DigitalBattle Best Of 2006 Awards, Part 1
The year has almost come to an end, one with a lot of great games released across all platforms, and the editors at DigitalBattle have picked the best of 2006. In Part 1 we look at genre specific games, while part 2 will focus on platform specific titles, as well as the technical achievements. And of course, the Game of The Year award. Read on to find the first series of winners.
Best Shooter – Gears of War (Xbox 360)
Gears of War was undoubtedly the most anticipated shooter of 2006, and it delivered down to the last detail. It featured stunning visuals, an interesting storyline, and the addition of the chainsaw gun made close combat quite fun and a lot more gory than in previous games. Coupled with a great multiplayer part made Gears of War a must for any Xbox 360 owner, over 2 million gamers have already secured their copy. Runner up: Call of Duty 3.
Best RPG – The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion (Xbox 360, PC)
The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion, or simply, Oblivion, was the first true next-gen role playing game, and it set the bar in terms of gameplay, story, and visuals. Oblivion featured a long single player campaign, a huge fully explorable world, and great AI. All this and a compelling storyline that easily made this game of of the most addictive in 2006. Runner up: Final Fantasy XII.
Best Action adventure – Zelda: Twilight Princess (Wii)
The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess was delayed several times, before eventually becoming a Wii launch title. The game was the true successor to Ocarina of Time, and made the most out of the Wiimote. It was the game all Zelda fans were expecting, and it didn’t disappoint. With over 9 dungeons and countless side-quests, the 50 hour long singleplayer campaign will satisfy any gamer. Runner up: Dreamfall: The longest Journey.
Best Sports Game – NBA 2K7 (Xbox 360, PS3)
There’s always a new round of sports games every fall, however, NBA 2K7 is not just a minor update. It featured a lot of content that would keep and basketball fan busy for months, including tons of game modes and a strong online mode as well. It was the first 2K title built from ground up for the next-gen platforms, making it one of the most realistic looking sports games out there. Runner up: FIFA 07
Best RTS – Company of Heroes (PC)
Company of Heroes was not just the best RTS game of 2006, it was one of the few really good games to be released on the PC platform. The WW2 title was one of the best looking and most detailed RTS games of all time, complete with fully destructible environments and interesting gameplay mechanics. It clearly set a new standard for PC based real-time strategy games. Runner up: Star Wars: Empire at War.
Most disappointing game – Battlefield 2142 (PC)
You would have though that EA and developer DICE learned a few lessons from Battlefield 2, but that was simply not the case. Not only was BF2142 filled with the same type of bugs as its predecessor, it parts of the game didn’t even work, most noticeably the new Titan mode and the stats tracking system. On top of that, the game included in-game advertising that didn’t fit at all, and let’s not forget the spyware issue. Runner up: Red Steel.
Stay tuned next week for Part 2 of DigitalBattle’s Best of 2006 Awards, where we pick the Game of The Year, as well as the best games on all platforms.