These are what tech demos are largely made to highlight. However, while the lineup in Wii Sports could largely be considered tech demos, it's not for more colors or polygons, the types of presentations you watch once or twice and don't care about anymore.

No, Wii Sports serves as a warm-up to what Nintendo hopes will become the new standard control scheme in console gaming, and without the Wii Remote, these games would be nothing. With it, however, they combine, Voltron-style, to become the most engaging and accessible sports game package of the year. I've never wanted to replay a mere "demo" so much in my life.

Runner Up: Fight Night Round 3 (360)

Best Original Game
Winner: Dead Rising (360)
Synopses: Jason "Njiska" Westhaver

Zombies, man. They freak me out. They freak a lot of people out. But stick 50,000 in a mall with every imaginable instrument of destruction and you're left with a blood orgy of pure hedonistic ecstasy.

Shunning conventions they themselves created with the iconic Resident Evil series, Capcom worked hard to create a wholly original IP that captured the minds of zombie fanatics and sickos every where and was in no way "DEVELOPED, APPROVED OR LICENSED BY THE OWNERS OR CREATORS OF GEORGE A. ROMERO'S DAWN OF THE DEAD".

The sheer number of zombies on screen at any given time is a feat in and of itself, but the rich, albeit cheesy story, strong character development and focus on true survival (both against the zombies and the clock) makes Dead Rising our clear choice for Best Original Game of 2006.

Runner Up: Okami (PS2)

Best Retro Re-Release or Collection
Winner: Sega Genesis Collection (PS2)
Synopses: Matt Paprocki

This is how all retro compilations should be done. It makes the Capcom efforts look feeble by comparison. It's not only the immense selection of games like Shinobi III, Vectorman, super-hard-to-find Golden Axe III, and Comix Zone all running in progressive scan for HDTV users; It's also arcade games like Altered Beast, a plethora of interviews, tons of art, and plenty of unlockables to keep you coming back.

Runner Up: Metal Slug Anthology (Wii)

Best Xbox Live Arcade Game
Winner: UNO
Synopses: Christina Little

Not all of the games on the Xbox 360 have been too family friendly. When Xbox Live Marketplace started releasing arcade games to players, it was only a matter of time before some classic card games would be announced.

When UNO was released to the Marketplace, players bought the game right away and started playing. It was a chance to play a familiar game and talk to your friends and even some people who would become your friends.

UNO became so popular that when Xbox owners bought a gold membership for Xbox Live for a year, they even included UNO for free.