WINNER: LittleBigPlanet
PUBLISHER: SCEA
RELEASE DATE: 10/28/08
ESRB RATING: E – Everyone
LittleBigPlanet is our top choice this year for its innovation, although make no mistake, Kojima’s masterpiece, Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots, is an extremely close second place winner. Had we chosen MGS4, there would have been no regrets, but LBP’s ‘innovative boldness,’ if you will, gives it the edge. We got our first taste of LBP at E3, and then we spent many hours with the beta. Soon after that we did a full review and it’s one of the exceedingly few titles to receive a perfect score here at Digital Chumps. The ability to easily create and share your creations and the powerful creative tools at your fingertips will keep this game fresh for many months to come. To date, there are about 85,000 levels, all free, to check out on the PSN.
RUNNERS-UP: Metal Gear Solid 4, Resistance 2
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
PS3 Sleeper Hit of the Year Award
WINNER: Valkyria Chronicles
Publisher: SEGA
Release Date: November 4th
ESRB Rating: T – Teen
Valkyria Chronicles is still rather new, but it’s a safe bet that most gamers didn’t hear much about the game before its November 4th release. High review scores have garnered this game much deserved attention for not only being one of the few PS3 exclusives that came out this year, but also for being an outright excellent game that successfully combines combat action with RPG elements. It’s definitely worth your attention moving forward to the end of the year and into next year.
RUNNERS-UP: Alone In the Dark: Inferno, Eternal Sonata
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
PS3 Creativity of the Year Award
WINNER: LittleBigPlanet
Publisher: SCEA
Release Date: 10/28/08
ESRB Rating: E – Everyone
LittleBigPlanet is a true achievement in next generation gaming that puts a tremendous amount of creative flexibility and possibility in every gamer’s hands. It is of little wonder then that there are about 85,000 user created levels already created and the game hasn’t even been in stores for a month yet. LBP took a bold step in trying something completely different and it has succeeded tremendously.
RUNNERS-UP: Echochrome, Pixel Junk: Eden
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
Best PSN Game of the Year Award
WINNER: Echochrome
Publisher: SCEA
Release Date: 05/01/08
ESRB Rating: E – Everyone
This was a great year for the PSN that saw several great exclusive and non-exclusive titles alike. Ratchet & Clank: Quest For Booty, Siren: Blood Curse, Warhawk and Pain expansions, Pixel Junk: Eden, WipeoutHD, Bionic Commando: Rearmed – each of these were great releases but we don’t think any of them can quite match the creative, addictive genius of Echochrome. Echochrome’s ultra simplistic and accessible design made it a wonderful game to play when you want to really think abstractly about spatial matters and perspective. At release there were dozens of puzzles to play and since then, dozens more have been created and shared by users.
RUNNERS-UP: Pixel Junk: Eden, WipeoutHD
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
PS3 Most Hotly Anticipated of 2009 Award
WINNER: God of War III
Publisher: SCEA
Release Date: TBA 2009
ESRB Rating: M (It’s A Safe Bet 😉 )
While 2008 was a good year for the PS3, there is no reason to believe that 2009 is going to be anything but even better. There are a lot of great titles on the horizon, but we’re playing it safe and putting our vote on God of War III. A few of us here have played the two PS2 versions a couple of times over, and the PSP God of War game, Chains of Olympus, turned heads too. God of War III could very well be the overall game of the year next year and we’re as anxious as can be to get our hands on it.
RUNNERS-UP: Too many to name 🙂
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
PS3 Best Sports Game
WINNER: NBA 2K9
Publisher: 2K Sports
Release Date: 10/07/08
ESRB Rating: E – Everyone
Sports games often get overlooked year to year as just being roster updates with (maybe) improved graphics, but NBA 2K9 brought with it the full package of features like never before. 2K’s series has been the NBA game of choice around our offices, and we were all thoroughly impressed with the attention to detail that 2K squeezed into this year’s version. With features like Living Rosters and NBA.com integration, an extremely deep yet accessible control scheme, and more customization sliders than you can a fake a nasty dunk on, NBA 2K9 is our clear winner.
RUNNER-UP: NHL 09
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
PS3 Best Game To Give You the Willies
WINNER: Condemned 2: Bloodshot
Publisher: SEGA
Release Date: 03/18/08
ESRB Rating: M – Mature
Condemned: Criminal Origins was a launch title for the Xbox 360 some three years ago now, and we still believe that it’s one of the best games on that console. The sequel came out for the 360 and the PS3 this March, and while the ending was a bit of a letdown, the ultra-creepy, always uneasy atmosphere created in the first Condemned was faithfully represented in Condemned 2: Bloodshot. Few games have ever given us nightmares, but Condemned 2’s mix of gritty first person action, realistic violence, and paranormal horror were more than sufficient in doing the trick.
RUNNERS-UP: Alone In the Dark: Inferno, Silent Hill: Homecoming, Siren: Blood Curse, Dead Space
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
PS3 Best Racing Title
WINNER: Motorstorm: Pacific Rift
Publisher: SCEA
Release Date: 10/28/08
ESRB Rating: T – Teen
Motorstorm: Pacific Rift barrel-rolled its way onto PS3s last month and we’ve had a hard time putting it down. Eight different vehicle classes and over a dozen courses with several event types set the stage for another round of wild, intense off-road racing, this time set on a lush Pacific island. Watch your engine temperature and keep the accelerator floored as you romp your way through The Festival in single player or take on friends on the PSN.
RUNNER-UP: Pure
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
PS3 Best Fighting Game
WINNER: Soulcalibur IV
Publisher: Namco-Bandai Games
Release Date: 07/29/08
ESRB Rating: T – Teen
The long running Soulcalibur series made it first appearance on next-gen consoles with Soulcalibur IV. SCIV is a gorgeous game with a great character roster and several deep and enjoyable modes of play. The ability to unlock and control Darth Vader and his Apprentice was a treat for PS3 owners, and Yoda has since been released for DLC on the PSN. We thought SCIV was not only the best in its series, but one of the very best in its genre.
RUNNER-UP: Mortal Kombat Vs DC Universe