X360 2008 Game Of The Year

So, another 12 months have passed us by and as ever we’ve been inundated with some true classics. Of course, there can only be one winner and it’s up to you to decide. The contenders are below and after some serious thought please pick your favourite before heading to X360magazine.com/forum to cast your vote (the relevant thread will be in Magazine Discussion). If your personal choice didn’t get into the nominations, better luck next year…

Gears Of War 2



Epic’s original third person shooter was such a reveltation and success when it hit the 360 in 2006 a sequel was always on the cards. What we didn’t expect, however, was for Gears Of War 2 to be so good. Trumping the first attempt in every area, it lived up to Cliffy B’s ‘bigger, better and more badass’ tagline and then pushed it even further. Even haters were swayed proving that alongside Halo, the Xbox 360 has another true heavy hitter.

Fallout 3



Oblivion was huge. The horizon went further than the eye could see and even after 100 hours of adventuring there was still a ridiculous amount of quests to attempt. Alas, a number of gaming folk just couldn’t get their head round it, putting it back in its case and returning to Perfect Dark Zero. Push the clocks forward two years and Bethesda’s take on the Fallout series is selling by the truckload proving a far wider portion of the market has bought into its post-nuclear universe. Using the same template made famous by The Elder Scrolls but expanding on it to a degree once thought impossible, you simply can’t help but be sucked in by a destroyed Washington D.C as you try and discover where daddy, also known as Liam Neeson, went. One of the most absorbing games of the year and, arguably, all-time.

Fable II



The perfect side dish to Fallout, Molyneux’s second attempt at Albion took the ideas Lionhead had aimed for back in 2004 and absolutely nailed them. The choices you made had a huge influence on the world, going as far as to completely alter their atmosphere, look and feel. Our friend Peter even had the skills to make you care about a fake dog, a mechanic that was dismissed when it was first announced. Fable II’s real appeal is how charming the environment is and how enjoyable it is to roam around in Albion. In short, you may never want to leave…

GTA IV



How long did we wait for this? Still, one of the most anticpated sequels of recent memory came packing with more variety and freedom than you could shake a cliched stick at, It expanded the franchises’ foundations so much it garnered perfect marks in nearly every publication it popped up in. Sure some of the humour and outrageous elements from the past had lessened slightly, but the technology Rockstar had powering its game more than made up for it. A title that should remain viable for an exceedingly long time, especially with the upcoming DLC.

Dead Space



A new IP making it into the list, and one by EA no less?! Whatever next!? Seriously, though, the 180 taken by the world’s biggest videogame publisher in the last two years has been nothing short of astounding as is proved by Dead Space making it into the nominees. Genuinely terrifying, one man’s mission against the Necromorphs is so engrossing you’re likely to have a heart attack at least once during a playthrough. What’s more, Electronic Arts even offered up some truly innovative ideas, such as Issac Clarke’s health and ammo all appearing on-screen without the need for a run-of-the-mill HUD. While a sequel is assured, putting the series in doubt (we think Dead Space achieved all its goals within this entry), the original will always be highlighted as an excellent addition to the packed survival horror genre.

Lost Odyssey

Sometimes being stoically traditional in its actual gameplay is a great place for an epic RPG to start. It naturally frees up more resources to be spent on character and story. Lost Odyssey proves this with a story so enduring and characters so compelling that crowbarring sleep into your play-through feels like sacrilege to your discovery of ithe game’s intricacies. Lost Odyssey succeeds in your compulsion to turn the next corner, to move the story along, to level up and to find out what is to become of your heroes. A landmark JRPG, and a game that cares little for promoting its still-brilliant battle system. Lost Odyssey is all heart.