GR's Best of 2006 Awards

Alright, here we go, the five best games of the year! These are the games that put us through twelve packs of Mountain Dew a night, the ones that ruined our relationships with our imaginary girlfriends, and made actually writing about video games (and therefore getting money to buy food) nearly impossible. They undoubtedly made us more violent, less social and much weirder, and for that we would like to thank...

Syphon Filter: Dark Mirror

Gabe Logan hasn’t always been at the top of the action franchise hero list. But then he re-emerged for the PSP like a shining knight of stealthy killing in Dark Mirror.  Long, involved, and wholly complete, Dark Mirror invigorated its ailing system and made our thumbs ache with celebration. 

A big, sweeping, epic of an action game that pays attention to the important details, Syphon Filter: Dark Mirror brings old school to the new console.  And for that we, and the PSP, should be grateful.

Metroid Prime: Hunters

Before Metroid Prime: Hunters, the prospect of ever playing a great first-person shooter on a handheld seemed as likely as picking solid gold out of your ear, or finding a tiny Indian in your cupboard.

Every previous attempt had been a grotesque failure, the kind people find in tubes in science fiction movies. Metroid Prime: Hunters then, is a total anomaly. It isn't just the best of its kind, it's the only survivor.

Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops

While the DS may be home to the best handheld shooter, the PSP is home to a pride of great action games, and this is the king of the beasts.

Strong in every phase, if Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops were bent on destroying the world, no one would be able to stop it. This isn't just good for a handheld, it's one of the best games of the year.

Gears of War

Like a shot of pure testosterone, Gears of War takes you from your normal, nerdy life to a gnarly hell-scape where you and your macho friends roid rage all over the faces of evil alien scum.

With chainsaws mounted on guns, gruesome death sequences, and the most sinister scenery this side of the Old Testament, we wouldn't want to live in Gears of War, but it's a hell of a place to visit.