It's pretty much official. This has been the biggest year for video games EVER. Not surprisingly, most of the big software has hit in the past few months. Even still, we at Breaking Windows are going to make sense of the software that's hit over the entire year. No, we haven't played every console game this year (though if someone would like to send us a set, that would be nice), but out of what we've played, these are the dozen titles that stick out from the pack.

Matt and I have each come up with our top six titles in this, Breaking Windows' first annual "Best Of" 2004.

By Matt Paprocki

Metal Gear Solid 3, PS2: A perfect convergence of cinema and video games, this game has officially blurred the line between the two forms. This is a nearly flawless piece of work with an incredible story, great in-jokes, and one of the most mesmerizing chase sequences of all time. It not only manages to push the PS2 hardware to new limits on multiple occasions, but also creates the most enthralling game experience of all time.

Burnout 3, Xbox, PS2: Criterion's ever-improving racing series gets fuels from Electronic Arts pocket books. This is an easy to pick up yet almost impossible to put down racing title with one purpose: crash. Yes, there is some racing, but the addictiveness of the crash mode (plus the addition of online play on both the XBox and PS2) makes this one of the best buys of the year.

Halo 2, XBox: Just a notch below MGS in terms of cinematics, this incredibly hyped game lives up to everything and then some. Though it does suffer from a few annoying graphical glitches, this is otherwise another nearly perfect piece and will likely become the top selling game of all time. At least it's a good one.

ESPN NFL 2K5, PS2, Xbox: At $20, this is gaming's best value... and the best football game ever created. The simple tweaks to the gameplay engine propel this one near the top of the list, and the immersion factor is incredible thanks to the well-designed breaks in play. While the other titles in the ESPN line are almost all incredible, they don't come close to the pleasure that NFL brings to fans of the genre. This is a long-lasting title that should get plenty of playtime, at least until next year's addition.

Mario Golf, GBA: Yes, this is just an update the Game Boy Color game of the same name, but that doesn't make it any less enjoyable. Though the RPG mode the series is famous for is a little short, you can continue playing forever in the various modes while you continue to build up your character's strength. Even if you don't like golf, this accessible title will teach you. Make sure to buy the Gamecube-to-GBA cable, too. Some features can only be unlocked via this method and that's just annoying (and about the only reason this isn't higher on the list).