Most Nauseating Experience We Loved: Prey

Forget space Camp. Not since the original Descent has our ability to stomach disorienting environmental twists and flips been put to such a test. The unique combination of gravity-shifting panels that turn rooms upside down and portals that create Escher-like spatial puzzles warrants not only special acclaim, but doses of Dramamine too. The best part about Prey is that its unconventional level design transfers to the multiplayer arena as well. We had great times fragging buddies while running upside down and dropping grenades... upward. Take that, gravity!

www.prey.com, ESRB: M

We Salute You, Boss Key: Defcon

Our game time with Defcon would probably have been even more enjoyable if it weren’t part of our job. The gracefully designed strategic simulation of nuclear war is fun to play not only for its hidden complexity, but also because it’s the perfect office distraction. This is the kind of game that sparks budding workplace alliances and collusion against the bosses. In fact, the "office mode” of gameplay forces rounds to run in real time, lasting up to six hours. Those of you who can devote six hours of an eight-hour work day to nuking your communist coworkers are our nation’s true heroes.

www.everybody-dies.com, ESRB: NR

Best Game Adaptation of a Movie Adaptation of a Book: Battle for Middle Earth II

You’ve got to love an RTS that lets you slay 10,000 orcs in a little less than two hours (that’s roughly 84 orcs/minute) in skirmish mode, and that’s just one of the reasons we loved The Lord of the Rings: The Battle for Middle-Earth II. This point-and-click fest beautifully captures the look, feel, scope, and mayhem of the epic battles in Jackson’s films and Tolkien’s books. This could be the best movie-licensed game yet, and proof positive that coughing up for a major license isn’t always a waste of time, money, DVDs, and hard drive space.

www.ea.com, ESRB: T