Gamasutra’s Best of 2008

Gamasutra brings us their selections for last year’s best video games, with a handful of RPG-related mentions showing up within. In summary, Fallout 3 took the #1 spot on the PC game list and the #1 spot on the overall game list, Bethesda Game Studios was among the top 5 best developers, and Mythic’s decision not to credit some Warhammer Online developers was one of the top controversies. Here’s why Fallout 3 scored the top prize:

Perhaps the greatest argument to date that games are about more than wish fulfillment — for who’d wish to be a vault exile in an expansive, exhausting wasteland? And yet Bethesda’s vision of the American dream languishing in nuclear post-apocalypse is as compelling as it is haunting.

The bar was high for Bethesda after the much-vaunted Oblivion, lauded for its freedom of choice — and Fallout 3 topped it, offering an unprecedentedly exhausting array of options and a rarely-seen level of subtlety.

There’s just so much to do and see that Fallout 3 becomes that rare game that asks the player to wonder what life would feel like in such ruthless circumstances, offering an impressive level of immersion and placing the burden of careful thought — and, sometimes, emotion — behind every tactical selection and progression decision.

Despite its flaws, the larger swath of experiences to be had throughout dwarfs the main storyline, and the vast wasteland begs to be lived in.