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