Psycho
12/27/2008, 06:27 AM
GOTY IS OUT! and here we go, first, nominees:
runner 1: Braid
Travel seven platforming worlds to save a princess, but be wary of the peculiar flow of time in...
runner 2: Burnout: Paradise
Burnout Paradise gives racers an open world to drive, race and crash through.
runner 3: Fallout 3
Fallout 3 is a follow-up to the classic post-apocalyptic role-playing series with all-new 3D...
runner 4: Grand Theft Auto 4
Grand Theft Auto IV builds on the series' rock solid foundation with an awe inspiring recreation...
runner 5: Left 4 Dead
Using the Counter-Strike Source Engine, Left 4 Dead has a group of four unlikely heroes band...
runner 6: NHL 09
NHL 09 continues the evolution of the NHL franchise with several control enhancements for the new...
runner 7: No More Heroes
From SUDA-51, creator of the surreal shooter Killer7, No More Heroes chronicles Travis Touchdown's...
runner 8: Resistance 2
This PS3-exclusive shooter sequel offers huge online co-op and multiplayer battles and two...
runner 9: The World Ends With You
The World Ends With You is an anime-inspired game set in modern day Tokyo, from the team that made...
runner 10: Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns Of the Patriots
Metal Gear Solid 4 offers even more of the stealth-based action gameplay and grand stories that...
now, winner:
METAL GEAR SOLID 4: GUNS OF THE PATRIOTS
Some may criticize Metal Gear Solid 4 for being just as much a movie as it is a game, but that very facet of this extraordinary package is what makes it so remarkable. Never before has one entertainment experience so flawlessly combined storytelling and gameplay, yet the game's most cinematic moments aren't those you watch, but those you partake in. An exciting motorcycle chase with larger-than-life consequences, a stealthy search in the foggy streets of an eastern European village, your first glimpse of a mechanical Gekko as it emits its bloodcurdling moo--these experiences get your blood pumping and stay with you for days, weeks, even months later. Yet as tremendous as each of these sequences are, two split-screen moments are bound to be etched into your brain, including one so emotionally taxing that you may emerge just as exhausted as the aged and fragile Solid Snake himself.
Yet Metal Gear Solid 4 is more than just an intricate plot and a series of intense, scripted scenes. It is also an exciting action game that, more than any MGS game in the past, lets you play in your own style. If you wish to sneak past your enemies, you might hide under a barrel and slowly eke your way past, though you should be careful, lest an alert guard come to investigate. Or perhaps you would rather go in guns a-blazing, firing one of many terrific Metal Gear Solid 4 weapons, which you can tailor to your specifications with interchangeable sights, grips, and silencers. Or simply combine the two by shooting a soldier's neck with a tranquilizer dart and slipping past, or taking out your now-unconscious adversary with a headshot to make his silence permanent. Each solution is equally viable, for though the series' stealth-focused gameplay is as strong as ever, both the sneaking and the shooting are equally rewarding, and neither mechanic suffers in light of the other.
Capping the action are the insane boss fights versus the four members of the Beauty and the Beast Corps. Whether you're facing Crying Wolf during a blinding snowstorm or lobbing rockets at Raging Raven, the boss battles are long and intense, and they perfectly crown the levels that they conclude. Yet don't take that to mean that the standard enemies are run-of-the-mill. The acrobatic FROGS leap from wall to wall, forcing you to stay constantly focused as they flit about, and the monstrous Gekkos tower above, though they aren't impervious to that powerful railgun in your inventory.
All of this extraordinary gameplay and storytelling is wrapped in an exceptional technical shell, delivering an immersive experience brimming with heartfelt emotion. If there is one game you will remember in 2008, when the lights are dimmed and the curtains close, it will be Metal Gear Solid 4. Even in one of the greatest years ever for video games, its compelling action, moving story, and stunning visuals bring the series to a haunting close and will rightfully join the ranks of one of the greatest games ever made.
NOTE: quotes describing games are the start of their GameSpot reviews, with the exception of the GOTY description
runner 1: Braid
Travel seven platforming worlds to save a princess, but be wary of the peculiar flow of time in...
runner 2: Burnout: Paradise
Burnout Paradise gives racers an open world to drive, race and crash through.
runner 3: Fallout 3
Fallout 3 is a follow-up to the classic post-apocalyptic role-playing series with all-new 3D...
runner 4: Grand Theft Auto 4
Grand Theft Auto IV builds on the series' rock solid foundation with an awe inspiring recreation...
runner 5: Left 4 Dead
Using the Counter-Strike Source Engine, Left 4 Dead has a group of four unlikely heroes band...
runner 6: NHL 09
NHL 09 continues the evolution of the NHL franchise with several control enhancements for the new...
runner 7: No More Heroes
From SUDA-51, creator of the surreal shooter Killer7, No More Heroes chronicles Travis Touchdown's...
runner 8: Resistance 2
This PS3-exclusive shooter sequel offers huge online co-op and multiplayer battles and two...
runner 9: The World Ends With You
The World Ends With You is an anime-inspired game set in modern day Tokyo, from the team that made...
runner 10: Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns Of the Patriots
Metal Gear Solid 4 offers even more of the stealth-based action gameplay and grand stories that...
now, winner:
METAL GEAR SOLID 4: GUNS OF THE PATRIOTS
Some may criticize Metal Gear Solid 4 for being just as much a movie as it is a game, but that very facet of this extraordinary package is what makes it so remarkable. Never before has one entertainment experience so flawlessly combined storytelling and gameplay, yet the game's most cinematic moments aren't those you watch, but those you partake in. An exciting motorcycle chase with larger-than-life consequences, a stealthy search in the foggy streets of an eastern European village, your first glimpse of a mechanical Gekko as it emits its bloodcurdling moo--these experiences get your blood pumping and stay with you for days, weeks, even months later. Yet as tremendous as each of these sequences are, two split-screen moments are bound to be etched into your brain, including one so emotionally taxing that you may emerge just as exhausted as the aged and fragile Solid Snake himself.
Yet Metal Gear Solid 4 is more than just an intricate plot and a series of intense, scripted scenes. It is also an exciting action game that, more than any MGS game in the past, lets you play in your own style. If you wish to sneak past your enemies, you might hide under a barrel and slowly eke your way past, though you should be careful, lest an alert guard come to investigate. Or perhaps you would rather go in guns a-blazing, firing one of many terrific Metal Gear Solid 4 weapons, which you can tailor to your specifications with interchangeable sights, grips, and silencers. Or simply combine the two by shooting a soldier's neck with a tranquilizer dart and slipping past, or taking out your now-unconscious adversary with a headshot to make his silence permanent. Each solution is equally viable, for though the series' stealth-focused gameplay is as strong as ever, both the sneaking and the shooting are equally rewarding, and neither mechanic suffers in light of the other.
Capping the action are the insane boss fights versus the four members of the Beauty and the Beast Corps. Whether you're facing Crying Wolf during a blinding snowstorm or lobbing rockets at Raging Raven, the boss battles are long and intense, and they perfectly crown the levels that they conclude. Yet don't take that to mean that the standard enemies are run-of-the-mill. The acrobatic FROGS leap from wall to wall, forcing you to stay constantly focused as they flit about, and the monstrous Gekkos tower above, though they aren't impervious to that powerful railgun in your inventory.
All of this extraordinary gameplay and storytelling is wrapped in an exceptional technical shell, delivering an immersive experience brimming with heartfelt emotion. If there is one game you will remember in 2008, when the lights are dimmed and the curtains close, it will be Metal Gear Solid 4. Even in one of the greatest years ever for video games, its compelling action, moving story, and stunning visuals bring the series to a haunting close and will rightfully join the ranks of one of the greatest games ever made.
NOTE: quotes describing games are the start of their GameSpot reviews, with the exception of the GOTY description