The 411 Gaming Roundtable 1.22.08: Gaming in 2008

Posted by Chris Evans on 01.22.2008

The year is 2008. The place is 411 Mania. The topic is gaming. What do some of the best writers in all the world think of the gaming year ahead? Read more to find out!

411 Mania – 2008 Games Roundtable

Hello and welcome to the 411 Mania -2008 Games Roundtable, hosted by me, the new kid Chris Evans! This Roundtable discussion brings you our thoughts on the year ahead in the games industry. Find out our E3 predictions and what console we think will dominate the year. Our panel is:

Ramon Aranda - I'm the Games Editor and Boxing Editor. You'll find me doing game related news postings as well as reviews and previews. In Boxing, you'll find me writing news posts as well as weekly columns such as The Boxing News Report, Inside the Ropes and In the Red Corner.

Derek Robbins – writes a weekly NFL column entitled Covenant of the Gridirion, and he also writes the 10th hour, which is a video game centered column featuring a new top-10 list every week.

Owain Brimfield - Resident 16-bit fanboy and author of The Wonder Years at 411 Games, in-house sci-fi buff and author of The Flux Capacitor at 411 Movies, and all-round bearded wonder.

Mark Salmela - I do reviews and write the weekly SIXAXIS Report column every Tuesday

Chris Evans – I’m the latest addition to the 411 Games crew covering mainly the PC and Industry news. I have organised this party, so lets get on with it!


What PC game are you looking forward to most for 2008?

Ramon Spore! Though I'd love to say Starcraft 2, there's no confirmation that Blizzard will release the game this year. That being said, Spore has been delayed over and over again and to finally get my hands on it this year will be a Godsend. This is one of the most ambitious games that may have ever been created and it'll be interesting to see if Will Wright can pull it off and have another mega-hit under his belt. The possibilities seem endless with Spore, now let's find out!

Derek Starcraft 2 I was a huge fan of the original Starcraft, so I have to admit I’m quite pumped about this game. How pumped you ask? Well my current computer isn’t very good. To say the least, it CAN’T run today’s games (Which is a shame, because I have to play Orange Box on my 360 when I know it’s better on the PC, but I lament). Well, this game is going to drive me to get a new computer. I fell in love with Starcraft way back in 1997, and I know I’ll just fall in love with this newest addition. I MUST CONSTRUCT ADDITIONAL PYLONS

Owain Easily, easily Spore. OK, so the game doesn't have a confirmed release date for this year, but Will Wright has confirmed a near-final build is already doing the rounds, so it can't be too far off. Spore looks to be one of the most ambitious games ever conceived, and if Maxis can pull off the execution then we could have a game that will be the first of its kind in having a truly unlimited lifespan, especially if Wright's claim of half a million galaxies to visit is anywhere near accurate. Plus, a vote for Spore is a vote for the kind of creativity that drives the videogame industry onwards and upwards, and should be celebrated at every turn.

Mark Spore. I have to be honest, for me PC gaming is pretty dead. Crysis was alright, but after that everything else that I looked forward to either flopped or was ported to consoles. Therefore, Spore by default!

Chris This is a tough one as there are so many games I am looking forward to on the PC this year. Far Cry 2 it is though. The original Far Cry was fine until it became a mutant-infested pile of crap. Similarly Crysis didn’t interest me because I knew the developers were doing a similar thing, just with aliens. However Far Cry 2 looks like a great prospect right now, free roaming, brilliant day-night cycle, NO aliens or mutants, just a game that looks to be shaping up great. Closely followed by games like Fallout 3, Empires: Total War, Left 4 Dead and many more.

What PS3 game are you looking forward to most for 2008?

Ramon Metal Gear Solid 4. As if there is any other choice! The PS3 needs a major title like Snitskey (of the WWE) needs a visit to the dentist. MGS4 will save the PS3 from obscurity and this could be the best MGS yet. The videos look amazing and the exclusivity of the title makes this a system buyer.

Derek Metal Gear Solid 4. The current projected release for this title is 2008. I don’t think it’ll make that date, but I do think it’ll make it out by the end of the year. Q4. Early November to be exact. Enough about that, though. I’ve been a fan of the Metal Gear Solid franchise since it debuted on the Playstation. (I said Metal Gear SOLID. So don’t get on my case about Metal Gear on the NES and what not). There have been a lot of complaints about the franchise being overly cinematic, and to be fair they are warranted, but…I really dig the story and love the game play. I can’t wait to see what happens to Snake in what SHOULD be the finale.

Owain Little Big Planet - it's good to see Sony going for something truly different with the console, as its technical prowess hasn't proven as effective as the company hoped in getting it into the hands of gamers. The game looks highly original, and the emphasis on user interaction and generated content should prove a valuable tool for getting the Playstation online experience up to the levels that XBLA experiences. I must admit though, when I first heard about the game I thought it was going to be a sequel to my favorite game of all time (Little Big Adventure 2), so it does lose a point or two for raising my hopes and dashing them quite expertly.

Mark Metal Gear Solid 4. It was really hard to choose, as there's so many incredible games coming for the PS3 this year. Little Big Planet, Resistance 2, and Killzone 2 are all worth looking forward to this year. Not to mention Echochrome, both Final Fantasy 13 games, Tekken 6, and inFamous, this was really hard to choose. But in the end I got to give the nod to Solid Snake, this game promises to do everything but bring about the second coming. I guess I know what Sony's GDC announcement will be...

Chris Resistance 2 I may not own a PS3, but I know that the original Resistance was one of the best titles at launch for the PS3, and while the recently announced sequel may not make it for 2008 (I’m not sure on the schedule for it) it is the one game that I know I would get if I were to buy a PS3. The new Metal Gear game looks great too, but I never got into the originals so I don’t feel comfortable nominating that.

What 360 game are you looking forward to most for 2008?

Ramon GTA IV. Sure the PS3 will also be home of the latest Grand Theft Auto but only the Xbox 360 will have exclusive episodic content. The previews have me salivating and the latest trailers only make the wait that much worse. I expect GTA IV to take open world gaming to new heights!

Derek Ninja Gaiden 2. Ninja Gaiden was one of the most fun games available for the original X-Box and some could argue that it was the BEST game released on that system. The subsequent re-release “Black” and the PS3 Port “Sigma” were both great games as well, but…I wanted a true sequel and it is finally here! Ninja Gaiden 2 looks to continue the series tradition of…insane difficulty. I think that’s what makes it so appealing, honestly. You can go ANYWHERE and find an easy game. They’re all over the place. Ninja Gaiden felt so hard at times…it bordered on Hardcore. And I really dug that. I can’t wait until this game, as it’s one of the few 2008 360 exclusive titles I think is worth any sort of merit.

Owain TNA Impact, simply because I wanted to get it on this list but it wasn't quite good enough to topple my choices for PS3 or Wii. Why is it here? Because Dixie Carter promised the best wrestling game ever created, and by golly, it'll have to be something special to live up to that hype. What are the odds on TNA getting something right this year?

Mark Rainbow Six Vegas 2. I know I might get some hate because this is a multiplatform game and will allegedly be out in only a couple of months, but to be honest I'm not too pumped about the 360 line-up this year. I really can't imagine Gears of War 2 will actually come out this year, Fable 1 didn't do anything to get me pumped for Fable 2, I don't know anything about that Allan Wake project, and Too Human isn't floating my boat neither. So unless Gears 2 is coming, R6V 2 is my most anticipated game for the 360 in 2008.

ChrisGTA IV is the obvious answer, the Sony consoles may be the home of the GTA games, but as Ramon said the exclusive episodic stuff on the 360 makes it the console of choice for this game. I loved the Liberty City setting from GTA3, the other games didn’t get my love as much. Looks really good and can’t wait to see it in action.

What Wii game are you looking forward to most for 2008?

Ramon Super Smash Bros. Brawl. The beauty is that the wait is almost over with a February release. With Sonic and Snake now added to the mix and the promise of more characters, this Smash Bros. will be a major hit. Plus we finally get online play and a level editor! What's not to love?

Derek Super Smash Brothers Brawl. Even though this game has just been delayed, AGAIN, without a doubt it was my most anticipated game of the new year. I was a huge fan of Super Smash Brothers Melee, as I still play the game and it was launched in 2001, and I’ve been clamouring for a sequel for a while now. Well now I’m finally getting it, and it appears to be the ultimate gift to Nintendo fans. It has a wider selection of characters, more event battles, a fleshed out story mode, and even ONLINE PLAY. I mean, HOW AWESOME IS THAT? I know the online mode isn’t the most fleshed out, due to Nintendo’s fear of the internet…but I think it’s cool that internet boasting (i.e. “I AM BETTER THAN YOU AT SMASH BROS.”) can finally be settled. I’ll be looking forward to fighting you all on Brawl and even setting up a 411 tournament…with prizes! I know this probably sounds a bit fanboyish, but…as a lifelong videogame nerd, this game honestly feels like Nintendo is saying “thanks” to me.

Owain Not wanting to tow the mainstream line toooooo much, but Mario Kart looks like it will be absolutely fantastic. I'm curious to see how the addition of stunts will pan out in a series already noted for its emphasis on weapon-related racing - fingers crossed that the implementation will be positive - but what really has me sold is the twelve-player online karting and the reappearance of some classic tracks from Mario Kart gone by. This should be Nintendo's biggest killer app of the year.

Mark Animal Crossing Wii. Since Super Smash Bros Brawl is right around the corner I thought I'd pick something a little different. I mean come on, if you're reading this article chances are you follow the internet, which means you know already know everything I could possibly say about Super Smash Bros Brawl. Besides that we have WiiFit *might pick it up if other games support the board*, Mario Kart Wii *Double Dash wasn't that great, so this Mario Kart has to prove itself to me*, and Animal Crossing. Call me a little tiny girly man, but I've got a soft spot for Animal Crossing. I must have spent 30 hours playing the original Animal Crossing, and almost as many on the DS version. If they manage to have little gems like the NES games from the original Animal Crossing, I'll be more than pumped up for the new one. Not to mention there's rumors of turning this Animal Crossing into an MMO style game with multiple people per town running around online, and I can't wait for my friends and I to gang rape Tom Nook. That Brazilian carpet will be mine Tom, and there's nothing you or your dammed store can do to stop me.

ChrisSuper Smash Bros. Brawl I saw the latest trailer for it the other night, and while it may have been in Japanese I loved what I saw. To get all these great characters and fight is just a dream for anyone who has been playing games for more than five years. The addition of online play just makes it ten times better. Despite the recent delay this will be the Wii’s top game this year.

What DS game are you looking forward to most for 2008?

Ramon Ninja Gaiden. The brief playtime I had with the game left me wanting more. The graphics are top notch and the gameplay is seamless. The game plays like a book in that you hold the DS sideways and the stylus works like a charm. Team Ninja really seems to have outdid themselves on this one and although we still have to wait for the final version of the game, Ninja Gaiden looks prime to be another exceptional title for the DS.

Derek Sonic Chronicles: Dark Brotherhood. I am a huge fan of Sonic, but even I will admit that he has…well…not exactly starred in any “high profile” games as of late. Now don’t get me wrong, his DS titles are pretty good…but the Blue Blur just doesn’t feel as relevant as he did back in the day. Along comes Bioware. They are developing a SONIC THE HEDGEHOG RPG! I mean, I’m a huge nut for Role Playing Games, so…that’s one…and the last time a franchise favourite, Mario, got an RPG…it turned out quite good. I realize a “Sonic RPG” does not necessarily translate into “good”, but…it’s made by Bioware! It has some serious potential to be the first Sonic game in a while to grab the video game world by story. And that has me excited.

Owain Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days, just so I can finally learn what that infuriating title means. It's driving me nuts.

Mark Sonic Chronicles: The Dark Brotherhood. Boy, has Sega ever butchered the Sonic franchise. Well thankfully Bioware, makers of Mass Effect, have been given the Sonic license to do Sonic some justice in 2008. So far the game looks pretty good, let's just hope the story finally amounts to something meaningful this time. Hmm... a Sonic/Amy sex scene?

Chris I’ll be honest that I don’t know what is coming out for the DS this year, really should get my hands on it! However, as Derek said a Sonic RPG being developed by Bioware just oozes quality.

What PSP game are you looking forward to most for 2008?

RamonI'd have to admit that not a lot of PSP games really pike my interest but if there's one that stands out for me it'd have to be Wipeout Pulse. Having been a fan of the series since its early PC days, Wipeout commands a fast paced and fluid experience coupled with exceptional graphics. The PSP is honestly the perfect platform for the Wipeout series and it's a must have title for any PSP owner.

Derek Final Fantasy VII: Crisis Core. Ah, the prequel to the ever popular Final Fantasy VII. Say what you will about FF VII, but it is, without a doubt, one of the most popular games in history. From what I have seen, the game has met with pretty critical success in Japan and LOOKS fun. On top of that, the Final Fantasy community seems to dig it (Unlike FF X-2. Which only I enjoyed, it seemed). So it has all the makings of a winner. I’m really curious how this game will turn out as you take control of the popular, but relatively mysterious, Zack. I may think the original game is a tad bit over-rated, but…I am very curious to see how this story plays out.

Owain Abstain - I don't know anything about the PSP and don't care to learn.

Mark The PSP still has games coming out? Umm... God of War: Chains of Olympus. I don't have a whole lot that I'm looking forward to in terms of PSP games, not to mention I don't know any other games coming besides EchoChrome, so God of War wins by default.

Chris Again I don’t know too much about the PSP release schedule this year, however a new Wipeout game never hurt anyone, that is my choice for the star game on the PSP this year.

What game do you think will be the 'dark horse' of the year?

RamonPerhaps it's wishful thinking but I'd like to say that the dark horse will be No More Heroes for the Nintendo Wii. The game will be unlike anything else on the Wii and with Suda 51 leading the way, we may have another cult classic on our hands. The combat system looks great and adding wrestling moves to the repertoire only sweeten the deal. This will be a bloody game and I hope that it doesn't fall by the wayside as it seems to have done in Japan so far.

Derek Persona 4 - Persona 3 was the best RPG released in the year 2007. It could even make a claim to being the best RPG released in the past 5 years. Yet, it seems, not enough people gave it the credit that it deserves. Persona 4 has the chance to make a lot of noise next year and if it improves over Persona 3 as much as Persona 3 improved over the previous two Persona titles…we have a potential game of the year candidate. It’s amazing that this title is a PS2 title. I think it says a lot about the quality of the PS2 that it is STILL alive and kicking.

Owain I'm going for Fallout 3, the latest entry in a franchise that's of undeniable quality, but never really seemed to derive much commercial success. Given that the game is being developed by the Oblivion team, it has a lot going for it, and the success of titles such as Mass Effect and BioShock has shown that sci-fi actioners have a lot to offer the mainstream gaming community. Hopefully the game succeeds and propels the Fallout franchise to the success it has always deserved.

Mark Little Big Planet. To be honest there's not a whole lot of dark horses in the industry anymore, pretty much everything that does well is promoted to hell. Games like Zak and Wiki flop because they don't receive the big push other games get, so I'm going to have to go with Little Big Planet. The industry seems to be in love with it, but I'm not seeing a whole lot in terms of consumer knowledge, so this is my best candidate for a dark horse in 2008.

Chris I don’t see how Fallout 3 can be considered a Dark Horse, for me it is going to be a sure fire hit, if only for the greatness of the early games. I could put Spore in here…but I am going to go for DeathSpank. DeathSpank is a new Episodic line of adventure games behind two of the greatest adventure minds, Gilbert and Kauzlaric. It looks to have a great design, and a truly great adventure game is needed this yer.

What game is going to be the flop of the year?

RamonGhostbusters. Something tells me that the streak of shitty licensed titles won't end with Ghostbusters. I'd really like to think that the game will end up being fun and unique but I get the sense that it's going to bomb faster than Kane's WWE title reign. With the Wii version apparently going the way of a softer version (the potentially best version), I think the developers will let a solid license go to waste. Here's hoping they don't though!

Derek Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney I’m not sure why Capcom decided to change the game plan by taking Phoenix out of the “main character” role, and frankly…I don’t like it. I felt that the third Phoenix Wright game was the best of the series to this point, but…I don’t see this latest game as being an improvement in any sort of way. I think to compensate for the new lead…Capcom will throw in as many pop-culture references as possible, which will ruin the actual product. I hope I’m wrong, since I love the Phoenix Wright series…but we shall see.

OwainToo Human. I can't quite put my finger on it, but there's just something about it that whispers failure. Plus, given the fact that it's now been nine years since the game was first displayed, it's going to have to do a hell of a job to live up to expectations.

Mark Too Human. This game seems to have been in development longer than the Phantom console now, and that never goes over well for anyone *unless you work for Valve*. Too Human just seems to run into problem after problem, and I can't imagine it turning out very good.

ChrisTiberium Now I may have been a giant Command and Conquer fanboy a couple of years ago following the announcement of C&C3. However since then my faith in EALA has slowly eroded with regards to the Tiberium franchise, and to be making an FPS just seems a bad move. Then again this may be the dark horse of the year…who knows!

Which console will have the biggest year and lead the console wars by the end of the year?

RamonIt's hard to choose anyone else but the Nintendo Wii. The momentum continues to grow and with no exclusive titles on the Xbox 360, I see the Wii clearly winning this year. Smash Bros is on the way and a new Mario Kart will hit this year. Nintendo better pull out some other solid first party titles and get third party games with higher quality though if they want to maintain their streak. I do see the PS3 finally gaining a little ground due to the growing possibility that Blu-Ray will beat out HD-DVD in the format wars along with MGS4.

DerekPS3While I don’t believe that the PS3 will be leading the console war at the end of the year…I DO think that they have the best exclusives in the coming year. From Little Big Planet to Metal Gear Solid 4…it appears as though the Playstation 3 will be launching a comeback after its abysmal 2007. Next year, in my eyes at least, the 360 looks the weakest. While the Wii looks like the…well…Wii yet again. Great exclusive titles, but not a ton of them. If any of the big PS3 games flop as bad as Lair did though…that could be it for the PS3.

Owain Although I'm going to be keeping a close eye on the PS3 now that the format war between Blu Ray and HD-DVD seems to be nearing an end in Blu Ray's favor, I think the Wii will manage to maintain its lead, thanks in no small part to Mario Kart and Smash Bros.. It's a system that has revolutionized the way I and many of my friends think about gaming, and it's revolutions like that the industry needs to propel itself forward - and, who'd have thunk, the consumers have seemed to respond so far.

Mark Draw. This seems like 2 different questions in my mind. I think Sony will have the biggest year, but I don't think they'll lead the console wars by the end of 2008. With Sony's ad campaign 100% behind the PS3 now, and all of their triple A blockbuster games coming this year, I think they'll jump leaps and bounds in terms of the console race. With that said, I don't think it'll be enough to catch up to Nintendo, and I think Nintendo will still be leading the console wars by the end of 2008, with Sony and Microsoft tied for second.

ChrisPS3 gets it for me. I know they need to do something great this year to get sales up to where they should be, but I think the Wii-factor is slowly going to drop off, and continuing hardware issues and no Blu-Ray is going to greatly damage the 360 this year. With the PS3 people will get a Blu-Ray player and a console with some great games. I would say the PC but that doesn’t fit under the question parameters!

What major announcements do you expect for E3?

RamonI would expect Nintendo to unveil a hard drive for the Wii as well as a possible new Nintendo DS model. Microsoft will likely announce and demo Gears of War 2 while Sony may announce a new feature that uses the connectivity of the PSP with the PS3.

Derek Next Zelda - It feels like it’s about time for another Zelda game for the wii to be made. It’ll be the BIG thing at E3…but due to characteristic Nintendo delays, it won’t see the light of day until 2009. That said, the newest Zelda title will be the talk of E3. I think that it’ll feature the return of Young Link.

Owain 1. Duke Nukem Forever to be released by December (later to be delayed until 2009).

2. Some form of new Zelda game to be announced for the Wii, this time not a lazy port of a title developed for an older system.

3. Rock Band 2, now featuring peripherals for synthesizer, bongos, 12-string acoustic guitar, wah-wah pedal and Chapman stick.

4. Sony to release a motion-control remote peripheral and claim that it was in no way inspired by anything Nintendo might have done.

5. Reggie Fils-Aime to kick more ass and take more names.

Mark I see a few announcements coming for E3. First off Gears of War 2 for the 360 will be announced at E3 if it isn't already announced by GDC. Second, even though it's been announced, God of War 3 will have some sort of announcement at E3. Also, we'll either see a redesigned DS *Nintendo likes to redesign their handhelds every 2 years*, or some sort of new handheld hardware from someone. I also expect to see a lot of multiplatform showings *COD5, Guitar Hero 4, Assassin's Creed 2, ect* and some sort of price drop for the PS3 *if it isn't announced earlier*. It may not be a $100 price drop, but the PS3 will be cut at least another $50 by E3.

Chris I can only see Microsoft announcing Blu-Ray compatibility for the 360. The format wars seem to have taken a definite turn these past few weeks with many companies going to Blu-Ray. Expect Microsoft to take the steps they need to compete with the PS3 in this key area.


So that is our take on the year ahead for the games industry. It sure does look exciting, I really can’t wait to see what else the year brings. Stick to 411 to keep up to date with all the top gaming news.


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