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 mega-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's some of the best games that you may have overlooked or completely forgotten about during this record manic run up to the end of the year.



April 2008

Grand Theft Auto IV (360/PS3)

Killer Quote: "Rockstar's magnum opus is a modern-day masterpiece that could change the way the world views videogames."

Score: 5 out of 5 stars


We're not too sure what else needs to be said about Grand Theft Auto IV at this point. Suffice it to say that that this epic thriller sold over 10 million copies worldwide as of August, and will likely keep on trucking well into next year. Niko Bellic and his checkered past make for the perfect GTA hero character; the things he needs to do to get ahead and survive might be close to the bone, but gamers are all in agreement that GTA4 was more than worth the wait.

Mario Kart Wii (Wii)

Killer Quote: "Red shells will fly, turbo boosts will pop and you'll have a lot of fun ruling the roads of Mushroom Kingdom. Ladies and gentlemen, start your engines."

Score: 4.5 out of 5 stars


Mario Kart Wii represented the first real success for Nintendo's online multiplayer initiative with the Wii. Aside from enjoying the excellent offline content, you're able to easily hook up to the Internet and race other karters from around the world. The experience is generally lag-free and makes for intense 12-player battles. We found ourselves totally hooked on racing online, and with a ton of cool leaderboards and stats tracking thrown in too, this title sets the bar for the Wii's online presence.