Best of the Rest: Justin's Picks of 2008
Spider-Man: Web of Shadows (X360)
"Wait, did he just start his list with Spider-Man: Web of Shadows?" Yes, internet. Yes, I absolutely did. Besides being the best superhero game ever made, WoS also featured some genuinely funny writing, an addictive RPG-lite structure and utterly fantastic combat. It was fun from beginning to end and I want to play it again right now. Critical darling? No, it wasn't. But this is how I'm rolling this year, so deal with it.
You really should have seen my personal top five for our GOTY voting. It was flawless, just a gorgeous amalgamation of hardcore favorites with just enough love for the casual crowd. It was so good, in fact, that I'm going to completely flip out and use my best of the rest picks as indulgently as I possibly can.
The World Ends With You
It's a long, intricate JRPG with an aesthetic I couldn't find more repellent if you wrapped it in Steak-Umms and left it on asphalt for the entirety of July. On the surface, I should have no room in my heart for The World Ends With You, but that's exactly what it found. Maybe it's the incredible localization or the combat system that only gets more enjoyable as the game goes on, I don't know. But it's an incredible experience, and I'd recommend it to anyone.
Risk: Black Ops
I'm not entirely sure I'm allowed to include board games on this list. In fact, I'm pretty sure I'm not. But what's done is done, and there's no use crying over spilled incredibly awesome reinventions of beloved board game classics.
Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning
After reaching level 20 in this online RPG, I traveled to the main hub world and bought myself a lovely horse. As I took a victory lap around town, I realized that there was literally nothing else I wanted to do after I bought that amber stallion. I had won! An MMO that you can solve? Brilliant!
Evidence: The Last Ritual
"A FMV adventure game from 2006," I hear you saying "isn't that a little --" A little what? A little brilliant? Yes, I'm inclined to agree. 2008 was the year my wife and I finally beat this incredible gem, so this is the year I'm showing it love. Track it down and thank me later.
Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia
Yeah, it was a lot like some of the other portable Castlevania entries. But that also means it was a lot better than a lot of the other games you played this year.
Honorable Mention
Dark Sector; The Witcher: Enhanced Edition; Prince of Persia; Music Catch; i made this. you play this. we are enemies
Biggest Disappointment Or I Forgot to Include Dolphin Olympics 2
Oh god, that was a close one. I was heartbreakingly close to forgetting to mention that everyone on Planet Earth should drop everything and play Dolphin Olympics 2. It's a disappointment, because I'm not about to go back up there an insert this in my real list. All the copying and pasting! No, thanks.
