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
LittleBigPlanet
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 TOY-MEETS-VIDEO GAME
Nerf N-Strike Bundle
EA for Wii, Rated E10+ for Everyone 10 and Older
Forget the Wii Zapper. This toy gun is way cooler. And the simple-to-learn shooting game has a decent story that unfolds like the panels in a comic book. Also, you can use the Nerf N-Strike gun with soft darts without the video game.
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.
Tags: Boysie Awards
Professor Layton and the Curious Village? Come on! It’s BORRING!
The wii is amazing i think we shoud maybe give it away for free. also maybe we could give the nerf blaster game to peple and put it into the boy’s life magizens for the poor who maybe want it for themselves but they don’t have enough money for it.
its coool games
I have a PS3 and an Xbox 360. I haven’t even looked at my Xbox for the past 6 months
I really want a xbox360 becus they look so fun.
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.
I LOVE VIDIO GAMES!!!!
I agree with you eagleorbust!
SSBB gets a lot more recognition than it deserves. It is simply a button mashing game where an experienced player can be beaten by a newbie because of a few luck breaks. It is a fun game, but not the best of the year. Also, Shaun White doesn’t even come close to NHL 09.
i thought on the DS it was pokemon diamond and pearl or the new game,or club penguin elite penguin force. problely its the old game lol
RockBand2 should have won best game of the year
WHERES STAR WARS THE FORCE UNLEASHED ITS AWSOME
LEGO BATMAN AND NERF N-STRIKE LOOK SUPERB
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
i think they should redo this list ;0
well, little big planet i dont think should have won game of the year, but should be in the top three
Super Smash Bros. Brawl was way better than Mario Cart!
super smash bros. brawl beats Mario cart Wii
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.
I agree with everyone that says SSBB should be up there as Number 1.
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.
I defently agree with eagleorbust. Those 2 win it.
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.
There should be best Nintendo and best Sega catogries…
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.
I’m surprised there wasn’t a ‘Best RPG’ or ‘Best Platformer’ category. Those two genres are staples of videogaming.
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.)
Spore is really sweet, number 1
To !@#$%^&*()
Uh, don’t you realize that pokemon diamond and pearl came out over a year ago, that’s why it didn’t win!
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!