Best of 2005

Saying goodbye to 2005...

As a gaming year, 2005 probably won't stay in gamers' hearts for too long. Not to take anything away from this year's winners, but all of us here at AT seem to share that general impression.

In late 2005, we saw the launch of Microsoft's much-talked-about next-gen console system, the Xbox 360, and as we write this, there are still some major supply problems with it and a lack of "killer apps." With that in mind, we have decided to leave the system out of the awards. However, that does not diminish the fact that Microsoft is likely to do their best to establish some kind of favorable market position for their new system in 2006, inevitably at the expense of PC gamers. Of course, 2006 will see the launch of Sony's PS3, so the real war is yet to start. The days of the cold war of 2005 are coming to an end.

On the other hand, you could argue that 2005 might be unjustly labeled as a weak year for gaming, since all things in life are relative. In 2004, we saw the release of some major, major blockbusters: World of Warcraft, GTA: San Andreas for the PS2, and Half-Life 2. If we consider the progressively lengthening development cycles and the major jump in production values in the last several years, you could argue that 2004 was simply a stellar year for gaming all-around and that there was no way for the industry to follow up with another flurry of major titles. Sure, there were no breakaway hits this year, but as far as the sales go, they usually depend on the 'triple A' projects, something that 2004 had in abundance.

So while you could say that 2005 was not a good year for gaming, we simply have to see it as a transitional year in stead, as things have changed in a major way in our industry.

Looking ahead, 2006 seems a lot more exciting. Nintendo's Revolution controller has created quite a buzz, promising a shift in the paradigm if you will. PS3 should be out in spring, and for us PC gamers, well, we have Elder Scrolls IV, Rise of Legends, Alan Wake, and many other great titles to look forward to.

As for the 2005 awards, over 8,000 people took part in the voting, and we thank you all for that. For any developer I think the People's Choice award carries the most clout, so thanks once again for being a part of this. On to the winners...

Game of the Year: People's Choice

	F.E.A.R. Publisher: VU Games Developer: Monolith	Speaking in general terms, there are two major factors why people liked F.E.A.R.. It actually managed to induce fear in the player in a more sophisticated manner than any other aspiring horror title, and it introduced the sort of AI (Artificial Intelligence) that seemed almost believable - both great achievements that pushed the envelope in the design of First Person Shooter titles. Monolith's F.E.A.R. won our readers' hearts by a decent margin over the runners-up. Runners-up: Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas (Take 2, Rockstar North), Call of Duty 2 (Activision, Infinity Ward).

Game of the Year: AT Staff

	F.E.A.R. Publisher: VU Games Developer: Monolith	We share our readers' views as far as the GOTY is concerned with slight abbreviations in the runners-up department. Battlefield 2 wasn't revolutionary in any way, but it did elevate the franchise both in terms of the actual gameplay and by introducing an RPG "ranking" element that made the online play that much more addictive and exciting. Runners-up: Battlefield 2 (EA, DICE Sweden), Civilization IV (2K Games, Firaxis).

Best Action Game

	F.E.A.R. Publisher: VU Games Developer: Monolith	The lads at Monolith have outdone themselves with this one. An unmistakable champion amongst contemporary action games. Runners-up: Battlefield 2, Resident Evil 4, Call of Duty 2.

Best Strategy Game

	Civilization IV Publisher: 2K Games Developer: Firaxis Games	Ladies and gentlemen, we give you the top strategy game of 2005! Sid Meier's Civilization IV takes a new turn... but still rings true to its predecessors. Runners-up: Age of Empires III.

Best RPG

	Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic 2 (after the patches) Publisher: LucasArts Developer: Obsidian Entertainment	Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic II - Although we feel Obsidian could've done a slightly better job with this one, it clearly stands as a decent achievement on the RPG scene. Runners-up: Jade Empire.

Best Sports Game

	Need for Speed: Most Wanted Publisher: EA Developer: EA Canada	Need for Speed: Most Wanted is indeed the "Most Wanted" racing game. It also turned out to be the peak of the successful NFS series. Runners-up: NBA Live 06, World Soccer Winning Eleven 8 International.

Babe of the Year: People's Choice

	Mercedes Terrell (May the 'Googling' commence!) Score: 9.06 Votes: 1090	Seriously, I don't know if these girls should be depressed about this "illustrious" award or proud of it. In any case, they are the top picks of the tens of thousands of nerds coming to this site on a daily basis. Be proud girls, and if you hear from any of them, get a Doberman, a collection of Sims titles and a restraining order. Oh and under no circumstances ever dress as a Night Elf. That might even make them forget about the restraining order. Runners-up: 2nd Place Babe, 3rd Place Babe, 4th Place Babe, 5th Place Babe.

That's it for this year, folks. Thanks for sticking with us, and we'll see you all in 2006. Have a very Happy New Year!