Call of Duty nabs Game of the Year at D.I.C.E.
Prince of Persia also picks up eight awards, including best console title, in the Interactive Achievement Awards.
http://www.gamespot.com/news/2004/03...s_6090754.html
The Seventh Annual Interactive Achievement Awards were handed out at the D.I.C.E. Summit yesterday in Las Vegas. To no one's great surprise, Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time tallied the most wins, including the Console Game of the Year and Outstanding Achievement in Game Design awards. All told, the Ubisoft-developed game collected eight awards.
However, the night's biggest prize, Overall Game of the Year, went to Call of Duty, the fast-paced, WWII shooter developed by startup studio--and now Activision subdivision--Infinity Ward. Call of Duty also won top honors in the Computer First-Person Action Game of the Year and Computer Game of the Year categories.
Call of Duty's win marks the second year in a row that a PC title has edged out console rivials for the Game of the Year honors. This at a time when many in the industry question the viability of the PC game market. It was Digital Illusions-developed Battlefield 1942 that took home the Game of the Year award at last year's event.
On winning the top prize, Infinity Ward's Grant Collier expressed shock at the victory. When he approached the podium to accept, Collier looked at the award briefly and then said, "Someone's going to have to pinch me."
BioWare's Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic was the night's other big winner, snaring three awards, including both the Console Role-Playing Game of the Year and the PC Role-Playing Game of the Year awards.
In the sports categories, Electronic Arts showed its strength as SSX 3 and Madden 2004 took home two awards apiece. SSX 3 won in the Outstanding Achievement in Licensed Soundtrack and Console Action Sports Game of the Year categories, while Madden 2004 won the Console Sports Sim Game of the Year and the Computer Sports Game of the Year awards.
Midway through the night's ceremony, Game Informer Editor in Chief Andy McNamara presented Peter Molyneux with the coveted Hall of Fame award. Before the presentation, Molyneux praised his design and production team at his Lionhead Studios as the foundation of his success. "It's not really me," he said modestly. "It's really the people I work with who deserve this award. I just sit with all the other programmers and get told off like the rest when I'm late or talking too loud." Molyneux joins previous Hall of Famers Sid Meier, Shigeru Miyamoto, John Carmack, Will Wright, Hironobu Sakaguchi, and Yu Suzuki.
The full list of AIAS Awards winners is as follows:
Overall Game of the Year
Call of Duty
Console Game of the Year
Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time
Computer Game of the Year
Call of Duty
Outstanding Innovation in Computer Gaming
Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time
Outstanding Innovation in Console Gaming
EyeToy: Play
Outstanding Achievement in Sound Design
The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
Outstanding Achievement in Original Music Composition
Medal of Honor Rising Sun
Outstanding Achievement in Game Design
Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time
Outstanding Achievement in Character Performance (Female)
Jada Pinkett-Smith (Niobe) - Enter The Matrix
Tara Strong (Rikku) - Final Fantasy X-2
Outstanding Achievement in Character Performance (Male)
Elijah Wood (Frodo) - The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
Outstanding Achievement in Art Direction
The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker
Outstanding Achievement in Visual Engineering
Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time
Outstanding Achievement in Animation
Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time
Outstanding Achievement in Gameplay Engineering
Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time
Outstanding Achievement in Character and Story Development
Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic
Outstanding Achievement in Licensed Soundtrack
SSX 3
Console Platform Action Adventure Game of the Year
Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time
Console Sports Simulation Game of the Year
Madden NFL 2004
Console Action Sports Game of the Year
SSX 3
Console Fighting Game of the Year
Soul Calibur 2
Console First-Person Action Game of the Year
Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six 3
Console Children's Title of the Year
Mario Party 5
Console Action Adventure Game of the Year
Crimson Skies: High Road to Revenge
Console Family Game of the Year
EyeToy: Play
The Sims Bustin' Out
Console Racing Game of the Year
Need for Speed Underground
Console Role-Playing Game of the Year
Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic
Handheld Game of the Year
Final Fantasy Tactics Advance
Computer Action Adventure Game of the Year
Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time
Computer Family Game of the Year
Zoo Tycoon: Complete Collection
Computer First-Person Action Game of the Year
Call of Duty
Computer Simulation Game of the Year
The Sims: Superstar
Computer Downloadable Game of the Year
Hamster Ball
Computer Sports Game of the Year
Madden NFL 2004
Computer Role-Playing Game of the Year
Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic
Computer Strategy Game of the Year
Command & Conquer: Generals
Massively Multiplayer/Persistent World Game of the Year
EverQuest: Lost Dungeons of Norrath
By Curt Feldman -- GameSpot
Posted: 03/05/04 03:42 AM
