Action Game of 2001

Since we didn't want to influence you unduly (we know how much you rely on our *ahem* expert opinions), we decided to keep our own nominations a secret. Well, the voting is now over, and we're ready to unveil our picks as well as yours.

Over the next week we'll be unveiling the top picks for 2001 in a variety of categories. Not surprisingly, there's a lot of crossover among them, but sometimes we didn't always see eye-to-eye. The great thing is that we're giving awards based on your picks as well, so your picks will get the recognition they deserve.

Below you'll find the cream of the crop in gaming, and if you haven't had a chance to check out any of the games mentioned below, you owe it to yourself to pick them up and give them a play. Be sure to use the links at the bottom of the page to check out the next set awards.

Why it rocked: Anyone who's serious about gaming should already know the answer to this question. Gamers have long wanted an update to the granddaddy of all first-person shooters. This was a hard category to come to a consensus on; each of us began the voting process in favor of a few of the other excellent action games that came out last year. In the end, Wolfenstein's fantastic visuals and exhilarating multiplayer modes pushed it just past the other worthy nominees.

Runner-Up: Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon

Why it rocked: This is another game that exceeded our high expectations. Jam-packed with style and detail, this gritty film noir crime story definitely showed many Hollywood influences. It's like playing in your own action movie (complete with a disturbing comic strip about a weird looking kid and a bat). This game garnered so many votes from the readers that we almost decided to create a new Best Max Payne Game of 2001 category.

Runner-Up: Return to Castle Wolfenstein