The Academy of Interactive Arts and Sciences held their third annual Interactive Achievement Awards last Thursday, May 11, 2000 in LA. In the midst of E3, the IAAs have gained some notoriety, and with good reason. It was an all-star event, featuring Martin Short as emcee, and with celebrity guest presenters like Ahmet Zappa, Peter Molyneux, Sid Meier, and Harry Shearer. Of course, some of the winners were luminaries in their own right like Bruce Shelley, Hironobu Sakaguchi, and Will Wright. In all, it was a great evening, and some of the greatest games from the last year were given their proper recognition. Of course, there were some disappointments (Knockout Kings over Tony Hawk's Pro Skater?!?). We've summed it all up below for your viewing pleasure.

Hironobu Sakaguchi, President of Square USA, and creator of the Final Fantasy Series was honored with the Academy's Hall of Fame Award. He was presented with the award by Sid Meier, last year's recipient. The Game of the Year Award went to The Sims, and was accepted by creator, Will Wright. The remaining awards were distributed in four categories: The Craft Awards, Console, Online, and Personal Computer.

The Craft Awards

Outstanding Achievement in Art Direction
Winner: Final Fantasy VIII

Outstanding Achievement in Animation
Winner: Final Fantasy VIII

Outstanding Achievement in Sound Design
Winner: Medal of Honor

Outstanding Achievement in Original Musical Composition
Winner: Um Jammer Lammy

Outstanding Achievement in Game Design
Winner: The Sims

Outstanding Achievement in Visual Engineering
Winner: Unreal Tournament

Outstanding Achievement in Game Play Engineering
Winner: The Sims

Outstanding Achievement in Character or Story Development
Winners: Age of Empires II: Age of Kings and Thief: The Dark Project

Console

Action Game of the Year
Winner: Crazy Taxi

Adventure/Role-Playing Game of the Year
Winner: Final Fantasy VIII

Fighting Game of the Year
Winner: Soul Calibur

Racing Game of the Year
Winner: Star Wars Episode One Racer

Children's/Family Title of the Year
Winner: Pokemon Snap

Sports Game of the Year
Winner: Knockout Kings

Console Game of the Year
Winner: Soul Calibur

Online

Entertainment Site of the Year
Winner: The Onion, America's Finest News Source

News/Information Site of the Year
Winner: GameSpot

Online Game of the Year
Winner: Everquest

Personal Computer

Children's Game of the Year
Winner: Disney's Villains' Revenge

Creativity Title of the Year
Winner: Disney's Magic Artist Studio

Educational Title of the Year
Winner: Jump Start Phonics Learning System

Family Entertainment Title of the Year
Winner: 3-D Ultra Lionel Traintown

Adventure/Role Playing Game of the Year
Winner: Asheron's Call

Sports Game of the Year
Winner: FIFA 2000

Simulation Game of the Year
Winner: Microsoft Flight Simulator 2000 Professional

Action Game of the Year
Winner: Half-Life Opposing Force

Strategy Game of the Year
Winner: Age of Empires II: Age of Kings

Computer Game of the Year
Winner: Age of Empires II: Age of Kings