Gaming Globes 2002 : Nominations
Article - have your say on which games get nominated for a gong in EuroGamer's third annual Gaming Globes
The annual Gaming Globe Awards enter their third year as EuroGamer once again offers you the chance to have your say on who gets the gongs. The Gaming Globes recognise excellence in a range of different fields within game development, from sound and visual effects to storyline and overall game design. Think of it as the gaming industry's answer to the Oscars.
And to make sure that we don't overlook any games, over the next week we'll be giving you the chance to nominate your favourite titles from the last year. Here's how it works -
The Process
Nominations are now open. Over the last week we have trawled through our game collections and reviews from the last year and have come up with an initial short list of games for each category. Now it's your turn! Simply use our comments system to give us feedback on our choices and offer your own nominations.
This process will close on Saturday March 2nd, at which point the EuroGamer staff will go through the list of games which have been suggested and then select a final list of five nominees for each category. Nominees will be announced on Monday March 4th, and readers will then have one week to vote on which they think deserve the gongs at the end of the day. Voting closes at midnight on Monday March 11th.
The final results of the Gaming Globe 2002 awards will be announced on Monday March 18th, with the full list of winners in each category posted here on EuroGamer along with acceptance speeches from the developers behind them.
Nominating Games
Before you nominate a game please read the following guidelines on which games are eligible for this year's awards -
You can find full explanations of what all the categories are over the next few pages. If you plan to nominate a game for a particular category, please read the description first, and please do not just nominate your favourite game for every category unless you honestly believe it deserved it. For example, Serious Sam is an obvious choice for Best Visual Effects but, let's face it, the storyline was hardly Gaming Globe material.
Best Game
As the name suggests, the Best Game award goes to the best overall game of the year on any platform. Last year's winner was Baldur's Gate II.
This year's initial shortlist is -
Gran Turismo 3 : A-Spec
Grand Theft Auto 3
Designer
The Designer award goes to the lead designer of the game with the best original concept, design and implementation. Last year's winner was Warren Spector for Deus Ex.
This year's initial shortlist is -
Tom Hall for Anachronox
GSC Gameworld for Cossacks : European Wars
Hideki Kamiya for Devil May Cry
Daniel Nilsson & Lorne Laliberte for Gilbert Goodmate and the Mushroom of Phungoria
Kasunori Mizuguchi for Gran Turismo 3 : A-Spec
DMA for Grand Theft Auto 3
TimeGate Studios for Kohan : Immortal Sovereigns
Eighting for KuruKuru Kururin
Petri Järvilehto for Max Payne
Bohemia for Operation Flashpoint
Croteam for Serious Sam : First Encounter
Reflexive for Zax : The Alien Hunter
Characters
The categories for Best Male Character and Best Female Character are fairly self-explanatory. Last year's winners included Minsc from Baldur's Gate II and April Ryan from The Longest Journey.
This year's initial Male Character shortlist is -
Dante - Devil May Cry
Gilbert Goodmate - Gilbert Goodmate and the Mushroom of Phungoria
Grumpos - Anachronox
Max Payne - Max Payne
"Serious" Sam Stone - Serious Sam : First Encounter
Sly Boots - Anachronox
Zidane Tribal - Final Fantasy IX
This year's initial Female Character shortlist is -
Fatima Doohan - Anachronox
Konoko - Oni
Trish - Devil May Cry
Princess Garnet - Final Fantasy IX
Princess Michelle - Gilbert Goodmate and the Mushroom of Phungoria
Art Direction
This is the award for a game's artwork and style, particularly focusing on the design of locations such as levels, arenas, tracks and backdrops. Last year's winner was Baldur's Gate II.
This year's initial shortlist is -
Devil May Cry
Operation Flashpoint
Paper Mario
Serious Sam : First Encounter
Silent Hill 2
Tropico
Zax : The Alien Hunter
Character Design
The character design award is for the best in-game character design and art (models, sprites, skins etc). Last year's winner was Sacrifice.
This year's initial shortlist is -
Black & White
Devil May Cry
Etherlords
Evil Islands : Curse Of The Lost Soul
Paper Mario
Serious Sam : First Encounter
Silent Hill 2
Startopia
Cinematography
The Cinematography category is for the best use of cinematics and scripted sequences, whether pre-rendered or game-engine, and covers the direction, dialogue, graphics and everything else which goes into making a cutscene. Last year's winner was Diablo II.
This year's initial shortlist is -
Anachronox
Black & White
Devil May Cry
Max Payne
Onimusha
Shenmue 2
Silent Hill 2
Startopia
Storyline
Another fairly obvious one, this award is for the quality of a game's plot and writing. Last year we had seperate categories for original and adapted storylines, and the winners were Baldur's Gate II and The Longest Journey. This year anything goes.
This year's initial shortlist is -
Anachronox
Final Fantasy IX
Gilbert Goodmate and the Mushroom of Phungoria
Gothic
Operation Flashpoint
Shenmue 2
Silent Hill 2
Visual Effects
As you would expect, the best Visual Effects award is for the game with the most eye-candy laden graphics and special effects. Last year's award went to Sacrifice.
This year's initial shortlist is -
Ballistics
Black & White
Devil May Cry
Gran Turismo 3 : A-Spec
Max Payne
Return To Castle Wolfenstein
Serious Sam : First Encounter
Severance
Silent Hill 2
Music
The award for the best soundtrack, songs and background music created specifically for a game. It does not cover games which use compilations of existing music. Last year's winner was Icewind Dale.
This year's initial shortlist is -
Anachronox
Devil May Cry
Final Fantasy IX
Grand Theft Auto 3
Gran Turismo 3 : A-Spec
Rock Manager
Silent Hill 2
Tropico
Sound
As the name suggests, this category is for the best sound effects and use of sound within a game. Last year's winner was Thief II.
This year's initial shortlist is -
Aliens vs Predator 2
Devil May Cry
Grand Theft Auto 3
Operation Flashpoint
Rock Manager
Serious Sam : First Encounter