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The 2008 Boysie Awards

Actors get Oscars, singers get Grammys and video games get awards from Boys’ Life: THE BOYSIES. The Boysies are dedicated to the age-old proverb that video games don’t have to be gross to be cool.

GAME OF THE YEAR

boysie1LittleBigPlanet

Sony for PS3
Sure, Sackboy is cute. But there’s a lot more to LittleBigPlanet. You make and customize your own running and jumping game. Then you share it with the world. The single-player game isn’t too shabby, either. And the story’s introduction is so well written and acted, you’ll think you’re in a movie. It’s a truly impressive comeback for Sony.

Runner Up: LEGO Batman
Warner Bros. for all platforms, Rated E10+ for Everyone 10 and Older
This isn’t just the best-looking LEGO video game. You really feel the spirit of superhero cooperation when you play it. In addition to Batman and Robin, you can play as all the villains. The vehicles are way fun to drive, too.

BEST XBOX 360 GAME

Banjo Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts
Microsoft, Rated E10+ for Everyone 10 and Older
Take a great tale in which you vie for Spiral Mountain. Add amazing graphics. Throw in humor and gameplay that includes building cool vehicles. Add online multiplayer capabilities and extra goodies if you choose to finish the original Banjo Kazooie on Xbox Live Arcade. It’s the recipe for one terrific game that’ll keep you playing for hours and hours.

BEST WII GAME

Mario Kart Wii
Nintendo
Sure, the Mario Kart series has been around for years, but this one includes a driving wheel and serious online capabilities. You can strut your stuff against people all around the world, over and over again. So much fun.

BEST COMPUTER GAME

Spore
EA for Mac and PC, Rated E10+ for Everyone 10 and Older
You get to make your own creature with all kinds of kooky parts. Watch it grow and, eventually, take over a planet. Then upload your creation so everyone can play it, and play in everyone else’s world, too. It’s endless fun.

BEST DS GAME

Professor Layton and the Curious Village
Nintendo
It’s a can’t-put-it-down mystery that’s full of a wild number of puzzles for you to solve. Put together crazy machines, chase a cat, talk to the townspeople, go through mazes and do a few math puzzles, too. You get a lot of bang for the buck.

BEST PSP GAME

Wipeout Pulse
Sony, Rated E10+ for Everyone 10 and Older
As part of the Anti-Gravity Racing League, you can speed really fast in the wackiest environments. The varied soundtrack adds to the drama. Customize your cars and play via Wi-Fi, too. Finally, it’s got a nicer price than most PSP games. Want more? Download extra tracks at the PlayStation Store.

BEST FAMILY GAME

Boom Blox
EA for Wii
At first, it doesn’t seem like much more than an amusement park ball-throwing game. But even though it’s easy to pick up, it’s tough to master. You can’t play just one game, and neither can anyone in your family. It proves that movie director Steven Spielberg knows how to design a game, too.

BEST MOVIE-BASED GAME

Kung Fu Panda
Activision for all platforms, Rated E10+ for Everyone 10 and Older
You won’t just relive the movie. You’ll be immersed in an experience full of humorous kung fu, including combo moves that are exciting to see when you pull them off. You get to play as Po or other members of the Furious Five. Those jumping puzzles high in the clouds are a blast, too.

BEST SPORTS GAME

Shaun White Snowboarding Road Trip
Ubisoft for Wii, Rated E10+ for Everyone 10 and Older
NHL 09 came very close. But for sheer creativity that makes use of the Wii Balance Board, Road Trip wins hands down. If you don’t have a Balance Board, it’s almost as cool with a Wii controller. Who wouldn’t want to go on a snowboarding road trip with Olympic champ Shaun White as your teammate?

BEST PET SIMULATION

National Geographic Panda
Namco Bandai for DS
Not only do you get to raise your own panda (and pet it virtually), you also learn lots of fun facts about the animal as you play. They throw in a cool National Geographic DVD about pandas, too.

BEST PARTY GAME

Rayman Raving Rabbids TV Party
Ubisoft for Wii, Rated E10+ for Everyone 10 and Older
If the crazy Rabbids don’t make you laugh, nothing will. This is one of the most enjoyable collections of mini games you’ll ever find. And if you have a Balance Board, you can control one of the games with your rear end.

BEST DOWNLOADABLE GAME

PixelJunk Monsters
Sony for PS3, PlayStation Network
This tower defense game looks like a lovable cartoon, but it can get really hard to play. Yet somehow, you just keep coming back to defend your townspeople. They finally added a patch so you can play on easy mode, too. There’s also a recent Encore edition with levels inspired by Pac-Man and Space Invaders.

50 Comments on The 2008 Boysie Awards

  1. RockBand2 should have won best game of the year

  2. WHERES STAR WARS THE FORCE UNLEASHED ITS AWSOME

  3. STAR WARS FREAK // January 15, 2009 at 3:39 pm // Reply

    LEGO BATMAN AND NERF N-STRIKE LOOK SUPERB

  4. i agree with cooliestdude and cakeman.SSBB RULES!!! it should sooo be #1 over little big planet. LBP should still be in the top 5

  5. i think they should redo this list ;0

  6. cooliestdude // January 12, 2009 at 6:47 pm // Reply

    well, little big planet i dont think should have won game of the year, but should be in the top three

  7. Super Smash Bros. Brawl was way better than Mario Cart!

  8. super smash bros. brawl beats Mario cart Wii

  9. i think guitar hero on tour decades should of won best DS game.i like mario cart wii,kung fu panda,andshaun white snowboarding road trip.

  10. I agree with everyone that says SSBB should be up there as Number 1.

  11. bramblepaw80 // January 5, 2009 at 9:57 pm // Reply

    i disagree about the psp game. I have played that game and i didnt find it that fun. I really liked star wars: the force unleashed, but that is my opinion.

  12. I defently agree with eagleorbust. Those 2 win it.

  13. monkeykilller // January 5, 2009 at 10:33 am // Reply

    All of those games look really cool!The one I would like to try is the ds game and the Mario kart game. I had that for the ds and that was alot of fun.

  14. There should be best Nintendo and best Sega catogries…

  15. I agree with the “theclassicgamer”but i like that you actuly control the wii remote.Spore is defininatly best computer game of 2008.even though i never heard of pixeljunk monsters,i bet it is 10 times better than toontown and pirites of the carribean online. also i agree with esm8m.

  16. I’m surprised there wasn’t a ‘Best RPG’ or ‘Best Platformer’ category. Those two genres are staples of videogaming.

  17. eagleorbust // January 3, 2009 at 4:37 pm // Reply

    i like SSBB and mario kart wii, and what happened to mario party 8 for the party game?? (i think it came out a year ago.)

  18. Spore is really sweet, number 1

  19. To !@#$%^&*()
    Uh, don’t you realize that pokemon diamond and pearl came out over a year ago, that’s why it didn’t win!

  20. Brawl probably was the best game. Too bad it’s rated T. I used to have melee, but then my mom decided she didn’t like it. She was watching when my sister (playing zelda) was whipping one of the computers with a chain, and that was the end of that, lol!

  21. The two best games this year were definitally Guitar Hero World Tour and SSBB.

  22. I agree. Batman is an ok game. I don’t have it, but i’ve played it at the store. And there are a lot of games that are better.

  23. Wii’s are awesome. I want to buy one myself.

  24. Te best DS game should have been pokemon diamand and pearl.

    P.S I heard that there is going to be one called platnum

  25. Littlebigplanet was a great pick (I’ve beat it myself) but LEGO Batman is been like all other LEGO titles, even though it was T Brawl should have at least gotten best Wii game.

  26. I agree, SSBB should have won best wii game, it is pretty much the best wii onley game that came out this year. I also think boys life should accept T rated games, 50% of them aren’t even that bad.

  27. Brawl should be the runner-up for best game…Lego Batman isn’t as fun. Mario Kart Wii is a great game, too.

  28. Im surprised about the best games of the year. From what ive seen, littleBigPlanet looks awesome, but it should have won best ps3 game (even though there isnt that catergory this year……..) or taken the runner- up. SSBB is awesome, maybe it only get picked for anything because its rated T?

  29. I hope when they say the best game I really hope they mean best game for all ages. Because there are tons of other games that came out this year that where way better than most of the games listed here.
    P.S I got a xbox 360 for christmas and it is way better than wii.

  30. i can’t believe star wars the force unleashed didn’t make it but i tottally agree with luigi and luigi2

  31. theclassicgamer // December 24, 2008 at 3:48 pm // Reply

    Spore’s good, but the wii is a digrace to the better gamers. i know of only 6 good wii games… its sorta sad, really

  32. GamerLord590032: i totally agree

  33. wii rocks

  34. Yes, I agree. SSBB is a great game, much better then Melee in my opinion.

  35. Brawl should have won first place by a landslide. It’s clear that the makers worked really hard on it, and it shows through how fun it is. And, if it didn’t win just because it was rated T, I don’t think that’s a good reason. Crude Humor is typical of even young people, and Cartoon Violence no one would mistake for real life, and is in E rated games as well. The Esrb is not perfect.

  36. Super Smash Bros. Brawl should have won best Wii game.

  37. I love shaun white snowbording road trip!Best game

  38. Awesome

  39. GamerLord590032 // December 23, 2008 at 9:14 pm // Reply

    I think that super smash bros. brawl should be the best wii game

  40. Super Smash Brothers Brawl is the best and should have won EVERYTHING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

  41. Hm… a pretty solid list this year. I’m surprised “Dokapon Kingdom” didn’t get best party game through. Mario Party meets Dragon Warrior? Hard to beat that one!

  42. I like the list but where’s SSBB? In my opinion Brawl was the best game this year.

  43. Where’s super smash bros. brawl?! It’s a tottally awesome game!!!!!!!!!!!!11

  44. It is good, but it is missing a few good games.

  45. THX 1138 (jonbuddy) // December 23, 2008 at 10:19 am // Reply

    Nice Line-Up. I know why LittleBigPlanet was only for PS3: There was no other system that could handle the graphics. That says a lot on Sony’s part.

  46. TwilightIsAwesome // December 23, 2008 at 1:39 am // Reply

    SWEET!!!!!!!!!

  47. Bmanrox!!!!! // December 22, 2008 at 6:32 pm // Reply

    I was surprised Mario and Sonic at the Olympic Games didn’t win the best DS game! It’s awsome!!!!!!!!!

  48. i am suprised about the ds game although i have never played it

  49. Cool! I want to play LEGO Batman and Nerf N-Strike, they look really fun.

  50. i am so glad that boyslife finally got the 2008 boysie awards on to the website!

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