Hold on a second, fanboys. Unlike my first two examples, I’m not saying that the game from 2007 is better than the game from 2008. Although both involve a futuristic military hero fighting off alien-like invaders by activating some kind of science fiction MacGuffin (such as a Halo ring or a Lightmass bomb), the two Xbox shooters are actually pretty damn distinct. Each is awesome in its own way and you can prefer whichever you like.

What underwhelmed me this year, compared to last year, was the celebration. The launch of Halo 3 was an event, a worldwide party involving massive product placement, glitzy celebrity endorsements and spectacular publicity stunts. The logo was plastered on everything from Burger King fries and Mountain Dew bottles to the towering NASDAQ billboard in Times Square. Master Chief was posing with everyone from actor Zac Efron to rapper Lil Jon. The game got its own friggin’ Discovery Channel special and its own 1200 foot diorama. Hell, we even managed to squeeze 32 consecutive weeks of HaloRadar coverage out of all the hoopla.

Yes, people anticipated Gears 2. Yes, they lined up outside of stores the day of release. Yes, the game sold incredibly, incredibly, incredibly well.

 The buzz, however, just couldn’t compare...

At first, we had the guitar... and that was enough. We happily smacked those rainbow buttons, strummed that cheap plastic bar and made believe we were rock stars. Then, in 2007, Rock Band revolutionized the genre and convinced us we really were rock stars. Drums. Microphones. Super customizable avatars. MTV-quality concert footage. Unending streams of downloadable songs. With three other players, you weren’t pretending anymore. You had a band.

Where would music games go in 2008, I wondered? What new wishes would they fulfill? What final barriers to full immersion would be toppled? The answer to those questions was disappointing, to say the least.

Rock Band 2 went wireless and not much else. Guitar Hero, the original torchbearer for the genre, merely added the same instruments that Rock Band added a year ago, then piled on some rubber cymbals, a pointless DS adaptation and a studio mode that only the patiently dedicated will ever figure out. Meanwhile, me-too crap like Rock Revolution, Ultimate Band, Battle of the Bands and PopStar Guitar wasted our time and naïve customers’ money.

The year was full of noise, but devoid of innovation. And don’t tell me 2007 was a unique year for the genre, a landmark impossible to repeat, because 2009 already sounds like a winner. Harmonix, the company behind Rock Band and the original Guitar Hero, is promising a Beatles game with “a number of new dimensions.” Activision, the current publisher of Guitar Hero, has trademarked the title DJ Hero. Seems like 2008 was just a placeholder.

While the Wii is easily the best-selling home console of this generation, most of that success can be attributed to casual gamers. You know the stereotype - moms, toddlers and grandpas. These folks can’t tell the difference between a game designed by Shigeru Miyamoto and a game designed by OshKosh B’Gosh. They’re not interested in classic characters or the return of beloved franchises; so long as they can wave that magic wand at the television screen and see something move, they’re satisfied.
So is Nintendo.

Each holiday, though, the company throws a bone to its real fans - the folks who have been around since the days of 8- and 16-bit. This game will be the thing we chew on for months to come, the single scrap that will forgive all the Petz and Bratz and Poniez and Babyz.

Last year, they threw us Super Mario Galaxy, which Metacritic scored a 97. This year, they threw us Animal Crossing: City Folk, which received an average of 73. I don’t care if you like both franchises - one of those is clearly more desirable than the other. (Okay, so I’m ignoring stuff like Smash Bros. Brawl and Mario Kart... but if you want them back in the formula, you have to add Wii Music and Personal Trainer: Cooking, too.)

In conclusion! Obviously, I haven't mentioned every great game that came out this year... or every mediocre game that released last year. There's a lot of room for argument and disagreement here. I can't escape these five general examples, however, and worry that they're somehow indicative of an overall regression for the industry.

Agree or disagree, leave a comment below and let me know what you think. And here’s hoping 2009 tries just a bit harder.

Dec 12, 2008

Worst box art of 2008
Cringe at 20 of the year's best examples of awful packaging

2008’s prettiest games
Pick your jaw off the floor and bask in their rainbow-colored glow

Games you won’t get to until 2009
In a packed holiday season, even awesome games fall by the wayside

100% game-free gift guide
Fantastic ideas for the gamer who already has all the games