2008 Game of the Year, Day 3: The CG Awards

And on the third day Uncle Crispy created a winner, and he saw that it was good.
12/23/2008 6:14 PM | 2 Comments | Page 8 of 13

David Chapman: Even though I've always been a fan of the genre, it's been a while since any survival horror game really lived up to the "horror" part. Dead Space took that to a new level, from the grotesque Necromorphs lurking around every corner to the faint voices heard in the background that tease your sanity. After the visceral fun of lopping off alien limbs, you have to watch these things still coming at you. It's good to know that there are still reasons to be afraid of things that go bump in the night.

Paul Semel: I knew even before finished it the first time that I'd want to play it again. Such is the hallmark of a great game. But then, what did I expect from a sci-fi version of Resident Evil? A trigger-happy variation on Silent Hill? A scary version of Gears of War? Dead Space also illustrated just how important sound can be to a game, something that's often lost among visually-oriented game fans. Granted, the story could've been better, but since I spent most of my time on the edge of freaking out, it didn't really matter.

Evan Narcisse: Even though this game scared me to half to death, it gets the nod because of what it represents. Dead Space showed that original ideas -- from a huge company like EA, no less -- can still find traction in a market where sequels and copy seem predestined. It also put the horror back in the "survival horror" genre, with strong attention to atmospherics and tone. Dead Space stripped away a lot of the barnacles from both the genre and company.


World of Goo
(2D Boy)

Russ Fischer: Even if this gem were not the product of a basement studio (or a coffee shop studio, as the case often was), it would still be one of the most entertaining and impressive games of the year. The backstory just makes the success more delicious. Do I highlight World of Goo because it represents that game journo sweet spot where hardcore mechanics, writing and basic gameplay all come together in perfect harmony? Of course. But that harmony also means the game is unfailingly entertaining, and that's the bottom line.

Blake Snow: Sign Painter is the new GLaDOS, and it's the freshest game released in two to three years, indie origins and downloads be damned.


Burnout Paradise
(Criterion Software)
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Dan Hsu: Before fans got a chance to get burnt out on Burnout, developer Criterion Games changed the formula from a track-to-track progression to a system that would feel more at home in Liberty City. Sure, it's now a little clichéd to "GTA" a game, but the open-world style works so well here. Pick and choose your events, find collectibles to smash through, discover hidden shortcuts and ramps, and just try to blink once in a while in this thoroughly addicting and eyeball-shearing racer.