The 10 best (led by 'Okami') and the 5 worst of 2006

It's a time of transition in the video-game industry. There are two brand new consoles, the PlayStation 3 and the Nintendo Wii. There are two newish machines that are just hitting their stride, the Xbox 360 and the Nintendo DS, and one that the jury's still out on, the PlayStation Portable. And our old friends — the PlayStation 2, the GameCube, the original-recipe Xbox and the Game Boy Advance — are still being heard from.

BEST OF 2006

1. "Okami" (Capcom, for the PlayStation 2): This utterly original adventure delivered a perfect blend of puzzles and action in a mesmerizing tale based on Japanese mythology. The gorgeous graphics, inspired by classic Japanese art, look like nothing else you've ever seen in a video game.

2. "The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion" (Bethesda Softworks, for the Xbox 360): Two hundred hours in and I still feel like I haven't scratched the surface of this wide-ranging medieval role-playing adventure. With a compelling main story and hundreds of side missions, it's the first must-have game of the 360 era.

3. "The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess" (Nintendo, for the Wii, GameCube): The "Zelda" is a satisfying combination of the familiar (clever weapons, diabolical dungeons) and the new (Link is now a werewolf!). We always anticipate great things from "Zelda," but "Twilight Princess" delivers well beyond expectations.

4. "Gears of War" (Microsoft, for the Xbox 360): The second must-have for the 360 is "Gears of War," a riotous shooter that pits a team of human grunts against an insectoid army. It's gory, scary and thrilling, especially if you enjoy slicing up aliens with a chain saw.

5. "Xenosaga Episode III: Also Sprach Zarathustra" (Namco, for the PlayStation 2): The finale of the ambitious (some say pretentious) "Xenosaga" trilogy tackles religion, philosophy, metaphysics and more topics you wouldn't expect a game to address. It's really fun if you don't mind having your mind blown.

6. "Wii Sports" (Nintendo, for the Wii): Nintendo's new Wii console has gotten a lot of attention from people who don't normally play games. "Wii Sports," which is packed with the system, is an effective demonstration of its motion-sensing remote, and I have yet to meet anyone who can resist playing once they see it in action.