
Looking for categories like Best PSP Driving Game? Greatest Achievement in Control Layout, Artistic? Eastern European Developer Most Worth Watching in 2011? Then our end-of-year awards might not be for you.
GamesRadar's Platinum Chalices are different. We're not interested in checking off a massively tedious list of genres, platforms and technical subdivisions… we'd much rather focus on the stuff that makes this hobby, you know, fun. And reward whichever games delivered the most of that stuff.
So if you're looking for the best fan service, most satisfying gore or greatest achievement in old-school kickassery in 2010, you've definitely come to the right celebration. Let's get it started…
We love Game of Thrones, and think that some elements of the show (and, by proxy, the book) would help making games better...
Words With Friends is among the most popular Scrabble clones available on the iPhone/iPad, and if you haven't already been playing it obsessively, we're sure you've at least heard of it. Scrabble with your friends no matter where you are is a pretty great concept, after all. So how can you improve on that? Well, AbbleDabble aims to do so by adding a twist - a challenging board that rotates tiles, so every round you have a new chance at scoring that sexy triple letter bonus. That really does spice things up a bit, believe us...
Not everyone owns an iPhone, it just seems that way because they get all the coverage. Android owners know Google's platform has plenty of quality apps too, though it can be tough sifting through the dross. The following 25 have caused us a few sleepless nights and some very sore fingertips...
Once
a videogame hero has more than one or two adventures under his or her belt, it
simply isn’t enough to just have an archenemy anymore. To keep things
interesting, they need a foil, a rival, or some other angry opposite number
obsessed with matching wits with them. Sometimes, those characters stick around
long enough to make themselves an indelible part of the series, even going so
far as to make friends with the
protagonist – although more often than not, their friendships tend to be shaky
at best, and even those involved might never fully admit to them. Relationships
like that tend to make for gaming’s most enduring and interesting rivalries,
and what follows are some of the most notable...

If you somehow took The Legend of Zelda, Ys, and Chrono Trigger and combined them into one single game, then crammed it onto a mobile phone, what you’d get would look a lot like Across Age. It’s an epic action RPG with lots of puzzle solving and time travelling, and it’s dripping with retro 16-bit charm...
Now that the world hasn't ended after all, let's pretend we got caught in the apocalypse anyway, as we pick our the top wastelands we'd like to inhabit...
December may offer the true
climax of the holiday season, but in terms of new game releases, it's very much
the calm after the storm. Most of the giant blockbusters of the season made
their way out between September and November, but the final month of 2011 isn't
barren by any means: big releases like Mario Kart 7 and Star Wars: The Old
Republic lead the pack, while system-specific versions of some notable recent
titles also find their way to store shelves. But if you read this over and
don't see anything on the horizon that works you into a tizzy, surely November's overstuffed
lineup holds a few leftover options to consider...

There are about a million two-stick shooters on iPhone – this despite the fact that the system has no actual control sticks at all. But very, very few are as polished and entertaining as Age of Zombies. The premise is typical – burly hero uses pistol, grenades, flamethrower, bazookas, submachine guns and more to blast zombies into goo. But a comical style and varied settings lift Age of Zombies above the pack...

Call of Duty: Black Ops is out, and if you've been counting down the days on your calendar and filling your living room with snacks like a modern-day fallout shelter, chances are your iPad is going to feel a little lonely in the coming weeks. But if you need a respite from Black Ops and the rest of the big-budget holiday blockbusters, here are five fresh iPad picks to help you fill every last second of the day with gaming goodness...