GameSpot is very proud to present its sixth annual Best and Worst of the Year feature, which highlights the most noteworthy achievements from the past year in gaming. We award the most distinguished games in more than 20 different categories, each with up to five different nominees. In this process, we consider every game released in 2001 that was evaluated on GameSpot this year--this includes virtually every commercially available computer game.

All told, this past year in PC gaming says a lot about the direction that the industry is likely to keep moving in. Several different genres of games dominated the retail shelves--and the sales charts. These include action-packed shooters, role-playing games, and especially strategy games, the latter of which comprised by far the most prolific PC game genre this year. Meanwhile, traditionally popular PC genres such as driving, sports, adventure, and simulation weren't as well represented this year as in the past--but each of these did feature several standout products, as you'll see in the pages to come.

One other trend this year has called for us to introduce a few new distinctions in our awards. Clearly, PC gaming is now just as much about a shared multiplayer experience--whether competitive or cooperative--as it is about a more traditional single-player experience. The three key genres this year--action, role-playing, and strategy--each have very different offerings, depending on whether you prefer single-player, multiplayer, or both. As a result, GameSpot has split its awards for Best Action Game, Best Role-Playing Game, and Best Strategy game into separate awards for single-player and multiplayer. We believe this distinction is representative of the current state of PC gaming--and of an exciting, flourishing development that proves just how broad of an appeal that PC gaming is capable of.

In response to the market's balance toward a few particular genres, we've also introduced a new annual tradition for our Best and Worst Awards: A countdown of the top 10 games of the year, culminating in the overall number one game of the year. Previously, our awards had forced us to select one game in each category. This time, our top 10 list will give you a real sense of the best overall games of the year. A game may have won in its genre--but did it crack the top 10? And maybe a game didn't win in any other category but was robust or innovative enough to crack the list. Whatever the case, you'll soon find out.

After you've finished reading our choices, we encourage you to participate in our sixth annual Readers' Choice Awards by selecting your favorite games in each category. And now, without further ado, we offer you GameSpot's Best and Worst of 2001.