Omni: Okay, let's call this Roundtable to order.

Mr. Nash: Have the link to the awards handy, Omni?

Siddharth: http://www.interactive.org/awards/6th_annual.asp

Omni: We'll save discussion of Game of the Year until last.

Mr. Nash: Start with console GOTY?

Omni: Go for it. You're up first. Then we'll just move down alphabetically from there. Then wrap with the Grand Game of the Year and any general / final comments.

Mr. Nash: Well, I think the nominees seem to be more politics than anything. The show is primarily attended by North American members of the game industry as it is, and the nominees are all games developed on these shores but one (Animal Crossing). If these awards are supposed to be here to award the very best designers in the medium, why isn't there better representation from Europe and Japan?

Omni: Especially when you consider one of the AIAS's goals: Promote and advance common interests in the worldwide interactive community.

Mr. Nash: It almost seems as though it's a grandiose "Make Work" project for North American developers. Get nominated, or win and maybe publishers will back their future projects.

Lee: You can't blame them completely. It's like that with every type of awards. Oscars, Grammys, etc. American mainstream takes precedence, rightly or wrongly.  And some of the games that come out of Japan, quite frankly ( no matter how well they are designed) are strange. The games listed here are more world-friendly (as far as content and everybody in the world being able to related to them in some fashion) than many Japanese games.

Tolen: And to be fair, look at the past years. Japanese games have been well represented in the winners over the years. Maybe this is simply a year that Western developers did a good job.

Omni: But the real question: Which game will win it?

Lee: I'll go for Splinter Cell. It has some quality design attributes like the lighting effects that would seem to be what this competition is about.

Tolen: Metroid Prime or GTA: Vice City will win and GTA would get my vote, followed closely by Splinter Cell.

Omni: I'd put money on Eternal Darkness. It's a bit of a sentimental choice. I don't think Vice City will win simply because it's more of an expansion.

Mr. Nash: I think it's a toss up between Metroid Prime and Splinter Cell, unless the judges put on their Artiste's hats and vote for Animal Crossing.

Lee: Plus, while its a good game, its highly-questionable morals would seem to make it too controversial for it to be picked. (That's GTA I'm referring to.)

Tolen: Well, in previous years it has tended to be the game with the best combination of hype and sells. Conkers, Gran Turismo, Crazy Taxi...

Mr. Nash: If that's the case, Splinter Cell will win most likely.

Lee: GTA just seems to send out too many "criticize our organization for this pick" vibes.

Mr. Nash: I don't see GTA winning unless the AIAS wants to make some sort of statement.

Tolen: And that statement would be? "Kiss it, mofos!"

Omni: Last time the honor went to Halo. And there were only four nominees.

Mr. Nash: Pikmin and ICO (last year) were too niche to compete against the other two.

Tolen: Halo. Again, hype + Sells. If they skip on GTA because of the controversy, then Splinter Cell or MP seem likely.

Omni: Anyway, let's wrap it there -- to the next topic, Innovation in PC Gaming. What innovation did each of the titles bring to the table?

Tolen: For reference:

Battlefield 1942, published by Electronic Arts, developed by Digital Illusions;

Dungeon Siege, published by Microsoft Game Studios, developed by Gas Powered Games;

Grand Theft Auto III, published by Rockstar, developed by Rockstar North;

Medal of Honor: Allied Assault, published by Electronic Arts, developed by 2015 Inc.;

Neverwinter Nights, published by Infogrames, developed by Bioware;

Tim: I didn't play any of them.

Lee: Yeah, because while I enjoyed WarCraft III, there wasn't anything that could be considered innovative.

Omni: When I look at that list, I'm hard pressed to imagine what any of them did to be classified as "innovative."

Mr. Nash: Neverwinter Nights design modules.

Tolen: I reviewed three of them. Neverwinter and Dungeon Siege were so similar I'm not sure how either could be innovative.

Lee: Although I'm upset that EA canceled its Xbox version, I would have to vote for Battlefield 1942.

Tolen: MOH:AA is great as a LAN multiplayer game, but again not too innovative.

Lee: I think GTA has a chance here because it really did spawn a new genre.

Tolen: I think Battlefield 1942 is the obvious answer. I wasn't struck by the innovation of any PC games this year, and I certainly played a few.

Mr. Nash: Are there games missing that should have been in there for innovation?

Omni: Of those on the list, Battlefield 1942 should get it. But Mr. Nash’s right -- can you think

 of any games this year that stood out as being truly innovative? (I suppose it depends on your definition of innovation.)

Tim: I can't remember playing ANY game this year that struck me as completely innovative.

Tolen: On the console front, maybe, but not PC.

Tim: I don't play PC games, Tolen.

Mr. Nash: Yeah, it's been more of the same. Some done extremely well, but nothing new.

Omni: And on that note let's shift to Innovation in Console Gaming.

Tolen:

Animal Crossing for the NINTENDO GAMECUBE, published by Nintendo of America, developed by Nintendo Co. Ltd.;

Eternal Darkness for the NINTENDO GAMECUBE, published by Nintendo of America, developed by Silicon Knights;

Grand Theft Auto: Vice City for the PlayStation 2, published by Rockstar, developed by Rockstar North;

Metroid Prime for the NINTENDO GAMECUBE, published by Nintendo of America, developed by Retro Studios

Splinter Cell for Xbox, published by Ubi Soft, developed by Ubi Soft Montreal

Mr. Nash: Well, Rez definitely deserves to be on that list. That game came right out of left field, yet it's not nominated there.

Tolen: Animal Crossing, from what I've heard is a good choice, but I'm only getting that second hand.

Omni: Once again, Eternal Darkness is a bit of a sentimental favorite -- but I'll have to go with it thanks to the insanity effects.

Lee: Eternal Darkness or Splinter Cell are the most likely winners.

Omni: (Pikmin got it last year.)

Tolen: Eternal Darkness with the IE and more free-flowing, action-packed gameplay felt different from the RE survival horror certainly.

Siddharth: I would have to say Splinter Cell or Metroid Prime are the most likely winners.

Tolen: None of these games are as innovative as Pikmin--and Pikman wasn't that innovative.

Omni: Geez, we're a cynical bunch!

Lee: I think the main subject here is that is there really any innovation left to be done in gaming?

Mr. Nash: We're working with what they're giving us.

Tolen: Maybe because we just survived the holiday review crunch.

Mr. Nash: Problem is, innovation is often synonymous with off beat weirdness in many people's eyes so it gets pushed aside.

Tolen: Is there any innovation left to be done? Certainly, before last year it would have been hard to imagine a game like GTA3.

Lee: In the day of the [Atari] 2600 EVERYTHING was innovative in some respect,; Now everything is only a variation of some game or another.

Omni: Maybe there's just too much pressure to be innovative -- developers should be concentrating on honing their current skills.

Lee: And paradoxically, it’s probably the BEST time ever to be a gamer, despite the lack of "innovative" games.

Siddharth: It could also be since more and more innovative games are released it seems like almost everything has been explored.

Lee: I guess nowadays any game that can bring some type of new wrinkle to a genre must be considered innovative, no matter how small the wrinkle.

Mr. Nash: I don't think there's much pressure at all to be innovative, there's just pressure for developers to find and maintain a "winning formula", then milk it dry.

Omni: Like Tony Hawk.

Tolen: Yes, but technological advances are still allowing innovation. Think of the insanity effects of ED or the scanning functions in Metroid: Prime. These would have been hard to pull off just years ago.

Omni: That's because the hardware just wasn't there.

Tolen: Exactly.

Tim: The last game that made me think, "wow, now THIS is innovation!" is the original Sims.

Lee: Gaming will advance as computer technology does; Imagine what games will be out in another 5 years.

Tim: I agree, Mr. Nash. Sega has some incredibly innovative games... and I wouldn't say technology is a determining factor.

Lee: It certainly plays a big part.

Tolen: Yeah, Sega is the poster child for the lack of importance of innovation as far as sells go. They innovated themselves right out of the console business.

Siddharth: Maybe, but gameplay is also another big part of innovation. I mean look at GTA 3 and Vice City.

Tim: Exactly. I wouldn't say a great looking game is innovation. At least not any innovation that is worth giving an award to.

Lee: It wasn't due to Sega’s innovation in the development area; they lacked innovative marketing techniques.

Tolen: Were saying that a certain amount of graphical power was necessary to innovate those new gameplay elements.

Lee: No, but just think of what type of advanced AI and Internet gaming options will be around in the next half-decade.

Tim: But what does that have to do with graphics being innovative? I am in full agreement...if by game options or AI the game jumps...or if a game has a new, refreshing idea....that is innovation.

Omni: Tangent, tangent --- let's get back to the categories. Console Fighting. Fighting Games, I mean.

Tolen:

Finalists for 2003's Console Fighting Game of the Year include:

Godzilla: Destroy All Monsters Melee for the NINTENDO GAMECUBE, published by Infogrames, developed by Pipeworks Software;

Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance for the PlayStation 2, published and developed by Midway;

Capcom VS. SNK 2: EO for the PlayStation 2, published by Capcom, developed by Capcom Japan;

Tekken 4 for the PlayStation 2, published by Sega, developed by Sega and AM2

Lee: Mortal Kombat; It re-inevented itself into a solid game that didn't rely on the gore-factor completely to sell itself.

Tim: I played Mortal Kombat. It was really, really good so it gets my vote...the game's depth was just "wow".

Omni: If Virtua Fighter 4 was on the list, I'd say it would win.

Tolen: Well, immediately throw out Godzilla.

Omni: NO!

Siddharth: Mortal Kombat: DA was a solid game and the gameplay didn't disappoint.

Mr. Nash: VF4!

Omni: In terms fighting games, I just can't put that title [Godzilla] down.

Tim: I have never played VF4...or any VF games but then I never got into the technical aspects of fighting gmaes. It always seemed like it was a lot of senseless button mashing.

Siddharth: I have only played VF in the arcades.

Mr. Nash: I'd have to give the vote to VF4.

Tolen: The ability to train and fight a "AI" in VF4 pushed it over the edge for me. I really thought it was the best fighter of the year.

Omni: But you're right, Tolen, Godzilla just won't get it. (No matter how much I like it.) So VF4's the clear winner, but why is it not nominated?

Siddharth: Wasn't it nominated?

Mr. Nash: It is nominated

Tolen: It is nominated

Siddharth: It says so on the website.

Omni: What the hell am I looking at then?

Tolen: It also says it above.

Omni: Obviously, I've gone blind. Shooting any credibility I had all to hell.

Tolen: The blindness could also explain why you liked Godzilla.

Omni: That stings! Okay, so what about Console Platform Action / Adventure GOTY. (Noticeably, no Xbox titles.)

Tolen:

Ratchet and Clank for the PlayStation 2, published by Sony Computer Entertainment America Inc., developed by Insomniac Games;

Sly Cooper and the Thievious Raccoonus for the PlayStation 2, published by Sony Computer Entertainment America Inc., developed by Sucker Punch;

Super Mario Sunshine for the NINTENDO GAMECUBE, published by Nintendo of America, developed by Nintendo Co. Ltd.

Mr. Nash: I think Mario will likely walk away with it.

Omni: Obviously the favorite is Mario.

Lee: Ratchet & Clank; while it maintains the platform genre formula, there was innovative material in there.

Omni: There's that word again....

Lee: Not overwhelmingly innovative mind you. But Mario was just an improved extension of Super Mario 64 .

Tolen: I preferred Ratchet &Clank, but Mario Sunshine is certainly the favorite.

Omni: What about Console Sports GOTY? My big question is, how do they decide to nominate the platform when the title was released on multiple plats?

Tolen: NCAA football 2003 is one of the best sports games ever made.

Siddharth: NHL 2k3 was undoubtably the best hockey game this year, but I don't think it will win game of the year. NCAA Football 2003 I would imagine would win.

Lee: NCAA Football; it brought the real-world college football game right into your living room; You could execute the option play so easily, it was amazing.

Siddharth says: Madden 2003 was good, but there were some flaws that were present, that were not found in Madden 2002.

Tim: Hmmmm.... sports game of the year?

Omni: Why are Aggressive Inline and THPS4 nominated? Do they classify as sports?

Siddharth: Extreme sports.

Tim: I still play NCAA Football 2003 while Madden sits and collects dust but I think Madden gets the nod. Online play...mini-games....

Lee: NHL 2K3's online functionality make it my pick for this category; this game is incredible online.

Siddharth: I have NHL 2k3 for PS2, but I wish it was online.

Tim: The franchise mode is easy to exploit, but overall it's probably more GOTY.

Lee: Tough category to gauge.

Tim: Yes, it is.

Mr. Nash: Console RPG GOTY?

Animal Crossing for the NINTENDO GAMECUBE, published by Nintendo of America, developed by Nintendo Co. Ltd.;

Kingdom Hearts for the PlayStation 2, published by Square Electronic Arts, developed by Squaresoft;

Wild Arms 3 for the PlayStation 2, published by Sony Computer Entertainment America Inc., developed by MediaVision;

Final Fantasy X for the PlayStation 2, published by Square Electronic Arts, developed by Squaresoft;

Suikoden 3 for the PlayStation 2, pubished by Konami, developed by KCET.

Tim: Kingdom hearts, though I didn't play Suikoden III.

Siddharth: I agree. Kingdom Hearts

Tolen: Morrowind (XB) should have been nominated.

Mr. Nash: I don't think FFX deserves it if only for the poor story. The level up system was cool, but that's about it. Morrowind definitely should have been on that list.

Lee: Kingdom Hearts mixed two completely unrelated stories so seamlessly, it deserves something.

Mr. Nash: It had so much scope and the story was yours to discover, as opposed to shoving it down the player's throat.

Lee: Disney and Square mixing together so perfectly? Who'd a thunk it?

Tolen: I have to abstain here, since I haven't played any of the nominees.

Omni: I want to move the discussion to one of the weirdest categories: PC Action / Adventure GOTY. How'd they make this list?

Star Wars Jedi Knight II: Jedi Outcast, published by Lucas Arts, developed by Raven;

Grand Theft Auto III, published by Rockstar, developed by Rockstar North;

Syberia, published and developed by Microids;

The Thing, published by Black Label Games, developed by Computer Artworks

Mr. Nash: The only Adventure game there is Siberia. It's like the genre is saying "But I'm not dead yet!" like one of the plague victims in Monty Python's Quest for the Holy Grail.

Tolen: A first person shooter, a survival horror game, a point and click adventure, a thug simulator. Weird.

Mr. Nash: Shenmue II (XB) seems conspicuously absent.

Tolen: And Microids has a sequel on the way. "Bring out your dead!" Shenmue 2 is too old.

Lee: Shenmue II was sleep-inducing

Omni: If it was just Adventure, I'd say Syberia. But it's a dog's breakfast of a category. How can they possibly connect these games. (I don't think SII was nominated because it came on Dreamcast a couple of years ago...) And I disagree with you on that one, Lee. Sure it had it's lulls -- what game doesn't? -- but overall it's a satisfying game.

Lee: I only tried the demo; it's one of those games that definitely needs to grow on you.

Mr. Nash: The whole category is a discombobulated mish-mash. It's pretty bad when game designers peers can't define and differentiate categories clearly. Too many sub categories now. The nonimees definitely reflect the how much things are declining in terms of PC gaming.

Omni: But let's close this discussion with a look at the 2003's GOTY -- an hour's just not long enough to examine this list.

Tolen:

Animal Crossing™ for the NINTENDO GAMECUBE™, published by Nintendo of America Inc., developed by Nintendo Co. Ltd.;

Battlefield 1942 for the PC, published by Electronic Arts, developed by Digital Illusions;

Ratchet & Clank for the PlayStation® 2, published by Sony Computer Entertainment America Inc.,

Metroid Prime for the NINTENDO GAMECUBE, published by Nintendo, developed by Retro Studios

Grand Theft Auto: Vice City for the PlayStation 2, published by Rockstar Games, developed by Rockstar North.

Mr. Nash: And I have to wonder if Ratchet and Clank is in ther just to avoid there being 3 Nintendo games in the category (instead of Mario)

Lee: Battlefield 1942 seems to be a strong choice. It is a good game, and has good online play to boot.

Tolen: Ratchet and Clank would get my vote.

Siddharth: I would have to say Metroid Prime and if not Metroid Prime then Vice City for sure.

Tolen: Metroid Prime was a pretty wonderful accomplishment, certainly.

Omni: It's a battle of the Titans between Metroid Prime and Vice City. Although, my gut tells me Animal Crossing is going to win.

Mr. Nash: Really?

Siddharth: ?

Mr. Nash: I think it's a toss up between Metroid and Vice City.

Omni: Maybe it's just gas, but something tells me, Crossing it will be chosen over all the others.

Lee: It think it's gas.

Siddharth: I also think its a battle between Metroid and Vice city.

Mr. Nash: I think that settles that then.

Omni: Ultimately, I think MP will win. (I hope.)

Mr. Nash: That wouldn't surprise me at all.

Siddharth: Me neither.

Lee: Although the last year hasn't been the best for Nintendo sales-wise.

Omni: And with that said, I'll call the 1st roundtable to a close. Next time we'll pick a more concise topic. Like, Innovation in Gaming, or something.