Special: What we loved from 2008.
Gamers have quite a bit to look forward to in 2009 with a ton of highly anticipated releases for every platform and every type of player. But we'll get to that soon. Right now, it's time to look back at all of the titles that made 2008 a great year. Especially since all of the big games of 2009 are still a few weeks away, at least.
So here are the 40 games from 2008 that the staff of Gaming Target chose as title we'll still be playing in 2009 and beyond.
Part 1 Х Part 2 Х Part 3 Х Part 4
God of War: Chains of Olympus
Platform: PSP
Publisher: Sony
Developer: Ready At Dawn
Release Date: March 4, 2008
"Chains of Olympus combines the puzzle-solving gameplay and brawler-type action that propelled the first two God of War games to mythical status with gamers. In fact, if you have played either of those two games on PS2, you'll know exactly what this one is like on PSP. There are hordes of enemies to whip with your chain blades, doors to figure out how to open to advance to the next room, and huge mini-bosses that are anything but УminiФ as well as even bigger end bosses to overcome at the conclusion of each level. It's all here." - Matt Swider
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Grand Theft Auto IV
Platforms: PS3, Xbox 360
Publisher: Rockstar Games
Developer: Rockstar North
Release Date: April 29, 2008
"At the end of the day, Grand Theft Auto IV is an amazingly good game that overcomes many of its problems. The formula of GTA still isn't perfect but with every iteration of the series Rockstar gets closer. Mixing a great story, identifiable characters, a huge world, and expandable adventures, GTA IV is definitely a front runner for game of the year." - Kris Rosado
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Guitar Hero: World Tour
Platforms: PS2, PS3, Wii, Xbox 360
Publisher: Activision
Developer: Neversoft
Release Date: October 26, 2008
"Rock Band stole some of Guitar Hero's thunder last year with a full four-piece rock band video game, but neither competition, nor the seemingly limiting name of Guitar Hero has stopped the series from attempting a comeback tour to dominate the drums and vocals, too. Guitar Hero World Tour succeeds in many ways, with superior drums (when they work), a slider bar on the guitar neck, and the create-a-song mode that no one else has. Even though this game feels like the same experience as years past, it's just as addicting, especially in groups." - Matt Swider
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Izuna 2: The Unemployed Ninja Returns
Platform: DS
Publisher: Atlus
Developer: Atlus
Release Date: July 22, 2008
"While Izuna might not ever get employed, she does at least get another spot on my game shelf for being an entertainingly difficult dungeon crawler. The dialogue is lighthearted and funny enough that newcomers to the genre might stick around and the difficulty of the quest is enough that already-made fans will enjoy it just as much as the previous one." - Kris Rosado
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The Last Guy
Platforms: PSN
Publisher: Sony
Developer: Sony
Release Date: August 28, 2008
"First came MapQuest. Then, Google Maps dominated as the online directions king. Next, Satellite View was added by Google and, most recently, the almost voyeuristic Street View enhanced directions to a scary new height. But, where do we go from here? How about adding a game to the map making mix? The Last Guy picks up where Google left off by having your character travel through 15 Street View-like city map overlays and save thousands of hunkered-down survivors hiding from zombies. " - Matt Swider
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