Top games of 2006

Here we go again. It's the beginning of a new year and chance for us to look back on all the crazy stuff that happened last year. Here are my two favorite games from 2006. What are your top picks?

Gears of War

Surprise! It's the game that most everyone will pick for the best game of 2006. But we go way back with Gears of War. It won our prestigious Best of E3 2006 award. It lived up to and surpassed my expectations--something that rarely happens. Gears of War has a finely tuned single player campaign that has some of the best squad-based gameplay available. Your teammates aren't simply there to increase the number of bullets you wail at the enemy. They provide valuable covering fire and coordinate realistic maneuvers that adapt to meet the diverse requirements of each arena. The impressive graphics, clever camera techniques, and efficient controller layout make Gears of War feel like movie.

Gears of War takes a no BS approach to both online and offline multiplayer. Whether your friends are sitting in the next chair, the next house, or the next state the experience remains the same. Friends can join your single player campaign over Xbox Live to seamlessly create a op-op game without having to stop and restart. It reinforces the idea of a "virtual couch," and I hope to see future titles using the same techniques.

Wii Sports

If you didn't smile the first time you saw Wii Sports in action, you don't have a sole. Even the most athletically challenged people can grab a Wii remote and have a great time. Wii Sports was especially great for the holidays because family and friends of all ages enjoy playing just as much as a hardcore gamer. If you can manage to avoid the dreaded remote strap failure, it's hard to go wrong with Wii Sports.

I often hear complaints about the "graphics sucking" and how the PS3 can do better than that. Well, duh. The graphics are non-traditional. I don't know if it was an intentional stylistic decision or a "let's cut back, this is game is free" decision. Either way, Wii Sports is still fun and it is no measure of what the Wii is capable of graphically.