2008
So far living up to its big brother 2007 in sheer amount of quality game releases. Now we just need to take off 2009 to play them all.

Rare
Says fixing tiny, unclear SDTV text in new Banjo Kazooie would be "too expensive." Gamers respond with large, very clear expletives.

Left 4 Dead
Demo release goes over pretty well. And after playing at Valve, we can say the rest of the game is sort of neat, too.

Company of Heroes
Fantastic RTS gets another expansion in Tales of Valor. But is it a full-featured expansion? Nervous fans debate.

Fallout 3
4.7 million units shipped, representing $300 million for a happy Bethesda.


Activision
Thinking about charging a subscription fee to download user-created Guitar Hero songs. Say what?

Stardock
Combines the old and the new with turn-based 4X fantasy strategy game that supported Spore-like modding.

Far Cry 2
Debuts on the PC charts at #1, beating EA heavyweight Spore, and eclipsing Her Interactive heavyweight Nancy Drew: The Haunting of Castle Mallory. Oh, PC gaming.

Rare community manager George Kelion begging fans to understand why the company won't be fixing tiny SDTV text in Banjo Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts.

Gears of War 2 lead designer Cliff Bleszinski arguing that open beta testing inevitably leads to disinterest.

Mike "Gabe" Krahulik announcing the next push for Penny Arcade charity Child's Play.