IGN Nintendo's Most Anticipated Games of 2008 Revisisted

Why?: Okay, it's starting to get a little crazy: Ultimate Card Games was one of – if not the first – third-party game to be announced for the Nintendo DS system back in 2005, and here we are, the first part of 2008. And…nothing. Look: I loved the original Game Boy Advance compilation, and have been looking forward to the Nintendo DS version for, literally, years. It's a collection that would work extremely well on the DS thanks to its portability and its touch screen controls, as well as its ability to broadcast on the internet. But for now, we just have to dream about its potential, because Ultimate Card Games has gone the way of Duke Nukem Forever. One of these days it'll come out. Please?

Why?: We've already shred on the Nintendo DS with Tony Hawk three times (with a fourth one rumored on the way by year's end), so honestly I'm looking for a fresh take on skateboarding for the handheld. The console version of Skate brought a lot of realism to the skateboard videogame design and, while it was a frustrating learning curve doing even the most basic of moves in the game, it also had a really awesome sense of reward when you did it right. That feeling appears to have moved over to the Nintendo DS version of Skate It, and while I'll reserve my final judgment for when the game's finished, I'm really excited to play this awesome looking portable rendition.

Why?: I will admit that I walked away from the E3 2008 demo somewhat let down, but that doesn't mean I'm still not excited for the final product. Animal Crossing on GameCube and Nintendo DS were extremely fun and relaxing experiences, and that looks to continue on the Nintendo Wii with Animal Crossing City Folk. E3 is not the best venue to show off all the little things about a game design, and that's what Animal Crossing is all about: the little things. The idea that Nintendo will integrate the Nintendo DS version with the Wii edition is exciting, as is the revelation that you'll be able to download brand new items to your town instead of unlocking what's on the disc.

Why?: I am not afraid or embarrassed to stick to my guns: I loved the original Guitar Hero: On Tour and still believe it's well worth the 9 out of 10 score it received at launch. Thanks to the success of the game – one of the most successful third party games on the system, in fact – the sequel is well underway and promises a whole new line-up of songs to shred to on the portable. The coolest part? The multiplayer modes in Guitar Hero: On Tour and Guitar Hero: On Tour Decades are completely compatible: if you find a friend with the version of the game you don't own, you can link up wirelessly with him and stream his version's songs to your system and vice versa.

Why?: Even as games continue to progress as 3D experiences, it's great to see that developers want to return gaming to its 2D roots, especially on the current generation of videogame consoles. Warioland Shake It! Looks to be a fantastic melding of old- and new-school 2D techniques – the game has a lot of classic gameplay mechanics of Nintendo's past, but in a visual presentation that never would have been possible on that hardware – animations are very toony, and backgrounds are lush with an almost custom handpainted look. Oh, and there are some really clever uses of the Wii Remote as well.

Why?: Just when you think you're all Guitar Hero'd out, Red Octane, Activision, Neversoft, and Vicarious Visions manages to show that there's a ton of great ideas left to introduce and exploit in the series. On top of a brand new setlist of several dozen songs, there's also the updated to play the drums as well as sing. Also, you can take your entire band on the internet and compete against other bands. And if you're musically inclined you can even create your own tracks and send them online for others to play and rate. Of course, it will also be one of the first games to support downloadable content – Activision will make new master tracks available for purchase, and Wii owners won't be left wishing they had this ability too: they'll be able to download and play these bought tracks via internal memory or SD card. Wow.

Why?: I wasn't super up on the Ghostbusters game until I got a chance to see the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 versions of the game not too long ago – and now I'm really aching to see the game run on the Nintendo Wii. The videogame continuation of the previous two Ghostbusters movies is legitimately funny and incredibly accurate to the universe created by Dan Ackroyd and Harold Ramis, giving players the ability to track down and trap ghosts using their own proton packs. While the Wii version might not have the same visual prowess of the other consoles, I'm hoping that the experience will be more fun with the ability to target and zap ghosts using the Wii remote. Fingers crossed!

Why?: Strong Bad is awesome. I am an attractive person. Ergo, Strong Bad's Cool Game for Attractive People is definitely for me. This WiiWare game brings the Homestar Runner universe to the videogame scene in a point-and-click adventure, and with the Brothers Chap fully behind the creation and development there's going to be a whole lot to love. The first episode of the game comes out relatively soon, and it's promised that it won't be a very long wait for the follow-up as the next volume will only be a couple of months behind.

Why?: I don't know why it is, but I absolutely love physics-based games. Boom Blox? My kind of game. World of Goo looks to really tickle my affection for the genre with the ability to build 2D structures using nothing but blobs of goo. World of Goo was to be one of the first games to hit the WiiWare market when it launched more than a month ago, but lately all's been quiet in the world of 2DBoy. In our early play with the Wii version it's clear that those guys have the right stuff when it comes to simple yet awesome challenges, so I can't wait to tinker around with the final version of World of Goo…soon. Hopefully sooner than later.

Why?: One of the greatest games to ever hit the Game Boy Advance never saw the light of day in America: Rhythm Tengoku. This title was a unique take on the rising popular music game genre where players performed actions by tapping a specific button to the beat of the tune. Visual cues gave players clues on when the rhythm or tempo would change up the gameplay. The game's sequel, Rhythm Tengoku Gold has just hit the scene in Japan and it looks to have exactly the same kind of charming gameplay that the original's known for, but now with tap-and-flick controls on the Nintendo DS system's touch screen. Nintendo of America's hinted that it will be localizing this game as Rhythm Heaven in the States sometime in 2008. Hope they don't flake on this – the US deserves a game with such addictive quirkiness.

Why?: I am ashamed to admit I haven't played the original Viva Pinata. I plan to make up for it with Pocket Paradise. Like many, I was initially turned off by its kiddie presentation. But then I started hearing how addictive its strategy gameplay was, and I wanted in on the action. The design lends itself very well to the DS touch screen, and the visuals, while scaled back, are still impressive. Rare has managed to fit the full Pinata experience on the DS cart. My favorite moment is when a piñata is defeated in battle. It explodes in a burst of candy, which appears to be very innocent and childlike -- until other piñatas gather around to gorge themselves on the innards. It's kinda creepy. In a good way.

Why?:Again, they had me at "ninja." This is a game that's all about finesse and style. I loved the Xbox 360 version, and the DS game actually has more functionality -- you can share your created levels. The camera system has been tweaked so that the bottom screen zooms into the action while the entire map is presented on top. It works really well, and may be another improvement over the console game. Add in addictive multiplayer modes and you've got yourself another must-have ninja game.

Why?: Peggle is another game I championed around the IGN offices. I love me some puzzles, and in a sea of copycats this one really stands out. It's kind of a mix of pachinko and pinball. There is a random element that turns some people off, but spend some time with it and you'll see there is also some skill involved. Plus, it's got Bjorn Unicorn! I'm interested to see how PopCap handles the DS version. The downloadable game is only $20, and the DS is set at $30, so they're gonna have to throw in some extra content to make it worth the price of admission.

Why?: I must have sunk around 300 hours into the first Disgaea. As I play through the DS version, I can easily see myself doing it again. This is just the perfect game. It's got the secret formula to make Daemon happy: Japanese wackiness, cute anime girls, and the deepest strategy mechanics around. Disgaea let's you play your own way, letting you choose your own path and build your own army. The beauty of it is, it doesn't even have to be all that deep. You can plow through the story mode and still get a nice, rewarding strategy game. But for the truly hardcore, the item world and dark assembly offer an almost limitless amount of gameplay.

Why?: Last year I got completely hooked on a free Flash game called Desktop Tower Defense. It could be described as a real-time strategy game, although it doesn't have anything in common with Warcraft or Command & Conquer. Now this design is starting to show up in commercial products like PixelJunk Monsters and Ninjatown. The latter takes the already excellent premise of defending your town from waves of monsters and improves it by adding ninjas. It also has a super cute art style. For me, it was love at first sight.

Why?: It's always interesting to me when a long-running series debuts a new sequel on a handheld. In the realm of 2D shmups, Metal Slug has been providing some of the biggest thrills around for over a decade. They blend challenging gameplay, lots of humor, and great animation for a superior shooter experience. I just hope they keep the blood in the DS game. That gray blood stuff doesn't fly with Daemon.

Why?: I always look forward to the excellent Symphony of the Night-style Castlevanias. Exploration is maybe my favorite thing to do in games, and that's what this series is all about. They're also some of the best-looking DS games around. I'll take well drawn 2D sprites over fugly 3D renders any day. This game takes the action outside the castle, which has me a little leery. Exploring every inch of one contained area really appeals to me. But this series hasn't let me down, yet, so I can't wait to get cracking on another entry.

Why?: I love me some 2D platformers. If they're done well. And nobody does it better than Nintendo. While most Wii games look like something my plumber dragged out of my toilet, Wario Land sports some beautiful hand drawn artwork. It's definitely disappointing that Nintendo couldn't be bothered to make it wide screen, but you can't win 'em all. There's also my worry that the shake mechanic will get old. But Wario's got charm and style, and there's nothing else like it on the Wii.

Why?: Who can resist a title like this? Granted, when you base your game on a license you're kind of restricting your audience. And Homestar Runner, while a cult favorite, isn't exactly a household name. But those of us who are down with Strongbad and friends are happy to finally have a game set in this insane universe. I've been excited about this one since it was announced, but now that I've been playing it I'm happy to report it lives up to my expectations. Strongbad's Cool Game makes me laugh out loud often. Not only am I a Homestar fan, but I also dig the old school point and click adventures. So what did I do to deserve this?

Why?: As a musician, I'm excited to turn my DS into a badass synthesizer for around $30. I've been looking for a way to take the system onstage and use in live performances. There are a lot of homebrew applications that turn the DS into a music making device, but none of them really work well as instruments. The Korg DS-10 is a fantastic sounding synth. It looks like it will be suitable for both performance and sketching out musical ideas on the road. The touch screen step sequencer makes plotting synth lines a breeze. This won't be for everyone, but musicians should find it quite useful.