Listmania!
Seven Games, Seven Inspirations.
Guilty Gear X2 Reload (PS2)Guilty Gear X2 Reload (PS2)
Buy used from: £4.90
Sets examples that all other beat em ups should follow. Utterly unique and filled with lush visuals and myriad heavy metal references, this game is one in a million.
Final Fantasy XII (PS2)Final Fantasy XII (PS2)
Buy used from: £6.00
A perfect example of evolution gone right in a genre considered stale. This game marks a return to form for the Final Fantasy series, the likes of which has not been seen since the days of FF6.
Gran Turismo 4 (PS2)Gran Turismo 4 (PS2)
Buy used from: £6.29
This is, no doubt, the magnum opus of playstation driving games. As well as being far bigger than it's predecessor, it is also far easier to get in to.
Guild Wars: Nightfall - Collectors Edition (PC)Guild Wars: Nightfall - Collectors Edition (PC)
Buy new: £20.85
This game is like Marmite - you'll either love it or hate it. It isn't WoW, but thats exactly why I love it.
The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion (PC DVD)The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion (PC DVD)
Buy new: £14.98 / Used from: £13.98
For better or worse, this was the biggest, grandest, most ambitious game of 2006. Why can't all developers be as ambitious as Bethesda?
Disgaea Hour of Darkness (PS2)Disgaea Hour of Darkness (PS2)
Buy used from: £17.00
Devilish Anime inspired fun that makes Final Fantasy Tactics look lightweight.
Suikoden V (PS2)Suikoden V (PS2)
Buy used from: £14.99
A classic JRPG, in every sense of the word. The story is worth noting for being perhaps the most complex, interesting, decently told and crucially, different story in a modern RPG.