HF Retro Game of the Year - 2008 - Fallout 3 Wins

[SniperHF]

So we have game of the year votes from 2011 to 2017 but none from before, so why not do it now?

Slightly different rules since we're talking about old games. Votes can be changed, so if you hear a case or debate it out maybe you'll come out on the other side and you can change it.

Previous years:
2017 - The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild - 31%
2016 - Uncharted 4: A Thief's End - 20%
2015 - The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt - 35%
2014 - South Park: The Stick of Truth - 15%
2013 - The Last of Us - 29%
2012 - The Walking Dead - 20%
2011 - The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim - 48%
Retro Votes:
2010 - Red Dead Redemption - 31.6%
2009 - Assassin's Creed II - 20%
2008 - Fallout 3 - 43.5%

Click to read more...

 

[MetalheadPenguinsFan]

Voted for GTA 4 as it's the game from 2008 I've played most.

From what I can remember though "Call Of Duty: World At War" was decent too.

I will say that as great as GTA 4 was at the time, I will say now it's been overrated. Sure it looked amazing but when all was said and done and you beat the game..you were left with a big beautiful city that had nothing really to do afterwards.

 

[Frankie Spankie]

Pretty tight between MGS4 and Valkyria Chronicles for me but I think MGS4 would take it for me.

 

[tacogeoff]

Gta4 for me as well. Barely played a handful of the games listed above.

 

[Bjorn Le]

GTA IV, followed closely by Fallout 3, then MGS4, then Gears of War 2.

GTA IV, while it took a significant step back in terms of customization, had easily the best story GTA has ever done (I'd even say it's better than RDR, which had an amazing story too). Beside's Packie's sister, I can't think of a single bad character in the game, and most of the main ones are simply amazing. Outside Trevor , no one is as memorable as the main cast in GTA V. Gameplay wise, it's light years ahead of GTA: SA. It's just a brilliant game.

 

[WarriorOfGandhi]

Mariokart Wii gets my vote here by a country mile.

 

[SpookyTsuki]

Gears 2 is my favorite and hasn’t aged terribly so I’ll vote for that

Probably will have to change for a tiebreaker

 

[Big McLargehuge]

P4 is the correct answer.

Valkyria Chronicles is a damn fine #2.

Mariokart Wii gets my vote here by a country mile.

7th best Mario Kart IMO.

 

[SniperHF]

P4 is the correct answer.

Some things I'm okay not understanding.

 

[MayDay]

Mario Kart clearly had the biggest impact of the games on the list.

Consider:
•More than 37 million copies sold.
•Best-selling racing game in video game history.
•Best-selling stand-alone game of its generation, far outselling even the major blockbusters on this list like GTA4 and CoD:WaW.

It was just a phenomenon, and everyone was playing this game, from little kids to grandparents.

It was a pretty good iteration on a major game franchise too. First console Mario Kart with online play. A wide variety of different control methods, from motion-controlled to traditional controllers. Good game modes and good courses. Solid entry in the franchise.

 

[bambamcam4ever]

P4 is the correct answer.

Valkyria Chronicles is a damn fine #2.




7th best Mario Kart IMO.

Haven't there only been 8 Mario Karts? It's clearly better than the first 3.

 

[syz]

Some decent also rans this year as well:

The World Ends with You
Burnout Paradise
Persona 3 FES
Far Cry 2
SoulCalibur IV
Tales of Vesperia
Final Fantasy Tactics A2
Devil May Cry 4

 

[MetalheadPenguinsFan]

GTA IV, while it took a significant step back in terms of customization, had easily the best story GTA has ever done (I'd even say it's better than RDR, which had an amazing story too).

Disagree with this. GTA IV starts out well story wise but once you robbed the bank in "Three Leaf Clover" things kinda went downhill. Essentially you go from bitching about being broke to having a ton of money way too soon and guess what?? It's useless in the grand scheme of things. Plus the whole "working for the mob in Alderney City" thing just felt lazy and rushed. And let's not forget the bullshit outcome with the diamonds??

But it's biggest flaw like I said is the fact that sure...GTA IV's rendition of Liberty City looks great, but when it's all said and done you realize just how empty the city is?? Why? Because when you beat the game you are left with a ton of money yet nothing meaningful to do.

Beside's Packie's sister, I can't think of a single bad character in the game.

Brucie?? Manny??

 

[542365]

I fully expect to be the only person voting for it, but I went with LBP. I had so much fun playing through that game with my wife.

 

[Warden of the North]

Fallout 3

 

[Commander Clueless]

I didn't play enough games that year, apparently. I'll give it to WaW.


SSBB comes in as a close second, but it just didn't have the impact on me that the first two in the series did. 10/10 soundtrack though.

 

[KingBran]

Yikes what a crappy year. I played most of those games. It was between COD:WaW, L4D and GoW2. Went GoW2 because IMO it really is the best game on the list. Fallout 3 was a complete mess to me. But hey, that's why we vote right? We all have different opinions.

EDIT: Actually looking up games that came out in 2008 I can see at least 3 more I would have voted for my favorite (No I am not upset that they aren't on the list, I get it - the weren't has popular).

Command and Conquer Red Alert 3
Civilization Revolution
Burnout Paradise

And out of those I would have to think long and hard on which one would be my favorite. So not such a crappy year after all



But on a more serious note this list is seriously lacking the best game ever to be created. It came out in 2008:
TOO HUMAN! Biggest flop ever.

 

[MayDay]

EDIT: Actually looking up games that came out in 2008 I can see at least 3 more I would have voted for my favorite (No I am not upset that they aren't on the list, I get it - the weren't has popular).

Command and Conquer Red Alert 3
Civilization Revolution
Burnout Paradise

I got Nintendo DS version of Civilization Revolution, and it was great. First time you could really take Civ on the go (the ports to iOS and Windows Phone didn't come until following years).

I remember taking the DS and Civ on the plane with me to pass the time on long flights. It was perfect for that.

 

[Teemu]

War never changes

 

[KingBran]

I got Nintendo DS version of Civilization Revolution, and it was great. First time you could really take Civ on the go (the ports to iOS and Windows Phone didn't come until following years).

I remember taking the DS and Civ on the plane with me to pass the time on long flights. It was perfect for that.

Yeah the mobile version wasn't half bad! It really was the best non-PC based strategy game ever made IMO.

 

[The Crypto Guy]

Mario Kart clearly had the biggest impact of the games on the list.

Consider:
•More than 37 million copies sold.
•Best-selling racing game in video game history.
•Best-selling stand-alone game of its generation, far outselling even the major blockbusters on this list like GTA4 and CoD:WaW.

It was just a phenomenon, and everyone was playing this game, from little kids to grandparents.

It was a pretty good iteration on a major game franchise too. First console Mario Kart with online play. A wide variety of different control methods, from motion-controlled to traditional controllers. Good game modes and good courses. Solid entry in the franchise.

Meh. They were mostly to little kids.

 

[Bjorn Le]

Disagree with this. GTA IV starts out well story wise but once you robbed the bank in "Three Leaf Clover" things kinda went downhill. Essentially you go from *****ing about being broke to having a ton of money way too soon and guess what?? It's useless in the grand scheme of things. Plus the whole "working for the mob in Alderney City" thing just felt lazy and rushed. And let's not forget the bull**** outcome with the diamonds??

But it's biggest flaw like I said is the fact that sure...GTA IV's rendition of Liberty City looks great, but when it's all said and done you realize just how empty the city is?? Why? Because when you beat the game you are left with a ton of money yet nothing meaningful to do.

Brucie?? Manny??

That's a customization issue. The game isn't about making money, it's about Nico addressing his past. He doesn't care about money. There's a reason he more or less ignores Roman's wealth that comes with success. I don't see what's wrong with working for Jimmy P. The Pegerino's are supposed to be the laughing stock of the Liberty City families. It's a gritty portrayal of crime, things shouldn't go right every time (especially with the diamonds which were being sought after by a half dozen different groups)

Brucie was great. Especially after you get past the cockiness and realize he's a multi-dimensional character. Manny died really quickly, and is even less important than Packie's sister.

 

[Big McLargehuge]

Haven't there only been 8 Mario Karts? It's clearly better than the first 3.

Yes, and I disagree. Double Dash & Wii are the dregs of the franchise IMO. The handheld versions are better than they have any business being, while those two disappointed me because of mechanics and/or track choices. To me the only notable thing about MK Wii is the copies sold number...which is because of the hardware it was on, not because of the quality of the game (MK8 was undoubtedly the best before the Switch re-release and sold comparably poorly...because nobody had a Wii U...that doesn't make the Wii version 4x better).

My preference to the SNES original is 100% nostalgia, to be fair.

Some things I'm okay not understanding.

A life without Nanako singing the Junes theme is not a life worth living.

 

[Pilky01]

Fallout 3 had its technical issues, but from my subjective perspective, the game is a masterpiece work of art.

I LOVE the atmosphere they created in it. It felt like reading a book I couldn’t put down.

 

[The Nuge]

GTA IV, followed closely by Fallout 3, then MGS4, then Gears of War 2.

GTA IV, while it took a significant step back in terms of customization, had easily the best story GTA has ever done (I'd even say it's better than RDR, which had an amazing story too). Beside's Packie's sister, I can't think of a single bad character in the game, and most of the main ones are simply amazing. Outside Trevor , no one is as memorable as the main cast in GTA V. Gameplay wise, it's light years ahead of GTA: SA. It's just a brilliant game.

Gotta strongly disagree with you here. GTA IV had an ok, but overrated story, full of unlikeable characters. It took me like 6 years to manage to beat it, and the whole time I was hoping for a scarface type ending so I could just be done with all the characters. Taking every game for what it was at release, it’s easily the worst in the series.

This year is Fallout 3 by a mile