Game Critics award Best of E3 2004

Today, the Game Critics Awards Best of E3 2004 winners were announced. Selected by a group of game journalists from a variety of print and Web publications, including Time, Entertainment Weekly, CNN/Money, the San Jose Mercury News, and GameSpot. The awards have been given to the most impressive games and gaming hardware of the past eight E3s.

This year, the top prize, Best of Show, went to Sony's PSP handheld. "The DS demonstrated Nintendo's ability to innovate, but Sony’s PlayStation Portable (or PSP) is the device most likely to initiate a revolution in handheld gaming," said Geoff Keighley, the Awards' cochairman and Business 2.0 contributor. The PSP also won the top prize in the Best Peripheral/Hardware category.

In the game awards, Halo 2 and Splinter Cell 3 tied for the most lauded game with three wins apiece. The next chapter in the Master Chief's saga conquered the Best Console Game, Best Action Game, and Best Online Multiplayer Game categories, while Sam Fisher's latest adventure won Best PC Game, Best Action/Adventure Game, and a Special Commendation for Graphics.

Most surprising was Donkey Kong Jungle Beat's double win in the Best Original Game and Best Puzzle/Trivia/Parlor Game fields. "The concept--a platformer built around the drum peripheral designed for Donkey Konga--is so crazed that only Nintendo could have dreamt it up, yet it just feels so...right," said Newsweek's N'Gai Croal. A complete list of winners is below.

Best of Show
- Sony PSP (Mobile Gaming System - Sony Computer Entertainment)

Best Original Game
- Donkey Kong Jungle Beat (Nintendo for GameCube)

Best PC Game
- Splinter Cell 3 (Ubisoft Montreal/Ubisoft for PC)

Best Console Game
- Halo 2 (Bungie/Microsoft for Xbox)

Best Peripheral / Hardware
- Sony PSP (Mobile Gaming System - Sony Computer Entertainment)

Best Action Game
- Halo 2 (Bungie/Microsoft for Xbox)

Best Action/Adventure Game
- Splinter Cell 3 (Ubisoft Montreal/Ubisoft for PC)

Best Fighting Game
- Def Jam: Fight for New York (EA Canada/EA for All Console Systems)

Best Role-Playing Game
- Jade Empire (Bioware/Microsoft for Xbox)

Best Racing Game
- Burnout 3 (Criterion Games/Electronic Arts for PlayStation 2/Xbox)

Best Simulation Game
- Sims 2 (Maxis/Electronic Arts for PC)

Best Sports Game
- Madden NFL 2005 (EA Tiburon/Electronic Arts for All Platforms)

Best Strategy Game
- Lord of the Rings: The Battle for Middle-Earth (EALA/Electronic Arts for PC)

Best Puzzle/Trivia/Parlor Game
- Donkey Kong Jungle Beat (Nintendo for GameCube)

Best Online Multiplayer Game
- Halo 2 (Bungie/Microsoft for Xbox)

Special Commendation for Graphics
- Splinter Cell 3 (Ubisoft Montreal/Ubisoft for PC)