Meh, I think you guys are wrong about Brawl, and critics agree with me. It most certainly is GotY contender, and so is GTAIV. There are certain opinions about the game and stigma floating around, but the fact of the matter is, Brawl is a game with as much breadth of content as The Orange Box. The content isn't halfassedly done, either.

So yeah, having played the game thoroughly, I think what you think, is wrong. Just fyi. Calling Brawl, Melee 2.0 is like calling GTAIV, GTAIII 2.0. It's a stigma that follows around Nintendo games and fighters, and it's unfairly attached to Brawl by marginalization experts.

As for GTAIV, it's entirely stigmatized by its huge marketing campaign and hype as an overhyped title. Yes, it's overhyped, however, it's still as good as any other game I've played this year, including Brawl, FFIV remake, ToV, and yes, even MGS4. It's the highest rated game of all time, or at least as close as a modern game can come, and writing it off as GotY because it's hip, or even because it didn't fit your style, isn't gonna fly without garnering a passing comment from old Zenfoldor. I was the biggest hater of this game on these forums, until I played it.

The game is obviously very high quality and very well done in all aspects. It completely transcended the series. At the very least, it's good. IMHO, this all is.

Respond to that how you see fit.

Gears of War 2
Resistance 2
Fable 2
LBP
MGS4

Fight!

I think the real winner this year must be Wii Fit. It is the most innovative game of the year, and by the end of the year it will have easily outsold both versions of GTA even with an equal sized userbase to the other two consoles. It is popular among all demographics, equally around the world, its fun, and it is healthy. It has a completely unique interface which no other game in the world can yet boast, and the game alone has made more money this year that most game developers have with their entire library.
And lets be honest, which 2008 game do you think will be most remembered 20 years from now.
The GotY should be innovative, boundary pushing, market enhancing and flat out brilliant in concept and design.
GTA, MGS4 and SSBB are ll just pimped up versions of former GotY's as far as i am concerned. They do no fulfill almost any of the criteria above.

^ he's got a point.

Fable II.

Well, out of what's out so far, i'd say either wii fit, mario kart, or brawl.

Probable: GTA4, LBP, MGS4, Fallout3 (in that order)
Possible: Resistance2, Gears2

Since when is Wii Fit a game?

I feel Serious contenders are:

MGS4

GEOW 2

Fallout 3

----MGS4 will win

lawl. :3 I wish my Mario Kart Wii was as cool as your MGS4. D:

Edit:

OT:

The only game that I think is GOTY material is SSBB because it's the only game I've played that I think is worthy.