The Envelope please"

Seems like all types of voting produced close contests this year. At least in the game industry, the reason is that there were so many top games released in 2000, and late 1999, that made the list of nominees. There were even a few ties in various categories.

This year also found console games of various platforms and PC games going head to head in some categories. Perhaps this speaks to the convergence occurring in the industry, or perhaps it just means that a good game is a good game, whether it's on the PlayStation, Dreamcast, Nintendo or PC.

Here are the winners as chosen by you, the readers of Game Industry News. Thanks to everyone who made their vote count. We hope you find one, or many, of your favorite games in this list. It truly is an exceptional slate of titles.

Educational Game of the Year Mia 2: Romaine's New Hat - Kutoka Interactive Two things really make Mia 2: Romaine's New Hat stand out. First, the game actually teaches science, which normally is difficult for an Educational title. The genre is mostly reserved for reading and basic math skill drills. Secondly, the game is simply beautiful, and is every bit as good looking as non-educational titles produced this year. If Kutoka keeps up this impressive record of titles, then children are going to continue flocking to Mia for some time to come. See our Review.

Family Entertainment Game of the Year Gromada - Buka Entertainment/Bethesda Softworks Truly the dark horse candidate in the category, Gromada went on to beat such popular titles as "The Sims" expansion packs and "Who Wants to be a Millionaire?" Gromada is in the Family Entertainment category because there is no age requirement for the title. Children can learn the simple controls just as easily as adults, and although there are explosions, nobody except robots actually gets hurt in the game. For those used to console-type games or those that are not familiar with gaming on the PC, this is an excellent gateway game. The graphics are impressive, yet the simple gameplay keeps you coming back for more. See our Review.

Action Game of the Year Diablo II - Blizzard Not many games come with jaw-dropping opening sequences anymore. Thankfully, Diablo II breaks the mold. We've seen people load the game just to watch the in-game movies. They are every bit as good as a Hollywood animated movie. Once you get into the gameplay, it's non-stop action as you slice and dice and magically singe opponents of every shape and size. This is a very difficult game to walk away from once you start playing. And when you are done, you can bump up the difficulty and play again and again, in either single or multiplayer. Diablo II is devilishly good. See our Review.

Adventure Game of the Year The Blair Witch Volume 1: Rustin Parr - Terminal Reality/GoD If there were a category for best movie tie-in, The Blair Witch Volume 1: Rustin Parr would also be the winner. What the game development folks have done is taken the Blair Witch legend, and the two movies, and made a series of games (this one was the first of three) that puts players at ground zero. The series uses the Nocturne engine, yet is made to coddle inexperienced gamers without getting too much in the way of experienced pros. It is creepy, and will make you afraid of things that go bump in the night, just like the hit movies. See our Review.

Arcade Game of the Year Crazy Taxi - Sega of Japan Starting out in the arcades, Crazy Taxi zoomed onto the Sega Dreamcast and became a top title. Stunt driving is all part of the game as you race your taxi around town trying to get riders to their destination, racing through outdoor restaurants, up one-way streets in the wrong direction and across city parks. It's mindless fun, as all arcade games should be, and one wild ride. See our Review.

Puzzle Game of the Year (tie - 1st title) Lemmings Revolution - Take 2 Interactive/Psygnosis/TalonSoft Lemmings Revolution takes a classic game like Lemmings and brings it to the next level. All those cute lemmings are still around, yet now they must assault a 3D puzzle environment where every step is deadly. This new twist on an old classic propels Lemmings Revolution to an instant classic in its own right. See our Review.

Puzzle Game of the Year (tie - 2nd title) Traitors Gate - Daydream/Dreamcatcher Traitors Gate on the other hand, is a hyper-realistic caper that puts you in charge of breaking into the heavily guarded tower of London. Created using hundreds of actual photographs, you are tasked with stealing the crown jewels. Doing this will require skill and puzzle solving, as well as quite a bit of stealth. This puzzle game has the feel and the tension of a shooter, yet uses a beautiful slideshow interface as you travel through the famous towers. See our Review.

Real Time Strategy Game of the Year Ground Control - Massive Entertainment/Sierra Studios Ground Control is a beautiful strategy game. The terrain is so well detailed, right down to fireflies in the tall grass, that you might forget that there is an enemy out there trying to blast you into powder. There are two armies in the game, and if you go through all the single-player missions, you will get to play them both. If you master the single player game, you could still be in for a world of pain when you go toe-to-toe with humans in multiplayer mode. The battles are on a scale that players can control, and focus on strategy, something often lost in the RTS market. See our Review.

Role Playing Game of the Year Baldur's Gate II - Bioware/Black Isle/Interplay Baldur's Gate II, with its 100+ hours of playtime, is about the best deal going for PC gamers and role-playing game fans. Characters interact with one another within your party - and sometimes don't like each other - all the while you are going on quest after non-linear side quest searching for that quintessential super villain. Just when you think you have met your goals, you are treated to a Hitchcock-like plot twist and have to readjust. Prepare yourself to be lost in this game for weeks or even months if you dare start playing. See our Review.

Shooter Game of the Year Quake 3 Arena - Sega/id Quake 3 Arena, originally a PC bastion, has been given new life on the Sega Dreamcast. Other than not looking quite as impressive as on the PC, the console version is nearly identical. What vaults Quake 3 Arena to the top this year is that on the console platform, everyone is equal. There are no fast connection gods to compete against. It's just a fun fragfest, where only your skill can get you to the top of the heap. See our Review.

Simulation Game of the Year Aerowings 2 - CRI/Crave Entertainment Although a close race, Aerowings 2 beat the competition, trashing the PC classic Flying Heroes by just a few votes. Aerowings 2 is a brilliantly made sequel to the acrobatic flying title that was the original. This time, the planes are armed with weapons. You can still do all the acrobatic flying of the original, but this time you life might depend on it. See our Review.

Sports Game of the Year NFL2K1 - Sega Sports/Visual Concepts This game alone could keep the Sega Dreamcast performing as a top console contender throughout 2001. For sports fans, there is nothing better than multiplayer football, be it in your living room with friends, or over the Internet beating fans of teams you hate. The graphics are incredible, and the AI is quite adept at learning your moves and countering them. Of course with a human opponent anything goes, as it does in the real game. This game could actually be better than the real thing. See our Review.

Turn-based Strategy Game of the Year Disciples: Sacred Lands - Strategy First/Infogrames For those who enjoy more simple combat, the turn-based genre still beckons. Disciples puts you in charge of one of four medieval-like fantasy armies, and forces you to capture cities and create armies. A hero must guide each army, so you have incentive to keep both your armies and your ever-powerful heroes safe from harm, all the while having to challenge your opponents. It's a tactical general's dream, and the game can be played at your own pace. See our Review.

Best Overall Environment Nox - Westwood Studios/EA Nox has been called Diablo junior, but really, it survives on its own quite well. The environment of Nox is one of humor, and it is that humor more than anything else that will keep you coming back for more. Why just slay a troll when in Nox you can watch them topple over, pass gas, and turn into a noxious cloud? Even the cut scenes are funny, and add to an overall environment that is a joy to experience. It also sports solid gameplay mixed in with all the funny stuff. See our Review.

Game Soundtrack of the Year Space Channel 5 - United Game Artists/Sega Space Channel 5 taking the soundtrack category was no surprise. After all, the game is basically one big soundtrack. Where else can you zap aliens by making your cutie hero gal keep the beat? Thankfully, the music she dances to is quite good, and should make you tap your own feet while playing. See our Review.

Most Innovative Game of the Year MTV Music Generator - Jester Interactive/Codemasters The make-your-own-music at home attitude was prevailing all over in 2000 with MP3s, garage bands and mix masters strutting their stuff. That made it a perfect time for MTV Music Generator, a program that lets you create your own music right on your PC and Sony Playstation. Whether you make award-winning sound or just a lot of noise is up to you, but with the Music Generator engine, you have the potential to make some great stuff. See our Review.

Online Game of the Year Quake 3 Arena - Sega/id Quake 3 Arena swept a second category this year because of the high number of fans playing the game online. We sat in on a couple of matches, and found that on the console system, skill really does matter. There are no low-ping gods, just a lot of good players using skill and practice to beat their opponents. Truly, this is a fun multiplayer experience for people of all skill levels. See our Review.

Peripheral of the Year (tie - 1st product) Razor Boomslang - Karma The Razor Boomslang is a mouse made by gamers for gamers. The mouse is extra sensitive and even has more grooves for the mouse wheel, so a click gets you a lot further than a standard wheel. In our tests, the Razor meant higher scores on nearly every game. No game computer system should be without one. See our Review.

Peripheral of the Year (tie - 2nd product) S4 7100 Speaker System - MidiLand The S4 7100 is a speaker system that adds sound to your fury. It has five satellite speakers, with voice data going to the center channel. It gives you true 3D sound, with the rear speakers reproducing sound coming from behind within the game environment. And the subwoofer can literally blow you away. Serious gamers only need apply. See our Review.

Console Game of the Year Shenmue - AM2 of CRI/Sega It is truly a joy when a game can create an entire new genre. What is Shenmue? Is it a role-playing game, a fighter or something else? You play a kid in Japan in 1986, looking for the killer of your father. You interact in a 3D environment, fighting when you are forced to defend yourself. You meet people in the city where you live, work, play computer games in the arcade - all reproduced in their entirety - and generally act like a normal 80s generation youngster. Yet there is a dark undertone to the game, and always the hint that something sinister could happen. It will keep you on the edge of your seat. As Shenmue is supposed to be part one of 16 games, expect to hear a lot more about this series. See our Review.

PC Game of the Year Baldur's Gate II - Bioware/Black Isle/Interplay Last year industry pundits said it was the year of the role-playing game, but Baldur's Gate II proves that this RPG trend was not a flash in the pan. Baldur's Gate II has the epic storyline of the original, but now with new eye-popping graphics, spell effects and characters. And those old favorite friends (and enemies) also show up in one form or another. Expect to spend weeks or months playing this game, gaining power and making your mark on the game world. Whether you are good or evil, you are in for quite a treat in this deadly, intense title that is every bit as good as a thriller novel, and every bit as fun as any other game you can play on the PC this year. See our Review.

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