The buying game

When it comes to selecting the right video or computer game, don’t play around. Ask the experts. By Christina Owens Gamers often sit back and put their feet up when they play video games. Why not use the same technique to track down a great gift for your favorite player? Each summer journalists who cover the world of gaming vote for the Game Critics Awards games of the year at Electronic Entertainment Exposition, the summer trade show and new product launch held in Las Vegas. The Best of E3 2007 honored titles in 16 categories, from best handheld game to best strategy game. So if you don’t know, now you do. Let the games begin. Best of Show: Rock Band (Harmonix/MTV Games/EAP for PlayStation 3, XBOX 360) Best Console Game: Mass Effect (Bioware/Microsoft Games Studio for XBOX 360) Best PC Game: Crysis (Crytek/EAP) Best Handheld Game: The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass (Nintendo for Nintendo DS) Best Hardware/Peripheral: Rock Band Instruments (Harmonix/MTV Games/EAP for PlayStation 3, XBOX 360) Best Action Game: Call of Duty 4 (Infinity Ward/Activision, for PC, PlayStation 3, XBOX 360) Best Action/Adventure Game: Bioshock (Irrational Games/2K Games, for PC, Xbox 360) Best Role-Playing Game: Mass Effect (Bioware/Microsoft Games Studio, for XBOX 360) Best Racing Game: Burnout Paradise (Criterion Games/Electronic Arts, for PlayStation 3, XBOX 360) Best Sports Game: Madden NFL 08 (Electronic Arts, all platforms) Best Fighting Game: Virtua Fighter 5 (Sega, for XBOX 360) Best Strategy Game: World in Conflict (Massive Entertainment/Sierra, for PC) Best Social/Casual/Puzzle Game: Rock Band (Harmonix/MTV Games/EAP, for PlayStation 3, XBOX 360) Best Online Multiplayer Game: Halo 3 (Bungie/Microsoft Games Studio, for XBOX 360) Two titles that received awards at E3, Little Big Planet (Best Original Game) and Killzone 2 (Special Commendation for Graphics) will be released in spring 2008.