Yesterday, Tom Chick from Fidget (Sci-Fi's gaming extension) posted a blot article naming names in the video games industry. He ran down his most overrated titles of 2008 and supported his list with a few sentences on why they were overrated. While there are a few that I am apt to agree with, there are definitely some that were included just to rally the troops on his site (and they have with more than 120 comments on the post). Let's go through his list and break down his arguments:

10) Civilization IV: Colonization
He says: "I've never won a single game of Colonization. But I've loved every game I've played. I don't imagine many people would feel the same."
I say: "Hmm, not sure how a game rated at 83 on MetaCritic (sure, that says nothing, but for the sake of argument here, we're using it) can really make an overrated game of 2008 list. It puts it squarely in the average game score, actually. Nevertheless, Civ games have always been catered toward a niche audience. So much so that Firaxis Games attempted (successfully, in my opinion) to bring it to the console audience with Civilization Revolution."

9) Left 4 Dead
He says: "It's a great showcase for zombies that can run and co-op gameplay, but it's as fast, slick, fun in groups, and gratifying as chasing a greased pig (take that however you will). Serious Sam and Robotron were pretty cool, too, while the thrill lasted."
I say: "Agreed on the first part of the statement. L4D is one of the best co-op games I have played and I'd take it a step forward and say it's one of the best games of the year. The equivalent games given don't make sense because neither had me screaming at a) my TV or b) at my brother who wandered off into the woods without me while 13 zombies nibbled on my spleen. Knocks on this game should be directed toward its length (only four chapters!?) or its depth of pain bringers (small lineup of weapons)."

8) Burnout: Paradise
He says: "A racing game largely devoid of meaningful physics or convenience, also known as Burnout: Drive All the Way Back to the Starting Line Because There's No "Re-Try Race" Option, Suckers!."
I say: "I don't even know where to start with this. Meaningful physics? What the hell? Perhaps someone hasn't taken his ride atop one of the game's cliffs and performed three consecutive flips and landed on all fours. It was the most enjoyable driving game of the year and Criterion, the game's developers, are still churning out more cars and islands for players to explore and destroy. What else could you possibly want?"

7) Spore
He says: "The developers have explained that Spore was essentially three products: a content creator, a game-ish sort of thing, and a way to share stuff. Unless you're interested in at least two of those three things, and if you're willing for at least one of them to be rather anemic, Spore will be a head-scratcher."
I say: "I actually agree with this one. From the hype to the eventual release of the product, this was billed as the next coming of 8-bit Christ. Not only was it boring out of the box, but after my idiot animals kept dying, I completely forgot about the 'game' until you mentioned it. Thanks a lot!"

6) Wii Fit
He says: "Wii fad."
I say: "Agreed on being overrated. I wouldn't necessarily call something that has sold 10 million copies total and is still selling half a million copies per week a fad, though."

5) Mass Effect
He says: "The long-in-the-tooth Bioware RPG formula applied to a generic sci-fi universe, with bouncing buggy driving/shooting sequences standing in for the exploration of alien worlds"
I say: "You could also say the same thing about Fallout 3 being Bethesda's generic first-person RPG formula from the Oblivion series. The reason why these companies do that is because it works. Fallout 3 is great, and so is Mass Effect. In terms of storyline, ME was one of the most intriguing of 2007 and its '08 PC port doesn't skip a beat." 

4) Metal Gear Solid 4
He says: "For fans only. For everyone else, this is Kojima's long slow wank and you have to get to watch."
I say: "I wouldn't say it's for fans only. Fans of the series will definitely get a lot more out of it, but the combat and standalone story still resonate with gamers who jump into the series at this point, especially with the addition of the superb online multiplayer. The long cutscenes are definitely an investment of time and will turn many off, but, again, fans of the series (which has a pretty big fan base) would appreciate it much, much more."

3) Braid
He says: "This is not a game that moves and it's not very accessible. You need to have a stomach for old-school platformers and mental brick walls. Which is a shame, because the place Braid eventually goes is sublime."
I say: "Sure, Braid is a game I'm supposed to like, but I just ever did get into it. It's one of those games (I'd put the PSP's echochrome in the same category) that wouldv'e been higher on my list if it was available for a Microsoft portable console."

2) Little Big Planet
He says: "Awesome graphics! And those little sack people are so cute I could just eat them up! Now where's the game?"
I say: "Agreed here. There's lot of stuff to do and it does what it's supposed to do really well, but there's not enough game in the game." 

1) Grand Theft Auto IV
He says: "One of the most amazing realizations of a real-world-ish place and one of my favorite games this year. Also the setting for a poorly told story and uninspired gameplay, and the subject of a system-shattering PC port."
I say: "Poorly told story? Uninspired gameplay? What the hell? There's a reason why this game is going to show up on many publications' top games of 2008 and why it's sold so many copies and why it's garnered universal acclaim from not only the gaming press, but from mainstream audiences as well. It's almost a mockery to put this as the most overrated of '08 and have the graphically and gameplay inferior Saints Row 2 as No. 2 on your best games of 2008."

Agree? Disagree? Wanna firebomb both of our Internet sites? Let's hear it in the comments.

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Left 4 Dead

Rating:


Price: $49.99–59.99

The Skinny: Four "Survivors" are stranded in regions overrun by a fast-moving rabies virus. It's up to them to fight through the hordes of zombies together, or go at it alone and perish. Ohhh, epic-sounding, indeed!

The Good: You won't find another game out there that forces you to play as a team as much as Left 4 Dead. It's definitely something to get used to, especially if you're coming off a grueling session of Gears of War 2, but once you get the tactics down, there's a lot of fun to be had. The four campaigns are diverse and provide sufficient replayability, especially with achievements challenging you to pull off some wicked kill maneuvers. While it's exponentionally better to play with others online, you'll find that the computer-controlled characters in singleplayer—at least up to the Normal level—can hold their own. For shits and giggles, turn it up to Expert and see how quickly you turn into an undead fart—our record is 3.7 seconds.

The Bad: It almost feels like a group project in seventh grade Science. If you've got three other willing and able players on your team, you should be able to breeze through the four campaigns on Normal in about four hours. But get stuck with Snot-Nosed Sam and the 'Tard Trio and you'll be in for a very long and frustrating experience.

Maxim Tip: If you want a snowball in hell's chance of winning on Expert, you need a) mastery of the Left Trigger or melee, b) three friends who have sufficient skills, and c) a direct line to whichever deity you pray to for special favors.

Buy, Rent, or Disembowel? Buy it and get infected.

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Midnight Club: Los Angeles

Rating:

Price: $39.99–$59.99

The Skinny: Amidst the bright lights and open roads of Los Angeles, ride your way to the top with your customized import, tuner, and muscle cars or embarrass your opponents in some freewheeling motorcycle races.

The Good: From the beginning, which presents you with an interactive Google Map of L.A., to revving your engine at the start of a race, there's no denying that Rockstar has vehicular gameplay down cold. There are exactly zero load times; instead you'll see a pop-up window at the end of a race with your stats and then be greeted by a short cutscene pointing you to your next race. If there's one thing that you'll appreciate about MC:LA it's that there is no messing around: you're in a race, then out and onto the next one. Or, if you just want to drive around the city and run things over, you can do that too.

The Bad: Rubberbanding AI. If you don't know what that means, it's what happens when you run a clean race, then get smoked near the finish line anyway. No matter what happens during a race, you will have to drive a near flawless few laps for a chance at placing first, even with a souped-up car. And, while Rockstar makes a valiant attempt to tack on a storyline, the characters get boring, while the plot takes a back seat to the actual fun—racing.

From the IGN Tipsters: Before starting a highway battle, build up lots of speed from behind the opponent. As you pass, flash your lights to start the race—you’ll blast by the opponent before he even thinks about accelerating, giving you an awesome advantage and an almost surefire win in the short race.

Buy, Rent, or Disembowel? Buy it. It smokes Need for Speed: Undercover off the line.

available on

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Need for Speed Undercover
 

Rating:
 

Price: $39.99–$59.99

The Skinny: An undercover officer (you) and his law enforcement sidekick Chase Linh (played by Maggie Q) are on the trail of a bunch of street hooligans mixed up in an international smuggling ring. Do you have the head gaskets to take down some of the world's most wanted?

The Good: We're going to pretend there was never a Carbon or ProStreet version of the Need for Speed franchise, because, well, they stunk it up. Fans of the series will be happy to know that developers have taken serious notes from their last respectable effort, Most Wanted, changed a few things, and presto! Profit! The cops make their return and, while they are generally easy to elude, provide enough incentive to continue driving. You can also pick your victims with the game's handy GPS map, instantly taking you to the race of your choice.

The Bad: There are just too many other games out there that do the same thing but better. It doesn't have the arcade feel of Burnout: Paradise or the presentation value of Midnight Club: Los Angeles, and Undercover eventually stands alone with no real purpose. It has some ogle-worthy rides in the Audi R8 and the new Nissan 370Z, but the game's graphics don't do the cars justice. And make sure you don't attract too many cops or you'll be forced to endure a chase scene at 15 frames per second.

Maxim Tip: If you're strapped for cash, completing career mode unlocks unlimited money. Cha-ching!

Buy, Rent, or Disembowel? It's got a few bumps, but who cares? It's a rental!

available on

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Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe

Rating:


Price: $59.99

The Skinny: The Mortal Kombat and DC Comics worlds collide, pitting some of your favorite heroes and villains against one another in a fight to the death. Well, at least until the severe bruising.

The Good: The character art is spot on and the storylines, spearheaded by Ed Boon on the MK side and Jimmy Palmiotti (Manhunter, Secret Six) on the DC side, make a faithful transition to next-gen consoles. Veterans of Street Fighter's hadouken duo Ken and Ryu will have no problem figuring out the moves for the characters—most of them are some permutation of "down," "front," and "button". Others will take solace in the traditional method of playing video games: button mashing until your thumb feels broken.

The Bad: Once you get past the wow factor, you're left with only a few stellar hours of gameplay. The series was built with a foundation of over-the-top, soul-crushing, permanently disabling fatalities, but what you'll find here are a mixture of toned down love taps that will ultimately disappoint. Sure, superheroes aren't supposed to kill their opponents (they get something called "heroic brutalities"), but slapping on weak finishers to even the MK fighters—seriously, not one severed limb?—is hard to defend. Also, the online play is shaky, at best, and it's highly unlikely many will venture out into the rough waters of Xbox Live and PSN very long when lag really starts to creep into the servers.

Maxim Tip: You won't find the move list for fatalies or brutalities anywhere in the game. But, you're on the Internet and Uncle Google's door is always open.

Buy, Rent, or Disembowel? A solid rental. Time to break out your Superman jammies!

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Smackdown vs. Raw 2009

Rating:


Price: $59.99

The Skinny: Pick your favorite spandex-clad wrestler, or create your own, and ride him all the way to the WWE heavyweight championship. Wait, there has to be a better way to say that.

The Good: The all-new "Road to Wrestlemania" storyline mode, although a bit repetitive, is satisfying. It will keep you occupied for a few hours, and may even get you to tune in to one of their 5,000 weekly TV shows. The controls are easy—just press one button when your meter flashes to pull off finishing moves—and the presentation of wrestler entrances, which includes live footage, is top notch. Most impressive is the Create-a-Finisher feature which allows you to make your own signature move.

The Bad: Making a game for a niche audience in a way disqualifies certain people from really getting into it. With that said, this is mostly fan service geared toward those who know what the hell an Inferno Match even is. (Unless you live in Los Angeles—you call that "Tuesdays.")

Maxim Tip: If you're looking to throwdown on the road, go with the PSP version—while the DS version has all of the same features, it has touch controls which are innacurate and sluggish.

Buy, Rent, or Disembowel? Buy. The WWE may have given you a low blow with the last few efforts, but there's no shame in picking this one up.

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"No one appreciated Bob's biting commentary."

Ready. Set. GO! Yeah, it's a race to the finish this week as we're giving away FIVE copies of Shaun White Snowboarding: Road Trip, Target Edition for the Wii. What's that mean? It means you'll be getting four huge snow mountains to explore along with an exclusive Target mountain filled with death-defying jumps and enough loops to turn your hair "Shaun White red." (It's not a bad thing—chicks dig red...and shiny Olympic and X-Games medals). Don't go and make all the snow yellow if you don't win, though. You can pick up a copy of the game, available now at any Target store nationwide.

As always, you can either leave your totally awesome caption in the comments below or check out out Beat This Caption page here. G'luck!

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James Bond: Quantum of Solace (Xbox 360, PS3, PC, Wii, PS2, DS)

Rating:


Price: $59.99 (360, PS3), $49.99 (PC, Wii), $39.99 (PS2), $29.99 (DS)

The Skinny: 007 returns with a new babe, more intense action, and a movie tie-in game that doesn't suck!

The Good: The presentation of the game is flawless. From the opening scene when you infiltrate Mr. White's mansion to having the screen turn into the trademark 007 gun-barrel when your health is low, you feel like you are in a Bond movie. Complementing the gunplay is a slick, yet simple takedown system, allowing you to give enemies the ol' heave-ho without making a peep. When you're done saving the world in the single-player story mode, Xbox Live and PSN awaits, where you'll find a deep and satisfying reward system. Everything you do yields a certain amount of money which you use to either unlock new weapons or upgrade them with scopes and grips—you can even "goldenize" them, so don't be surprised if you get taken out by a shiny sniper rifle.

The Bad: The game is fun, in the same way the Super Mario Bros. on the NES is still fun to play today. QoS fails to really set itself apart from other first-person shooters, especially with Gears of War 2 and Resistance 2 soaking up the multiplayer market. That's not to say that there aren't people playing this game online, because there are plenty. But, when you've got 60 bucks burning a hole in your pocket, it's hard justifying purchasing a game with a five-hour single-player experience with noticeable AI quirks.

Maxim Tip: While the game straddles both Casino Royale and Quantum of Solace, those worried about having the upcoming sequel ruined for them will only find a relatively small amount of spoilers—namely, everything except the very last location of the movie is revealed. Just a word of warning.

Buy, Rent, or Disembowel? Rent it. It's got a short, but sweet singleplayer and the online portion may hold your attention long enough until James Bond: 2 Quantum 2 Solace.

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Resistance 2 (PS3)

Rating:


Price: $59.99

The Skinny: The Chimera virus has spread across the seaboard and now threatens the United States. Nathan Hale, infected by the virus, straps on his carbon rifle and heads back onto the battlefield, hoping to save a world that's slowly succumbing.

The Good: Sure the set-up is formulaic as hell (cough cough Halo 2, Halo 3, Gears of War 2 couch cough), but that's because, well, it works. After escaping the first section of the game, you'll encounter the full extent of the Chimera virus invasion: three gigantic Chimera capitol ships hovering over the Golden Gate Bridge, a sight that'll have you looking out your window just to make sure that it isn't actually happening. Even more impressive are the co-op and multi-player options, which allow you to team up with up to seven other friends and go through very different missions based around the impending Chimera invasion. Either way, you'll level up and increase your e-penis with trophies and other such spoils of the Internet.

The Bad: The story isn't exactly Tom Clancy-in-motion, but all you really need to know is that there are a shit ton of aliens invading and you need to go kill them. Again, it's a formula and again, we're not totally sick of it yet. Yet.

Maxim Tip: Sony is boasting that it will take 420 hours to complete everything there is to do in the game, or approximately 18 days of continuous play. Better get to it!

Buy, Rent, or Disembowel? Buy it.

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Fallout 3

Rating:


Price: $59.99

The Skinny: In a post-apocalyptic America, everyone has gone underground to avoid the massive wars raging across the world. You play a boy, raised all his life in a fallout shelter, who has to venture out into the world for the very first time in search of his father.

The Good: Gears of War 2 may have you chainsawing people in half, but Fallout 3 is one of the most violent games you will play this year. The weapon targeting system, called VATS, is spot on, allowing you to aim your gun—small pistol and large missile launchers included—so precisely that you can behead mutant enemies, rip their limbs off, or tear their torsos in half. The gameplay also gives you the choice of becoming a knight in shining armor or the biggest rat bastard in all the land. Plus, you won't find a more expansive game around, with a running time estimated between 50 and 75 hours. Not a bad investment to make with the real world slowly deteriorating as well.

The Bad: The gameplay is solid, but there are way too many times in the game when you're either looking for something to do or are faced with traveling across the whole map just to get to a target. That could easily mean 20 minutes of walking through enemy-infested territory just so you can deliver an envelope. Seriously, that's one mission. While you'll be able to transport instantly to places you've already visited, you are still going to have to manually get to all these places at least once in your adventure in order to "discover" them. Also, while the presentation of the game seems to be first-person shooter intensive, there's a surprising amount of meticulous planning and maneuvering you'll have to do before jumping into fights. Great for those who have a lot of sit-down time, bad for those who just want to pick up and play.

Maxim Tip: You'll encounter lots of weapons and items traders across the region. You can either buy their wares legally or just kill them and take all of their money, guns, and clothing.

Buy, Rent, or Disembowel? It's a great value at just 60 bucks, but if you've never played Bethesda's previous Elder Scrolls games, we'd recommend renting before buying.

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