The GiN Game of the Year Awards

With heated voting right down to the wire, it's obvious that 2001 was a great year for computer games. Many innovative titles were released on various platforms, and even some new platforms were created. Congratulations to all the nominees and winners.

If any winning company would like high-resolution art of the winner button suitable for use in advertising or as a button on your box, simply e-mail editor@gameindustry.com and request it.

So, you have waited long enough. Lets get right to the winners as chosen by the readers of Game Industry News.

Action Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty - Konami The Action Game of the Year is Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty, published by Konami. With wonderful graphics that really push the PlayStation 2 all the way to the limit, Sons of Liberty is not only a great sequel, but also a solid game in its own right. All through the development cycle, people and the press were fawning over this title, and rightfully so. See our Review.

Adventure The Longest Journey - Funcom The Adventure Game of the Year is The Longest Journey, published by Funcom. The Longest Journey is one of those games that makes you just sit back and gaze at the scenery. Whether traveling in the magical land of Arcadia or the science-heavy world of Stark, the game is simply amazing. And the heroine of the story, April Ryan, is a girl that most people can really look up to, and look at as if she were a real person. See our Review.

Arcade Crash Bandicoot: The Wrath of Cortex - Universal Interactive The Arcade Game of the Year is Crash Bandicoot: The Wrath of Cortex, published by Universal Interactive. The gameplay in Crash is best described as diverse. The levels are so different that it would be hard to get tired of playing. And although it uses the newest graphical technology, it keeps enough of a feel of the older games that playing is almost nostalgic.

Educational Mindrover: The Europa Project - Cognitoy The Educational Game of the Year is Mindrover: The Europa Project, published by Cognitoy. Mindrover challenges players to program and build a virtual robot, which must then independently perform tasks against other robots such as racing, moving around a room or even fighting other robots. The emphasis is on scientific learning, and the skills found in the game can easily be applied to other areas. See our Review.

Environment Operation Flashpoint: Cold War Crisis - Codemasters The game with the best Environment is Operation Flashpoint: Cold War Crisis, published by Codemasters. Flashpoint puts players in the role of a front-line grunt in a war that he only vaguely understands. You need to follow tactics and doctrine to the letter, or you are likely to get yourself or your squad mates killed. As you advance you learn more about the conflict, and see the world from other's eyes as well. The whole time you are playing, the feeling of impending doom, and also reality, is overwhelming. See our Review.

Family Nancy Drew: The Final Scene - Her Interactive The Family Entertainment Game of the Year is Nancy Drew: The Final Scene, by Her Interactive. The Nancy Drew series is as good on the PC as it is in the world of books. Each game in the series features a strong female character in the form of Nancy Drew, and lots of intricate puzzles to solve as you step into the super-sleuth's shoes. The game is easy enough for kids, but challenging enough that adults will want to be part of the fun, which makes it even more fun for the children too.

Innovative Max Payne - Take 2 Interactive The award for the most Innovative Game of the Year goes to Max Payne, published by Take 2 Interactive. Max Payne introduced a new concept into the sometimes trite world of 3D shooters, that of bullet time. Bullet time allows the hero to slow time down, while still aiming and shooting as normal, just like in the movies. Bullet time is treated like a resource, so you have to be careful only to use it when really needed. Anyway, it's about the coolest thing we have seen in a long time. See our Review.

Online Dark Age of Camelot - Mythic Entertainment The Online Game of the Year is Dark Age of Camelot, by Mythic Entertainment. Dark Age of Camelot basically eliminated all the things most people hate about online gaming: long periods of resting inactivity between fights, non-automatic money systems, ect. Basically Dark Age of Camelot lets players have a good time exploring and fighting inside a medieval fantasy world. An advanced mode lets players fight each other with three races trying to siege and raid each other's castles. See our Review.

Peripheral SportsBoard - Radica The Peripheral of the Year is the SportsBoard, by Radica. The SportsBoard is a skateboard that lets people actually get the feel of skateboarding when playing on their PS2. The ingenious controller is a must-have for the popular skateboard games, and even works well with other titles. To top it all off, the board is not very expensive, so almost anyone can add it to their ultimate game setup. See our Review.

Puzzle Incredible Machine: Even More Contraptions - Sierra The Puzzle Game of the Year is Incredible Machine: Even More Contraptions, published by Sierra. The Incredible Machine series is famous for letting users solve simple problems, such as lighting a candle on a birthday cake by creating complex fantasy machines involving mice, rockets, boots, food and just about everything else. But since each object follows simple rules, the machines will always repeat their function, once you figure out how and what to build. See our Review.

Real-time Strategy Tropico - GodGames The Real-time Strategy Game of the Year is Tropico, by GodGames. Tropico really breaks the RTS mold by putting players not in charge of armies of tanks and troops, but in control of a small tropical island. And if you think a battlefield tank rush is scary, wait till you try to appease the religious, military, communist, capitalist and environmental parties on your island by building the right amenities, all the while stealing away cash for your secret retirement fund. This fun hit breaks the mold and easily took the RTS crown. See our Review.

Role-playing Baldur's Gate II: Throne of Bhaal - Interplay The Role-playing Game of the Year is Baldur's Gate II: Throne of Bhaal, published by Interplay. The Throne of Bhaal finished the Baldur's Gate series on the PC, which was the first really popular RPG the platform enjoyed. As with most epics, the final chapter is both heroic and fitting of such a grand series. We are sorry to see the series go, but it went out with an incredible bang. See our Review.

Shooter Return to Castle Wolfenstien - Activision The Shooter of the Year is Return to Castle Wolfenstien, published by Activision. So many people got their first taste of shooters by playing the original, that a lackluster or even a marginal title would have met with an incredible outcry. Thankfully, Return to Castle Wolfenstien is an exceptional title in every way. Levels are cleverly designed, the AI is intelligent and the graphics are beautiful. Return takes the mantle and reputation created by the original and actually improves upon it. And that's quite a feat. See our Review.

Simulation Gran Turismo 3 - Sony The Simulation Game of the Year is Gran Turismo 3, published by Sony. Few games on the PS2 look as good as Gran Turismo 3. And underneath that pretty face lies a heart of realism and physics modeling that would make John Nash blush. The game lets players slip easy into the role of high-performance racer, giving them the ability to customize their cars as they gain experience. It's a fast-paced racing experience not to be overlooked. See our Review.

Soundtrack Myst III: Exile - UbiSoft The Soundtrack of the Year goes to Myst III: Exile, published by UbiSoft. Myst III: Exile sports beautiful graphics, but they are almost trumped by the amazing sound. The goal of a soundtrack is to set the mood of the game and Myst III: Exile excels at this. It enhances the mood without ever taking away from the main plot. As an integrated soundtrack, Myst III is perfect. The only time you will notice it, is if it's not there. Otherwise, you just flow with the sounds as they perfectly compliment the title. See our Review.

Sports Madden NFL 2002 - Electronic Arts The Sports Game of the Year is Madden NFL 2002, published by Electronic Arts. The Madden series is no stranger to competition, and this year several titles really pushed hard for the crown. But the excellent commentary, easy gameplay and great graphics made sure that Madden NFL 2002 stayed on the top of the pile. With the Sports award, it's kind of like when Madden says, "He got his big paws on it." And believe us, Madden does not want to let this title go. See our Review.

Turn-based Strategy Civilization III - Infogrames The Turn-based Strategy Game of the Year is Civilization III, published by Infogrames. Civilization III borrows a lot of its new rules from previous versions of the game, which thrilled old-school players. Needless to say the graphics have been improved, as is the emphasis on building a peaceful and happy society. If you start playing Civilization III for a few minutes, you may end up playing for hours. It's that good. See our Review.

Dreamcast Phantasy Star Online - Sega Although the Sega Dreamcast was discontinued, that does not mean that it did not produce some great titles during its life. The award this year, and probably the last Dreamcast award to be given, goes to Phantasy Star Online, published by Sega. The game took the unique, and as of yet unmatched step, of creating an online role-playing game for owners of a console system. This ability introduced more people to the joys of online gaming, and advanced expectations for future titles following this model. See our Review.

GameBoy Lego Island 2: The Brickster's Revenge - Lego Media With the popularity of GameBoy Color and GameBoy Advance titles at an all-time high, it was difficult to choose the best game for the platform. The winner this year is Lego Island 2: The Brickster's Revenge by Lego Media. The came out early in the year, and the fact that it got so many votes speaks volumes to how well put-together it is. Pushing the GBA to the limits while providing a fun experience for players of all ages is what this game is all about. See our Review.

GameCube Rogue Leader: Rogue Squadron 2 - LucasArts The GameCube Game of the Year is Rogue Leader: Rogue Squadron 2 by LucasArts. Hands down, this game more than any other convinced people to purchase a GameCube. The graphics are amazing, yet the game is easy to play and learn. If you want to know how good the GameCube is, look no further than Rogue Squadron 2. See our Review.

Mac (tie - 1st title) Aliens vs. Predator - MacPlay Aliens vs. Predator is actually a port of the popular PC game, and most Mac gamers say it's about time they are able to play too. See our Review.

Mac (tie - 2nd title) Sethi and the Crown of Egypt - Montparnasse Multimedia Sethi and the Crown of Egypt actually made a strong run at the Family Entertainment award and features a mystery-solving ancient Egyptian child in a quest to find stolen items from the Pharaoh. Along the way, players learn a lot about Egypt through a variety of activities. And the graphics are all beautiful and hand drawn. See our Review.

PC Civilization III - Infogrames The PC Game of the Year goes to Civilization III, published by Infogrames. Also a winner in the turn-based category, Civilization III shows why the PC game platform will never die. The back-end logic and processing required for Civilization III to run properly would not work well on any of the modern consoles. Besides that, it's a heck of a lot of fun to play, and its huge PC gamer following helped push this excellent title over the top. See our Review.

PlayStation 2 Grand Theft Auto III - Rockstar The PlayStation 2 Game of the Year is Grand Theft Auto III by Rockstar, a title nobody could argue was not groundbreaking. With a large world to play in, the option of just running around or following the mission-based plot and the unique ability to be the bad guy, the game seems to have charmed almost everyone who comes into contact with it. With the announcement that it is being ported over to the PC, gamers on yet another platform will be able to experience the fun for themselves. See our Review.

Xbox Halo - Microsoft It's no surprise that the Xbox Game of the Year is Halo, published by Microsoft. The game was created as the showoff title for the platform, and it does that very well. Lighting effects are amazing and the game runs at an incredible frame rate with no slowdown. Multiplayer is possible when linked with other Xboxes, and the four-way split screen ability means you can have 16 people playing at the same time on your own private LAN. With no slowdown even when maxed out with players, the game is about the most technically impressive title on any console system. See our Review.

Overall Game of the Year Grand Theft Auto III - Rockstar The overall Game of the Year is Grand Theft Auto III by Rockstar. When we asked selected readers why they voted for GTAIII as their top choice, some said it was because of the innovation found in the title, like the in-game car radio with a different soundtrack for each station including different DJs and some really funny commercials. Others said it was the heart-pounding car chases and shootouts in the game. Some said they just liked being the bad guy for once. Whatever the reason, it's easy to see that GTAIII will probably be the most-talked about computer game in the near future, and we are happy to bestow on it the top award. See our Review.

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