The Game Critics Awards are a set of prestigious annual awards held after the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E³) since 1998 to current. The awards are given to products displayed at the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E³) with the title Best of E³ of their category. The nominees and winners of the awards are chosen by individual judges representing 37 (as of 2006) major North American media outlets. The media outlets include: TIME, Newsweek, Rolling Stone, Business 2.0, Wired, Giant, USA Today, Los Angeles Times, The Washington Post, Gannett News Service, San Jose Mercury News, Comcast Games, Computer Gaming World, Electronic Gaming Monthly, Game Informer, Game Informer Online, Gamepro, GameSpot, GameSpy, Comcast GamesNet, Hollywood Reporter, 1UP.com, GamesRadar, IGN, Official PlayStation Magazine, Official Xbox Magazine, PC Gamer, Playboy, PSM, UGO, Yahoo!, Sympatico, Game-Revolution, CNN, G4TV, MTV, Electric Playground. The awards are given independently of the Expo's organisers.
Award winners
Note on "all systems" as platform: Because games shown at E³ are still in development, the platforms for which the game is published might still be in question.
Best of Show
- 2006 : Wii
- 2005 : Spore (for PC)
- 2004 : PSP
- 2003 : Half-Life 2 (for PC)
- 2002 : Doom 3 (for PC)
- 2001 : Nintendo GameCube
- 2000 : Black and White (for PC)
- 1999 : Freelancer (for PC)
Best Original Game
- 2006 : Spore (for PC)
- 2005 : Spore (for PC)
- 2004 : Donkey Kong Jungle Beat (for Nintendo GameCube)
- 2003 : Full Spectrum Warrior (for Xbox, PC)
- 2002 : Psychonauts (for Xbox)
- 2001 : Majestic (for PC)
- 2000 : Black and White (for PC) [2]
- 1999 : Black and White (for PC) [1]
Best Console Game
- 2006 : Gears of War (for Xbox 360)
- 2005 : The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess (for Nintendo GameCube)
- 2004 : Halo 2 (for Xbox) [2]
- 2003 : Halo 2 (for Xbox) [1]
- 2002 : The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker (for Nintendo GameCube)
- 2001 : Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty (for PlayStation 2)
- 2000 : Jet Grind Radio (for Sega Dreamcast)
- 1999 : Perfect Dark (for Nintendo 64)
- 1998 : Metal Gear Solid
Best PC Game
- 2006 : Spore
- 2005 : Spore
- 2004 : Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory
- 2003 : Half-Life 2
- 2002 : Doom 3
- 2001 : Star Wars Galaxies
- 2000 : Black and White
- 1999 : Freelancer
- 1998 : Half-Life
Best Handheld Game
- 2006 : The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass (for Nintendo DS)
- 2005 : Nintendogs (for Nintendo DS)
Special Commendation for Graphics or Sound
- 2005 : (G) Killzone (for PlayStation 3)
- 2004 : (G) Splinter Cell 3 (for PC)
- 2003 : (G) Half-Life 2 (for PC)
- 2002 : (S) Doom 3 (for PC)
- 2001 : (S) Medal of Honor: Allied Assault (for PC)
- 2000 : (G) Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty (for PlayStation)
- 1999 : (G) Freelancer (for PC)
- 1999 : (+S) Outcast (for PC)
- 1999 : (+S) Um Jammer Lammy (for PlayStation)
Best Action Game
- 2006 : Gears of War (for Xbox 360)
- 2005 : F.E.A.R. (for PC)
- 2004 : Halo 2 (for Xbox)
- 2003 : Half-Life 2 (for PC)
- 2002 : Doom 3 (for PC)
- 2001 : Star Wars: Rogue Squadron II: Rogue Leader (for Nintendo GameCube)
- 2000 : Halo: Combat Evolved (for PC)
- 1999 : Team Fortress (for PC)
- 1998 : Half-Life
Best Action/Adventure Game
- 2006 : Assassin's Creed (for Playstation 3 and Xbox 360)
- 2005 : The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess (for Nintendo GameCube)
- 2004 : Splinter Cell 3 (for PC)
- 2003 : Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time (for all systems)
- 2002 : Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell (for multiple systems)
- 2001 : Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty (for PlayStation 2)
- 2000 : Escape From Monkey Island (for PC)
- 1999 : Oni (for PC)
- 1998 : Grim Fandango
Best Fighting Game
- 2006 : Heavenly Sword (for PlayStation 3)
- 2005 : Tekken 5 (for PlayStation 2)
- 2004 : Def Jam: Fight for New York (all console systems)
- 2003 : Soul Calibur 2 (all console systems)
- 2002 : Tekken 4 (for PlayStation 2)
- 2001 : Super Smash Bros. Melee (for Nintendo GameCube)
- 2000 : Ultimate Fighting Championship (for Sega Dreamcast)
- 1999 : Soul Calibur (for Sega Dreamcast)
- 1998 : Tekken 3
Best Role Playing Game
- 2006 : Mass Effect (for Xbox 360)
- 2005 : The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion (for PC and Xbox 360)
- 2004 : Jade Empire (for Xbox)
- 2003 : Fable (for Xbox)
- 2002 : Neverwinter Nights (for PC) [3]
- 2001 : Neverwinter Nights (for PC) [2]
- 2000 : Neverwinter Nights (for PC) [1]
- 1999 : Vampire: The Masquerade - Redemption (for PC)
- 1998 : Baldur's Gate
Best Racing Game
- 2006 : Excite Truck (for Wii)
- 2005 : Burnout Revenge (for PlayStation 2 and Xbox)
- 2004 : Burnout 3 (for PlayStation 2 and Xbox)
- 2003 : Gran Turismo 4 (for PlayStation 2)
- 2002 : Auto Modellista (for PlayStation 2)
- 2001 : Gran Turismo 3: A-Spec (for PlayStation 2)
- 2000 : Need For Speed: Motor City (for PC)
- 1999 : Driver (for PlayStation, PC)
- 1998 : Need For Speed 3
Best Simulation Game
(Combat, Flight, Non-Combat)
- 2006 : Spore (for PC)
- 2005 : Spore (for PC)
- 2004 : The Sims 2 (for PC)
- 2003 : Full Spectrum Warrior (for Xbox, PC)
- 2002 : The Sims Online (for PC) [2]
- 2001 : The Sims Online (for PC) [1]
- 2000 : MechWarrior 4: Vengeance (for PC)
- 1999 : (|F) Janes USAF (for PC)
- 1999 : (|N) Freelancer (for PC)
- 1998 : (|C) Fighter Legends
- 1998 : (|N) Railroad Tycoon 2
Best Sports Game
- 2006 : Wii Sports (for Wii)
- 2005 : Madden NFL 2006 (for all systems)
- 2004 : Madden NFL 2005 (for all systems)
- 2003 : Tony Hawk's Underground (all console systems)
- 2002 : NFL 2K3 (for multiple systems)
- 2001 : Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3 (for PlayStation 2)
- 2000 : Madden NFL 2001 (for PlayStation 2)
- 1999 : NFL 2K (for Sega Dreamcast)
- 1998 : Madden NFL 99
Best Strategy Game
(Real-Time or Turn-Based)
- 2006 : Supreme Commander (for PC)
- 2005 : Company of Heroes (for PC)
- 2004 : The Lord of the Rings: The Battle for Middle Earth (for PC)
- 2003 : Rome: Total War (for PC)
- 2002 : Command & Conquer: Generals (for PC)
- 2001 : Age Of Mythology (for PC)
- 2000 : Black and White (for PC)
- 1999 : Homeworld (for PC)
- 1998 : (RTS) Homeworld
- 1998 : (turn-based) Alpha Centauri
Best Puzzle/Trivia/Parlor Game
- 2006 : Guitar Hero 2 (for PlayStation 2)
- 2005 : We Love Katamari (for PlayStation 2)
- 2004 : Donkey Kong: Jungle Beat (for Nintendo GameCube)
- 2003 : The EyeToy Games (for PlayStation 2)
- 2002 : Super Monkey Ball 2 (for Nintendo GameCube)
- 2001 : Pikmin (for Nintendo GameCube)
- 2000 : Samba de Amigo (for Sega Dreamcast)
- 1999 : Um Jammer Lammy (for PlayStation)
- 1998 : Sentinel Returns
Best Online Multiplayer
- 2006 : Enemy Territory: Quake Wars (for PC)
- 2005 : Battlefield 2 (for PC)
- 2004 : Halo 2 (for Xbox)
- 2003 : City of Heroes (for PC)
- 2002 : Star Wars Galaxies (for PC) [2]
- 2001 : Star Wars Galaxies (for PC) [1]
- 2000 : Neverwinter Nights (for PC)
- 1999 : Team Fortress (for PC)
- 1998 : EverQuest
Best Peripheral/Hardware
- 2006 : Wii
- 2005 : Xbox 360
- 2004 : PSP
- 2003 : EyeToy (for PlayStation 2)
- 2002 : WaveBird Wireless Controller (for Nintendo GameCube)
- 2001 : (PC) nVidia GeForce 3
- 2001 : (Console) Nintendo GameCube
- 2000 : (PC) nVidia GeForce 2
- 2000 : (Console) Xbox
- 1999 : (PC) nVidia RIVA TNT2
- 1999 : (Console) Sega Dreamcast
- 1998 : Microsoft Sidewinder Freestyle Pro
Winners of older awards
Best Platformer
- 1999 : Donkey Kong 64 (for Nintendo 64)
Most Promising New Game
- 1998 : Homeworld
Best Booth
- 1999 : Electronic Arts [2]
- 1998 : Electronic Arts [1]
Best Party
- 1998 : Babylon 5