Eight greats

The best games of ’08 kept you
thrilled even if you didn’t master them.

SCARY, SNAZZY AND SKETCHY:
Fallout 3, Little Big Planet and Grand Theft Auto IV

by ERIK LEIJON

Professional golfer Jimmy DeMaret famously said: “Golf and sex are the only things you can enjoy without being good at them.” Well, in 2008, you can add these eight games to the list. They remained entertaining even without mastering the zombie headshot, reversing time or fleeing a crime scene.

8. The first of two slime-based Wii games, de Blob (Wii/THQ, Blue Tongue) is an action platform game in which a huge circular blob must restore colour to a world that has gone drab the way of Pleasantville. By dousing himself in paint and rolling up against any surface, de Blob married easy-to-learn Wii controls with the kind of level design and depth not seen in too many Wii games.

7. Braid (XBLA/Microsoft, Number None) is the creation of one man, Jonathan Blow, and the intricate time- and space-bending puzzles seem like they could only have come from a singular creative source. In this 2D side-scrolling puzzle game, well-dressed hero Tim can stop and reverse time, create living shadows and open holes in the space-time continuum in his quest to collect enough puzzle pieces to save the princess. The flag-bearer of the indie, simple-yet-ingenious gaming movement.

6. Deep enough for experts and accessible for new recruits, Civilization Revolution (X360, PS3/2K, Firaxis) is the ultimate battle royale between the great epochs in humanity. Imagine plunking the likes of Genghis Khan, Abe Lincoln, Caesar and Shaka Zulu on the same island, give them thousands of years of technology and famous intellectuals to lend a helping hand and watch them create and destroy.

5. The second oozy masterpiece is World of Goo (PC, Mac, WiiWare/2D Boy), a puzzle game involving some of the weirdest glutinous-based physics ever. The pieces of goo stick together and remain tenuously solid, with every mission revolving around building some sort of goo structure strong enough to reach a slime-collecting suction tube. Fans of classic puzzlers like Incredible Machine or Worms should go gaga for Goo.

4. Four people killing endless hordes of zombies may not seem like a classic game experience, but first-person shooter Left4Dead (X360, PC/Valve) is no ordinary Romero romp. A game that requires four human players to work cohesively or face having their brains eaten, the game’s AI is always adapting, making the combinations of infected army attacks literally endless. You’ll know who your real friends are after spending a night in a hospital overrun by the undead.

3. After all the hype and controversy, Grand Theft Auto IV (X360, PS3/Rockstar) came as advertised. Although smaller than San Andreas, Liberty City was big on content and character, as every block of the bizarro NYC’s four boroughs packed numerous sketchy yet hopeful people and their unique stories for making it big in America. These sentiments permeated throughout the missions, as your partners and enemies alike are all in the same boat.

2. At first glance, LittleBigPlanet (PS3/SCEE, Media Molecule) seems like a really snazzy looking platform action game for four players and not much else. Once you start fiddling around with the level editor, or just marvel at the gorgeous level designs created by other online users, it becomes evident LBP is the first instance where user content and participation will actually enhance the original vision of the developers, not distort it. I haven’t felt this way about creating since ripping open a huge box of Legos as a youngster.

1. In a year where gamers pined for a revolution, Fallout 3 (X360, PS3, PC/Bethesda) is as conventional as they come. What makes this text-heavy, menu-based role-player so unforgettable is the scary, untethered freedom. Want to blow up a city and kill dozens of helpful characters? Want to forget your true mission and only do contract kills, or simply sneak around every hostile territory without harming a soul? Go ahead, everything is encouraged. My only advice is to never actually beat Fallout 3, because the number of things to do and abilities to gain should keep you occupied until a real nuclear war breaks out.