Only so many games make me jump directly into a second playthrough after finishing it the first time. And that's become even more rare in recent years. You know, full time job and all that. But Uncharted just dug it's claws into me and would not let go. Each character is so fully realized that I fell like I know their entire histories before they even say anything. Plus, it doesn't hurt that it's basically the best looking game I've ever seen. The emotions that they can convey really turn what it a game into a real cinematic experience.

We could even talk just about the mechanics of the game too. From hiding behind cover and the gunfights to the urban traversal, every aspect of the game controls like a dream. The story is wonderfully paced which makes it really hard to put down the controller. It's one of the best experiences with a game I've had. Then there's the astonishingly good multiplayer. The online works great and it's incredibly fun to take those traversal skills into a deathmatch or even better, the co-op. Plus, you can play as Sully. Hard to beat that.

Uncharted 2 really does take every possible lesson from the first game, and turns in one of the most polished games I've seen. And so, Uncharted 2 is my Game of the Year. Congrats Naughty Dog! (I loved Crash Bandicoot too!)

Batman was one of those games that I was excited for, but had to temper that with the usual comic game expectations. I mean, I played that last Batman game, and while it had promise, it fell flat on it's face. But not Arkham Asylum, from the opening scene through the climactic finish with the Joker, the game never lets up. Constantly throwing new objectives and problems your way. Combine that with the great level design and controls and you've got a winner for any game. It just helps all that much when Kevin Conroy and Mark Hamill are leading you through it.

I remember hearing about inFAMOUS years ago. Like way back when the PS3 was first announced. Then nothing. So it only helped the shock when it finally came out and blew my socks off. The basic plot sounded like something out of Static Shock at first, but it grew into it's own world. Just jumping around the city was thrill enough for me, but combining that with a good comic book-y story helped all the more. The good/bad aspect of the game was a nice touch, especially towards the end of the game. I had a hard time putting it down even after I finished it, and talking about it now makes me want to go back and finish that bad half of the game I never got through. (I did recover those socks in case you're wondering.)

For me, MK vs DC was the fighting game to get me back into fighting games. Street Fighter IV was the fighting game that got me back to loving fighting games. The new graphic style is beautiful. The controls are great. The online works better than pretty much any other online game I've played. And on top of that, it's just plain fun. How a single game was able to return me to my childhood days of playing Street Fighter with my friends along with adding enough new stuff that I had to learn a lot just to keep up, I'll never know. But I'm sure grateful for it.

Just as I thought I was getting tired of Rock Band, The Beatles showed me why I fell in love with the game in the first place. Such care was put into both the music and the musicians that it's hard not to enjoy. The game also works as a decent history lesson through The Beatles' career, even if it does omit the less happy parts. The set list is great and managed to expose me to what I now consider some of my favorite Beatles songs. The only thing that could have made it better is if you could import the songs into Rock Band proper, but it works just as well as it's own experience.

I loved the original Uncharted. I know it had problems, but it was fun. For Uncharted 2 though, I can love it without having to amend that statement. Nathan Drake is possibly the best game character ever created in what is perhaps the greated action game ever created. The story is a great summer blockbuster that is non-stop from start to finish. All the characters are so well realized and so amazingly realistic looking that I had to reming myself that they weren't real people. And sadly, I wouldn't be able to hand out with Nate myself.