Eurogamer's Top 50 Games of 2008: 10-1 Comments by Eurogamer staff

Was LOTRO Mines of Moria in there at all - cause it was just as good an add-on as WoW!!

Good to see NG2 didn't make it :P

Strange IMO to put GHWT above Rock Band as the actual game side of things, Rock Band has a far better selection of songs, a better engine, and since a lot of Harmonix are musicians, the songs in the game actually wind up being fun to play a lot of the time too.

Yay for LBP. It wasn't in my own top 5, but I love it all the same.
Plus, anything that keeps Gears of War 2 of top spot in ok by me.

I'm almost not annoyed Valkyria missed out :P

Maybe more people will buy LBP now that it's EG's no. 1. Who knows, it might even save the PS3 one day.

Too bad I don't have time to play any next-gen games. Still going through Silmeria and just started with Persona 3 FES today. It is F*****G awesome!

Oh, and in case someone doesn't know that yet: the PS2 rules! As long as you don't try to connect it to a hi-def display, of course.

Eurogamer, you're wrong!

:P

Exchange Guitar Hero with Dead Space and all is right with the world.

I can only presume that reviewers perceive games in an entirely different way to consumers. Maybe Guitar Hero is fun when played with the right Activision PR people, drinking the right Activision PR beer at the right free Activision PR party.

I knew it would be either Braid or LBP at the top.

Strange top 50 EG but it's your choices I suppose. No Dead Space or SSF2THDR in the entire top 50 is a EPIC failure of EG staff though. Bow you heads in shame...

Anyway it's been fun.

Littlebigplanet isn't the best game released this year :)

Eurogamer, where is FIFA09???????????????

The World Ends With You is the glaring omission for me. Haven't played LBP so I can't really comment, but I can't say I'm surprised- EG made Psychonauts (deservedly IMO) their GOTY a couple of years back, so there's obviously a lot of love for quirky platformers in EG Towers.

"One day a GTA game will emerge that doesn't needlessly demand you drive halfway across an enormous map to start a mission, and then I will be a happy camper."

Errr, and yet you praised Far Cry's world/solid gameplay? Given that driving in GTA IV is actually enjoyable and easy, what with radio stations and you know, roads, rather than dirt tracks, getting there isn't - "Drive 5 metres, *clang* into a small piece of scrub, *get killed by someone you meet randomly on the road* *restart*". That said, it's a good bit higher than Far Cry but still a bit silly if you don't like an aspect that's done a lot better.

Oh and I did get a larf out of Tom's "Ignore the snobbery" comment, given that the site (staff & users) are all a horrible bunch of elitists.

YES WHERE IS FIFA 09!!

Hey Kieron, I read your comic Phonogram. Was it coincidence that the main character looked a fair bit like you...and was a massive dick? Heh.

It was cool, i loved the concept. But remember comics are visual as well, please use less words next time. It hurt my head. ¬_¬

"One day a GTA game will emerge that doesn't needlessly demand you drive halfway across an enormous map to start a mission, and then I will be a happy camper."

Errr, and yet you praised Far Cry's world/solid gameplay? Given that driving in GTA IV is actually enjoyable and easy, what with radio stations and you know, roads, rather than dirt tracks, getting there isn't - "Drive 5 metres, *clang* into a small piece of scrub, *get killed by someone you meet randomly on the road* *restart*". That said, it's a good bit higher than Far Cry but still a bit silly if you don't like an aspect that's done a lot better.

Oh and I did get a larf out of Tom's "Ignore the snobbery" comment, given that the site (staff & users) are all a horrible bunch of elitists."
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Furthermore, you can just get cab rides to your missions in GTA4 then skip them! No need to drive halfway across the map everytime.

Too much GTA hate imo.

Tetragammatron - driving in GTA4 enjoyable and easy?! What game were you playing? The driving was horrible, in an attempt to make it "realistic" it become infuriating and no fun, cars sliding all over the place and any hopes of going at a decent speed and sliding around corners disappeared as apparantly it was "improved" to have the cars skid about and crash into buildings rather than smoothly skid around corners.

Oh but then the suspension/gravity is still ott cartoon level with cars easily flipping over. So which is it rockstar, realism or fun gameplay? Because you can't seem to do both or decide between which one you're doing.

Little big planet was/is ambitious, it’s slick in execution, but I found it frustrating to play with glitch ridden scenery, and the 2d/3d thing not working smoothly and just being dam annoying. After a week I could not take any more of its faults and traded it in. I admire the concept and ambition, but it’s so not the best game of the year, not even in the top 10 surely.

Fallout 3 has completely and utterly gripped my missus. She has moved on from grimacing in disgust at the VATS slow-mo gore-athon to yelping with delight when she separates a Deathclaws head from its body. This.....I am sure...can not be a good thing......

From reading reviews I told her not to focus on the main quests (she hasn't) but to head off exploring (she has....and she's not coming back soon - I'm going to finally get another xbox).

Watching over her shoulder I can see/hear its faults but really they are minor compared to the sheer scope of adventure in there.

When I can kick her off my GOTY has to be L4D and most addictive game is GeomW2 which as the list states is fully alive when your mates have just beaten your score...again...

Is world of goo coming out on XBLA? Maybe it is time to leave the couch and hunch over a pc again.

Pretty shit year outside of WOTLK, let's face it.

Still don't get what people don't like about the platforming in LBP, I've had no problem with it. Picked it up fine straight away from the Beta, but I've been playing mostly platformers my whole life.

Noticed a few people elsewhere whining that jump height isn't consistent, but it depends how long you press the X button for. Pretty sure variable jump heights like that have been a platforming staple for years /:


Also, agreeing with everyone who said The World Ends With You should have been in here somewhere.

I think the readers poll was a far more agreeable top 50. I suppose that's the difference between the gaming public and gaming journo's/critics. LBP was an interesting choice for the top spot as after playing the beta i've given this a miss, maybe the cutscenes just were'nt long enough for me.

Putting GHWT above Rockband is astonishing to be frank, with the exception of the instruments Rockband is by far the better game, i havnet touched GHWT since buying RB2 a few weeks later. it was another top 50 from Eurogamer a few years ago that first got me into the Guitar hero series.

The absence of dead space in the top 50 is also rather surpirising, if nothing else that game had the best use of 5.1 surround sound of any game this year.

For all those still pissed off about MGS4 scoring so scandalously low, despite being so highly rated in the readers poll check out Giantbomb.com , theyve given the game best graphics award and best ps3 game award (deservedly so IMO).

Just downloaded World of Goo, don't see what all the fuss is about.

I hope the massively over-hyped LBP's No.1 spot will convince everyone that EG does not only have love for obscure Japanese puzzle games in a bid to be elitist lol.

No Dead Space anywhere, or did I miss it? Mind you, the EG review was the only one I have seen that was worse than their Fable II love-in...

LBP is a place to visit in 6 months or so; until then I'll mess around with stuff dropping in from PSN and Live. Braid and Geometry Wars II were the highlights for one, Wipeout HD, Pixeljunk Eden/Monsters and [finally] Riff for the other.

From retail, Burnout Paradise and GTAIV are still getting regular playtime; and Fallout 3 and Saints Row II in the 20 quid region were too tempting to ignore.

I've really enjoyed the downloadable games this year; even if I had to look to YouTube for a couple of the Braid puzzles. Sorry!

'Just downloaded World of Goo, don't see what all the fuss is about'

Indie game.

I originally thought Fable 2 would be the shock no.1, but this is a shock in itself. Don't really get EG's dumb system; most of them don't really seem that interested in LBP's position and are more concerned with slanging it off. Fools! A deserved victory for Sony's flagship title.

No love for No More Heroes, The World Ends With You, Valkyria Chronicles or Dead Space. This list is a epic fail and I think the staff on EG would agree with that. Here's hoping next year they rethink the system because no one seems completely gratified.

Special mention also must go to Super Stardust Portable. A tremendous conversation which regularly has local commuters gawping at the vibriant visuals. The PSP's screen was made for this game.

Fable 2 deserves to be number 1. I mean how could you not love that dog, jaysus I love that dog. I also can't currently understand all the fuss over Littlebigplanet. Braid seemed to play similarly to it but had me addicted within minutes. I suppose I'll give it another chance and hopefully get hooked.

WHERE IS VALKYRIA CHRONICLES?

Useless chavs.

Nice list - personally I think LBP and GTA 4 are shite - but then I dont get paid for my opinions and now I know why.

'A real shame, but I think it'll be, like SH2, a game who's stature increases over time.'

That'd be true except for the fact that's it's pretty much been universally lauded already.

@gogobaka:

You have to play the game. Downloading is not normally enough.

HTH.

Is 2008 geometry wars 2's leaderboards really such an improvement on 2006's Trackmania United?
I mean, that game had friends list leaderboards too. And local, regional, national and international leaderboards.
And there was also the point system. Get a few more points as a player and help your group/city/region/country beat another group/city/region/country.

LBP did not do anything for me.

GTA IV is my game of the year. Absolutely fantastic on so many levels.

"From when Rayman came out."

Fuck.

Gotta say EG, no mention og NG2 or Dead Space......you epic failed a bit there. Sure Gaiden would be low 40's, but I think most people assumed Dead Space would be a top 20 at least.

Still, it's only a list, fair play and all that.

Hahaaha.... littlebigp game of the year.... ahahahha.... ok, next funny joke?

Eight of the ten we pretty much knew would be there, with the remaining two spots we were wondering if it'd be Dead Space, Crysis Warhead, FIFA 09, No More Heroes, COD 5, Ninja Gaiden 2, The World Ends With You...etc etc....

and Geometry Wars - pretty lights and a leaderboard - is at least 44 positions higher than all of the above. Condemned 2 is at least thirty places higher.

I haven't been this baffled by these guys since I read a review for Communal Crotch Flaying.

Did the makers of Dead Space come round and piss in EG's kettle or something?

Can't argue with that. LBP is quite possibly the most fun I've had gaming for ages - I never thought I'd enjoy designing my own levels but even that became a labour of love and distracted me from the rest of my gaming "to play" pile for a good week or so. Awesome stuff.

Dead Space was hoisted by its own petard. Said petard, in this case, being one of the most disastrously wrong-headed decisions in game release scheduling ever.

Nothing personal, Dead Space, but your PR team were ruddy spongs.

I personally found GTAIV to be average at best. There's an excellent open-world in there with a decent script to boot but, as a game, it's outdated and repetitive. Fallout 3 is my GOTY but I've been constantly disappointed by what 2008 has had to offer, especially compared to what we got in 2007. Certainly, there have been plenty of top games this year (GoW2, Civ:Rev, Rez HD, FIFA 09, Fable II, SoulCalibur IV), but a lot of the big boys people continually go on about didn't do much for me at all. For example, I've played LBP for ages but find it to be little more than a serviceable platformer with a comprehensive level editor.

Congratulations to LBP for making the EG's choice as no 1, to take nothing away from it, I didnt personally been giving it enough attention as felt my gaming needs were more stated elsewhere. Perhaps I m too cheaply pleased or expecting more pleasures from a certain type of games, but can clearly see why LBP should be rightly applauded.

Apart from getting the no 1 slot, the rest of the top 10 was mostly taken by X360 and most of these games are indeed worthy to be considered, of course such as LBP did not fully meet my pleasure centres, so would Fable II or Braid be likewise not so appreicated by other gamer. To each his own, we will all come up with different top tens and impossible for EG or any other gaming site to get it 'right' for everyone!!

World of Goo, I did not considered any of WiiWare since Lost Winds, due to Wii memory fiasco, but was intrigued enough to give it a try and yes seem one of the better title on WiiWare and Indies often get pluses from critics but that the way things work.

Where the fuck is Valkyria Chronicles ? Nothing under top 10 is even about the same quality as that game, having fallout in the top 10 is a joke.

Well atleast the sony fanboys are happy again now with LBP in 1#.

MGS4 number 30, Fallout 3 at 2 .... Madness

/Kicks table and chairs over

But I do like LBP

/Sets furniture straight again

"the rest of the top 10 was mostly taken by X360". Well, just under half. But that's still a lot, obv!

L4D is the best game of 2008!!!!

So stuff you EG!!

/coat.

Er, so when does the real list go up?

I love the fact that Braid and LBP are not only rated at #5 and #1, but there are plenty of positive comments in this thread as well!
2008 - the year the Platformer made it's comeback!

Dan Whitehead: ...I love horror...

No, you clearly do not, judging by that blasphemous 7/10 score for Dead Space!

/shakes mutated tentacle!!!!1!

No Raving Rabbids TV Party?!

BWAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!! ?

GHWT higher than Rock Band 2! Ha ha ha ha ha! "The better band game!" Ha ha ha ha ha!

What? You're being serious? Really? For shame. Truly baffling.