My Top 10 Video Games List

I only have a DS (yes, lame, I know), so it kills me to see The Force Unleashed on that list. It was pretty boring on the handheld. If I can finish a game in three hours, something is seriously wrong with it. The new Clone Wars game, however, is considerably better (though still flawed).

Best games this year for me? Lego Indiana Jones and Professor Layton.

Wish I had one of the bigger consoles, though; it’s hard missing out on all these super hyped games.

Same problems as last year: One per page, and leading off with number one. I wonder if anyone gets to number ten. (Don’t your web monkeys watch Letterman?)

The problem with Gaming 2008 (how long until EA trademarks that) is that, by and large, it was a year of predominantly sequels. And while there were few missteps that were worse than their predecessors, there are few games in this year’s batch of MGS/Gears/Resistance/GTA/Mario Kart/Smash Bros/Fable/Rock Band/WorldofWarcraft/etc. +1 that would appeal to anyone who didn’t enjoy the previous entry.

I personally would break my list up into 5 new IP (how I loathe that term), being the usual Dead Space/Little Big Planet/Braid/Mirror’s Edge/Boom Blox, and then 5 sequels that, either by level of polish or improvement on the last installment, jumped out from the pack, being (probably) Gears 2/Fallout 3/Warcraft: Wrath/MGS 4/Resistance 2 (which I thought was quite solid).

(You’ll notice I left GTA IV off there: that isn’t a mistake, as I would prefer to play Vice City again than IV. To each his own.)

Anyone tried Left 4 Dead or the new Prince of Persia? I’m making my Xmas list and I’m not sure which one should be my #1 choice. I loved PoP: The Sands of Time, but thought that the sequels were terrible. Left 4 Dead looks intriguing, and I have had a hankering to do some zombie killing. Because nothing says Xmas like fighting the undead. Or as I like to call them, the relatives.

Anyone tried Left 4 Dead or the new Prince of Persia? I’m making my Xmas list and I’m not sure which one should be my #1 choice. I loved PoP: The Sands of Time, but thought that the sequels were terrible. Left 4 Dead looks intriguing, and I have had a hankering to do some zombie killing. Because nothing says Xmas like fighting the undead. Or as I like to call them, the relatives.

I know you had to have your lists in early, but it’s a real shame you couldn’t play enough World of Goo to put it on the list. If you’re willing to put Force Unleashed on it, you clearly don’t have qualms with a short game, and World of Goo is an absolute gem.
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Then again, if you did play enough World of Goo and still left it off the list… well, I just don’t know what to say about that, Lev.

@Tom Shaw – I haven’t played many of the games you listed, but sadly, I don’t know if I’d list Wrath of the Lich King in with the best games of the year. Yeah, it’s new content. Yeah, it’s 10 new levels and a new class. But did they really do anything all that special? I played the beta and didn’t buy it, and while I miss it (darn you, WoW addiction!), it’s not exactly an earth-shattering addition to the WoW universe. But then again, I was a healer, and we didn’t really get any love from Blizzard :)

You will have to excuse me, but for someone who get paid for do that stuff, you pretty suck.

To begin with, you have forgotten the best games that came out this year and replaced for “iphones games”? What the heck, dude? Seriously.
Xbox Arcade games? What’s wrong with you.
I’m pretty sure that if those games are on your list it’s because you have enjoyed more than any other one, but come on.
Where is Fallout 3? Where is Metal Gear Solid 4? I mean, even where is Super Smash Bros Brawl?
You must have a horrible taste on videogames, I know that not everyone likes the same game, but from my point of view (and I’m sure that from the point of view of thousands of angry hardcore gamers) this list is made for casual gamers (yeah, the ones in the Wii ads). LBP and Spore are only there because of the hype. I’ve played and they turned to be fun the first hours. Then they got repetitive and boring. Maybe they should be on the top 50, but in any case on the top 10.

Seriously, I don’t want to talk about the iPhone games…
It really looks like someone gave you those 10 games and told you:
- Arrange them in any way you want.

No MGS4 = instant fail. Never make another top ten list again please.

I know lists like this rarely include shooters…real 1st person shooters, but COD: World of War is definitely worthwhile. Gears 3, Fallout yeah, but some of those others, come on.

I’ve been reading NerdWorld for quite a while now, but this is the first time I’ve posted. Lev, your list….it just doesn’t make sense. You rank GTA4 1st for story telling yet you leave off Fallout 3 and Metal Gear, really? It’s not just the games *you* liked the most, but the games that are the best. You also have an iPhone game in there, come on. I’ve played games on the Touch (might as well be an iPhone) and they have been terrible, completely frustrating. I know you have a bit of an Apple bias, which is cool we all have our own preferences, but really?

And Spore? That’s Daikatana (goin’ old school!) levels of hype/failure. Spore was sooooo unrewarding, not fun, not engaging and flat out boring. I loved the Simcity and Sims series, but Spore was just flat. You also missed Left 4 Dead which is outstanding.

Lev, we are coming off a year that was great for video games, it bothers me you listed these as 10 best.

Snake? Are you there, Snake? Please respond. Snake? Snake?! SNAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAKE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

This must be Lev’s way of making a time paradox.

@ hating: meh. make your own list. re: MGS4, I like games where there’s actual little gameplay episodes between the cut scenes?

and the thing where people assume I’m a casual gamer because I work for a big corporate magazine … what can I say, at least I’m getting used to it.

the thing about the flash/ipod items on there. obviously a game like Left 4 Dead is in some senses “better” than a game like Hunted Forever. Like it has an actual story and a third dimension and more than two characters. But you have to admit (well, you don’t, but I’m pretending you do) that a lot of the innovation that’s happening in games this year is happening at the low end of the market, because the developers there aren’t beholden to massive budgets and soul-crushing franchises that must perpetuate themselves or drag the whole company down with them.

@Lev. Off topic but props on putting Richard Price’s Lush Life at #2 on the book list. Great book that went overlooked IMHO. I figured you’d work Anathem in, but that was a nice suprise.

Thanks Kemper. I can’t believe the NY Times didn’t pick it! I mean, I love Jhumpa L as much as the next guy, but credit where credit is due: Lush Life is a masterpiece.

It’s great that you wanted to include some indie games, but have you not played Iji? Hunted Forever is an exercise, a lark, a trinket, next to it. It’s my pick for Game of the Year, even next to all these big budget titles.

Where’s Cooking Mama for the Wii? I could chop and dice all day long if it weren’t for my other profession.

You know its about time people start treating video games with a little bit of respect. I mean last year you picked halo 3 as game of the year….now, its gta4. Do you notice a trend? But that’s beside my point. The issue is your last comment refering to metal gear solid 4 as having no gameplay in between cutscenes. But, aren’t the cutscenes part of the experience? This type of thinking among the gaming elite is what prevents videogames from having any type of depth.

@wentwu – see, I always thought that the gaming elite were the ones who played the games with huge cutscenes and little actual gameplay (though, not ever having owned a Playstation system, I haven’t played any post-NES Metal Gear, so I can’t judge that particular installment).

Like I said before, I disagree with Force Unleashed being on the list, though World of Goo absolutely belongs. I also question Spore’s presence on the list, though I really don’t play that many games. Maybe FU and Spore really are 2 of the 10 best, and it’s been a weak year for video games.

Lev your a gay wanker so shutup…