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Multiplatform

The following titles are all uniformly excellent and guaranteed to please gamers of all tastes. They are available on more than one platform, so whichever one you have, be sure to pick these games up.

Bioshock
(2k Games, 2007-8, Metacritic Score: 96)
Check out the TGR Review here!

Set in an undersea utopia gone awry, Bioshock is an interactive journey into darkness that you won’t soon forget. The game merges the visual style of the 1920s with bits of sci-fi extravagance to great effect, and the experience will captivate you from beginning to end like no other. While the game is technically a first-person shooter, the use of psychokinetic powers, such as the ability to shoot ice and electricity, keep things feeling unique. Bioshock is a masterpiece no matter where you play it, and will undoubtedly be remembered as one of the finest games of this decade.

Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare
(Activision, 2007, Metacritic Score: 94)
Check out the TGR Review here!

While the Call of Duty games have always been solid, Modern Warfare took the series to all new levels of success. The single-player campaign is a thrilling affair that has you rescuing downed chopper pilots, gunning down enemies from the sky, and raiding a number of terrorist strongholds that will keep you enthralled the entire time. The multiplayer has up to 18 players waging war in a number of arenas. The unique twist of a leveling system allows you to earn new weapons and abilities as you play. As one of the most popular online games on both the PS3 and the 360, CoD4 is a no-brainer for all shooter fans.

Fallout 3
(2K Games, 2008, Metacritic Score: 93)
Check out the TGR Review here!

Explore post-apocalyptic Washington D.C. with complete freedom and create your own path as a survivor of a future nuclear war. Fallout 3 lets you do what you want, when you want, letting you decide if you wish to help or harm the towns and survivors that you encounter and which side of the battle you wish to join. The game is a truly massive action-RPG experience, and those looking to invest a lot of time into a meaty, rewarding adventure would be wise to pick this up.

The Orange Box
(EA, 2007, Metacritic Score: 96)
Check out the TGR Review here!

In 2007, Valve and EA teamed up to deliver the single best value ever to hit gaming in the Orange Box. Packaging together Half-Life 2, which has been hailed as one of the greatest games of all time, its 2 expansions, Episodes 1 & 2, as well as toon-shaded class-based multiplayer title Team Fortress 2 and the ubiquitous Portal, the Orange Box has a little something for everyone to enjoy. Every single title included here is AAA quality and well worth playing, but the fact that they are now only $4 per game makes it an unbeatable deal. Buy this.

Rock Band 2
(EA, 2008, Metacritic Score: 92)
Check out the TGR Review here!

Since Guitar Hero hit PS2s several years back, the music game craze has exploded in popularity and has been packing households with plastic instruments aplenty. Harmonix, the original GH developer, took this concept to the next level with their Rock Band franchise in 2007, which expanded the formula by allowing up to 4 players to play guitar, bass, drums, or vocals simultaneously. The latest entry, Rock Band 2, adds online cooperative action to the mix, allows you to import all of the songs from the original title on 360 and PS3, and adds over 85 new songs for you to rock out with, creating a disk-busting music experience. Couple this in with over 500 downloadable tracks available for purchase online and you have the only music game that you will ever need to buy.

Don’t miss our other 2008 Buyer’s Guides!
Sony PSP
Nintendo DS
Nintendo Wii
Sony PS3
Xbox 360

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