Friday 28-Nov-2003 3:01 PM Videogames, champagne-guzzling PR lovelies, and Shigeru Miyamoto: does it get any better than this? All the results from videogaming's premier awards ceremony inside! Grand Theft Auto: Vice City claimed the top honour at today's Golden Joystick Awards, the gaming awards voted for by you, the people, ensuring publisher Rockstar walked away with Ultimate Game of the Year for the second year running.
The glamorous event, which took place earlier this afternoon at London's fashionable Park Lane Hotel, was hosted by "larger than life" comedian and TV personality Phil Jupitus and caught on film by MTV. Though we don't suppose they'll be broadcasting some of the more exuberant celebrations.
GTA Vice City just pipped finalists Zelda: The Wind Waker and Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic to the title of Ultimate Game, also picking up a second award for PS2 game of the year. Eidos also enjoyed success with Championship Manager 4 securing two awards, for PC Game of the Year as well as the Daily Mirror Best of British Award.
But Nintendo was the big winner overall, scooping a massive six awards, including Publisher of the Year and Most Wanted Game for Christmas (Mario Kart: Double Dash!!). Other notable winners included EA's The Lord of The Rings: The Two Towers, which took the MTV Film Adaptation of the Year, while Capcom's criminally overlooked Viewtiful Joe took the Unsung Hero Award in crowd pleasing fashion. However, it was a special appearance from Shigeru Miyamoto, accepting an award for industry personality (via a special videotaped interview) that really stole the show.
Without further ado, those results in full:
PS2 Game of the Year Winner: Grand Theft Auto: Vice City (Rockstar) Finalists: EyeToy: Play (SCEE), Pro Evolution Soccer 2 (Konami)
GameCube Game of the Year Winner: The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker (Nintendo) Finalists: Metroid Prime (Nintendo), Resident Evil Zero (Capcom)
Handheld Game of the Year Winner: Advance Wars 2: Black Hole Rising (Nintendo) Finalists: Pokémon Ruby & Sapphire (Nintendo), The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past (Nintendo)
Xbox Game of the Year Winner: Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic (Activision/LucasArts) Finalists: Soul Calibur II (EA), Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell (Ubisoft)
PC Game of the Year Winner: Championship Manager 4 (Eidos) Finalists: Grand Theft Auto: Vice City (Rockstar), Battlefield 1942 (Electronic Arts)
Online Game of the Year Winner: Battlefield 1942 (Electronic Arts) Finalists: Phantasy Star Online I & II (Sega), Unreal Championship (Atari)
MTV Film Adaptation of the Year Winner: The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (Electronic Arts) Finalists: Enter the Matrix (Atari), Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (Electronic Arts)
The Daily Mirror Award: Best of British Winner: Championship Manager 4 (Eidos) Finalists: Conflict Desert Storm II (SCi) Republic: The Revolution (Eidos)
Publisher of the Year Winner: Nintendo Finalists: Electronic Arts, Rockstar Games
Retailer of the Year Winner: GAME Finalists: Amazon.co.uk, Gameplay.com
Hardware of the Year Winner: Nintendo Game Boy Advance SP Finalists: SCEE EyeToy, Microsoft Xbox Live!
Unsung Hero Game of the Year Winner: Viewtiful Joe Finalists: No One Lives Forever 2: A Spy in H.A.R.M.S Way, Steel Battalion
Hall of Fame Industry Personality of the Year Winner: Shigeru Miyamoto
Editor's Award: Game of the Year Winner: Pro Evolution Soccer 3 (Konami) Finalists: Call of Duty (Activision), The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker (Nintendo)
Most Wanted Game for Christmas Winner: Mario Kart: Double Dash!! (Nintendo) Finalists: Pro Evolution Soccer 3 (Konami), WWE Smackdown! Here Comes The Pain (THQ)
Most Anticipated Game for 2004 Winner: Half-Life 2 (VU games) Finalists: Doom III (Activision), Halo 2 (Microsoft)
Ultimate Game of the Year Winner: Grand Theft Auto: Vice City (Rockstar) Finalists: The Legend of Zelda: the Wind Waker (Nintendo), Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic (Activision)
Be sure to check back on Monday for our full wrap up of the Golden Joystick Awards 2003, with full reaction from all the big winners on the day.
Copyright 2006 - 2009 Future Publishing Limited, Beauford Court, 30 Monmouth Street, Bath, UK BA1 2BW England and Wales company registration number 2008885
