So without any further delay, I present to you the Untouchables of 2006!

Untouchable of the Year – Gears of War

Was there a game that managed to deliver on the hype moreso than Gears of War? It was truly the first killer title for the Xbox 360. You can put it up against all of the titles that released before it and you’ll find Gears of War to be untouchable when it comes to the experience that it gave when playing.

Visually it was perhaps the best representation of what the Xbox 360 can do. Art, design, intense action and Xbox Live play were all simply untouchable last year in Gears of War.

Worth mentioning: Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion

Untouchable Xbox Live Experience – Gears of War

My first experience with Gears of War on Xbox Live was magical. It’s rare to have an online experience that equals that of the offline experience in the same game but Gears of War managed to do that.

Beyond all the screams of patches and such, Gears of War is what an Xbox Live experience should be.

Worth mentioning: Call of Duty 3

Untouchable Co-op Game – Marvel Ultimate Alliance

This Untouchable is what I also call the 'buddy' award. How many games on the Xbox 360 offer a chance to play as Wolverine, Spider-Man, Blade, and the Thing in co-operative action? One. You can take your favorite Marvel characters and battle it out alongside your friends in your living room or on Xbox Live.

It doesn’t get any better in terms of group play than Marvel Ultimate Alliance. Forget about the story and forget about the cheesy fights…this game is meant for you and your buddies to go all out with your favorite Marvel heroes. Yep, I'm talking to you bub.

Worth mentioning: WWE Smackdown vs Raw 2007

Untouchable Surprise Game – Viva Piñata

I’m sure many people overlooked this game and to those people I say…shame on you. It was seen as a ‘kiddie’ game but after playing it, I realized it’s something that all ages can enjoy. Viva Piñata is a Rare comeback for those who questioned the selection of ‘softer’ titles for the Xbox 360.

It's the best game not named Gears of War in my opinion. I've played it for hours on end trying to get the perfect Piñata garden or tame a certain species. Don't sleep on this game...get out and try it!

Worth mentioning: Saint's Row

Untouchable Racer – Need for Speed Carbon

Say what you will about it but this game really brought something new in its drift and canyon racing. You really feel the stress during these types of races as any wrong move could easily send you crashing off a cliff. The presentation alone during a drift race or canyon race was excellent.

The car physics were better, the locale was better and the experience was spot on in this racer. I gave no points for having Emmanuelle Vaugier as the cover girl I promise.

Worth mentioning: Test Drive Unlimited

Untouchable Sports Game – Tiger Woods PGA Tour 07

You can take the football games, basketball games and other sports games and none of them managed to give me more satisfaction than coming under par in Tiger Woods. An even better reason to grant this game an ‘Untouchable’ this year is the fact that I hate golf but I love this game.

You can customize a character to your liking to compete against famed golfers around the world while ultimately trying to take down the man himself, Tiger Woods. Golf is now my sport!

Worth mentioning: NBA 2K7

Untouchable Xbox Live Arcade ‘Original’ – Small Arms

It’s unfair to pit the original Xbox Live Arcade titles against the retro ones so I’m dishing out two separate awards for ‘original’ and ‘classic’. Small Arms breaks the competition down when it comes to originally developed Arcade titles for Xbox 360.

The action is fast, the characters are wonderful and it’s all bundled up for quick action straight out of the gate. It was reasonably priced at 800 Microsoft points so that made it more accessible.

Worth mentioning: Cloning Clyde

Untouchable Xbox Live Arcade ‘Classic’ – UNO

Yes that's right. I'm coining UNO for my Untouchable 'Classic'. We've all sat around with this card game during parties or late nights with nothing to do. And we all did the same thing with this game when it released on Xbox Live Arcade. We sat for hours upon hours playing it and waiting to catch the first glimpse of someone playing it with their Vision Camera.

I know the closet Vision Camera freaks out there use this game more socially than they'd like to admit. UNO set the Arcade on fire moreso than any other classic did.

Worth mentioning: Marble Blast Ultra

Untouchable Buzz in the Community – Halo 3

How many topics around the Xbox 360 community were created for Halo 3? I think the last total was about a gazillion. The release of the E3 2006 trailer, X06 coverage and the public beta news all contributed to Halo 3 being the most talked about topic in the 360 community.

The game was over a year away when all the buzz began and it’s still going strong as we approach its release this year. Halo 3 was truly the king of buzz last year.

Worth mentioning: Gears of War

Untouchable Accessory – Vision Camera

People were crowding stores to get their hands on this little thing. It offers so much even outside of the few games that support the use of it. There were tons of video chat sessions being done and picture sharing. People were finally using custom pictures and life was good when the Vision Camera released.

I don’t think there was any other 2006 accessory that generated so much optimism and so much controversy at the same time. The Vision Camera made a big splash and it promises to make an even bigger one as more titles utilize it.

Worth mentioning: HD-DVD Player/Drive

Untouchable Achievement – Six Degrees of Small Arms

There are a lot of Achievements out there but only one that's worthy of being the most sought after, the most talked about...the grandest of them all. Developers try to come up with the kinds of Achievements that are unique, challenging and sometimes impossible to get. The Six Degrees of Small Arms achievement is one though that mixes a lot of that and adds one key element...it's friggin' cool!

Worth mentioning: Seriously - 10,000 Kills (Gears of War)