These are the jaw droppers. They’re the games that bring the best graphics. They bring the coolest, most seamless animations. These are the games that fly off the shelves based on 30 second commercial spots and beautiful pictures on the back of game boxes. These are the games that play just as well as your anticipations when they’re conceived in a teaser trailer sometimes years before the game’s release. These are the games that you play over and over again, not because of their amazing story lines, but because of how gosh darn purdy they are.

Nominees

Batman: Arkham Asylum (Rocksteady Studios, Eidos Interactive/Warner Bros. Interactive)

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 (Infinity Ward, Activision)

inFAMOUS (Sucker Punch Productions, Sony Computer Entertainment)

Killzone 2 (Guerilla Games, Sony Computer Entertainment)

Uncharted 2: Among Thieves (Naughty Dog, Sony Computer Entertainment)

Winner: Uncharted 2: Among Thieves

Lifelike facial and body models. Epic-scaled atmospheres. Jaw-dropping explosions. Absolutely believable set pieces. To sum it up, the visual experience that Uncharted 2 presents to the gamer never distracts from the story telling. It never distracts from the acting. It never distracts from the gameplay. Instead, it magnifies the experience by at least double.

If you can play a videogame and have a non gamer friend sit and watch you play and enjoy the experience as a viewing pleasure, then you have something special on your hands. You have Uncharted 2.