So, 2008 is finally over, and we're moving into 2009 with new hopes, fears and video games. But, lest we forget some of the great achievements, magnificent falls and world records set in the world of gaming during the year 2008, here's the Best of 2008 list. Enjoy.

January:

The fifth game in the Burnout series, Burnout Paradise, hits our screens with huge success. The game featured open-end gameplay, free-roaming, a choice of cars and a good, strong online system seamlessly tied into the offline gameplay. The game featured no loading times and no traditional online lobbies, bringing gaming into almost a new format. Not only was the game fantastic, but the constant addition of downloadable content has kept Burnout Paradise alive and up there with some of the best gaming achievements ever. For this reason, it has made our Best of 2008.

February:

The PSP got another, well deserved boost up in the pint-sized form of God of War: Chains of Olympus. The developer went to the extremes to create this stunning game, while completely avoiding the pitfall of making a game which felt like a console re-make. We included this in our Best of 2008 list because it was one of very few PSP games released around that time which was actually worth playing.

March:

Wii continued it's fighting trend with the latest addition to a much-loved family; Super Smash Bros. Brawl. It's included here cause it's just brilliantly mental.

April:

Ninty's quest for innovation with their latest console continued with the addition of Wii Fit to the Nintendo family. The game took the fun elements from Wii Sports and combined them with Nintendo's brand new peripheral, the Wii balance board. The game, as well as helping gamers to become more active, could calculate a players body mass index, and calculate their 'Wii Fitness Age'. The game incorporated the Mii's seen in most other first-party Wii games. The game was revealed under the title 'Wii Health Pack' at E3 2007. After a change of title and further development, the game was released in Europe on 25th April, 2008 and sold 3.604 million copies between January and July. Wii Fit is one of our biggest gaming moments as it showed some true innovation on the part of Ninty with the balance board, which was not only incorporated into Wii Fit, but also into other third-party games, such as Shaun White Snowboarding. It's just a very clever piece of kit.

May:

Free Radical Design, famous for the award-winning TimeSplitters series, release their first next-gen game, an FPS called Haze. The company expect it to do well, considering the media hype surrounding the game before release. They were completely wrong. The game flopped, with critics gving reviews ranging from very negative to mediocre. The general reception from the public wasn't too good either, and Haze didn't sell as many copies as expected. I can't help that Haze's faliure might have something to do with Free Rad's problems just at the moment. Haze's slump has made our list as the number one game faliure of 2008.

June:

The world's fastest-ever memory stick, the SanDisk Extreme III Memory Stick PRO-HG Duo, is revealed to the world by SanDisk. The memory stick, which can be used in pretty much the same way as a normal memory stick pro duo, but is capable of massive read/write speeds of up to 30MB/s. The manufacturer claims that the stick is ideal for professional photographers and advanced amateurs who use Sony Digital SLR cameras. The stick would also be perfect for PS3 and PSP owners, as the amazing speeds are more than capable of copying game saves and videos quickly and easily. The Extreme III has made our list because it is a demonstration of how technology is always evolving, expanding and getting better, despite anything that might happen. And I admire that.

July:

E3 2008 took place between 14th and 17th of July this year, and blew our minds away just as it does every year. Each of the major gaming companies, as well as some smaller developers and publishers, held gaming conferences and showcased their latest gaming merchandise. Amongst the games showcased were Resistance 2, LittleBigPlanet, Call of Duty: World at War, Tom Clancy's Endwar, Far Cry 2, Prince of Persia, I Am Alive, God of War III, Resistance: Retribution, Rayman Raving Rabbids: TV Party, Guitar Hero: On Tour, The Sims 3, Mirror's Edge, Left 4 Dead, and the latest Final Fantasy games. The impressive lineup, more impressive conferences and the exciting mixture of in-game footage, cinematics and live interviews were the reason that E3 2008 has made our Best of 2008 list.

August:

August saw Gamer's Guide to Life undergo graphical transformation. With a new logo incorporating the colour scheme from the site and further logos being developed for special occasions and holidays, originality was added to the site with no affect on content. Articles were coming thick and fast, and have continued to do so up until now. Although this isn't the most huge gaming event in the world, it's included in the Best of 2008 as it really boosted GGTL up and made us something a little more special than we were before.

September:

EA's Spore launched in September. The game allowed players to control and shape an entire species throughout their journey from a unicellular organism to a more intelligent, socialising species. The game featured massive open-end gameplay and a play area the size of the universe (I'm being deadly serious, it's huge). Spore has made our list mainly for the fact that it is absolutely, mindblowingly big - think of travelling between galaxies and visiting every planet in each one. Then I think you've got a vague idea.

October:

The London Games Festival returns with a bang to the capital. It generated such attention that even Boris Johnson, mayor of London, commented, stating: “I’m delighted that the London Games Festival is back in our city for its third year. It demonstrates the creativity and range of the gaming industry, which, as an important part of London’s creative sector, makes a vital contribution to the economy as a whole.” The event included EA's Be The One, a huge gaming event which took place in Trafalgar Square; IGN's Transatlantic Challenge, which pitted one British and one American gamer against one another; the Video Games Live show, which took gamers through an orchestral voyage through some of the best-loved and well-composed game soundtracks ever; as well as much, much more. LGF '08 has made our list because it is one of those events which brings gaming back to Britain and is a testimony to the originality, flair and imagination gaming takes to become successful.

November:

World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King is released. The second expansion pack for the multi-million selling World of Warcraft MMORPG game, WOTLK adds a substantial amount to the game, and extends on the previous expansion, The Burning Crusade. It was released on November 13th, 2008 and sold 2.8 million copies within 24 hours, making it the fastest-selling computer game of all time. I think that record sorta sums up why it's made our list. I also thought I'd include this one for Grimmy, so there you go mate.

LittleBigPlanet, Media Molecule's highly hyped physics-based game is released as a PlayStation 3 exclusive. The game allowed users to play through an offline campaign mode, fantastically narrated by Stephen Fry, before throwing themselves into online play with friends or on their own. The game allowed huge amounts of customisation, with users being able to create almost anything with the object they were provided with. Levels created by users could then be uploaded to the internet for anyone to play. LBP has made our list because it is probably the most original gaming concept we've seen in a long time.

December:

The hotly-anticipated PlayStation Home service, Sony's 3D virtual world for PlayStation, is finally released into an open, public beta. A free download from either the PlayStation Store, or directly from the Home icon on the XMB, the service allows PlayStation users to meet up, chat, socialise, play games such as pool and bowling and generally have a nice time together. Reception was varied, with some praising the service whilst others criticised it. It's made our list because, after so long waiting for it, it seems pointless not to include it.

Linford

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