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 for only one more excruciating day! Please enjoy.
I used to refer to games like Guitar Hero as the video game equivalent of going on a car ride with your dad. And for the most part, this was true; when your most hated of music genres is overplayed classic rock, the proposition of picking up a plastic axe and thrashing away to the soundtrack of the worst radio stations on earth was not exactly an enticing one. So, being the curmudgeon that I was (and am), I ignored the modern music game based on my prejudices alone--and the fact that I never wanted to hear Lynard Skynard or Journey again for the rest of my life. Little did I know that the fine folks at Harmonix were hard at work on a music game that could appeal to people beyond the demographic of classic rock jockeys. But after doing some research of my own, and getting astoundingly drunk, I was finally able to realize the wonders of Rock Band 2. And now I can never go back.
Yes, the selection in Rock Band 2 isn't perfect; I would personally kill for some Violent Femmes tracks, or perhaps an entire album--but I'm sure we all have our Rock Band Wish lists. Still, nearly everyone I've invited back to my tiny apartment has found at least a handful of songs they were gung-ho about either singing of playing, which is far from what I experienced with the Guitar Heroes of old. It really is the ultimate party game, and I'd rather slap my grandma (sorry, grandma) than try to entertain a room full of hip 20-somethings with any of the casual party offerings on the Wii. You know how fast a good, old-fashioned broken bottle fight would break out if I tried to get people to play a session of Mario Party? If we ever finished, they would surely kill me afterwards.
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