‘Fallout 3’ led action-packed year

By Lou Kesten | December 19, 2008 at 12:00a.m.

It’s been another spectacular year for video games, with more than enough compelling adventures to satisfy even the most demanding player. It’s been a particularly gratifying year for Xbox 360 owners, who have benefited from a consistent flow of first-rate software from Microsoft and other publishers.

Nintendo, on the other hand, has been a huge disappointment. While the low-priced Wii continues to outsell the competition, new releases for the console have been, for the most part, uninspired.

And while Sony’s pricey PlayStation 3 has been a tough sell in this economy, its library is improving, almost — but not quite — keeping pace with the Xbox. Here are my favorite games of 2008:

1.“Fallout 3” (Bethesda Softworks, for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3): Set in Washington 200 years after a nuclear holocaust, this epic brings an eerie beauty to a bleak scenario. With its powerful story, memorable characters and morbid comedy, it’s a compelling journey that leaves you wanting more even after 100 hours of play.

2.“LittleBigPlanet” (Sony, for the PlayStation 3): As delightful as “ Fallout 3” is grim, “LBP” freshened up the 2D action game and unleashed an army of amateur designers with its innovative level-building kit.

3.“Rock Band 2” (Electronic Arts/MTV Games, for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Wii, PlayStation 2): By releasing new songs every week of 2008, “Rock Band” developer Harmonix refused to let its rhythm-game franchise get stale.

4.“Grand Theft Auto IV” (Rockstar, for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3): The violence and profanity are still over the top, but protagonist Niko Bellic is a little more grounded than your typical “GTA” lead. He’s a thug you can care about.

5.“Braid” (Microsoft, for the Xbox 360): Independent developer Jonathan Blow’s time-warping, mind-bending puzzler turned a hackneyed plot — little guy rescues a princess — into a melancholy meditation on love and loss.

6.“Lost Odyssey” (Microsoft, for the Xbox 360): I love an old-fashioned role-playing game, and “Final Fantasy” veteran Hironobu Sakaguchi delivered a rich tale with real emotional impact.

7.“Fable II” (Microsoft, for the Xbox 360): I like newfangled RPGs too, and Peter Molyneux’s ambitious open-world epic is a satisfying blend of action, character building and laugh-out-loud humor.

8.“Dead Space” (Electronic Arts, for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3): Sure, it cribs a lot from movies like “Aliens” and “Pitch Black,” but this exploration of a monster-infested spaceship was the year’s most nerve-racking game.

9.“Grid” (Codemasters, for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3): This unusually challenging sleeper delivered white-knuckle auto racing with sublime controls and an superb variety of courses.

10.“Mirror’s Edge” (Electronic Arts, for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3): Boy, it’s tough, but EA’s parkour-inspired thriller looks unlike any game we’ve seen before.

Honorable mentions

“Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots,” “Gears of War 2,” “Resistance 2,” “Prince of Persia,” “The World Ends With You,” “No More Heroes,” “Patapon,” “Ticket to Ride.”