Welcome to the first annual Level Up awards! After about 5 months of trying out everything on these lists, I wanted to compile something fun and entertaining. Initially, I had a more ambitious project planned for this but it requires too much time and resources. Something I will probably leave for next year. But on to the awards! I have to say 2008 was an extraordinarily good year for games. We saw epic final battles unfold after 10 years of storytelling (MGS4), we witnessed the birth of a brand new genre (Mirror's Edge), monster sequels (Gears 2, GTA4) and the invigoration of old ones (Fallout 3). This year also solidified the existence of downloadable games and that even handheld games can make big waves in the industry. The Wii is an unstoppable powerhouse, the 360 thrives in Japan and Ps3 barely starts to catch up. Meanwhile the PC quietly makes millions through digital distribution!
The nominees all deserve high praise for their hard work. Always raising the bar and yet bringing back familiar themes we love. I had a great time playing all of them and I feel it shouldn't have to come down to just one winner. I kept the list short and stuck with genre because they give a general feel as opposed to "best PS3 game" etc. Those aren't as interesting to me. All categories include all systems if applicable. And now, without further adeui, the 2008 Level Up Awards!
The Nominees are...
1. Bionic Commando Rearmed
2. Castle Crashers
3. Mega Man 9
4. Braid
5. Geometry Wars 2
6. Super Street Fighter 2 Turbo HD Remix
And the Winner is....
Castle Crashers stole my heart the second I saw the intro. What I loved about it was the arcadey feel it gave off and sparked fond memories to the days of Gauntlet. Finally, an XBLA game that I can play with 4 of my friends while sitting in the same room. Castle Crashers was fun everytime I picked it up and it provides superior replayability. Character unlocks, pets, and new weapons are all just some of the incentives to keep playing. With the ability to level up your character and customize his strengths, you can't argue with how great a game this is.
The Nominees are...1. Chrono Trigger DS
2. God of War: Chains of Olympus
3. Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia
4. Final Fantasy: Crisis Core
5. Patapon
6. Professor Layton and the Curious Village
And the Winner is...
Call me a sucker for Final Fantasy games but no one can argue about the epic story jammed into this little UMD. Where the other Compilations of Final Fantasy games failed, Crisis Core redeemed the name. Crisis Core has the best visuals I've seen on a PSP and with it comes great gameplay that mixed RPG with turn-based elements. The introduction of Zack Fair as a main character was a fresh new perspective to the usually-gloomy story plots. There is hope for the FF7 universe afterall.
The Nominees are...
1. Valkyria Chronicles
2. Advance Wars: Days of Ruin
3. Red Alert 3
4. Tom Clancy's Endwar
5. Sins of a Solar Empire
And the Winner is...
Valkyria was a fresh new experience. Who knew I could get my action-rpg, strategy, epic anime fix all in one place? I'm okay with turn based combat, but throwing in active movement and strategy elements completely sold it for me. I wish they could have let you done more with the customization of your armies but this game could open up a whole new grey area of multiplayer. Sadly it got crushed in the onslaught of game releases in the November-December window. I hope it has legs for the unfortunate souls who have yet to experience its majesty.
The Nominees are...
1. Persona 4
2. Fallout 3
3. Tales of Vesperia
4. Fable 2
5. The Witcher: Enhanced Edition
And the Winner is...
The hours I have sunk into this game are scary. At this point in time I haven't even completed it but I've been staying away from the main quest line since I've read it stops the game. Yes there's a patch out but I wanna finish it correctly! Fallout does feel like Oblivion with guns but it does alot of new things right. They definately captured the Fallout universe really well and give you that sense of walking alone in the wasteland which is something we all need to experience atleast once in our lifetime.
The Nominees are...
1. Gears of War 2
2. Call of Duty: World at War
3. Resistance 2
4. Left 4 Dead
5. Grand Theft Auto 4
And the winner is...
Left 4 Dead is special. Valve totally nailed the fun in the multiplayer department. You can't have replayability without a fun multiplayer and it seems Valve had this in mind. Co-op campaigns are always fun, so when they incorporated the multiplayer experience into that I was skeptical at first but it totally works with both the pacing and the gameplay. Left 4 Dead was definately a new enjoyable experience. With new free maps and modes coming, you can't go wrong.
The Nominees are...
1. Age of Conan: Hyborian Adventures
2. World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King
3. Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning
And the Winner is...
Warhammer online caught me by surprise. I didn't expect an MMO game to feel so easy and stress-free. People could argue about balancing issues and end-game content all they want but those issues plague almost every MMO out there. Warhammer is the first title to even come close to WOW and I commend them for it. They introduced public quests, capitalized on RVR combat and gave you great incentives like achievements and live events. Warhammer had a great launch and remains to be a tough competitor.
The Nominees are...
1. Dead Space
2. Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots
3. Mirror's Edge
4. Grand Theft Auto 4
5. Prince of Persia
And the Winner is...
You have to hand it to Rockstar for being the studio that tends to keep pushing the boundaries and playing with your perceptions and moral values. GTA4 took that sandbox game we all know and love and gave life to it. I've never seen a city feel so alive and real as Liberty City, it's the ultimate playground. You learn to even care for Niko Bellic, the tragic yet funny protaganist. The animation and dialogue are superb, you truly feel like you are making conscious decisions with the people you call your friends. Rockstar never seems to dissapoint and has been the most consistent innovater.
The Nominees are...
1. Left 4 Dead
2. Far Cry 2
3. Gears of War 2
4. Resistance 2
5. Call of Duty: World at War
And the Winner is...
Gears of War 2 blew my expectations out of the water. Based on the campaign from part 1 you would think they would stick some kind of generic storyline to a bland plot but Gears 2 definately broke through that stigma. They added new enemies and new weapons sure, but they changed the perception to the Gears universe and really brought you into this visceral world. The pacing was unstoppable. I felt like I didn't want to put the controller down because I'm in the middle of a movie and I wanted to see what happened. Add an already stellar multiplayer mechanic with it's own set of upgrades and you got yourself a winner.
The Nominees are...
1. Fable 2
2. Grand Theft Auto 4
3. Fallout 3
4. Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots
5. Left 4 Dead
6. Gears of War 2
7. Dead Space
8. Call of Duty: World at War
And the Winner is...
Metal Gear Solid 4, what an emotional journey. Tying up all the loose ends for the past 10 years and marrying it with a great new control scheme and innovative gameplay. Hideo Kojima has really captured the art of storytelling and no video game comes close when it comes to the genre. You feel the cycle of life pass through this game and the controversial topics it covers. I was thinking to myself how incredible it is that you only really play as snake 2 times out of the 4 games. The cutscenes are beautiful and so realistic in their execution. I couldn't believe the amount of work that was put into such a huge project. The Metal Gear series ended Solid Snake's story with a powerful and enthralling ending. Well done Mr. Kojima, well done.
So there you have it. After 2 weeks of fighting with my busy schedule I bring you the first Annual Level Up Awards. 2009 seems to be just as promising and I look foward to bringing you my ambitious project in the future.
-Frank
