Every gaming publication out there has some form of awards for "Games of the Year." This year the Armchair Empire decided to skip such a feature since we’ve only been in existence about five months. But that won’t stop me from presenting my own year end awards. Since this will be a one-shot deal I’ve decided to call them...

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Omni’s Propaganda Machine Awards for 2000

Best Use Of A Duck: Escape from Monkey Island (LucasArts)

The fourth chapter in the Monkey Island series presents a sterling example of a how ducks can be used to advance plot. It also shows how neglected ducks have been in recent years on the PC. The trend looks to continue with Black&White – they’ve got cows, tigers, orangutans, but no ducks.

Best Clothing Design: No One Lives Forever (Fox Interactive)

Cate Archer looks absolutely fabulous! The clothes in NOLF remained consistent throughout, sticking close to the Sixties fashion influence.

Worst Game of the Year: Dogs of War

Unfortunately, with all the good games released this year there were also many stinkers. Dogs of War presented players with very good graphics, a terrible interface, unforgiving gameplay, no in-game save feature, so-so dialogue and confusing control.

Best Graphics: Giants: Citizen Kabuto (Interplay)

The graphics were so good that I often stopped just to admire the view. If you don’t have the hardware to turn all the options on, mortgage your house and sell your car to raise the necessary funds to purchase them.

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Best Game To Play On A Dark Night: Blair Witch I: Rustin Parr (Terminal Reality)

There were moments in this game that set me on edge. The sound design and light sourcing combined to create some damn eerie environments. The game itself wasn’t so hot but the amount of suspense and downright creepiness made this the scariest game in 2000.

Worst Identity Crisis: Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask (Nintendo)

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Being able to wear different masks brings up several philosophical questions about the nature of being. Link wears a Goron mask and becomes a Goron. Link wears a Zora mask and becomes a Zoran. Is Link actually Link? Or is someone else wearing a Link mask? It’s almost enough to give a person a headache!

Best Anime: Tenchi Muyo!

Actually, it’s the only anime I saw last year. (For the record, it was the OAV series that Omni saw. - Mr. Nash)

Best Action Figure: King Kong (McFarlane Toys)

Of all the categories, this is the one I had the most problem with. There were so many good action figures released this year that choosing only one was tough. Kenner’s huge Dewback with Sandtrooper, the Simpson line, various Batman and Spiderman figures, the list was long. I picked King Kong for three things: an action figure based on his likeness was long overdue, the detail and base, and the cost compared to weight. And it’s lots of fun to play with.

Best N64 Game: Majora’s Mask (Nintendo)

Another tough category. There were some very good N64 games. But I never played Perfect Dark (gasp!) and Banjo-Tooie just didn’t suck me in the way MM did. MM has lots quests to complete and cranies to explore, and it expands the Legend of Zelda mythology. Very engrossing and very fun, topped with good graphics and great sound.

Best PC Game: The Sims (Electronic Arts)

I can’t count the number of hours I invested playing this game. How can a program that lets you take control of virtual beings, build houses, practice interior design, and cultivate relationships with other virtual beings be considered a game? It’s so open-ended that anyone can get pulled into this game. The graphics and animation

are first rate. People were constantly amazed at the range demonstrated by the Sims, especially when disaster struck. I still have the picture of Bob Trite burning alive after he tried to handle a house fire by himself. My wife bought this one for herself, but I’m sure I played it more than she did.

Best Classic Game Reviewed By The Armchair Empire: Super Mario Bros. 2 (Nintendo)

I still can’t get enough of this game. It goes to show that a good game doesn’t need the best graphics or sound to be engrossing.

Favorite Colour: Blue

Red was my favorite colour for many years but after careful consideration I decided that it was time for a change.

Best Music: No One Lives Forever (Fox Interactive)

The title track still rings through my head at unexpected moments. The remaining music integrates itself nicely into the action on-screen. More importantly, the music is consistently flavoured with the ‘60s. And as a bonus, the game shipped with a music CD which has some pretty good tracks on it.

Best Armchair: Lay-Z-Boy e-cliner (Lay-Z-Boy)

This chair rocks! Check it out here.

Awards by Omni


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