Nominees:
Winner:
Resistance 2
For some reason, sequels to action shooters proved to be too much for the competition. All our nominees are true winners in their own right and, honestly, it was almost a tossup. However, when they came back down to the table, Resistance 2 remained atop the pile. Defending the last bastion of humanity from the Chimera, epic firefights against towering giants, and 60-gamer multiplayer battles proved to be just enough to edge out the competition.
Nominees:
Winner:
Wario Land: Shake It!
E3 2008 seemed to be rife with platforming goodness. Sony's announcement of a discounted, downloadable R&C title got us giddy, but the smooth look and classic content of Wario Land: Shake It! made us really excited. The new Wario Land will take players on a greedy, 2.5D romp set in classic Nintendo level design. We can't wait to take Mario's belching, flatulent-dropping nemesis for a spin.
Nominees:
Winner:
Shaun White Snowboarding
Sports games are typically pretty standard fare; there's usually not much to talk about, as sequels rarely vary. This year was different, however. NBA Live 09, especially, will incorporate daily updates to player attributes and team psychology that will make it the most innovative and exciting basketball title to date. As good as EA's b-ball game looks, Ubisoft's Shaun White Snowboarding still took the gold. Shaun White Snowboarding looks equally awesome for the Wii and higher-powered consoles. The use of the Wii Balance Board is extremely gratifying and should make for a lot of snowboarding fun in the living room. But, the Wii version wasn't the only one that shined. The crisp visuals, wide open mountains, and seamless multiplayer integration for the PS3 and Xbox 360 version should give core gamers a truly engaging experience.
