Last year was the best year as far as gaming was concerned because the number of AAA titles released in 2008 was absolutely overwhelming, so much so that many gamers are still unable to find the time and/or money to play through all of them.

With so many great games around, it becomes hard for gamers to decide which games they should play. While all the great games released in 2008 were undoubtedly worth anyone's time, the 10 games listed below were perhaps the most popular games of the year, both from a commercial and critical point of view.

Gears of War 2
Platform(s) Xbox 360
Gears of War 2 is the sequel to the critically acclaimed Gears of War (2006) and can be called the greatest Xbox 360 hit of 2008. The game retains everything that made the first game so popular, the shooting and cover system works as well as it did before and the game adds new weapons, melee attacks and player operated war machines.
The single player campaign is much longer, intense and epic this time around and gamers will find themselves immersed in an epic and dramatic war between the Gears and Locusts.

Fallout 3
Platform(s) Xbox 360, Playstation 3 and PC
Fallout 3 is a part of Bethesda Game Studio's Fallout RPG series - a very popular and respected Western RPG. The game is pretty much like Elder Scrolls Oblivion, but set in a post apocalyptic and futuristic world that gamers can explore freely using their custom made character. With interesting first-person shooting mechanics (that was infused with turn-based RPG mechanics), non-linear gameplay and superb visuals and art style, Fallout 3 is undoubtedly a great RPG release of 2008.

FIFA 2009
Platform(s) Xbox 360, Playstation 3, Playstation 2, Nintendo Wii, Playstation Portable, PC and Nintendo DS
Every year, there is a new FIFA video game and 2008 saw the release of yet another edition of this popular series. The game was not a minor updated version of the previous instalment as this game introduced many improvements and reworked mechanics. The Playstation 3, PC and Xbox 360 versions were far more popular than the other versions courtesy the brilliant graphics and robust online modes.

Call of Duty World at War
Platform(s) Xbox 360, Playstation 3, Playstation 2, Nintendo Wii, PC and Nintendo DS
There have been many military themed shooters but none have achieved the same (and consistent) success as the Call of Duty series. Call of Duty 4 won numerous awards last year and in 2008 it has also achieved much commercial success and critical acclaim. The game takes place during the World War 2 (much like older Call of Duty games) and so it features more retro weaponries.

Gamers enjoyed playing through a piece of real world history and the game retains everything that made Call of Duty 4 such a blast to play while adding a co-op mode to make the campaign more enjoyable and memorable. The Playstation 3, PC and Xbox 360 versions were more popular thanks to the stellar graphics featured in those versions.

Super Smash Bros. Brawl
Platform(s) Nintendo Wii
The Super Smash Bros series is among Nintendo's most popular and best-selling franchises. Smash Bros. is a Nintendo fan's dream game as pits well-known Nintendo icons/mascots/characters against each other in absolutely chaotic duels. What gamers love about the series is its multiplayer value, allowing four players to duke it out with their favourite characters in all sorts of stages and using all sorts of crazy attacks and combos.

The year 2008 saw the release of Super Smash Bros. Brawl and this time the developers decided to include characters from outside Nintendo's own franchises. Solid Snake from the Metal Gear series and Sonic the Hedgehog were fully playable in this game. The game once again sold well because of its addictive, deep and fun multiplayer battles.

Little Big Planet
Platform(s) Playstation 3
This game is one of 2008's most unique, creative and innovative releases. The game features a unique world and setting, and it allows gamers to build and customise their very own characters, levels and puzzles. Essentially, it is a full-fledged platform game, with all the action taking place in a gorgeous and unique 2.5D world inhabited by unusual and yet adorable looking sack creatures.
Little Big Planet is the kind of game that can get your creative juices flowing.

Guitar Hero World Tour
Platform(s) Playstation 3, Xbox 360, Nintendo Wii, Playstation 2
Guitar Hero is a popular music game series as it allows gamers to play the role of a Rock and Roll superstar, courtesy of its convincing guitar shaped controller. Guitar Hero World Tour retains the guitar while also allowing for a drummer, vocalist and bass player, with each role coming with its own unique controller (a microphone for a vocalist and a drum set for the drummer). Even though the game and the many unique controllers required to play it are very expensive, that didn't stop gamers from buying this fun and addictive game as it allowed them to live their dream of being in a band without the need of learning how to play the actual instruments.

Metal Gear Solid 4 Guns of
the Patriots
Platform(s) Playstation 3
Metal Gear Solid is one of the most acclaimed and respected video game series of all time as it set standards in design, story telling, cinematography, voice acting and overall production values in video games.

Metal Gear Solid 4 was a significant release as it became the first major PS3 release that would justify the purchase of the console and it promised to take gaming to a whole new level. Metal Gear Solid 4 features absolutely breathtaking graphics that can bring anyone to their knees and a deep story that concludes the series and answers all questions. The game also features amazing production values, lengthy cut scenes that showcase excellent and inspired directing, cinematography and voice acting and, of course, a deep and layered gameplay/stealth system.
The game has everything a fan of the series could possibly ask for and its positive reception clearly shows that it has been able to live up to the overwhelming expectations and hype.

Spore

Platform(s) PC
Designed by Will Wright — the same person who created the addictive and immensely popular SimCity series and The Sims series — Spore is undoubtedly his most ambitious simulation video game and it generated quite a lot of hype.

The game is a mix of life simulation and real time strategy gameplay and gamers get a chance to control and witness the evolution of a single cell organism into a fully functional civilisation, indeed a very creative and unique gaming experience. The game is open-ended, non-linear and allows for plenty of customisation.

Grand Theft Auto IV
Platform(s) Xbox 360, Playstation 3 and PC
This is the most controversial and widely criticised video game series of all time mainly because it is as a crime simulator where gamers can do as they please in a virtual world.

Grand Theft Auto games feature explicit language, violence and explore very dark and mature themes.
Grand Theft Auto IV was released in early 2008 (after many delays) and it once again features an open-ended and interactive world where gamers play the role of a criminal, but this time the graphics are impressive (previous games in the series were heavily criticised for their ugly graphics) and the shooting system is more polished.
Grand Theft Auto IV is also the first game in the series to feature online multiplayer modes and that, among several other reasons, is why it achieved so much commercial success and critical acclaim. 

The Last Remnant
Platform(s) Xbox 360
Last Remnant was hyped as being a very unique and impressive JRPG, but the game ended up being a complete mess from a technical point of view according to most gamers and critics.
The game does deliver very well for the most part but from a technical standpoint, the game suffers from too many problems that really ruin the experience. Those who were willing to look past the glaring technical and graphical flaws found a very memorable RPG experience but not all gamers and critics are that patient, especially when standards are so high these days.

Disappointments of the year

There was a lot of hype surrounding these games and gamers had high expectations of them, but, unfortunately, they either failed to deliver or were not as amazing as the developers claimed. Here we zoom in on the five most
disappointing games of 2008.                                                                                    

Haze
Platform(s) Playstation 3
Haze is a first-person shooter game and had generated tremendous hype even before its release, PS3 owners impatiently waited for its release but the game had a critical reception. Reviewers were unanimous in their criticism regarding the graphics, gameplay, story, and just about every aspect of the game. With amazing first-person shooter games like Resistance, Call of Duty and Unreal Tournament currently available on PS3, Haze simply pales in comparison according to most gamers.

Too Human

Platform(s)
Xbox 360

Too Human began life as a Playstation 1 game back in the mid nineties, the project then moved to Nintendo Gamecube, then to the Xbox and finally to Xbox 360.
The game went through a decade long development cycle before finally getting released on the Xbox 360 last year. While it is not a bad game, it is simply an average RPG that does not offer anything mind-blowing, and the graphics and gameplay mechanics feel unfinished and weak even after such a long development cycle. Too Human could have been great if it had come out a few years earlier.

Sonic Unleashed

Platform(s) Xbox 360, Nintendo Wii, Playstation 3 and Playstation 2

Sonic Unleashed was projected as the game that would mark the triumphant return of Sonic in the world of video games. The game delivers excellent Day action stages that feature superb 2.5D platform gameplay mechanics and the stages play as well as the classic Sonic games. Unfortunately, the boring Werehog stages, the unnecessary RPG elements and the tedious medal collecting ruined the pace and structure of the game, thus the overall experience becomes pretty disappointing.

Need for Speed Undercover
Platform(s) All gaming platforms
Need for Speed Undercover is a quick cash according to most gamers and critics, even to fans of the series. The quality of the series has declined over the years and the latest game is an average racer when compared to juggernauts like Burnout, Grid, Motorstorm, Gran Turismo, Dirt and many other quality racers that have been released recently.

Fans feel that the developers really need to focus on creating an exceptional racing game rather than releasing a new Need for Speed game on a yearly basis.   ---J.K.