There was no single, universally accepted best game of 2008. For a clear critics-poll winner, Fallout 3 took the Game Critics Awards’ Game of the Year with 355 points. Other strong choices include Grand Theft Auto IV, LittleBigPlanet, Gears of War 2, Dead Space, Wii Fit and Call of Duty: Modern Warfare—each recognized in a different way and suited to a different kind of player.
How to read “best” for 2008
Different awards and sales lists measure different things. The Game Critics Awards used a North American critics poll for games commercially released there during calendar 2008. BAFTA gave category awards and a separate public-voted award; Japan Game Awards recognized titles in a Japanese-market context; and U.S. sales rankings counted units, not critical quality. The shortlist below treats those as distinct kinds of evidence rather than interchangeable verdicts.
Best games of 2008 by the experience you want
Best critics-poll winner: Fallout 3
Fallout 3 is the clearest answer if you want one critics-poll winner. It scored 355 points in the Game Critics Awards’ 2008 Game of the Year poll, which considered games commercially released in North America from January 1 through December 31, 2008. The awards listed it for PC, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. Game Critics Awards: 2008 winners
Best open-world crime drama: Grand Theft Auto IV
Grand Theft Auto IV is the open-world crime-drama pick. Metacritic identifies it as its 2008 Xbox 360 Game of the Year, while the Entertainment Software Association’s U.S. sales table lists separate Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 entries. Those are review-database and sales distinctions, not the same kind of award as the Game Critics poll. Metacritic: Grand Theft Auto IV · ESA, Essential Facts About the Computer and Video Game Industry, 2009
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Best creative platforming: LittleBigPlanet
LittleBigPlanet is the creative platforming choice on this list. It was a Game Critics Awards nominee, and BAFTA’s results include it among the entries in the audio category. That recognition makes it a notable 2008 pick, but the cited awards do not establish a single overall win for it. Game Critics Awards: 2008 winners · BAFTA Games Awards 2009
Best squad-based action: Gears of War 2
Gears of War 2 is the action and multiplayer-era option. It appeared in the Game Critics Awards material and was among the leading Xbox 360 sellers in the ESA’s U.S. table for 2008. Its listed platform is Xbox 360. Game Critics Awards: 2008 winners · ESA, Essential Facts About the Computer and Video Game Industry, 2009
Best survival horror: Dead Space
Dead Space is the survival-horror selection. Metacritic’s 2008 listing describes protagonist Isaac Clarke responding to a deadly infestation aboard a deep-space mining ship. Metacritic: Dead Space
Best motion-controlled family pick: Wii Fit
Wii Fit offers a family and motion-control alternative. It received a Grand Award from Japan Game Awards 2008 and ranked third in the ESA/NPD U.S. video-game unit-sales table. That sales placement indicates popularity in the U.S. market, not a quality ranking. The listed platform is Wii. Japan Game Awards 2008 · ESA, Essential Facts About the Computer and Video Game Industry, 2009
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Best public-voted award winner: Call of Duty: Modern Warfare
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare won BAFTA’s GAME Award of 2008, the only award in that release voted for by the public. The award’s exact name matters: it is a public-vote distinction, not a claim that the game won every BAFTA category or a critics’ poll. BAFTA Games Awards 2009
Best Japan-specific portable pick: Monster Hunter Portable 2nd G
Monster Hunter Portable 2nd G shared a Grand Award at Japan Game Awards 2008. It is a portable multiplayer/action choice with particular significance in that award’s Japanese-market context; the award should not be mistaken for a global ranking. Japan Game Awards 2008
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What the 2008 sales figures do—and do not—say
The ESA’s 2009 industry report cites The NPD Group’s U.S. sales data. In the 2008 video-game unit-sales table, Wii Play with Remote ranked first, Mario Kart Wii second and Wii Fit third. The report also recorded $11.7 billion in U.S. combined computer and video game dollar sales and 298.2 million combined computer and video game units for 2008. These figures describe U.S. sales and the report’s combined categories; they are not global totals, award results or measures of game quality. ESA, Essential Facts About the Computer and Video Game Industry, 2009
Which 2008 game should you choose?
- For open-world role-playing: Fallout 3.
- For an open-world crime story: Grand Theft Auto IV.
- For creative platforming: LittleBigPlanet.
- For squad-based action: Gears of War 2.
- For survival horror: Dead Space.
- For motion-controlled family play: Wii Fit.
- For a first-person shooter with a public-vote award: Call of Duty: Modern Warfare.
- For portable multiplayer/action in a Japan-specific award context: Monster Hunter Portable 2nd G.
Check the platform before seeking an older copy
Original platform information is useful when searching for a physical edition, but it does not establish present-day store availability, hardware compatibility or server status. Confirm the edition and platform on the listing, inspect the condition of a used copy, and check the relevant console maker’s current compatibility information before buying for modern hardware. In particular, a listing such as Fallout 3 Xbox 360 identifies an older edition; it does not by itself guarantee that the disc will run on a newer console.
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