This year, instead of our usual list of "the best games you didn't play" we're taking a different approach by asking the staffers to determine their list of the most underappreciated games of the year. They set their own criteria and you'll find both the obscure and the mainstream on this list and if anything -- it shows we have one eclectic group here at GameShark.

Bill's picks:

NHL 11 (Xbox 360; PS3)

GameShark Review



Wait, NHL 11? Underappreciated? If the sales figures I have seen are true, then yeah, without question. This is my pick for sports game of the year and for it to barely break the 500,000 units sold mark is unfortunate. Hockey games typically don't sell too well, this is true, but for a game this good to not veer into a more generalized circle of gamers has to be a mild letdown for EA Sports because even if you are only a casual hockey fan, NHL 11 is the best game in this genre -- ever. I mean come on...Tiger Woods gets caught sleeping with half of Rhode Island and his game outsells NHL 11 almost 2-1? That's just wrong.

Hannibal: Rome and Carthage in the Second Punic War (PC)

It’s difficult to say just how underappreciated this game is in PC gaming circles as wargaming, especially turn based wargaming set in 217 B.C. when men were men and elephants basically useless, is already a highly “specialized” genre. I include this gem of a strategy game here because it’s basically a boardgame on the PC complete with card draws and a leisurely pace. What strikes me as odd is that even hard line boardgamers have overlooked this game to some extent and that’s a shame because the AI is as ruthless as I have seen in a long, long time. If this period in history intrigues you, you owe it to yourself to check it out.