Making a dozen "best of" lists doesn't matter if your game doesn't sell. The staff and the rent can't be paid with kudos. Fortunately for some developers, you can combine critical acclaim with mass appeal and healthy sales.

Such is the case with Epic Games' Gears of War. It was one of two original games to make the NPD's top ten sellers list (the other being Brain Age for the DS) with over a million units shifted in '06 and USA Today's so-called "breakout hit."

The rest of the chart is packed to the gills with sequels and annual updates—New Super Mario Bros., Final Fantasy XII, Madden NFL 07— but Gears stands out as the hyped-up sales hero of the year. Read on for the inspiration behind the game with copious amounts of industry congratulatory backslapping. Michael McWhertor

'Gears of War' breaks out for Xbox [USA Today]