Although there were some great releases in 2008, I wouldn't call it a fantastic year for PC gaming. Aside from the juggernaut World of Warcraft expansion, consoles scooped a lot of the attention. It wasn't that long ago that the PC would get a game first, and console versions came later. Now it usually seems to be the other way around. Nevertheless, there are still plenty of options for PC gamers, and MMORPGs in particular show no signs of having reached their peak in popularity.
1. World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King
The release of an expansion for World of Warcraft is one of the few events in PC gaming that has stores opening at midnight to line-ups of rabid fans. Blizzard has nothing left to do but break their own records and release enormous expansion packs, of which Wrath of the Lich King is the second. If you're just starting out with the game it can wait, but people at level 70 can't go wrong with Wrath. The expansion adds the continent of Northrend and Death Knights, the first hero class, to this blockbuster MMORPG.
2. Left 4 Dead
Blasting through swarms of infected zombies is what Left 4 Dead is all about, as you're part of a small group abandoned in an area overrun by the ugly savages. Co-op is a central feature of this game and the campaign can be played with up to 3 of your friends by your side. In Versus mode, Left 4 Dead pits two teams of 4 against each other, with one side playing survivors and the other side trying to ambush them as zombies. It's a nice change from the abundance of war-themed shooters out there.
3. Lord of the Rings Online: Mines of Moria
The Mines of Moria could be the most legendary location in the entire fantasy genre, books and films included. As the first expansion for Lord of the Rings Online, it is a stellar addition to this game, which does storytelling better than any other MMORPG in its class. Mines of Moria brings a huge underground kingdom to life and introduces the game's first Legendary Items, which get better over time much like your character. It also increases the level cap from 50 to 60 and adds two new classes to the game: the Rune Keeper and the Warden.
4. Crysis Warhead
Warhead is a follow-up to 2007's Crysis, which pushed PC graphics to the next level, not only with first-rate visuals, but also some of the best physics in a game to date. Warhead's single-player campaign is shorter than the one in the first release, but multiplayer has seen improvements in the form of Crysis Wars. They've added a deathmatch mode and some nicely designed new maps. At only $30, the best part may be the price.
5. Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning
Mythic Entertainment's Warhammer Online, like the famous table-top RPG it's based on, concentrates on realm vs. realm (RvR) conflict between the forces of Order and Destruction. Every zone in the game has an area that is dedicated to RvR with several objectives in it which ultimately decide who controls the zone, culminating in a siege of the enemy's capital city. Although there is a considerable amount of PvE in Warhammer Online, other games do it better. On a busy server, the PvP options are plentiful, so for fans of big battles with other players it deserves a closer look.
