There were no big console launches to keep gamers' minds occupied in 2008 but there was one good game after another. Signal gaming writer Hayden Meikle looks back on the year.
There was a chance 2008 could have brought a serious hangover for New Zealand gamers.
As the excitement of the PlayStation 3 launch, the arrival of the Nintendo Wii, the run of epic sequels (Halo 3, Call of Duty 4, God of War 2) and the mega Activision-Vivendi merger died down, we wondered what could possibly sustain our interest through the New Year.
Well, we needn't have worried. Gaming is no longer a niche industry. It's bigger than music, bigger than films, bigger than just about everything.
The days of mooching through a year, hoping for one or two great games to be released are gone. Now it's a smorgasbord of good stuff.
My year in gaming included:
GAME OF THE YEAR: LittleBigPlanet. Cute as a bunny, addictive as sugar and unique as a snowflake. Media Molecule's exclusive for PlayStation 3 was a long time coming but stunned us all with its simple yet dazzling game play.
HONOURABLE MENTIONS: A trio of sequels: Gears of War 2, Fable 2 and Far Cry 2.
PLEASANT SURPRISE: New Zealand finally got Rock Band and, while it was scandalous it took a year, it was totally worth it. No groupies but everything else you could want from a music game.
JURY'S OUT: Mirror's Edge is certainly different but I'm not sure that is enough to keep me playing it. It gets extremely difficult, but maybe that's not a bad thing. I'm just not convinced yet.
GAME THAT EVERYONE RAVED ABOUT BUT REALLY WASN'T THAT GREAT: Grand Theft Auto IV. Suppress those gasps. A fine technical achievement and a moderately addictive storyline but there wasn't much we hadn't seen before.
WORST GAMES: Patapon, Chibi-Robo: Park Patrol, SingStar Abba, TNA Impact Wrestling.
STILL TO CONVINCE ME: Fallout 3. Again, keep the gasps to a minimum. The post-apocalyptic epic looks beautiful and plays smoothly but I got stuck early and put it to one side.
BEST GAME TO PICK UP AND PLAY: Crash: Mind Over Mutant.
BEST GAME TO SPEND HOURS IMMERSED IN: Lost Odyssey came in a four-disc package and demanded a four-week commitment. An epic fantasy that always satisfied.
BEST SPORTS GAME: NHL 09 made ice hockey even more accessible and was the most satisfying long-life sports title since Fifa 06. A close second was NBA 08, a PS3 exclusive.
BEST DRIVING GAME: There had to be something wrong with you if you did not enjoy Race Drive: Grid. Accessible to the novice and appealing to the expert, it presented a perfect package of petrolhead panache. Freestyle off-road title Pure was also fun.
BEST HANDHELD GAME: LocoRoco 2 has just arrived in my PSP and my wife and stepson have gone ga ga.
BIGGEST STORIES: 1. PlayStation "Home" finally releases a beta version after long delays. 2. Nintendo Wii limps through the year but sells two million consoles in November. 3. Former Sony bigwig Phil Harrison takes over at Atari parent company Infogrames. 4. Major gaming companies halt projects and lay staff off as financial downturn hits the industry.
BEST GAMING WEBSITE: Giant Bomb (www.giantbomb.com) has arrived and made a big splash. Jeff Gerstmann and company have built something special.
OTHER GAME OF THE YEAR PICKS: Fable 2 (Daily Telegraph), Grand Theft Auto IV (Spike Video Game Awards), Fallout 3 (John Guilfoil, Blast magazine).
GAME I HAVEN'T PLAYED YET BUT AM SURE IS BRILLIANT: Lego Batman. The Lego Star Wars games were great fun and Lego Indiana Jones was magnificent. Fully expect the Lego version of the Caped Crusader to be just as good.
BEST MARKETING GIMMICK (PART 1): MotorStorm Pacific Rift arrived in a piece of rubber made to look like a tyre tread - with accompanying grit.
BEST MARKETING GIMMICK (PART 2): Just arrived in the office - a "PlayStation Relaxation Kit". And what's that? A hammock, two baby pohutakawa trees and instructions to wait 5-6 years.
Another view
Signal reviewer Simon Kemp's top five games of the year:
1. Grand Theft Auto IV (360) The best of the franchise so far, great storyline, brilliant to look at, brilliant to play. Controversial yes, but still the stand-out game of 2008.
2. LittleBigPlanet (PS3) The second most hyped game of the year (see No 5) is pretty much perfect. I'm betting this is the first of many great things to come under the LittleBigPlanet name.
3. Metal Gear Solid 4 (PS3)Another great looking follow-up, MGS 4 promised loads and delivered on every count. The best stealth-based shooter around.
4. Resistance 2 Makes the list for the multiplayer alone - the fact there's a great single player game as well is an added bonus. The best online shooter so far.
5. Spore (PC) On my list for technical achievement as much as anything. I'm not sure it lived up to the hype but it's still a great game with a lot of add-on potential.
