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BEST: Shadow of the Colossus [PS2] (2005)
"Colossus" was on several Best of 2005 video game lists back when it came out so I added it to my ever-growing list of games to play. After an hour or so into the game I realized what everyone had been raving about. This was the closest game I've ever played to art. First of all, there are only 17 characters in the game - you and 16 gigangitc bosses. That's it! You are presented with one task: track each one down individually, discover its weakness, and destroy it. But within those simple boundaries lies a beautiful game. I was never bored and the game was action packed for all 12 or so hours it took me to beat it. Perfect length, excellent gameplay, great story. Game of the year!

                         

RUNNER-UP: NBA 2k9 [PS3] (2008)
I pour over every bit of these NBA 2k-series games and I hadn't completely conquered NBA 2k8 so I figured I'd put off purchasing 2k9 until the new year. Well, as soon as I discovered that it would involve a backwards fantasy basketball sitaution, I couldn't resist and immediately purchase the damn thing. After only a few quick games I realized that this game was an improvement upon its predecessor by leaps and bounds. Usually, there are only a handful of upgrades from year to year but NBA 2k9 was incredible. It offered uploading/downloading created players, hundereds of new custom animations, a faster-paced, more realistic game and even more control over players' movement. It was actually an accomplishment so overwhelming I had to put it down for a month or so just to catch a breath!

WORST: NBA Live 08 [Mobile] (2007)
Don't be fooled by the box arts I used for both of the Worst Video Game selections. Both of these games were for my mobile phone as I had gotten into a bit of a mobile kick during my commutes. Anyway, while taking the long subway ride back from Shea Stadium, I sat between a family that was talking and felt like I had to do something to entertain myself. So I purchased mobile versions of both NBA Live 08 and Madden 09. And I played them each once during that trip and never more! Wow, NBA Live 08 was the worse of the two: I couldn't tell who my characters were (as they were all just stick figures) and the plays you could run seemed random. The players were little more than colored lines and there was absolute no control - I felt like I was just watching an animated image on my phone; there was so little feeling of interaction. What a turd.

                         

RUNNER-UP: Madden 09 [Mobile] (2008)
Madden 09 was slightly better than NBA Live 08 as the graphics actually looked like about the level of an old Nintendo football game. However, you only had a handful of plays to choose from and I never felt any connection with the game. I may have enjoyed football games in the past but they have to have great graphics for me to get into them because I really don't know much else about the sport. A smelly piece of shit, but not quite as smelly as NBA Live 08.