A few days ago you saw what the readers of Cube-Europe voted as the best games of 2002, as well as the best (and worst) developers and an assortment of other technical awards. Today you get the see what our Staff named as their best games of the year.

Best Games of 2002

1. Super Mario Sunshine

Mario's Gamecube adventure has the privilege of not only being Cube-Europe Readers' Game of 2002 but Cube-Europe Staff Game of 2002. The game is a big ball of bubbly fun, demanding intense skill and infesting fevered imagination. Is it lacking in the genius that honoured previous installments? Debatable. But what isn't is the sheer quality of Sunshine. Like it's name, it's bright, warm and will leave you beaming.

Runners-Up

2. Eternal Darkness

Eternal Darkness second too? Seems a bit familiar, I guess we're just in synch with our readers (our something like that). Silicon Knights' gem is wonderfully captivating, a game that delves inside your head and messes with your mind.

3. Resident Evil

After applying the Gamecube brush to the PS' Resident Evil, Capcom have upped the terror level and moulded one bee-aut-tiful game. We still hate those irritating little niggles from the past, but RE offers some top stuff to be had.

4. Super Smash Bros Melee
5. Super Monkey Ball
6. Timesplitters 2
7. Pikmin
8. Wave Race: Blue Storm
9. Mario Party 4
10. Starfox Adventures

Best Developer - Nintendo

To be honest, some of us were hoping for a revolution or two from Ninty with Gamecube, but although we only got some evolutions we're happy with Luigis Mansion, Mario Sunshine, Smash Bros and the rest.

Runners-Up

2. Silicon Knights
3. Free Radical Design

Worst Developer - Acclaim

They sure as hell made some piss-poor games but special mention must go to the barmy marketing department. Changing your name to Turok? What were they on?

Runners-Up

2. Electronic Arts
Joint-3rd. Rare & Konami

Disappointment Of The Year - Starfox Adventures

Hands up who else here thought Starfox Adventures would be fantastic? Come on, be honest. That's more like it. We expected a masterpiece, we got plain average.

Runners-Up

2. Turok Evolution
3. Mario Party 4

Surprise Of The Year - Pikmin

Pikmin was greeted with a rather muted reception when we all first saw it. But for the us who actually had the joy of sampling Pikmin, it was definitely surprisingly good.

Runners-Up

2. Timesplitters 2
3. Lost Kingdoms

Best Use Of Graphics - Resident Evil

So then, how do you make a game that has been scaring a whole generation, and make it scarier? Well, you take it, sit it down and beat it to a bloody pulp with your magic 'sparkly visuals' shovel.

Runners-Up

2. Starfox Adventures
3. Super Smash Bros Melee

Best Use Of Sound - Resident Evil

What's behind that corner? Where's that groaning coming from? Is that shepherds pie in my pants? Little terrifies us than playing RE at 2 in the morning with the lights off and the sound up full.

Joint Runners-Up

2. Star Wars Rogue Leader
2. Super Smash Bros Melee

Over-Rated Game Of The Year - Smash Bros Melee

With Nintendo's monstrous hype behind Smash Bros (it was, of course, their flagship title for Gamecube in it's infancy) it was only natural that a few got caught up in the whole thing.

Joint-Runners-Up

2. Super Mario Sunshine
2. Timesplitters 2

Under-Rated Game Of the Year - Lost Kingdoms

Alas, Lost Kingdoms befell a similar fate to that of Pikmin. It didn't have the flashy graphics or wild, innovative RPG features. It was just a good game, but not everyone realised this.

Joint-Runners-Up

2. Pikmin
2. Mario Party 4

Worst Game Of The Year - Universal Studios

Note to Kemco: picking up rubbish is not fun. And neither is playing shoddy, smelly, stinking software. The only fun you can have with it is laughing at the notion that the developers expected it to sell a copy.

Joint-Runners-Up

2. Turok Evolution
3. 007: Agent Under Fire

Thanks for joining us. See you next year.

By Conor