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4. Grand Theft Auto IV's all-conquering launch
If there's one game that generated more pre-release buzz than any other this year, it's Rockstar's GTA 4, the first GTA to appear on 'next-gen' consoles. Rockstar has a unique way of building hype in its games in that it shows next to nothing throughout development. The press got to see the game in short bursts in the months leading up to release, and a handful of stunning trailers were unleashed, but most people played GTA 4 having never seen the game in action. The anticipation was unlike anything we've experienced in this generation. Tome-like online reviews and multiple specialist magazine front covers screamed in the face of hardcore gamers across the West. And non-hardcore gamers got it too, with a constant stream of news reports, in depth analysis of the inner workings of Rockstar and the predictable 'murder simulator' nonsense hitting airwaves and national newspapers across the globe. Everyone and their dog had something to say on the biggest game launch not only of 2008, but ever. And gamers loved it. GTA 4 generated over $500 million in revenue and sold six million units worldwide in its first week. The Wii and DS may have broadened the video game market, but GTA 4 showed the games industry could effortlessly rub shoulders with the best Hollywood has to offer.
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Oddly, my number 5 was Too Human - fighting GRNDL-1 for the first time was a really special boss-fight, not to mention GARM, and not forgetting the use of jet engines as percussion in the soundtrack on the way there. Oh, and loot. 200 hours worth of loot-fest. Awesome stuff if you love your loot as much as I do.
Fable II scrapes in at number 4 because of two things, firstly the open ending that allowed you to play forever (albeit there wasn't really enough variety of content there to keep me occupied for long) but more importantly the game's ability to impersonate an MMO via the use of allowing other players online to be represented by orbs, that was such a welcome surprise and a typical example of why Peter Molyneux is frequently referred to as 'genius'. Amongst other things no doubt.
Fallout 3's V.A.T.S.-inspired shennanigans comes 3rd. In open world RPGs you really do need a feature that never gets old and V.A.T.S. worked perfectly in that role, even after 3 playthroughs. Also worth noting was that although I was initially put off by the level 20 cap, the way they allowed you to continue developing skills via skillbooks regardless of your level was a great workaround and rewarded thorough exploration with the ability to seriously overpower your character if you noted down where they all were during your first few games.
My number 2 is your number 1, yes it was a great coup for Microsoft and I loved the way they handled the announcement along the lines of "Oh, nearly forgot, we've got this title coming too...". FFXIII no less. Will I buy it? Definitely. Will I enjoy it? It'll be my umpteenth Final Fantasy, there's a serious danger of things getting old fast, so I have reservations. Certainly qualifies as a spine-tingler for my RPG backbone though but most of all (this'll sound fanboyish but who cares) it reaffirmed that when I based my decision on which next-gen console to get solely on which would have the best RPG line-up I made the correct choice.
My number 1 took me by surprise. It knocked my favourite all-time RPGs down a notch and became my most played game in 2008 and my favourite game of all-time. It's like I made a list of everything I could ever want in an RPG, sent it to Square Enix, and they sent me The Last Remnant in return. I'll be spending New Year's Eve tackling one of the toughest boss-fights ever designed (beating The Fallen in 10 turns was nothing compared to what comes later) after I've spent a few more hours upgrading my weapons and skills.
Not kidding, I have 14 sheets of lined A4 here with details on Formations, map sketches, mining points, Guild Quest notes, Main Quest notes, weapon upgrades and breakdowns, class progression, things to do, places to visit, people to recruit... haven't had a game that made me want to keep track of so much stuff for years. It's a game that's so good it didn't just tingle my spine, it shattered it and turned me into a gibbering pile of jelly, so easily my number 1 moment of 2008.
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