Ok, so I realize these rankings are late, and I'm not trying to have them counted. Just wanted to post up my tops of the year. tl;dr post below:
Top 5 handheld games:
5. Advance Wars: Days of Ruin
4. Loco Roco 2 PSP
3. Wipeout Pulse PSP
2. Ketsui Death Label DS
1. Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia DS
Top 5 arcade games:
5. VF5R
4. Deathsmiles Black Label
3. Street Fighter IV
2. Dodonpachi Daifukkatsu
1. Mushihimesama Futari Black Label
Top 10 Games of the Year (all formats)
Basically, spaces in my GOTY list are mainly allocated to games that live up to what they're trying to be, that provide exactly what I expect out of them. I'm also really partial to games that can be played in short sessions, like less than an hour. I have officially lost patience with wait-fests like the Last Remnant etc. and instead go for short, sharp gaming sessions, and this influences my choices.
10. Street Fighter 2: HD Remix XBOX360
Yeah just a sick game that has great pick-up-and-play value to it. Netcode is about all you can ask for, and I'm really glad Sirlin got this through for everyone who likes fighters.
9. Braid XBOX360
Braid has this awesome, melancholy presentation that really sucked me in. I wound up beating most of it in one night, staying up really late. The twists that the story takes at the end were almost profound, and a statement on gamers and gaming in general that no other game has managed to make. Challenging puzzles and deep meaning, rare nowadays. Something I hope will be emulated by other games who realize that gaming doesn't have to be stupid as fuck.
8. Ikaruga XBOX360
Ikaruga of course came out earlier for the GC and the DC, but the fact that we now have really accurate online rankings here and replays are instantly downloadable makes it worth mentioning as one of the year's best in my opinion. Ikaruga itself I would compare to Chess, Go or Shougi in its deep complexity and rewarding depth. Watching a good Ikaruga player is like watching a good pianist. The achievements are also perfectly presented for this game and give you an incentive to work for that (at first unattainable!) 1 credit clear.
7. Call of Duty 4 Expansion Pack XBOX360
Yes, a map pack. But it brought me back to my 2007 GOTY COD4 for a month or two and that is enough. I really liked all the maps, though I'm in the minority there.
6. Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia DS
A solid new Castlevania with a lot to explore and action divvied up into bite-size gaming bits. No insane time commitments, and yet a strong challenge. Gotta love that. New Game + and other modes included, and a saucy female protagonist. Win.
5. Ketsui Death Label DS
Best handheld shooter of the year in my opinion. This game will grip the fuck out of you for a good 30 hours, or at least until you beat the insane Death Label mode. What makes it great is the steady unlock of new modes and features as you go along. Plenty of incentive to play, and hard.
4. Gears of War 2 XBOX 360
I played this before I played GOW1 and I fucking loved it. Yeah, online mode is broken and currently a shame to Epic's reputation, but single player and horde mode is enough to put this on my top 10. I can only take so much of the Hollywood-esque presentation in games, but with Gears it somehow works and I'm laughing as much as I'm saying 'Holy shit!'
3. Dodonpachi Daifukkatsu Arcade
This is the fourth game in CAVE's Dodonpachi series, which takes all the classic manic shooter gameplay of the previous installments and turns them on their head by letting you cancel bullets and jack up your chain to boost points. But as you're cancelling bullets and moving through the game's beautiful environments and music, you'll also have to switch between shot and laser to repulse enemy lasers and it's this constant change-up and the addictive and forgiving chain system that makes the game truly fun. Add in several beginner-friendly modes and you have a solid addition to the arcade lineup for 2008 which is also probably the most beautiful game in the room at the moment.
2. Fallout 3 XBOX360
For me this game is a revolution and I hope other take notice. Gone is the traditional JRPG standard of watching a story go by as you play along, happily tapping the A button, making sure that you haven't missed any quests, any item to make sure you get the biggest sword at the end. Sure there's some of that, but in Fallout 3 you have to survive, and you have to play a role! You literally have to make tough decisions as you go through the game. Low on ammo? Will you pickpocket somebody to get some and ruin your relationship with them/drop your karma? Will you blow up this town or save it? Etc. etc.
To be fair, I never played Oblivion or anything else so I am new to this type of WRPG, but damn I'm loving it. Game is colossal, and the amount of attention devoted to detail is just inspiring. I also love its futuristic/post-apocalypse setting which is so much more fun than shitty feudal-era RPGs.
1. Mushihimesama Futari Black Label Arcade
Mushihimesama is one of CAVE's flagship series, and its sequel in 2006, Futari was already a great game. Black Label alters the scoring system by encouranging you to shoot enemies point blank, and constantly alternate between laser and shot. Really, really fun. Great graphics, great music. The dark theme of the black labels really does the title well here and stage 3 is particularly beautiful. Stage 4's constant rush of popcorn enemies and last-minute bullet-cancelling explosions also really make this game shine for me. One of the most fun levels in a shooter IMO. Add in that you have Maniac and God difficulties to challenge if you dare, and an all around arcade classic in my opinion. No coincidence that Ikeda Tsuneki (CAVE's main programmer) has described it as his favorite game.