The official mandate has come down from the top—that it is December, and we all write about games, so we all have to pick some arbitrary number of them that we enjoyed above all others this year. I am taking on this task in the way of our forefathers, using their traditional number (10) and order (from great to most greatest). Games were chosen for this list using a highly scientific list of criteria, including but not limited to dopamine levels, blood alcohol content, dice rolls, and the likelihood that the game contains secret spreadsheets full of crime. Today is #7-#5.
7. Mirror’s Edge
Mirror’s Edge isn’t perfect by any stretch of the imagination, but in terms of adding to the language of the medium it’s probably the most important of the year. Prior to Mirror’s Edge, first-person platforming pretty much didn’t work (Jumping Flash aside); now it does, and it does in a gripping way that ensures it will be badly copied by many first-person shooters to come. But the way the platforming was handled also, perhaps more than any other game ever, made the player feel like they were truly inhabiting the body of the protagonist. Mirror’s Edge has a moment, and only one, where the camera leaves the point of view of Faith. It’s the most powerful gaming moment of 2008.
6. Persona 3: FES
I clocked over 80 hours in Persona 3, a game I bought in 2007, ignored, and then bought again in FES form in 2008. You’ve heard it before, but it’s worth repeating that this, alongside Final Fantasy XII, is one of the crowning RPG achievements of the PS2-led generation. The game’s nighttime combat was intensely dangerous, forcing you to rely on pre-battle preparation, in-battle on-the-fly strategizing, and ally AI that actually worked reliably (most of the time). The daytime relationship building was characterized by fantastic writing and a variety of interesting characters to interact with. Both of the elements were integrated completely by the well-executed social link system. The end result was a tight and unified gameplay experience that was gripping and loaded with heart.
5. Fallout 3
The Capital Wasteland of Fallout 3 is, as far as I’ve experienced, the most believable game world that has ever been rendered—it’s massive, reasonably empty, palpably terrifying, and even the repetitive elements smacked of the 50s-era obsession with manufacturing. And having spent a fair amount of time in DC in my college years, seeing it shattered but still recognizable was deeply affecting, to me becoming a place I had to save. Character growth and the VATs combat system played havoc with the part of my brain devoted to twinking. The wealth of places to explore was likewise overwhelming, as 70 hours in I still hadn’t seen all there was to see in the game. Part of the reason for that was a need to move on, but there’s also a part of me that never wants to see that game end.
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