We like video games around here. We like 'em a lot. So much that we started a web site about them! And everybody knows you can't have one of those without offering up your picks for the best...and worst...well, mostly the best games of the year, and all those other cute/clever/ironic/sarcastic superlatives that go along with them.

It is with that grudging spirit of duty that we welcome you to the Giant Bomb Golden Anniversary Year-End Awards Extravaganza Spectacular Celebrating 50 Years of Coverage of Excellence in the Fields of Electronic Entertainment and Taxidermy. Actually, we've got all the mounted animal heads we can handle in here, so we're going to stick to games this time.

The selection criteria behind these awards is limited to what we liked and what we didn't like. No objective metrics or formulas applied, just the good old subjectivity and bias that defines these kinds of year-end lists. Hey, if you don't like our choices and want to make your own opinion heard, hit the "User Picks" tab up there to vote for your favorites. (We'll be adding more voting categories as the feature rolls along.) If you just want to yell at us for being idiots, you can leave all the comments you want at the bottom of each category.

OK, enough ado. User voting results will be posted in January. And until then, each winner will be revealed at high noon Pacific Standard Time on the date indicated to the right of its respective category. Now please stop reading, scroll down, and click on each section at least two or three times.

	Best Explosions Winner revealed on Dec. 26, 2008 We're pretty sure that they won't let you have a website with "Bomb" in the name unless you can speak authoritatively on the subject of explosions.	Dec 26
	Best Classic Revival Winner revealed on Dec. 26, 2008 Which five games pulled off the tough trick of revitalizing a franchise without alienating all of its existing fans?	Dec 26
	Best Multiplayer Game Winner revealed on Dec. 26, 2008 Not that we're against playing a game alone or anything, but here are the five best multiplayer experiences of '08.	Dec 26
	Best Premise Winner revealed on Dec. 26, 2008 The nominees in this category are, at least on paper, some of the most exciting games of 2008.	Dec 26
	Character We'd Most Like to Party With Winner revealed on Dec. 26, 2008 Even if they weren't putting their lives on the line for our own amusement, these guys would know how to have a good time.	Dec 26
	Character Whose Phone Calls We're Least Likely to Return Winner revealed on Dec. 26, 2008 Man, these guys are just bummers, and I'm not talking to clouds on a sunny day! Send 'em to voicemail!	Dec 26
	Best Debut Winner revealed on Dec. 27, 2008 The first time's a charm for these gaming newcomers.	Dec 27
	Most Satisfying Sequel Winner revealed on Dec. 27, 2008 It's always nice when a sequel comes together even better than the last game. But which 2008 game does that best?	Dec 27
	Best Graphics Winner revealed on Dec. 27, 2008 They don't call them "video games" for nothing.	Dec 27
	Best Use of User-Generated Content Winner revealed on Dec. 27, 2008 Why should game designers have all the fun of making the games we play?	Dec 27
	Best "Games-As-Art" Game Winner revealed on Dec. 27, 2008 You know, we're as sick of having the "Are games art?" discussion as the next guy. Maybe even sicker. But there's no denying that some artsy games came out this year. Which one was best?	Dec 27
	Best Downloadable Game Winner revealed on Dec. 28, 2008 This was arguably the best year to date for games you buy and obtain online. Picking the top five was no easy feat.	Dec 28
	Best PSP Game Winner revealed on Dec. 28, 2008 Sony's powerful handheld has come into its own, and these are the platform's five games that impressed us the most.	Dec 28
	Best DS Game Winner revealed on Dec. 28, 2008 Who will reign supreme on Nintendo's quirky handheld? Five games enter, one game leaves.	Dec 28
	Best Game We Didn't Play Winner revealed on Dec. 28, 2008 Hey, four dudes can't play every game that comes out. But we heard these are pretty good.	Dec 28
	Soulja Boy Award for Games To Play If You Drink And Get Drunk or Smoke And Get High Winner revealed on Dec. 28, 2008 Our lawyers recommend that we state that this award isn't actually sponsored by Soulja Boy Tell 'Em. Oh, and that we aren't actually glorifying alcohol or drug use, either. While we're at it, stay in school.	Dec 28
	Take A Break Award Winner revealed on Dec. 28, 2008 This is our "no more sequels" award for franchises that desperately need some time off. Or maybe they just need to go away entirely.	Dec 28
	Most Disappointing Game Winner revealed on Dec. 29, 2008 Whether it's a hotly anticipated sequel or a game that simply looked hot before it came out, these are games that probably should have been better.	Dec 29
	Best Xbox 360-Only Game Winner revealed on Dec. 29, 2008 Which five Xbox 360-only games are the best? Find out inside.	Dec 29
	Best PlayStation 3-Only Game Winner revealed on Dec. 29, 2008 Of all the games that were only released on the PlayStation 3 in 2008, we have selected our five best.	Dec 29
	Best Wii-Only Game Winner revealed on Dec. 29, 2008 The five best Wii-Only releases of 2008 lie ahead. Click and enjoy!	Dec 29
	Best PC-Only Game Winner revealed on Dec. 29, 2008 Hey, people still use PCs to play games. These were the year's five best.	Dec 29
	Best Multiplatform Game Winner revealed on Dec. 29, 2008 Most third-party games come out on all kinds of platforms. We grouped all of those together, and here are the best 10.	Dec 29
	Best Product From Someone We All Used to Work With Winner revealed on Dec. 30, 2008 Watch us play favorites and create enemies as we pick the best product worked on by someone all four of us worked with in the past.	Dec 30
	"Game" of the Year Winner revealed on Dec. 30, 2008 Not "game" meaning game, but "game" meaning not-a-game!	Dec 30
	2008's 2007 Game of the Year Winner revealed on Dec. 30, 2008 After a full year of reflection, here are our favorite games of 2007.	Dec 30
	Game of the Year Winner revealed on Dec. 30, 2008 After hours of arguing and, in some cases, hair-pulling, we've narrowed down our ten favorite games of 2008. Which one will emerge victorious?	Dec 30