2002 AIAS award winners announced

The Academy of Interactive Arts and Sciences (AIAS) announced the winners of its 2002 Interactive Achievement awards last night. Analogous to the music industry's Grammy awards or the film industry's Oscars, the Interactive Achievement awards recognize the best computer and console games as voted on by the AIAS, the official professional academy of the games industry.

The big winners include EA's first-person shooter Battlefield 1942, which won four awards, including game of the year, computer game of the year, innovation in computer gaming, and online gameplay of the year. Nintendo's Animal Crossing won three awards, including innovation in console gaming, console role-playing game of the year, and outstanding achievement in game design. Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell took top honors on the console side, winning console game of the year. Sega's Yu Suzuki, known for his work on classics like Hang-On and Space Harrier, as well as more recent hits like the Virtua Fighter series and Shenmue, won the AIAS Hall of Fame award.

Hall of Fame Award - Yu Suzuki
Game of theYear - Battlefield 1942
Computer Game of the Year - Battlefield 1942
Computer Action Game of the Year - Grand Theft Auto III
Computer First-Person Action Game of the Year - Medal of Honor: Allied Assault
Computer Role-Playing Game of the Year - Neverwinter Nights
Computer Strategy Game of the Year - Warcraft III: Reign of Chaos
Computer Simulation Game of the Year - The Sims Unleashed
Computer Sports Game of the Year - Madden NFL 2003

Console Game of the Year - Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell
Console Action Adventure Game of the Year - Grand Theft Auto - Vice City
Console First-Person Action Game of the Year - Metroid Prime
Console Platform Action Adventure Game of the Year - Ratchet & Clank
Console Role-Playing Game of the Year - Animal Crossing
Console Sports Game of the Year - Madden NFL 2003
Console Racing Game of the Year - Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit 2
Console Fighting Game of the Year - Tekken 4
Family Game of the Year - Mario Party 4

Handheld Game of the Year - Metroid Fusion
Innovation in Computer Gaming - Battlefield 1942
Innovation in Console Gaming - Animal Crossing
Massively Multiplayer/Persistent World Game of the Year - The Sims Online
Online Gameplay Game of the Year - Battlefield 1942
Outstanding Achievement in Animation - Sly Cooper and the Thievius Raccoonus
Outstanding Achievement in Art Direction - Sly Cooper and the Thievius Raccoonus
Outstanding Achievement in Character or Story - Eternal Darkness: Sanity's Requiem
Outstanding Achievement in Game Design - Animal Crossing
Outstanding Achievement in Gameplay Engineering - Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell
Outstanding Achievement in Original Music Composition - Medal of Honor: Frontline
Outstanding Achievement in Sound Design - Medal of Honor: Frontline
Outstanding Achievement in Visual Engineering - The Lord of the Rings, The Two Towers