Half Life 2

Half Life 2 is the Game of the Year.

Not Doom 3. Not Far Cry.and no, not even Halo2 or GTA:San Andreas.

HL2 is stunning, not only in terms of gameplay and graphics but also its performance across different PC systems. From an ATI 9800 Pro to an integrated card, HL2 delivers the goods. The Source engine runs fully optimized in HL2, unlike Troika's almost great RPG Vampire:Bloodlines , fully immersing the player in the world of Gordon Freeman. Another observation is that the world sounds and weapon sounds are much stronger than Doom 3, not to mention the fantastic musical scores that really pump up the mood.

Here are some screenshots taken from my Athlon 2100XP/ATI Radeon 9200 Atlantis running the bronze pack (ATI bundled) of Half Life 2, authenticated thru Valve's Steam service.