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E3 Game Critics Awards Announced

Posted by simoniker on from the better-late-than-never dept.

Thanks to several readers for pointing out the E3 Game Critics Award winners have been announced, speculating on the most promising titles from the nominations announced a couple of weeks back. The big winner was Half-Life 2, with a total of 4 awards, including Best Of Show, and Sony's Eye Toy and THQ's Full Spectrum Warrior also picked up a couple of awards each. You can also check out previous winners to see how well the critics' crystal ball has functioned in the past.

14 comments

  1. E3 Game Critics Awards by ArmorFiend · · Score: 1

    From the subject I assumed that there were awards for good game journalism. Singling out the reporters that cut through the marketing hype to reveal what was really good and what was tripe.

    It seems there are millions of game reviews, but hardly any reviews of game reviewers. Everyone knows who's side "Nintendo Power" magazine is on, but certain supposedly impartial mags are actually in the corporate pockets.

    1. Re:E3 Game Critics Awards by actor_au · · Score: 1

      A reviewer called Toriko wrote an interesting review of The Culture of E3 a few months back. Was an interesting read in that she didn't mention many games and instead concentrated on the event itself.
      You can see the members of Fark and their reactions to the article here.

      --
      Read Errant Story.
  2. bleh by ddd2k · · Score: 1

    I can't believe Starcraft Ghost didn't win anything, it looks damn awsome...

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    Great Atrocit
  3. Yikes by Terminal+Saint · · Score: 2, Insightful

    Half-Life 2 already cleaning up on awards? I feel bad for the games being released around the same time... If anyone's foolish to do so, anyway.

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    It's sad when choosing an installation directory on your own qualifies you as an "advanced user."
  4. Eye Toy by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0, Redundant

    I saw the Eye Toy at GDC, and I honestly dont think its going to go very far, at least in the US. I cant imagine that many people would willingly play games that force you to flail your arms around like an upset chimp. At least, not while anyone is watching. Most of the time, a rep from Sony was playing it. When asked, most others didnt want to try it - probably didnt want to dance like a fool in front of so many people.

    My favorite part was when some guy decided he didnt want to dance around, so he reached out and waved his hand right in front of the camera. It made a big blurry mess on the screen, but boy was he doing well in the game! Little ninja guys were flying everywhere.

    Ah well, I suppose theyre not really shooting for super gameplay. Or maybe hand waving will be the next Counter-Strike...

    1. Re:Eye Toy by ZorMonkey · · Score: 2, Interesting

      Sonofamonkey, the Eye Toy post was me. Dang Opera. Hmm, get on topic... How about some specific examples of the stellar (*cough*) games they had for the Eye Toy.

      There was one where little ninjas jumped out from the sides of the screen. If they got to "you" (an outline of a person) in the middle of the screen, you lost a life. So, beyond the hand waving trick, people were mostly making the field goal sign, and waving back and forth a little. Good times.

      Another was a plate spinning game. You had to keep some plate spinning by waving your hand over a spot in the air. Not much to say about this one, except that it worked especially well with the hand waving trick.

      Oh yeah, and there was one that was actually sort of funny. It was a window washing game. You'd be presented with a mostly grey screen, and your have to wave your arms around to make it clear. There were some parts that didnt clean so easy - apparently they were supposed to be bird poo. You had to "scrub" extra hard to get those spots clean. Or, again, you could just wave your hand in front of the camera.

      I suppose theres always a market for bird poo cleaning simulators.

  5. Hmmm... by Daetrin · · Score: 1

    Nine out of the sixteen awards are for games i couldn't care less about. Realistic racing, skateboarding, and a ton of FPSs. I'm glad the show itself wasn't as boring as the awards.

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    This Space Intentionally Left Blank
  6. Gran Turismo 4! by TiMac · · Score: 1
    Personally, I was rooting for the new Racing Sim. It looks incredible and GT3 was as realistic a driving/racing game as has been so far unleashed upon this Earth.

    I'd take it over Half-Life 2 any day of the week!

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    1. Re:Gran Turismo 4! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Hey TiMac - can you tell the different between rendered and ACTUAL in-game screenshots? That might be the reason GT4 looks so good - take a look at GT4, then take a look at Project Gotham 2 ...

    2. Re:Gran Turismo 4! by TiMac · · Score: 1
      Hey Anonymous Coward...

      I sure can. I was referring to the in-game screenshots and actual driving movies. They are pretty damned gorgeous.

      Project Gotham 1 and 2 have some nice graphics, for sure, but the gameplay sucks hardcore in comparison to Gran Turismo. It's laughable to compare them.

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  7. Dance Dance Revolution? by Man+In+Black · · Score: 1

    I cant imagine that many people would willingly play games that force you to flail your arms around like an upset chimp. At least, not while anyone is watching.

    Hell, DDR seems to be popular enough while making people look like jackasses.

    I don't understand the interest in this device. It just looks like a gimmicky device that you can't really make any real games around. I mean, is anyone really going to pay $60 to swat ninjas away with their hands? I sure wouldn't. It'll probably go over about as well as the Power Glove did...

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    -"One machine can do the work of fifty ordinary men. No machine can do the work of one extraordinary man." -EH
  8. Full Spectrum Warrior by zaad · · Score: 1

    Go to http://www.ict.usc.edu/disp.php?bd=proj_games_fsw for some screenshots and video.

  9. Realistic Graphics and AI by utawoutau · · Score: 1
    I just find it really telling - and very depressing - that in the reasons for why these games where chosen as the winner does it never (with the exception of Eyetoy) say that the games were really fun. All I got out of the E3 page was a lot of heavy panting over "awesome" graphics - "Just look at the way the trees move"!! and A.I.

    I could honestly give a f#%& if the trees move realistically or not. I swear to god, a couple of years ago if they would have shown a trailer for the Final Fantasy movie and told everyone it was a game, it would have swept the awar

  10. Hype Machine? by Ian_Bailey · · Score: 1

    Going over old games, the picks seem to be a combination of great successes (Metal Gear Solid 2, Half-Life, Soul Calibur, Halo, Tony Hawk, Gran Turismo, Splinter Cell...) and spectacular failures (Sims Online, Majestic, Black & White, Dreamcast...) and a LOT of games that get awards for 3 years in a row (Star Wars Galaxies, Neverwinter Nights)

    It seems as if this is really about the hype machine, and how the games/products were PRESENTED, and not how good they actually are or could be.

    It's too bad that no one actually tries to go behind the crazy hype machines to give an impression of what GAME is the best.