Making the perfect game

Though some were lacking more than others (yes, we're talking to you, Star Wars: Clone Wars -- Lightsaber Duels), for every engrossing hour spent gaming there was always that errant control option or poorly rendered cut-screen that created the blemish on perfection.

So what then makes the ultimate game, one so shining that even the most curmudgeonly critic would find no flaw?

Like Dr. Frankenstein, we've assembled a list of the important qualities of the games we liked best over the last 12 months. Each possessed a trait that set it apart from all the others. And if those qualities were combined into one title, it would be as close to perfect as possible. (As the good doctor would say, "It's alive! It's alive!")

The list:

* The portability of God of War: Chains of Olympus: The flaws of the superb God of War franchise (i.e., lack of camera control) were negated when it was perfectly translated in this game to the PlayStation Portable system.

* The control setup of Super Smash Bros. Brawl and Mario Super Sluggers: Keeping its "everyone can play" theme, Nintendo gave us the option of multiple ways to control its games, from "super-simple" beginner to "well-versed" advanced.

* The chess-like qualities of Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Vegas 2: As in the classic board game, you had to think two moves ahead before commanding your squad of commandos.

* The puzzles of Professor Layton and the Curious Village: A bunch of mind-benders had to be completed to uncover clues in this engrossing mystery.

* The simplicity of Boom Blox: Knocking down blocks with a ball has never been so much fun and is a must-have for Wii owners of all ages.

* The stunning cut-screens of Devil May Cry 4: Action director John Woo would be proud of how smoothly the story is told.

* The fun of Lego Indiana Jones: The Original Adventures and Lego Batman: The Videogame: The wit, charm and adorableness of Lego Star Wars continued with two new franchises.

* The white-knuckle racing excitement of GRID and Burnout Paradise: From the realistically rendered cars to the metal-twisting crashes, auto games didn't get any better than these two.