AIAS Awards: pay to play

By Christopher Grant

The Academy of Interactive Arts and Sciences will be holding their 9th annual Interactive Achievement Awards February 9th at the Hard Rock Hotel in Las Vegas, just don't expect to see some of the best games of the year there. Depending on who you asked, Capcom's Resident Evil 4 or Majesco's Psychonauts ended up at the top of their best of 2005 list. Resident Evil 4 handily claimed two top spots on aggregate review site Metacritic! So how is it that neither title has been nominated for anything in the Interactive Achievement Awards? Easy, they didn't pay up.

According to GameSpot, an AIAS rep explained that neither Capcom nor Majesco were members: "'Majesco and Capcom are not members, and chose the option not to be... According to the rules, you have to be a member for your game to be nominated.' However, the AIAS rep said that Resident Evil 4 could have made the list, as it was written in by many voters. 'There was a write-in option, and Resident [Evil 4] got written in, but
[Capcom] chose not to play,' the rep said. The rep also said that Majesco, which has fallen upon hard times, simply
'couldn't afford to join the Academy.'"

So let me get this straight: since Majesco lost money developing and publishing a game that, though critically acclaimed, did not turn a profit, they are ineligible to compete for an award that purportedly intends to honor the Overall Game of the Year? For all I know Capcom's broke too... have you ever seen their website?!

This isn't the only problem with the AIAS awards this year! David Jaffe, lead designer of the the heavily nominated God of War, goes Kratos on their asses for promising "a red carpet, celebrity host, celebrity presenters from film, television and sports, along with musical acts directly from videogames."

Read on for the full list of the best games of the year (made by members of the AIAS)

[Thanks, Ian]

Overall Game of the Year

  • God of War – SCEA, Sony Santa Monica
  • Guitar Hero -
    Red Octane, Harmonix
  • Shadow of the Colossus – SCEA, SCEA
  • Call of Duty 2 – Activision, Infinity Ward
  • Nintendogs – Nintendo, Nintendo EAD

Outstanding Innovation in Gaming

  • Nintendogs -
    Nintendo, Nintendo EAD
  • Guitar Hero – Red Octane, Harmonix
  • Shadow of the Colossus – SCEA, SCEA
  • God of War – SCEA, Sony Santa Monica
  • The Movies -
    Activision, Lionhead Studios

Sports Game of the Year

  • NBA 2K6 – 2K Games, Visual Concepts
  • MLB 2006 – SCEA, SCEA
  • SSX On Tour – EA, EA Canada
  • MLB 2K5:
    WS Edition     – 2K Games, Visual Concepts
  • Super Mario Strikers – Nintendo, Next Level

First – Person Action Game of the Year

  • Call of Duty 2 -
    Activision, Infinity Ward
  • Condemned: Criminal Origins – Sega,
    Monolith
  • Brothers in Arms: Road to Hill 30 – Ubisoft, Gearbox Software
  • F.E.A.R.: First Encounter Assault Recon – Vivendi Universal Games, Monolith
  • Battlefield 2 – EA, Digital Illusions

Role – Playing Game of the Year

  • Jade Empire – Microsoft, Bioware
  • Dragon Quest VII - Sqaure Enix, Level 5
  • Dungeon Siege II – Microsoft, Gas Powered
  • Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance
    - Nintendo, Intelligent Systems
  • Radiata Stories – Square Enix,
    Tri – Ace Inc.

Fighting Game of the Year

  • Soul Calibur 3 – Namco, Namco
  • Tekken 5 – Namco, Namco
  • Fight Night Round 2 – EA, EA -
    Chicago
  • WWE Smackdown VS Raw – THQ, D: Yuke's Co.
    Ltd.

Action/ Adventure Game of the Year

  • God of War – SCEA, Sony Santa Monica
  • Shadow of the Colossus – SCEA, SCEA
  • Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory – Ubisoft, Ubisoft
  • Prince of Persia:
    The Two Thrones     – Ubisoft, Ubisoft – Montreal
  • The Incredible Hulk: Ultimate Destruction – Vivendi Universal Games, Radical Entertainment

Racing Game of the Year

  • Forza Motorsport -
    Microsoft, Microsoft Game Studios
  • Project Gotham Racing 3 -
    Microsoft, Bizarre Creations
  • Mario Kart DS – Nintendo, Nintendo EAD

Recommended