Dark Jedi

Hardware

Best video card: NVIDIA GeForce 8800 GT - From what I've been reading recently, it seems like the 8800 GT is the card to own... great performance and a decent price. If I was buying a new board, that'd be what I'd lay my chunk of change on.

Worst video card: ATI Radeon HD 2900 XT - ATI's Radeon HD 2000 line left a lot to be desired, and it did with me as well, owning a 2600 XT briefly and then selling it on in less than a week. It says a lot that I went back and bought one of ATI's previous boards to replace it. But the 2900 XT probably takes the worst video card award, thanks to the "winning" combination of heat and noise we've come to expect from ATI (sorry, keep forgetting it's AMD now).

Best CPU: Intel Core 2 Quad - From what I've observed, the Core 2 Quad is a sure fire winner here, bringing a performance level to the table that AMD simply can't match at present. The Core 2 Duo also deserves a mention here as well, providing great performance at a wallet friendly price, for the most part.

Worst CPU: AMD Phenom series - Not to seem anti-AMD, but this time round, they simply can't compete with Intel, such is the "swings and roundabouts" nature of the CPU market. They may bounce back, but the Phenom has hardly been a "phenomenal" success for AMD.

Best miscellaneous hardware: The iPhone... Teehee, only joking. Nothing comes to mind for this particular category for me. (Well, I could say the PlayStation 3, but certain individuals would take great pleasure in ridiculing me for it. So I won't say it).  (I think you just did!! - Ed.)

Gaming

Game of the year: I'll start here by saying I haven't had the chance to play many of this year's new releases (sad, but true), as my gaming time has been occupied with World of Warcraft and its expansion. However, the demo for Bioshock impressed me immensely, and I still hope to buy the finished article at some point.

Turkey of the year: One new title I did buy, however, was Pro Evolution Soccer 2008 for the PlayStation 3. Guess what? It's a total disaster, and Konami have even admitted as much. Slowdown galore, bugs ahoy, and one severely let down PES fan, especially after last year's PES6 abomination for the Xbox 360 I had the misfortune to buy. Needless to say, I no longer own PES2008 for the PS3.

Community

Soap opera of the year: Tough one for me this year, as I haven't been around as much as I'd like, thanks to work and WoW commitments... but dear old demented Poppi re-appearing to have another pop at Digi stands out for me as a memorable soap opera. That, and Neighbours on account of Paul Robinson losing his memory.

Vapourware of the year: Like Jol, I was gonna file Duke Nukem Forever here... however, then that teaser trailer appeared. After the brief nostalgic moment (everything faded to black and white, y'know), I filed it back under vapourware as the trailer was a total disaster, leaving me hoping they never release this game.

Elite Bastards Personality of the year: I can't pick just one, so I'll give several honourable mentions instead. First off, Hanners for, well, everything. The man is a reviewing machine, and he also bankrolls this fair site that we all enjoy so much... job's a good 'un, Andy. Quinn and Jollemi also deserve a mention as well, for putting up with me most of the time, even when I'm a pain in the ass. Also, Quinny gave us these shiny new forums as well. Last, but by no means least, dear old Nathan, PenguinJim. It's been a while due to my lack of participation at IRC as well, but you remain as entertaining an individual as ever. One other person to thank, and that's mindriot for the contribution made to the Dr Who thread, good job.

Miscellaneous

Album of the year: Ummm... music isn't my thing. Well, new music, at any rate. I did pick up both volumes of Chronicles, by CCR... quality group, quality music.

TV Series of the year: I have two shows that deserve a mention here, firstly the latter half of season 10 of Stargate SG-1. A fitting swansong for the this wonderful series, and for once, a final episode of a series that didn't piss me off in some way. Secondly, Doctor Who (surprise, surprise) - The third series was absolutely terrific, many improvements over the patchy 2nd season. The first really good two-parter in the shape of Human Nature/Family of Blood, a cracking tale in the form of Blink, and the great final few episodes with the return of the Master.

Best thing of the year: Being alive and well, plus watching Elite Bastards continue to grow and flourish.

So, there you have it, our picks for 2007.  If you want to have a heated argument over our selections, then you can do so in our forums.  Thanks for reading, and we look forward to seeing you all again in 2008!