14 DAY TRIAL // GameTrailers is one of the most interesting manifestations in the field of gaming commentary for the last year. The guys behind it have used video as a way to review and comment on games, while also offering all the latest trailers, developer videos and commercials related to upcoming releases.
They have chosen their game of the year to be Grand Theft Auto IV, the Rockstar developed and Take Two published open world shooter launched rather early in 2008. The game impressed with the level of detail it offered and with the plot, even thought initial overwhelming praise obscured some of the flaws, like the driving system and lack of options at certain points.
Sins of a Solar Empire, from Stardock, got the Best Strategy Game award, confirming the fact that a well put together game with limited initial distribution and no DRM can safely compete with the like of Red Alert 3, while Sony and Media Molecule's LittleBigPlanet was named Best New Franchise. The Biggest News Story of 2008 was Microsoft's announcement at E3 that Final Fantasy XIII would be coming to the Xbox 360 after being initially announced as a PlayStation 3 exclusive.
Fallout 3, from Bethesda, was recognized as the Best Role Playing Game, while Star Wars: The Force Unleashed from LucasArts was named the Biggest Disappointment of the Year (the Star Destroyer sequence might be blamed). For a full list of awards, you can go to the GameTrailers site.
Shane Satterfield, who is the editor in chief for GameTrailers, stated that “This was yet another epic year for the gaming industry, and choosing a winner for each category proved to be very difficult. It was a lengthy, yet fulfilling task to sit with our experienced editorial staff and pick the winners. We want to congratulate the many developers and publishers for their exceptional games and hope their great results carry on into the New Year.”