The end of the calendar year is generally seen as a time of reflection. We are told to take stock of the year that has passed, and to remember the people and events that made the last 365 days into something more than just a jumble of random events. Magazines kill billions of trees reminding you of what you had already read on billions of other trees; television news programs remind you of all the scary stuff that happened that you had forgotten you were afraid of, and everyone, and I mean everyone, gives out awards.

In movies it's the Oscars; music gets the Grammys, nerds get the Nobel Prize, and video games vie for the coveted title of Game of the Year.

And with 2007 being one of the best years for games in recent memory, there should be some stiff competition between the big titles for the crown. It would be nice if, just like in Little League, everyone could get a trophy. But award-granting has never been about nice. Many will enter, but only one can reign supreme.

Here's a look at the possible contenders, at least from my view of the world:

Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare (360, PS3, PC)

In a year of highly-anticipated first-person-shooters, there was COD4, and then there was everything else (sorry Chief...). A suspense filled story, beyond-state-of-the-art graphics and sound design combine to make the solo missions the most intense (and immersive) I've ever seen in an FPS. Even if this title had shipped with just the single-player mode, it would have merited consideration for Game of the Year. But the multiplayer advances are what set COD4 apart as the quintessential shooter of 2007. With over a dozen game modes, a vast arsenal, and and RPG-like system of ranking and levelling, playing COD4 on-line is an unparalleled experience.

Rockband (360, PS3)

Next-gen is a term that is generally used to refer exclusively to high definition graphics. And, yes, HD support is part of the next-gen ethos. But for me, the other thing that has emerged over the past year as being an enormous function of next-gen games is social interaction. The success of Wii Sports has shown that people are willing to compromise a certain level of polish on a game in exchange for an element that has been out of the equation for far too long: fun. What if a game combined the fun of that social interaction, with a dose of high-definition graphical support, combined with some of the coolest game controllers ever created? Well, this year a game did. That game is Rockband. Grab three friends, and you are well on your way to superstardom, even if only in your living room. I also am impressed with the way Harmonix is handling downloadable content. Each week, another batch of songs is made available, so you can customize your playlist to suit the strongpoints of your band.

The Orange Box (360, PS3, PC)

Five games in one package. Sounds simple, right? Hell, last year with Wii Sports (there I go again with that...) it was simple. This year, Valve proved that just because you pack a bunch of games onto one disc, there is no need to make them simple. The greateness of Half-Life 2 (and its subsequent episodes) has already been expounded on by people far more eloquent than myself, so I will leave that as is.  Team Fortress 2 brings some amazing and innovative multiplayer elements to the table, with some fantastic results. But the real star of The Orange Box, the game that'll have people talking for years is Portal. Combining elements of shooters, puzzle games, action titles, and genres that haven't even been named yet, Portal is a revelation.

Super Mario Galaxy (Wii)

No way can Mario compete with the rest of my contenders graphically, or in terms of multiplayer support (hell, if anything, Nintendo would have been better off leaving it as a straight one-player instead of tacking on a useless two-player "game".) No, where Mario shines is in its ingenious and hysterical level design. No other title on the Wii this year can come close to it. Except maybe for...

Metroid Prime 3: Corruption (Wii)

Again, the combination of puzzle and shooter pays off in a big way. Samus Aran returns in this final installment of the Prime trilogy. This is the first game for the Wii since Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess to utilize the Wii-mote to its fullest potential. And, like Twilight Princess, this a title that would never work on any other system. 

Kane and Lynch: Dead Men (360, PS3, PC)

This came up as a potential Game of the Year in the office last week. There is no question: games were released this year with better graphics, with better story, with better, well, everything. However, does naming something "Game of the Year" have to mean the best game of the year? Or, could that term be used to describe the game that will be the most memorable for that year? With the dust from the Gamespot/Gerstmann fiasco still settling, it could be a while before we know the full impact that Kane and Lynch: Dead Men on the industry. For that reason alone, it certainly merits consideration as Game of the Year 2007.

Click here for Sarah's nominees