Here I go with Part 2 of my series. If you missed Part 1 you can find it here. Again I reiterate that I’m picking out games not just for their quality but that I see as influential. For a lot of these I’m viewing potential to make an impact instead of actual impact just because they are so recent and we haven’t seen how they will affect the industry yet. I mean there was a time where someone could have predicted that Mario Party was going to cause a craze and we were going to see party games like that come to prominence. Now it did last for a couple of years with other imitators coming into the realm but it never really blew up. So remember as you read through these: grain of salt.

2005

Game of the Year: Guitar Hero

While not truly the beginning of the music genre, it was the first to really grab people. Giving people a guitar peripheral is probably one of the best ideas for gaming. Most people have a connection to a guitar in some way. We know how to hold it, the basics of how it works. We've all air-guitared at some point. This fulfilled that vision and has essentially created a huge industry in gaming.

Honorable Mention: God of War

Hack and slash were not new when God of War came out. They've been around for generations. But I don't think any game had gotten the gameplay down as well as God of War did. It also managed to take figures from Greek mythology and turn it into a story of epic proportions.

Greatest Game I Didn't Play: Resident Evil 4

The survival horror genre is one that has waned in past years, mostly because I think people began to get sick of it. RE4 however presented less survival and more action and drew in a larger audience. My dislike for the RE franchise in general kept me away from and will likely do so for good.

2006

Game of the Year: New Super Mario Bros. DS

The game that proved to many that Mario wasn't dead and that the classic formula still created one of the most enjoyable experiences around. This is a game that I believe to be the best DS game period. It’s also the title that has probably caused the DS to be the most popular console/handheld in the world.

Honorable Mention: Gears of War

In this new generation there have been a couple blockbuster franchises that have risen up but none as prominent as Gears. It perfected the idea of a cover shooter (still yet to be surpassed in my opinion) and also had a surprisingly fun multiplayer that finally knocked Halo 2 off the Xbox Live pedestal.

Greatest Game I Didn't Play: Okami

A beautiful game in all its cell-shaded goodness, Okami was one of the last pre-PS3 titles but it was a great one. Seeing some of the screenshots of the game impresses me with its visual style even 3 years later. This is a game that falls into the "didn't own a PS2" lineup.

2007

Game of the Year: The Orange Box

One word: Value. Never before has there been a console game released that has provided near the amount of value this game has. It contained the entire (to-date) Half-Life 2 experience as well as including a fun multiplayer in Team Fortress 2. However the real shining star in this was the genius that is Portal, a revolutionary game that is challenging yet rewarding to play. The experience is engrossing and the design fantastic. Plus the ending song is a lot of fun.

Honorable Mention: Bioshock

A game that also is engrossing to play. Never before had any game created such atmosphere where I felt like I was in the world that was created. While it starts out as more of scary, cerebral game, climaxing with the amazingness that is Sander Cohen and the confrontation with the game's antagonist. Sadly after that the game falls flat to me but it's worth the ride at least to those points.

Greatest Game I Didn't Play: Super Mario Galaxy

While Mario DS showed that classic Mario still shines, Mario Galaxy showed that the Italian plumber still has some tricks up his sleeves. This is a game that competes for best Wii game if not best game of this generation. Whenever I do get a Wii it's at the top of my list to play.

2008

Game of the Year: Left 4 Dead

While it's only a year old, I think Left 4 Dead has the potential to be the most influential game of this generation. It does so many innovative things that hopefully developers will let creep into their game design. The co-op in the game is amazing; as one person you are essentially useless but as a group you can surpass incredible odds. The AI director, while not fully capable of amazing things, could become the beginning proponent of variable difficulty and games learning from how the player plays. It also includes one of the few competitive modes to pit different types of beings against each other, creating a very unique gameplay.

Honorable Mention: LittleBigPlanet

This is another game that can really affect on what future games offer. The toolset that the game gives players to create their own maps with is amazing. Just a sampling of random community maps shows what people can do with the right tools. Now to anyone who PC games this isn't anything new but I think it is a breakthrough for console gaming.

Greatest Game I Didn't Play: Metal Gear Solid 4

Metal Gear Solid has always relied on twisting stories and unique situations to pull players through the game. MGS4 takes that idea to a brand new level. While people might say that you watch it more than you play it, just being able to say that about a game is impressive to me in how far advanced the cut scenes and storytelling is in the game. I'm waiting on this one as I try to catch up on MGS2 and 3 so I'm well versed in where MGS is at before I hop into this edition.

2009

Game of the Year: Batman: Arkham Asylum

It's hard to place value on games that just came out but I can still make predictions can't I? I do think that what Rocksteady did with Batman is going to show a lot of companies how to treat properties from now on. Characters like Batman are always going to pull interest and have an established fan base. If you build a good game, not the usual movie cash-in, around a known property it's going to do well. I'm looking for this to be the beginning of better games in areas we're not used to.

Honorable Mention: Uncharted 2

I don't think there's a single game that resembles a summer blockbuster as much as Uncharted 2 does. The set pieces, the story-telling, and the voice-acting are all top notch. It raised the level on what people will come to expect from top-tier games. I'm am greatly looking forward to the next one just to see how Naughty Dog can possibly outdo what they've done with this fantastic game.

Greatest Game I Didn't Play: New Super Mario Bros. Wii

Another Mario game on the list and this time it's innovating the side-scrolling genre yet again. Taking the awesome gameplay from the DS game and translating it to Wii is great enough as it is. However they weren't even content to leave it at that. By adding 4 player action (I'm hesitant to call it co-op) to the game it creates a new twist on a classic experience.