Best of 2006

1. The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess (Wii): There's not that much new about this game. It's more an example of taking the adventure games of the last generation to their logical, triumphant conclusion. Like Spinal Tap, the game turns the scale, drama, pacing, difficulty and design up to eleven and very rarely hits a sour note. So now that we've had our near-perfect serving of dungeon-crawling comfort food, I'm ready for a sea-change re-imagining of the franchise.

2. Elite Beat Agents (Nintendo DS): The game is diabolically hard, but the game's got an underlying enthusiasm (and positivity) that is damn near irresistible. Even if it pummels you with failure after failure. Most important is the way this game (like Gitarooman before it) continues to free music games from the constraints of the scrolling musical staff. Someday there will be a music game that grants jammers the creative freedom that Tony Hawk Pro Skater gave to wannabe skateboarders. There's a good chance that iNis will have made that game. But seriously; if you have a DS and don't own Elite Beat Agents you're a very bad person.

3. Guitar Hero II (PlayStation 2): Nobody does song selection better than Red Octane and Harmonix. The playlist this time around is an outstanding exploration of three decades of crotch rock. This edition trumps the originator by creating a subtle story arc from garage roots to arena rock greatness, culminating with an encore of "Free Bird" so satisfying that I jumped up and cheered when my final show was over. For a second I remembered what it meant to believe that "God Gave Rock 'N Roll to You." Serious life changing stuff.

4. Viva Piñata (Xb0x 360): I wish this game were a little more accessible and a little less harsh, because it truly is one of the best simulators I've ever played. The game's Darwinian toughness could work in its favor, making it a sort of family teaching tool for kids just learning the ways of nature. A couple of downloadable lightweight modes for folks who don't want to see their beloved piñata torn to shreds would really broaden this games audience. That's how good this game is. Everyone who plays it wants to brainstorm ways to bring the rest of the world in on the goodness.

5. Gears of War (Xbox 360): Cliff Bleszinski's cinematic shooter is a triumph in packaging. The core 15 minutes of duck and cover gameplay comes wrapped in an ever-changing coat of eye-popping scenery and diverse action set pieces. Just as a setting or scenario starts to get that "not so fresh" feeling the whole affair shifts to new distractions. The game is also stacked deep with visceral moments, like the curb stomp and the chainsaw kill, that sate blood lust like no game has in ages.

6: Dragon Quest Heroes: Rocket Slime (Nintendo DS): This one came from left field. I suspected the game would be good, but had no idea that I'd fall in love with it's goofy puns, lovable slimes and fun-as-fuck tank battles. After cruising through the good, but not great traditionalism of Dragon Quest VIII: Journey of the Cursed King, I thought I had this series figured. Turns out I was totally wrong. Could the awesomeness of this modest game be a bellwether for the forthcoming DQ: IX? Let's hope so.

7. Dead Rising (Xbox 360): It took four tries for the Resident Evil series to get zombies right. Dead Rising nailed the horror of the undead from the get-go. Then, just to show off, it captured the unbridled awesomeness of carving through mindless flesh with power tools and sporting goods. Finally someone in the game design world understands what made the Evil Dead II, Dead Alive and (of course) Dawn of the Dead so dang awesome -- the bit where you get revenge!

8. Final Fantasy XII: (PlayStation 2): If there's one thing this generation of gaming should be noted for, it's the way that many great series shook loose traditional, sometimes canonical design elements and evolved to saner and ultimately more satisfying experiences. Huge changes to combat didn't transform the heart of Final Fantasy an iota. It just made the exploration and fighting more palatable. The change was vital, because God knows when Square Enix is going to stop making their stories so Goddamn self-serious. At least the parts between the cut scenes are fun now.

9. Drill Dozer: (GameBoy Advance): Rumble matters. On its own Drill Dozer is already an outstanding platformer. The bone-shaking vibration that kicks in every time you change gears, or plow through an enemy makes the game's action fell more substantial. The game is built around the core idea that it feels good drive manual. It's also a work of art rendered in low-res sprites. Buy a Micro off dust of your Lite. Just play it.

And that's all I'm going to name. There were tons of games that were great, but not awesome enough to make the list. There were also a bunch of games that I never got to play (or play enough to fully recommend). Watch this space for lists that address both groups.