Here's some games that I was pleasantly surprised by (not really in any kind of order. )

I really didn't know what to expect with this "game". I mean, was it even a game? But when I turned it on and dove under the sea, it was an incredible experience. It's just so beautiful... It's really hard to explain, so I'll let Pyramid_Head do it: "I'm fascianated by what's in the ocean, that we don't understand, and so this game was a dream."

I know, I know... I should have listened to Montana from the beginning. I mean, I bought it when it first came out... because I heard it was a pretty darn good game, and it seemed like Zelda to boot. But this was a whole nother beast (haha... pun). The visuals alone were just marvelous... maybe even my favorite of this (er... and last?) generation. I mean, I just ran around Nippon, taking everything in. Brilliant game.

Here's me when I first found out that Sonic would be wielding a sword:

Yep, it was a pretty sad day for me. I mean, come on! You're better than this Sonic! You don't need some gimmick, you're the star! And then the reviews came out. And then IGN gave it a 3.9. Oh lord. It's gonna be a mess... but I bought it. And I played it. And I... enjoyed it?! Whoa! I really enjoyed the game! It was beautiful, fast, and fun (all good things when playing a Sonic game!). Sure, the sword mechanic was uninspired beyond belief, it was a darned good game. I'm a rebel without a cause.

I really find FPS to be an uninspired genre. I dont know, I mean... I'll play some Halo multiplayer or some GoldenEye with a couple of buds... but for the most part I really try to stay away. I just find most games to be repetitive to the point where I just can't play it for long. I keep thinking that maybe something's wrong with me, and that I need to give the genre another chance. So I buy a game, play it for an hour or two, and never touch it again. The last FPS I enjoyed was TimeSplitters (great game by the way... so yes, there are exceptions. ), and that was a good while ago. So for some reason I gave Bioshock a try. And I loved it! It was more than just some FPS, it was an adventure that was definitely worth taking. Rapture was a great experience, and I'm looking forward to the sequel.

*Writes "Black hole"* There it is!
*Writes "Kraken"* It's in there too!
*Writes "Long Cat"* Noooo way!
*Writes "Unicycle", puts long cat on it, and sends it towards the Kraken while everyone is then sucked into the black hole* I am not worthy.

Havn't got 5 as I mainly stick to mainstream titles, but Viva Pinata!

5. Mario Strikers Charged

Most Mario Sports games are the same: Beat in a day, play for a month, then store away for eternity. This one it the gem of an exception. Proof: I STILL haven't beaten it due to difficulty. The violence and action is nonstop and Brawl-like, and has brought endless competitive - and coop - fun with my friends. And the cutscenes are really funny if I may add.

4. Excite Truck

The Mario-Kart filler at the start of this generation, this is an excellent racer that has fun features that surpasses even Mario Kart. The out-of-control feeling and precision has brought me hours upon hours of fun with my friends through numerous courses. Plenty of unlockables to keep the game interesting are also integrated, like all the Trucks AND the models of each truck. And SD card music is also hillarious fun, especially when "Zombie Nation" surprisingly fits Mexico courses.

3. Wii Music

I know your initial thought: Why? Here me out: Once you understand the game and accept its limitations, this game is pure fun. Creating various versions of fun and easy-to-pick-up songs is a blast, and mii-themed music videos are a tradition that I love (8th-10th grade teachers, screwing up w/ friends, or just plain good to hear) And don't even get me started on orchestra. Carmen with a fast tempo and dramatic pauses never gets old.

2. Animal Crossing: City Folk

This is a game for summer. I dispised it when I got it for Christmas, but gave it a second chance when I had time away from school, and I was hooked. The neighbors, the fish, bugs, fossils, fashion, furniture, bells, letters, holidays, flowers, shops, and so much more makes this my favorite life simulator ever, and addicting beyond belief.

1. Trauma Center: New Blood

The holy grail of Wii 3rd party games, Trauma Center: New Blood brings a surgeon simulator on the Wii in an awesome way. Challenging enough to frusterate you, but not extreme to turn the other cheek, this is a great game to play with a pal who likes to "drug" patients, which somehow ends up helping you. The story is par with good TV shows, and voice acting was phenominal. Many off-beat missions and constant focus on saving lives makes this game engaging, frusterating, and a total blast!

My first impressions:

1. Batman: AA, a comic movie adaption... cant be good.... ,
-> turned out to be a bit different (awesomness included).

2. Flower... beeing the wind, steering some blooms.... booooring
-> a little masterpiece

3. Uncharted ... alright made ps3 male lara croft rip off
-> one of my most fav games this gen

4. LocoRoco... a kids game, only 2 buttons? laughable
->soooo addictive

5. Wii Sports...a tech demo
-> best tech demo ever!!!!!!!! so much fun with friends (and alcohol)

Pixel junk monsters, can get addictive.

1) No More Heroes

I usually don't like "mature" titles, but this one had style and, something too rare in videogames, a real sense of humor... of course, it had a few down points as well, like the poor job missions, but it was a lot of fun anyway...

2) Disaster: Day of Crisis

The game got average reviews, and wasn't even released in the US, but it was a very enjoyable title, with good controls, and non-stop action... just needs a little bit more variety and refined graphics to be considered a must-have, but a nice and good surprise anyway...

3) Elebits DS

I still don't know why nobody cared for this title: it has some of the cutest DS graphics, similar to some of the older handhelds Zelda, the stylus controls are just great, it uses the dual screen very well, and in the end, it's a very fun and very long adventure...

4) Wii Sports Resort

A big surprise, as i didn't think the game would be THAT nice... sad there's no online, but its only "real" fault: make the WM+ feel very impressive in my hands, and then leave me with no other games with awesome WM+ controls...

5) Kirby Power Paintbrush

I've never really been into Kirby, ever, despite its cute look and sometimes fun platforming adventures... but this was THE game that made me love my DS for the first time, and the stylus controls here are still some of the best you'll find for the console...

This list is missing Spy Games: Elevator Mission. That game was extremely impressive.

GTA: Chinatown Wars.

I thought this game mixed everything great from the original GTA games with everything great from the 3-D GTA games, with many great uses for the touchscreen.

Daigasso! Band Bros.

I have played this more than any other rhythm game.

Portal.

Best new game mechanic this generation. Best comedy, best narrator, best song, best puzzles.

Batman: AA
Dead Space
Dead Rising
Demon's Souls
Condemned

No More Heroes should be studied on how to incorporate motion controls on a Wii game.

Mike from Morgantown