Your Game of the Year

The game magazines and web sites will certainly be publishing their GotY lists soon. What’s on yours?

My number one: Burnout Paradise, no contest. This game would be awesome if it were just a single-player game on a single DVD, but all the multiplayer stuff to do and downloadable content (all of it free so far, even!) makes it all the more playable - and a great value. The game does a great job of providing a sensation of speed and the stunts are a thrill. The online community is generally nice and not foul-mouthed compared to what you see in Halo 3 and Grand Theft Auto IV - likely in no small part due to Paradise’s emphasis on cooperative multiplayer events (the flip side of which is that some events are difficult to pull off if not everyone has a mike and can arrange with each other where they all need to be). The initial loading time for this game - the amount of time between when you stick the disc in the machine and when you’re actually playing it - is huge, but the payoff is that there are no in-game loading screens at all, which really helps to contribute to the sense of immersion. With even more free and paid DLC coming throughout 2009, you’re doing yourself a disservice if you don’t get in on this. I bought it not long after it came out, and I’m still playing it. That’s a game.

Runners-up: Braid. The gameplay is short, but unique and memorable. Wii Fit: Even though it’s not really much of a game, it’s a good idea put to good use, and it gives you a genuine workout (or at least makes you sweaty and sore like a genuine workout). Runner’s Edge: A flawed game which nonetheless provides a genuinely satisfying parkour experience - in between all the annoying fight sequences, which have a somewhat out-of-place “the marketing team tells us the game needs more guns” feel to them. Turn off Runner Vision and the aiming reticle and try to complete the game without firing a gun (which gives you an achievement) for a more satisfying gameplay experience.