Runner-up: Crimson Skies: High Road to Revenge
Crimson Skies: High Road to Revenge is one of those games that does pretty much everything right but isn't really revolutionary in any way. However, the game mechanics are well thought out, the storyline is decent and dogfighting is great fun. Oh, and it's got pirates in it. If you haven't got Xbox Live yet, then it's still worth your money for the singleplayer and the offline multiplayer modes alone. For Xbox Live owners though, it's really an essential purchase. At the end of the day, Crimson Skies' fast and furious gameplay, excellent graphics, top-notch presentation and lengthy lifespan make it a great all-round package and one of this winter's must-have games on Xbox.
Runner-up: Colin McRae Rally 04
Ever since the original game was released on PlayStation, Codemasters have always been on top of the genre with their Colin McRae series. The latest, fourth installment places them clearly above the competition, making it the game to buy for rally fans. Its flawless presentation, stunning visuals, well done audio, lengthy lifespan and superb gameplay just shine in a genre full of seemly cloned rivals. Xbox Live scoreboards are also included, showing Codemaster's continuing interest in the network and an effort to optimise their game for each system. It is, and may be for quite a while, the best rally game ever.
3rd place: Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time
Prince of Persia has everything you could want in a game: jaw-dropping visuals, stunning level design, a gripping story, likable characters and airtight gameplay. Ubi Soft has done wonders upgrading the old-school 2D Prince of Persia gameplay for the current generation, but without discarding the core elements that made past titles in the series so enjoyable. If there’s something bad to be said about Prince of Persia, it’s that the game can be completed a bit too quickly, but that certainly doesn’t take much away from the game’s overall excellence.
2nd place: Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six 3
The name Rainbow Six has always been synonymous with high quality, tactical shooting action, but R63 brings the series to an entirely new level of excellence with its greatly improved gameplay responsiveness and gorgeous graphics. If you are a current subscriber to Xbox Live, then consider this an absolute must have because it is one of the most entertaining online games to be released in recent memory. Next to Halo there is no better first person shooter currently available on the Xbox system.
1st place: Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic
The ingenious folks over at BioWare have created a truly remarkable role-playing game set in the Star Wars universe. Self-proclaimed Jedi gamers across the globe have been waiting patiently for a Star Wars RPG of this magnitude to be released, and this year their collective dreams finally came true. Knights is absolutely amazing in every way possible, but arguably its most extraordinary feature is an epic storyline that makes Lucas’ own recent film efforts look pathetic in comparison. Not only is this Xbox Game of the Year, but it could also be legitimately considered Role-Playing Game of the Decade. Needless to say, owning an Xbox and not owning this game is out and out blasphemy.
On to the GBA...
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