5. 09 (96% PS3)

Who would have thought we would ever see a FIFA release in a list of the top games of the year, let alone as high as fifth? A far cry from the sterile yearly updates for which FIFA had become famous, the controls, and the way the gameplay interacts with the game's visuals de-mark Sports' opus as the most convincing title ever created. 'Nuff said?

Here's an extract from our review of EA's opus:

FIFA 09 is more than just an update; its another huge leap forward for EA. It is the marzipan on a Battenberg, and the designer dress on a super model. How they're going to top this I don't know, so enjoy this near-perfection while you can. Yes, this is simply the best football game ever made.

4. (PC 96%)

BioWare know how to make good RPGs, and for the Canadian veterans - now part of EA - the release of Mass Effect was an absolutely crucial title. Story and characterisation shine through in this hugely ambitious undertaking, and there are decisions to be made en masse as players work their way through the game's vast space-based environment. The control scheme on the is razor sharp, and all in all this outing left the world itching for the second Mass Effect release.

This from our full review:

Choose to explore everything and this game will last you weeks. Focus on the main story and you can whizz through in around ten hours. Mass Effect has oodles of replayability too, not only in the form of different party members and the attitude of your central character to the universe, but also in the bonuses to your stats that you get from achieving certain goals. I've played every single Bioware game out there and while a number of compromises do stand out the central storyline and its related gameplay is some of their finest work. Did I mention the last two hours are pure gaming and storytelling nirvana?

3. Okami (97% Wii)

A summer 2008 release, Okami for the remains the best reviewed game of the year on Nintendo's platform, despite festive releases like Wii Music and Animal Crossing, neither of which pose a threat to Capcom's snapshot of epic perfection. A stunningly unique art style combines with a Japanese mythology-inspired plot in a sprawling and rich world to create what is likely to be a benchmark for years to come. The Wii control scheme actually works better than the original, hence once again we see a 2007 release hitting this list again in 2008.

Here's an extract from our review for you:

Combat, story, characterisation, puzzles, exploration, elements, closed-world elements, an imaginative control system and wholly original visual flair combine in Okami with near-perfect results. The Wii's best game to-date, if you'll just give it a chance to shine.

2. (98% PS3)

If games really are the future of storytelling, then BioShock is a vision of that future, 2K's seminal first-person RPG expertly blending in a compelling and original narrative in a manner never bettered by any game before or since. The 360/PC original may have arrived in 2007, but so good is the immersive world of underwater-eutopia gone wrong Rapture that the outing still makes it to the lofty number two spot.

Here's an extract from our review:

It feels almost unfair that BioShock should now re-emerge just as another raft of hopeful contenders make their way to stores, but emerge it does, and in case I haven't put it bluntly enough already, this is still the Big Daddy of action games, the benchmark by which stories and environments will be measured. An essential purchase.

1. IV (98% PS3 Xbox 360)

There was always a chance it wouldn't be number one, honestly there was, but looking back through this list I think it is fairly apparent that this the most easy to defend as a number one choice. Quite simply, Rockstar's seminal open-world action title set new benchmarks for story, genre-mixing gameplay, and realistic freedom.

This from our full review:

As games close an ever-tightening circle around the mass market, it seems entirely appropriate that a new now takes to the stage; has softened up those non-hardcore gamers with a little Wii Fit, and now its time to invite those players into the back room to find out what we've all known for years. Namely, that games like GTA IV can offer all the story, all the immersion and all the witty, post-modernistic commentary you could ever wish for, wrapped-up in grin-inducing gameplay that never lets up or becomes repetitive. This is indeed a vital game.

By Luke Guttridge