Games of The Year 2008 Part 2

5. Soulcalibur IV

A fighting game this far up on MY list? Shocking. Still, I've been a pretty big fan of the Soul Calibur series since it's Dreamcast days. Though for whatever reason I was really excited for this installment in the series. I was not disappointed.

It should be noted that I'm not very good at fighting games, but I still had a lot of fun with SC4. There is a great selection of characters to choose from, as well as a robust "Create A Soul" mode which allows you to make your own characters with series characters' move sets.

Aside from really fun multiplayer both online and off, there's a lot of things to unlock in SC4, and I even had fun completing the easy story mode over and over again for each character. Sadly there is a downside to SC4 and that would have to be the Tower of Lost souls. Not only do I think it's not as good as the special mode that was in SC3, but it's just too damn hard. Jerry was able to get through a good portion of it, but I could never make any progress in that thing. It's just frustrating.

Still when it comes down to it, the main reason for playing the game is the vs. mode, and it's fun as hell. So mission accomplished.

4. Tales of Vesperia

At this point on the list, the rest of the games are all pretty close to each other. With that said, Tales of Vesperia comes in at #4 on the list. I previously made some fairly negative early impressions, but later I was singing an entirely different tune.

I already touched on most of the highs, and the very few lows in my above review of the game, but I'll just say it again anyway - Tales of Vesperia is an amazing RPG, it's got a pretty good story, with awesome characters, a whole lot of style, and it's just a whole helluva lot of fun. And out of the very few RPGs on the 360, I really consider this to be the cream of the crop.

I'm in the middle of a second playthrough of the game, and sadly I just got side tracked from it by a bunch of other games. However I fully intent to get back to it as soon as I can, assuming my 360 isn't still dead by then.

3. Persona 4

Hey! It's the follow-up to last year's Game of The Year winner Persona 3. What's it doing back here in third place? Well, I think there are three possible answers to that question. One, I haven't actually finished the game yet as it only came out a week or two ago. Two, I'm not sure I like it as much as Persona 3. Three, the other two games on the list are just that good.

Sort of unfair all around, but that doesn't mean I don't love Persona 4. I'm really hooked on it right now and I'm playing it a lot to keep my mind occupied from other things. Seeing as how it's a SMT game though, it takes about a hundred hours or so to complete - so yeah didn't quite finish it in time. As far as it not being as good as Persona 3, well that sounds overly harsh. Truth is I'm not sure how I feel about it at this point. I really like everything about Persona 4, but I was really obsessed with Persona 3 - so those are some hard shoes to fill.

Anyway, Persona 4 is another awesome hardcore RPG from Atlus, and it has the same social aspects and monster catching mechanics tied into it that Persona 3 had. On the other hand there have been quite a few upgrades and changes to this installment. Chief among them being that you don't explore one big dungeon anymore - but a collection of smaller ones. Another big change is that you can directly control your party members now.

There are several various tweaks like these that make playing the game tighter and for the most part more user friendly. The game can still be balls hard though, so RPG lightweights need not apply. Still, if you're up for a challenge and a really lengthy and enjoyable experience make sure you check out Persona 4 - possibly the last great PS2 game.

2. Super Smash Brothers Brawl

Aha! We have a bit of a predicament here. Wasn't this supposed to be my number one game? It was indeed. And I certainly wrote enough about it here, here, here, and here. Let's not dwell on the fact that it clocked in at second, instead let us focus on what a great game Brawl is, and will continue to be for many years.

With the exception of the Sub Space Emissary mode, there isn't a whole lot I can fault Brawl for. At it's core it has the same fun as all hell four player fighting madness that fans have come to know and love. Throw a bunch of characters into the mix - including some really good new comers - and you've got yourself one helluva party game.

I already fell in love with the SSB series back when it launched on the N64, and with all the new stuff Brawl just makes things even better. Having such a wide selection of stages, including ones you can make yourself is awesome. Even more so since you can customize the music that will play on those stages from a selection of classic game tunes.

The inclusion of the Smash Ball, which gives every playable character a super move also adds a lot to the game. And while some Final Smashes are certainly made of finer stuff than others, they all add an element of surprise to the battlefield.

With all that said and done, I just feel like playing more Brawl now. It's been a couple months since the last time we put the disc into the Wii, but I'd say it's about time to start cracking out on some rounds again.

1. Metal Gear Solid 4

Well, if it wasn't Brawl gracing the top of the list it would have to be that other game that I wrote extensively about. You can find my Metal Gear Mania post here, here, here, here, here, and here. Yeah, I went a bit nuts with this one. So, I shouldn't have too much to say about it at this point, but just what makes Metal Gear Solid 4 my game of the year?

For one, it combines everything I love in a video game. Excellent gameplay, an amazing story, great characters, and an awesome soundtrack. True, the gameplay and the story are segmented into different parts. The first two acts of the game will primarily involve you taking action typical Metal Gear style. Than the last three acts of the game focus more on wrapping up this epic series' story. It's true that this sort of layout turned some people off, but I couldn't be happier with the way they set it up.

I didn't just play through the game once though, blogging about each act as I went mind you. I played through the game about five times before I finally decided I'd done enough of the game for the time being. True I skipped most of the story segments on those extra playthroughs, but that's to be expected when you've got a game with 90 minute cutscenes.

Even if you only play the game once, I still feel that the experience you'll get from it is more than worth the purchase. But there is certainly enough stuff to do on following playthroughs that will keep you coming back if you're into the gameplay. Though lets not speak of the less than stellar online play.

Much like Brawl, I totally feel like I could pop MGS4 back in right now and play it all over again. Watching all of the cutscenes again no less. I really feel that MGS4 is Game of The Year material, and it even justified my purchase of a Playstaion 3. And what more can be said than that?