Gears Of War Dominates At AIAS Awards

Epic Games' Gears of War emerged as the evening's big winner last night at the 10th Annual Interactive Achievement Awards hosted by The Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences (AIAS), taking eight Interactive Achievement Award statues, including Game of the Year honors. Nintendo's Wii Sports pulled in the second most awards with three wins at the event hosted by comedian Jay Mohr at "The Joint" in the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas, NV, and attended by Gamasutra representatives. The results of the major awards for the night are as follows: Game Of The Year Awards Game Of The Year: Gears Of War (Epic/Microsoft) PC Game Of The Year: Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion (Bethesda, 2K Games) Console Game Of The Year: Gears Of War (Epic/Microsoft) Handheld Game Of The Year: Brain Age (Nintendo) Achievement/Innovation Awards Innovation In Gaming: Wii Sports (Nintendo) Achievement In Art Direction: Gears Of War (Epic/Microsoft) Achievement In Story and Character Development: The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess (Nintendo) Achievement In Game Design: Wii Sports (Nintendo) Achievement In Animation: Gears Of War (Epic/Microsoft) Achievement In Soundtrack: Guitar Hero 2 (Activision/Red Octane/Harmonix) Achievement In Sound Design: Call of Duty 3 (Activision/Treyarch) Achievement In Online Play: Gears Of War (Epic/Microsoft) A full list of winners for all awards, including specific individuals honored, are available via an official press release from the AIAS. In addition, for the first time, the AIAS honored former president of Nintendo of America, Minoru Arakawa, and chairman emeritus of Nintendo of America, Howard Lincoln with Lifetime Achievement Awards. The AIAS also inducted video game pioneer Dan Bunten (known later in life as Danielle Bunten Berry) as the tenth member of its Hall of Fame. "Last night, we recognized the brightest and most innovative in video games in what can be considered one of the best years the video game industry has seen," said Joseph Olin, president, AIAS.