2006 was a transitional year for gaming that saw the last generation of consoles bowing out with a bang thanks to the likes of Okami, Black and Yakuza. Meanwhile, the next generation was pointing towards gaming's potential with fresh ideas as seen in Wii Sports, Dead Rising and Rainbow Six Vegas. What's amazing is that none of those games even made our top five. So the question is - what games did?
The Runners-Up Picking the best games of 2006 initially seemed like a tough job but these following games had that little extra to help them stand out from the crowd.
Guitar Hero II was arguably the game that kicked the rhythm-action genre into the mainstream while Gears of War dazzled us with its spectacle and made coverfire arguably the biggest gaming trend this generation. Legend of Zelda: The Twilight Princess was simply stunning, combining Nintendo's trademark development nuances with a brave new control system, while Final Fantasy XII wore its MMORPG influences on its sleeve and emerged as one of the most distinctive entries in the series to date.
The Winner: Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion
Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion: Married towering ambition with pitch-perfect execution
After all is said and done, one game stands out as the best... and that game is Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion. Bethesda's RPG was a colossus, marrying towering ambition with almost pitch-perfect execution, as it drew in crowds from all across the gaming spectrum - hardcore FPS players, Japanese RPG aficianados, MMORPG fans...
And yet it's strange that such a stunning game starts so terribly. Make no mistake, the opening hour of the game is awkward, annoying and thoroughly awful. You trudge around a brown sewer killing rats while Patrick Stewart gibbers on about the jaws of Oblivion, emperors, gods and other incoherent babble you'd expect from the local park's tramp.
Then you hit the sewer exit and suddenly, Oblivion opens up before you. Go anywhere. Do anything. Sleep in the woods. Conjure demonic spiders to fight with you. Kill deer prancing about. Explore forts. Start fights with bears and have them chase you back into town where they can cause carnage. Turn invisible and start fights. Commit crimes, go to jail, break out of jail. It would be impossible to list all the things you could do.
It was the possibilities combined with the sheer depth that made Oblivion such a hit. By refusing to dumb itself down for consoles, Bethesda found players were willing to put the time in to learn the nuances and explore the world. Oblivion kept on giving as you put more and more time in, which was enhanced by excellent DLC support at a time when most publishers were wary of this strange, new method of delivering content.
Standout games often set trends in motion as developers try to copy what made them successful. Yet Oblivion was so ambitious and so well executed, many haven't even dared to copy its formula and those that have attempted it aren't even playing the same sport, let alone being in the same league (Two Worlds... ahem). It was a great on PC but on console, where most players had never experienced that type of game before Bethesda opened their eyes, it was almost revolutionary. And that's why Oblivion is our game of 2006.
Your Shout Okay we've told your ours, now you tell us yours! Your top five, overall winner and most importantly, why, in the comments field below please.
*blinks* FFXII? You cannot be serious! That was one of the worst games i played that year...and i love FF games, and guitar hero 2 had an awful tracklist compared to the first. I do however agree with Gears and Oblivion..not that i liked either that much. Gears Co-Op was fantastic though.
Its a difficult one 2006 with the contendors being a lot of love it or hate it games includin the winner. Like i didnt mind Final Fantasy 12 but i knw a vast magority hated it.I really couldnt pick a outstanding winner this year.
I knew Oblivion would take this one as soon as I saw the contenders. I still don't get it. The beginning was promising, the first town you stumble across is interesting, the big fighting tournament was cool, but after that I was lost.
Being open world is one thing, but you need to be able to stumble upon content quickly. I found myself running around looking for stuff to do, and I'm of the opinion that a game should throw that kind of thing at you rather than you having to think it up by yourself.
Sounds weird but I still don't know if I enjoyed Oblivion or not. I think it was more an impressive game rather than an enjoyable one. What I remember thinking the most was that it was more like work yet it's one of only 3 games I bothered getting all the acheivements for. Loved the artstyle and sound, though, but the main quest became utter s**te IMO (f**king oblivion gates) .
How did Guitar Hero 2 and Final Fantasy beat Shadow of the Colossus (which I think was 2006) into the list?
It featured a truly epic score, dreamlike fantasy landscapes and a moral turning point which tipped the game beyond any other. It also showed that there was untapped power housed within the PS2 emotion engine not seen on other platforms including Xbox and PC.
Riding full pace alongside the wing of the gigantic desert flying serpent thing and jumping from the horse onto its wing to take it down using a sword without any sign of QTE was one of the best moments of last gen gaming. The atmosphere of the bleached sun, wind and dust while doing it was unbelievable.
This makes sense BUT why did they not even mention Shadow of the Colossus? It was released in 06 right? If so then you guys at CVG have totally messed up as I would not argue against that being the game of the year (certainly one of all time).
Black and okami not even runners up? Instead you chose twilight princess, which is widely regarded as being the same thing all over again (it usually is with zelda though), and FF12? I spent abt 80hrs in tht game but it wasnt smthg to remember. I also think vegas should have been one of the runners up but whatever.
I haven't played Shadow of Collosus but I expected it to have at least a mention somewhere in the article for 2006. Previously, Ico (which I also haven't played) didn't have a mention either.
No Okami? F*ck off. i recently bought Oblivion and have completed the main quest, and , as impresive as it is, i had WAY more fun with Okami. As for Black and Shadow of the colossus, well........
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