A while ago I went through my game collection and picked out all my games of the year way back to 1989. In most cases, picking them was almost a no-brainer. The only year I really struggled with was 1998... and here we are again, a year ending in the number '8', and again I can't pick a definitive game and say 'this is the best game of the last twelve months' (well, okay, eleven, but you know what I mean). I can pick five however...

1= Fallout 3
1= Metal Gear Solid 4

Fallout 3 because it takes everything that was great about Oblivion and just makes it incredibly more awesome. I don't think I've ever played a game as immersive as this.
MGS4 because it really is an evolution in videogaming as we know it. No game, no game at all has characters as well-realised as Snake & co, and despite Kojima's love of twist endings running right through until the frickin' credits sequence, it's the perfect end to a magnificent series.

Bubbling under...

3 Little Big Planet. Such a magnificent idea only marred by some dodgy controls. I don't think this has come even close to realising its potential yet.

4 Banjo Kazooie N&B- A return to form for a legend of the British gaming industry, I don't think I've ever been as addicted to a game as I was to this for that one marvellous week.

I'm going to be controversial here and state that SSBB, GTA4 and Guitar Hero/Rock Band are NOT on my top 5 list for the year. Reasons being-

SSBB- the schizoid game. Deeply multiplayer-centric yet the game is crippled until you spend hours going through the single-player game. Someone needs to tell these people that time-released characters are fine in arcades, but not in home versions. Wouldn't be all that bad if the single-player experience actually had some substance to it.

GTA4- oh dear, what happened? San Andreas was a great example of the fun that could be had with GTA, so many insane characters and witty one-liners. And Samuel L. Jackson. This game takes itself too seriously. Far too seriously.

GH/RB- or rather, Rock Band 2, as it's the superior game by miles- it doesn't add anything new to the rhythm game experience. Sure, playing guitar and drums all day will always be fun, but there's more, surely? (and no, GHTunes isn't on my card).

Instead, #5 goes to...

5. Echochrome. How to use new technology to make new ideas a reality. Beautiful in its simplicity and with the right combination of frustration/excellence to the gameplay that made Lemmings what it was 18 years ago.

EDIT: Though Animal Crossing City Folk may well KO this from #5 spot if it proves to be anything like as compulsive as Wild World was.