This game was one of the first to show off the power of the Xbox 360. It was pretty, ran smoothly and created a very immersive environment for you to explore.

Runner Up: Final Fantasy XII (PS2)

Best Platformer
Winner: New Super Mario Bros. (DS)
Synopses: Jason "Njiska" Westhaver

Though it failed to recapture the luster of the 2-D Mario titles of old, New Super Mario Bros. was a trip down Nostalgia Lane for many of the Nintendo faithful and a great first attempt at bringing the series back to its roots.

Game play is just as solid and tight as it was back in the days of the original SMB (although it's unfortunately much easier) and the new power-ups like the Shell Suit and Giant Mario are excellent additions.

Considering it's been over 15 years since the proper 2-D Super Mario game was released, it should come as no surprise that this refreshing throwback to greatest platform franchise ever was tantalizing enough to be our choice for the Best Platformer of 2006.

Runner Up: Mega Man Powered Up

Best Puzzle Game
Winner: Brain Age: Train Your Brain in Minutes a Day (DS)
Synopses: Ashleigh Charlesworth

Brain Age shows how imaginative the developers working on the Nintendo DS are. They have taken a set of 'sub games' and combined them into an addictive game for both the young and old.

The game's genius is in its addictive nature when played against a friend or partner. The sub games get more difficult the better you get, and the challenge of reducing your 'Brain Age' when playing against others is great.

It has a large set of genres as it uses all of the DS's abilities: it has you reading, writing and calculating equations, but at no time does it seem to feel like a chore.

Runner Up: Tetris DS (DS)

Best Music or Rhythm Game
Winner: Guitar Hero II (PS2)
Synopses: Sean Dwyer

2006 has been a great year for music and rhythm games, and we can probably credit a lot of the newfound interest in the genre to one particular title from the year previous: Guitar Hero.

This surprise hit won over casual and hardcore gamers alike with its authentic rock star feel and maddeningly addictive game play. Of course, the real triumph of this game was the brilliant custom guitar controller, without which the game wouldn't have been nearly as intuitive or interesting. But would Harmonix top such a near-perfect game with the inevitable sequel? Well... if they didn't, they sure came close.

It's debatable whether or not the track list in Guitar Hero II is superior to that of the original. Although there are some timeless classics like Sweet Child O' Mine, Shout At The Devil and Free Bird here, I still prefer the first Guitar Hero's line-up for sheer fun factor alone.