Runoff vote 2008, Game of the Year

[The_Liquid_Laser]

The 2008 Game of the Year is Super Smash Bros Brawl.
The runner up is Fallout 3.
The master thread for all of these contests can be found here.

Ok, it is time for a runoff vote.  Four games from the initial poll made the cut.  Additionally, 5 "Other" games got more than one write-in vote.  First, here are the four games that made the cut:

 

Persona 4 (PS2)
Even after the next generation systems had been on the market for several years, there was still a group of people raving about how you just had to play this Persona 4 game on PS2.  Gradually the game started to get ported to other systems as well, often as Persona 4 Golden.  The buzz about this game also prepared the way for people to receive the even more successful Persona 5.  Persona 4 scored a 90 on Metacritic at a time when most critics were really sick of PS2 games, and it sold over 4.5 million copies across all platforms (including the Golden version).

 

Fallout 3 (PS3/XBox 360/ PC)
Bethesda managed to obtain the rights to this series that formerly had a cult following.  With Fallout 3 that simply changed to having a huge and enthusiastic following.  Fallout 3 scores ranged from 90 to 93 on Metacritic and the game has sold over 12.4 million copies.

Metal Gear Solid IV (PS3)
Sony fans were happy to get this big name exclusive on the PS3 after previously getting only smaller titles or games that were also on the XBox 360.  MGS 4 scored a 94 on Metacritic and sold over 6 million copies.

  

Super Smash Bros Brawl (Wii)
Depending on what region you were in, you might have seen Brawl release either a few weeks before or a few weeks after Mario Kart Wii.  This combo excited customers to the point that the Wii would keep being in short supply.  Brawl scored a 93 on Metacritic and sold over 13.3 million copies.

Here are the five games that got enough write-in votes to join the poll:

Braid (XBox 360)
XBox Live Arcade started getting a lot of attention like it never had before in 2008, and the XBLA title that seemed to get the most attention was Braid.  This puzzle platformer from designer Jonathon Blow scored a 93 on Metacritic.

 

Tales of Vesperia (XBox 360)
The XBox 360 managed to get timed exclusivity on this 10^th entry in the Tales series, and consequently it was the 2^nd best selling XBox 360 game in Japan (behind only Star Ocean: The Last Hope).  Tales of Vesperia eventually sold over 1.5 million copies including all platforms and editions.

 

Dead Space (PS3/XBox 360/PC)
Surivival horror goes to outer space.  Metacritic scores for Dead Space ranged from 86 to 89 and it has sold over 1 million copies worldwide.

 

Mirror’s Edge (PS3/XBox 360)
This unique, first-person parkour game has sold over 2.5 million units worldwide.

 

Valkyria Chronicles (PS3)
Even after being out of the console market for several years, Sega showed they still know how to pull out innovative games from seemingly nowhere.   Join Alicia, Welkin and a whole cast of characters as a reimagined, fantastical retelling of WWII comes to life in a watercolor-like art style.  Sales of Valkyria Chronicles were initially weak.  However, over time the game gained a cult following, and with releases on several other platforms it has sold over 2 million copies total.

 

 

Runoff voting for 2008 Game of the Year will end on Thursday, Nov 16 at 11:59 PM, EST.

Games that didn't make the cut to the runoff:

Fable II (XBox 360)
Gears of War 2 (XBox 360)
Grand Theft Auto IV (PS3/XBox 360/PC)
LittleBigPlanet (PS3)
Mario Kart Wii (Wii)

Last edited by The_Liquid_Laser - on 17 November 2023