Edges top british things of 2008

dreamers75

Best game:
1. LittleBigPlanet
2. GTA IV
3. Fable II


Best Innovation:
1. LittleBigPlanet
2. NXE
3. Left 4 Dead


Best Visual Design
1. LittleBigPlanet
2. Street Fighter IV
3. Far Cry 2


Best Audio Design:
1. Dead Space
2. GTA IV
3. No More Heroes


Best hardware:
1. Xbox 360
2. PS3
3. Wii


Best Publisher:
1. Microsoft Game Studios
2. Electronic Arts
3. Sony Computer Entertainment


Best Online Experience:
1. Left 4 Dead
2. LittleBigPlanet
3. Gears of War 2


Best Developer:
1. Media Molecule
2. Criterion Games
3. Rockstar North






No fallout 3, damn americans

Overheal

those things arent british at all..

Jazzy

knew that edge would be licking LBP's hole. they are incredibly predictable nowadays. last year nintendo had their hole thoroughly cleaned by edges lavish tongue and it seems that MS & Sony felt a little left out so edge just had to get in on that rimjob action.
so glad i stopped buying edge. it used to be quality... used

super_furry

Yeah, but LBP is fecking brilliantly and comfortably the best game of a year in which innovation has been lacking.

noodler

Edge is too up its own arse. Don't get me wrong-I am an educated man but I don't want half page reviews that use too many big words in an effort to say nothing of real substance.

Giving Gears of War 9 and Resistence 6 was also a bit strange. Dido 7 for Fallout 3.

steviec

I'd agree with most of their choices to be honest. Certainly their top two games are exactly the same as mine, comfortably. Although I don't rate Fable 2 at all, got really sick of it after the first few hours when it all became painfully repetitive and pointless.

Best game I agree, Best Innovation I agree, Best Visual I agree, Best Audio I agree, Best Hardware is a toss up but I can go along with it, Best Online I agree and Best Developer I agree. The only one I disagree with is best publisher. Given that the only game they published that I played this year was Fable 2 and it was awful. EA should have won that one.

Stephen

According to our friends at Wikipedia MS Game Studios actually published all of the following this year:

* Kingdom Under Fire: Circle of Doom
* Lost Odyssey
* Ninja Gaiden 2
* Too Human
* Viva Piñata: Trouble in Paradise
* Infinite Undiscovery (Co-published with Square Enix)
* Fable 2
* Scene It? Box Office Smash
* Gears of War 2
* Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts
* Lips

GothPunk

EA should get best publisher 2008 for turning themselves around and funding fresh fun games. Sure many of the good games published by MS and Sony are sequels, whereas EA's good games are not; Spore, Mirror's Edge and Dead Space. Perhaps those games weren't for everyone though. (I did just finish Mirror's Edge so EA are in my good books at the moment.)

All the free content for Burnout Paradise is another plus for EA/Criterion also.

mayordenis

super_furry wrote: »

Yeah, but LBP is fecking brilliantly and comfortably the best game of a year in which innovation has been lacking.

what's innovative?
it's just a set of tools,
Is it that it's a side scroller with reasonable physics? Gish was free, is old and was better.
for €60 euro it's a complete waste and not really a game at all.

Overheal

mayordenis wrote: »

what's innovative?
it's just a set of tools,
Is it that it's a side scroller with reasonable physics? Gish was free, is old and was better.
for €60 euro it's a complete waste and not really a game at all.

Thats your fault for buying a new release title.

mayordenis

It's my fault that it's not a game? negative
It's the devs fault.

noodler

Its is your opinion tough and lets face it millions disagree.

I got this free with my PS3-I think I will keep LBP now just to see what all the fuss is about.

mayordenis

noodler wrote: »

Its is your opinion tough and lets face it millions disagree.

I got this free with my PS3-I think I will keep it now just to see what all the fuss is about.

actually the millions who didn't buy this ps3 must have I would guess agree that it's not worth buying.
It's been fairly lascklustre with regards sales.
I guess a few other copped it.

noodler

This PS3? Are you talking about a bigger issue? You know I was talking about LBP?

Ah well, go be angry somewhere else.

If you want to talk about the millions who didn't buy something......

LookingFor

mayordenis wrote: »

It's my fault that it's not a game? negative
It's the devs fault.

That's really funny. I haven't touched the tools, but have spent more time playing LBP since its release than any other game. There's more 'game' in its little finger than a lot of others could hope for.

You sound like you don't really know anything about the game.

Anyway, it's deserving of the awards. It's really kind of wonderful in a very literal sense.

seraphimvc

i was shocked when i see lots prizes for LBP but never expect this big from the well known EDGE.a sim-version of a side-scrolling action game - never any type of the sims games float my boat,i know i will get bored after a few hours.simply as an action game (old) gamer,like i said before,any megaman will take away my money than this LBP.the trailers of LBP made me fall asleep!

one day i will try it and see if it deserves the crown of 2008,until then ,EDGE lost my respect as a good gaming magazine - no matter how good is LBP,it is a sims game and sims game dont get this kinda treatment.

Otacon

seraphimvc wrote: »

i was shocked when i see lots of LBP,a sim-version of a side-scrolling action game - never any type of the sims games float my boat,i know i will get bored after a few hours.simply as an action game (old) gamer,like i said before,any megaman will take away my money than this LBP.the trailers of LBP made me fall asleep!

one day i will try it and see if it deserves the crown of 2008,until then ,EDGE lost my respect as a good gaming magazine - no matter how good is LBP,it is a sims game and sims game dont get this kinda treatment.

What is a 'sim'game exactly. I have no idea what you are talking about!?

K.O.Kiki

And hark, the "hardcore fanbois" wake!

noodler

Don't do that. Stating you like a game doesn't make you a fanboy.

mayordenis

LookingFor wrote: »

That's really funny. I haven't touched the tools, but have spent more time playing LBP since its release than any other game. There's more 'game' in its little finger than a lot of others could hope for.

You sound like you don't really know anything about the game.

Anyway, it's deserving of the awards. It's really kind of wonderful in a very literal sense.

if you want to avoid talking about the tools in the game and jsut go for the platforming then fine.
I'll say this and i've yet to hear anyone say otherwise, New Super Mario Bros. which was released in 2006 on the DS is a far superior game and much more fun.

I've played the **** out of LBP - it isn't much of a game, I also stand by my comment that gish is a better platformed.

Game of the year? then it's been a **** year, which it hasn't. Innovation isn't cutesy graphics and right stick arm waggling.

silvine

Why did Xbox360 win best hardware? It's a piece of crap.

mayordenis

the best hardware category all over was a complete failure.
what was hte point of it?

Jazzy

Otacon wrote: »

What is a 'sim'game exactly. I have no idea what you are talking about!?

so u have never heard of
sim city
the sims
sim earth
civilization
populous
black & white
settlers

????




there is no need to be so pedantic. u know exactly wat a 'sim' game is, LBP is a sim game with the patented twist.

silvine wrote: »

Why did Xbox360 win best hardware? It's a piece of crap.

see my previous post about edge bum licking. they have to keep everyone on their side and they do this by going through spates of arse licking whichever company for 4-5 months... MS just landed its ring in the right timeframe

GothPunk

Jazzy wrote: »

there is no need to be so pedantic. u know exactly wat a 'sim' game is, LBP is a sim game with the patented twist.

The 'sim' comment also came from someone who hasn't even played the gorramn game. Go figure. So I don't see Otacon being a pedant - it's not a sim game. It's a platformer.

You run. You jump across stuff. You collect bubbles. You run and jump some more.

Except this platformer has online multiplayer, a damn fine and powerful level creator and for many people is just plain fun. I don't think the fact that Sackboy is cute and that you can wave their arms around is what people are considering innovative. I does help though!

Instead of just hating on a particular game, why aren't people putting forth what they'd rather see at the top spot?

dreamers75

GothPunk wrote: »

Instead of just hating on a particular game, why aren't people putting forth what they'd rather see at the top spot?

Cos there was no "innovations" this year.

The wii didnt move from gimmick to serious games machine with clever controls.

The xbox was just a poor pc with some decent shooting games.

The ps3 is a befuddled mess.

LBP is a DS game tbh i reckon it would be awesome on a DS with the same level of user creation and online play that it has. its not a game that a machine like the ps3 should be extolling its virtues. Its like a quad core quad gt 280 playing solitaire in 3d!!!!!!

Its a 2d platformer ffs.


Been a great year for the dead and extinct pc gamer tho.

Edge choosing almost all british companies is pretty much par for the course with them.

Thought havoks new engine may have gained a merit.........

Davidius

Gears of War 2's online play is plagued with lag issues, how did it ever get anywhere near there?

Horrible lag issues in that game along with SSHD make it much less of an experience.

Utopia Parkway

Another here who was completely underwhelmed with Little Big Planet.

The creation stuff is very good if you're into sitting down and fiddling with it. The game itself is just a platformer at the end of the day and there have been better platformers.

GothPunk

dreamers75 wrote: »

Cos there was no "innovations" this year.

Have you played Valkyria Chronicles? That game has pretty much re-invented SRPGs with it's battle system. I know this is perhaps a game a lot of people won't care for, but reinventing an entire genre within gaming *is* innovation.

As for LBP and 'innovation', what's not innovative about an online multiplayer platformer that allows you create and share your own levels? The thing is pretty powerful - with people making working calculators or levels like Azure Palace. Bringing complex level creation to consoles is innovation. I haven't used FarCry 2's level editor so I can't comment on that game.

I also can't see the DS running a version of LBP that would let you do half the stuff LBP PS3 can do. Do DS carts have enough free memory to save user levels, or your own levels? Maybe the DSi, because that has internal storage. I've played Pokemon online - you don't want to go through the sluggish DS online multiplayer experience in a platformer. Don't see the DS handling the level of physics that LBP on PS3 has, something which certainly adds another degree of complexity and fun to the game.

You don't actually sound like you've played LBP by thinking it could work in a similar fashion on DS or by calling it a '2D platformer'.

I think there were plenty of small innovations in software this year, which in the gaming world I think is how things usually move. Mirror's Edge (First Person Platformer in which you're rewarded for not shooting anyone), The World Ends With You (Adds so much to RPGs it's a shame not enough people have played a DS game with the amount of new gameplay ideas it has), Patapon (created a whole new sub-genre of rhythm game meets strategy game)... and of course LBP and Spore introducing the 'Play, Create, Share' concept.

What is it that you'd like to see? An art-game? A new genre of game entirely? An RPG where every single little thing you do impacts upon what comes next in the story and has 100 different endings?

Things are always going to move more slowly in the gaming world (apart from new hardware driving innovation of course) - by and large gamers want fun and familiar things. Companies know this and take smaller risks because of it. Sony and EA took risks with some of the games released this year so I think it's nice to see them commended for that.

Utopia Parkway wrote: »

Another here who was completely underwhelmed with Little Big Planet.

The creation stuff is very good if you're into sitting down and fiddling with it. The game itself is just a platformer at the end of the day and there have been better platformers.

Can I ask if you played LBP in multiplayer, online or with friends? I think that's where the game really shines and where most of the praise for the game comes from.

Jazzy

GothPunk wrote: »

Instead of just hating on a particular game, why aren't people putting forth what they'd rather see at the top spot?

i dont hate it. i like it.
ive played better this year though

GothPunk

Jazzy wrote: »

i dont hate it. i like it.
ive played better this year though

Oh that was directed at you, it was a general statement. I'm guessing that the OP would like to see Fallout 3 in the place of LBP, but I haven't had the pleasure of playing that game yet :pac: I don't expect everyone to like LBP, or anything that I like for that matter. I just think that people can do better then 'It's crap... but I haven't actually played it', or 'It's not innovative, but I'm not going to clarify what that means or suggest something better.' You stated that you have a problem with Edge kissing ass, which I can't really comment on having not read a lot of their stuff. Like a lot of people I just like other peoples lists of things. It is also nice to see my favourite game this year on said list. Out of interest, what did you think was better than LBP? I'm just thinking that maybe I missed some games this year.

I'm also interested to see what the standard for innovation actually is. Like if you state that you think a particular *thing* was fresh and fun, but then someone else states 'That's not innovative!', then what the bloody hell is? Guard dogs that shoot bees out of their mouths?

Jazzy

nah wouldnt give it to fallout 3. bioshock was better.
its a hard one to call. gta4 was class

GothPunk

Jazzy wrote: »

nah wouldnt give it to fallout 3. bioshock was better.
its a hard one to call. gta4 was class

I'm still playing Bioshock actually! On PC... so I've had long enough. Have you played System Shock 2?

Now GTA4 I loved also, glad to see it on this list too. (Hoping Sony's comment 'Nothing is exclusive' means what I think it means about GTAIV DLC). If you like RPGs at all try out Valkyria Chronicles, it's really very good but perhaps not a game for everyone. Good thing there's a demo on PSN. If I wasn't having so much fun playing LBP that game would be my PS3 game of the year.

noodler

dreamers75 wrote: »

Cos there was no "innovations" this year.

The wii didnt move from gimmick to serious games machine with clever controls.

The xbox was just a poor pc with some decent shooting games.

The ps3 is a befuddled mess.

LBP is a DS game tbh i reckon it would be awesome on a DS with the same level of user creation and online play that it has. its not a game that a machine like the ps3 should be extolling its virtues. Its like a quad core quad gt 280 playing solitaire in 3d!!!!!!

Its a 2d platformer ffs.


Been a great year for the dead and extinct pc gamer tho.

Edge choosing almost all british companies is pretty much par for the course with them.

Thought havoks new engine may have gained a merit.........

What are you even doing here?

Otacon

Jazzy wrote: »

there is no need to be so pedantic. u know exactly wat a 'sim' game is, LBP is a sim game with the patented twist.

Apologies if I came across as pedantic. I have indeed heard of 'sim' games, however, I thought the definition that was being used was different when LBP was mentioned.

LBP is a brilliant game. The platforming is a bit 'float'-y but the co-op element is very engaging and fun. The level creation is deserving of the 'innovation' title imo, because it is not only a very good implementation of a feature that only a few games have, it is also very robust while being easy to use.

Even players who do not want to use the creation tool have a whole host of excellent (and not so excellent) user-created levels to choose to expand the life of the game.

As for EGDE's ass-licking, it is one of the reason's I don't buy the magazine anymore. However, they have always been about the developer's, especially English ones. I came as no surprise that they awarded MM best developer. If, it encourages more devs, even English ones, to make interesting games, like LBP, then I can only think of it as a good thing.

Vegeta

GothPunk wrote: »

and of course LBP and Spore introducing the 'Play, Create, Share' concept.

Sorry just looking for a bit of clarification here, are you saying that LBP and Spore created this concept or are you saying its a first for Sony or what?

GothPunk

Vegeta wrote: »

Sorry just looking for a bit of clarification here, are you saying that LBP and Spore created this concept or are you saying its a first for Sony or what?

Well I'm pretty sure there hasn't been a game yet that let's you 'Play, Create, Share' on the scale that Spore and LBP do, in a way that is accessible to pretty much everyone. It's easy to create and share in Spore and fairly easy to create and publish levels with LBP.

If you mean who did it first, well Spore was released first and was also in development for longer, but I think it's a stronger point to include both Spore and LBP as the games that introduced 'Play, Create, Share', 'Game 3.0' (or whatever buzzword people are using) for the first time.

Yes Quake, Unreal, The Sims 2, Far Cry 2, Half Life 1 & 2, Second Life and Oblivion all have mods and/or user generated content, but I doubt anybody here would argue that it's as easy, accessible and fun to create content for those games as it is in Spore and LBP. That's what I see as innovative.

seraphimvc

GothPunk wrote: »

Oh that was directed at you, it was a general statement. I'm guessing that the OP would like to see Fallout 3 in the place of LBP, but I haven't had the pleasure of playing that game yet :pac: I don't expect everyone to like LBP, or anything that I like for that matter. I just think that people can do better then 'It's crap... but I haven't actually played it', or 'It's not innovative, but I'm not going to clarify what that means or suggest something better.' You stated that you have a problem with Edge kissing ass, which I can't really comment on having not read a lot of their stuff. Like a lot of people I just like other peoples lists of things. It is also nice to see my favourite game this year on said list. Out of interest, what did you think was better than LBP? I'm just thinking that maybe I missed some games this year.

I'm also interested to see what the standard for innovation actually is. Like if you state that you think a particular *thing* was fresh and fun, but then someone else states 'That's not innovative!', then what the bloody hell is? Guard dogs that shoot bees out of their mouths?

honey i was just saying

seraphimvc wrote: »

one day i will try it and see if it deserves the crown of 2008,until then ,EDGE lost my respect as a good gaming magazine - no matter how good is LBP,it is a sims game and sims game dont get this kinda treatment.

a game failed to seduce me is just ,failed:D

btw,if ye are talkin about RPG,Lost odyssey made me wanna get a x360 this xmas

seraphimvc

Otacon wrote: »

Apologies if I came across as pedantic. I have indeed heard of 'sim' games, however, I thought the definition that was being used was different when LBP was mentioned.

LBP is a brilliant game. The platforming is a bit 'float'-y but the co-op element is very engaging and fun. The level creation is deserving of the 'innovation' title imo, because it is not only a very good implementation of a feature that only a few games have, it is also very robust while being easy to use.

Even players who do not want to use the creation tool have a whole host of excellent (and not so excellent) user-created levels to choose to expand the life of the game.

As for EGDE's ass-licking, it is one of the reason's I don't buy the magazine anymore. However, they have always been about the developer's, especially English ones. I came as no surprise that they awarded MM best developer. If, it encourages more devs, even English ones, to make interesting games, like LBP, then I can only think of it as a good thing.

now i am more confused than ever.

as an action game,i cant see the selling point at all.*wave my 10years old megaman 1 catridge*

as co-op........well you get that...........why would i spend time on this if i am looking for co-op fun?

so i guess what makes it good is the creative fun part *wave 'the sims' card* - which is the reason i think this game is about.so LBP = a product of ''a 'sims' version of action game with simple jump and run and collect balls.''.

let's just say i dont like sims thats all :pac:

Vegeta

GothPunk wrote: »

Yes Quake, Unreal, The Sims 2, Far Cry 2, Half Life 1 & 2, Second Life and Oblivion all have mods and/or user generated content, but I doubt anybody here would argue that it's as easy, accessible and fun to create content for those games as it is in Spore and LBP. That's what I see as innovative.

That's cool

I would definitely argue the point of "introducing" level editing (excitebike on the NES had a level editor didn't it ) and publishing as that is pretty old at this stage

but you make a good point about accessibility.

Personally I think the the Innovation category above (Edges that is) is a load of me bollix.
LBP, is questionable, it takes known concepts and does them well. Innovative? Maybe at best
NXE, what.....the.....fcuk. What is innovative about that, they even stole the Mii concept. Maybe its the fact they managed to shoe horn in 2 full slides of advertising and still charge for live
Left 4 Dead, while this is a fun game (played through 3/4 of it at a LAN last week) I fail to see the innovation, An FPS with a very strong co-op element, zombies as enemies and just a good game. If anyone can shed light on the innovation in this then please let me have it as I just don't see it.

GothPunk

Vegeta wrote: »

Personally I think the the Innovation category above (Edges that is) is a load of me bollix.
LBP, is questionable, it takes known concepts and does them well. Innovative? Maybe at best
NXE, what.....the.....fcuk. What is innovative about that, they even stole the Mii concept. Maybe its the fact they managed to shoe horn in 2 full slides of advertising and still charge for live
Left 4 Dead, while this is a fun game (played through 3/4 of it at a LAN last week) I fail to see the innovation, An FPS with a very strong co-op element, zombies as enemies and just a good game. If anyone can shed light on the innovation in this then please let me have it as I just don't see it.

Great points, this is what I'm talking about really. Are we not expecting too much when we expect a game to be innovative? Is a game supposed to revolutionise gaming altogether, just a certain genre of gaming, or is it enough for a game to try a few new things and perfect/refresh a genre or mechanic we've been used to for a long time?

I think Left4Dead got the innovation award for the 'AI Director' game mechanic. I don't know how much use it is though (girlfriend has it for me for Xmas )

Perhaps NXE got it because it added stuff like copying full games to the HDD and 8 player cross game chat? I don't have a 360 but that's what I've heard gamers were happy about. I do think that I expect more from hardware or firmware innovations though, so I don't know if NXE is really that big of a step to win an innovation award. Then again, it does completely change the interface of the console as well as adding new features, so maybe Edge are commended MS for giving their console such a large software refresh about half way into the consoles cycle.