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2002 NAViGaTR Nominations
NATIONAL ACADEMY OF VIDEO GAME TESTERS AND REVIEWERS CORP. ANNOUNCES YEAR 2002 NOMINEES
FOR 2ND ANNUAL AWARDS
E3® 2003 REGISTERED JOURNALISTS ELIGIBLE TO VOTE AFTER FATHER’S DAY
April 16, 2003 --- Last night, the National Academy of Video Game Testers and Reviewers Corp. announced the nominees
for its second annual awards honoring interactive entertainment. A voting body of more than 950 eligible video game
testers, reviewers, and media critics determined the final 199 nominees from over 700 choices in 42 categories in an online
voting system. The four nominees for Game of the Year represent 26% of the total nominees. Grand Theft Auto:
Vice City™, the sequel to last year’s Game of the Year winner, received 14 nominations. The other
nominees for 2002 Game of the Year are Animal Crossing™ (8 nominations), Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell™ (13
nominations), and Metroid Prime™, leading with 17 nominations. Animal Crossing™ is the only original game
nominated in the category; the remaining games are sequels in game franchises. Also scoring several nominations in
other categories are Kingdom Hearts™ (10), a magical marriage of countless Disney® and Final Fantasy® themes and characters,
Sly Cooper and the Thievius Raccoonus™ (10), a “cartoony” animal crime caper, Resident Evil Zero™
(8), an interactive horror movie, and Eternal Darkness™ (7), a video game mystery novel brought to life through interlocking
stories set in different time periods. The big winner in the nominations race is Nintendo®, with 41 total nominations.
As a result, out of every five (5) nominees, at least one is published by Nintendo®. The closest competitor is Sony®,
which scored 24 nominations. Other top performers were Electronic Arts® (19), Sega® (17), Ubi Soft® (16), Rockstar®
(15), Capcom® (15), Square Electronic Arts L.L.C. (10), and Microsoft® (9). For the first time, seven actors
were nominated for voice-over performances. Ray Liotta and Dennis Hopper earned nods for their work in Grand Theft Auto:
Vice City™, marking the first time that mainstream Hollywood actors have been nominated by a formal video game association
or academy for work in the game industry. Hopper is also known for his performance as King Koopa in the 1993
Hollywood Pictures theatrical release of Super Mario Bros.™, based on the classic Nintendo® video game series.
Liotta is best known for his performance opposite The Sopranos’ Lorraine Bracco in Martin Scorsese’s GoodFellas. Toejam
& Earl III: Mission to Earth™, a Sega® game, pulled in three nominations in the same category for rapper Greg Brown,
standup comedian Kirk McHenry (with credits on the BET), and actress Sherrie Jackson (with credits on MTV). Horror
film star Bruce Campbell, whose films are considered to be the inspiration behind the nominated Resident Evil™ series,
was recognized for his witty mentoring in the Spider-Man™ movie game, while Matt Olsen earned a nomination for the delivery
of his turtle character’s hilariously high-falutin diction in Sly Cooper and the Thievius Raccoonus™. Fighting
game nominee Virtua Fighter 4™ continues the legacy began by the original 1993 title, which was acquired as part of
the Information Technology Innovation Permanent Research Collection of the Smithsonian Institution at the National Museum
of American History. The series is credited for being the first in its genre to feature fully three-dimensional characters,
animation, and game play. The complete list of nominees is available at www.navgtr.org. NAVGTR Corp. will arrange for the use of video clips of nominated materials upon request. The winners will be
announced Friday, July 18, 2003, after voting begins on June 15, Father’s Day. At that time, registered journalists
from E3® 2003 will be automatically eligible to vote if they complete the ballot available on www.navgtr.org and mail it with their actual E3® badge. The awards are determined by a voting body that includes contributors and
journalists from numerous print and online sources, such as About.com, Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Austin American-Statesman,
CNN, CNN.com, CNNmoney.com, Computer Gaming World, Contra Costa Times, Detroit Free Press, Digital Journal, ElectricPlayground.com,
Electronic Gaming Monthly, FHM, GamersTemple.com, GamesArcadia.com, GamingTarget.com, Gannett News Service, Gear, HappyPuppy.com,
Kids & Computers, LA Weekly, Los Angeles Times, National Post, National Public Radio, Ottawa Citizen, Marquee, PC Gamer,
Philadelphia Inquirer, PlanetPong.com, Play Magazine, Salon.com, San Jose Mercury-News, USA Today, USAToday.com, Vancouver
Sun, Wired News, Wizard Magazine, WOW Weekly, and ZDNet. NAVGTR Corp. is devoted to promoting and recognizing the developments
and achievements of the interactive entertainment industry for public awareness and education. In addition to
the annual awards, the academy’s future goals include acknowledging, documenting, and/or memorializing industry leaders
and historical events through educational and informative television specials or videos, as well as efforts to preserve the
history of interactive entertainment through the development of archives in public libraries and universities.
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Outstanding Animation in a Game Cinema
Kingdom Hearts, SQUARE EA
Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers,
EA
Metal Gear Solid 2: Substance, KONAMI
Sly Cooper and the Thievius Raccoonus, SONY
Super Mario Sunshine, NINTENDO |
Outstanding Animation in a Game Engine
Jet Set Radio Future, SEGA
Mark of Kri, SONY
Metroid Prime,
NINTENDO
Sly Cooper and the Thievius Raccoonus, SONY
Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell, UBI SOFT |
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Outstanding Art Direction in a Game Cinema
Kingdom Hearts, SQUARE EA
Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, EA
Metroid
Prime, NINTENDO
Resident Evil Zero, CAPCOM
Sly Cooper and the Thievius Raccoonus, SONY
Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell,
UBI SOFT |
Outstanding Art Direction in a Game Engine
Age of Mythology, MICROSOFT
Animal Crossing, NINTENDO
Jet Set
Radio Future, SEGA
Kingdom Hearts, SQUARE EA
Mark of Kri, SONY
Metroid Prime, NINTENDO
Resident Evil Zero, CAPCOM |
|
Outstanding Camera Direction in a Game Engine
Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, EA
Metroid Prime, NINTENDO
Sly
Cooper and the Thievius Raccoonus, SONY
Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell, UBI SOFT |
Outstanding Character Design
Animal Crossing, NINTENDO
Grand Theft Auto: Vice City, ROCKSTAR
Kingdom
Hearts, SQUARE EA
Metroid Prime, NINTENDO
Sly Cooper and the Thievius Raccoonus, SONY |
|
Outstanding Control Design
Grand Theft Auto: Vice City, ROCKSTAR
Metroid Prime, NINTENDO
Spider-Man: The
Movie, ACTIVISION
Steel Battalion, CAPCOM |
Outstanding Control Precision
Eternal Darkness: Sanity’s Requiem, NINTENDO
Grand Theft
Auto: Vice City, ROCKSTAR
MechAssault, MICROSOFT
Metroid Prime, NINTENDO
Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell, UBI SOFT
Tony
Hawk's Pro Skater 4, ACTIVISION |
|
Outstanding Costume Design
Animal Crossing, NINTENDO
Kingdom Hearts, SQUARE EA
Mark of Kri, SONY
Resident
Evil Zero, CAPCOM
Shinobi, SEGA |
Outstanding Direction in a Game Cinema
Grand Theft Auto: Vice City, ROCKSTAR
Hitman 2: Silent Assassin,
EIDOS
Kingdom Hearts, SQUARE EA
Sly Cooper and the Thievius Raccoonus, SONY
Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell, UBI
SOFT |
|
Outstanding Game Design
Animal Crossing, NINTENDO
Grand Theft Auto: Vice City, ROCKSTAR
James Bond 007:
NightFire, ELECTRONIC ARTS
Metroid Prime, NINTENDO
Ratchet & Clank, SONY
SOCOM: U.S. Navy SEALs, SONY
Tom
Clancy's Splinter Cell, UBI SOFT |
Outstanding Graphics, Technical
Battlefield 1942, EA
Grand Theft Auto Vice City, ROCKSTAR
Metroid
Prime, NINTENDO
Resident Evil Zero, CAPCOM
Steel Battalion, CAPCOM
Super Mario Sunshine, NINTENDO
Tom Clancy's
Splinter Cell, UBI SOFT |
|
Outstanding Innovation in Game Play
Animal Crossing, NINTENDO
Metroid Prime, NINTENDO
Rez, SEGA
SOCOM:
U.S. Navy SEALs, SONY
Steel Battalion, CAPCOM
Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell, UBI SOFT |
Outstanding Innovation in Game Technology
Animal Crossing, NINTENDO
e-Reader, NINTENDO
Steel Battalion,
CAPCOM
Wavebird, NINTENDO
Xbox Live, MICROSOFT |
|
Outstanding Lighting/Texturing Effects
Eternal Darkness: Sanity’s Requiem, NINTENDO
Lord of the
Rings: The Two Towers, EA
Metal Gear Solid 2: Substance, KONAMI
Metroid Prime, NINTENDO
Resident Evil Zero, CAPCOM
Tom
Clancy’s Splinter Cell, UBI SOFT |
Outstanding Original Musical Score
Jet Set Radio Future, SEGA
Kingdom Hearts, SQUARESOFT
Medal
of Honor: Frontline, EA
Metroid Prime, NINTENDO
Phantasy Star Online: Episode I & II, SEGA |
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Outstanding Original or Adapted Song
No nominations |
Outstanding Voice Performance
Bruce Campbell, Spider-Man: The Movie, ACTIVISION
Dennis Hopper,
Grand Theft Auto: Vice City, ROCKSTAR
Greg Brown, Toe Jam & Earl III: Mission to Earth, SEGA
Kirk McHenry, Toe Jam
& Earl III: Mission to Earth, SEGA
Matt Olsen, Sly Cooper and the Thievius Raccoonus, SONY
Ray Liotta, Grand Theft
Auto: Vice City, ROCKSTAR
Sherrie Jackson, Toe Jam & Earl III: Mission to Earth, SEGA |
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Outstanding Use of Sound
Eternal Darkness: Sanity’s Requiem, NINTENDO
Grand Theft Auto: Vice City,
ROCKSTAR GAMES
Metroid Prime, NINTENDO
Resident Evil Zero, CAPCOM
Steel Battalion, CAPCOM
Tom Clancy’s Splinter
Cell, UBI SOFT |
Outstanding Sound Effects
Eternal Darkness: Sanity’s Requiem, NINTENDO
Grand Theft Auto: Vice City,
ROCKSTAR
Metroid Prime, NINTENDO
Resident Evil Zero, CAPCOM
Sly Cooper and the Thievius Raccoonus, SONY
SOCOM:
U.S. Navy SEALs, SONY
Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell, UBI SOFT |
|
Outstanding Writing, Dialogue
Eternal Darkness: Sanity’s Requiem, NINTENDO
Grand Theft
Auto: Vice City, ROCKSTAR
Kingdom Hearts, SQUARE EA
Sly Cooper and the Thievius Raccoonus, SONY
Spider-Man: The
Movie, ACTIVISION |
Outstanding Writing, Story
Eternal Darkness: Sanity’s Requiem, NINTENDO
Grand Theft Auto: Vice City,
ROCKSTAR
Kingdom Hearts, SQUARE EA
Metroid Prime, NINTENDO |
|
Outstanding Original Action Game
Battlefield
1942, EA
MechAssault, MICROSOFT
Ratchet & Clank, SONY
Sly Cooper and the Thievius Raccoonus, SONY
SOCOM: US
Navy Seals, SONY |
Outstanding Original Adventure Game
Eternal
Darkness: Sanity’s Requiem, NINTENDO
Fatal Frame, TECMO
Shadow of Destiny, KONAMI
Syberia, THE ADVENTURE COMPANY
The
Thing, UNIVERSAL INTERACTIVE |
|
Outstanding Original Children’s Game
Animal
Crossing, NINTENDO
Disney’s Treasure Planet, SONY
Lego Soccer Mania, LEGO
Stitch: Experiment 626, SONY |
Outstanding Original Fighting Game
Godzilla:
Destroy all Monsters Melee, INFOGRAMES
Pride FC, THQ
Rocky, UBI SOFT |
|
Outstanding Original Puzzle Game
Egg Mania,
KEMCO
Hoyle Casino 2003, VIVENDI UNIVERSAL
Puyo Pop, THQ
Yu-Gi-Oh! Forbidden Memories, KONAMI |
Outstanding Original Racing Game
Italian
Job, TAKE-TWO
JetX20, SONY
Quantum Redshift, MICROSOFT
RalliSport Challenge, MICROSOFT
Stuntman, ATARI |
|
Outstanding Original Role Playing Game
Baldur’s
Gate: Dark Alliance, BLACK ISLE STUDIOS (Xbox and GC only)
Freedom Force, EA
Kingdom Hearts, SQUARE
Neverwinter Nights,
ATARI |
Outstanding Original Sports Game
Aggressive
Inline, ACCLAIM
Jet Set Radio Future, SEGA
Kelly Slater's Pro Surfer, ACTIVISION |
|
Outstanding Action Game Sequel
Grand Theft
Auto: Vice City, ROCKSTAR
Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, EA
Medal of Honor: Allied Assault, EA
Metroid Fusion,
NINTENDO
Metroid Prime, NINTENDO
TimeSplitters 2, EIDOS |
Outstanding Adventure Game Sequel
Hitman
2: Silent Assassin, EIDOS
James Bond 007: Nightfire, EA
Resident Evil Zero, CAPCOM
Shenmue II, SEGA
Tom Clancy’s
Splinter Cell, UBI SOFT |
|
Outstanding Children’s Game Sequel
Kirby:
Nightmare in Dreamland, NINTENDO
Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past and Four Swords, NINTENDO
Mario Party 4, NINTENDO
Super
Mario Sunshine, NINTENDO
Super Monkey Ball 2, SEGA |
Outstanding Fighting Game Sequel
Marvel vs.
Capcom 2, CAPCOM
Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance, MIDWAY
Tekken 4, NAMCO
Virtua Fighter 4, SEGA
WWE SmackDown:
Shut Your Mouth, THQ |
|
Outstanding Puzzle Game Sequel
Bomberman:
Generations, MAJESCO
Frogger Beyond, KONAMI
Super Bust-A-Move 2, UBI SOFT
Tetris Worlds, THQ
Worms Blast, UBI
SOFT |
Outstanding Racing Game Sequel
Burnout 2:
Point of Impact, ACCLAIM
Colin McRae Rally 3, CODEMASTERS
Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit 2, EA
Sega GT 2002, SEGA
Twisted
Metal Black: Online, SONY |
|
Outstanding Role Playing Game Sequel
Asheron’s
Call 2: Fallen Kings, MICROSOFT
Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind, BETHESDA
Grandia Xtreme, ENIX
Icewind Dale II, INTERPLAY
Phantasy
Star Online Episode I & II, SEGA
Summoner II, THQ
Wild Arms 3, SONY |
Outstanding Sports Game Sequel
FIFA 2003,
EA
Madden NFL 2003, EA
NBA 2K3, SEGA
NFL 2K3, SEGA
Tiger Woods PGA Tour 2003, EA SPORTS
Tony Hawk's Pro Skater
4, ACTIVISION |
|
Outstanding Simulation Game
Combat Flight
Simulator 3, MICROSOFT
Sid Meier’s Sim Golf, EA
Sims Online, EA
Sims Unleashed, EA
Steel Battalion, CAPCOM |
Outstanding Special Class Game
Cubivore,
ATLUS
DDRMAX: Dance Dance Revolution, KONAMI
Magic the Gathering Online, WIZARDS OF THE COAST
Monopoly Party, INFOGRAMES |
|
Outstanding Strategy Game
Age of Mythology,
MICROSOFT
Dynasty Tactics, KOEI
Medieval Total War, ACTIVISION
Warcraft III: Reign of Chaos, BLIZZARD |
Outstanding Game of the Year
Animal Crossing, NINTENDO
Grand Theft Auto: Vice City, ROCKSTAR
GAMES
Metroid Prime, NINTENDO
Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell, UBI SOFT |
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TOTAL NOMINATIONS FOR PUBLISHERS
41…Nintendo
24…Sony
19…Electronic Arts
17…Sega
16…Ubi
Soft
15…Rockstar
15…Capcom
10…Square EA
9…Microsoft |
TOTAL NOMINATIONS FOR GAMES
17…Metroid Prime
14…Grand Theft Auto: Vice City
13…Tom Clancy’s
Splinter Cell
10…Kingdom Hearts
10…Sly Cooper and the Thievius Raccoonus
8…Animal Crossing
8…Resident
Evil Zero
7…Eternal Darkness: Sanity’s Requiem |
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