Feature: 'Quantum Leap Awards: Most Important Games, 2006'

For today's Gamasutra feature, with the results now in, we're proud to present our Quantum Leap Awards for the most important games of 2006, as chosen by the combined effort of Gamasutra's staff and its esteemed readership of games industry professionals, scholars and educators. As the introduction explains: "They're timeless. They're inspirational. They inspire us, make us question our standards, and provide a roadmap for the future of development. They are the games that innovate and move the industry forward, and Gamasutra is proud to recognize them with our series of Quantum Leap Awards. In December of 2006, Gamasutra asked its esteemed readership of games industry professionals, educators, and students to vote on the most important games of the year, as part of its ongoing Quantum Leap Awards series. Specifically, we asked the following: Q: Which video game has made the biggest 'quantum leap' in 2006, in terms of innovation and advancing the state of the art of the industry? You spoke, and we listened. Here, Gamasutra presents the winners of the 2006 Quantum Leap Award for Most Important Game. We'll start with three pages of honorable mentions, and then present the five most important games of 2006, as voted by our readers." You can now read the full Gamasutra feature on the topic, with industry commentary on the year's most important games, game series, and one console, and find out which took the elusive Quantum Leap prize (no registration required, please feel free to link to this feature from external websites).