Brad's Game of the Year list revised.

So last weekend I named World of Goo my Game of the Year for 2008. This game was followed closely by Metal Gear Solid 4 and Fallout 3, which are also pretty fucking amazing games. Valkyria Chronicles was number 4 on my list. I think 2008 was a great year for games, and while number 4 is a great spot, there has been a change. I announced on the podcast that I had yet to beat Valkyria. Well I solved the game, and it is now my Game of the Year. I had been fairly close to finishing the game, and nothing groundbreaking really happened between then and the credits, but I didn't feel comfortable awarding the winner to a game I had not beaten. With that said, here are a couple of reasons why I love this underplayed gem so much.

The strategy was fresh, yet simple. And while simplicity in core design could lead to repetition in other games, Valkyria manages to have amazing variety in each combat scenario. Throughout the game, I never felt like I was doing the same thing twice. A stealthy night mission with an injured character or an all out battle versus a fortress on wheels (treads?) -- the range of gameplay was remarkable. And while a game like Advance Wars can impress solely on its strategy, Valkyria Chronicles manages to have an satisfying story to back up the great gameplay.

Compared to much of the 2008 competition, the story of Valkyria Chronicles felt small -- a good kind of small. Like a Suikoden or Matsuno game, you have control over key players in a conflict that doesn't feel like it is spanning the entire world/universe. And while, like in those games, Valkyria Chronicles does contain elements of fantastical lore, because the story is dialed back from the cliche "young boy saving the world from all powerful evil", the game feels much more realistic. The characters and themes are much more identifiable and adult, while still maintaining some quirky Japanese anime humor. The conclusion to the game was satisfying in a way very rare for Japanese RPGs, as most games in the genre become messy clusterfucks by the end of a long story.

The Japanese strategy/rpg genre has finally arrived this generation. Valkyria Chronicles is proof that the genre does not have to look and play like 16 bit games. Quit letting the industry push these games to handhelds, and go buy Valkyria Chronicles.

So here is the updated list:

10. N+
9. Castlevania Order of Ecclessia
8. Left 4 Dead
7. Tomb Raider: Underworld
6. Banjo Kazooie: Nuts and Bolts
5. Braid
4. Fallout 3
3. Metal Gear Solid 4
2. World of Goo
1. Valkyria Chronicles

Just missed the list: Yakuza 2, Little Big Planet, Professor Layton, Mirror's Edge, Devil May Cry 4, and No More Heroes.

Brad