The end of the year is coming upon us so its about that time to list my “Top 5″ lists.  Gonna start with the games.

#5 – Super Smash Bros. Brawl

I have been a fan of Smash Bros. since the beginning.  It offers a unique style of game play which has not been duplicated…other than by itself.  Its a great game to play by yourself or with a group of friends.  Always fun to play, no matter how many times you win, or how many times you lose….to Rei…using that OVERPOWERED UNBLOCKABLE special attack that the princess uses.  Besides the single player adventure there isn’t much new to this installation.  A few new levels, few new characters, and a few new items.  But still, since the basic formula of the game is SO MUCH FUN it gets a seat on the list.

#4 – Warhammer Online

My buddy Chris told me about this game I’d have to say 2 years ago.  I said I would try it out when it came out.  I thought that I would play it for a little bit and then be done.  Beta came out and the game floored me.  I have never had so much fun in a MMO before.  While the graphics aren’t the best, the game play dynamics are wonderful.  All of the classes were very balanced right out of the box.  No playing and then getting nurfed later.  The PvE doesn’t seem like a second job unlike some games (*cough…Warcraft…*cough).  The PvP (or RvR as its put in game) is very fun to play.  Each tier having multiple Scenarios to play in, in addition to world RvR which can get rather large.  The great thing about the tier system is that even on a RvR server, you don’t have to worry about some level 40 coming down and killing your level 10 character.  The game was designed very well.  My hats off to Mythic on this one.

#3 – Mario Kart Wii

Another game from Nintendo that consistently delivers.  Not much added to the game besides some new characters, items, and levels.  But once again that basic formula keeps the game fun.  I had a great time playing through it and I really didn’t hear otherwise from other people.  Just like Smash Bros. the game is fun to play alone and still fun to play with others.

#2 – Midnight Club: Los Angeles

Not only did MC:LA not disappoint, it exceeded my expectations!  The graphics are great, the cars look good, the control and feel is wonderful.  The game offers a challenge that you don’t find in many games anymore and it just made me want to play it more.  They give you tons of stuff to do, but at the same time you don’t have to do it to progress through the game.  The game is very challenging.  You will not blow away your opponent, and most of your races are won by a very small margin.  The customizations are very in depth.  You can do some really cool stuff with your car, then take pictures and upload them to show it off.  Its a great game, WAY better than the POS Need for Speed game that EA put out this year.  My faith in Rock Star was lost a bit after GTA IV, but they really brought me back with this game.

#1 – Rainbow Six: Vegas 2

RS: Vegas 2 delivered on everything I look for in a game.  The game looked and sounded great.  The game had a good plot that intertwined with Vegas 1.  The game had lots of action.  It was challenging.  And most important it was fun.  Everyone that knows me knows I am not a fan of XBox Live.  I get tired of playing with 13 year olds with bad tempers.  Even so, I still played this online and had a good time.  The customization of your character was really cool.  Also, another nice feature they added was that you got special gear and your previous weapons setup if you beat Vegas 1.  I really couldn’t ask for much more, that’s why I think this is the best game that came out in 2008.

Honorable Mentions:

Prince of Persia

I thought Prince of Persia deserved a honorable mention.  The game is beautiful (big fan of cell shading).  The sound is on point.  The movement is very fluid.  While you can’t die, its still very challenging at times.  Very well put together game.  I have only played about 6 hours or so into the game so I can’t honestly put it in my Top 5 without digging a little deeper.  But from what I see now it could have been there.

Metal Gear Solid 4

This didn’t make this list because…well…I didn’t play it.  Never got the PS3 to play it as it is the only game I actually want for the PS3.  However, from what I have heard and the previous Metal Gear Solids before, I’m pretty sure it would have made my list.