The Online Awards for 2008

Given the ready availability of a fast Internet connection, a whole mess of people love to play games with their friends (and enemies) online.  The Internet has also allowed developers of console games to fix their software post-release, something unheard of in the past.  Even more exciting, online marketplaces have allowed for indie developers to shine, allowing them a cost-effective way to distribute their wares.  The Internet has done more to change video games than any other element affecting the industry.

Here is a list of the best online offerings for 2008.

Best Multiplayer Experience:  Left 4 Dead

The video game designed for exclusive or near-exclusive online play that offered the best game play experience.

If you’re not online, don’t bother.  If you are online, why have you not played this game yet?  Too focused on tactics to be called visceral, too focused on survival to be called cereberal,  Left 4 Dead stripped a video game down to its roots (run, shoot, heal) and then asked you to trust your life with others; and to return the favor in kind.  Showing how rewarding co-operative play can be and feeding gamers’ competitive nature with a unique versus mode, Left 4 Dead is so many things done right–online gaming, the zombie apocalypse, AI–that if it offered a richer offline/single-player campaign it would no doubt be the best overall offering in video games this year.  As it stands, it’s a one-trick pony that does it trick absolutely perfect.

Best Multiplayer Mode:  Horde Mode, Gears of War 2

The multiplayer option (in a game not designed exclusively or especially for online play) that was the best executed.

After playing Horde mode in Gears of War 2, I want every game to have this option.  I’ve never been more addicted to a game mode than with this one.  Already rich with multiplayer options, Gears of War 2 went for the kill by forcing gamers to work as a team in the most pure way, watching each others’ backs and setting up cross fires and flanking manuevers.  This game mode is pure awesome.

Best Downloadable Content:  Rock Band 2 and Guitar Hero: World Tour

Downloadable content should keep a game fresh and new, revitalize game play options in ways both subtle and explosive.  No game does this better than the two big music games.  Just as the on-disc content starts to feel old, a new song pack will come along and lure you back to these games.  For serious music buffs, downloadable songs are more than just options; they change the very dynamic of the game, opening up options for new set lists and appealing to new audiences.

Best Indie Game: Gravitation

The best game that was not distributed with corporate assistance.

This game made me cry.  It really did.  It’s not just a great narrative experience; it’s a great game as well, with multiple endings and everything.  It’s a deep and complex work of art and you should download it right now.  That’s why I’m linking to it.  You can make the game what you want and you can play it a hundred thousand times without it ever getting old; if Braid was mind-blowing, this game is heart-wrenching–in all the right ways.

The Best Games of 2008

By now, you’ve probably read a hundred or so lists of the best games of the past year.  I chose not to do mine until now because a)I knew that all three or four of my readers were patient and b) I refuse to do such things until the year in question is over (though I did cheat a little and put up a list in the comments section of another blog on Dec. 30, but it wasn’t official as much as conversational).

Anyway, I’m doling out praises award-show style: instead of an arbitrary list of the best games this year, I’m giving out categorical awards.  Please note that these awards are based only on the games I played this year, and since I’m neither rich nor able to dedicate eight hours a day to game play, I didn’t get to play nearly as many as I wanted to.

Best Sound: Too Human

The game with the most outstanding sound effects and music.

There was one thing about Too Human on which everybody can agree: the soundtrack to Too Human was awesome.  From the epic theme that always played at just the right time to the thundering stomp of a troll, the sound to this game was so incredibly well done that I can honestly recommend it based solely on that; or if you’d rather just spend 10 bucks on the album from iTunes, go for it.

Best Graphics: Gears of War 2

The game with the most outstanding graphics.

Trading the dull industrial look of the first game for a vibrant, varied, even organic game world, Gears of War 2 delivered rich and deep colors with an incredible attention to detail.

Innovation in Game Mechanics: Dead Space’s Inventory/Map mechanic

The mechanic that moved game play forward, be it a new option given to players or a new way of doing common game play tasks.

In a game that shined so very bright (in a weird and scary way), this was the brightest light of all.  For the first time ever, gamers were able to use items, check their map, and read up on mission objectives without breaking immersion.  The UI in Dead Space is what sold the narrative, and for that reason, it wins.

Best Game Play System: Fallout 3

The game that presented the best integration of all of its mechanics, even if any single mechanic did not stand out on its own.

Dead Space may have had the most outstanding single mechanic, but Fallout 3 made the best use of all of its mechanics.  The V.A.T.S. system and the character building system that allows you to build the exact character you want with minimum compromise combine for a game that refuses to let you go.

Innovation in Game Design: Braid

The game that moved the industry forward the most, that presented original ideas of narrative and game play.

Braid had a nearly vertical learning curve and an ending so ambiguous it was almost unsatisfying, but dang if it didn’t blow my mind.  Combining puzzle and platforming in such a way that the gamer had to be skilled at both, Braid will be the way games are made in the future: stripped down controls and levels in favor of more time spent thinking, planning, and executing–in short, you’ll spend more time scratching your head than pressing buttons.

Best Game Play Experience: Fable 2

The game that presents the most harmonious combination of mechanics, presentation, replayability, and challenge.

Fable 2 allowed gamers to tell their own story.  It allowed them almost unlimited freedom in determining what happens to their hero.  The main quest may have been short, but why would you want to rush through it when there is so much to do and so many ways to do it?  Of all the games released this year, Fable 2 was the one that offered the gamer the best combination of narrative and game play, and that makes it my pick for this year’s best Game Play Experience.

What, no Game of the Year?  I don’t believe in christening any one game the best game of the year, considering that all the games that would be a contender are within a hair-width of quality relative to each other.  If you could quantify game quality, the difference between this year’s big titles would be statistically insignificant.

That, and I’m really embarrassed to admit that I think the best game of the year is Doritos’ Dash of Destruction.

For my next post, I’ll tackle last year’s biggest disappointments.  Now that will be fun.