Tonight, the British Academy of Film and Television Arts handed out its fourth annual Video Games Awards. This year, Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter, LocoRoco, Lego Star Wars II: The Original Trilogy, and Shadow of the Colossus proved to be the big winners nabbing two awards each, with Advanced Warfighter being named Game of the Year.
Television presenter Vernon Kay hosted the event at North London's Roundhouse, with a total of 18 awards handed out in fairly quick succession. Of the four games that won two awards, only Lego Star Wars II: The Original Trilogy was homegrown, thanks to UK-based Traveller's Tales. Of the other winners, only Lionhead Studios' The Movies (Simulation) and Relentless' Buzz!: The Big Quiz (Casual & Social) were developed in Britain.
Duncan Best, BAFTA's Games Awards Officer, said, "The spread of games reflects the diversity of the industry in its current state. It's great that games as different as Ghost Recon and LocoRoco can be recognised for their individual achievements."
The nominated games for each category have been listed below, with categories in capital letters and winners highlighted in bold.
INNOVATION
Dr. Kawashima's Brain Training: How Old Is Your Brain? (Brain Age: Train Your Brain in Minutes a Day in the US) (Nintendo/Nintendo)
Electroplankton (Nintendo/Nintendo)
Guitar Hero (RedOctane/Harmonix)
LocoRoco (SCEE/SCEJ)
Shadow of the Colossus (SCEE/Sony Computer Entertainment)
We Love Katamari (Electronic Arts/Namco)
ARTISTIC ACHIEVEMENT
Black (EA Games/Criterion Games)
Hitman: Blood Money (Eidos Interactive/IO Interactive)
LocoRoco (SCEE/SCEJ)
Shadow of the Colossus (SCEE/SCEI)
The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion (2K Games/Bethesda Games Studios)
We Love Katamari (Electronic Arts/Namco)
CHARACTER
Agent 47 in Hitman: Blood Money (Eidos Interactive/IO Interactive)
Han Solo in Lego Star Wars II (LucasArts/Traveller's Tales)
Lara Croft in Tomb Raider: Legend (Eidos Interactive/Crystal Dynamics)
LocoRoco in LocoRoco (SCEE/SCEJ)
Rogue in Rogue Trooper (Eidos Interactive/Rebellion & 2000AD)
STRATEGY
Age of Empires: The Age of Kings (Majesco/Backbone)
Football Manager 2006 (Sega Europe/Sports Interactive)
Medieval II Total War (Sega Europe/Creative Assembly)
Rise And Fall: Civilizations At War (Midway/Midway)
Sid Meier's Civilization IV: Warlords (2K/Firaxis Games)
Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter (Ubisoft/Ubisoft Paris)
CASUAL & SOCIAL
Buzz!: The BIG Quiz (SCEE/Relentless Software)
Dr Kawashima's Brain Training: How Old Is Your Brain? (Nintendo/Nintendo)
Electroplankton (Nintendo/Nintendo)
Guitar Hero (RedOctane/Harmonix Music Systems, Inc)
LocoRoco (SCEE/SCEJ)
SingStar Rocks! (SCEE/SCEE)
SCREENPLAY
24: The Game (SCEE/SCEE)
Psychonauts (Majesco/DoubleFine)
Rogue Trooper (Eidos Interactive/Rebellion & 2000 AD)
The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion (2K Games/Bethesda Games Studios)
Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter (Ubisoft/Ubisoft Paris)
Tomb Raider: Legend (Eidos Interactive/Crystal Dynamics)
CHILDREN'S
Daxter (SCEE/Ready At Dawn)
Ice Age II: The Meltdown (Vivendi Games/Eurocom)
Lego Star Wars II: The Original Trilogy (LucasArts/Traveller's Tales)
LocoRoco (SCEE/SCEJ)
New Super Mario Bros. (Nintendo/Nintendo)
We Love Katamari (Electronic Arts/Namco)
GAMEPLAY
Guitar Hero (RedOctane/Harmonix Music Systems Inc)
Lego Star Wars II: The Original Trilogy (LucasArts/Traveller's Tales)
LocoRoco (SCEE/SCEJ)
The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion (2K Games/Bethesda Games Studios)
Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter (Ubisoft/Ubisoft Paris)
We Love Katamari (Electronic Arts/Namco)
SIMULATION
C-130 Hercules (Just Flight/Captain Sim)
Championship Manager 2006 (Eidos Interactive/Beautiful Game Studios)
Football Manager 2006 (Sega Europe/Sports Interactive)
Rockstar Games presents Table Tennis (Take-Two Interactive/Rockstar San Diego)
The Movies (Feral Interactive/Lionhead Studios)
Trauma Center: Under The Knife (Nintendo/Atlus)
MULTIPLAYER
2006 FIFA World Cup (Electronic Sports/EA Canada)
Animal Crossing: Wild World (Nintendo/Nintendo)
Battlefield 2: Modern Combat (EA Games/Digital Illusions)
Dungeons & Dragons Online: Stormreach (Atari/Turbine)
Guild Wars Factions (NCsoft/ArenaNet)
Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter (Ubisoft/Ubisoft Paris)
ACTION & ADVENTURE
Metroid Prime: Hunters (Nintendo/Nintendo)
Shadow of the Colossus (SCEE/SCEI)
The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion (2K Games/The Bethesda Games Studios)
Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter (Ubisoft/Ubisoft Paris)
Tomb Raider: Legend (Eidos Interactive/Crystal Dynamics)
We Love Katamari (Electronic Arts/Namco)
TECHNICAL ACHIEVEMENT sponsored by Skillset
Battlefield 2: Modern Combat (EA Games/Digital Illusions)
Black (EA Games/Criterion Games)
Burnout Revenge (Electronic Arts/Criterion Games)
Just Cause (Eidos Interactive/Avalanche Studios)
Shadow of the Colossus (SCEE/SCEI)
Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter (Ubisoft/Ubisoft Paris)
SPORTS
2006 FIFA World Cup (EA Sports/EA Canada)
Fight Night Round 3 (EA Sports/EA Chicago)
Football Manager 2006 (Sega Europe/Sports Interactive)
Moto GP 06 (THQ/Climax)
Pro Evolution Soccer 6 (Konami/Konami Computer Entertainment Tokyo)
Rockstar Games presents Table Tennis (Take-Two Interactive/Rockstar San Diego)
ORIGINAL SCORE
Dragon Quest: The Journey of the Cursed King (Square Enix/Level 5)
LocoRoco (SCEE/SCEJ)
Shadow of the Colossus (SCEE/SCEI)
The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion (2K Games/Bethesda Games Studios)
The Movies (Feral Interactive/ Lionhead Studios)
Tomb Raider: Legend (Eidos Interactive/Crystal Dynamics)
SOUNDTRACK
B-Boy (SCEE/FreeStyleGames)
Guitar Hero (RedOctane/Harmonix Music Systems Inc)
Reservoir Dogs (Eidos Interactive/Volatile Games)
SingStar Rocks! (SCEE/SCEE)
AUDIO
Black (EA Games/Criterion Games)
Electroplankton (Nintendo/Nintendo)
LocoRoco (SCEE/SCEJ)
Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter (Ubisoft/Ubisoft Paris)
Tomb Raider: Legend (Eidos Interactive/Crystal Dynamics)
We Love Katamari (Electronic Arts/Namco)
GAME
Black (EA Games/Criterion Games)
Dr Kawashima's Brain Training: How Old Is Your Brain? (Nintendo/Nintendo)
Guitar Hero (RedOctane/Harmonix Music Systems Inc)
Hitman: Blood Money (Eidos Interactive/IO Interactive)
Lego Star Wars II: The Original Trilogy (LucasArts/Traveller's Tales)
Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter (Ubisoft/Ubisoft Paris)
GAMER'S AWARD (Awarded by online vote by readers of the tabloid The Sun)
Civilization
Diner Dash
Lemmings
Namco Classic's Pac-Man
Platinum Sudoku
Sonic the Hedgehog Part One
Tetris Mania
The Sims
24: The Mobile Game
Who Wants to be a Millionaire