As 2008 rounds to a close, there are a number of things that we gamers look forward to, and expect.  Of course there’s the huge load of software coming out in time for the Christmas rush.  I personally look forward every year to voting in the 1Up awards, and with holidays coming up, the thought of locking myself in the basement for two weeks of gaming is the light at the end of my working day tunnel.  Another yearly tradition, enjoyed by some, maybe never heard of by others, is the TIME top 10 lists.  A group of presumably smart and informed people make top 10 lists of everything 2008.  Buzzwords, scandals, TV shows, viral videos, and of course… video games.  Upon perusing their list, there were games that seemed obvious, and I agreed with wholeheartedly, but there were others that just didn’t sit right, and so here is my response to what I feel is a poorly put together list.  I originally thought that they meant for their lists to be ranked, since they are numbered 1-10, but I’m not 100% sure.  Usually ranked lists count back from 10, but this one starts at 1, so who knows?  For the sake of this article, I’ll assume they’re not ranked.  If they were, I would only get more riled up.

Grand Theft Auto IV

Metacritic Score: 98

TIME says: “No game developers are more radical and more passionate about the storytelling power of their medium than folks at Rockstar North, and GTA IV is the company’s most ambitious work ever … It’s a grade-A shoot-’em-up that doubles as an interactive novel and triples as a sly critique of American consumer culture.”

We’ve talked this game to death already on this site, so I’ll spare you any additional commentary.  Sufficed to say that GTA IV, with the highest launch day sales of any game ever, has certainly earned a spot on this list.

Braid

Metacritic Score: 93

TIME says: “…It sounds simple, but as Portal proved last year, a simple mechanic in the hands of a brilliant developer can yield near-infinite entertainment.”

I’m sorry, near-infinite entertainment?  Are we talking about the same game?  I’m willing to accept that I do not share the view of the general gaming public when it comes to this, but any entertainment you got out of Braid was definitely limited.  To six levels.  Which, due to their puzzle-ish nature, and hair-pulling frustration, were in no way re-playable.  Also, please do not sully the good name of Portal by comparing it with Braid.

LittleBigPlanet

Metacritic Score: 95

TIME says: “The hero of LittleBigPlanet is a tiny person made out of some kind of coarse-textured fabric. His name is Sackboy. … LittleBigPlanet is not an adrenaline game; it’s a restful, chill-out kind of experience. Let Sackboy do all the work. You have all the fun.”

I won’t debate that Little Big Planet belongs on this list, as it most surely does.  If you own a PS3, this is the game you’ve been waiting for.  Unless you were waiting for Metal Gear Solid 4.  Then this is just another game, but you’ll like it, I promise. Look for a full review from us sometime in the new year. I will avoid nitpicking at the description of a hero “named” Sackboy.

Rock Band 2

Metacritic Score: PS3 – 91 / 360 – 92

TIME says: “Hands down the best party game ever made … The key is Rock Band 2’s candy-colored interface, which is so clear and intuitive that it feels like there’s nothing standing between you and the music. Boot up, jack in, and rock out.”

Ignoring the question of why this game is more fun to play on the 360, I’d say it deserves a top ten slot.  Is it the BEST party game ever made?  Probably not, but it might be the most popular, and that counts for a lot these days.

Gears of War 2

Metacritic Score: 93

TIME says: “Except for some new multiplayer modes, Gears of War 2 is remarkably similar to the first installment: lots of shooting and duck-and-covering and, yes, sawing, plus the usual hard-boiled gravelly-voiced dialogue.”

Everybody loves more of the same, right?  I will give GOW2 the benefit of the doubt, and say that it earned a spot here, since I haven’t played it.  Congratulations.

Dead Space

Metacritic Score: PS3 – 87 / 360 – 88

TIME says: “Dead Space doesn’t break new ground, it’s just bloody, scary survival horror at its finest — cool weapons, amazing environments, fast action, fantastic zero-G combat, no letup, no mercy.”

Did EA write that?  Because I think EA wrote that.  I’m not saying Dead Space isn’t a good game, because it is, but is it one of the top ten games from 2008?  Definitely not, and I think Metacritic is backing me up on this one.  Once again, the 360 is just more fun than the PS3.  Sorry, Sony.

Star Wars: The Force Unleashed

Metacritic Score: PS3 – 70 / 360 – 73

TIME says: “This game has flaws, but it’s so unbelievably satisfying to cut loose with the Force, Jedi honor be damned, that the flaws don’t really register. This is Star Wars without any Ewokkish sentimentality, and it’s the best thing to happen to the franchise in years.”

What is it with the 360 scores?  Seriously, it’s the same game, a disparity of three points due to a platform jump seems like a bit much.  This is another one that I haven’t played, and though I’ve heard mixed reviews, they generally seem to agree that the flaws DO register.  I say this game doesn’t merit a place on this list, and Metacritic is definitely backing me up this time.  Also backing me up, Completionist.com regular NotSoMuch, who had this to say:

“The force unleashed was a game highly anticipated by a Star Wars fan like myself. LucasArts tantalized me with developer updates, promises of game physics the world has never seen, and some very cool trailers and gameplay sneak peeks. I was ramped, and was willing to hail it a win before it even hit the shelves. I bought into it hook, line, and sinker.  The premise: for the brief opening, you control Darth Vader himself, searching out the last remaining jedi. You smash through wookies and stumble upon a young child very powerful in the force. It is this young child who later becomes Darth Vader’s secret apprentice. It is this person you control for the rest of the game. After being delayed almost a year, I was hoping for something free of glitches and awfulness. The camera and targeting are total fail. It is glitchy and unfinished. Considering how straightforward and simple this game is, the loading is ridiculous. While I admit that the story line that unfolds is a lot more interesting than anything Star Wars since the 80’s, it doesn’t hold a candle to the original trilogy. And the dialogue? Ugh …….”

Hunted Forever

Metacritic Score: ?? (no MC score at this time, nor is there ever likely to be.)

TIME says: “This is a free Flash game, and it’s on this list both for its own merits and as a representative of all the beautiful, quirky Flash games that came out this year. Flash developers don’t have $20 million budgets on the line when they make a game, which means they can take risks and try anything. The result is weird, innovative games like this one.”

Okay, I believe in equal opportunity awards, but a flash game?  I played it, and it was fun, for a flash game.  But when games like Bioshock and Fallout 3 are missing from your top 10 list in favour of something I might play while slacking off at work for half an hour, something is wrong.  Also, putting it on the list so it represents all flash games?  How about you just make a top ten list for flash games?  On such a list, I might include Hunted Forever, but it certainly doesn’t belong in a list of the top ten video games of the whole year.  Come on.  Also, to be picky, if any game in this list should be compared to Portal, it’s Hunted Forever, not Braid.  HF is a side-scrolling platformer, and you play a man running from a giant evil robot who says amusing clever things to you while trying to destroy you with lasers.  Sound slightly familiar?  The sad part of this is that the dialogue appears as text at the bottom of the screen, and the game is very time sensitive (robots chasing you with lasers, etc), so it’s totally wasted because you can’t read it.  I did, however, enjoy the load screen almost more than the game.  While your loaded percentage counts up, things like “Loading Portal Rip Off”, “Loading All Of Your Bases”, and “Curing Cancer” show up alongside the typical “Loading Engine”.  If the dialogue was spoken, I would be way more on side with this game, but I still wouldn’t include it in this list.

Fieldrunners

Metacritic Score: ??

TIME says: “With the opening of the App Store and the release of development tools, third-party developers have converted the iPhone and the iPod Touch into handheld gaming devices that will soon be serious competition for the Nintendo DS and Sony’s PSP.”

Um, how about no?  I’m sure iPhone apps are fun while you’re on the bus, or whatever, but is anybody really playing these for extended periods at home?  Also, how many little kids do you know with iPhones?  I’m not saying iPhones aren’t awesome, because they are, and I totally want one, but to say that cell phone apps, even cell phone apps on the coolest cell phone ever made, are going to be serious competition for Nintendo is certifiable lunacy.  TIME actually has a top ten list just for iPhone apps, and this didn’t even make it.  To put this on a list of the top ten games of this year is just ridiculous.  Did they have some sort of quota to fill?  One flash game, check.  One iPhone game, check.  How about the new Minesweeper on Vista?  Jeez.

Spore

Metacritic Score: 84

TIME says: “Sims creator Will Wright spent seven years writing, researching and designing this evolutionary epic, which may well be the most ambitious game ever made. … The innovation here doesn’t lie in the gameplay, which is merely entertaining, but in the sophistication of the animations that make your creation walk and move and dance, and in the game’s hubristic, near-infinite scope.”

Completionist.com reader Rob says: “One thing I will give to Spore aside from its silly attempt at stopping piracy through DRM (oh, and don’t upgrade your PC, that counts as a new hardware configuration), is the joyous occasion when your flesh eating zombie race which pilots ATAT walkers can dominate the galaxy.”

Ignoring the DRM issue, which is difficult, I’m not sure how I feel about this game being included in this list.  Was it one of the most hyped games ever?  Certainly.  Did it fall victim to over-hype, and under-performance?  Perhaps.  I haven’t played personally, but my general impression is that while the concept is really cool, and the creature creation/evolution is amazing, in the end it’s just a collection of repetitive mini-games.  However, since I haven’t played, I’ll assume that Spore is worthy of this accolade, and even without playing, I’m sure it’s better than an iPhone game.

So, TIME, if you are reading this, which you are not, that is what I think of your list.  Where was Metal Gear Solid 4?  Wrath of the Lich King?  Fallout 3?  Bioshock technically came out last year, but it was a first for PS3 and PC users this year, and it was certainly better than Dead Space, let alone some half baked flash game.  Though, to be fair, these are the same people who put Speed Racer on a top ten movie list that didn’t include The Dark Knight.

You can check out all of the TIME 2008 top 10 lists here.

This is already the longest article in completionist.com history, so I will use this space to briefly pimp our own upcoming ‘Best Games of 2008 (That We Played)’, due to be plastered on the site on Wednesday, December 31st.