The top 15 PC games of 2008

December 29, 11:00 AMPC Game ExaminerBryan Edge-Salois

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This is a list/compilation and year-end review of the best PC games of 2008.

While I'm sure I missed a few, every one of the games on this list received critical acclaim -- and many are 'Best of' award winners from one or more major PC gaming Web sites.

Sins of a Solar Empire (strategy/RTS)
Sins combines the best features of RTS and '4X' strategy games to create one of the best space exploration/conquering games ever. Sins of a Solar Empire was voted Best Strategy Game of 2008 by Gamespot.

Read GameSpy's review (4.5/5 stars)
"Salvation awaits strategy gamers in an awesome title that mixes low-level spaceship combat and high-level universal conquest."

Read IGN's review (8.9/10)
"Sins never felt so good"

Visit the Sins of a Solar Empire home page to learn more 

Crysis: Warhead (first person shooter)
This stand alone 'expansion' to Crysis tells the Crysis story from an alternative perspective. Although it's short-lived, it's every bit as fun as Crysis and, in some ways, slightly superior.

Read my Review
"If you liked Crysis, buy this game -- period."

Read Gamespot's Review (9/10)
"Warhead is a fantastic stand-alone expansion to a superb shooter, and should be played by anyone who likes games with guns."

Visit the Crysis :Warhead home page to learn more

Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning (MMO)
The Warhammer universe got its first MMO in 2008, and it turned out to be a winner -- no small feat in an increasingly crowded genre vying for MMO gamers' attention.

Read Gamespy's review (5/5 stars)
"Mythic's MMO take on the Warhammer universe hits the ground running with an exceptional game built around social bonding and the joys of killing your friends. "

Read Gamespot's review (8.5/10)
"Engaging player-versus-player combat makes this an online role-playing game to reckon with. "

Visit the Warhammer Online home page to learn more

Fallout 3 (RPG)
Fallout 3 is the most recent installment of the highly venerated Fallout series. It's an outstanding RPG, offers plenty of gaming hours for the buck, and guaranteed to bring a smile to any RPG fan's face this holiday season.

Read Gamespot's Fallout 3 review (9/10)
"Fallout 3 is a profoundly engrossing role-playing game just waiting to reveal its deep, dark mysteries."

Read  Gamespy's Fallout 3 review (5/5 stars)
"Bethesda's post-apocalyptic RPG is one of the finest games of this generation."

Visit the Fallout 3 home page to learn more 

World of Goo (puzzle game)
You may not have heard of this award-winning game, but you should. World of Goo is a physics-based puzzle and construction game. Your job is to use Goo Balls to build structures and help their Goo brethren traverse terrain to the end of each level, where a pipe sucks them up. This game is very family and kid-friendly, and it's inexpensive -- $19.99 if you order through Valve's Steam service. (You can also purchase via PayPal directly from the World of Goo home page.)

Read Gamespot's World of Goo review (9/10)
"Independent developer 2D Boy has hit the jackpot, turning what appears to be a simple building game into what could just be the next casual-gaming obsession right up there with classics such as Tetris and Lemmings."

Read IGN's World of Goo review
"Absolutely phenomenal"

Visit the World of Goo home page to learn more 

Call of Duty: World at War (first person shooter)
Call of Duty: World at War is an outstanding WWII shooter that re-invigorates the seminal Call of Duty franchise. Just when you thought WWII first person shooters were all but dead (or at least not en vogue any more), COD:World at War comes along and revives the genre--in a big way.

Read Gamespot's COD:World at War review (8.5/10)
"World at War brings proven Call of Duty mechanics back to WWII with great success."

Read Gamepro's COD: World at War review (4.5/5 stars)
"It's a great follow up to Modern Warfare and proves that World War II is still a viscerally charged conflict to live through."

Visit the Call of Duty: World at War home page to learn more

Spore (strategy/rts/other)
Spore is a charming game in which you create a creature and shepherd it throughout its evolution -- from a tiny microorganism to a star-faring race. The creature creator alone is immensely fun and easy to use, and it's very kid and family friendly. (My five-year old loves making creatures and just watching them run around, and my older brother and his seven year old daughter play together).

Read Gamespot's review (8/10)
"Spore merges multiple run-of-the-mill building blocks into a big, entertaining game."

Read GameSpy's review (Editor's Choice)
"Will Wright's "Massively Single-player" game delivers on its promise to put the whole universe in your hands."

Visit the Spore home page to learn more

Far Cry 2 (first person shooter)
Far Cry 2 is an excellent, open-ended "sandbox" style of FPS shooter. Unlike many shooters which "drive" you through a series of missions, Far Cry 2 lets you freely choose which missions to pursue, when to pursue them, and how to pursue them. You also get to travel from mission to mission in the massive African country where the game takes place--it's a game AND a virtual African safari.

Read Gamespot's review (8.5/10)
"Although you can't say the same for the plot, Far Cry 2's first-person action squeezes every last drop of potential out of the unique African setting."

Read GameSpy's review (3.5/5 stars)
"Visually breathtaking and ambitious in scope, Far Cry 2 falls shy of it's amazing potential."

Visit the Far Cry 2 home page to learn more

Prince of Persia 2008 (3rd person action/platform game)
Like its predecessors, Prince of Persia 2008 involves a lot of acrobatics and swashbuckling combat. You and your companion Elika must imprison the evil god Ahriman, which means a lot of very fun and stylish fighting set in a mythical 'Arabian knights' type of setting. This game is considerably easier than its predecessors (whether that's good or bad is up to you), but it also eliminates many of the frustrating and annoying elements that plagued its predecessors. 

Read Gamespot's review (8/10)
"Prince of Persia's shimmering veneer and joyous platforming will cast a spell on you."

Read IGN's review (9.3/10)
"A beautiful and imaginative world that looks incredible covered in Corruption or dandelions. A true achievement in artistic design." 

Visit the Prince of Persia home page to learn more

Grand Theft Auto IV (open-ended action game)
Despite some major issues with performance and other technical hurdles, Grand Theft Auto IV still gets top marks and strong recommendations from game critics. However -- if you're also an Xbox 360 or PS3 gamer, you may be more satisfied with the console version of the game.

Read Gamespot's review (9/10)
"One of the many things that set GTAIV apart from its predecessors is Liberty City, which is more convincing as a living, breathing urban environment than anything you've seen in a game before..."

Read NG4's review (9/10)
"The joy of GTA is that it isn't a complete thing. It's endless."

Visit the GTA IV home page to learn more 

World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King (MMO Expansion)
The latest World of Warcraft expansion offers plenty of new content for high-level (55+) players --including the ability to play as a Death Knight.

Read Gamespot's review (9/10)
"The second World of Warcraft expansion doesn't do anything for new players, but there's plenty of great content for anyone who's reached at least level 55."

Read IGN's review (9/10)
"With Wrath of the Lich King, World of Warcraft's play style has been tweaked to be more accessible, addictive, and deeper."

Visit Worldofwarcraft.com to learn more  

Tomb Raider: Underworld (platform/action)
Although the PC version suffers a little because of the console-to-PC conversion process, the reviews for Tomb Raider: Underworld generally range from "good" to "great", which means you can probably count on it being a solid platform/action game -- to say nothing of the finest heroine and her ass(ets) in gaming.

Read Gaming Heaven's review (88/100)
"A very enjoyable game which will go down in history as one of the good games in the franchise."

 Read IGN's review (8/10)
"Tomb Raider Underworld is a good game that Lara Croft fans will enjoy, but it's not quite the experience that will live up to or even surpass that of Legend."

Visit the Tomb Raider home page to learn more 

Command and Conquer: Red Alert 3 (RTS)
This is a funny and extremely polished real-time strategy game with innovative cooperative multi-player options.

Read my review
"Command and Conquer: Red Alert 3 is well-executed, very fun to play, and a fantastic, worthy addition to the C&C franchise and RTS gamers' shelves."

Read Gamespot's review (8/10)
"Red Alert 3 is a raucously fun strategy game that overcomes its issues with both style and substance."

Visit the Command and Conquer 3: Red Alert home page for more info 

Dead Space (action/survival horror)
Dead Space is a tense, creepy third-person action-horror game. If you're looking for a game that might make someone soil their pants but keep playing anyway, Dead Space is it.

Read my review
"...a game that might make you soil your pants -- but is still so intensely compelling that you won't stop playing to change them..."

Read Gamespot's review (9/10)
"An incredibly atmospheric and disturbingly gruesome deep-space adventure that will haunt your dreams and leave you begging for more."

Visit the Dead Space home page for more info 

Left 4 Dead (first person shooter)
Left 4 Dead is an arcade-style, first person shooter that delivers a thrilling, satisfying multi-player co-op action game you'll want to play again and again...and again.

Read my review
"Some of the best co-op multiplayer play money can buy."

Read Gamespot's review (8.5/10)
"Left 4 Dead makes both sides of the zombie apocalypse a thrill to experience, as long as you're not alone."

Visit the Left 4 Dead home page for more info