It was always a given, really, that it was going to go to Gears of War.

The game was immensely hyped, with cinematic advertisements and events being set up for its launch, very little was known about Gears of War until nearer the launch date.

When I think about it, I realise that this game has it all.

It has the superficial "wow" effect. You boot the game up, go to a new campaign, and you automatically see how beautiful it looks. It is without doubt the best looking game on the 360. Not just in the fantastically chunky and robust character models, but from the beautiful drizzle of the water, to the globular blood flying from enemies as you gun them down. The sounds of the game will also grab you to start. The brilliant voice acting and sounds of rattling machine gun fire really put you in the boots of a COG...

Once you get over that, there's the gameplay. Balanced to absolute perfection. The "Active Reload" system is the kind of innovation we need to see from more games, in an industry that's getting evermore samey. The campaign wont last you too long though, and that's where the multiplayer comes in.

Fantastically tuned, with a robust net code that barely ever disconnects or lags you up, there is no better online experience for the Xbox 360.

It's contenders (for the 360 throne) weren't weak. Rainbow Six Vegas is a brilliant game (I'll be reviewing it soon), but it has its downfalls. Oblivion, well, I personally am not on good terms with it, and despite it being fantastic, it was simply too mainstream and accomodating to be as unique as its predecessors.

All in all, Gears of War deserved this. It's as simple as that. It is the best game of 2006...and so that's the award it was given. Totally justified.