Welcome to the first in a long line of x360a “Game of the Year” awards ceremonies where we brush the dust off the tux and sit around with cheap champagne to tell you who we thought were the real winners (and losers) this year in the gaming world. Rather than drip feed you the results, we thought we’d just throw them at you like one gigantic snowball. So go get your tux on, the party starts after the break. Be warned, it’s a long one!

We kick off proceedings this year with the “Best Premise” category. This category is simple; it’s the game where on the face of it, the premise, i.e. concept, sounds like the best game ever. However, sometimes these concepts deliver and sometimes they fall way sort, this year as always, has had a little from column A and a little from column B.

Failing to make the winner’s podium this year are our runners up; Legendary and Mirror’s Edge. Legendary was the “Turning Point” of the year; a pretty impressive sounding concept that is totally and utterly ordinary. We’ve always wanted to take on a whole range of mythological beasts that get released from Pandora’s box in a shooter, but no-one said it had to be mediocre. Such a shame.

Seriously, even non Star Wars fans were quite looking forward to using the Force to cause wanton destruction but it never quite materialised like that. Telekinesis plus Spidey senses plus mind control should automatically mean Game of the Year, right? Wrong! Star Wars wasn’t a bad game, it was just that it wasn’t what it could have been. It had a hugely intriguing idea and potential for scope with the Force, but we can’t help but feel that with a little more polish, a few less glitches, that The Force Unleashed could have been so much more than the best premise this year.

Ahhh, story time. I’ve got to admit I’m a sucker for a deep and intriguing story ... You know, the type of story that will engage the senses, keep you on the edge of your seat and really hit home on an emotional level. That’s all well and good saying that, but what makes a good story? Twists, great characters that you can relate to and plenty of action in our opinion ... Who made the cut this year I wonder.

It’s definitely a tough category this year with Fallout taking the award by a nose length. GTA IV although a fantastic plot seemed somewhat cliché and predictable but Fallout was a total mixed bag. Fallout 3 maps the life of Vault 101’s “vault dweller” from birth to near death (on multiple times) with plenty of huge and wonderful twists and choices along the way. The story takes place all over a devastated post-apocalyptic Washington DC as our vault dweller tries to find his father and unravel the mysteries of this once prosperous land. Without being spoilerific, if Fallout 3’s story was one word in a dictionary, it would be awesome.

The multiplayer aspect of a game is to live and die for a huge proportion of gamers ... I mean where else can you kill someone’s digital character and torment them after? Well, only on Xbox Live, that’s for sure (we know there are other places but don’t ruin the moment dammit!). This category places the biggest and best multiplayer aspects of a title in to a ring to duke it out for the top dog award. As always, there can only be one winner.

Was there really ever going to be another winner here? I mean, Left 4 Dead is the perfect multiplayer game. It gives you plenty of variation, co-operative and competitive gameplay, and the chance of killing wave after wave of zombie, sorry, I mean infected. Utter gaming bliss presented in a fantastic way. Seriously, where would multiplayer gaming be without Valve? Think that one over.

Welcome to the eye candy category where we do what men do best ... become vain and ogle at who is the better looking. Of course I’m talking about video games, you don’t think we’re that perverted, do you? Either way, you’ve got to be as fine as Cleopatra to get nominated in this category, yet alone win it. We’re talking the titles that turn heads, the titles you give a second look and wonder whether you are in fact playing a game or watching a high budget film ... the category where looks are everything!

Epic Games and Gears of War have been setting the standard for graphics for some time now and 2008 was no different. In every way, shape and form, Gears of War 2 looked stunning and continues to set the bar for games in the 21st century; with no game even coming close to its level. Whether you’re talking about the character detail, the dynamic lighting or the textures, chances are Gears of War 2 will still be setting standards long in to 2009.

The soundtrack in this day and age of gaming plays as big apart as the graphics. As the famous saying goes “presentation is everything” and that rings true with part of that complete package definitely being the soundtrack. Come on, you wouldn’t take a second look at Megan Fox if she sounded like Marcus Fenix would you? In this category we’ll look at the titles that sent shivers down our spines with powerful scores and blew us away with the performance of the cast.

In at the top spot this year is Prince of Persia with his debut on the current generation technology. Whilst missing out slightly on top spot as far as the graphics went, Prince of Persia is a resounding winner in the soundtrack category. The epic soft Arabian score is complimented by a fantastic performance and chemistry by the game’s two stars (Nathan Nolan and Kari Wahlgren). It ultimately meant that Prince of Persia takes home the prize for the top audio dog this year.

We all love our classic franchises right, but they’ve all got to start somewhere, right? And that’s usually at the beginning. This category is where those newcomers get a chance to shine under the spotlight rather than be crowded out by a market full of titles that have had more facelifts than Madonna. After all, we do need a bit of fresh blood every so often.

Taking home the candy this year is Valve’s latest first person shooter built on the much heralded Source engine. Left 4 Dead takes co-op gameplay and zombie annihilation to a new level and takes advantage of Valve’s new AI Director; a script that adapts to your performance as a team, meaning infinite replayability for you and your chums. Left 4 Dead is a worthy winner of this award this year and we hope this is the start of a beautiful friendship.

The Xbox Live Arcade is the best creation ever for some people and an annoying distraction for others. Whoever you are though, you can’t deny its success in bringing back some old skool and simplistic, innovative games to the forefront of gaming. Here we throw praise upon some of the best titles that are available for download on our Xbox Live Arcade every Wednesday and boy, has it been a good year or what!

It was definitely a close one in this category this year but for us, the amusing and beautiful looking Castle Crashers takes home the slice of pie. Dan Paladin’s art styles amongst an old skool 2D combat on a 3D axis side scroller is a fantastic title worthy of a place in anyone’s collection. Throw in loads of massive, oversized boss fights and some black humour and we have a real winner on our hands this year.

Now THIS is the future of gaming, because if it wasn’t for innovation like this every year with developers trying something new and innovative, then gaming would get stale ... a bit like films ... Oh! I so went there. Prepare to throw praise on those that were bold, tried to change the world a brick at a time and truly make an impact.

Voice activated controls has been touted as the next step for gaming for some time now but everyone seems to shy away from it, everyone except Ubisoft Shangai that is. Tom Clancy’s EndWar is the first fully fledged voice controlled title and for a first attempt, the command system is pretty damn impressive already. It would be rude to have given it to anyone else this year because if we’re being honest with ourselves, this is pretty damn revolutionary. Kudos, kudos indeed!

In order to be classed as a surprise hit for this year’s category, expectations have to be low or even non-existent. You know, that game you either buy on a whim or you buy because you have nothing better to play ... But as always in life, the underdog can shock the hell out of you and this year’s “surprise hit” category awards those that did just that.

Let’s be honest, no one knew what to expect of Lost Odyssey before it landed in February of this year. JRPGs on the whole don’t tend to be huge sellers (unless it has Final and Fantasy in the title) but when we got our mits on Lost Odyssey at the beginning of the year, we were blown away. A gripping story line, intertwined with a traditional turn based stance, with great visuals and a fantastic soundtrack meant that Lost Odyssey takes home our surprise hit of the year award.

In order for there to be a cloud of disappointment surrounding a title, the game itself needs to have had some sort of positive anticipation. This is usually generated by the PR folk themselves or with the natural assumption that comes with a franchise; the successor should absolutely put the predecessor to shame. The disappointment of the year category is riddled with titles that we just had a bit more hope for, but failed to deliver. We’re not saying they’re bad games, we’re saying ... is that it?

Did you really expect another winner this year? Too Human, like its counterparts in this category was a title that didn’t deliver. Being the first in the franchise usually means you get a bit of room for movement, but like Peter Molyneux found out with the original Fable, don’t promise something and then not deliver. Better yet, don’t do that and follow it up by claiming that people just didn’t “get it” and look elsewhere but the product in front of them. Excuse me Mr Dyach, I didn’t realise that there was much to “get” from a repetitive samey dungeon crawler with no user controlled camera. Forgive us please.

We’ve come to the point in the award ceremony where we reward developers for what they do best; making games. We don’t just look at who made the best game however, we look at the complete package and that includes game support, ease of access and general awesomeness. Who really impressed us most this year?

For us, the winner this year was a no brainer. Sure, it’s all well and good supporting titles after release which DICE have and are still doing as well, but they’ve also managed to churn out, not one, but two premium titles this year in the form of Bad Company and Mirror’s Edge. Now that truly is the sign of a good studio. Congratulations DICE you Swedish studs you.

So we move on to battle of the big boys; the publishers ... the multi billion pound companies that plough hundreds of millions in to game development a year; funding new and exciting (sometimes horrible and unsatisfying as well) titles that we have the pleasure in buying. So who truly had the best line-up this year?

To take home the cheese this year are of course Microsoft and their game studios, who not only stake claim to one or two killer titles this year, but three! Gears of War 2, Fable 2 and Lost Odyssey are all absolutely fantastic games, each different and unique in their own right and a more than worthy purchase. Their support line-up is solid as well with a huge variety of titles on offer, from the family orientated Scene It? to the blood thirsty orientated with Ninja Gaiden 2. Sprinkle on some of Rare’s magic with yet more Viva Pinata and Banjo –Kazooie and we’re pretty sure they’ll be happy with 2008. Let’s hope 2009 is as big, although, we can’t see.

Here we are then ... The moment you’ve all been waiting for, the pinnacle of the awards this year ... in fact, the pinnacle and last thing we do this year period. Wow, I need a break. Up for the award were the crème de la crème of the year; we’re talking triple A, maybe even quadruple A this year, but seriously, these guys deserve all the credit they get for creating these titles that will live strong in our memories for years ... well until the sequel no doubt. Without further ado ... let the unveiling commence.

Flying in as x360a’s Game of the Year 2008 is no other than Bethesda Game Studios’ very own Fallout 3, a franchise brought back from the dead and put right back on top of the world by the grand daddy of RPGs. Bethesda certainly did a fantastic job of creating a post apocalyptic Washington DC and throwing you in to a world of humour, decisions and plenty of radiation! It’s essentially Oblivion with guns from the outside but the incredible amount of detail in its inhabitants and missions gives Fallout 3 the traditional Fallout feel of old. All we can say now is ... roll on January and let us sink our teeth in to that DLC.

 ______________________________