This year was a fantastic year for gaming. Sure, sure, we say that almost every year. This year, however, was truly an amazing year. Two new systems launched and the Xbox 360 proved that it could play with the big boys. The Nintendo DS conquered the world, even crushing its console brothers. The fabled Touch Generations games finally came out worldwide, and Nintendo delivered on its promise of gaming for everybody.

And like every other site out there, we have a list. Hey, lists are fun. Here are our picks for the top five games of the year. Obviously, many great games didn’t make the list, and you might disagree with a few of our picks. Read on to find out what games we loved and why we loved them. After that, tell us what your picks are for the games of 2006.

Math? Reading? Memory games? Who thought that sounded like fun ideas for a game?

But sure enough, it was. I’m not sure whether to feel elated that I enjoy Brain Training… or a little old. It feels gratifying to enjoy ‘training my brain’ and clearing the cobwebs on my times tables and getting in a round of suduko from time to time. And with Nintendo’s ingenious ‘training’ system, I end up coming back to the game every day. This was the first game in a long time that I felt like I needed, wanted, had to, play every day.

And let’s not forget the impact this little title had on the DS and the general gaming market place. This is the game that launched the vaunted Touch Generation series and brought new gamers, old and young, male a female, back to gaming. Sure, you may have hated math (or maths, as our Canadians call it) in highschool, but somehow Nintendo makes it more fun than it has a right to be. If only Nintendo had been there to teach me Physics.

~ Nick

Wii Sports is my official, undisputed Game of the Year.

Is it the year’s best game? The deepest? The most painstakingly crafted? No way. But it’s one thing that no other title is: a bona fide revolution.

My dad is addicted. My friends — most of whom haven’t played a game in ten years — can’t stop talking about it. My wife and I use it for simple exercise every morning. This is the revolution Nintendo promised, and it’s in a far more humble package than I ever could’ve imagined when the system was first announced.

Ten years from now, Wii Sports alone will be remembered as the game that changed everything.

~ N. Rumas

If I had to pick my favorite game of all time, I’d have to go with Tetris for the original Game Boy Brick. It came with my Game Boy way back in the day and I still play the thing now. Naturally, when Nintendo announced a DS upgrade, my interest was piqued.

Fortunately, Nintendo didn’t disappoint. I was a little iffy about the gameplay tweaks to the classic Tetris formula, but they quickly became second nature to me and my love of the game was reignited. The standard Tetris is supplemented by five additional game modes that all add something to the experience. In my opinion, Tetris DS is a bargain at $30. It is the one game that has a permanent place in my DS case, and I suspect that I’ll still be playing it a decade from now.

~ Greg

What’s this? A PS2 title in our feature? Well, Okami is one of those games that can cross the lines of fan divisions, a game that can be praised and loved by everybody. In fact, in Clover’s attempt to create a Zelda-like title, they managed to make one of the greatest games ever made.

The first thing that grabs you when you start up Okami is the graphics. The Viewtiful Joe games gave Clover a reputation for talented cell-shading. They took that and combined it with a style reminiscent of Japanese wood-block paintings. With its vibrant and colorful world, Okami is the best looking title of the last generation and one of the few PS2 titles that will still look good years from now. The gameplay and music of Okami are also sublime. The powerful tunes lend the perfect emotional mood to each scene, ranging from somber to energetic. The gameplay borrows bits and pieces from the best Zelda games. They say that imitation is the greatest form of flattery, and Clover’s flattery takes the form of one fantastic game.

The top-notch presentation and tight gameplay make not only make Okami one of the best games of the year, but one of the best of the last generation. I may have been outvoted in this regard, but Okami is my personal game of the year.

~ Greg

Look I know what you’re thinking: A Nintendo-focused gaming site’s game of the year feature will obviously put Zelda: Twilight Princess in the top spot. Big surprise. I mean, it’s fricken’ Zelda right? How could it not win? It’s the much anticipated return of “realistic” graphical style. It’s quite possibly the best Zelda ever. Not to mention the talk of it being the best game to ever launch with a system. But Twilight Princess isn’t the game of the year simply because it was the best game I (and much of the staff) played in 2006 the year. Zelda is the game of the year because, like Mario 64, it serves as a transition between two generations of gaming.

Where Mario 64 bridged the gap between 2D graphics and 3D graphics, Twilight Princess bridges the gap between 2D control and 3D control. At the end of the entire experience, I was left to wonder, is Twilight Princess the pinnacle of the last generation, or the definitive introduction to the next generation? The answer is both. Zelda pays homage to its forbearer’s while showing us what motion sensing controls are capable of.

Hook shots, forest temples, and chest chimes are all present and in beautiful form and are joined by a bevy of unique and fun additions to the arsenal. This feels like a Zelda game, and that would be enough, if the game had stayed on the GCN. But it didn’t. It needed to not only be amazing for a Zelda game, but it needed to show how the Wii could serve two purposes. Accessible, innovative controls that can also handle more complex experiences.

Zelda, while feeling suitably epic is also undeniably fresh. The sheer visceral joy of slashing through a tough boss, the slick completely natural accurate aiming of airborne weapons, and the immersing relaxation of fishing. It’s all game changing and I would even venture to say it is industry changing. Playing through Zelda has truly changed my perception of what the experience of a video game can be. The fact that the game was originally intended for a different control scheme and comes at the very beginning of the Wii’s lifetime makes it even more impressive. Zelda is an instant classic, a beautiful piece of digital art, and absolutely deserving of the title “Game of the Year.”

~ Benny

That’s it for our picks. Tell us your choices! What games made this a great year? What obscure games would you recommend for others? What news events really stick out in your mind? Tell us in the comments below.