Crackdown for many echoed a certain fighting game of the past, Tobal No. 1. Sound odd to you? It doesn’t if you recall that Tobal was originally packaged with a highly anticipated Final Fantasy demo from Square that far overshadowed the game it came with. Turns out, the game was a classic. Crackdown echoed that.

While many snatched up copies of Crackdown solely to play the included Halo 3 demo, those who actually bothered to play the game found it to be one of the most enjoyable of the year. It even made our top ten list for the year. Yet, both the ending and the incredibly fun gameplay left one nagging question-where’s the sequel? Microsoft finally has an answer-sort of.

In a Wired interview Shane Kim, corporate vice president for Microsoft Game Studios, reveals that the Crackdown intellectual property remains with Microsoft, and not developer Realtime Worlds. More interesting, however, is that Microsoft seems to recognize fan demand for a sequel. Kim said, (more…)

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10) Puzzle Quest: Challenge of the Warlords

Puzzle games are a dime a dozen these days, and while particularly addictive ones can still get attention, it usually takes something truly innovative that breaks the mold to make everyone sit up and take notice. That’s exactly what this title did.

9) Ratchet & Clank Future: Tools of Destruction

Isn’t it just another romp through the world of Ratchet and Clank? Yes, but it’s also an incredibly polished game to be released in a console’s first year of life. The story might be lacking compared to past installments, but if ever there were a game that took us one step closer to controlling a Pixar cartoon, this is it.

8 ) Pac-Man: Championship Edition

The announcement of this game drew laughs from many, including much of the gaming press. Once they played the actual game, however, all opinions changed. It’s the most addictive arcade game in years, and with the minor caveat of the time limits, it’s one of the few “perfect” games released all year. (more…)

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