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Merry Christmas everybody! Welcome to The Twelve Games
of Christmas! The first in a brand new series set to be run here
at Electronic Theatre over the next twelve days
highlighting the top picks of each month’s disc-based retail
releases in 2008. The Twelve Games of Christmas aims to not
only highlight some of the greatest achievements in videogames over
the past twelve months, but also to remind you of some of the games
you may have missed – and can be snapped-up for a few less pennies
in those January Sales!
Obviously, we will begin today with January. A typically slow months
for videogame releases, January 2008 saw the likes of BurnOut
Paradise and Advance Wars: Dark Conflict (known as
Advance Wars: Days of Ruin in the US) supported by PDC World
Championship Darts 2008, and very little else of note.
Runners-Up:
BurnOut Paradise (PLAYSTATION3, Xbox360)
Undoubtedly a stylish game from corner to curb, BurnOut Paradise
took the series’ traditionally frantic races onto an open-world
of circuits. Though perhaps a little disappointing for those who
were hoping to see return to the more skill-orientated
pulse-pounding Boost System and tight twists of BurnOut 2: Point
of Impact, yet Criterion Studio’s continued commitment to their
game is second-to-none.
Free downloads have fixed insurmountable issues – from online play
features to the positioning of options on Menus – offered new
challenges and even introduced motorbikes for the first time in the
series. New additions – both available for download and in a brand
new retail package with the original game – promise to keep the fans
coming back for more, and there’s certainly few games that can say
with confidence that they’ll still be aggressively holding a place
in the market a whole year after initial release.
PDC World Championship Darts 2008 (PlayStation2, PC)
The PDC World Championship Darts series may not be too high
on many Hardcore Gamers’ agendas, but the titles have never been
less than capable. Despite receiving some particularly unwanted
coverage at the time of release – of which, it must be said, most
was unfairly harsh - PDC World Championship Darts 2008
performed well at retail, leading to reputable development studio
Rebellion (the team behind Rogue Trooper and the PlayStation
Portable’s Star Wars Battlefront: Renegade Squadron) taking
the reins on Wii’s version of PDC World Championship Darts 2009.
Best of January 2008:
Advance Wars: Dark Conflict (NintendoDS)
As twee as ever, there really was no competition for
January in Europe. Advance Wars: Dark Conflict took a more
solemn approach to tiny cartoon men blowing each other up, and
mixed-up the formula with new units and an enhanced Campaign Mode.
Multi-Player was a big feature too, with the wealth of gameplay
modes and a shining example of how Single-Card Download can be used
to its fullest, padded with layer-upon-layer of Maps, customisable
rules and new units designed specifically with this purpose in mind.
Advance Wars: Dark Conflict may feel like an
update of the NintendoDS’ previous release, Advance Wars: Dual
Strike, to some, but it’s not long before even the most
reluctant player is plunging the depths that the game offers. The
Advance Wars series has always been an addictive gem, and many
believe it’s on top form on the NintendoDS. Any serious gamer who
would argue have simply not played Advance Wars: Dark Conflict
to any meaningful degree. |
