It seems that my Christmas wish last year came true and we were all blessed with what was arguable the best year of gaming ever. I still have a bunch of great games that I have yet to finish or even start for that matter but the following are the games that left a permanent euphoric imprint on my brain and heart alike. 

Best Sports Title: FIFA 2008 

For those of you who don't know I am a huge sports nut in the non virtual world. The huge leaps gaming has made in the recent years has made my boyhood fantasy of playing as a professional athlete as tangable as it will ever get. I follow many different sports and leagues and the same applies to my gaming habits. 

Pro Evolution Soccer, the previous undisputed heavyweight, has been pumemelled off the number one spot this year and has been replaced my the simply amazing FIFA 08. Also worth a mention is another EA Sports title by the name of NHL 08, which is arguable more fun to play but the fact that ice hockey is not everyone cup of tea drops it to second. 

Best Multiplayer: Call of Duty 4 

On the multiplayer side of things we were swamped with shooters which seem to have taken up camp on the 360. FIFA 08 again seems to offer some fresh online options with 5 vs 5, streaming podcasts and the ability to play seasons with your friends. Halo 3 broke all sorts of records in its maiden week and with Forge Bungie has really thrown down the gauntlet for all future FPS, GRAW 2 offered bucket loads of options in its online mode and although Team Fortress 2 was a massive success on the PC its inferior brethren on the 360 failed to make an impact due to technical issues. 

Put the one game that nailed the whole package for me was Infinity Wards COD 4. It was the one game, outside of the sports realm, that suck its hooks deep into me. It may not offer anything new in terms of pure mechanics but the online set up had be coming back to complete one more challenge or rack up a few more kills as I aim to unlock my next weapon. 

Best Breath of Fresh Air: Portal 

SPOILER -------> Dont listen to if you havent finished the game!! 

Portal came out of nowhere and blow me away. The fairy tale story of the development team being taken under Valve's wing is even more reason to enjoy a game of this quality as they could have so easily been swept under the rug. 

Most Smile Educing Game: Super Mario Galaxy 

I have been waiting for a reason to justify my Wii purchase for a year now and I now have reason to rub my purchase in the face of all the non Wii owners. Super Mario Galaxy is the answer to my silicon prayers. 

I have never played a game before than made me feel like I was a ten year old on Christmas day all the way until the credits rolled. If you have a Wii stop reading this post and go and buy yourself SMG right now! 

Game of Mardas Year: Mass Effect 

This game is rammed with flaws yet it still managed to keep me wanting to know more about the story and the characters. The dialogue tree not what we were promised by any means and the weapon upgrades are poorly done but this game is so much more than the sum of its parts. 

There were some great moments in the game that I really didnt see coming which elevated it beyond your average sci-fi shenanigans. The fact that it had so many problems yet still managed to partially blind me to them while I was playing makes it a triumph. 

I am 25 hours in and I only hope I have the time to tackle all the side missions before I take on the Reapers! 

This is the final post on the year and I would like to thank you all for reading my blog and I wish you all the happiest new year and the time of your life in 2008!