Tales of economic doom and gloom might have dominated headlines in 2008, but don’t tell that to the people behind Microsoft’s Xbox 360.
While still far behind the money-machine that is Nintendo’s Wii in terms of pure revenue, the X360 quietly enjoyed its best month ever in November and continues to enjoy brisk software sales and a game attach rate which is the envy of the console world.
And even though 2008 saw the gap between Sony’s PS3 and the X360 narrow dramatically, it was still a great year to be an X360 gamer — if not a great year to invest in HD-DVDs.
Here’s a quick rundown at the games that made ripples for the X360:
GAME OF THE YEAR
2nd Runner Up: Fallout 3/Fable II
I simply couldn’t pick one and exclude the other, so both these excellent RPG epics get a nod. Fallout’s surreal neo-apocolyptia provided a haunting backdrop for some of the deepest gaming action, while Fable’s adherence to what made the original so engrossing combined with just the right amount of innovation made it another must-play for RPG fans.
1st Runner-up: Grand Theft Auto IV
There’s just no way to say enough about this sprawling masterpiece. Boasting enough content for three smaller titles, there was little in 2008 that compared to Niko Bellic’s trials and tribulations in Liberty City. With episodic content coming in early 2009, there’s going to be even more carnage and comedy for X360 owners with a taste for the mature.
Game of the Year: Gears of War 2
Possibly rivalling the vaunted Halo series as the signature franchise for the console, GOW2 was a gutbuster with a heavy dose of drama tucked in to boot. A technical marvel and containing of some of the best action sequences of the year, the smash-mouth gameplay this series has become known for jaws left on the floor and hordes of gamers lined up for more online.
Honourable Mention: Left 4 Dead
Inventive, visceral and highly entertaining, this title brought zombie survival movies alive on the screen in a crisp multiplayer format that had friends rearranging their social schedules for another dose of the living dead. One part camp and three parts action, this unique title might be the bellwether of an emerging focus on multiplayer-oriented games.
SHAME OF THE YEAR
Dud of the Year: Jumper: Griffin’s Story
Cranking out a terrible movie-tie-in video game is almost par for the course these days, but unleashing this kind of dreck is just cruel. Brutally short and unabashedly sloppy in its design, this shameless cash grab isn’t worth the disc it comes on.
Dishonourable Mention: Destroy All Humans! Path of the Furon
There might have been worse games in 2008, but considering that the first title in the series was fun to play, this mess was all the more disappointing. Abysmally programmed and featuring the comic timing of a corpse, Crypto was more alienating than alien this time around.
HIGHS AND LOWS
Biggest Surprise: New Xbox Experience
Flying a little under the radar at E3 2008, the New Xbox Experience appeared to be a mere cosmetic makeover at first glance. But by streamlining the Xbox GUI and offering great new features like optional HDD game downloading, Microsoft wisely showed it was ready to bow to change rather than break under the competition.
Biggest Letdown: Demise of HD DVD
Another casualty in the Blu-Ray/HD DVD war, Microsoft’s early embracing of the doomed format not only made them appear behind the times but also left a lot of early adopters in possession of $200 paperweights. While not a crippling blow to the system, Blu-Ray’s triumph filled Sony’s sails and left Microsoft to deal with yet another PR nightmare.
OUTLOOK
In 2008, Microsoft lost some of the early ground they had gained over Sony in courting the "core-gamer" demographic Nintendo left up for grabs and in 2009 that battle is only going to intensify.
They’ll certainly have all the ammo they need for the fight, as massive titles like Halo Wars, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, BioShock 2: Sea of Dreams and possibly the long lost Alan Wake are all slated to make bows in the next calendar year.
Whether or not they can keep Sony’s wolves from the door remains to be seen but, as usual, gamers will be there to reap the benefits of the battle.
http://thechronicleherald.ca/Columnists/1096899.html
It seems there only great times ahead for the Xbox 360 and it's owners.
I only post fair and balanced journalism, thank you n advance to the VGchartz comunnity.
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