Randy's Top 10 Games of 2008

Sure it is a bit late for this, but I thought I would give some insight in to what I loved and still love from last year!

Honorable Mention.) This is comprised of 2 games I felt deserved at least mentioning and those two are Resistance 2 and Little Big Planet, both for PS3. I actually really liked them both and though I don't think they are in MY top 10, they top other people's lists and that is why I wanted to mention them. Get them and play them now!

HERE WE GO!

10.)Star Wars: The Force Unleashed: Holy crap I LOVED playing this game. From beginning to end I was so happy to have all of the force (dark side) powers in the palm of my hands. Pulling down the Star Destroyer was not as fun as everyone said it was, but after you get it down you feel invincible. Lots of good memories and total I would say this deserves the 10 spot! Great controls and awesome Star Wars music....and the FORCE!

9.)The Orange Box: Okay, okay...I know this didn't come out in 2008, BUT it did come out right before '08 and I played this all the way through '08...so I figured I could slip it in here. With 5 games in one (all the games are worth playing), I could only give it one spot. Playing all of Half-Life 2 and it's episodes made me excited for Episode 3 and Portal to this day is still a pop phenomenon!

8.)Call of Duty: World at War: I had lots of fun playing this which seemed to be an end to the World War II era of games, but if they keep making them like this I would keep playing them. Sure Treyarch isn't known for the awesome work on CoD, but using the CoD 4 engine this game just couldn't suck. And it didn't!

7.)Fable 2: A few of my friends got on me for not having this in the lower numbers on my list, but I can't justify getting it any farther past 7. I really liked this game and I still break it out and playing when I am feeling a quest or some sword play, but I would all the same break out Legend of Zelda and have a bit more fun. By all means this game is awesome though and worth the play through. Now with downloadable content, you can play farther!

6.)Grand Theft Auto 4: Someone had to know this was coming! Such a fun game that I find myself popping in on occasion just to kill civilians and drive around Liberty City like a madman. Just the simple pleasures make this game worth owning, but if you actually give some time to the story mode you can get a lot out of this game. Missions are fun and the updated features like the cell phone help this game progress along well.

5.)Rock Band 2: Holy crap...wonder why GH World Tour didn't make it and Rock Band 2 did? Mainly because GH released with an awful setup for drums making RB's wireless drum set with cymbals look much better, and the whole music creation to me felt real shoddy. I didn't even like the music tracks that basically mimicked Rock Band's. Say what you will but in my opinion, the original Guitar Hero creators, Harmonix, demolished the competition of the new Guitar Hero creators...basically Activision. DLC (downloadable content) comes out every Tuesday, a solid new drum set and guitar, able to have RB 1 songs transferred (for a one time fee), and all DLC works on both the first and second Rock Band so that no one misses out!

4.)Super Smash Bros.: Brawl: So I didn't play this as much as the other games on this list mainly because I love unlocking achievements on my 360, but this game is AWESOME! I know I sound like a Nintendo fanboy, but the revamped story mode, the smooth as anything controls on the WiiMote (for the first real time ever in any Wii Game), and just the new character selection (minus a few good old ones) makes this breach the top 5 of 2008 in my opinion. GO PIT!

3.)Gears of War 2: For obvious reasons this takes third place. Sure I am giving in to the top 10 list with a lot of Xbox 360 games, but oh how sweet it is to have been able to play this. In case you missed the first one, you basically go underground to set off a bomb to kill the Locust (bad guys) only to find out that the bomb only killed a certain species after fighting with a huge Locust General on a moving train. After everything Gears 2 then leads you into the Locust tunnels underneath the planet Sera and gives you a little more insight on where they came from. You learn more back story on our 4 main characters and tie up a few knots left from the first game. Gameplay rivals if not out-does (is that a real word?) the first one in a few ways. The first Gears still sparkles a lot, but this definitely shines.

2.)Fallout 3: Oh man I can't even conjure up the words to say about this piece of work. Everyone I work with pretty much plays this and we go to work to talk about it only to go home and play more. If level 20 wasn't the last level I would be up to level 50 by now. It is the first game in a long time to steal my attention from life for more than 50 hours. New DLC on the way which will help, increasing the level cap, as well as letting you proceed past the ending (how is it possible after how it ended?), even giving you new missions and a whole new area called The Pitt (Pittsburgh, PA). Read my review below to see in detail what I love. This game is a must own for FOREVER.

AND DRUMROLL PLEASE!!!!!!! My number 1 pick of all of the 2008 year for games is.........


METAL GEAR SOLID 4!

Amazing graphics, story, and all around playability this game deserves nothing less. It is a masterpiece in and of itself. Hideo Kojima created the final chapter to a story that has enthralled many people (including myself) for a very long time. It goes back some 20 years ago with the first release of Metal Gear as a Nintendo title. Then years later it was revamped in 3d as a Sony title. It garnered many awards and fans and it has become one of my most favorite stories of all time. Ins and outs with everyone intertwined this story leads you through the final years of what seems to be Snake's life. The Octo-camo suit has got to be one of the best features of any game EVER since it changes your camo to meet your background you are laying against. I can't say enough to express how this is the one game that is worth buying a PS3 for. It has plenty of play time and it has enough little hidden secrets to keep you playing past the regular story game time. It is in one word...amazing.


Well everyone I hope you enjoyed this little installment. Whether you agree or you don't one thing is for certain...all these games deserve some sort of recognition. Do you agree? Do you have any top 10 games from '08? Leave a comment and let us know. Thanks for stopping by!