Yahoo! Games: Best of 2006 Awards

We scrutinize all of last year's releases and hand out the Best of 2006 honors.

By YVG Staff

Best Original Game

NOMINEES:

Bully (PS2)

Developer: Rockstar Vancouver
Publisher: Rockstar Games

Rockstar shook off the violent, headline-grabbing circus of the Grand Theft Auto series to produce this unique and provocative game. As you navigate the cliques and Bullworth Academy, you can't fail to be impressed with the character they've poured into this creation -- and the tightly integrated minigames should be an example for any developer.

Get more on this game

Chromehounds (Xbox 360)

Developer: FromSoftware, Inc.
Publisher: Sega

Build your giant, hulking robot, and take it to Xbox Live, where a huge community of dedicated fans will delight in mashing the hell out of it. Skip the offline modes, find a good team, and you and your robot are guaranteed one of the best experiences of the year.

Get more on this game

Dead Rising (Xbox 360)

Developer: Capcom
Publisher: Capcom

George Romero, eat your heart out. If you've ever wanted to be inside a zombie movie, you're sure to have loved this gore-tastic hack-em-up. For the first time ever in the video game world, these undead didn't just shuffle at you one or two at a time, they came mob-handed and sniffing for blood.

Get more on this game

Gears of War (Xbox 360)

Developer: Epic Games
Publisher: Microsoft

Kicking off what's sure to be another long-running series from Microsoft, Gears of War scored points for the way that its level features actually became integral parts of the combat, not just barriers to be bypassed. Gears' brand of fast-moving, tactical combat is sure to be much imitated, both by other developers and by the inevitable flood of sequels.

Get more on this game

LocoRoco (PSP)

Developer: Sony Japan
Publisher: Sony

A much-needed breath of fresh air on the PSP, LocoRoco's charming tale of near-extinct singing blobs proved one of the year's oddest releases. Its visual design is nothing short of perfect, the controls are superb, and the levels are packed with hard-to-reach secrets. Certainly the most creative handheld game of the year, LocoRoco charmed us all.

Get more on this game

Okami (PS2)

Developer: Clover Studio
Publisher: Capcom

Definitely the best game almost named after a central African zebra-like mammal. In 2006, anyway. Okami's unique hand-drawn look and "living canvas" gameplay make it one of the few action-adventures that can stand toe-to-toe with Nintendo's Zelda series, and it's one of the year's best points in favor of the old, "Are games art?" debate.

Get more on this game

Viva Pinata (Xbox 360)

Developer: Rare
Publisher: Microsoft

Although the prospect of playing a game based on a Saturday morning cartoon show doesn't exactly inspire, Viva Pinata proved itself to be an absolute delight. If your friends list is anything like ours, you were probably watching with amusement as hardened Gears of War players popped up time and again playing with their Pinatas instead. Sure, they said it was their kid sister, but we don't believe them, and neither should you.

Get more on this game

Wii Sports (Wii)

Developer: Nintendo
Publisher: Nintendo

It's one thing to look at the Wii controller and think of creative ways it could be used in games, but quite another to actually implement such a control system in the real world. Wii Sports got us interacting with our video games in ways we'd never even have thought possible a year ago.