14 DAY TRIAL // Time is one of the serious magazines that are aware of the impact videogames have on today’s society. The publication has just outed a list of the Top Ten games of 2008.
The best game of 2008 is Grand Theft Auto IV, the title published by Take Two and developed by Rockstar. Lev Grossman, who is in charge of games commentary at the magazine, says that it is “a grade-A shoot-'em-up that doubles as an interactive novel and triples as a sly critique of American consumer culture”. The PC version has just been launched and, even if the game is good, our review will show those interested in it that there are some mishaps in Rockstar’s best title yet.
Braid, an indie effort made by Jonathan Blow, which focuses on platforming and a time rewinding mechanic, is at number two in the Time top ten, while LittleBigPlanet is at number three, probably because of the powerful level editor and competent platformer action.
Rock Band 2 is at number four, with the commentary praising the interface and the song selection, while Gears of War 2, an Xbox 360 exclusive from Epic Games, which is breaking sales records on the platform, is at number five. Dead Space, an original intellectual property from Electronic Arts, that has been billed as the spiritual successor of System Shock 2, is at number six, while Star Wars: The Force Unleashed is at number seven, even if it received rather subdued reviews.
A free game, called Hunted Forever, created using Flash, is at number eight, while Fieldrunners, an iPhone title showcasing the possibilities of the platform, is at number nine.
Spore, a PC game, is at number ten, despite the rather lukewarm reviews it has received from the videogaming press. Still, the title has the potential to be a franchise as big as the Sims.