2nd Annual Game Developers Choice Awards

Honoring the Best Games of 2001

For photos, please browse our albums.

Lifetime Achievement Award

Yuji Naka

President and CEO of Sega's SONICTEAM, for the innovative and award-winning work he has produced during his career, including the creation of SEGA mascot, Sonic The Hedgehog^™.

First Penguin Award

Hubert Chardot

For his risk-taking work on Alone in the Dark, a game that started the "survival-horror" genre.

IGDA Award for Community Contribution

Jeff Lander

For his writings on game development, community building efforts and student outreach.

Game of the Year

GRAND THEFT AUTO III (DMA Design/Rockstar Games)

Finalists:

• BLACK & WHITE (Lionhead Studios)
• HALO: COMBAT EVOLVED (Bungie Studios)
• ICO (Sony Computer Entertainment, Inc.)
• MAX PAYNE (Remedy Entertainment)

Rookie Studio of the Year

Bohemia Interactive Studio (OPERATION FLASHPOINT)

Finalists:

• Adrenium Games (AZURIK: RISE OF PERATHIA)
• Croteam (SERIOUS SAM)
• Pseudo Interactive (CEL DAMAGE)
• TimeGate Studios (KOHAN: IMMORTAL SOVEREIGNS)

Original Game Character of the Year

Daxter (JAK & DAXTER: THE PRECURSOR LEGACY)

Finalists:

• Dante (DEVIL MAY CRY)
• Ico (ICO)
• Max Payne (MAX PAYNE)
• Munch (ODDWORLD: MUNCH'S ODDYSEE)

Excellence in Audio

Marty O'Donnell & Team for sound effects (HALO: COMBAT EVOLVED)

Finalists:

• Erik Kraber and Jack Grillo for sound design (CLIVE BARKER'S UNDYING)
• Harry Gregson-Williams for composition in (METAL GEAR SOLID 2: SONS OF LIBERTY)
• Josh Randall for sound design (FREQUENCY)
• Thomas Engel, Rudolf Stember and Chris Huelsbeck for sound engineering (STAR WARS ROGUE SQUADRON II: ROGUE LEADER)

Excellence in Level Design

Fumito Ueda & Team (ICO)

Finalists:

• Craig Filshie, William Mills, Chris Rothwell and James Worrall (GRAND THEFT AUTO III)
• Ghost Recon Team (TOM CLANCY'S GHOST RECON)
• Scott Campbell, Dave Jaffe, Kellan Hatch & Team (TWISTED METAL: BLACK)
• Toshihiro Nagoshi & Team (SUPER MONKEY BALL)

Excellence in Programming

Richard Evans for artificial intelligence (BLACK & WHITE)

Finalists:

• Akihiko Tan & Team for physics (GRAN TURISMO 3 A-SPEC)
• Andy Gavin and Stephen White for programming (JAK & DAXTER: THE PRECURSOR LEGACY)
• Jason Jones & Team for programming (HALO: COMBAT EVOLVED)
• Sherman Archibald, John Carmack and Ryan Feltrin for graphics (RETURN TO CASTLE WOLFENSTEIN)

Excellence in Game Design

GTA3 team for game play (GRAND THEFT AUTO III)

Finalists:

• Fumito Ueda & Team for game design (ICO)
• Lorne Lanning and Chris Ulm for story/writing (ODDWORLD: MUNCH'S ODDYSEE)
• Peter Molyneux & Team for game design (BLACK & WHITE)
• Shigeru Miyamto & Team for game design (PIKMIN)

Excellence in Visual Arts

Fumito Ueda & Team for art direction (ICO)

Finalists:

• Greg Griffith, Bill Harper, John Kim, Jordan Pitchon, Bob Rafei, Josh Scherr and Rob Titus for animation (JAK & DAXTER: THE PRECURSOR LEGACY)
• Kazunori Yamauchi & Team for modeling (GRAN TURISMO 3 A-SPEC)
• Lorne Lanning and Farzad Varahramyan for art direction (ODDWORLD: MUNCH'S ODDYSEE)
• Tetsuya Mizuguchi, Jun Kabayashi & Team for art direction (REZ)

Game Innovation Spotlights

BLACK & WHITE (Lionhead Studios)

GRAND THEFT AUTO III (DMA Design)

ICO (Sony Computer Entertainment, Inc.)

MAJESTIC (Electronic Arts)

REZ (United Game Artists)

Finalists:

• CEL DAMAGE (Pseudo Interactive)
• FREQUENCY (Harmonix Music Systems)
• KOHAN: IMMORTAL SOVEREIGNS (TimeGate Studios)
• MAX PAYNE (Remedy Entertainment)
• SUPER MONKEY BALL (Amusement Vision)