Samurai Shodown V Special, Neo Geo: There's a likely chance you haven't heard of this one. That's ok. This is the final title for the venerable and expensive Neo Geo AES/MVS hardware. Most people are going to discover this one in the arcade. This is nothing short of a brilliant 2-D fighter with amazing depth not seen in the series since the very first sequel. If you have the means, buy it. If you don't, find an arcade that has a copy running. It's a fitting end to some of the best hardware ever released.

Game of the Year: Metal Gear Solid 3

By Ken Edwards

Fable, Xbox: Fable was easily the most anticipated game this year. Hell, it was the most anticipated game last year! Fable is the best RPG experience on the XBox since Morrowind was ported from the PC. Some people complained about how short the game is. After completing all the side quests, it was short. But, man, was this a sweet ride. A game of this caliber does not come along often, and you really need to play the game multiple times to experience the full breadth of it. I really cannot say enough about Fable. If you play as good or evil, it's always enjoyable. You really can get wrapped up in the story, and that is what makes Fable a must have.

Splinter Cell Pandora Tomorrow, GCN, PS2. PC, Xbox: Sam Fisher is back with his stealth goodness, this time to fix things in 2006. Unlike Metal Gear Solid, Splinter Cell is entirely about stealth. You cannot go in guns blazing as you can in MGS; in Splinter Cell you would be hopelessly outnumbered and in most cases would compromise the mission on the first kill. Although Pandora Tomorrow is a true sequel 2002's Splinter Cell, there is little in the way of additions. You get a couple new gadgets and some new moves that Sam can use. The real addition this time around is online multiplayer on XBox Live. I do not know which is more fun, playing the spy or the mercenary. The cooperative online multiplayer is a unique battle of two on two. The online maps are huge, and the gameplay mechanics for the spy and merc are completely different.

Another great story makes Pandora Tomorrow a must have. Last Word: Get the XBox version if you are a multi-platform owner. Not just because of the Xbox Live play; the graphics just pale in comparison on the other systems.

Did you know: You now use a Sony Erikson and not a Palm PDA in the game. Sony on the XBox, priceless.

Champions of Norrath: Realms of EverQuest, PS2: Of the 3 titles out this year using this same engine, the originators, SnowBlind Studio's Champions of Norrath is the best. Champions of Norrath is much longer then Dark Alliance 2. It is a lot more detailed and does not repeat textures and environments like Dark Alliance 2 does. Champions uses a Dual Layer DVD, which is not very common; that is how big this game is. It also boasts 4 player, online and offline gameplay. While the offline is fun, the real gem here is the online multiplayer. Getting 4 people together for a hack-n-slash dungeon crawl is just pure fun. This is easily the best online PS2 title this year. I actually finished the game through playing online long before I completed it offline.