2008 has proved to be another stellar year for gaming. It's incredible to think that last year's offerings have ostensibly been topped by nearly 12 months of relentless high-scoring game releases. While our final judgment on our own Game of the Year looms in next month's annual blowout feature, we thought it would be interesting to take a look at some of the highest scoring titles released from January through June of 2008. It's going to be interesting to see if any of these titles are still going to vie for the overall Game of the Year awards but stranger things have certainly happened.

Without further ado, here are some of the best games that you may have overlooked or completely forgotten about during the manic run up to the end of the year.



January 2008

Burnout Paradise (PS3/360)

Killer Quote: "Paradise is undoubtedly the first must-own racing game of 2008."

Score: 4.5 out of 5 stars


Burnout Paradise is a great example of how a developer can deliver a fine game out of the gate, but also how a consistent flow of downloadable content enhances the post-release experience. Sporting multiple free DLC packs including the awesome Burnout Bikes, which added in four awesome motorbikes to the player's stable of cars, Criterion is a DLC role model for other studios.

No More Heroes (Wii)

Killer Quote: "No More Heroes is one of the most gleefully 'WTF' experiences you'll have in gaming this year."

Score: 4 out of 5 stars


Grasshopper's track record for crafting freakishly entertaining games is well-known at this point. Killer 7 blew away any preconceptions that the Nintendo GameCube wasn't capable of edgy adult content and NMH did exactly the same thing for Nintendo Wii. Featuring Travis Touchdown, one of the weirdest superheroes ever, this is one title that Wii owners need to try for themselves.