We posted an article one month ago that invited readers to do a little thought exercise. Here's what we said: "On the 5th of November we're going to post an article or two about video games, gadgets, technology, and general geekness ... the things about video gaming and technology that ought not be forgotten."

So here's our list of some video gaming and technology moments worth remembering. Hope this gets you thinking (and feeling nostalgic too!). And we look forward to your comments (and arguments). What do you remember and wish that the world will never forget?

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.

The MMO gamers have spoken. The Beckett Massive Online Gamer has released the winners for its 2006 Reader’s Choice Awards. The categories are varied and includes the MMO gamer's favorite drink/snack to stay awake. Read on for the winners.

The best new MMO goes to (*insert drum roll*) Guild Wars Nightfall; Dungeons & Dragons Online finishes at second place. Blizzard's World of Warcraft wasn't caught sleeping in the haystack as it goes home with two awards: best MMO of the year and best fantasy MMO (Guild Wars came in second at the polls). EVE Online comes out as the best in the sci-fi category followed by Star Wars Galaxies.

Second Life takes the "best MMO that breaks the mold" award for its unconventional gameplay and originality, with Puzzle Pirates in second. Best expansion/addition turned out to be City of Heroes/Villain's Issue 7: Destiny Manifest (The Burning Crusade was released in 2007, remember?). Guess what the favorite/most unique race is? The Elves of course. Who'd prefer to look at an ugly behind for extended periods of time?

The favorite/most unique class: Ranger. Gamers seem to prefer kiting or sniping over melee, plus the pets, traps and other ranger/hunter perks are much appreciated. The most anticipated MMO that wasn't released in 2006 and the best MMO trailer was received by upcoming Warhammer Online. Finally, what do MMO gamers like to guzzle/munch on to keep themselves awake? Tied at first is Mountain Dew and Bawls.

Who says you can't race in the World of Warcraft? BaronSoosdon from Warcraft Movies has submitted a video set at the Mirage Raceway where Goblins and Gnomes pit their machines against each other.

Can you drive like Anakin Skywalker? What's that have to do with it? The video looks much like the podraces in Star Wars. We actually don't know what the machines are called - though one looks like a flying machine propeller thingy and the other looks like Anakin Skywalker's podracer in The Phantom Menace. Anyway, if you're gonna race there, watch out for the innocent pedestrians.

We'll quit babbling so you can check out the World of Warcraft version of the Fast and the Furious. Enjoy!

 

Just how much is a billion dollars? If you had a billion one dollar bills and counted each one, at the rate of a dollar per second, it would take you 30 years to complete the task! That's the kind of counting PC game makers face for selling, well, almost a billion dollars worth of games in 2006. According to the NPD Group, the exact figure is US$ 970 million - which may not be a billion but it's pretty darn close.

Leading the pack of  the hottest PC game last year is Blizzard's World of Warcraft which sold 969,000 units. In second place is The Sims 2 from EA which moved 598,000 units. However, the The Sims franchise dominated the list with five titles in the top 10.

Since we're in the realm of the big numbers, we might as well give you NPD's total PC video game hardware, software and accessories sales digits in 2006: US $13.5 billion.

And here's the rest of the top ten best-selling games of 2006 according to NPD:

1. World of Warcraft (VU Games)
2. The Sims 2 (EA)
3. The Sims 2: Open for Business (EA)
4. Star Wars: Empire at War (LucasArts)
5. The Sims 2: Pets (EA)
6. The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion (Take 2)
7. Age of Empires III (Microsoft)
8. The Sims 2 Family Fun (EA)
9. Civilisation IV (Take 2)
10. The Sims 2 Nightlife (EA)

"DarkAge of the WarcraftStrike". That's a fictional MMO that Turbine Entertainment executive producer and creative director Jessica Mulligan used as an example during her rant at the Austin Game Conference. According to her, there are some MMOs that use the WoW formula, and end up as nothing but WoW copycats.

Which brings us to our question: Are all MMOs the same? Tobold asks the same question in his blog. And with the proliferation of WoW copycats out in the market today, you can't help but wonder the same thing. After all, there's a nugget of truth in Mulligan's claim.

According to Tobold, there's a general flow to MMO gameplay: start in a city, take quests and missions, slay some monsters, gather loot and eventually sell them. However, Tobold adds that even though most MMOs subscribe to this structure, each MMO game focuses on particular details, which makes them different from one another.

For example, WoW is known for being PvE-centric, while games such as Lineage and EVE are known for their excellent PvP features. Then there's the gameplay: Does this MMO have a more difficult gameplay than the other? More importantly, there's the question of the setting, which I believe lies most of the game's appeal. After all, we have sci-fi MMOs, "historical MMOs" (remember the upcoming "Shakespeare MMO"?), and the more popular fantasy MMO. Of course, each world offers something different (the "Matrix world" is different from the one in "Star Wars"), which makes more games appealing, and more addictive, depending on your taste.

So, according to our source, "in the end, no two MMORPG are really the same". And we here at QJ definitely agree with him. What do you think?