The 48 Best Games of 2008
- December 17, 2007 22:31 PM PST
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You thought 2007 was nuts? Think again. We dig deeper into the 48 most promising games of 2008.
Writing for GamePro has its perks. We get to see and play games months before they're unveiled -- it's almost like looking into the future. Here are 48 games we all agreed are worth watching closely in 2008!
UPDATE: *Ah, the power of perspective. As we looked over our list of games, we realized we'd forgot a few key titles (some of you were enlightened enough to point this out). Thanks to the power of the internets, we added these missing games to round out our group to 52 games.
Table of Contents
52. No More Heroes
Wii * Spring 2008
Get ready to grab a big... err... umm.. sword in No More Heores.
Why you should care: As director Goichi Suda showed with his last title Killer 7, the art style of a game is just as important as its gameplay. No More Heroes is an open-world adventure set in a highly stylized world that thrusts players into the shoes of an up-and-coming professional killer. Suda promises NMH will be an M-rated title more violent than Manhunt 2...if such a thing is even possible.
Why you shouldn't: If you're still recovering from a strained muscle in your forearm from playing too much Super Smash Bros. Brawl, then the last thing you need is a game that requires you wag your fist in the air to execute an attack. Isn't it time for Wii games to move on from relying on gimmickry as a selling point?
51. Ghostbusters
PS3, PS2, Xbox 360, Wii, DS * Fall 2008
We ain't afraid of no Ghostbuster game... as long as we have our proton pack.
Why you should care: The game is co-written by Harold Ramis and Dan Akroyd who also wrote and stared in both films. If there's any hope at maintaining a faithful translation to the genius that was Ghostbusters, this is it. The graphics look slick, and we can't wait to see what happens when we 'cross the streams' of our proton packs.
Why you shouldn't: Every attempt at bringing the Ghostbusters off the big screen and into videogames has been a miserable flop. Running around locations re-hashed from the films while listening to jokes that are two decades old could end up about as appealing as a ball of ectoplasm dumped on our heads.
50. Brutal Legend
PS3, Xbox 360 * Late 2008
Eddie Riggs has an axe to grind in Brutal Legend
Why you should care: With games under his belt like Grim Fandango and Psychonauts, nearly everything Tim Schaffer touches turns to (critical) gold. Brutal Legend is part Army of Darkness, part Spinal Tap. Yes, that's right; headbanger Eddie Riggs is dropped into a world of monsters and must defend a fair maiden with tricked-out weapons. Jack Black voices the lead in the game, so there's bound to be an El Camino load of laughs.
Why you shouldn't: Running around taking out monsters with a guitar that doubles as a battle-axe might look good on paper, but in the long run the monotony of seeing creature after creature turn to dust while Jack Black says the same catchy phrase over and over...well, let's just say that Schaffer has his work cut out for him.
49. Battlefield: Bad Company
PS3, Xbox 360 * Spring 2008
Battlefield: Bad Company may carry a big stick but in no way does it walk lightly... now that's destruction!
Why you should care: This title is all about destruction. From blowing holes in the dirt to create makeshift fox holes to annihilating entire buildings, the level to which players can effect the environment adds a refreshing tactical element to war games. Instead of centering on the heroic war hero concept, the game follows a squad that's abandoned their military obligations to run off in search of gold and treasure.
Why you shouldn't: There are so many war games coming out that it seems like gamers should be at war with the idea of war games. How many times do we need to run towards a battlefield blazing our guns in a single player story mode hoping that the multi-player will make us feel better about throwing away $60?
GamePro speaks with Karl-Magnus Troedsson, the senior producer for Battlefield: Bad Company...
48. Resident Evil 5
X360, PS3 * Late 2008
Why you should care: Well, Haiti certainly cares. Not only is the beleaguered Caribbean nation the birthplace of the zombie, but it's also Capcom's next stop on the ungrateful dead tour. Resident Evil 5 drops Chris Redfield (you remember him from such Evil games as Resident Evil and Resident Evil: Code Veronica) into the sort of zombie hell you really need a gun-or multiple guns-to escape from.
Why you shouldn't: After the brain smashingly awesome Resident Evil 4, Capcom may not be able to raise the bar any higher. And that dusty old smell? It doesn't smell like zombies, but rather been there and shot that.
47. Project Origin
X360, PS3, PC * TBA 2008
F.E.A.R. returns in Project Origin. The gameplay looks similar, but we have seen this new beam weapon in action.
Why you should care: F.E.A.R. by any other name would still be serial-killer-standing-by-the-bedside scary. Project Origin picks up where the ominous first-person shooter F.E.A.R. left off, with the creepy little ghost-girl Alma prepared to make you shriek in abject terror. Happy shooting!
Why you shouldn't: You've probably gotten your recommended yearly allowance of game-related frights with Resident Evil 5 or Silent Hill 5, and your first-person shooting needs should be fulfilled by, say, Turok or Far Cry 2.
46. Far Cry 2
PC * Summer 2008
Why you should care: Who's going to save Africa from the supervillian ambitions of the mysterious no-goodnik Jackal? Not the fat cats in Washington, that's for sure. You'll take the role of a mercenary and will need to play feuding factions against one another as you shoot, chop, and burn your way across a series of jungles and savannas in this intriguing first-person shooter.
Why you shouldn't: The game recognizes how well you're playing, and brightens or darkens the in-game skies accordingly. As if you wouldn't be able to tell by the amount of lead your character eats.
45. Silent Hill 5
X360, PS3 * Late 2008
Why you should care: After the lackluster Silent Hill IV: The Room, Konami has handed the scarifying Silent Hill franchise to American developer The Collective. With the new start comes the hope for the best, most terrifying, trip to the world's least hospitable town ever, Silent Hill. The game stars war hero Alex Shepherd, a man who's desperately searching for his lost brother. Psychics predict he will find (in no particular order): horror, bizarre monsters, and lots of fog. Players can expect Shepherd to be aided by a female companion named Ellie, as well as a brand-new combat system allowing the hero to grapple with the monsters he encounters.
Why you shouldn't: Konami is taking a big risk handing one of its top-tier franchises off to a third party. The Collective (Buffy The Vampire Slayer, Wrath Unleashed) has proven itself to be a competent developer, but will it "get" Silent Hill's distinct brand of fog-choked Japanese horror?
44. Turok
X360, PS3, PC * Feb. 2008
Why you should care: Simple math says menacing dinosaurs plus heavy weaponry minus the ridiculous former Turok antagonist Tobias Bruckner equals good, destructive fun. Dinosaur hunting, last seen in the execrable Turok: Evolution for last-generation consoles, gets a shot in the arm here. A primordial alien world serves as the gorgeous backdrop, and players can blast through it in the first-person perspective, opt to use stealth and silent weapons, or lure the game's rampaging beasts against a host of human foes. This new Turok also promises dinosaur-laden multiplayer contests for up to 16 players.
Why you shouldn't: Why an alien world would have Earth-like dinosaur aliens is completely beyond us.
43. Splinter Cell Conviction
X360, PC * Early 2008
Why you should care: Now 53, a grizzled agent Sam Fisher has gone rogue-and will be hiding in plain sight. Here, Fisher will have to manipulate crowds, causing disturbances to create distractions (like throwing stacks of papers) or blending in to worm his way through the masses. Oh, and never fear: He'll also get to beat and/or shoot bad guys aplenty.
Why you shouldn't: Splinter Cell now sounds a lot like Ubisoft's other "hide in plain sight" game, Assassin's Creed. There's also no PS3 version in the cards.
42. Saboteur
X360, PS3 * TBA 2008
Why you should care: Who among us won't enjoy kicking Mean Old Uncle Adolf square in his rotten Nazi pants? As a saboteur in this stylish third-person action game, you'll sneak around occupied France during World War II, and do horrible, horrible things to Nazis. As you complete missions, your progress is reinforced by the use of color: Nazi-occupied turf looks dark and gloomy, while the territories of the French resistance sparkle with equal parts hope and sunshine.
Why you shouldn't: It's genuinely hard to get excited about another World War II game, however ambitious the gameplay approach may be.
41. Burnout Paradise
X360, PS3 * Early 2008
Why you should care: The ultrafast and crashtastic driving game Burnout goes open world this time around. Players, either online or off, get to drive around the fictional Paradise City, taking part in races or destruction-based challenges. Paradise will also make use of the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3's camera capabilities, with drivers able to pose for both their in-game licenses and post-game snapshots taken to record momentous wins and humiliating defeats.
Why you shouldn't: Burnout may well be one of those rare series that functions better inside a more restrictive world. And about that Crash Mode...
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