2004 was filled with an array of memorable and extraordinary games. The 2404 Staff members have voted for the best games of 2004 and now that the new year is here it is time to announce the award winners. Best Online Game: World of Warcraft After a heavily contested battle with Unreal Tournament 2004, both in the public and staff voting, World of Warcraft yet again has stepped up to claim its throne. For an MMORPG, one of many, this game has actually managed to set itself apart from its competitors featuring vast beautiful game levels and a variety of races/characters to play, there is something for all gamers here. The best thing is for causal gamers like me, the grind (a phenomena involving spendings hours and hours leveling while waiting on the ground to slowly regain health) has been alleviated. As your character will level up fairly fast and you regain your health at a good rate when not engaged in combat, meaning no more crowds of people sitting on the ground outside enemy spawn points. Once again World of Warcraft is a superbly crafted game by Blizzard and as such deserves recognition as the best online game of 2004. -Hengst

Best Sound Effects/Score: Half-Life 2

While fragging away in one of 2004's most intense and realistic First Person Shooters, gamers may have missed the incredible sounds and music in this epic game. Part of what makes Half-Life 2 seem so realistic is in fact the detailed sounds such as insects, distant gunfire, the wind, etc. Sounds in games can sometimes be overlooked as more of a minor detail, however, this was definitely not the case with this game. Valve Software's sound department was a vital piece of the development puzzle that pulled through with an outstanding game. -DareD3vil


Best Expansion Pack: Call of Duty: United Offensive

Call of Duty was the 2404 Game of the Year for 2003 and it is no surprise that an expansion to the game would further justify what a well made game Call of Duty really was. Playing out the historic battles gives the player a little insight into what the generation of men who bravely defended our allied nations faced in the trenches, air, and on the front lines. Even though a different developer took the reigns for this expansion it felt much like the original, only better. -DareD3vil


Best Graphics: Half-Life 2

The graphics in Half-Life 2 are another reason as to why the game comes out to be so incredibly realistic. Everything feels extremely lifelike, especially when you look at the character models compared to the original models and then compared to other games in the genre. Characters have a full range of facial expressions and their mouths are in-synch with their words, while in most games character’s mouths look like a loose trap door: never seeming to match up correctly with the dialog. Other things you will notice are the lighting and reflective surfaces, the extraordinary water, the extremely realistic sky in all of the maps, and haze and clouds that aren’t as obvious but really add to that sense of realism. Graphic improvements can be seen in many games but Half-Life 2 stands out among them. -DareD3vil


Best First Person Shooter: Half-Life 2

In a year of games like Far Cry, Doom 3 and Unreal Tournament 2004, the FPS genre would seem a tough category to hand out an award to. Until the release of Half-life 2. Without a doubt Half-Life 2 was one of the most anticipated games of the year and perhaps the most heavily hyped in the last 10 years. With its astounding graphics and its ground breaking physics engine, Half-Life 2 was the very picture of FPS innovation and the clear winner of best FPS of 2004. -Hengst


Best Adventure Game: Myst IV: Revelation

The Myst series of games have been the defining set of games in the Adventure genre ever since the release of the original Myst caught on among gamers. Even though Cyan Worlds wasn't able to develop this title in the series it still ended up as a great addition. Revelations continues the Myst story allowing players to further explore and discover the beautiful worlds that this game offers. -DareD3vil


Best Role Playing Game: World of Warcraft

For a game that had been in development for so long, coupled with only making release at the end of the year, it is somewhat surprising that World of Warcraft would win many awards. Still this game has done what many RPGs have failed to do, it has brought the RPG genre to the masses. This game features enough open-ended gameplay and fast leveling to please both sides of the RPG spectrum, the casual and hardcore gamers. Despite a monthly fee this game has managed to captivate gamers, as well as the staff of 2404. -Hengst


Best Strategy Game: Rome: Total War
ROME: Total War surpassed my expectations from the very beginning by bringing to life the trials and tribulations early roman families endured during the forging of the Roman Empire. I would definitely say this is a game to pick up if you enjoy strategy games. But what do you do after you conquer the world as the Romans, you ask? Well, each civilization you personally conquer unlocks them as a playable group. I think we all want to defeat the Carthaginians and attack with a charge of elephants. -Countchoc


Game of the Year: Half-Life 2

You have to admit that Half-Life 2 is a groundbreaking game. Even if you don't plan on playing the single player portion over for a while numerous amounts of mods are currently in development which creates a lot of potential for more amateur game developers. There was so much hype and such a long wait but Valve Software really satisfied gamers all around with this title. I could not imagine anyone being disappointed with the game and if you’re a fan of FPS games, Half-Life 2 is a must have. -DareD3vil


Well that wraps up the awards for 2004, we hope you enjoyed these games as much as we did. It's hard to tell right now what 2005 will hold for PC gaming I'm sure we'll get quite a bit more info once E3 comes along this Spring.