Gaming Oscar Nominees Announced

The nominees for the gaming equivalent of the Oscars have been announced and the awards ceremony will take place at the Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas on March 4 and

The Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences (AIAS), the professional organization of the interactive entertainment industry, today announced the finalists for the 7th Annual
Interactive Achievement Awards, which will be held at Rain in the Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas, March 4, 2004.

The Academy will present awards in 36 craft, console, computer, and online categories. Award highlights include an overall Game of the Year and Game of the Year in different genres, as well as the prestigious Hall of Fame Award. Electronic Arts led the finalist count with 29, followed closely by Ubisoft and Sony Computer Entertainment of America (SCEA)with 23 and 21 finalists respectively.

We are looking forward to recognizing truly outstanding achievement in videogames at our 7th Annual Awards event, said Gordon Bellamy, Executive Director of the AIAS. The developers and publishers who will be honored at this event have helped to establish the videogame industry as the fastest growing form of entertainment throughout the world.

The list of nominees is as follows:

Overall Game of the Year

– Command & Conquer: Generals, published by Electronic Arts, developed
by Electronic Arts
– Call of Duty, published by Activision, developed by Infinity Ward
– Max Payne 2: The Fall of Max Payne, published by Rockstar Games,
developed by Remedy Entertainment
– Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time, published by Ubisoft, developed
by Ubisoft Montreal
– Ratchet & Clank: Going Commando, published by SCEA, developed by
Insomniac Games
– Rise of Nations, published by Microsoft, developed by Big Huge Games
– SSX 3, published by Electronic Arts, developed by EA Canada
– Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, published by LucasArts,
developed by Bioware Corp.
– The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker, published by Nintendo, developed
by Nintendo

Console Game of the Year

– Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time, published by Ubisoft, developed
by Ubisoft Montreal
– Ratchet & Clank: Going Commando, published by SCEA, developed by
Insomniac Games
– SSX 3, published by Electronic Arts, developed by EA Canada
– Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, published by LucasArts,
developed by Bioware Corp.
– The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker, published by Nintendo, developed
by Nintendo

Computer Game of the Year

– Command & Conquer: Generals, published by Electronic Arts, developed
by Electronic Arts
– Call of Duty, published by Activision, developed by Infinity Ward
– Max Payne 2: The Fall of Max Payne, published by Rockstar Games,
developed by Remedy Entertainment
– Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time, published by Ubisoft, developed
by Ubisoft Montreal
– Rise of Nations published by Microsoft, developed by Big Huge Games
– Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, published by LucasArts,
developed by Bioware Corp.

Outstanding Innovation in Computer Gaming

– Call of Duty, published by Activision, developed by Infinity Ward
– Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time, published by Ubisoft, developed
by Ubisoft Montreal
– Rise of Nations, published by Microsoft, developed by Big Huge Games
– Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, published by LucasArts,
developed by Bioware Corp.
– TRON 2.0, published by Buena Vista Games, developed by Monolith

Outstanding Innovation in Console Gaming

– Eye Toy, published by SCEA, developed by SCEA
– Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time, published by Ubisoft, developed
by Ubisoft Montreal
– SSX 3, published by Electronic Arts, developed by EA Canada
– Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, published by LucasArts,
developed by Bioware Corp.
– The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker, published by Nintendo, developed
by Nintendo

Outstanding Achievement in Sound Design

– Call of Duty, published by Activision, developed by Infinity Ward
– Beyond Good & Evil, published by Ubisoft, developed by Ubisoft
– Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six 3, published by Ubisoft, developed by Red
Storm
– Amplitude, published by SCEA, developed by Harmonix Music Systems
– Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, published by Electronic
Arts, developed by Electronic Arts, Redwood Shores

Outstanding Achievement in Original Music Composition

– Call of Duty, published by Activision, developed by Infinity Ward
– Beyond Good & Evil, published by Ubisoft, developed by Ubisoft
– Medal of Honor: Rising Sun, published by Electronic Arts, developed
by Electronic Arts Los Angeles
– XIII, published by Ubisoft, developed by Ubisoft
– Grabbed by the Ghoulies, published by Microsoft, developed by Rare

Outstanding Achievement in Game Design

– Amplitude, published by SCEA, developed by Harmonix Music Systems
– Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time, published by Ubisoft, developed
by Ubisoft Montreal
– Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, published by LucasArts,
developed by Bioware Corp.
– Tony Hawk's Underground, published by Activision, developed by
Infinity Ward
– The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker, published by Nintendo, developed
by Nintendo

Outstanding Achievement in Character Performance – Female

– Jada Pinkett-Smith (Niobe) – Enter The Matrix, published by Atari,
developed by Shiny
– Christina Milian (Angel) – Def Jam Vendetta, published by Electronic
Arts, developed by EA Canada
– Anna Edwards (Yasmin) – The Getaway, published by SCEA, developed by
Studio Soho
– Tara Strong (Rikku) – Final Fantasy X-2, published by Square Enix,
developed by Square Enix
– Anna Garduno (Keira) – Jak II, published by SCEA, developed by
Naughty Dog

Outstanding Achievement in Character Performance – Male

– Michael Ironside (Sam Fisher) – Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell, published
by Ubisoft, developed, Red Storm
– Method Man – Def Jam Vendetta, published by Electronic Arts,
developed by EA Canada
– Snoop Dogg – True Crime: Streets of LA, published by Activision,
developed by Luxoflux
– James McCaffrey (Detective Max Payne) – Max Payne 2: The Fall Of Max
Payne, published by Rockstar Games, developed by Remedy Entertainment
– Elijah Wood (Frodo) – Lord Of The Rings: The Return Of The King,
published by Electronic Arts, developed by Electronic Arts Redwood
Shores

Outstanding Achievement in Art Direction

– Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time, published by Ubisoft, developed
by Ubisoft Montreal
– The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker, published by Nintendo, developed
by Nintendo
– Jak II, published by SCEA, developed by Naughty Dog
– Ratchet & Clank: Going Commando, published by SCEA, developed by
Insomniac Games
– Final Fantasy X-2, published by Square Enix, developed by Square Enix

Outstanding Achievement in Visual Engineering

– Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time, published by Ubisoft, developed
by Ubisoft Montreal
– The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker, published by Nintendo, developed
by Nintendo
– Jak II, published by SCEA, developed by Naughty Dog
– SSX 3, published by Electronic Arts, developed by EA Canada
– Ratchet & Clank: Going Commando, published by SCEA, developed by
Insomniac Games

Outstanding Achievement in Animation

– Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time, published by Ubisoft, developed
by Ubisoft Montreal
– Soul Calibur 2, published by Namco, developed by Namco
– Jak II, published by SCEA, developed by Naughty Dog
– Ratchet & Clank: Going Commando, published by SCEA, developed by
Insomniac Games
– Beyond Good & Evil, published by Ubisoft, developed by Ubisoft

Outstanding Achievement in Game Play Engineering

– The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker, published by Nintendo, developed
by Nintendo
– Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, published by LucasArts,
developed by Bioware Corp.
– Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time, published by Ubisoft, developed
by Ubisoft Montreal
– Jak II, published by SCEA, developed by Naughty Dog

Outstanding Achievement in Character and Story Development

– Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time, published by Ubisoft, developed
by Ubisoft Montreal
– The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker, published by Nintendo, developed
by Nintendo
– Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, published by LucasArts,
developed by Bioware Corp.
– Ratchet & Clank: Going Commando, published by SCEA, developed by
Insomniac Games
– Beyond Good & Evil, published by Ubisoft, developed by Ubisoft

Outstanding Achievement in Licensed Soundtrack

– Madden NFL 2004, published by Electronic Arts, developed by EA
Tiburon
– True Crime: Streets of LA, published by Activision, developed by
Luxoflux
– NBA Live 2004, published by Electronic Arts, developed by EA Tiburon
– Tony Hawk's Underground, published by Activision, developed by
Neversoft
– SSX 3, published by Electronic Arts, developed by EA Canada

Console Platform Action Adventure Game of the Year

– Jak II, published by SCEA, developed by Naughty Dog
– Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time, published by Ubisoft, developed
by Ubisoft Montreal
– Ratchet & Clank: Going Commando, published by SCEA, developed by
Insomniac Games
– The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker, published by Nintendo, developed
by Nintendo
– Viewtiful Joe, published by Capcom, developed by Capcom Production
Studio 4

Console Sports Simulation Game of the Year

– Madden NFL 2004, published by Electronic Arts, developed by EA
Tiburon
– Topspin, published by Microsoft, developed by PAM Development
– World Soccer Winning Eleven 6 International, published by Konami,
developed by Konami
– NCAA Football 2004, published by Electronic Arts, developed by EA
Tiburon
– ESPN NHL Hockey, published by Sega, developed Kush Games
– Tiger Woods PGA Tour 2004, published by Electronic Arts, developed by
Electronic Arts

Console Action Sports Game of the Year

– Tony Hawk's Underground, published by Activision, developed by
Neversoft
– NBA Street Vol. 2, published by Electronic Arts, developed by EA
Canada
– NHL Hitz Pro, published by Midway, developed by Midway
– SSX 3, published by Electronic Arts, developed by EA Canada

Console Fighting Game of the Year

– Def Jam Vendetta, published by Electronic Arts, developed by EA
Canada
– Soul Calibur 2, published by Namco, developed by Namco
– Dragonball Z: Budokai 2, published by Atari, developed by Dimps
– Virtua Fighter 4: Evolution, published by Sega, developed Sega – AM2
– Smackdown: Here Comes the Pain, published by THQ, developed by Yukes
– War of the Monsters, published by SCEA, developed by Incognito

Console First Person Action Game of the Year

– Deus Ex: Invisible War, published by Eidos, developed by Ion Storm
– Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six 3, published by Ubisoft, developed by Red
Storm

Console Children's Title of the Year

– Mario Party 5, published by Nintendo, developed by Nintendo
– SpongeBob – Squarepants: Battle for Bikini Bottom, published by THQ,
developed by Heavy Iron
– Backyard Basketball, published by Atari, developed by Humongous
– Tak and the Power of Juju, published by THQ, developed by Avalanche

Console Action Adventure Game of the Year

– Crimson Skies: High Road to Revenge, published by Microsoft,
developed by FASA Studios
– The Simpsons Hit & Run, published by Vivendi Universal Games,
developed by Radical
– Max Payne 2: The Fall of Max Payne, published by Rockstar Games,
developed by Remedy
– Manhunt, published by Rockstar Games, developed by Rockstar North
– Metal Arms: Glitch in the System, published by Vivendi Universal
Games, developed by SWINGIN' APE STUDIOS.

Console Family Game of the Year

– Eye Toy, published and developed by SCEA
– Amplitude, published by SCEA, developed by Harmonix Music Systems
– Grabbed by the Ghoulies, published by Microsoft, developed by Rare
– The Sims: Bustin' Out, published by Electronic Arts, developed by EA
Maxis

Console Racing Game of the Year

– Burnout 2: Point of Impact, published by Acclaim, developed by
Criterion Games
– F-Zero GX, published by Nintendo, developed by Amusement Vision
– Mario Kart: Double Dash!!, published by Nintendo, developed by
Nintendo
– Need for Speed Underground, published by Electronic Arts, developed by
EA Canada
– Project Gotham Racing 2, published by Microsoft, developed by Bizarre
Creations

Console Role Playing Game of the Year

– Dark Cloud 2, published by SCEA, developed by Level-5
– Disgaea: Hour of Darkness, published by Atlus Software, developed by
Nippon Ichi
– Final Fantasy X-2, Published and developed by Square Enix
– Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, published by LucasArts,
developed by Bioware Corp.
– Xenosaga, published by Namco, developed by Monolith Soft

Handheld Game of the Year

– Mario & Luigi Superstar Saga, published by Nintendo, developed by
Alpha Dreams
– Advance Wars 2, published by Nintendo, developed by Nintendo
– Fire Emblem, published by Nintendo, developed by Nintendo
– Final Fantasy Tactics Advance, published by Nintendo, developed by
Square Enix
– Pokémon Ruby, published by Nintendo, developed by Nintendo

Computer Action/Adventure Game of the Year

– Grand Theft Auto: Vice City, published by Rockstar Games, developed
by Rockstar North
– Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, published by Electronic
Arts, developed by EA Redwood Shores
– Max Payne 2: The Fall of Max Payne, published by Rockstar Games,
developed by Remedy
– Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time, published by Ubisoft, developed
by Ubisoft Montreal
– Uru: Ages Beyond Myst, published by Ubisoft, developed by Cyan Worlds

Computer Family Game of the Year

– Zoo Tycoon: Complete Collection, published by Microsoft, developed
by Blue Fang

Computer First Person Action Game of the Year

– Call of Duty, published by Activision, developed by Infinity Ward
– TRON 2.0, published by Buena Vista Games, developed by Monolith
– Battlefield 1942: Secret Weapons, published by Electronic Arts,
developed by DICE

Computer Simulation Game of the Year

– IL2 Sturmovik: Forgotten Battles, published by Ubisoft, developed by
Maddox Games
– Flight Simulator 2004: A Century of Flight, published by Microsoft,
developed by Microsoft
– Trainz Railroad Simulator 2004, published by Oteeva, developed by
Auran
– The Sims: Superstar, published by Electronic Arts, developed by EA
Maxis

Computer Downloadable Game of the Year

– Word Whomp, published by J.T. Software, developed by Pogo
– Hamster Ball, published byReal.com, developed by Raptisoft
– Zuma Deluxe, published by Pop Cap Games, developed by Pop Cap Games
– Poppit to go, published by Electronic Arts, developed by Pogo

Computer Sports Game of the Year

– Tiger Woods PGA Tour 2004, published by Electronic Arts, developed by
Electronic Arts
– Madden NFL 2004, published by Electronic Arts, developed by EA
Tiburon
– Out of the Park 5.0, published and developed by .400 Software Studios
– Championship Manager 4, published by Eidos, developed by SI Games

Computer Role Playing Game of the Year

– Deus Ex: Invisible War, published by Eidos, developed by Ion Storm
– Dungeon Siege: Legends of Aranna, published by Microsoft, developed
by Mad Doc Software and Gas Powered Games
– Neverwinter Nights: Shadows of Undrentide, published by Atari,
developed by Floodgate Entertainment and Bioware Corp
– Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, published by LucasArts,
developed by Bioware Corp.
– The Temple of Elemental Evil, published by Atari, developed by Troika

Computer Strategy Game of the Year

– Rise of Nations, published by Microsoft, developed by Big Huge Games
– Command & Conquer: Generals, published by Electronic Arts, developed
by Electronic Arts
– Homeworld 2, published by Vivendi Universal, developed by Relic
Entertainment
– Empires: Dawn of the Modern World, published by Activision, developed
by Stainless Steel Studios
– Praetorians, published by Eidos, developed by Pyro Studios

Massively Multiplayer/Persistent World Game of the Year

– A Tale in the Desert, published and developed by eGenesis
– Puzzle Pirates, presented by Shockwave, developed by Three Rings
Design
– Horizons: Empire of Istaria, published by Atari, developed by
Artifact Entertainment
– Eve Online, published by Simon and Schuster, developed by CCP
– Everquest: Lost Dungeons, published and developed by Sony Online
Entertainment

You can find out more about the Academy and the 7th Annual Interactive Achievement Awards by following the download tab above.