Official Xbox Magazine Issue 106

Letter From the Editor: Power to the Players (Francesca Reyes discusses how important well fleshed-out characters can be to building an atmosphere and world in a video game)

Message Center (Reader letters and responses)

XBOX Next: (Game previews)

• Spec Ops: The Line (360)
• Puzzle Quest II (XBLA)
• Risk: Factions (XBLA)
• Transformers: War for Cybertron (360)
• Postal III (360)
• Two Worlds II (360)
• Quantum Theory (360)
• Prince of Persia: The Forgotten Sands (360)

Official XBOX Magazine's 2009 Game of the Year Awards

• XBOX Live Arcade Game of the Year: Shadow Complex
• Fan Service Award: Bethesda
• Most Excessive Collector's Edition: Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 - Prestige Edition
• Fighting Game of the Year: Street Fighter IV
• Sports Game of the Year: Fight Night Round 4
• Executive of the Year: Bobby Kotick, Activision CEO
• Achievement of the Year: "Garden Gnome" (Left 4 Dead 2)
• Avatar Item of the Year: Assassin's Creed II Altair/Ezio Costume
• Best Sound Design: Assassin's Creed II
• Best (Unintentional) Comedy: 50 Cent: Blood in the Sand
• Best (Intentional) Comedy: Brutal Legend
• Licensed Game of the Year: Batman: Arkham Asylum
• Multiplayer Game of the Year: Left 4 Dead 2
• Music Game of the Year: DJ Hero
• Worst Game of the Year: Leisure Suit Larry: Box Office Bust
• DLC of the Year: Grand Theft Auto: The Ballad of Gay Tony
• Best Game You've Already Forgotten About: The Chronicles of Riddick: Assault on Dark Athena
• Racing Game of the Year: Forza Motorsport 3
• Developer of the Year: Rocksteady Studios
• Innovation of the Year: 1 Vs. 100
• Most Unfulfilled Potential: Eat Lead: The Return of Matt Hazard
• Delay of the Year: Alan Wake
• Peripheral of the Year: Turtle Beach X41 Headphones
• Gore of the Year: Fairytale Fights
• OXM's 2009 Game of the Year: Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2

6 Reasons to Love Final Fantasy (OXM's picks for the top 6 best things about the Final Fantasy franchise)

Cover Story: Mass Effect 2 (Extensive first-review of BioWare's sequel to their ground-breaking sci-fi rpg, tasking you with building a team to take on a suicide mission in order to delay the arrival of the Reaper menace)

The Untold Tales of BioWare (Article that delves into the history and behind-the-scenes work of BioWare, responsible for games such as Mass Effect, Jade Empire and Knights of the Old Republic)

Halo Four (OXM takes a look at the top four things that will impact the Halo universe in the upcoming year)

XBOX Now: (Game reviews)

• Army of Two: The 40th Day (360)
• Darksiders (360)
• Tony Hawk: Ride (360)
• Borderlands: The Zombie Island of Dr. Ned (XBLA)
• Polar Panic (XBLA)
• Gyromancer (XBLA)
• Dark Void (360)
• OD Beat Drop (XBLA)
• Rogue Warrior (360)
• NBA Unrivaled (XBLA)
• Scene It? Bright Lights! Big Screen! (360)

The Bionic Gamer (OXM takes a hard look at some of the gaming accessories that claim to give you an extra edge and whether or not they actually help)

Inbox: (Overview on some of the recent minor news stories)

• Namco to sell Splatterhouse-branded footwear
• Microsoft bans about a million modified consoles from XBOX Live
• Activision launches fund to assist veterans in finding jobs after returning home
• Project Natal named one of Time Magazine's Inventions of the Year
• EA closes Pandemic Studios

If the Cape Fits, Wear It (Comic author Scott Tipton discusses what it takes to make a good superhero video game)