Video Games Year in Review: 2006

Q2: Brain Age, we meet the Wii, and the last E3

This quarter began with a couple of major companies dipping their toes into the challenging world of episodic games. Both Half-Life 2: Episode One and SiN Episodes: Emergence hit the "streets" of Valve's online distribution system Steam this quarter, and both met with critical acclaim. Sadly, following a major staff exodus from its developer Ritual in the last few weeks, a question mark hangs over the remaining SiN episodes - but Half-Life: Episode Two is expected early next year.

Brain Age also came out in April, giving us a little taste of Nintendo's "blue ocean" marketing plan: making games that appeal to more than just video games nerds. Brain Age, released on the DS handheld, used voice and handwriting recognition to put together a "brain training" game that purported to actually improve your mental faculties. Did it work? It certainly proved popular, but we're not sure we're ackchully enny better thinking and stuff.

On the topic of unusual spellings, the Wii. WTF? Nintendo unveiled the new name for the console previously known as the Revolution in April just before huge video games trade show E3, no doubt to get all the snickering out of the way. To be honest, we were sniggering for a few months after that as well. What do you expect when you name your console after a euphemism for urine? But for all our off-color jokes and innuendo, Nintendo was right about one thing -- we got used to it.

Speaking of LA-based uber-trade show E3, May saw the last one, ever. We didn't know that at the time, of course, as we watched Sony, Nintendo, Microsoft, EA, Vivendi et al jockey for mindshare via press conferences and vastly expensive exhibits. Next year, all those theatricals will be replaced by smaller, more focused events, no doubt with fewer hot booth babes and less free alcohol. Color us depressed.

Looking back on it, the shape of E3 neatly summed up the year ahead. Sony's big pre-show press conference was a widely-criticized mess, and its Genji "Giant Enemy Crab!" demonstration is still being lampooned -- Microsoft's Viva Pinata poked fun in its loading screen!

Microsoft, in contrast, had a solid show with few surprises, but gave the world its first look at Halo 3, and confirmed Grand Theft Auto 4 will be coming to the 360 late next year. But it was Nintendo that stole the show, drawing huge crowds to its exhibit and wowing them all with Super Mario Galaxy, Super Smash Bros. Brawl, and of course Wii Sports.

Although you might have thought that Louisiana state legislators had enough to do, what with that whole Hurricane Katrina business, they still found time in their crowded schedules to pass a bill criminalizing the sale of certain violent video games to minors in June. The bill -- co-authored by anti-game windbag lawyer Jack Thompson -- was eventually ruled unconstitutional in November. No doubt the good folks of Louisiana were delighted to see their tax dollars going to fight unwinnable lawsuits.