Gears of War Gears of War mixes the kind of tactical gameplay you'd find in a Rainbow Six game with full throttle action and intelligent enemies that kick ass and take names. Like Halo, Gears of War is a monumental achievement in gaming that reinvents the wheel using some very familiar parts. While the game’s key elements aren't necessarily original, the gameplay is so slick and so fun that it is impossible not to recognize its brilliance and excellence. Gears of War deserves all the accolades, awards and hype it is getting. It is most assuredly the best game of 2006.

Company of Heroes Relic Entertainment proves that you can take an overused setting like World War II and create something truly enchanting and fun. Company of Heroes does just that and with buckets of style and innovation. The game builds on many of the mechanics from Relic's other great title, Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War, and adds in a heaping helping of stellar AI, grand audio, fantastic graphics, and great use of the Havok physics engine. The single player campaign is lots of fun, but the real action begins with its multiplayer - whether you're taking opponents on online or via LAN. Truly one of the best games on the PC this year, Relic and THQ deserve accolades for taking a tired setting and delivering something new and innovative.

Dead Rising Capcom took a calculated risk in releasing Dead Rising in North America first. It could have bombed.. but this game had been designed to appeal to the Western world, and -- for the most part, Cacpom succeeded in delivering a game that Americans have fallen in love with. Dead Rising was probably the most misunderstood game of 2006. Some people just didn't get it. But for those of it that did get it and played it to the end, it was the most fun we'd had in a long time. At the heart of this misunderstanding was the game’s "role-playing elements," a concept first implemented in Breath of Fire Dragon Quarter. Much like that title (which also took some heat for the way it handled dying, expereince and progress), Dead Rising used a system where you earned experience and skill, which then carried over when you restarted the game. The problem was that it is fairly easy to die in your first playthrough, so it seems - at first glance that - that you're not making any progress. It is when you embrace this gameplay element that progress becomes easier to make. Dead Rising offered some great storylines, a cast of thousands of zombies and a dozen or so psychotic humans all canned up ina mall and under the pressure of a clock. Once you figure out the mechanics of the game and decide your own path, Dead Rising proves to be a very compelling game that offers a lot of excellent open-ended gameplay. The game is a testament to Capcom's new commitment to Western gamers and deserves a spot in our list of the best of 2006.

Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion No matter what platform you are playing this epic role-playing game on, Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion proves to be an engaging and deep experience that millions enjoyed in 2006. The game is particularly great on the Xbox 360 because it highlights what is possible in a role-playing game on a next-generation platform. There's a reason that this game from Bethesda Softworks is still being played in 2007. While Oblivion isn't a perfect experience it is hands down one of the most played role-playing games of the year for many reasons including multiple plot paths, beautiful environments, a compelling cast of characters, hundreds of spells and skills and a game world that is as vast as it is beautiful. Oblivion truly deserves to be called one of the best games of 2006, and must be experienced to be truly appreciated.

Zelda: The Twilight Princess There are games that are great and then there are games that actually sell console systems: Zelda: Twilight Princess is the latter. This latest adventure starring Link is a great experience on the aging GameCube, but it really shines on the Nintendo Wii where it truly utilizes the system's motion sensor controller to give gamers a unique and fun action RPG experience that really puts gamers in control of the action. Zelda: Twilight Princess isn't as flashy as most next-generation game offerings -- obviously limited by the Wii's graphics capabilities - but it's true glory lies in its heavy use of the Wii controller to do everything from fighting to fishing. Zelda: Twilight Princess is a system seller and a tribute to Nintendo's long running role-playing game series.