2006 belongs to PS2, rules Game Informer [update 2]
by James Ransom-Wiley 
{ Dec 12th 2006 at 4:20PM }
The new issue of Game Informer (#165) offers the editors' vision of the 'Top 50 games of 2006.' According to GI, while Wii and PlayStation 3 overpowered our attentions, PlayStation 2 quietly enjoyed the year's most fulfilling lineup, trumping Xbox 360's solid first year.Here's a breakdown of the number of Top 50 games per system (includes multi-platform titles):
- PS2: 20 (8 multi-platform)
- Xbox 360: 16 (10 multi-platform)
- PC: 15 (8 multi-platform)
- PS3: 6 (5 multi-platform)
- Xbox: 6 (all multi-platform)
- DS: 6
- PSP: 4
- Wii: 3 (GI lists 3 in table, but only highlights 2 games in article)
- GameCube: 0*
Update 1: because you all demanded it, here are GI's picks for PS3 games included in the year's Top 50 (in no particular order): Marvel: Ultimate Alliance, Need for Speed Carbon, Call of Duty 3, Resistance: Fall of Man, Tony Hawk's Project 8, and Fight Night Round 3. Only Resistance is a PS3 exclusive.
Update 2: specified number of multi-platform titles per system in Top 50 breakdown.
*Twilight Princess was not included in the GameCube category.
[Via print edition]
See also: Winner of strongest fall lineup is ... PS2?
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
EatingPie @ Dec 12th 2006 4:42PM
Oh yeah! Where are the Sony fanboys now??
Couldn't resist!
-Pie
EYECANDY @ Dec 12th 2006 5:03PM
This must be a joke. PS3 has 6 games? Name them.
Marc @ Dec 12th 2006 4:32PM
what about SSBM for gamecube?
White Rose Duelist @ Dec 12th 2006 4:49PM
SIX PS3 games? I wasn't aware there was anything worthwhile out there other than R:FoM.
Also, since Zelda:TP is coming out for GCN before the end of the year, it should be included with the Gamecube's list.
KilgoreTrout XL @ Dec 12th 2006 4:32PM
Come on Joystiq- you know we can't bitch and moan like we want to if you don't give us the full list!
DeezNuts420 @ Dec 12th 2006 4:35PM
One last year of Sony being on top.
PS3 for the Loss!!!!
Dan @ Dec 12th 2006 4:34PM
Most of that doesn't seem too surprising. What are the 6 PS3 games, though? I haven't heard a positive reception for anything but Resistance so far.
Storm9 @ Dec 12th 2006 4:50PM
See? Sony will win, as soon as they can pump out enough Ps3's.
There is just too much bad press for SOny right now, but when the time comes, Playstation 3 will win.
I own a 360 and Wii btw!
I am going to get a Ps3 when some good games come out for it..prolly in May 2007.
samfish @ Dec 12th 2006 4:35PM
Speaking of Zelda: TP, does anybody know yet if you can take the Wii save files and use them on the GC files?
> @ Dec 12th 2006 4:36PM
Which 6 PS3 were 'top rated'?
Ans considering PS3 and Wii were out for a month and a but; having those number of titles up there isnt bad.
Xiath @ Dec 12th 2006 4:48PM
Marc, clearly you didn't read. It states at the heading, and in the body that it was 2006, not all time.
Steve @ Dec 12th 2006 4:51PM
@1
SSBM came out in 2001. This list refers to the Top 50 games of 2006.
Steve @ Dec 12th 2006 7:05PM
It's sad that the only year the 360 has to itself is dominated by a 6 (almost7) year old system.
But Bully, Okami, FF were great games.
pirateninja @ Dec 12th 2006 8:08PM
I hope that the ps3 follows the ps2's success
Adam @ Dec 12th 2006 4:48PM
so 20 - 16 = 4 is a trumping?
pleeze.
Shagi @ Dec 12th 2006 5:06PM
If you compare the ratings of the Wii launch titles to the PS3 launch titles you'll see reviewers think there are more excellent games on the PS3 than the Wii.
Wii had one of the worst launch linups ever...joystiq did an article on this a little while ago.
I believe the nintendo fanboy argument was, "Its not fair to compare the launch line ups cause most of the Wii launch titles were movie tie ins".
Well at least you know what your in for Wiiners
Dignan17 @ Dec 12th 2006 5:01PM
Joystiq, I think I and all the other readers would love to know what the six PS3 games were that got it on this list. I thought there weren't much more than six games for the system in total.
Or are they counting games that were made for the PS2 but compatible with the PS3?
Art Vandelay @ Dec 12th 2006 5:10PM
You should see the list...it's really quite a joke...just like Game Informer magazine. IIRC, Genji is on that list...blows their creditability totally out of the water. GI's job is to sell games for GS/EB and this list proves that.
Agent MOO @ Dec 12th 2006 5:09PM
Resistance FOM counts as six games because of the padding to fill the disc ;)
Shagi @ Dec 12th 2006 5:16PM
1. Resistance: Fall of Man PS3 SCEA 34 7.9 89.2%
2. Fight Night Round 3 PS3 EA Sports 10 7.7 85.4%
3. Marvel: Ultimate Alliance PS3 Activision 12 6.7 84.2%
4. NBA 2K7 PS3 2K Sports 9 6.8 83.0%
5. Tiger Woods PGA Tour 07 PS3 EA Sports 16 4.8 81.6%
6. Call of Duty 3 PS3 Activision 18 7.0 81.5%
I imagine they are talking about games that scored over 80 percent even if they are not exclusive titles.
JPRacer @ Dec 12th 2006 5:23PM
Yeah, the only good game on the PS3 is Resistance and it's a good game, not a great game. 6 titles? WTF!?!
And why "Top 50" if the total is 76? This article is pure bullshit.
Taltos @ Dec 12th 2006 5:13PM
@ samfish
Unlikely. These are two different mediums, a GameCube Game Disc versus a regular 12 cm optical disk. I imagine that the data storage for them would vary. The addition of extra instructions for the Wii version's motion sensing also would not allow the usage of the same save.
Pulse @ Dec 12th 2006 5:17PM
Genji isnt on the list of six, if you fanboys take your foot out of your moth for a single second you'd realise there are inface about 6 games on PS3 that have recieved good ratings, they are just shadowed by 360 versions, but either way are still good.
Wanna bet all those 360 ones were FPS and nothing else, lol
Javi @ Dec 12th 2006 5:32PM
Game Informer is the only magazine that has my respect, all the other suck specially gamepro(fanboypro)
azesino @ Dec 12th 2006 5:18PM
Fight Night Round 3 8.2 Dec 6, 2006
Need for Speed Carbon 7.4 Nov 21, 2006
Marvel: Ultimate Alliance 8.2 Nov 21, 2006
Cash Guns Chaos 4.7 Nov 18, 2006
Ridge Racer 7 8.0 Nov 18, 2006
Untold Legends: Dark Kingdom 6.0 Nov 17, 2006
Blast Factor 6.6 Nov 17, 2006
Mobile Suit Gundam: Crossfire 3.9 Nov 17, 2006
NBA 2K7 8.2 Nov 17, 2006
Madden NFL 07 7.9 Nov 17, 2006
Tiger Woods PGA Tour 07 8.2 Nov 17, 2006
NHL 2K7 8.3 Nov 16, 2006
NBA 07 4.9 Nov 16, 2006
Resistance: Fall of Man 8.6 Nov 15, 2006
Call of Duty 3 8.2 Nov 14, 2006
Genji: Days of the Blade 6.4 Nov 8, 2006
Tony Hawk's Project 8 7.3 Nov 8, 2006
Where in that list its there a game with an score of 8.5 or more besides resitance? I guess I made my point and if the PS3 won award not conserning to games I wonder witch one it took , Besides Blue Ray and Resistance I really do not see anithing past that
Sidepocket @ Dec 12th 2006 5:51PM
....and this is why I stoped reading GI a long time ago. Actualy I stoped when they gave Half-Life 2 a 9.1 and Halo 2 a perfict 10. WTF?!?!?
Oh, and to Shagi, first off horrible name! Second of all, if you look at scores, sales and reviews, you would see that your info is wrong. Pull your head out of your ass and actualy look around you. :)
Me @ Dec 12th 2006 5:26PM
Of course the PS2 is still on top !!!! We all knew it and Sony even said it shortly before the PS3 launch. Once the PS3 is available it will start to take the PS2's place. The PS3 is too good of a deal to not be the reigning king after its all done !! Ohh and joystiq...why did you say that stupid shit about nintendo in this post when it was about PS2 and also bringing up that some of the worst games were on ps2.....ps2 is the best system ever so who gives a damn what you say....who gives a fuck about nintendo...really....it has 3 good games in its whole library....but only 1 of those 3 is actually out now. sorry guys but yall know its true !!
JJ @ Dec 12th 2006 5:30PM
if you guys would realize the list also counts multiplat games for ALL systems.
and just because the games are a month or two old doesn't discount them.
They have games in that list like Ultimate alliance, COD3, NEed for speed, and others which ARE good multiplat games.
So to say PS3 has nothing but resistance is like saying Wii has nothing but an old GC port and ia ya notice, Wii has a few of those multiplat games as well and they got noted for it too.
But in the end... the old tech still wins overall...strange isn't it? But then PS2 DID have a good year in terms of depth and breadth of releases
JJ @ Dec 12th 2006 5:30PM
and resistance IS a great game, in fact i believe its one of the higher rated original IP launche games out there.
It scored very well. BUt i love how people just downplay it cuz its on the PS3.. if it was a 360 game people would be trumpeting it up like Gears, which is aslo another great game by the way.
Thankfully i have both and love both
Dux @ Dec 12th 2006 5:36PM
So many people in denial about PS3s six games that made the list.
nabisco @ Dec 12th 2006 5:36PM
It seems like most of the commenters on this article. All six of those ps3 titles with high recognition are all excellant title worth playing. The problem is that five of those titles aren't ps3 exclusive and GameInformer could have easily put 360 boxes with those titles.
Kudos to Nintendo for being #1 publisher and developer this year. If they keep this up I have no doubt they will be successful. Kudos to Sony to with the fantastic job they've done with the ps2.
everdreaded @ Dec 12th 2006 5:42PM
Folks, I been reading and laffin my ass off at all this versus stuff and not to offend anyone, but I've heard it all before.
I have no idea what the outcome of the ltest console wars will be, but I find it to be a lame war compared to the olden days of the prior gen consoles.
i mean i know its enticing to be the first on your block with these new systems and lord knows if i had the money I'd be out there with yah, but for the most part, I get the impression that the big three market prototypes out as finished models, test the waters and make thier killing later on down the line with price cuts and bundle packs.
And at every new gen release, the software always seems behind by a atretch. The ps3 to me is a waste of funds at this time, its like the new 3do only it was marketed way better LOL.
Anyway, I liek all the new systems out there based on what each promises to bring to the table, but Im pessimistic on what they can deliver. My ps2 does me fine for now, God of War bein the best time i ever had on it.Till i see or hear different from you pros out there, Im ridin that horse to the end.
Peace to yah!
microdot @ Dec 12th 2006 5:57PM
but my favorite system isnt number one because th3y r t3h ch3aT3d! WAAAAAAH
jesus jumping christmas you guys cry a lot.
the ps3 has a damn nice selection already... much more than the 360 had at launch, and wii isnt even in the same ballpark. but because its sony, it must be evil, and people must complain. give it a rest already.
playstation ftw!!1!one
Go Sox @ Dec 12th 2006 7:20PM
Well, heres what I think: WHO THE HELL CARES? It's a magazine (a good magazine that Im expecting any day now at that) and the editors opinions. You guys need to take it easy and stop arguing about something that means nothing. Also, what is the cover story on the Game Informer? PLEASE, something on GTA4!
nabisco @ Dec 12th 2006 6:04PM
Sorry for my first sentence. I ment to say most of the commenters didn't read the article.
SurfMurph @ Dec 12th 2006 6:04PM
Need to divide by installed base of each system to normalize the results. Of course PS2 wins because it has a butt load of consoles that have been sold. The fact that the 360 has so many titles listed with a much smaller number of consoles sold is significant. And PS3 having 6 titles with a few hundred thousand consoles sold is extremely significant.
Mr. Khan @ Dec 12th 2006 6:20PM
Jeesh, GameInformer throws the Sony fanboys a bone, and this is how they act?
I'd hate to see what it would be like if they recieved BAD news...
(they actually seem more extreme here than in places where Sony recieves bad news, odd)
raymond friedman @ Dec 13th 2006 12:26AM
Well considering that game devlopers want to reach the largest market possable, it no shock that PS2 is on top. there are like 7 million+ PS2 owners compared to the 1.5 to 2 million 360 owners. All this while PS3 and Wii have yet to break there first million produced. its not suprising at all PS2 is king for a day. But Xbox 360 has a large edge in the numbers battle and I think MS has set them selves up nicely for the next 5 years to be number one.
*cough* Metal Gear soild 4 *cough* for Xbox 360 *cough*
Purple_Haze @ Dec 12th 2006 6:47PM
Who cares? None of the six ps3 games are console sellers, cause you can either get them on 360 or they just aren't worth $600. Zelda tp is.
Mr_Macphisto @ Dec 12th 2006 7:42PM
It should also be noted that the PS3 has the 5th worst game of 2006 in Mobile Suit Gundam: Crossfire, while also taking the top spot on the list of Top 10 Disappointments of 2006 for its launch
Yes, the PS3's launch titles completely overshadow the Wii's... /sarcasm
The missing Wii game is most likely Red Steel, Excite Truck, or Trauma Center: Second Opinion, which were all pictured in their Top 5 Wii Games list along with Twilight Princess and Rayman Raving Rabbids
One last thing to take in to account is the fact that the Wii version of many multiplatform games were not listed, such as Marvel Ultimate Alliance, and Call of Duty 3. Whether this was intentional, I do not know
The same issue of GI rates the PS3 a B, and the Wii an A-
ninja @ Dec 12th 2006 7:46PM
EatingPie wrote: "Where are the Sony Fanboys now?"
******************************************************
Umm, do you realize what this article is saying? Maybe you should read it again... Sony's last-gen system did better than Microsoft's and Nintendo's (as well as Sony's) next-gen system. It was basically stating last-gen hardware is still beating out new... Not that Sony, Nintendo or even Microsoft sucks.
I swear, some of these posters must be under 10 years old. No offense to the other users who think before they post; you know who you are.
ninja @ Dec 12th 2006 7:53PM
*360 has over 100 games, but could only get 16 (16%) of those on the Top 50 with 10 of those 16 that can be played on other systems. That leaves 6 good exclusive games in a full year from Microsoft, not so hot.
*PS3 has less than 12 games, but 6 (50%) of those which made the list and only 1 exclusive. PS3 has been out for what, 1 month? Not bad.
Enough said.
serb @ Dec 12th 2006 8:21PM
@mr.khan
wat sony fanboys are u talking about?
from all these comments ive read, there has been nutting but ms and nintendo fanboys swearing that all those ps3 games suck and the ps2 is only doing good becuz it sold more than the 360(which is the most retarted thing ive ever heard, give credit to surfmurph for that one)
so plz were are all these sony fanboys u guys talk about all the time.....go ahead tell me
Pulse @ Dec 12th 2006 8:39PM
What gamers should be doing is comparing 360 launch to PS3 launch, not 360 midlife to PS3 launch, how uneven is that, PS3 wasn't really going to release with all the games 360 has and moe was it, which idiot expected that?
The same way a PS3 isn't worth picking up now is the same way a 360 wasn't worth picking up when it released, in fact the games on it were no better then original Xbox games. It was a waste of money at the time. In terms of launches, at least PS3 isn't facing the embarresment of its games being compared to that of PS2 like 360 was original Xbox. In fact, it is getting a status boost by the first releases being compared to some of 360s current games :) Isn't that great, so if Xbox360s launch games were compared to original Xbox games and looked no better, and the PS3 is now being comapred to 360s current games, isn't that a good thing for PS3, it means it by no means starts on the low note 360 started on, infact it starts off on 360s level already :) That means in a couple of years there will be some pretty amazing things coming in PS3's direction.
FSK405K @ Dec 12th 2006 8:35PM
Zelda as game of the year? Ya right. I mean it's great an all, but did they forget that Oblivion and Company of Heroes came out this year?
Jordan @ Dec 12th 2006 9:06PM
guess it kinda makes sense. the ps2 still has the greatest market penetration, and sony's ps3 launch didn't occur until very late in the year... most of sony's effort was on the ps2 i guess.
i can see zelda as game of the year... and FSK405K, oblivion came out last year. you know, in 2005.
EC @ Dec 14th 2006 12:19PM
Am I the only one lamenting that my Gamecube is gathering dust?
It died way too early, Twilight Princess and RE4 snatched from it's loving purple embrace.
FSK405K @ Dec 13th 2006 12:19AM
Oblivion Release date(s)
Windows, Xbox 360:
NA March 21, 2006
EUR March 24, 2006
RU June 23, 2006
PlayStation 3:
NA Q1 2007
Cuja @ Dec 13th 2006 2:18AM
Stuff like this keeps reminding me to to drop my subscription to Game Imformer. What good is a publication who allows their freedom of speech to be dictated by corporate perception.
Sly @ Dec 13th 2006 2:57AM
It's understandable when you have Sony fanboys believing a myth, but major game publication? These five of six PS3 titles are cross platform with other systems not being credited. The same with the PS2 list, other cross platform systems not getting due credit also.