Before I go on and blabber, I want to introduce myself. I'm Daniel, I like video games... and that's good enough for now.

I have to say the past years whenever I see a new game of the year award show, I always hear the words: "This year is the best year ever!" or "We had so many great games". Now it's true there were some great games, but I never thought 2005 to 2007 were really that great. 2005 had its best game right in its tenth day: Resident Evil 4, and with all due respect to games like Shadow of the Colossus, God of War and Psychonauts, RE4 blew everything apart so there wasn't any tension. 2006 was a little bland with only Gears of War, Oblivion and The Legend of Zelda as Triple A titles. I'm sorry, but as exciting the console launches were back then, it doesn't arouse anyone if the games that are out aren't up to snuff (sorry Resistance fans).

Last year, there were some great games. The main problem was it took them 10 months to be released. I don't recall many games besides God of War II that were worth a mention the first half of that year (maybe Super Paper Mario?). Thankfully August rolled around and so Bioshock was released. That, however, started a craze. Since then every week had a major title. Assassin's Creed, Call of Duty 4, Rock Band, Halo 3, Mass Effect and my personal favorite: Super Mario Galaxy. Honestly speaking, I don't mind all of the big guns being pulled around October and November, it makes the finale of the year all the more exciting. I remember 2004 as Halo 2 and Half Life 2 were released on the same week, with Metal Gear Solid 3 and GTA: San Andreas thrown into the mix, so I love stuff like that. BUT, I felt last year wasn't as memorable because the games weren't as hyped. Call of Duty 4 looked great, but for the average guy that doesn't like shooting games, it's just a shooting game with no real main protagonists. Back in 2004 we played as Snake, Gordon and Master Cheif, and while the latter returned, the rest weren't as memorable.

So here we are in July of 2008. I have to say I have never been as excited to be a gamer since 2001 and 2004. This year has been so great, that they can do a game of the year awards and there would be enough candidates... AND IT'S FREAKIN' JULY! Soul Calibur IV is not even out yet! January we already have a great racing game (Burnout Paradise) and a new cult classic (No More Heroes, the Killer 7 that actually got good reviews). February had Devil May Cry 4, which personally was a nostalgic breeze among the endless wave of FPS games. March already had it's triple A title: Super Smash Borthers Brawl. I know this game is good that even after 5 months I play it with my friends and it never loses its luster. April was quiet until the quiet approach of Mario Kart Wii, the best Mar... Okay, who am I kidding, it's probably the worst one yet (I won't blabber into that) and the only reason I write about it is the fact for some strange reason it sells out EVERYWHERE. Geez people, just pop in Mario Kart Double Dash and you can have twice the fun (pun not intended).

Like Smash Brothers, A lot of 2007's supposed titles were pushed back, but it's easy to recognize that Grand Theft Auto IV was the biggest game so far this year, probably surpassing Halo 3 hype (yeah, I dared). While it's debatable which was more successful, it's hard to deny GTA IV's countless 10s from critics and fans alike. Prior to playing it, I hated Grand Theft Auto for it's superficial Scarface-esque storyline and less than stellar missions. Sure it was nice in 2001 because it was revolutionary, but I felt that Vice City and even San Andreas hasn't done much to mend this. IV is not only better than those games, it's better than any game in the series. Nico's story alone is a good enough reason to see it to the end, even if the story starts to lose itself towards the end. Oh the gameplay is better too. You see this... It was April and we already have enough titles for GOTY, and I haven't even mentioned everything.

May was the least eventful month besides one game: Wii Fit. I would never understand why this is as popular as Mario Kart Wii or the Wii itself. It's a workout software with a balance board. People can work out with it, but it doesn't show signs of long staying power. It's like Wii Sports. You were playing your first few matches in Wii Tennis but then you moved on to bigger, better things. June has the premiere PS3 game Metal Gear Solid 4, and unless you are a jaded critic there is no way you won't enjoy the wackiness of Hideo Kojima's latest and arguebly best masterpiece. I have to be honest for a game like GTA IV, I expected websites to give it perfect scores, but I would never believe MGS4 will be awarded with such praises. Taking the zany plot aside, Metal Gear Solid was always a very basic stealth game with aging controls and camera, Konami tweaked the control to make the game feel as modern as games like Splinter Cell and yet maintain the classic Metal Gear feel without pissing any fans in the process. Heck, they even made Raiden look cool, albeit dorky.

And those are just the first 6 months. E3 wasn't that excting announcement-wise, but there are some future classics in the horizon such as Gears of War 2, Resistance 2, Fallout 3, Fable 2, Mercenaries 2 and LittleBig Planet. Those titles alone can have their own award show between them, but it's impossible to decide between games like Gears of War or GTA IV which one is more superior. One thing is for sure, 2008 is the best year for gaming and it proves to the most jaded gamer of them all that even the mundane months of the year can have those premiere titles that will make you feel it's November and not May.