We've concluded our inaugural end of the year awards, which featured the best-of-the-best in massively multiplayer online gaming. Read more to find out which title won our Game of the Year!

FIRST PLACE: Aion

There is just no denying the success of Aion. While the game did launch earlier in Asia (and picked up millions of subscribers at that!), their North American launch was still fairly smooth in comparison to other newly launched MMORPGs in the past few years. As far as beautiful MMORPGs go, Aion is also a powerhouse in its category, and if anyone has seen the "Aion Vision Trailer" to see where NCsoft hopes to one day take their budding MMO, then it's easy to understand just how graphically immersive Aion can really be. While Aion may be considered somewhat of a more 'classic' approach to MMO gaming, its introduction of "The Abyss," where players can engage in constant PvPvE action, and its unique addition of flight combat have also set this MMO apart from its classic roots. Aion gets ZAM's nod for best new MMORPG of 2009 because it does a great job of blending old and new MMO content together, all the while showing off their unparalleled graphics and fiercely competitive gameplay.


SECOND PLACE: Champions Online

Cryptic's Champions Online is definitely a powerhouse MMO, and they've done a great job of showing what they're capable of. The character creation in Champions Online is second to none, and players and critics alike have been known to spend hour upon hour fiddling with the Champion Creator just to make their latest Superhero perfect. Not only this, but Champions Online employs a much faster paced combat system that feels, and plays, like a classic action beat 'em up. Perhaps the only downfall of Champions Online, however, is that it just doesn't have a lot of content to offer out the gate, and the plethora of superpowers that come in the early level range of 1-10 end up slowing down significantly as players level up, with a new power coming only once every three levels. Of course, with new content constantly being churned out by Cryptic, there is no doubt in our mind that Champions Online will do just fine in the future.

THIRD PLACE: Fallen Earth

Icarus Studios' Fallen Earth is one of the first attempts at creating a true post-apocalyptic MMORPG. Combining first-person shooter elements with various MMO aspects, Fallen Earth is highly ambitious in its scope. While it can get frustrating to be forced to smack things with a wooden plank because you're low on bullets, this MMO does a fantastic job of immersing the player in realism. Fallen Earth gets our nod as a third place for Best New MMO because of its ambitious take on the post-apocalyptic MMORPG and its unique approach to the MMO genre in general. Fallen Earth dared to stray far away from the well beaten path of MMOs, and this innovation has served it well!