Topic: 2003 Interactive Achievement Awards Finalists

[PGC-Agent Cooper]

The AIAS drops the list of the finalists.  Metroid Prime, and Animal Crossing up for Game of the Year!  Metroid with record 10 nominations!

ACADEMY OF INTERACTIVE ARTS AND SCIENCES (AIAS) ANNOUNCES FINALISTS FOR 2003 INTERACTIVE ACHIEVEMENT AWARDS

LOS ANGELES, CA – FEBRUARY 4, 2003 – The Academy of Interactive Arts and Sciences today announced finalists for the 2003 Interactive Achievement Awards, which will be held at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, February 27, 2003. The Academy will present awards in 30 craft, console, computer, and online categories. Award highlights include an overall Game of the Year as well as Game of the Year in different genres, and the prestigious Hall of Fame Award.

“Each year we see even more games that demonstrate the innovation, creativity and diversity with which videogames push the envelope of modern entertainment,” said Paul Provenzano, President of the Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences. “It is satisfying to see such an exceptional mix of savvy veteran videogame developers and bold new studios among the finalists.

Metroid® Prime from Nintendo of America Inc. and Retro Studios earned an Interactive Achievement Awards record ten nominations. Several games received six nominations apiece including, Electronic Arts’ Battlefield 1942™, Rockstar Games’ Grand Theft Auto: Vice City, Sony Computer Entertainment of America’s Ratchet and Clank™ and Ubi Soft’s Splinter Cell™. Nintendo of America and Electronic Arts lead the field of videogame publishers with 26 and 25 total nominations respectively.

Finalists for 2003’s Game of the Year include: • Animal Crossing™ for the NINTENDO GAMECUBE™, published by Nintendo of America Inc., developed by Nintendo Co. Ltd.; • Battlefield 1942 for the PC, published by Electronic Arts, developed by Digital Illusions; • Ratchet & Clank for the PlayStation® 2, published by Sony Computer Entertainment America Inc., developed by Insomniac Games; • Metroid Prime for the NINTENDO GAMECUBE, published by Nintendo of America Inc., developed by Retro Studios; • Grand Theft Auto: Vice City for the PlayStation 2, published by Rockstar Games, developed by Rockstar North.

Finalists for 2003’s PC Game of the Year include: • Age of Mythology™, published by Microsoft, developed by Ensemble Studios; • Battlefield 1942, published by Electronic Arts, developed by Digital Illusions; • Medal of Honor Allied Assault™, published by Electronic Arts, developed by 2015 Inc.; • Neverwinter Nights™, published by Infogrames, developed by BioWare; • Warcraft III®: Reign of Chaos, published and developed by Blizzard.

Finalists for 2003’s Console Game of the Year include: • Splinter Cell for the Xbox, published by UbiSoft, developed by UbiSoft Montreal; • Ratchet & Clank for the PlayStation 2, published by Sony Computer Entertainment America Inc., developed by Insomniac Games; • Metroid Prime for the NINTENDO GAMECUBE, published by Nintendo of America Inc., developed by Retro Studios; • Grand Theft Auto: Vice City for the PlayStation 2, published by Rockstar Games, developed by Rockstar North; • Eternal Darkness: Sanity’s Requiem™ for the NINTENDO GAMECUBE, published by Nintendo of America Inc., developed by Silicon Knights; • Animal Crossing for the NINTENDO GAMECUBE, published by Nintendo of America Inc., developed by Nintendo Co. Ltd.

SEGA®’s Yu Suzuki will receive the Academy’s coveted Hall of Fame award.

[Ian Sane]

Ratchet & Clank is nominated for game of the year but not ED or Splinter Cell?!  Huh?  Of course this is the organization that gave SSX Game of the Year 2000 (the year that PD, Majora's Mask, Skies of Arcadia, Chrono Cross, etc were released) so they do make some pretty weird decisions.

It's nice to see Metroid Prime get so many nominations so I think it's a guarantee it'll win something.  I'm hoping for game of the year but then everyone thought GTA3 would win last year and it didn't.  Vice City may win to "make up" for GTA3 not winning last year.

[BlkPaladin]

Well I guess this will put an end to Xbox fans saying that Splinter Cell was going to receive the Game of the Year, since it wasn't even nominated for overall Game of the year. And if Metroid or Animal Crossing takes Game of the Year overall I don't see how the others will be able to take console Game of the Year.

[RickPowers]

Really?  You think so?

Quote
Finalists for 2003’s Console Game of the Year include: • Splinter Cell for the Xbox, published by UbiSoft, developed by UbiSoft Montreal

Game of the Year is Game of the Year, regardless of whether it's console-only or overall.

I am somewhat disappointed by the fact that the very excellent Sly Cooper for PS2 wasn't nominated in the Console category.  I personally think it was better than Ratchet and Clank, so seeing it ignored is disheartening.

["Sky"]

I really enjoyed Sly Cooper thoroughly and found it to be a well designed and most importantly of all, fun platformer (even if it is a bit on the easy side).
I haven't played too much into Racthet and Clank though so I can't really compare

I do think that sometimes the nominations and at times winners are a bit on the odd side... but eh, what can I do about it? Not like it effects my enjoyment any anyway

I do find it odd that only one PC game got nominated for Overall GOTY. I was kinda expecting at least Warcraft III to get up there too.