3. The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess
-24 Game of the Year Awards
DigitalBattle
NeoGAF
X-Play
Wired
PALGN
Eurogamer Reader's Choice
Gameslave
VGCore
k-Videogames Reader's Choice
Cheat Code Central
Kombo
NZGamer Reader's Choice |
GameSpy
GameFAQs
Diehard Gamefan
IGN Reader's Choice
PALGN Reader's Choice
BGB
Game Informer
Gametrailers
Newsvine
1Up
NZGamer
Dataspelsgalen (2007) |
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"Ahh! That evil demon-plant has a soul?" |
Video game legend Shigeru Miyamoto gives us not just the latest of the classical Zelda series, but in the minds of many critics, the best one yet. Set roughly 100 years after the Ocarina of Time and Majora's Mask, Link finds himself the protector of Hyrule again, as he must save the land from an evil alternate dimension called the Twilight Realm. What makes this adventure so special, however, is Link's ability to transform into a wolf, and more imprortantly, the first Zelda game to appear on the Wii and to use motion controls. Critics heavily praised the art direction and the cinematics, even going as so far as to say that they were the greatest in the whole series. The atmosphere and environment was also heavily praised as a great leap forward for the series. Sadly, there were a few shortcomings for the game. Critics were taken aback by the lack of orchestral score and the fact there was no voice acting. Critics also noted the outdated graphics, citing repeated instances of blurry textures and low-polygon models. Nevertheless, The Twilight Princess remains one of the best of the whole Zelda series, and the third best game of 2006.
2. Gears of War
-32 Game of the Year Awards
GamePro
Gizmag
PCWorld.ca
GameSpot
PGNx
ActionTrip
WorthPlaying
BC Magazine
Gauntlet Entertainment
Yahoo! Games
411 Mania
Multiplayer (IT)
GAME (UK) People's Choice Awards
Game Developers' Choice Awards
Golden Joystik 2007
G4TV G-Phoria 2007 |
The Geekzine
kikizo
Next Generation
GameSpot Reader's Choice
GameDaily
Pro-G
GameSlave Reader's Choice
GameZone
GameShark
MyGEN
DarkZero
AIAS
Multiplayer (IT) Reader's Choice
Gamefly Q Awards
Destructoid
NTSC-uk
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"Is that supposed to hurt!?" |
From the makers of the Unreal engine comes Gears of War, the first defining game for the Xbox 360, and a prime example of what the HD generation can do. Being universally acclaimed by many critics is not an easy thing to do, but Gears of War pulls it off with aplomb. Featuring breakthrough visual advances, to the point where critics were absolutely floored by the game's visual presentation, to the top notch intense and well-designed gameplay and cover system. Sadly though, when it came to story and innovativeness, Gears of War missed a few marks. Critics lamented the weak and shallow story and lack of new ideas, stating that if EPIC has put as much time into making the gameplay feel fresh and new as they did into the visual and game design, Gears of War would truly become unmatched. Nevertheless, the gameplay is still solid and intense, and matched with the jaw-dropping visuals and exciting multiplayer, Gears of War easily takes this legendary 2nd place.
1. The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion
-38 Game of the Year Awards
Hydra Awards
Computer Shopper
Gamesmagazine-online
Firingsquad
Extreme Gamer
CBS News
Elite Bastards
Voodoo Extreme Reader's Choice
Shacknews
Actiontrip Reader's Choice
Gamernode
Deeko
Gaming Heaven
PC Authority Reliability and Service Awards
Team Fremont
Game Industry News
MegaGames
Golden Joystik 2006
JournalStar |
Spike TV VGA
iafrica.com
Associated Press
Foxnews
The A.V Club
Washington Post
Voodoo Extreme
BGB Reader's Choice
Gamers With Jobs (GWJ)
Armchair General
Wired Blogs Games
The Daily Beacon
Digital Entertainment News
e-AAGH.net
Shiny Awards
GFW
Tiscali
G4TV G-phoria 2006
Famitsu |
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"Go ahead and touch my awards! Come on, I dare you!" |
Here it is, the best game of 2006. Bethesda Studios scores grand prize with their latest entry in the popular Elder Scrolls series. But unlike its predecessors, Oblivion strikes massive universal acclaim, taking in GotYs from Famitsu, Spike TV, G4TV G-phoria, and many more. Critics could just not get enough of the addictive, vast open-endedness of Oblivion, praising its striking visuals and detailed landscape. The game centers around you saving the land of Tamriel from the evil Daedric prince, Mehrunes Dagon after the king was assassinated by one of Dagon's followers. Featuring over 100 hours of gameplay, an incredible amount of side quests and things to do, some stellar voice acting, an intelligently designed story, and some thrilling combat, Oblivion truly deserves this stellar 1st place. Oblivion is still not perfect, however, as critics heavily bombarded the repetitive nature of many of the missions, and the many problems associated with the NPC interaction. Nevertheless, Oblivion is an example of where the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. Congratulations to Oblivion for scoring the top spot among the games of 2006!
[10-4] [3-1]
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