Skate - EA Games (Xbox 360)
Possibly my best purchase this first half of the year! I love free skating and the character customization is a little lacking in the clothing department, but its still amazing. This game I thought was going to be like Tony Hawk, with a different story, boy was I ever wrong! It is nothing like Tony Hawk! (Except some of the pros) The control scheme takes a little getting used to, but its way better than Tony Hawk's once you get used to them. You will fail a lot in this game, which is great because there is an achievement for breaking all of the bones in your body at least 10 times each.

Rock Band - MTV Games, Activision, Electronic Arts (Xbox 360)
I was prepped for this game the moment I heard of it! Coming from the previous makers of Guitar Hero, I knew this game would not let me down! With some new kickass peripherals, its way more fun than Guitar Hero. And a great party game to boot! The price tag is the only thing that let me down. $160 for a video game and even more money for downloadable content, luckily, everything is of great quality!

Final Fantasy X
I got into the Final Fantasy series when I borrowed FFIV from my friend on GBA, I instantly fell in love (this was summer of '07), but the only drawback was the fact that it was on a handheld. I couldn't devote a lot of time during the summer to playing on a handheld, after all, I had recently got a Wii and PS2. So, I see FFX in EB Games sale rack, and I knew it was destiny. This game has awesome gameplay, from everything to turn-based battles to the sphere grid, every moment is amazing. The cutscenes are stunning and very interesting. The voice of Tidus fits the character well, along with all of the other character's voices.

Those were my top 3 gaming purchases this year, all of them from Q2, actually. Mainly because I don't buy a lot of games after the holidays because I get a lot during them. Now, what am I looking forward to?

The Sims 3
Wow, what's not to love about the Sims? Well, this just had to be on this list. I loved the Sims, going on vacation, building houses, killing off people and just playing the heck outta it. Sims 2, even better. I still play it to this very day! The only problem I have with the series is the high technical requirements for you PC, be it graphics cards, divers and other things. I'm hoping the new additions to the Sims 3 will feed my hunger for a new simulation game. I have my standards set high for this game, and expect them to be fulfilled.

That is the ONLY game I am looking forward to at the moment, I will probably think more about COD:WaW and othes when the release dates creep closer, but the Sims 3 is the only game I currently wish was out.