-By You, our loyal Shackers.
P.S. Please ignore those "Vote Now" buttons. It's too late to vote! Ha!
GAME OF THE YEARWinner: Portal (20% of total)
Valve Software (PC, PS3, Xbox 360)
"With Portal, I honestly felt like a kid again playing something new for the first time excited to see what would happen next. I actually laughed out loud. The writing was excellent. The game was a perfect length for what it was. It had a beginning, middle, and ending. A good song. Memorable characters. Required some thinking, reflexes, but managed to prevent players from getting stuck.
"For what Portal was, I give it a perfect 10. Best gaming experience in a long, long time." -ease one
"Trying to justify why Portal is #1 is like trying to justify choosing Jessica Alba over Rosie O'Donnell." -johnsto
"It's so hard to pick a top game across all platforms, but in the end I simply had to choose Portal. Portal is the funniest game I have played all year and introduced never-before-seen puzzle elements into a shooter. Even my non-PC gaming friends enjoyed this--and it was short enough that they could play it in one sitting and taste all of its sweet game goodness." -dpgagnon
"It had the best writing, the best new innovation, and the best pacing. You can not give any better accolades than that and Portal deserves every single one of them." -Drewus
"Portal wins simply for what it should mean for the future of gaming. It's completely minimalistic, but immersive. You always understand your situation and the task in front of you without the game having to beat you over the head with directions. It also shows that you can have an amazing gaming experience under the requisite 8 hour time minimum." -mugwet
"Portal executes its design perfectly. Innovative gameplay, witty writing, and the perfect length make it hard to beat." -Psigun
"I felt scared and unsure about what was going on, and at the same time, it was so full of humor and a sense of deepness without the story being shoved down your throat. Proof that a short game isn't necessarily a bad thing." -wildbil52
"Portal is the most innovative game in years. It certainly helped to have the most clever writing in a game that I can remember, but the gameplay alone was enough to justify this as the best game of the year. Bring on the new maps Valve!" -Thresher
Runner-up: BioShock (17% of total)
Irrational Games (2K Boston/2K Australia) (PC, Xbox 360)
"Bioshock, one of two nominees that is not a sequel or spin-off. They took the risk with a new genre-bending IP, and they won big." -Aasyranth
"This is a tough choice in a great year of games. Bioshock wins because not only was it a great game, but because it was the most interesting and though-provoking comment on the medium." -Sexpansion Pack
"Bioshock - Atmosphere alone worth the admission price. Gameplay itself is not all the original but there is enough creativity throughout Raptue to keep you playing through. One of the few singleplayer games I beat and it's always a good sign when I do that." -RyDogg1
Runner-up: Team Fortress 2 (14% of total)
Valve Software (PC, PS3, Xbox 360)
"TF2 lived up to all the hype and is an addicting, fun, and hilarious game. What more could you ask?" -donkey99
"I hope to find a little time for Team Fortress 2 every day of 2008: what higher praise can I give?" -A Sponge
"It's the best for gameplay to me due to great balance, very well done art design, and incredible polish. It's pure MP fun that works well on many levels." -riddartomte
"I haven't been this addicted to a multiplayer shooter in YEARS. Humor, style, excellent TEAM play. For a good, social time online this game has it all." -anthonybean
"Online gaming needed this." -legsbrogan
STUDIO OF THE YEAR
Winner: Valve Software (43% of total)
"Valve has pushed Steam and downloadable content to further extremes, much to the joy of gamers everywhere." -GrimmyD
"Valve. Who else personally responds to so many emails in hilarious ways? 'It appears to be a duck.'" -dpgagnon
"They made a lot of really good games, launched the Steam Community, kept their existing games patched up and fun and they really support their community. A great developer." -Sturm08
"Valve really did bring it home with The Orange Box this year. They were able to appease both hardcore and casual audiences with TF2, which is a feat within itself. They also took a chance hiring the students right out of DigiPen for Narbacular Drop and everyone loves them for it. Just an all-around good showing for Valve this year." -grayscale
Runner-up: Irrational Games (2K Boston/2K Australia) (12% of total)
"Irrational Games did what few developers in the history of the entire medium have managed to do: Create a smart plot with a smart premise and smart atmosphere, and make it sell millions. For whatever triumphs the other studios pulled off, bringing a high brow to a medium that thrives on paper-thin plots and excessive explosions is rare enough to be noteworthy." -KalLanta
"Created Bioshock... without zombies, soldiers, or aliens." -synapse420
Runner-up: Nintendo EAD (11% of total)
"I love Bungie and Valve for their commitments to producing only pure awesome (and embracing their communities like they actually love them), but Nintendo's EAD is in a league of their own. Apple fanboys have no problem dissing Steve Jobs, but there's never been a justified criticism of EAD from Super Mario Bros. to Mario Galaxy. This year, extra special cheers go to them for completing the game we've all been waiting for since the day we all felt like the Nintendo 64 Kid." -snagger
"The amount of quality product Nintendo has singlehandedly pumped out to keep the Wii thriving is commendable, to the same degree they should be rewarded for not following the 3rd party Wii route of flooding the market with identical games and having Brain Training 6 and Wii Sports 4 out already. A combination of the two, quality and pacing, has started to dilute the impressions people have that it's just a destination for shovelware; it can have quality titles of its own that stand up against other current-gen consoles." -amber996
Continue reading for MORE AWARDS.
_PAGE_BREAK_BEST ORIGINAL SCORE
Winner: BioShock
Irrational Games (2K Boston/2K Australia) (PC, PS3, Xbox 360)
"BioShock hands down had the best soundtrack of any game in recent history. The old 30s-40s era music just brought you into the world. jayx77" -jayx77
"The only soundtrack i even remember from a game this year." -synapse420
"It actually made me slow down and listen." -bdz1987
Runner-up: Super Mario Galaxy (18% of total)
Nintendo EAD Tokyo (Wii)
"Not only does Super Mario Galaxy have the best music of any Mario game to date, its soundtrack is great enough to compete with some of the best orchestral soundtracks I've ever experienced!" -WARLORD48
"Attention all game studios: Great orchestrated music may not sell as many games as 1080p visuals or celebrities on the cover, but the people you are making these games for appreciate it more than we can say." -wildbil52
"A lot of the tunes in Super Mario Galaxy were familiar from the older games, but they were beautifully redone adding some nice nostalgic value to the game." -Blackscythe125
"One of the standout things about Super Mario Galaxy (even ignoring the utterly impressive and addictive gameplay) was how outstanding the music was. The orchestral score really takes the game's presentation to another level while even including old favorites. One of the biggest surprises of the year for me." -Sevogajre
"Mario Galaxy's orchestrated soundtrack is mesmerizing. Period." -grayscale
Runner-up: Mass Effect (16% of total)
BioWare (Xbox 360)
"A delightfully Blade Runner-inspired soundtrack, I only wish the limited edition came with a proper soundtrack CD and not that embedded on the bonus DVD effort." -amber996
"Mass Effect has this awesome 80's retro scifi, kind of Blade Runner-esque soundtrack that fits perfectly with the mood of the story, and is never overbearing." -rauol duke
PC GAME OF THE YEAR
Winner: Portal (25% of total)
Valve Software
Runner-up: Team Fortress 2 (18% of total)
Valve Software
"This was a no-brainer, Valve delivered. I sense a perpetual addiction to TF2 for years to come." -snagger
"The first game in a number of years to finally get me back to server crawling in order to satisfy that itch of just one... more... win." -Sevogajre
Runner-up: BioShock (15% of total)
Irrational Games (2K Boston/2K Australia)
"The best game on the best platform." -synapse420
"Shocking!" -Zienio
XBOX 360 GAME OF THE YEAR
Winner: BioShock (21% of total)
Irrational Games (2K Boston/2K Australia)
"Atmosphere, Character attachment, gameplay options, backstory discovery, and audio style set this apart from any other game from a storytelling perspective. The gameplay was also excellent, and often left me with 'Oh sh*t!' moments when certain events occured." -galewind
Runner-up: Mass Effect (18% of total)
BioWare
"I've tried many times over the years to get enthralled by a Bioware game, and every time I have failed. Mass Effect has sucked me in in such a big way, so much so that its even brainwashed me into loving the combat which is way more fun than I expected from an RPG game. Not only that but it has inspired me to give KOTOR and Jade Empire another shot, and I know if I can break through the wall on those games I'm in for another treat." -amber996
Runner-up: Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare (14% of total)
Infinity Ward
"Depth of MP and SP experiences combined put COD4 over Halo 3 in my book." -galewind
"Call of Duty 4 had a solid but short single-player and a multi fun and innovative enough to knock off Halo 3." -mondo
PLAYSTATION 3 GAME OF THE YEAR
Winner: Ratchet & Clank Future: Tools of Destruction (21% of total)
Insomniac Games
Runner-up: Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare (21% of total)
Infinity Ward
"Call of Duty 4 had a moment in the single player campaign that literally made my jaw drop. [Censored for extreme spoilers.] Holy fucking shit that left me breathless. I think I literally shouted out 'Holy shit!' after a few seconds of silence. No other game has ever created that strong a reaction inside me and for that I must give it my top choice." -pyide
"The most intense game I have played...period." -bdz1987
Runner-up: Portal (13% of total)
Valve Software
"Short, sweet, and to the point, but 3.5 of the most well crafted hours of gaming I've ever had." -senseimoron
"Portal did it all. It was an innovative, polished and accessible experience. It satisfied the hardcore and the casual crowd, male and female, young and old." -johngloid
"Innovative gameplay that pulls you though from start to finish with a good story to boot." -ndrew
Keep reading for the conclusion of the platform awards.
_PAGE_BREAK_Wii GAME OF THE YEAR
Winner: Super Mario Galaxy (52% of total)
Nintendo EAD Tokyo
"Super Mario Galaxy finally gets everything right on the Wii." -dpgagnon
"Do you have to ask? Really?!" -grayscale
Runner-up: Metroid Prime 3: Corruption (21% of total)
Retro Studios
"The artists did so much with so little. I know everyone is going to pick Mario, and it is good, but I feel like it could have been less linear. Metroid seems to have fixed a lot of the older Metroid game problems and actually proved you could do a good FPS on Wii." -ease one
Runner-up: Resident Evil 4: Wii Edition (7% of total)
Capcom
NINTENDO DS GAME OF THE YEAR
Winner: The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass (40% of total)
Nintendo EAD
"It's hard to pick between Zelda and Pokemon, since they both have provided many hours of on the go gaming pleasure. But Zelda has that Wind Waker charm going for it." -skankcore
Runner-up: Puzzle Quest: The Challenge of the Warlords (12% of total)
Infinite Interactive
"PUZZLE QUEST PUZZLE QUEST PUZZLE QUEST" -yAak
Runner-up: Contra 4 (11% of total)
Konami
"It's a new Contra. It's hard as fuck. Do I need to say more?" -Link.
"Contra 4 was a great throwback. Awww, you didn't beat the level and you gotta start over? TOUGH SHIT! Suck it up!" -grayscale
PSP GAME OF THE YEAR
Winner: Castlevania: The Dracula X Chronicles (24% of total)
Konami
Runner-up: Final Fantasy Tactics: The War of the Lions (23% of total)
Square Enix
Runner-up: Puzzle Quest: Challenge of the Warlords (16% of total)
Infinite Interactive
"PUZZLE QUEST PUZZLE QUEST PUZZLE QUEST" -yAak
PLAYSTATION 2 GAME OF THE YEAR
Winner: God of War II (45% of total)
SCE Studios Santa Monica
"It's nice to still have amazing high quality Playstation 2 games. I don't want that to die off." -Drewus
"The only time I booted my PS2 in 2007 was to play God of War II. It is definitely up there for one of the best games of the year." -OverloadUT
Runner-up: Rock Band (13% of total)
Harmonix Music Systems
"Appealed to and brought in more non-gamers than any game since Katamari Damacy." -ezanga
"Rock Band is the best party game ever, supplanting Wii Sports after a year at the top. Wii Sports gets harder the drunker you get, while Rock Band only gets better." -rauol duke
Runner-up: Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock (12% of total)
Neversoft Entertainment
ORIGINAL DOWNLOADABLE CONSOLE GAME OF THE YEAR
Winner: Warhawk (16% of total)
Incognito Entertainment (PS3)
"The first full-featured DLC game that had a lot of meat to it deserves the top spot. While a lot of the other DLC games are fun, most are converted classics made to look better in HD. While they are fun, they just continued to perpetuate that DLC is just a bunch of mini-games, while Warhawk breaks that mold." -grayscale
"Great game play, large community (as large as one can be for the PS3), and lots of developer support." -skankcore
Runner-up: Carcassonne (14% of total)
Sierra Online Seattle (Xbox 360)
"A near-perfect board game to video game conversion, it gives me great hope for the future if the development team can get their hands on some other classic licenses" -amber996
"Carcassonne sucked up so much of my time on a friend's 360. Simple at first glance, but engaging once you realized the depth." -GrimmyD
Runner-up: Pac-Man: Championship Edition (13% of total)
Namco (Xbox 360)
"Drastic improvements were made to an aging classic without diluting proven gameplay." -Killboy25
"This re-imagining of one of the all time classics is just all kinds of awesome." -jayx77
"Who would have thought that one of the most iconic retro arcade games could actually receive a proper sequel 30 years later? Pac-Man: CE proves that not only does the original Pac-Man game design hold up after all these years, but it can remain fresh thanks to a new presentation and dynamically changing mazes." -Sevogajre
Continue reading for the genre awards.
_PAGE_BREAK_SHOOTER GAME OF THE YEAR
Winner: Team Fortress 2 (20% of total)
Valve Software (PC, PS3, Xbox 360)
"Team Fortress 2 wins by the smallest of margins. Episode Two is great, but TF2 has the new style and super-polished multiplayer. The game was almost perfect in pre-release beta, and it's getting closer with every small patch." -skankcore
Runner-up: Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare (19% of total)
Infinity Ward (PC, PS3, Xbox 360)
"Call of Duty 4 has the best multiplayer experience of any shooter this year and that is why it narrowly beat out Half-Life 2: Episode Two for top shooter in my book." -Blackscythe125
"Call of Duty 4 on Veteran felt like a War. War is Hell." -wildbil52
Runner-up: BioShock (17% of total)
Irrational Games (PC, Xbox 360)
"Bioshock oozed with imagination that was sorely missing in every other FPS title this year. I find myself increasingly bored with the genre but Bioshock offered a level of immersion and storytelling that made the aim and shoot tedium of the FPS genre exciting and engaging." -synapse420
"Bioshock was a slight letdown in a few areas, but I have to say I loved its style, world, and story. The game is more creepy than the Silent Hill series is at times to me." -Link.
ACTION OR ACTION/ADVENTURE GAME OF THE YEAR
Winner: God of War II (23% of total)
SCE Studios Santa Monica (PS2)
"God of War II brought a huge smile to my face playing it. Kratos is such a badass." -GrimmyD
Runner-up: The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass (21% of total)
Nintendo EAD (NDS)
"Another Zelda, another joy!" -A Sponge
"Great touch screen controls, fantastic visuals (stay away from realism Nintendo!), and a return to the ocean world I loved in Wind Waker. A great entry for the series." -Sturm08
Runner-up: Crackdown (18% of total)
Realtime Worlds (Xbox 360)
"This game remains one of the most underrated games on the 360. The online co-op is only 2 players, but it is an absolute blast." -wildbil52
"GTA on steroids." -GrimmyD.
ROLEPLAYING GAME OF THE YEAR
Winner: Mass Effect (36% of total)
BioWare (Xbox 360)
"How can you tell a better story than this?" -wildbil52
"The role playing part is much better than the shooting part." -Evil Bread
Runner-up: The Witcher (28% of total)
CD-Projekt (PC)
"Nothing even comes close to the full package The Witcher provides. Great graphics, good audio, a world that feels complete and real, a complex story that alows some freedom of choice without ever falling into good/evil for every decision. It's a complex world, without the simple Black/White good/bad of most games in the genre." -wchantland
"The Witcher is everything I've wanted in a RPG. Combat, dialogue and sex!" -GrimmyD
"Interesting and complex story, engaging combat, and good character building." -synapse420
Runner-up: The Elder Scrolls IV: Shivering Isles (12% of total)
Bethesda Game Studios (PC, PS3, Xbox 360)
"Shivering Isles was a very fun if slightly surreal experience. A great addition to the world of Oblivion and the history of The Elder Scrolls." -GrimmyD
PLATFORM GAME OF THE YEAR
Winner: Portal (44% of total)
Valve Software (PC, PS3, Xbox 360)
"Portal blends FPS and platform game into one seamless package that reinvents how developers are going to think about both types of games for years to come. Plus, it's just damn fun." -wchantland
Runner-up: Super Mario Galaxy (39% of total)
Nintendo EAD Tokyo (Wii)
"As much as I'd love to give Portal's amazingly witty game the top spot I just can't help but come back to my roots of platforming re-done and so very well." -itsjeff9
"Galaxy eeks out Portal just because Galaxy has more gameplay and while having more gameplay, it keeps that fresh feeling that you have since the first star. That isn't to say Portal is supremely inferior to Galaxy, the difference is || <--- that small." -grayscale
Every level of Galaxy feels different and exciting. It's the new 'why I'm late for work' game." -wildbil52
If Portal had been longer and more in depth then it would have easily been my pick, but SMG just had so much more bang for the buck. If only Mario could take a gun and shoot green pipes places to solve puzzles it would be Game of the Century." -rauol duke
"See: Chris Remo's review. Couldn't have said it any better than that." Sevogajre [Yeah! -ed.]
Runner-up: Ratchet & Clank Future: Tools of Destruction (7% of total)
Insomniac Games (PS3)
STRATEGY GAME OF THE YEAR
Winner: Supreme Commander (19% of total)
Gas Powered Games (PC)
"Hardest category to choose. Almost every game there is brilliant. But I've been coming back to Supreme commander more than the others." -UsediLLusioN
"Massive battles = Exciting." -synapse420
Runner-up: World in Conflict (18% of total)
Massive Entertainment (PC)
World in Conflict really evolved the RTS genre. Their game is faster paced, more direct and it focuses the battles on tactics, not resource hoarding. I love that even in the last minute the battle isn't decided. With a lot of multiplayer RTS games, after the first five minutes you know who is going to win." -Sturm08
Runner-up: Company of Heroes: Opposing Fronts (16% of total)
Relic Entertainment (PC)
"Company of Heroes managed to reinvent the way RTS games are played for me. So much so, I can't go back to the conventional way RTS's are structured, since the super micro of those games drive me nuts." -grayscale
MASSIVELY MULTIPLAYER GAME OF THE YEAR
Winner: World of Warcraft: The Burning Crusade (54% of total)
Blizzard Entertainment (PC)
"TBC was enough to make me reactivate my account and play for a few months. The new content from level 60-70 is fantastic and the new instances are a lot better than the ones in the rest of the game. It's clear the Blizzard learned from what they did right and wrong and built this expansion with that knowledge. I'm always happy when I see a developer doing that." -OverloadUT
"I hate World of Warcraft, so that's saying something if I still think it is the best." -Evil Bread
"Out of these MMORPG's, WoW wipes the floor with them." -itsjeff9
Runner-up: Lord of the Rings Online: Shadows of Angmar (19% of total)
Turbine (PC)
"WoW: TBC is just more of the same. Lord of the Rings has flaws, but as a core experience, they actually have the best MMORPG." -gnoleb
"LOTRO was fun to play, too bad the Shack guild sorta fell apart." -GrimmyD
Runner-up: Hellgate: London (10% of total)
Flagship Studios (PC)
"Yes it's flawed, yes it's broken; yet somehow I could not help but love the beta. I'm not a maniac though so damned if I am going to buy the game before Flagship release a few more patches." -A Sponge
_PAGE_BREAK_ADVENTURE GAME OF THE YEAR
Winner: Sam & Max 105: Reality 2.0 (26% of total)
Telltale Games (PC)
"A triumphant return of a hilarious adventure IP in an era that most thought would not accept the new adventures of the Freelance Police." -skankcore
Runner-up: Sam & Max 201: Ice Station Santa (17% of total)
Telltale Games (PC)
"The Sam & Max episodes aren't as awesome as the original game, but they're not too far from it." -Link.
Runner-up: Zack & Wiki: Quest for Barbaros' Treasure
Capcom (Wii)
MUSICAL GAME OF THE YEAR
Winner: Rock Band (51% of total)
Harmonix Music Systems (PS3, Xbox 360, PS3)
"It's very hard for me to play guitar hero now with its very forgiving timing and drumless gameplay. Rock Band forces you to get better." -wildbil52
"I'm not giving up the microphone, I'll shank you!" -Evil Bread
Runner-up: Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock (34% of total)
Neversoft Entertainment (PC, PS2, PS3, Xbox 360, Wii)
"So much fun for hard rock/heavy metal fans." -Zienio
Runner-up: Guitar Hero Encore: Rocks the 80s (6% of total)
Harmonix Music Systems (PS2)
DRIVING GAME OF THE YEAR
Winner: Forza Motorsport 2 (32% of total)
Turn 10 Studios (Xbox 360)
"I feel Forza 2 is up there with the Gran Turismo series. It has great graphics, tons of cars, and is a lot of fun to play." -Blackscythe125
"Forza is all you need." -Evil Bread
Runner-up: DiRT (16% of total)
Codemasters (PC, PS3, Xbox 360)
"Gotta love PC realism." -silentistheshadow
Runner-up: Project Gotham Racing 4
Bizarre Creations (Xbox 360)
FLIGHT/NAVAL SIMULATION OR COMBAT GAME OF THE YEAR
Winner: Ace Combat 6: Fires of Liberation (41% of total)
Namco (Xbox 360)
"Retarded story as usual, but goddamn if the action isn't amazing. Stepping it up into HD is unworldly. Love this genre when done like AC6 does it." -mankeroo
Runner-up: IL-2 Sturmovik: 1946 (20% of total)
1C: Maddox Games (PC)
Runner-up: Flight Simulator X: Acceleration (19% of total)
SPORTS GAME OF THE YEAR
Winner: Skate (41% of total)
EA Black Box (PS3, Xbox 360)
"Skate was very fun, and a great departure from the stale Tony Hawk series." -GrimmyD
"Skate reinvented the 'extreme sports' video game more than any of the other games reinvented their sports gameplay mechanics. It's analogous to Galaxy in its reinvention of its genre." -grayscale
"Skate is the game I've been waiting for since Thrasher: Skate and Destroy came out in 1999." -Evil Bread
"Most innovative game in ages - and it's from EA!" -_WB_
"skate rules" -Stevegaynor
Runner-up: NHL 08 (17% of total)
EA Canada (PC, PS3, Xbox 360, PS2)
"The best hockey game in years. I still get excited when I score a great goal because I had to score it myself. It wasn't the standard one timer." -wildbil52
Runner-up: The BIGS (10% of total)
Blue Castle Games (PS2, PS3, Xbox 360, Wii, PSP)
"I hate baseball, but I love The BIGS." -Sexpansion Pack
"The most fun I've had playing a sports game since NBA Jam, great multiplayer." -randomNull
Thanks, folks! See you next year immediately, please keep reading our website!
[Editor's notes: Shacker's Choice voting was open for several days before our editorial Game of the Year winners were posted, and Portal took the immediate winning slot; thus, we are confident that readers were not unduly influenced by our own selection. In fact, we were surprised to find that many reader selections were similar to our own, days before our picks were published. Also, in the case of a small number of categories, results were significantly altered in the last day or two of voting by external campaigns encouraging non-Shackers to vote for particular titles; these artificial votes were extremely easily identified, and have been discounted.]
