Video Game Industry Names Best of Best

Press release from the AIAA awards, to be presented in Las Vegas:

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.