AIAS Winners from D.I.C.E.!

by Jonathan Metts - February 27, 2003, 10:03 pm EST
Total comments: 24

Find out what games on Nintendo systems won awards tonight at the "Oscars" of gaming.

Billy just phoned in from Las Vegas with a live update on the Academy of Interactive Arts and Sciences award winners. Following is a list of all winners that have appeared or will soon appear on GameCube or GBA.

Console Game of the Year - Splinter Cell

Handheld Game of the Year - Metroid Fusion

First-Person Action Game of the Year - Metroid Prime

Role-Playing Game of the Year - Animal Crossing

Sports Game of the Year - Madden NFL 2003

Racing Game of the Year - Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit 2

Family Title of the Year - Mario Party 4

Innovation in Console Gaming - Animal Crossing

Outstanding Achievement in Character and Story - Eternal Darkness

Outstanding Achievement in Game Design - Animal Crossing

Outstanding Achievement in Gameplay Engineering - Splinter Cell

Outstanding Achievement in Visual Engineering - The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers

Outstanding Achievement in Original Music Composition - Medal of Honor: Frontline

Outstanding Achievement in Sound Design: Medal of Honor: Frontline

The big winner from Nintendo is Animal Crossing, racking up three awards, including RPG of the Year over games like Final Fantasy X and Suikoden 3.

PRESS RELEASE

Nintendo Scores Big at the AIAS Awards

You already know that, of course, but Nintendo wants to go on and make it all official.

Nintendo Sweeps Major Awards Ceremony

Seven Top Awards; Wins Demonstrate Innovation Still Captures Gamers' Hearts

LAS VEGAS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Feb. 28, 2003-- In a city known for high stakes wins, Nintendo walked away with seven major coveted awards for superior achievement in the multi-billion dollar video game entertainment business at the 2003 Interactive Achievement Awards at the Hard Rock Hotel in Las Vegas.

The gala ceremony, held by the Academy of Interactive Arts and Sciences (AIAS), is attended by the industry's elite and is the one annual event where creators are recognized for their works of art and voted on by their peers.

Despite the stiff competition -- many of them top-selling games -- it was clear by the votes that Nintendo's continued ability to innovate and create new ways of experiencing gaming is still held in the highest regard.

Nintendo's Animal Crossing(TM) for the Nintendo GameCube(TM), earned three awards, including: 'Innovation in Console Gaming;' 'Console RPG Game of the Year;' and 'Outstanding Achievement in Game Design.' In addition, AIAS honored Metroid® Prime, also for Nintendo GameCube, in the 'First Person Action Game of the Year' category. Mario Party® 4 a hysterical multi-player game, won 'Family Game of the Year,' and Eternal Darkness(TM): Sanity's Requiem, the first true psychological thriller, received the 'Outstanding Achievement in Character or Story' award. In the portable category, Metroid Fusion blasted its way to 'Handheld Game of the Year.'

"As an artist, the only way I know how to make a great game is to go by my intuition and heart," explains Nintendo's Shigeru Miyamoto, the world's renowned video game master and senior managing director of all software for the company. "To win over and over in just one evening stunned our whole team. We're overwhelmed."

Nintendo takes extra pride in the recognition of its second-party development partners, Retro Studios of Austin, Texas, developer of Metroid Prime; and Silicon Knights of Ontario, Canada, developer of Eternal Darkness: Sanity's Requiem. Both titles are exclusive to Nintendo GameCube and earned critical acclaim in a variety of print and online publications during 2002.

Nintendo took home seven total awards out of its 26 total nominations. It was beaten only by Electronic Arts, who took 13 of its 30 nominations, including the 2002 Game of the Year Award, Battlefield 1942 for the PC.

PRESS RELEASE

The Sixth Annual Interactive Achievement Awards

We're back from D.I.C.E., but there is still a lot of content on its way this weekend. We'll start off with the complete list of award winners.

THE VIDEO GAMES INDUSTRY NAMES THE BEST OF THE BEST:

ACADEMY OF INTERACTIVE ARTS AND SCIENCES’ SIXTH ANNUAL INTERACTIVE ACHIEVEMENT AWARDS PRESENTED IN LAS VEGAS

Electronic Arts Receives Record 13 Awards including Computer Game of the Year for Battlefield 1942; SEGA®’s Yu Suzuki Wins Hall of Fame Award

LAS VEGAS, NV – FEBRUARY 28, 2003 – The Academy of Interactive Arts and Sciences presented Interactive Achievement Awards in 30 craft, console, and online categories, at a star-studded event last night at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas. Electronic Arts was the big winner with a record 13 awards.

Battlefield 1942, published by Electronic Arts and developed by Digital Illusions, took home the most awards, a total of four, including Game of the Year, Computer Game of the Year, Innovation in Computer Gaming, and Online Gameplay of the Year. Animal Crossing, published by Nintendo of America and developed by Nintendo Co. Ltd., received the next highest number of awards, a total of three, including Innovation in Console Gaming, Console Role-Playing Game of the Year, and Outstanding Achievement in Game Design. Overall, Nintendo received a very impressive seven awards.

“These awards are important because they represent the industry’s picks of the top video games from an amazing field of innovation and creativity,” said Paul Provenzano, President of the Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences. “This year’s winners represent a bold and diverse group of games that illustrate how our industry continues to be a pre-eminent force in entertainment.”

SEGA®’s Yu Suzuki, known as a forefather of console video gaming, won the Academy’s coveted Hall of Fame Award.

The Academy of Interactive Arts and Sciences Interactive Achievement Award winners include (in alphabetical order):

Computer Action Game of the Year – 2002

Grand Theft Auto III

Publisher: Rockstar Games

Developer: Rockstar North

Computer First Person Action Game of the Year – 2002

Medal of Honor: Allied Assault

Publisher: Electronic Arts

Developer: 2015 Inc.

Computer Game of the Year – 2002

Battlefield 1942

Publisher: Electronic Arts

Developer: Digital Illusions

Computer Role Playing Game of the Year – 2002

Neverwinter Nights

Publisher: Infogrames

Developer: Bioware

Computer Simulation Game of the Year – 2002

The Sims Unleashed

Publisher: Electronic Arts

Developer: EA Maxis

Computer Sports Game of the Year – 2002

Madden NFL 2003

Publisher: Electronic Arts

Developer: EA Tiburon

Computer Strategy Game of the Year – 2002

Warcraft III: Reign of Chaos

Publisher: Blizzard Entertainment

Developer: Blizzard Entertainment

Console Action Adventure Game of the Year – 2002

Grand Theft Auto: Vice City

Publisher: Rockstar Games

Developer: Rockstar North

Console Fighting Game of the Year – 2002

Tekken 4

Publisher: Namco

Developer: Namco

Console First Person Action Game of the Year – 2002

Metroid Prime

Publisher: Nintendo of America

Developer: Retro Studios

Console Game of the Year – 2002

Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell

Publisher: Ubi Soft

Developer: Ubi Soft Montreal

Console Platform Action Adventure Game of the Year – 2002

Ratchet & Clank

Publisher: Sony Computer Entertainment America

Developer: Insomniac Games

Console Racing Game of the Year – 2002

Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit 2

Publisher: Electronic Arts

Developer: EA Black Box

Console Role Playing Game of the Year – 2002

Animal Crossing

Publisher: Nintendo of America

Developer: Nintendo Co. Ltd.

Console Sports Game of the Year – 2002

Madden NFL 2003

Publisher: Electronic Arts

Developer: EA Tiburon

Family Game of the Year – 2002

Mario Party 4

Publisher: Nintendo of America

Developer: Hudson Soft Co. Ltd.

Game of the Year – 2002

Battlefield 1942

Publisher: Electronic Arts

Developer: Digital Illusions

Hall of Fame Award

Yu Suzuki, SEGA

Handheld Game of the Year – 2002

Metroid Fusion

Publisher: Nintendo of America

Developer: Nintendo Co. Ltd.

Innovation in Computer Gaming – 2002

Battlefield 1942

Publisher: Electronic Arts

Developer: Digital Illusions

Innovation in Console Gaming – 2002

Animal Crossing

Publisher: Nintendo of America

Developer: Nintendo Co. Ltd.

Massively Multiplayer / Persistent World Game of the Year – 2002

The Sims Online

Publisher: Electronic Arts

Developer: EA MAXIS

Online Gameplay Game of the Year – 2002

Battlefield 1942

Publisher: Electronic Arts

Developer: Digital Illusions

Outstanding Achievement in Animation – 2002

Sly Cooper and the Thievius Raccoonus

Publisher: Sony Computer Entertainment America

Developer: Sucker Punch

Outstanding Achievement in Art Direction – 2002

Sly Cooper and the Thievius Raccoonus

Publisher: Sony Computer Entertainment America

Developer: Sucker Punch

Outstanding Achievement in Character or Story – 2002

Eternal Darkness: Sanity’s Requiem

Publisher: Nintendo of America

Developer: Silicon Knights

Outstanding Achievement in Game Design – 2002

Animal Crossing

Publisher: Nintendo of America

Developer: Nintendo Co. Ltd.

Outstanding Achievement in Gameplay Engineering – 2002

Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell

Publisher: Ubi Soft

Developer: Ubi Soft Montreal

Outstanding Achievement in Original Music Composition – 2002

Medal of Honor: Frontline

Publisher: Electronic Arts

Developer: EALA

Outstanding Achievement in Sound Design – 2002

Medal of Honor: Frontline

Publisher: Electronic Arts

Developer: EALA

Outstanding Achievement in Visual Engineering – 2002

Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers

Publisher: Electronic Arts

Developer: Stormfront Studios

The Interactive Achievement Awards, which were held during the annual D.I.C.E. Summit (Design, Innovate, Communicate, Entertain), were hosted by comedian and actor Dave Foley, best known as the star of the long-running NBC comedy series, News Radio. Among the awards presenters were extreme sports personality Tony Hawk; multi-sensory performance troupe Blue Man Group; actress Kelly Hu, star of the upcoming X2, the sequel to the blockbuster film X-Men; Kristen Dalton, star of USA’s hit Sci-Fi The Dead Zone; Kristina Anapau, star of the VH-1 Original movie, They Shoot Divas, Don’t They?; and Mike Metzger, the undisputed pioneer of freestyle motocross. The show also featured a special musical performance by the recording act, Unwritten Law.

G4, the TV network all about video games, will air a one-hour special on the Interactive Achievement Awards.

Talkback

ArtVandelayFebruary 27, 2003

Aren't all of those available for Gamecube, or soon will be? We slaughtered, even if they aren't all exclusives. Ah, it's times like these that make me proud to be a Cube owner.

Grey NinjaFebruary 27, 2003

Aw bloody hell. As if Metroid Prime didn't win console game of the year. Ah well, Nintendo still cleaned house, and Splinter Cell is coming to GameCube anyway.

I am very pleased to see Eternal Darkness on the list though. It definately belongs there.

Grey NinjaFebruary 27, 2003

Hmmm.... it seems I can't edit my posts in this part of the forum?

Anyways, what I was trying to edit my post to say was: Art, you are absolutely right. Every one of those games is available for GameCube, or is coming shortly. Definately a plus for Nintendo any way you look at it. We can now say that Nintendo has the best games, and have the proof to back it up.

Perfect CellFebruary 27, 2003

Sigh, while Nintendo did get a bunch of awards, im disapointed that MP didnt win Overall GOTY.

MingesiumFebruary 27, 2003

Let me get this straight. Metroid Prime only got 1 out of 10 awards. I'm happy for Animal Crossing and Eternal Darkness, but I'm really disappointed Prime didn't have more.

KaiFebruary 27, 2003

I would be interested to see which games won in other catagories, if someone knows and can be bothered typing the results up.

WindyManSteven Rodriguez, Staff AlumnusFebruary 27, 2003

Battlefield 1942 was the overall game of the year for the PC, for those that are curious.

And I do believe I said that Mario Sunshine wouldn't win anything this year. I was right.

RahXephonFebruary 27, 2003

I cant believe prime didnt do better. That hurts me deeply deeply. I really would have like to see more prime. I am gonna crawl into fetal position from sadness.

Jonnyboy117Jonathan Metts, Associate EditorFebruary 27, 2003

This is not the complete list of winners. We intentionally only posted the winners that have or will appear on GameCube. I think the article states that quite clearly...

KaiFebruary 27, 2003

It's great that Animal Crossing won such recognition, but it amazes me that one of the most seminal games of the year on the GameCube, the game I purchased my GameCube to play, has never been released in Pal format, even in the most generic of terms (eg, without localised holidays)

People say that localised holidays are what makes Animal Crossing incredible, and to an extent I would agree, however imaginary holidays would be better than playing the US version with free-loader or import Cube.

It's too bad that Metroid Prime didn't win more. Although I haven't had a chance to play it yet, it still isn't out where I live, it looks fantastic.

What did win platformer of the year? Ratchet and Clank?

RickPowersRick Powers, Staff AlumnusFebruary 27, 2003

I am just FLOORED that Animal Crossing got RPG of the year. I suppose that when it comes right down to it, Animal Crossing is more of a real "role playing" game than what we might normally consider for the genre. Still, quite a surprise.

Grey NinjaFebruary 27, 2003

Yeah, I was pretty shocked about that myself. I am SO glad that nothing with Final Fantasy or Hearts in the title won that though.

nolimit19February 27, 2003

i sensed that animal crossing would take rpg of the year, but i am pretty annoyed with splitter cell winning console game of the year. reviews from most major sites seemed to agree prime was better......who the fick votes for this stuff anyways?

BishmanFebruary 27, 2003

I am pretty glad AC did well.

"Sky"February 27, 2003

I'm quite in shock at some of the winners... and I'm quite confused how Splinter Cell would win Console Game of the Year but yet not get nominated for Overall Game of the Year

The Animal Crossing awards is definitely the biggest shocker for me though. Innovation I really expected, but RPG and Game Design is something I didn't expect Animal Crossing to win in.

I'm also quite curious how The Two Towers won on Visual Engineering as well... I really wouldn't call it a technical masterpiece when it comes to visuals... unless the clips from the movies helped to sway the decision

BlkPaladinFebruary 27, 2003

What won overall game of the year?

theblindtreeFebruary 27, 2003

Ah, Metroid Prime...the Susan Lucci of videogames.

I'm not upset about the results, but they do seem quite shocking. Seriously, is anybody else confused why MP won First Person Action Game of the Year, but BF1942 won Overall Game of the Year? Just my opinion, but that seems...backwards. That said, I think all of the developers should be very proud of their achievements, as we look forward to seeing more from them in the future.

PS. Way to go Animal Crossing and Eternal Darkness! Where can I find the complete list of winners?

joshnickersonFebruary 28, 2003

Hmmm, does this mean we'll be seeing those little stickers saying "Winner Of" on Animal Crossing and Metroid boxes, like Nintendo did in the N64 days for Ocarina and Goldeneye?

KulockFebruary 28, 2003

Hm, I know this isn't the full list... but I pretty much agree with all the choices here, sounds like a reasonable list. Does anyone have a link to the full list of winners?

Ian SaneFebruary 28, 2003

"I'm quite confused how Splinter Cell would win Console Game of the Year but yet not get nominated for Overall Game of the Year."

Same here. Any sort of logic would dictate any console game that was nominated for overall game of the year is "better" than any console game that wasn't. I guess Splinter Cell should have been nominated for overall game. Personally I'm just happy that Vice City didn't win. It still seems pretty odd for a game to be nominated for ten awards and only win one. Of course ever since SSX won game of the year I've questioned the merit of the awards anyway.

Interesting coincedence: two years in a row the widely considered game of the year lost out to a hyped up Xbox title. If Zelda loses to Halo 2 conspiracy theories are going to start coming up.

uwvarkFebruary 28, 2003

I'm just confused it won over MP. I mean I have them both and they are both great games and all but SC was nothing compared to MP. How many tactical stealth games are there? Okay now how many games like MP? Hmm-mm

DjunknownFebruary 28, 2003

For those wanting a Complete list of the AIAS winners, go to Gamespot.com in the News section. Interesting results is all I can say.

KaiMarch 01, 2003

PS2 fanatics, who critisise the GameCube for not having any good RPG's, are amazed that Animal Crossing won best RPG....while Nintendo fans lose out in the best platformer to Ratchet and Clank, I fully realise that this doesn't mean must for for the big picture per se, but it's kind of interesting.

reyontoyenyMarch 01, 2003

I love the Medal of Honor Fronline scores. I'm glad it won. It deserved it.

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