In an answer that was almost too easy, Sonic the Hedgehog wins the property or series in desperate need of a rebuilding or death altogether. His latest "canon" adventure, Sonic Unleashed has him turning into a furry with stretch arms with terrible controls and fighting mechanics.

This story had the spotlight throughout the year, which was a year filled with business propositions, take-overs and downturns. Whether Take-Two will be able to stand on its own during a recession remains to be seen, but it'll be interesting to see what happens as the following year comes along.

From beginning to end, Braid's story makes you think outside of your own comforts and asks you to think abstractly throughout its story and game. The end result is a story that will surprise many and will have you thinking about the ending for years to come.

Out of anyone this year, Johnathon Blow had the most positive impact when it comes to personalities this year. In some circles he's the Tarantino of gaming developers and it's easy to see why: Braid made people think outside of the box and he fought valiantly to show that independent games deserve a place in the mindset of videogaming.

Gaming journalists very rarely get any recognition for the hardwork and foresight they put into making games better. Opinion Unlocked wants to rectify that. So, with the first and only place that honors gaming journalists, we announce our first winner: Ben "Yahtzee" Croshaw of the popular webcast Zero Punctuation. His candid, lurid and hilarious findings in the way games play and the way we play them makes us rethink of our thoughts of games in a way that we may not have wanted, but still feel intranced to do so.

The old Gamespot regime returns in the Giant BOMBcast and seems to add more to the gaming world than it did previously. Jeff Gerstmann, Ryan Davis, Brad Shoemaker and Vincent Caravela have created one of the best podcasts that will become a mainstay in any enthusiast gamers MP3 player.

No RPG had more to live up to than Fable II and it succeeded admirably at the task. Lionhead Studios' excellent and accessable RPG should be a permanent fixture in every 360 gamers home, thanks to great combat and a hilarious, witty world to populate yourself in.

A game that benefits everything that the PS3 does, LittleBigPlanet has some of the best customization options you can't find on any other game and it utilizes the free online capabliities the PS3 champions.

Not exactly a landmark year for the Wii this year, but nonetheless, No More Heroes is the game you want to own on the system. With its strange sense of humor and its very fun fighting, No More Heroes gives enthusiast Wii gamers something to sink their teeth into.

In a year that saw nearly anything on the system, God of War: Chains of Olympus was the shining beacon of the PSP. Great controls, combat and a slick look easily give God of War: Chains of Olympus the win.

A strong year for the DS ends with a game that best utilizes the DS' strengths. That game was The World Ends With You, an action/RPG lootfest with a fun and different battle system and a unique art ****and story.

Many games played great on all systems, but nothing really beat Burnout Paradise this year, with not only its high speed, insane gameplay, but it's nearly endless amount of DLC (and on the PS3, the ability to download the entire game on the hard drive).