 2, Ubisoft (PS3, Xbox 360 and PC)
Unlike Far Cry, German game developers Crytek are not involved in anyway with Far Cry 2. It’s all by Ubisoft and the game will be entirely open-ended and non linear. This FPS will put us in the massive landscapes of Africa instead of individual maps and we will choose our own course of action from traveling from savannas to jungles to hunt down some gang drug dealers. Only some of the gameplay is revealed because the game is still under development.
The video which showed the gameplay, also features some developer commentary where the developers claim they went and lived in the heart of the jungles of Africa instead of hotels to get hours of HD video footage and snapshots of the jungle. So far, the game shows those developers did put their hard work to it and looks like a great FPS is to come. Releases in September.
5. Ninja Gaiden II, Team Ninja, Microsoft (Xbox 360)
Ninja Gaiden II is the hack and slash action game with our main character Ryu Hayabusa who is some kind of a protector of Dragon Sword of his village. Its predecessor was released on the Xbox followed by an enhanced version of the PS3 which was successful as the action and storyline were appealing to go through the game.
The combat system was challenging and the game was certainly not effortless. Ninja Gaiden II is currently an exclusive for the Xbox 360. Ninja Gaiden is an old series of game which started from the NES. This game is described to be as challenging and entertaining as other action games with four different difficulty levels which are a must in a hack and slash. Releases in June beginning.
6. Star Wars: The Force Unleashed, LucasArts (Multi-Console)
This Star Wars title will be the first entry in the next gen consoles as well, so it is greatly anticipated. Inside the huge timeline of Star Wars, this game will be in the times set between the Episode III and Episode IV where our players will first get to play with the most infamous villain of all times Darth Vader who will travel somewhere to come across a harmless Jedi who then becomes the secret apprentice of Darth Vader.
So for the Star Wars fans, the story so far is highly stunning and the trailers seen so far show although not as dazzling graphics as what GTA 4 or MGS 4 might have shown, but a large amount of detail especially with the Force Actions we usually get to have in any Star Wars games like pushing and pulling objects with our hand without any contact or producing lightning to shatter objects and anyone who comes in our way.
This game will also be on the Wii, thus allowing a full lightsaber wielding using the Wii-mote and giving what the developers are saying an “unleashed” experience. Releases in Mid-September.
7. Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell: Conviction, Ubisoft (Xbox 360 and PC)
Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell: Conviction is the fifth part in the critically successful Splinter Cell series wherein a turning point after the last incidents in the game series, our secret agent protagonist will be on the run. He is a fugitive and is going about here and there trying to clear his name. No details have been released so far about this Ubisoft Montreal game that also developed the first Splinter Cell and the third highly successful Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory.
Although what we have seen is a two minute trailer which shows the all different and civilian Sam Fisher now trying to blend into the crowd and using the surrounding environment elements to overcome his opponents. The game is in any case very highly awaited for being a Splinter Cell title. Release Date Unknown 2008.
8. Gears of War 2, Epic Games, Microsoft (Xbox 360)
Gears of War 2 will be the sequel to the critically acclaimed best-selling video game on the Xbox 360 and PC, Gears of War. Gears of War 2 is reported (and later shown) to be essentially similar to Gears of War which is great because Gears of War debatably gave birth to the beautiful cover system action instead of running and gunning around in games.
Epic Games released a gameplay video which showed spectacular colors and graphics compared to Gears of War and increased combat mechanics such as the use of a downed enemy as a shield while shooting at others or getting locked into a Lancer Chainsaw fight with a locust. The predecessor of the game was known for its lackluster plot.
Little was known about what happened in the fictional world of Gears of War and about the protagonist Marcus Fenix who is now amongst the famous Snake, Sam and Dante. Hopefully more will be explained in the sequel. The game will be exclusive to the Xbox 360 and it surely looks to surpass its predecessor in every element and adds splendid new elements to the game. Releases in November.
9. Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots, Kojima Productions, Konami (PS3)
Metal Gear Solid 4, God came in my dreams and said this game will be the best. I agreed! And every gamer will agree with me if they have seen trailers and read details of MGS4 so far. This finale of the Metal Gear series that started 21 years ago is going to be the most remarkably outstanding detailed game witnessed so far. Now I am not trying to over rate the game but anyone may look up for info and details about the Metal Gear series and see what the hype is all about.
The Metal Gear games gave birth to the Stealth genre and have been known to have something out of the extra-ordinary and to be ahead of their times. Having a vast amount of detail throughout the game including the (generally ignored) environment, the fourth (7th chronologically) part is by far the most overwhelmingly realistic what we’ve seen in several amount of trailers throughout 2 years.
Our protagonist Snake is now old and on his final mission to terminate his ever-trouble-causing clone brother Liquid Snake (and he is inside a skilled marksman and gunslinger person Ocelot who used to be his subordinate).
Yes the story is a lot more complex but simply unimaginable. People new to the Metal Gear series starting off with MGS4 will be just clueless throughout from start to end. But they will still get a satisfying amount of action and stealth gameplay nevertheless. The game has received one review so far.
A 10/10 from Official PlayStation Magazine UK and similar scores are expected from everywhere else. This game is sure to be one of the biggest competitors for Game of the Year award, the other one being GTA4. MGS4 releases on June 12.
- By Anubhav Priyadrashi
If you enjoyed reading the 9 champion video game titles of 2008, here is a link to the 6 ‘chumpions’ of 2008.