While 2006 will be remembered by many for being the year in which the Wii and PS3 launched and the current generation began in full force, it should come as no surprise that the year was dominated by games of the previous generation. While it wasn't as strong a year as some, there were a few powerhouse RPGs which dominated a large portion of my time.
Mother 3 had gigantic shoes to fill by existing as a sequel to my favorite game of all time, but it did so magnificently. Even though I didn't play through the bulk of the game until the translation patch came out in 2008, I still remember those first moments of playing through the Japanese version and feeling all of the raw emotion present in the game.
Kingdom Hearts II was the game that defined 2006 more than any other for me. While I was a big fan of the original game, the sequel was the first game I can ever recall simply obsessing over to an unhealthy amount. Within a couple of weeks of release I had already put more than 30 hours into the game, and I didn't stop there. While the story may be far from perfect, it sucked me in and the game play kept me going.
Final Fantasy XII was Square's other blockbuster of the year, and it also didn't let me down. While it never reached the same level as IX, it had a lot of the things I liked about that game. I was nervous about the combat going into the game, but I wound up really enjoying the battle system designed for XII, and found the cast quite endearing, too. The game also provided a mammoth amount of optional content which still keeps me coming back.
Diamond may not have been the first game I ever imported from Japan, but it was the first time I ever imported an RPG. Such was my anticipation for the next generation of Pokemon games, and it gave me quite a bit of a joy. Even though I was still a novice in Japanese at the time, playing through my Japanese launch copy of Diamond and experiencing the game play on the DS for the first time was amazing.
New Super Mario Bros. was the game that everyone had been asking Nintendo to make for years; a return to the 2D Mario platforming tradition. It wasn't just a return, either, it was an amazing game which managed to surpass virtually ever game which had come before it. The new power ups worked perfectly and made it feel updated, rather than a simple trip down memory lane.
While the open world beat-em up centered around Japanese crime may not have been a perfect game, it was a very enjoyable one. The story is among the best stories ever told in a video game, with all the nuances of a crime procedural, and the combat was fast paced and fun. The shoddy camera and some technical shortcomings are the only real issues I can take with the game.
Although Twilight Princess wasn't as good a game as Wind Waker was, it managed to impress me on several levels, and is certainly among the best launch titles ever. The game takes a number of risks, rather than simply towing the company line, and the game play is quite exciting. Although it gets frustrating at times, Twilight Princess is an ultimately enjoyable experience which is both fun and challenging.
