Big titles like Gears of War which sold a lot for its mother console are bound to get awards from all places. A good example is Entertainment Merchants Association's (EMA) Video Game Home Entertainment Awards 2007, in which Gears of War racked up four awards.

GoW bagged "Xbox 360 Game of the Year", "Shooter/Military Game of the Year", "Best Game Graphics of the Year", and the ultimate "Game of the Year" awards. All games released between April 1, 2006 and March 31, 2007 were eligible, but GoW took the cake.

For handhelds, Lego Star Wars II: The Original Trilogy and Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories grabbed "DS Game of the Year" and "PSP Game of the Year" awards respectively. Lego Star Wars II' PS2 edition also took the win in its own category.

Resistance: Fall of Man dominated the PS3, while launch title Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess was branded the best game on Wii. WoW: The Burning Crusade took both "PC Game of the Year" and "RPG/Strategy Game of the Year" awards.

Here's the rest of the list:

• Most Innovative Game of the Year - Guitar Hero II
• Casual Game of the Year: Guitar Hero II
• Fighting Game of the Year - WWE Smackdown! vs RAW 2007
• Racing Game of the Year - Need for Speed
• Sports Game of the Year - Madden NFL 07

Retailers and distributors from EMA's roster nominated and selected the winners. Their criteria on choosing, we would love to know. When Lego Star Wars II and WWE Smackdown! vs RAW 2007 are up there as creams of the crop, you know something special is going on.

Imagine the Superbowl, UFC, WWE and The Jerry Springer Show all rolled into one. Add a couple of big cartoony dudes in armor, add a couple of sharp, pointy weapons, one part hardcore gamer, and you've got yourself the PvP arena, one of the more sought-after features we've been talking about for World of Warcraft's The Burning Crusade expansion.

And while we won't be seeing this just yet in-game, WoW's main site's just opened up a new section which will be covering the Arena's features, rules and point system. For now, we introduce the two available arena areas for your party's next bloodbath.

The Ring of Trials

• Location: Nagrand, south-east of Garadar

• Theme: Ancient orcish proving ground

• Special: One minute into the match, a cyclone appears and adds some spin to the fight.

• Shadow Sight: After five minutes, two Shadow Sight power-ups appear that let you see stealthed and invisible characters, but it also does a little damage to you. Use it wisely.
  

The Circle of Blood

• Location: Blade's Edge Mountains, north of Thunderlord Village
• Theme: Ogrish arena
• Shadow Sight: After five minutes, two Shadow Sight power-ups appear that let you see stealthed and invisible characters, but it also does a little damage to you. Use it wisely.

Like we said, this is just a sliver of what's waiting for the next contender in the arena. For the nitty-gritty details on the combat rules, the party-building FAQ, and other concerns, read up on the main article, lest you wish to be the arena's next wallpaper/paintjob.