It's the end of another year, and that can only mean one thing: it's list season. Inevitably, you're going to see top ten lists by the thousands; and, as an official member of the enthusiast press, I'm afraid I can't violate my directive. But, to make things a little more interesting, I've decided to assemble my 10 favorite games of this year in non-hierarchical form because--let's face facts--it's hard to pick a favorite. And unlike other top 10 lists, this one will be doled out to you in piecemeal over the next several excruciating days! Please enjoy.
While reading the latest GameSpite update, I couldn't help but nod my head in agreement at Spite King Jeremy Parish's trenchant comments on the modern gaming blockbuster. Especially this:
It makes me angry that reviewers actually called GTAIV's narrative "Oscar worthy," because (1) no, it really wasn't and you guys seriously need to go and watch a good movie, OK?; and (2) that kind of empty praise is just going to encourage Rockstar to keep focusing on the sloppy, poorly-written pulp noir aspects of their creations to the detriment of the part that actually makes GTA unique and fun: the gameplay.
And yet, GTAIV still made it onto my favorite games of 2008 list. Have I lost all credibility? Did I ever have any? Don't fret, dear reader; GTAIV is one of my favorite games of the year by virtue of that fact that it occupied so much of my carefree summer (god how I miss it). When you make twenty attempts to beat a game's final mission, there's gotta be some love there, right?
Alright, maybe it was an abusive relationship. Certain things about GTAIV rubbed me the wrong way to the point of rugburn: the drastic dropoff in things to do from San Andreas, babysitting Nico's needy social circle, and the way the story--and Nico Bellic's motivation--sorta petered out as the game went on--with my cash flow well into the hundreds of thousands late in the game, it was never clear to me why Nico still needed "mahney." But despite all of these flaws, exploring Liberty City was downright addictive, and the bump to a new generation of hardware made GTA's typically renowned sense of scale all the more impressive. Most of the fun I had with GTAIV was out of the pure novelty value the game offered me with its new features; and even though the novelty value wore thin by about the 20th hour, I can't claim it was never there. To be honest, I was kind of conflicted about including GTAIV on this list in the first place, mostly due to all of the backlash it's received--even from me. But, long before the game started to wear on me, and long before that final mission made me want to murder the world, GTAIV was a legitimate hoot.
There, now the industry has a box quote for the inevitable Greatest Hits release.
Related Links:
My Top 10 of 2008 in No Particular Order: Audiosurf
My Top 10 of 2008 in No Particular Order: Braid
Joe’s Top Ten Games of 2008 – Special Jury Prizes