Best Action Game, Nominees

The action genre got off to a very slow start this year, thanks largely to the success of last year's Quake III Arena and Unreal Tournament, which continued to occupy players' interests well into 2000. With the exception of Raven's Soldier of Fortune, no notable action games were released until this fall, when a handful of high-quality first- and third-person shooters finally showed up. As is usually the case, this year's action games also happened to feature some of the best technical elements in games this year. The following five action games were the particularly exceptional ones.

Three very different factions clash in an all-out battle in the hilarious Giants, which is an action-packed shooter that also features real-time strategy elements. Because it offers three playable combatants - a team of high-tech soldiers, an aquatic race with magic powers, and an incredibly large monster - Giants plays like three separate games in one.

Though it might be overly violent, Soldier of Fortune is a true action game through and through. While it lacks in graphics, plot, and sound, it more than compensates with nonstop shooting, and its over-the-top arsenal and innovative GHOUL rendering system provide for countless hours of replay.

Voyager Elite Force is the first action game that has been worthy of the Star Trek license. Featuring cast members like Captain Janeway, Tuvok, and Seven of Nine, the game does a good job of making you believe that you're a Federation officer. Beyond that, the Elite Force's great use of the Quake III engine, varied locales, and constant challenges make it a great action game regardless of its license.

No One Lives Forever reenergizes the action genre with its wide selection of gadgets, huge weapons arsenal, 60 beautifully rendered levels, and production value worthy of a Hollywood movie. In addition, its great plot, excellent writing, and superb voice acting are a first for a game of its kind.

One of the most distinctive (and also one of the first) action games this year, Thief II eschews all-out violence for a more discreet style of gameplay that relies on stealth - a form of gameplay pioneered by its 1998 predecessor, Thief. It's even more challenging than the original, thanks to enhanced AI and the introduction of new gameplay elements like cameras.