Best of 2008: Inventory

There's something about this time of year - and it seems to happen earlier and earlier - that just gets me revved up. Obviously, I'm talking about making Best-Of-The-Year lists.

2008 was a notable year for me in the gaming category. This was my first year owning all major systems, and I spent quite a lot of money in the process. As a result, I've got a lot more ground to cover, and since it's a slow Tuesday morning in mid-November, I figure now is as good a time as any to figure out what the hell it was that I actually played this year.

Also: The year in Points: I started the year at 28788; I am currently at 37403. There's still 6 weeks left in the year, so I still have time to make it to an even 10,000 point swing. I could put a serious dent in that if I get the new Scene It? game, and I just might; I really enjoyed the last one.

And some notes, before we get into the business:

• This list simply reflects everything I played this year, not just what I bought.
  
• This is going to be as chronological as I can make it.
  
• It will also probably omit XBLA and PSN titles, because I can't keep track of all of them. (But I have not forgotten about Braid.) EDIT: Added at bottom.
  
• All titles were played on the 360 unless otherwise indicated.
  
• These are only the games that came out in 2008; I also bought up a bunch of 2007's best titles for the Wii and PS3, but those will not be reflected in this list.

OK, on to the madness.

1. Burnout Paradise
   
2. Devil May Cry 4
   
3. Lost Odyssey
   
4. Professor Layton (DS)
5. MLB2K8
   
6. Bully
   
7. Condemned 2
   
8. Flatout: Ultimate Carnage
9. Crisis Core: Final Fantasy 7 (PSP)
10. God of War: Chains of Olympus (PSP)
11. MLB08 (PSP)
12. Okami (Wii)
13. Grand Theft Auto 4
14. Boom Blox (Wii)
15. CrossworDS (DS)
16. MLB08: The Show (PS3)
17. Hot Shots Golf: Out of Bounds (PS3)
18. Hot Shots Golf: Open Tee 2 (PSP)
19. Lego Indiana Jones
20. Ninja Gaiden 2
21. GRID
22. Dark Sector
23. The World Ends with You (DS)
    
24. Mario Kart (Wii)
    
25. Metal Gear Solid 4 (PS3)
26. Alone in the Dark
27. Unreal Tournament 3
28. Battlefield: Bad Company
29. Frontlines: Fuel of War
    
30. Tiger Woods 09
31. Civilization Revolution
32. Civilization Revolution (DS)
33. Tales of Vesperia
34. Mercenaries 2
35. Viva Pinata: Trouble in Paradise
36. Infinite Undiscovery
37. Pure
38. Too Human
39. Star Wars: The Force Unleashed
40. Silent Hill: Homecoming
41. Sonic Chronicles: Dark Brotherhood (DS)
42. Fable 2
43. Saints Row 2
44. Dead Space
45. Little Big Planet (PS3)
    
46. Motorstorm: Pacific Rift (PS3)
    
47. Fallout 3
48. Rock Band 2
49. Gears of War 2
50. Mirror's Edge
51. Bond 007: Quantum of Solace
    
52. Left 4 Dead (not yet released)
53. Tomb Raider: Underworld (not yet released)
54. Prince of Persia (not yet released)
55. Last Remnant (not yet released)
56. Chrono Trigger (DS) (not yet released)

XBLA titles

1. Rez HD
2. Poker Smash
3. N+
4. Penny Arcade 1
5. Geometry Wars 2
6. Braid
7. Bionic Commando Rearmed
8. Fable 2 Pub Games
9. Duke Nukem 3D
10. Portal: Still Alive
11. Penny Arcade 2
12. Kingdom for Keflings