I'd say for a top 5 games, it'd go something like this:

5. Guitar Hero 2
4. Orange Box
3. Call of Duty 4
2. Halo 3
1. Super Mario Galaxy

I loved Orange Box, definitely think it deserved to make the list... Valve's latest installment of the Half-Life series is possibly the most broad-reaching and involving yet. Of course, I'm not much of a platform gamer... I'm itching to try out Bioshock though!

My top 5 games go like this:

5. Halo 3 - Multiplayer is entertaining in small doses but I mainly played it to finish the trilogy. Not as epic as I had hoped but fun nonetheless.

4. Guitar Hero III - First time I played a game like this. I got chills playing Evenflow and Black Magic Woman. I can't play a real guitar so this is the next best thing. Tons of fun but a little embarrasing when children whoop my butt.

3. Bioshock - A fantastic FPS and doesn't feel like a "me too" shooter. Plenty of abilities to make each playthrough feel different from the last. I would have liked a control scheme that would have accomodated a lefty however. If there is one, I never found it!

2. Call of Duty 4 - Now THIS is my kind of FPS. Great visuals, customizable abilities, real world-style combat. Thank you Infinity Ward, thank you, thank you, thank you :)

1. Mass Effect - Wow...just wow. I'm a fan of sci-fi and a long time fan of RPG's so this was gaming nirvana for me. Excellent voice overs, interesting storyline, FPS-esque gameplay make this game exactly what a next gen RPG should be.

Happy Holidays :)

good games but in the wrong order

I wouldn't put Guitar Hero 2 on the list since it's a non-game. Personally, I'd put (in order):

Super Mario Galaxy
NiGHTS: Journey of Dreams
Phoenix Wright: Trials and Tribulations
Phantom Hourglass
Halo 3

Maybe I'd change my Guitar Hero 2 to Rock Band. I got a few hours of that in before my 360 got the 3 red lights...

I've been hearing good things about Rockband and if it delivers the same kind of goodness that GH does (or even more?) then no doubt it would have made my list. Btw the order is unimportant, those being the five most memorable that I played this past year. I will stand by Mass Effect holding the top spot however. Gotta hate the red ring of death...

Rock Band is also a non-game. Also, how far into Orange Box did you get before the RROD? You couldn't "finish the fight", could you?

You know I got to update Orange Box, and that's about it.

Well Ill be the first to say this but first on my list is Smackdown VS Raw 2008, though it still glitched like crazy, as the previous SD! Vs Raw series. I'm a huge wrestling fan. I'm training to become a wrestler as well. I really would like to see the PC come out with a completely original wrestling game, where you can customize ypour wrestlers right down a T. Most CAW modes in current wrestling games always lack in originality. I think it would be neat to customly make your own taunt or customize a wrestling move to what you for-take as how it should be setup and finished. PC tested out its ability with a wrestling game, back when RAW came out for the X-Box. It came to the PC two years following, but it was a disappointing flop. There are a couple of games that have been underdevelopement for a couple of years, and look promising, but with the posted features for each, they all lack in the CAW mode, and is limited to only current roster wrestlers. A good wrestling game should come with perfect originality.

Top five list:
1. Smackdown! VS RAW Ft. ECW 2008 (X-box 360)
2. Orange Box (X-Box 360)
3. Bio Shock (PC)
4. Guitar Hero III (Wii)
5. Call of Duty 4 (X-box 360)/ Halo 3 (X-box 360)(only online, found the story mode rather 'boring')