CGDA announces Spotlight nominees

[03.05.99] » Several console RPG notables have been nominated in the CGDA's upcoming Spotlight Awards.

   At the upcoming Game Developers Conference in San Jose, the Computer Game Developers Association will be hosting the annual Spotlight Awards, a ceremony designed to honor the creative talent and technical abilities of game developers around the world. The awards aren't simply limited to computer titles -- console games are also eligible for nomination, though they appear less frequently.

   This year, a number of console based titles appear throughout the nominations, with a surprising number of role-playing games earning a nod. The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, Pokémon, and Metal Gear Solid are three notable console titles nominated for the Most Innovative Game Design award, and Parasite Eve is a potential winner in the Best Use of Graphics category. Final Fantasy Tactics has been nominated for Best Strategy/Wargame, while Xenogears is up for Best Adventure/RPG. (We were stunned by the omission of Quest 64.)

   The awards will take place on March 17, 1999 from 7:00 to 8:30 pm in Ballroom A 1/2 at the San Jose Convention Center. We'll bring you the results from the ceremony shortly afterwards. More information is available at the CGDA's homepage.

   The full list of nominations and categories for 1999 are as follows:

   1. Best Use of Graphics - Half Life, Unreal, Trespasser, Grim Fandango, Thief: The Dark Project, Parasite Eve.

   2. Most Innovative Game Design - Thief: The Dark Project, Rainbow Six, Metal Gear Solid, Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, Commandos, Baldur's Gate, Pokemon, Battlezone, Army Men.

   3. Best Use of Audio - Half Life, Baldur's Gate, Thief: The Dark Project, Falcon 4.0, Unreal, Might and Magic VI, NHL 99 (PC).

   4. Best AI (Artificial Intelligence) - Half Life, Thief: The Dark Project, Creatures 2, Operational Art of War, Warlords III: Darklords Rising.

   5. Best Children's Title - Barbie's Photo Designer, Lego Creator, Rugrats Movie Activity Challenge, Blue's ABC Time Activities, Play with the Teletubbies, Droidworks, Bug's Life Active Play, Spyro the Dragon, Banjo Kazooie.

   6. Best Trivia, Puzzle or Classic Game - Smart Games ­ Puzzle Challenge 3, Chessmaster 6000, Wheel of Fortune, Clue: Murder at Boddy Mansion, You Don't Know Jack 4: The Ride.

   7. Best Simulation - Falcon 4.0, European Air War, Need for Speed 3, Gran Turismo, F1 Racing Simulation, Monaco Grand Prix Racing 2, Motocross Madness, Microsoft Combat Flight Simulator.

   8. Best Strategy/Wargame - StarCraft, West Front, Operational Art of War, Rainbow Six, Settlers III, Battlezone, Railroad Tycoon 2, Caesar III, Final Fantasy Tactics.

   9. Best Adventure/RPG - Baldur's Gate, Fallout 2, Might and Magic VI, Grim Fandango, Sanitarium, Redguard: Elder Scrolls Adventures, Xenogears.

   10. Best Sports Title - NBA Live 1999, Tiger Woods Golf, NHL 99 (PC), International Superstar Soccer 2, NFL Blitz, NFL Quarterback Club 99, Links LS 99, World Cup 98, NCAA Football 99, FIFA Soccer 99.

   11. Best Action Game - Half Life, Rainbow Six, Metal Gear Solid, Shogo, Battlezone, Heretic II, Tekken 3, Descent Freespace, Turok 2: Seeds of Evil.

   12. Best Multiplayer Game - Half Life, Rainbow Six, StarCraft, Starsiege ­ Tribes, Fireteam.

   13. Best PC Game - Rainbow Six, Half Life, StarCraft, Thief: The Dark Project, Baldur's Gate.

   14. Best Console Game - Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, Need for Speed 3, Gran Turismo, Metal Gear Solid, Star Wars: Rogue Squadron, Crash Bandicoot: Warped, Turok 2: Seeds of Evil, NFL Blitz, Spyro the Dragon.