Game of the Year
Jedi Knight 2: Jedi Outcast. No if's, and's, or buts; this game had me hooked from start to finish. Which is a rare thing for me to do when it comes to gaming...to actually finish the damn thing.
Runner Up: Metroid Prime
First (Third) Person Shooter of the Year
Medal of Honor: Allied Assault. Another early entry in the year that has stood the test of time. Varied missions, realistic wartime combat scenerio's. It left me starving for more, which incidently, has been given an expansion pack.
Runner's up: No One Lives Forever 2 & Metroid Prime
Role Playing Game of the Year
Neverwinter Nights. No questions asked or needed about this one. Another great D&D game with a deeper storyline than what was given to Dungeon Siege. Couple that with a huge potential of expansion via user created modules, this game will be around for several years just like Half-Life.
Runners Up: Wizardry 8
Strategy Game of the Year
Freedom Force. I loved the old school feel of this comic book inspired game. Collecting points to upgrade or create my own superhero. Being able to download more current hero's (like the kick ass Dark Blade). Great fun to be had...which is really weird why this is now priced $20 at most comp/retailers.
Sports Game of the Year
Tony Hawk Pro Skater 3. Old I know, this one gets my pick by default. I've yet to get 4, so 3 stands out...especially (and disappointingly) in comparison to NHL 2003.
Platformer of the Year
Super Mario Sunshine. The only platformer I've played. Metroid could've gotten this, but I consider it a shooter. Saying that though, there's nothing wrong with Sunshine. I dig exploring around, collecting the blue coins, and just wasting time having fun.
Racing/Flying Game of the Year
Grand Theft Auto 3 (PC Edition). Same GTA goodness that racked up the awards last year, but this time with higher resolutions and a customizable mp3 playlist. Absolute joy.
Genre Breaking Game of the Year
Animal Crossing. Part sims, part Harvest Moon. This game is strangely addicting when you pick it up, girlfriend/wife friendly, and charming to boot.
Best Achievement in Graphics
Dungeon Siege. The Siege engine does wonders to immerse you into the game, even with the flaky storyline, and keep you playing long into the night. It's capable of pumping out epic scenery without bringing down your system to it's knees. Just like Metroid Prime, there is no loading time when traversing the huge world created for the game...I still wish for a Middle Earth total conversion (as does Voltes) because it can be done. We have the technology.
Best Achievement in Sound
Medal of Honor: Allied Assault. It's quite startling to load this game up, play any of the missions/theatres of war, and be blown away sonically by the sound of gunfire, heavy artillery, and screams of wounded. Add this sound to a decent set of surround speakers and a EAX enabled soundcard and you'll find yourself in the middle of the fray. The first time I played this cranked up my neighbors complained, thinking I was watching Saving Private Ryan or something. I still boot it up for the D-Day landing missions to counteract their stereo blaring sometimes.
Best Soundtrack
Grand Theft Auto 3 (PC). No, this isn't because of the mp3 capability. The soundtrack included with the game is hilarious enough to warrant listening to. The commercials have that feeling of irreverance that I used to listen to on the old You Don't Know Jack games.
Runner Up: Dungeon Siege. That main theme sticks in my head just as the Legend of Zelda overworld theme...but not as catchy.
Best Game Design
Metroid Prime. I can't think of any game that puts together various elements such as action, exploration, and good old fashioned puzzle solving together in a slick and polished package. It was hard picking between this and Jedi Knight as my GOTY...although the design was here, it didn't grab me as much as Outcast did. A great game that I'm still enjoying.
