Holiday Season: 2008 vs. 2009

The holiday season is prime time to be a gamer. Many companies hold off releasing their games until this time of year to release their triple A titles and it’s both a blessing and a hassle for gamers to try and play as much as we can. The major rush of 2009 is over, except for a couple more games that could be great, and the staff of Resumeplay has chosen which holiday season they have liked more. Don’t forget to let us know what your thoughts were as well.

Mark Hinton ii – 2009

When I think of the holiday season, all I can think about are video games, terrible toy commercials, and the smell of shorted out Christmas lights. There were a lot of big releases last year around the holidays, mainly Call of Duty:World at War, and Left for Dead. Those were 2 really huge games last year, and in my personal opinion, 2 of the games released last year that devoured most of my free time. Those 2 games alone made last year’s holiday season worth all the department store psychos. This year, we have a slew of sequels dropping every few weeks. Of course, Modern Warfare 2 and Left for Dead 2 top the charts for me, followed closely by Assassin’s Creed 2. I’ve been so absolutely enthralled with Modern Warfare 2 these past couple weeks that I have yet to even pick up and play Assassin’s Creed 2 or Left for Dead 2. I’ve heard fantastic things about both games, and I’ve heard that the franchise has improved since the last installment. I loved Left for Dead and Assassin’s Creed, and I look forward to playing both of them until my eyeballs liquify. Modern Warfare 2 has probably been the talk of everyone’s gaming circle since leaked footage and trailers stormed YouTube, and I have to say that the hype for the game is definitely worth it. You have to put up with a lot of this from gamers: “DUUUUUUUUUUUUDE…have you seen the new trailer for Modern Warfare yet? That game looks SICK.” We hear it so much that by the time the game hits the shelves, we don’t even want to play it. But I implore you. Buy this game. Live it. Love it. The 3 games I’ve mentioned that have come out this year are what makes this holiday season greater for the gaming community than last year. One could say that last year set the precedent for these new games now, but I disagree. The games are way better, way hyped, and so far, from what I’ve seen and heard, way worth it.

Nathan Grabowski – 2008

As mainly a PS3, DS, and PSP gamer, I would have to say it is a very tough call to make between 2009 and 2008. While I am consciously aware that there have been bigger, more anticipated titles released this year, I feel that I am going to have to give it to 2008. I realize it may be, and almost certainly is, nostalgia related. I remember playing Little Big Planet, Fall Out 3, and Resistance 2 for the majority of my holiday season last year. Between the immersion of Fallout 3, the expansive action of Resistance 2, and the novelty, simple-yet-sweet nature, and undeniable charm of Little Big Planet, I had a blast last season. Now, that’s not saying that I am not having a great time this season, it is just that I am a slave to sentimentality sometimes. Also, everything felt very fresh last year. As Darius of this very site mentioned, there are a lot of sequels this year. That is, in no way, a bad thing. However, originality always grabs my attention and creates good memories. Factor in the fact that I wasn’t working last holiday season and I had winter break and all the time in the world to devote to gaming? Forget about it. Hah. This year it is Modern Warfare 2, Demon’s Souls, and Uncharted 2. I have thoroughly been satisfied by Modern Warfare 2 (love the spec-op, co-op), but it was short. Demon’s Souls is a mixed bag for me. I mean, I understand the difficult and what the developers had in mind (after beating the first boss I was SURE I was a badass), but it really can grind on your nerves quickly. And Uncharted 2 was a blast. But I haven’t picked it up since attempting the hardest mode. So, I’d have to say it’s very close for me. But last year pulls ahead by a hair (for me).

Darius Yaghoubi – 2009

I’m honestly having a hard time picking between the two holiday seasons as the best but I am going to have to teeter over to the 2009 holiday season as being the better of the two. I would say the primary reason for this is that last season we saw lots of new franchises (not a bad thing by any means). New franchises are always welcome but they don’t generate nearly as much hype as sequels. I will not deny by any means that I fall victim to the hype train more often than I am proud of. For this reason, games like Modern Warfare 2, Assassin’s Creed 2, and Left 4 Dead 2 are built upon the success of their predecessors which were released last year or earlier. When I saw the commercials for the first Assassin’s Creed I was thinking “Oh, that looks like a cool game, I’ll have to check it out.” When I saw the commercials for the second one I was like “HOLY FUCKING AWESOME!” only because I knew what the first one was like and what I could expect from the second. Couple this with the fact that Mass Effect 2 is out soon (yeah I know January is technically after the holiday season), and that Mass Effect was my absolute favoritest game of 2007, I’m siding with holiday season 2009.

Bryan Fleck – 2009

Last year’s holiday season had some certainly notable titles. Fallout 3 for PC, Gears of War 2, LittleBigPlanet, Fable 2. Now these titles ranged, as games do, from good to bad. The holiday season brought us some innovative titles. There were many things for gamers to as for. As a matter of fact, I got Left 4 Dead for Christmas. Good times. Now, fast forward a year later. The world is in the throes of a deep recession, and nearly every major title has been delayed to spring. The promise of Bioshock 2, Splinter Cell: Conviction, Bayonetta, and many others has been swept away by the delay monster. However, let’s look at some of the things we have left: Modern Warfare 2, Uncharted 2, Borderlands, Left 4 Dead 2, Dragon Age Origins, and Assassin’s Creed 2. Not a list to sneeze at, eh? But gamers can generally only afford one or two of these games, due to overwhelming economic stress. It’s hard to choose between such great choices, and simply waiting until spring will only make things harder. I certainly prefer the games from this year, but wish for the simplicity of last year. Now it’s easy for me to complain, partly because I had to get groceries instead of DAO, but when I really think about it, I have to lean towards this year. The Games are superior, and with so many sequels on the horizon, the anticipation has been mounting. I feel almost sad to say it, but The holiday season of 2008 just doesn’t measure up.

Crystal Rodriguez – 2008

I felt that the 2008 Holiday season made it possible for the 2009 season to follow up with even better games. 2008 introduced us to the Left 4 Dead story and continued with a new look into RPGs such as Fallout 3. I must admit that I am addicted to Fallout 3 and can’t seem to put down the mouse and keyboard. Still today I can’t get the music from the radio out of my mind. Spore allowed us to create new worlds of creatures and Call of Duty: World at War had Nazi zombies that were thirsty for our flesh. Left 4 Dead definitely brought zombies back from the undead, again. I was finally excited to play a game that allowed me to be a zombie and not just any type of zombie but either a hunter, boomer or smoker. I was having fun tearing teams a part, yes I know it’s destructive but it was a fun time. Thank you, Value. Fable 2 followed up 500 years later from the original and World of Goo let you get dirty with physics. Without you 2008, where would gaming be? Without zombies? We can’t be without zombies.

Michael Perry – 2009

2008 was a breakthrough year for a lot of companies. EA decided to try a new route with its development and fund some new IPs which didn’t necessarily help the company one bit. The Fallout franchise was reintroduced and was met with open arms along with other big hits including Fable 2, Left 4 Dead, Call of Duty: World at War, among many more. In my opinion though, I think 2009 is killing it not just within the holiday season, but this whole year entirely, even with all the delays and cancellations due to companies not wanting to compete. Modern Warfare 2 blew away last year’s Call of Duty and even the first Modern Warfare with its updated Multiplayer and Spec Ops. Left 4 Dead 2 seems to have blown everyone away by not just being a cash out and actually having new things to do in it. We also got games like Assassins Creed 2, New Super Mario Bros, Borderlands, ODST, Uncharted, and so many more titles that scream goodness. Even with all the games being pushed to 2010, 2009 takes the cake.

Matt Castelli – 2009

I’m looking forward to this year’s holiday season a lot more then last year. There are quite a few good games including but not limited to Borderlands, Modern Warfare 2, and Assassin’s Creed 2 however last year there were far more forgettable titles. Also the price drops in all the consoles will make for some happy boys and girls this holiday season when they open up they’re presents to find new consoles. My only disappointment this year is that Final Fantasy 13 will not be released in the US until March when I was so looking forward to it for Christmas. In short this holiday season is a vast improvement over last year’s list of titles and prices.

Jordan Garland – ??? (neither or both)

I refuse to define ‘Holiday season’ as anything other than the month of December; anybody or anything which displays even the slightest hint of Christmas, before December 1st, deserves to have their kneecaps replaced with something hilarious, like Jacob’s crackers. For that reason, I am excluding many, many worthy games through my own bloody stubornness.

In the blue corner, is 2008 with: Destroy All Humans! Path of the Furon, a frankly gripping depiction of the harsh realities of capitalism in a dystopian futureworld, in a story that is not only enjoyable but utterly compelling to an extreme. You’ll laugh, you’ll cry, you might even have a life-changing epiphany, who knows? Also, in this corner, to continue this already tortured analogy, is Prince of Persia, a game so cel-shaded that it is beyond human comprehension. Singstar Abba? Sonic Unleashed? I’m sure you’re bored of this incessant sarcasm, so in summary: absolutely nothing.

2009 see’s the release of Avatar, which I had the (mis)fortune to come across at Eurogamer London but was far too lazy to write about. I imagine the film will be not dissimilar to Star Trek in terms of passability, and they’ve also done some cool shit with the 3D, which when translated into a game, it actually made my mind hurt; very reminiscent of 2D cardboard cut-outs on different planes. However this is a title that might not be totally shit, The Saboteur, the final gasp of Pandemic studios as all former employees are to be encased in a concrete sarcophagus as EA has deemed them to be somehow ‘unworthy’ of existence.

To conclude: Who wins? Nobody wins, least of all the humble consumer. In both cases, all of the ‘Holiday’ titles were released far before the ‘holiday’ season began, I know it’s slightly different in the US because of that ‘Fanks-givin’ nonsense, which I see as ‘practice’ for shoving the largest amount of turkey down your face on December 25th. Both Decembers, in either case, seem to be so mediocre that the very thought of each turns any image in my mine into an unpalatable grey slurry. I guess The Saboteur might probably be worth getting if it’s not totally shit, but other than that it’s basically peanuts for you.

Tyler Richie (cheats) – 2009

After sitting down and looking at the lists of titles from these past two years…it’s a really tough choice to pick. Last year had titles like Left 4 Dead, Little Big Planet, Fallout 3, and Gears of War 2. I’ve spent many an hour with these games, gaining fond memories of them. While a good portion of games have been pushed into next year, 2009 is swinging hard and fast. Thus far, Dragon Age Origins, Modern Warfare 2, Uncharted 2, Assassin’s Creed 2, and Left 4 Dead 2 have all hit the market. More great games are to come as well. I honestly can’t decide between the two years, but I feel like 2009 has more of an advantage. Building off of the success of last year, 09 has several titles that now have a better and more comprehensive idea of where they want to go. I suppose 2009 gets this one for being 2008v2 with a bit of an extra kick from the original titles like the aforementioned Dragon Age, Brutal Legends, and Demon’s Souls. Be it a good or bad thing to see a bunch of sequels…I don’t think it matters when they’re all so awesome!

Brian Meyer – 2008

Comparing holiday seasons (in this case, ‘08 and ‘09) is apples to oranges. Both years have had their anticipated titles, their sleepers, and their disappointments. I’m the biggest Call of Duty junkie on the planet, but if I picked 2009 solely because of Modern Warfare 2, I’d be committing a serious injustice. Now, I’m not ignoring the hype of Left 4 Dead 2 or Assassin’s Creed 2, or the freshness of the newest music game, DJ Hero; these games have tremendous merit, and will drive the industry firmly into 2010 titles like Bioshock 2 and Mass Effect 2. But, the 2009 holiday season is the year of the sequel, and while sequels are often hyped more than originals, those titles had to gain their popularity somewhere. And in many cases, that somewhere was 2008.

2008 offered us a number of original concepts and titles, as well as a highly anticipated sequel (Gears of War 2) and a much-hyped addition to the 360 from PC fame (Fallout 3). Fallout 3 alone sucked up 100+ hours of my life in late 2008 and well into 2009. The game was phenomenally developed by a legendary studio (Bethesda, of Elder Scrolls fame) and garnered a plethora of Game of the Year awards from a multitude of publications. Besides the downloadable content, which has since pushed the game to almost 200 hours of total story and side missions, the game was addictive in every sense of the word. The Wanderer’s plight was intriguing and engaging, two elements of a great story.

Besides Gears of War 2, which shouldn’t require much explaining considering it is one of Microsoft’s flagship titles, 2008 gave us a new take on the zombie kill-a-thon (Left 4 Dead) from another renowned studio (Valve), FarCry 2, which in my opinion was a huge sleeper with amazing graphic and weapon systems detail, and one of my favorite horror titles on the system, Dead Space. Even the Call of Duty franchise offered World at War (Treyarch isn’t exactly hyped for their CoD entries) into the mix. Fable 2 and Mirror’s Edge gave gamers looking for another good RPG and a truly original concept a chance to flex their gaming muscles too. Even the PS3, which I don’t own, came out with an exclusive title which is entered in that system’s epic canon: three letters- LBP (Little Big Planet).

So, while there isn’t any title in this list which directly compares in sales volume or overall popularity to Modern Warfare 2, I contend that the 2008 holiday season offered such a well-rounded mix of genres and anticipated titles that it should take the prize for best season when compared to 2009. Without 2008, Left 4 Dead 2 couldn’t exist, Modern Warfare 2 couldn’t have shown us how good Treyarch is at ruining a respected franchise, and DJ Hero couldn’t have injected a dose of new into the music genre. The 2008 holiday season laid the bricks and mortar on which the beautiful games of 2009 could firmly sit.

The winner — 2009

Tags: 2008 2009 holiday season