KEY POINTS:
It has been an awesome year for gamers. Every console has had its winners and the last six months especially we've seen an avalanche of games that are deserving of consideration for game of the year.
Visuals have become incredible, gameplay fluid and fun, there are some fresh stories and innovation, the latter especially thanks to the big selling Wii which has turned traditional non-gamers (of all ages) into gamers.
Xbox 360 has seen a succession of great exclusive titles spearheaded by Halo 3 which lived up to the hype and while PS3 has yet to have its killer title, it's still early days yet and next year should see some real competition with more PS3 titles and wider interest in Blu-Ray.
Game of the Year:
Guitar Hero III: I chose the stellar rock songs to be game of the year. Guitar Hero reveals how many people have a rock star fantasy. Now you can live it. Go on. Hit me with your best shot!
Here are my other top 12 picks in no particular order (that would be getting too hard):
Crysis: From the makers of Far Cry, a great near-future story involving aliens, US special forces, a science fiction ammo and combat suit, and the shady North Korean government.
Mass Effect: This was Bioware's year producing some of the year's best including this exclusive 360 epic sci-fi action/RPG.
Halo 3: What more is there to say?
The Witcher: An unusual and strangely compelling PC RPG about the lines blurred between good and evil as played out in a harsh fantasy land full of humans and monsters.
Super Mario Galaxy: The moustached plumber is still tops in gaming after all these years with the 'most fun Wii game of the year' making full use of the controller.
Uncharted: Drake's Fortune: One of the best PS3 games so far, this is a mix of Tomb Raider and Indiana Jones, combining shooting, adventure and puzzle-solving.
The Orange Box/Portal: the best value PC package this year. It contains Half Life 2, Episodes 1 and 2, a quirky and fun get-to-the-exit puzzle game called Portal and "Team Fortress 2," an online multiplayer squad shooter with a new cell-shaded art style.
Bioshock: This violent horror - shooter that takes place deep underwater in a decaying city frozen in time at 1958 is a deep and haunting story, beautifully rendered and plays like a refreshing new twist on gaming.
Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare: The exciting new action thriller in the franchise is of cinematic quality and, avoiding the now cliched WWII battles, takes us into a war of the future.
Metroid Prime 3: Corruption: Showing that the Wii is not just about simulating tennis and ten-pin bowling, this space shooter has PS2-type visuals and a compelling galactic space story for which the Wii controllers give a new gameplay experience.
Ratchet & Clank Future: Tools of Destruction: The fun and quirky duo find their way to the new PS3 console to deliver the goods with stunning graphics and the usual heavy ratchet.
Brain Age 2: The follow-up to the game that broke through the age barriers enabling anyone, any age to increase their IQ and sharpen their wits using a DS in a series of minigames. A Wii rendition (Big Brain Academy) of the game was fun but not as effective.
Merry Christmas All!
And what were your picks?
