Talk Xbox 2006 Game of the Year Awards
Added 01/29/2007 by Dakota Grabowski
Hola everyone! We at TalkXbox are getting ourselves back on track with the addition of new staff members and our goal of giving back to the community. We’re a little late with our Game of the Year Awards, but we've finally made our picks. Are you ready for what we deemed the best in 2006?
Best Graphics:
Gears of War
- There is no comparison when you play this on a HDTV. In the beginning of the year, the 360 had games such as Oblivion, Ghost Recon and Fight Night showing up with impressive graphics, but Gears of War is an amazing title that won this award outright.
Best Sound:
Dead Rising
- The sound of a chainsaw ripping through a zombie? You even have the ability to mow down zombies with a lawn mower? Where do I sign up? Dead Rising had it all; from unique sound effects, cheesy dialogue that made you laugh and interesting voice casting. This was the clear cut winner for the audio award of 2006.
Best Multiplayer/Xbox Live Game:
Gears of War
- Just go online and see how you fair the first time you play. This is nothing like Halo 2 and I thank Epic for delivering a whole new experience for the multiplayer. Team-oriented, Gears of War is currently the most popular game on Xbox Live and for good reason too.
Game Studio/Developer of the Year:
Rare
- With Viva Piñata alone, I’d like to think that Rareware is finally back in the game. Viva Piñata is a brilliant game that everyone should try out at least once. Rare may have upset a few gamers with Perfect Dark Zero (though I think it’s split down the middle on how to judge the game), but it’s safe to say that Viva Piñata is a superb accomplishment.
Publisher of the Year:
Microsoft
- Gears of War and Viva Piñata were the highlight of 2006 for Microsoft. Other titles they released were Ninety-Nine Nights and the Burger King titles. Sure, not the largest portfolio, but Microsoft concentrated on filling up the Xbox Live Arcade with titles every Wednesday and new accessories such as the wireless steering wheel, headset and wireless hub.
Character of the Year:
Marcus Fenix
- “Master Chief meet Marcus Fenix, your new running buddy here at camp Microsoft,” Bill Gates said. Marcus Fenix led Gears of War with a compelling storyline and is guaranteed a sequel with him in the starring role. Let's just hope he doesn’t have to share the spotlight like Master Chief did in his sequel.
Surprise of the Year:
Rockstar Presents Table Tennis
- Rockstar makes sports titles? No way! Table Tennis is a unique and peculiar game that came out of nowhere. It was announced early in the year and released only a month or so later. It surprised everyone since it was from the developer behind Grand Theft Auto. Did it deliver? Oh yes it did! It’s a great game all-around. I am hoping for some downloadable content to give me a reason to pick this back up again. Some new characters would be nice.
Disappointment of the Year:
Dead or Alive: Xtreme 2
- What was Itagaki thinking with this title? No multiplayer right out of the box? At least the first had two player support. The sequel is sadly disappointing on almost all levels. The jet-ski mini-game is bare and I didn’t enjoy the butt-battle mini-game either. Here’s to hoping that Itagaki invests all his time into Ninja Gaiden 2 and someday starts his Code: Chronus project so I will stop hearing about it.
Underrated Title of the Year:
Chromehounds
- This sold surprisingly well when it came out, but online websites weren’t so kind to it. Penny-Arcade went to the point of making fun of the critics that didn’t like the game since PA genuinely enjoyed the title. I can honestly say that I enjoyed Chromehounds online as much as the hardcore fans that continue to play it today.
Best New Franchise:
Dead Rising
- With a sequel rumored to be coming out exclusively for the Xbox 360, Dead Rising is going to be a classic start-up series for Capcom. The Talkxbox staff was split between Gears of War and Dead Rising, but Dead Rising took the cake and didn’t pass it on like Milton from Office Space.
Game We’re Still Playing in 2007:
Gears of War
- While Gears of War wasn’t our pick for “Best New Franchise," it is still our choice for the “Game We’re Still Playing in 2007.” With multiplayer swaying us into our decision, Gears of War’s longetivity is enormous with the recent release of new maps.
Best Story/Plot:
Gears of War
- Gears of War didn’t have the plague that many accuse Halo of having -- a weak plot. Gears of War’s plot and how it’s told is incredible. Cliffy B and his crew at Epic Games did an outstanding job with Gears of War.
RPG Title of the Year:
The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion
- Not much of a choice here since we can’t consider Blue Dragon due to it not being stateside yet. Oblivion is nothing to scoff at either though; Oblivion was one of the most active games with download content throughout 2006. With an expansion pack on its way, Oblivion is about to receive even more gameplay time from its fans.
Xbox Live Arcade Title of the Year:
Cloning Clyde
- A tough choice for the Xbox Live Arcade Title of the Year since there were quite a few original titles that did a good job of entertaining Xbox Live users. Ultimately we chose Cloning Clyde. Cloning Clyde is a platformer with a lot of heart. It’s goofy, silly, quirky and all around fun to play. If you haven’t downloaded the game yet, I highly suggest you do so now.
Action Title of the Year:
Dead Rising
- No doubt about it, Frank West and his photography throughout the game won him the award to share with his zombie friends. Every time I am in the local mall, I always look back to how much fun I had swinging away at zombies’ heads and torsos.
Adventure Title of the Year:
LEGO Star Wars II: The Original Trilogy
- Cleverly developed, LEGO Star Wars II is our choice for Adventure Title of the Year. Who wouldn’t want to play as Luke Skywalker with Chewbacca at his side? I’d even go as far as to say this is better than the original for the Xbox.
Racing Title of the Year:
Test Drive Unlimited
- With its online MMO style of racing, Test Drive Unlimited sure did its job at captivating its audience. Atari needs to release more titles like this for the next-gen if it wants to be a player again in this current age of video games.
Best Non-Xbox Game of the Year:
Okami
- Capcom, can we please have this on the Xbox 360? We are begging you! I’d personally love to play this on my Xbox 360 with all its marvelous art work. Capcom would be smart to release games such as this in the future on the 360 console.
Game of the Year Winner:
Gears of War
- This award was obvious on who the winner was going to be. Microsoft has a franchise that is no doubt going to make them millions. The only question that remains is when are we going to see the sequel? The sooner the better Microsoft, just don’t release it side by side with a game with the words Halo in it.
User of the Year:
DylanH
- And our most important award of the year is… the ‘User of the Year' award! We’d like to present our prestigious User of the Year Award to DylanH, one of our most active forum board members. Our prize package will be revealed later tonight. With the start of 2007, the competition begins again for the User of the Year. Will DylanH repeat? Time will tell.
Best Graphics:
Gears of War
- There is no comparison when you play this on a HDTV. In the beginning of the year, the 360 had games such as Oblivion, Ghost Recon and Fight Night showing up with impressive graphics, but Gears of War is an amazing title that won this award outright.
Best Sound:
Dead Rising
- The sound of a chainsaw ripping through a zombie? You even have the ability to mow down zombies with a lawn mower? Where do I sign up? Dead Rising had it all; from unique sound effects, cheesy dialogue that made you laugh and interesting voice casting. This was the clear cut winner for the audio award of 2006.
Best Multiplayer/Xbox Live Game:
Gears of War
- Just go online and see how you fair the first time you play. This is nothing like Halo 2 and I thank Epic for delivering a whole new experience for the multiplayer. Team-oriented, Gears of War is currently the most popular game on Xbox Live and for good reason too.
Game Studio/Developer of the Year:
Rare
- With Viva Piñata alone, I’d like to think that Rareware is finally back in the game. Viva Piñata is a brilliant game that everyone should try out at least once. Rare may have upset a few gamers with Perfect Dark Zero (though I think it’s split down the middle on how to judge the game), but it’s safe to say that Viva Piñata is a superb accomplishment.
Publisher of the Year:
Microsoft
- Gears of War and Viva Piñata were the highlight of 2006 for Microsoft. Other titles they released were Ninety-Nine Nights and the Burger King titles. Sure, not the largest portfolio, but Microsoft concentrated on filling up the Xbox Live Arcade with titles every Wednesday and new accessories such as the wireless steering wheel, headset and wireless hub.
Character of the Year:
Marcus Fenix
- “Master Chief meet Marcus Fenix, your new running buddy here at camp Microsoft,” Bill Gates said. Marcus Fenix led Gears of War with a compelling storyline and is guaranteed a sequel with him in the starring role. Let's just hope he doesn’t have to share the spotlight like Master Chief did in his sequel.
Surprise of the Year:
Rockstar Presents Table Tennis
- Rockstar makes sports titles? No way! Table Tennis is a unique and peculiar game that came out of nowhere. It was announced early in the year and released only a month or so later. It surprised everyone since it was from the developer behind Grand Theft Auto. Did it deliver? Oh yes it did! It’s a great game all-around. I am hoping for some downloadable content to give me a reason to pick this back up again. Some new characters would be nice.
Disappointment of the Year:
Dead or Alive: Xtreme 2
- What was Itagaki thinking with this title? No multiplayer right out of the box? At least the first had two player support. The sequel is sadly disappointing on almost all levels. The jet-ski mini-game is bare and I didn’t enjoy the butt-battle mini-game either. Here’s to hoping that Itagaki invests all his time into Ninja Gaiden 2 and someday starts his Code: Chronus project so I will stop hearing about it.
Underrated Title of the Year:
Chromehounds
- This sold surprisingly well when it came out, but online websites weren’t so kind to it. Penny-Arcade went to the point of making fun of the critics that didn’t like the game since PA genuinely enjoyed the title. I can honestly say that I enjoyed Chromehounds online as much as the hardcore fans that continue to play it today.
Best New Franchise:
Dead Rising
- With a sequel rumored to be coming out exclusively for the Xbox 360, Dead Rising is going to be a classic start-up series for Capcom. The Talkxbox staff was split between Gears of War and Dead Rising, but Dead Rising took the cake and didn’t pass it on like Milton from Office Space.
Game We’re Still Playing in 2007:
Gears of War
- While Gears of War wasn’t our pick for “Best New Franchise," it is still our choice for the “Game We’re Still Playing in 2007.” With multiplayer swaying us into our decision, Gears of War’s longetivity is enormous with the recent release of new maps.
Best Story/Plot:
Gears of War
- Gears of War didn’t have the plague that many accuse Halo of having -- a weak plot. Gears of War’s plot and how it’s told is incredible. Cliffy B and his crew at Epic Games did an outstanding job with Gears of War.
RPG Title of the Year:
The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion
- Not much of a choice here since we can’t consider Blue Dragon due to it not being stateside yet. Oblivion is nothing to scoff at either though; Oblivion was one of the most active games with download content throughout 2006. With an expansion pack on its way, Oblivion is about to receive even more gameplay time from its fans.
Xbox Live Arcade Title of the Year:
Cloning Clyde
- A tough choice for the Xbox Live Arcade Title of the Year since there were quite a few original titles that did a good job of entertaining Xbox Live users. Ultimately we chose Cloning Clyde. Cloning Clyde is a platformer with a lot of heart. It’s goofy, silly, quirky and all around fun to play. If you haven’t downloaded the game yet, I highly suggest you do so now.
Action Title of the Year:
Dead Rising
- No doubt about it, Frank West and his photography throughout the game won him the award to share with his zombie friends. Every time I am in the local mall, I always look back to how much fun I had swinging away at zombies’ heads and torsos.
Adventure Title of the Year:
LEGO Star Wars II: The Original Trilogy
- Cleverly developed, LEGO Star Wars II is our choice for Adventure Title of the Year. Who wouldn’t want to play as Luke Skywalker with Chewbacca at his side? I’d even go as far as to say this is better than the original for the Xbox.
Racing Title of the Year:
Test Drive Unlimited
- With its online MMO style of racing, Test Drive Unlimited sure did its job at captivating its audience. Atari needs to release more titles like this for the next-gen if it wants to be a player again in this current age of video games.
Best Non-Xbox Game of the Year:
Okami
- Capcom, can we please have this on the Xbox 360? We are begging you! I’d personally love to play this on my Xbox 360 with all its marvelous art work. Capcom would be smart to release games such as this in the future on the 360 console.
Game of the Year Winner:
Gears of War
- This award was obvious on who the winner was going to be. Microsoft has a franchise that is no doubt going to make them millions. The only question that remains is when are we going to see the sequel? The sooner the better Microsoft, just don’t release it side by side with a game with the words Halo in it.
User of the Year:
DylanH
- And our most important award of the year is… the ‘User of the Year' award! We’d like to present our prestigious User of the Year Award to DylanH, one of our most active forum board members. Our prize package will be revealed later tonight. With the start of 2007, the competition begins again for the User of the Year. Will DylanH repeat? Time will tell.
