Best Games of '06?

[Cure]

Ok, guys. The year is coming to an end, and two of the biggest titles of the year also came out no less than 2 months ago; Twilight Princess and Gears of War. While those are big contenders for game of the year, there are also a couple of other games worth mentioning, like Okami, one of the biggest underdogs (underwolf?) of this past year, along with countless others. So what do you guys say? What were your most favorite games of '06?

[Peanut]

Good thread. I was thinking of making this not too long ago. It's been a good year for games, and the door has finally shut on last-gen. It's sad, but also exciting to think about things going forward. I see a "Best of Last-Gen" thread in the near future. Anyways, my favourite games of this year are as follows:

Xbox360
The Elders Scrolls IV: Oblivion
Gears of War
Viva Pinata
NHL 07 (Yeah, I know, a sports game. But it's the first sports franchise to get an actual game play overhaul in the last 7 years!)

PS2
Okami
Guitar Hero II
Kingdom Hearts II

Nintendo DS
New Super Mario Bros.

Wii
The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess

Now, could I pick any of those for my game of the year? Probably not. For me personally, it would come down to either Oblivion, Okami or Viva Pinata, with Oblivion getting the nod. There are a ton of other great games I've played this year, stuff like Dead Rising, Kameo, Saint's Row, God Hand, Bully, Excite Truck, Trauma Center, but none of those really stick out like those listed do to me.

It was a great year, but there's plenty of room for improvement. While the 360 has really begun to shine late into this year, it was brutal in the early going. The Wii has yet to prove itself to me, and I was slightly disappointed by Twilight Princess. Who knows what's going to go down with the PS3. And the DS was good, but not great, with nothing really grabbing hold of me, aside from NSMB.

Next year is looking bright, though. The 360 is going to kill with Mass Effect, Assassin's Creed, Banjo-Kazooie, Halo Wars and Halo 3. You also never know what they're going to announce. The Wii should have a decent year with Super Mario Galaxy and Smash Bros. as well. I'll have to reserve judgment on the PS3 and DS until I see what they have upcoming. Either way, these may be the three best consecutive years we've had in a long time.

[Spitfire]

This year I got Dead Rising and Okami to blow me away.

Also if i remember correctly Devil May Cry 3: SE came out? I can't remember.

[AquaParade]

I love the devil may cry series, but neither of the sequels have come with the same impact as the first. The third game was a big improvement from the second and I love it, but the series still needs some work if it wants to get back in the top of my list.

[Dr. Doom]

I like DMC, It's fun, and Dante is a great, charismatic character. I've only played the first one though.

Anyways, my vote probably goes to Twilight Princess, but there's still a lot of great games from this year that I have yet to play.

[ThirdMarioBro]

God, there's so many good games/classics that came out this year. Let's see what I've enjoyed the most....

Oblivion (sweet Jesus, this game never ends, and that couldn't be a better thing in this case)
New Super Mario Brothers(was everything I wanted it to be)
Yoshi's Island DS (lacks a little magic, but it does everything right, and makes me feel right at home)
Super Princess Peach (happy little surprise early this year)
Gears of War (one of the most compelling experiences ever, and now MS is going to flip-flop yearly with Halo. Heaven)
Burnout Revenge (An EA game OMFG! Probably the last good installment in the series before it goes GTA, which is a damned shame, because this was fun as hell)
Twilight Princess (now ranks as my favourite game ever)


I'll probably throw Viva Pinata up there as well, once I pick it up.

I'm not very particular about judging and nitpicking my games anymore, because I find it kills the enjoyment. They all had flaws, but I loved them anyway. There were tons of others as well, but those stood out the most in my world of enjoyment. Here's to next year's onslaught, and the return of the man in red.

[Brodie]

My List:

Battlefield 2142
Twilight Princess
Gears of War (Overrated or not, its that for a reason. Its awesome.)
Dead Rising

[Barkworm]

Man, I was totally missing out this year and lots of the good stuff hasn't even been released here, yet. I'd say NSMB but... I didn't really like it.

[jeff the cheff]

NHL 07 (Yeah, I know, a sports game. But it's the first sports franchise to get an actual game play overhaul in the last 7 years!)



God forbid someone plays a sports game! :lol:

I've always liked to play the NHL games, even though I'm not a fan of hockey at all.

Oh and the new Madden does have totally new gameplay with the hitstick, kicking, etc. Or maybe it seems totally new to me because I haven't owned a Madden game since 01. But either way, Madden is a ton of fun and nerds are allowed to enjoy sports, too!

[Krang]

Thread cleaned up. For future reference, let's please not get into arguments over each other's lists. To each his own. It's fine to discuss and debate the lists, but not to troll and argue over them.

And to get back on topic, here are mine:
New Super Mario Bros. (DS)
Tetris DS (DS)
Pop'n Music 13 Carnival (PS2)
DDR SuperNOVA (Arcade)
Guitar Freaks V & DrumMania V (PS2)
Mortal Kombat: Armageddon (PS2)

[Spitfire]

I love the devil may cry series, but neither of the sequels have come with the same impact as the first. The third game was a big improvement from the second and I love it, but the series still needs some work if it wants to get back in the top of my list.

Exactly how I feel about the series. 1 totally blew me away but 2 fell way short and 3 just didn't pick it up all the way. Playing as Vergil was a nice add on in the re-release though.

[Duke]

Twilight Princess (now ranks as my favourite game ever)Why? What's made the game so great to you? I'll admit I haven't finished the game yet, but so far I've been a little disappointed. It doesn't even rank as my favorite Zelda title.

[The Clerk]

My List.


Gears of War (duh)
Dead Rising
LEGO Star Wars II
Oblivion
DDR SuperNOVA
Smackdown! vs RAW 07

and the most underrated game of the whole year...

.....SNEAK KING!!!! :)

[Brian]

Marvel: Ultimate Alliance
Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion
Mortal Kombat: Armageddon

[AquaParade]

Exactly how I feel about the series. 1 totally blew me away but 2 fell way short and 3 just didn't pick it up all the way. Playing as Vergil was a nice add on in the re-release though.

I actually finally beat the third one just a few months ago as Dante and am yet to play as Virgil. I figured I would need a little break from the game first. How is playing as Virgil anyways Spitfire?

[Mr. Snackpants]

Gears of War
R6:V
Oblivion
Twilight Princess
NSMB

[Peanut]

Why? What's made the game so great to you? I'll admit I haven't finished the game yet, but so far I've been a little disappointed. It doesn't even rank as my favorite Zelda title.

Yeah, seriously. If there was truly one game that didn't live up to the hype this year, it was Zelda. I'm sorry, but it's true. I'm currently half way through on The Wind Waker again, (Always wanted to play it in Prog-Scan, but never had the cables. It looks beautiful.) and I'm enjoying it much more than I did Twilight Princess. Some things in the game just blow TP away. The music for one is incredible, much better than what got shoved onto TP, (with the exception of the end theme, which is probably the best version of the Zelda theme I've ever heard) which does still have it's moments, and is still a terrific game, but there's something missing.

While playing through OoT or tWW, I could tell right away, this is a classic game. Not so much the same feel from TP. I've been over this before though. I think my review pretty much voiced my opinions.

[jeff the cheff]

But the real question is...why do all the video game nerds hate on sports games?

[Peanut]

But the real question is...why do all the video game nerds hate on sports games?

Because they're essentially the same thing, year after year, with little to no difference. Unfortunately, most nerds don't realize that most popular "hardcore" franchises do the exact same thing, except not on a yearly basis.

[ThirdMarioBro]

That is a very true statement.

[Spitfire]

I actually finally beat the third one just a few months ago as Dante and am yet to play as Virgil. I figured I would need a little break from the game first. How is playing as Virgil anyways Spitfire?

It's great, he only has 3 weapons but you can change to all 3 on the fly. His gun are these flying swords*Which look like they stole that idea from a boss in Castlevania* If you hold the fire button down they make a shield around him that damage things when they touch it.

He has Beowulf, Yamato, and Force Edge and Yamato. He has different costumes like Dante to. My favorite being Dark Virgil where he looks wicked. His skin is all pasty white and he's wearing that dark purple outfit from DMC.

His DT is Neo Angelo which is awesome. You can us his big sword and everything. Just like his boss in DMC.

Combo-ing with him is a blast with all the different weapons you can use. There's no new cut scenes except the opening so there's nothing new in that aspect but it's still a blast to play. He has all the same modes as Dante and such. And I think you get art for beating it with him that you can't with Dante and vice versa.

One of those art pieces is a screen shot from a scrapped Devil may Cry fighting game. It shows Dante fighting Neo Angelo in front of the tower from 3.

[Zachatello00]

I think one title that absolutly rocked that we're all forgetting is Tomb Raider Legend. The game that made the franchise enjoyable again. Hats off to eidos. Also, hats off to whoever finally decided to release it on the gamecube. That being said:

Gamecube:
Tomb Raider Legend
Zelda: Twilight Princess
Mario Party 7
Lego Star Wars II

DS:
Yoshi's Island 2
N. Super Mario Bros

GBA:
Sonic the Hedgehog Genesis

[Peanut]

I happen to agree. Tomb Raider Legend was a great game while it lasted. It finally made the franchise fun again. Even though the first couple were pretty over rated.

[ThirdMarioBro]

GBA:
Sonic the Hedgehog Genesis

Puke. Played the rom. Worst port I've ever played. Sega can go to hell.

[Barkworm]

Is that why you bought the new Sonic game for 360? :p

[LogicDonny]

Gamecube

zelda twilight princess

nintendo ds
new super mario bros
elite beat agents
castlevania POr
tetris ds

i really can't say for xbox 360 or wii cuz i don't have them yet.

[cowabunga14]

Lego Star Wars II
Okami
Marvel: Ultimate Alliance
Lumines II

[Dr. Doom]

Lego Star Wars II definately deserves a lot of credit. I had so much fum with that game.

[Peanut]

I think it gets a little too much credit. Mostly because it was a good game that showed up in the middle of a huge drought. At least as far as I see it. I was pretty much starving for a game, so LSWII seemed better to me than it actually was. Not to take anything away from it, as it's still a fun game and I probably would have still played it. Would I have bought it and played it as much as I did if it came out during a decent game release period? Probably not.

Almost like when the Spider-Man movie game hit in the summer some years back. Everyone bought that damn game, because there hadn't been a decent game for months. I remember me and a couple friends heading out to EB at lunch time, all of us picked itup, and there were several people in the store already getting it.

[Dr. Doom]

Actually, it was pretty much the same situation for me. It was after I finished FFIX again, but long before I got my Wii, so I opened up an account at family video and rented Ultimate Spider-man, since I'd just read through the whole series. After I was done with that, I still needed more to keep me occupied. I must have paced around the games section for about 45 minutes until I finally decided on LSWII based on a friend's reccomendation. It wasn't something I was particularly interested in, either, but there was just nothing there I wanted to rent. So obviously it worked out for me, but I guess I'm not sure I would have enjoyed it quite as much as I did if I wasn't so bored out of my mind at the time.