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.
December 17th, 2006 at 1:09 am
Well I don’t agree with your first pick (what else is new huh?
). That should have gone to GRAW imho (and it should have at least gotten runner up over CoD3 … and what about R6V? That was more fun as well and looks better than CoD3 … do you guys need any help?) which was just a much better game overall … not visually of course but more fun imo. But it was the choice of the editors here … so be it.
December 17th, 2006 at 1:26 am
As I remember correctly, CoD 3, GRAW and R6V were all competing for the runner up spot. We went with CoD 3 mostly because of the great online multiplayer feature which is better than R6V and GRAW, in my opinion. But it was a vote, and CoD 3 won. But there’s no doubt that GRAW and R6V are stunning games, in all aspects.
December 17th, 2006 at 1:26 am
I haven’t played that many games this year but i would say that gears of war would be my top choice as you always here about that one.
December 17th, 2006 at 2:01 am
Like I said … it was the editors decision … so be it. If I did have my own website I could do as I wanted as well, but since I don’t there is not much I can say.
December 17th, 2006 at 2:09 am
no ps2 games cough cough *rigged* cough
FFXII should definately be there.
December 17th, 2006 at 2:24 am
doom, Final Fantasy XII is there, runner up to the best RPG
December 17th, 2006 at 2:34 am
wups, didnt look closely enough:P
December 17th, 2006 at 3:03 am
medieval 2 wouldn’t be an rts would it? i havent played company of heroes thanks to my bastard pc, but i would think the total war series are the best rts’…if they are an rts that is.
December 17th, 2006 at 3:08 am
Tetris-tetris-tetris-TETRIS!!!
December 17th, 2006 at 3:14 am
I vote Tetris DS for best handheld game.
December 17th, 2006 at 6:52 am
lol they did great on bf2142, i loved that game but was disappointed.Sadly but true the only thing they did right was faster loads,and titan and buddy list.But wow the bugs/glitchs how do u have bugs and glitches on a 4 year old engine that doesnt make sense to me.Yes 4 years cuz it takes 2 years to make that game and 2 years to learn off of it after.And they still built over the mistakes.
December 17th, 2006 at 9:08 am
Wow PS2’s still exist?
December 17th, 2006 at 9:33 am
Remember Zac GoW II is coming out and that promises to be the Game of the Year on current gen titles at the very least. I guarantee it … I wouldn’t be surprised if it even went head to head against next-gen titles … I mean more Kratos … and this version looks to even *gasp* be better than the first one. There is no stopping the God of War! If I still had a PS2 I would play it … as it is I may just have to rent one for that game alone … but I refuse to buy any Sony product … so both the game and the console will have to be rentals for me … though that game and mythos is the best ever for me. Yes even over Halo 3.
December 17th, 2006 at 10:08 am
Aah, I wasn’t aware of such a game.
December 17th, 2006 at 10:46 am
Does that mean you NEVER played God of War? Man you should just rent a PS2 and play that game. I swear you will love it if you like Greek Mythology at all. It is among the bloodiest and most brutal and fun action games of all time. I would be very interested in what you think after you play it and also try and see if you can complete the 10 challenges of Kratos after you have finished the game on at the normal setting.
December 17th, 2006 at 11:10 am
Well… I’ve never actually played a PS2..
December 17th, 2006 at 12:29 pm
Neither had I … until God of War. I guarantee you will NOT be disappointed. Actually it was the only game I ever really played on my PS2. I tried GT4 and DMC III and didn’t like either one so really my PS2 became a kind of GoW arcade machine. Oh yeah … then I found a version of UT99 for the PS2 that supported a keyboard and mouse and played that a lot for a time.
December 17th, 2006 at 12:49 pm
I agree on the list by the way, although I think GRAW should have had the runner up for best shooter. But anyway, all the best shooters this year are on the 360.
December 17th, 2006 at 6:06 pm
God of war is the best fighting game ever, but it’s from 2005 if I’m not mistaken.
I should try finish it at godmode but already lent it to friends:P
December 17th, 2006 at 9:57 pm
God of War II, March 14th of 2007. Watch for it. It’s most likely going to turn heads.
December 17th, 2006 at 10:28 pm
I vote Super Mario 64!!! Remember, a vote for Mario is a vote against Bush!