Best Action Sports Game:
Despite the first signs of some competition in the genre, Tony Hawk runs away with the best action sports game for the fourth year in a row. Pro Skater 4 is a fantastic game that features excellent level design, great atmosphere, online play and a plethora of interesting and challenging skating objectives. It fixes all of the problems that made Hawk 3 so stale and the addition of online play makes it that much sweeter. I sincerely hope that Neversoft takes a year off from making these games, but I'm still amazed at how much fun Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 4 is to play.

Best Music Game:
REZ all the way, baby! I originally got this game towards the end of 2001 on the DC but the US PS2 version was released in 2002 so it's on my list for this year. Rez is one of those games that reminds me why I'm a gamer. It has a certain magic in it that just really gets me into the game. As a game itself, it isn't anything overly special. It plays like a dumbed down Panzer Dragoon shooter, but the presentation, style and creative use of the rumble feature help to draw a player in like no other game before it. I think it sold about 3 copies in the US, I have one, Michael has another, so if the third owner is reading this, you're either like me and love this game or you're like Michael who got suckered into buying it after reading my review. So I'll apologize now. Sorry.

I bought Rez for the PS2 last January, and it soiled me so badly that I didn't buy another PS2 game for eight months. Now that I think of it, I can't exactly remember why I bought Rez. Was it the cutting edge Tron-era wireframe graphics? The droning, mind-shredding raver soundtrack? Or was it the free anal vibrator that came with it? Whatever it was, I'm regretting it now. The "interactive musical gameplay" is a complete and utter sham, as you don't actually make music in this game. You just fly around and shoot things that make various noises while repetitive techno music plays in the background. Or don't shoot them, it really doesn't seem to matter too much, as they'll just fly past you after a while. Then there's a boss or something, then you die, then you take the game out of your PS2 forever. Oh wait, I was supposed to talk about the best music game, wasn't I? Shit. Oh well, music games are for pussies anyway.

Best RPG:
I wasn't really too big into RPGs this year. I've never been the biggest player but I do tend to dabble every once in a while. So, my choice defaults to Phantasy Star Collection for the GBA, my only true RPG purchase this year. There's a lot of classic RPG action on this cart and it's well worth the $30 asking price for this title which includes the first three games in the Phantasy Star series. Hell, I remember paying friggin' $90 for Phantasy Star III alone back when it was new. And gamers have the balls today to bitch and whine about paying $40 for a new PS2 game. There is a lot of history on this cart along with some classic RPG goodness. People who think RPGs started with Final Fantasy VII will most likely be disappointed, but old school fans should be pleased, especially for the chance to see the original Phantasy Star which a lot of people missed due to the poor performance of the original Sega Master System.

This one is easy. Final Fantasy X is the best console RPG of this or any year, on any console, in any language, in any civilization, in any galaxy. Square dropped forty million bones making this game and it shows in every single second of the game, from the gorgeous visuals to the ultra-refined battle system(s) to the soundtrack with a hundred million beautiful songs on it. And there's even an entire sports RPG within the game, complete with league play, free agents and upgradeable moves. I've spent over 200 hours of my life playing this fantastic game and I recommend you do the same. There really isn't another RPG that comes close in terms of overall quality, so if you only play one RPG, make it Final Fantasy X. And if you only play two RPGs, play Final Fantasy X twice. Hey, why eat hamburger when you can have steak?

Best Soundtrack:
There are quite a few choices in this category, but I've got to do the right thing and once again sing the praises of Halo. Composer Marty O'Donnell has done a fabulous job bringing the world of Halo to life with a wide variety of musical styles, from violin arrangements to alien-esque synthesizer pieces. The Halo soundtrack is a true Hollywood-quality score instead of a mere collection of songs. And like a movie, the music only plays at key moments during the game, making its impact all the more visceral. The soundtrack sounds absolutely stunning with the Dolby Digital 5.1 support on the Xbox, and coupled with a suite of outstanding sound effects, helps make Halo the best-sounding game you can currently get for a console. If you're an audiophile, Halo will make you squirt a huge load all over yourself (in a good way).

Best Handheld Game:
There was actually a lot of quality in the portable arena this year, but as a complete package, Metroid Fusion wins out. Originally, I figured Castlevania: Harmony of Dissonance would be the winner, but Metroid Fusion showed up late in the year and proved that you can have the graphics without giving up the sound, an area where Castlevania lost points. Not only is Metroid Fusion an original game, but it has some of the best tried and true gameplay in the genre. The sound in Metroid Fusion was also incredible and even included a special option just for using headphones, a feature that I'm sure will see very little from developers. Either way, it showed how much work and care went into Metroid Fusion, making it an easy choice for Game of the Year on the GBA.

Finding an original game on the PortBoy Advance ain't easy these days, and the vast majority of the quality games I played this year were ports of old SNES games. I think the only two new games to come out this year were Castlevania: Harmony of Dissonance and Metroid Fusion. So take your pick, they're both fantastic games. I liked Metroid a little better, only because it's been so goddamned long since we've had a new Metroid title. Plus it had some nice visuals and the best sound of any GameBoy title to date, as well as that good ol' Metroid gameplay. You really can't go wrong with that. I felt it was much too linear to be a true Metroid game, and I didn't like being told exactly what to do next. But Metroid Fusion was still an assload of fun to play and went quite nicely with my brand new Afterburner. Speaking of which...

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