http://www.gamespot.com/special_feat...ear/index.html

The runners up


Bully (PS2)
Publisher: Rockstar Games Developer: Rockstar Vancouver

After months of generating baseless controversy, Bully finally came out and cut through all that nonsense with its excellent sense of style, inventive setting and likable characters, and fun gameplay we could all relate to as veterans of the harsh experience that is grade school.


Company of Heroes (PC)
Publisher: THQ Developer: Relic

What would it take to get everyone excited about a World War II-themed real-time strategy game? It took Company of Heroes, which could safely be called one of the best RTS games ever made due to its incredible presentation, intuitive and fast gameplay, and dynamic battlefields.


Dead Rising (X360)
Publisher: Capcom Developer: Capcom

Capcom has done plenty of good work in the zombie genre (refer to the Resident Evil series), but Dead Rising takes one of the most common memes of horror fiction and runs with it very, very far, delivering a surprisingly unique experience.


The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion (PC, X360)
Publisher: 2K Games Developer: Bethesda Softworks

A profoundly immersive experience, The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion drastically improved on an already-great predecessor and gives you the freedom to be whomever you want and do entirely as you like in its richly detailed, believable gameworld.


Final Fantasy XII (PS2)
Publisher: Square Enix Developer: Square Enix

It spent years in the making, and all that time paid off for Final Fantasy XII, a deep and long-lasting role-playing game that carries on the series' proud tradition of combining memorable storytelling, excellent production values, and challenging gameplay.


Gears of War (X360)
Publisher: Microsoft Game Studios Developer: Epic Games

Shockingly good visuals make Gears of War grab you right from the start, but the intensity of the action is what makes this incredible game not let go. Many games have promised a cinematic blockbuster action-movie feel, but few if any have delivered on this level.


The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess (Wii, GC)
Publisher: Nintendo Developer: Nintendo

The venerable, iconic Legend of Zelda series deserves its illustrious reputation as a result of games like The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess, which set the bar for how inventive, captivating, and beautiful this type of action adventure game can be.


Okami (PS2)
Publisher: Capcom Developer: Clover Studio

Stunningly beautiful and creative down to its very core, Okami is a very uncommon type of game and is a testament to the skill and craftsmanship of its developer, Clover Studio, which sadly shuttered its doors later this year.


Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Vegas (X360)
Publisher: Ubisoft Developer: Ubisoft Montreal

The gut-wrenching thrill of close-quarters firefights is brought to life like never before in Rainbow Six Vegas, which creates a far more dynamic experience than what this well-respected line of tactical shooters has achieved in the past.


Viva Pinata (X360)

It might be fun for the whole family, but they'll have to pry the controller out of our hands before we let them have a go at this delightfully addictive, deceptively deep, charming game.


And the Winner is!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!



















Gears of War (X360)
Publisher: Microsoft Game Studios Developer: Epic Games

It must have taken a lot of guts for Epic Games to put together a game like Gears of War, but above and beyond that, it must have taken some kind of preposterous level of talent, time, money, and effort. The result is an action game that simply makes most other action games look bad. Of course, Gears of War isn't all about its technology; a number of simple, brilliant design choices are part of what makes this game so much fun to play.

Gears of War is the game that actually fulfills those outlandish promises we've been hearing from the likes of Microsoft and Sony about how earth-shattering the so-called next-generation games will be. OK, OK, we believe it. It's easy and tempting to call this the best-looking game ever made; but Gears of War is a complete package, offering much, much more than pretty visuals. It's a game that takes one of the most basic concepts in gaming--the shooter--and pushes that concept further than any other game has done before.

Gears of War's influences are apparent, and most of them are cinematic in nature. Take all of your favorite science fiction action movies, mash them into one, and put yourself in the starring role, and there you go. Better yet, put yourself and a friend in the starring roles; you guys decide who will be the sidekick. Other games have offered cooperative play in the past, but again, Gears of War does it better. An intuitive tactical combat system, visceral close-quarters shooting, likable characters, a highly replayable campaign, an intense competitive versus mode, and a great visual style all contribute to making Gears of War such an amazing game.

Developer Epic Games has long since earned a good name for itself thanks to its outstanding multiplayer-focused Unreal Tournament series. It's almost startling, then, how a game like Gears of War could come out and practically eclipse the company's past accomplishments, as great as they've been.
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I'd agree with Gears of War. I haven't played much of it, but it seems like a good game. There wasn't much competition this year however.

I have heard some really greeat reviews on this. It's good it livees up to its hype.

Never played any of those
but certainly I have heard of Gears of War and seems its a nice game to be played.
I'd better download a demo or some trial and try it as I don't think I can buy it now.

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