(Well, not 2006 different games, but games I played that were released in '06--it'd get way too long the other way)

Okay, first the disclaimers: I don't review games for a living.  That means, unfortunately, that I don't get paid to play and evaluate them, so I have to spend my time getting paid to do something less interesting.  I also have a small... whatchacallit... life, which also takes time from gaming.  I'm also a late adopter of most games and systems.  The upshot of all this is that I don't even come close to playing every good game that comes out each year.

There, all disclaimed; nice and legal.  Here we go:

Best New Character: Amaterasu, Okami (PS2)
Even without talking, I was surprised how much personality Ammy exuded.  Having Issun to react to helped, but so much was done with body language and expression that I shake my fist at the heavens once again that Clover was dissolved.  Especially if you like dogs and understand how they express mood, you'll really connect with Amaterasu, who manages to be seem both human and distinctively lupine at the same time.

Best New Franchise: Okami (PS2)
I don't really see a sequel coming for this game--both because Clover is no more and because it simply doesn't need one.  Still, Okami is a whole new property for 2006, and an incredibly well-presented one at that.  If I had to pick a franchise that will have further entries, I'd probably have to name Gears of War.  But I don't, so I pick Okami

Best Sound Effects: Burnout Revenge (360)
The sound effects were already awesome, but not awesome enough for Critereon, who completely redid them for this iteration of Revenge.  Hearing the squeal of tires, the rending of metal, and the desperate honking of civilian traffic on my 360-owning friend's 7.1 surround system is a transcendant experience.

Best Voice Acting: Gears of War (360)
John DiMaggio (Bender from Futurama) voices the main character, so it wins.  Of course, I didn't play a whole lot of games with voice acting this year, so may indeed have missed some good work elsewhere.  But... John DiMaggio.

Best Soundtrack: Okami (PS2)
Okami's amazing traditional Japanese music perfectly matches the gameplay and immerses you in the game.  A friend of mine bought the box set of music from Okami, and I may yet do the same--it would be the first game soundtrack I ever purchased.

Best Visuals (technical): Gears of War (360)
I can't deny that this is game looks really, really damn good.  The whole "destroyed beauty" thing is done perfectly--it's more than pretty, it's rubbliscious.

Best Visuals (artistic): Okami (PS2)
This game could use a little more power under the hood, but especially considering the geriatric hardware it runs on, it looks simply amazing.  I could take practically any frame of this game and proudly hang it on my wall as art.  I'm going to tell you a secret here (so keep it under your hat): every Christmas Eve I watch How the Grinch Stole Christmas, and every time I see the Grinch's heart grow 3 sizes (and he gets the strength of 10 Grinchs, plus 2) I mist up.  I bring this up not so you can use it to humiliate me later (that's just an added bonus), but because the animation of life returning to the land in Okami after the restoration of a Guardian Sapling has the same effect on me as the Grinch's heart busting the little x-ray window.

Best New Gameplay Mechanic: Celestial Brush, Okami (PS2)
Such an unusual idea, and so perfectly integrated into gameplay.  When I heard that you drew on the screen in this game, I really wasn't sure how well it would work, but I was delighted at how intuitive it is once you try it.  Plus it tapped nicely into my childhood fascination with Harold and the Purple Crayon.

Best Platform: PS2
The little machine that could.  Sure, the horsepower gap was pretty evident by '06, but like the short and slightly built friend that's the first to go in swinging when the table of rowdies starts throwing insults and peanuts, the PS2 didn't back down an inch.  Hosting great games like Okami and Bully (OK, I haven't actually played Bully, but I've heard good things) up until the end of it's life, the PS2 is a serious challenge to the SNES as my favorite console ever.

Best Game: Okami (PS2)
OK, I've already raved on and on about this game.  Okami has affected me so much that it sits in the company of Star Wars for media experiences--the original trilogy.  From someone who just last summer risked heat prostration to play the role of Various Jedi in a retirement tribute skit, that is praise indeed.

Most Played 2005 Game in 2006: Burnout Revenge (XBOX)
Lord, how I love this game.  It's now 2007 and I haven't even slowed down on it.  If I had a 360, that version of the game (technically a 2006 release) may have picked some more awards this year.

Best Surprise: Xyanide (XBOX)
A barely-noticed budget title, Xyanide turned out to be an awesome game.  Plays like Geometry Wars, looks a bit like Panzer Dragoon.  After all, if you're going to borrow from other games, why not borrow from the best?

Worst Surprise: Clover disbanded.  My rage still builds when I think about it.  I'll need to play some serious Burnout to vent my ire at this tragedy safely.

Worst Surprise That Wasn't Very Surprising: The Red Star delayed.  Again.  If this game actually gets released it might very well qualify as the Best Surprise of '07.

Finest Cheese: Sneak King (360)
I ate BK food for the first time in a very long while when picking up this game, and the consequences of doing so have given Sneak King a special meaning for me.  No matter where you are... working on a construction site, chatting with your neighbor in the driveway, you never know when suddenly you'll be ambushed by a bout of diarrhea.  Given that addition to an already hilariously cheesy game, there was really no other choice for this award.

Best Enemy Death Sprawl: Resistance Fall of Man (PS2)
Examining the interesting positions of the corpses can almost make you forget to keep progressing.

Most Chou Aniki moment in a non Chou Aniki game: The Gold and Silver boss fight in God Hand (PS2).
Hey, Sweetie!

Best Rubble: Gears of War (360)
Considering that I had to make up a new word to describe it, there's no competition.

Best Comic-Nerd Fanservice: Marvel Ultimate Alliance (various)
I didn't like how removed I felt from the action in the X-Men Legends games (like an RTS with heroes for units), but I hear MUA is more of a beat 'em up, a genre close to my heart.  The expansive roster of characters and cameos in MUA makes me twitch with anticipation.