Which publisher wins 2007?

Namco Bandai

The big surprise with Namco Bandai's year is that two of its best loved franchises have really let the side down, with both Soulcalibur Legends and Time Crisis 4 leaving critics disappointingly cold. Thankfully, Tekken 5: Dark Resurrection, Ace Combat 6 and a new - and long overdue - maze runabout for arcade veteran Pac-Man received much warmer vibes from critics.

Highest ranked game of the year: Pac-Man Championship Edition (360 XLA) 83%

Lowest ranked game of the year: Tamagotchi Party On! (DS) 37%

Average review score for 2007: 63.9%

Above: Even with a Tekken PSN offering and Ace Combat 6, Namco Bandai received its best review scores for XBLA title, Pac-Man Championship Edition

Nintendo

There are only a few smears on an otherwise splendid year of review scores for Nintendo. Wii Play, Mario Party 8, Flash Focus, Pokemon Battle Revolution and Donkey Kong: Barrel Blast all lower the tone. However, there's also been a wealth of quality titles to choose from - Super Paper Mario, Pokemon Diamond & Pearl, The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass, Metroid Prime 3: Corruption. Oh, and Super Mario Galaxy, which is 2007's highest ranked game according to Metacritic.

Highest ranked game of the year: Super Mario Galaxy (Wii) 97%

Lowest ranked game of the year: Donkey Kong: Barrel Blast (DS) 44%

Average review score for 2007: 75.1%

Sega

The only real stinker that crept out of Sega's doors in 2007 was - unforgivably - Sonic the Hedgehog for PS3. In fact, 2007 has been a less-than-exhilarating year all round for Sega's mascot, despite showing up in seven different games. The highest scoring of all Sonic's efforts with 81% was old-school classic, Sonic the Hedgehog 2, which was given a run-out on Xbox Live Arcade. As for the rest of Sega's portfolio, Virtua Fighter 5, Virtua Tennis 3, Crush, Medieval II: Total War Kingdoms and Football Manager 2008 all broke through the 80%+ review barrier.

Highest ranked game of the year: Virtua Fighter 5 (360) 88%

Lowest ranked game of the year: Sonic the Hedgehog (PS3) 43%

Average review score for 2007: 71.1%

Above: Even with a Tekken PSN offering and Ace Combat 6, Namco Bandai receivedits bestreview scores for XBLA title, Pac-Man Championship Edition

Nintendo

There are only a few smears on an otherwise splendid year of review scores for Nintendo. Wii Play, Mario Party 8, Flash Focus, Pokemon Battle Revolution and Donkey Kong: Barrel Blast all lower the tone. However, there's also been a wealth of quality titles to choose from - Super Paper Mario, Pokemon Diamond & Pearl, The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass, Metroid Prime 3: Corruption. Oh, and Super Mario Galaxy, which is 2007's highest ranked game according to Metacritic.

Highest ranked game of the year: Super Mario Galaxy (Wii) 97%

Lowest ranked game of the year: Donkey Kong: Barrel Blast (DS) 44%

Average review score for 2007: 75.1%

Sega

The only real stinker that crept out of Sega's doors in 2007 was - unforgivably - Sonic the Hedgehog for PS3. In fact, 2007 has been a less-than-exhilarating year all round for Sega's mascot, despite showing up in seven different games. The highest scoring of all Sonic's efforts with 81% was old-school classic, Sonic the Hedgehog 2, which was given a run-out on Xbox Live Arcade. As for the rest of Sega's portfolio, Virtua Fighter 5, Virtua Tennis 3, Crush, Medieval II: Total War Kingdoms and Football Manager 2008 all broke through the 80%+ review barrier.

Highest ranked game of the year: Virtua Fighter 5 (360) 88%

Lowest ranked game of the year: Sonic the Hedgehog (PS3) 43%

Average review score for 2007: 71.1%