Entertainment

For gamers lucky enough and rich enough to get their hands on all the new game systems, 2006 was a great year.

Yes, even for PlayStation 3 owners.

All the major platforms had at least a couple of tasty treats for players eager to tuck into the next generation. From the radical assault on conventional gameplay delivered by the Nintendo Wii and DS, to the barely tapped technological arsenal in the PS3, to the online nirvana of the Xbox 360, to even the occasional quiet gem on the PC, it was a good time to be a gamer.

But it wasn't all peaches and cream.

There were plenty of games that stank, and the acute shortage of Wii and PS3 consoles verges on the absurd.

But, overall, the industry is in good shape.

I still don't think Nintendo gets enough credit for the Wii pack-in title. That may be because most hard-core gamers have found the collection of fluffy sports games an amusing short-term diversion at best – something to merely whet their appetites for meatier titles such as Zelda. But anytime I've introduced Wii Sports to a casual gamer or, better yet, someone who has never played games before, the reaction is simply astounding. Non-gamers love Wii Sports. I couldn't get my mom to stop playing Wii Tennis over Thanksgiving. If any game can turn gaming into a mainstream pastime, this is it. (Nintendo Wii)

At the other end of the gaming spectrum from Wii Sports, Gears of War is everything that hard-core gamers adore. Violent, dark, edgy, but funny, too, Gears lets you play as antihero Marcus Fenix. Armed with a bad attitude and a massive machine gun with a chainsaw bayonet, you have to shoot and dismember a legion of revolting aliens. The game is more than just a twitchy shooter, though, as you have to master the art of firing from cover and reloading quickly. Not to mention that it has the best graphics ever seen in a game. (Xbox 360)

OK, I've got a weird fascination with zombies, and this game only made it worse. You, a tabloid photojournalist, have to survive for three days in a shopping mall infested with the undead. And get the scoop. You can shoot the zombies, run them over with lawn mowers, chop them up with swords and knives, splatter them with sledgehammers, bowl them over with parasols, hit them in the face with hot frying pans, dump silly masks on their heads, sling plates at them like Frisbees or run them over with cars, among other options. Then take pictures of the carnage and silliness and lead a handful of terrified survivors to safety. (Xbox 360)

Fight Night Round 3

This boxing game is a great example of how wonderful simplicity can be. Really, all you do is punch, dodge and block. But the presentation and gameplay are first-class. The exquisite graphics are a treat, even on standard-definition televisions. You can see muscles flex, sweat flow and cheeks flap. Add an HD television, and you can see the texture of your fighter's skin. Plus, the game controls are perfect, letting even a bumbling gamer float like a butterfly and sting like a bee. (Xbox 360, PlayStation 3)

An immense and immersion role-playing game that lets you explore one of the most complete virtual worlds ever made. While there's a well-crafted plot that you can follow, you're also free to roam and explore, aiding villagers and righting wrongs or mastering the arts of dark magic and assassination. (Xbox 360, PC)

One of the first Xbox 360 games that couldn't be copied on an older console. The game has its drawbacks: murky graphics during nighttime missions and an odd lack of civilians despite the game's urban battlefields. But it has great action scenes and requires tactical planning. (Xbox 360)

Lego Star Wars II: The Original Trilogy

It's a goofy premise – play as the famous Star Wars characters in Lego form – but the gameplay is deep and satisfying. And you can mix and match character pieces, such as a Yoda-Leia-Chewbacca hybrid. (PlayStation 2, Xbox 360, Xbox, GameCube, Nintendo DS, Game Boy Advance, PSP and PC)

Not everything is better in three dimensions. This 2-D side-scrolling game is a portable masterpiece, refining all the elements that gamers loved about Mario on the Super Nintendo. And it definitely helped that the game came out about the same time as the DS Lite. Speaking of which ... (Nintendo DS)

Not technically a game, but this redesign of the DS handheld was a revelation. A smaller size, sleeker look and, most important, vastly improved screens made this console nearly as cool and useful as an iPod.

Real-time strategy games tend to be epic, bloody affairs, full of screeching metal, fiery explosions and screaming soldiers. But Darwinia turned those stereotypes upside down. The game is set in an antiseptic virtual world full of bright Tron-like images and shapes; you have to shepherd clusters of "Darwinians" to digital salvation. (PC)

Gamers should remember the warning that past performance is no guarantee of future results. Once the PlayStation 3, Nintendo Wii and Xbox 360 are in plentiful supply next year and top-notch PS3-exclusive games start to arrive (titles such as Metal Gear Solid, Devil May Cry and Final Fantasy), Sony easily could reclaim its throne.