FEATURES - NGEB Award Show: 2002 :: by the NGEB staff and our readers Introduction Another year passes, but of course 2002 was no ordinary year in gaming - far from it, really. Whatever, you know we would've done one of these anyway. ^_^ Let's cap off with a definitive list of the brightest and best among an incredible mass of all-star games. Readers, we present to you... The NGEB Award Show: 2002 GRAPHICS For the most part Nintendo has decided to use graphics as a tool to make the game more exciting, rather than a flashy new dress to strut around. Games like next year's Zelda for GameCube exemplify this. Regardless, in the past 12 months, pretty games reached a new level, both on the Cube and in your hands... - GCN Resident Evil/0 - While some may not agree that pre-rendered graphics count, you've gotta' admit that either way you look at it, these are two very impressive-looking video games. You disbelievers out there will just have to wait for RE4's debut to see if realtime GameCube zombie horror even compares to this. Runners-Up: Metroid Prime, Super Mario Sunshine, Star Fox Adventures - GBA Kirby: Nightmare in Dreamland - Probably the most extensive graphics overhaul on the GBA so far, Nightmare's animation, color, and detail are just beyond words or pictures. HAL sure knows when and how to do a job right, especially when it comes to the Kirby series. Now how about a new game for once, eh? Runners-Up: Metroid Fusion, Super Monkey Ball Jr., Street Fighter Alpha 3 CONTROL By adding L and R buttons to the GBA, and of course by releasing such a strange controller for the GameCube, Nintendo has put quite a spin on the way we play games. At first developers just didn't quite get the point, but sure enough, the past year has seen some games that have fully utilized Nintendo's brilliant controllers... - GCN Super Mario Sunshine - Like Luigi's Mansion before it, Sunshine presents play control that is both intuitive and innovative - a mix so rarely achieved these days. It builds upon Super Mario 64's acrobatic freedom by adding a few rules and making the world feel "right", while at the same time providing its own unique freedom with the water pack. Brilliant. Runners-Up: Metroid Prime, Eternal Darkness, Animal Crossing - GBA Metroid Fusion - Runners-Up: Mega Man Battle Network 2, Street Fighter Alpha 3, Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3/4 STORY Nintendo's first party hasn't been known for brilliant storylines, which is why some of us are glad to see so much strong second party support on both systems today. Sure Mario Sunshine didn't deliver the cinematic experience we were promised, but plenty of equally important releases have taken us to new heights of terror, adventure, and suspense this year... - GCN Eternal Darkness - Runners-Up: Resident Evil/0, Metroid Prime, Star Fox Adventures - GBA Tactics Ogre: The Knight of Lodis - Runners-Up: Super Mario Advance 3: Yoshi's Island, Castlevania: Harmony of Dissonance, Metroid Fusion INNOVATION As much or even more than in 2001, this year's games pushed the boundaries of what is currently allowed in Nintendo gameplay. Animal Crossing would be the most obvious example of this, but games across the board, whether individual or part of a long-established series, have challenged us with entirely new worlds of gaming to explore... - GCN Animal Crossing - Runners-Up: Cubivore, Metroid Prime, Doshin the Giant (Japan/Europe) - GBA Legend of Zelda: Four Swords - Runners-Up: Super Monkey Ball Jr., Zoocube, Duke Nukem Advance PARTY GAME At least since the N64 days, Nintendo has provided the absolute best in multiplayer action. Now more than ever with two systems that support four-player action, as well as innovative new games that promote trading and connectivity, it's a good time to have friends... - GCN TimeSplitters 2 - Runners-Up: Mario Party 4, Animal Crossing, Super Monkey Ball 2 - GBA Legend of Zelda: Four Swords - Runners-Up: Kirby: Nightmare in Dreamland, Street Fighter Alpha 3, Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3/4 FRUSTRATION Every game has its frustrating moments, and in a world of bold and new challenging gameplay, things like these can really test your patience... - GCN The platforming stages in Super Mario Sunshine - Runners-Up: "Switch Inferno" in Super Monkey Ball 2, Ink ribbons (or a lack thereof) in Resident Evil, Catching sea bass in Animal Crossing - GBA Losing at 999 points in Game & Watch Gallery 4 - Runners-Up: Jacking-in away from your PC in Mega Man Battle Network 2, The final boss in Metroid Fusion, Doing tricks they "call out" in THPS4 NEW CHARACTER While it's true that 2002 was mostly a year for rehashed classic series, a few exciting new franchises popped up as well. With these come some of the most interesting and extraordinary gaming characters in years, however few they are... - GCN Totakeke from Animal Crossing - Runners-Up: Alexandra Roivas from Eternal Darkness, Shadow from Sonic Adventure 2 Battle, Katia Jerbere from Lost Kingdoms - GBA Fusion Samus from Metroid Fusion - Runners-Up: Kenshi from Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance, Eagle from Street Fighter Alpha 3, Create-a-Skater from THPS3/4 LOOKING AHEAD Nintendo has given you everything and more this year, but you have every reason to remain excited. The popular trend of turning old classics into impressive new innovations looks to continue, and with the following games on our wishlists already, it's hard not to believe they can pull it off in spades... - GCN Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles Harvest Moon: A Wonderful Life Legend of Zelda: Kaze no Takuto Wario World - GBA Donkey Kong Plus Final Fantasy Tactics Advance Golden Sun: The Lost Age Pokémon Ruby/Sapphire GAME OF THE YEAR We've survived quite a year in gaming history, my friends. All of us but poor Timmy anyway. Though in no way has Nintendo given us its everything, it's still been a great twelve months to be a Nintendo gamer, proving more than anything that X-Box can suck its own harddrive. These are our choices for 2002's Game of the Year... - GCN Animal Crossing - Runners-Up: Metroid Prime, Super Mario Sunshine, Eternal Darkness - GBA Legend of Zelda: ALttP/Four Swords - Runners-Up: Game & Watch Gallery 4, Metroid Fusion, Super Mario Advance 3: Yoshi's Island Closing Now that the best have been judged, and another good year is over, it's easy to see that Nintendo has the best collection of all-around goodness across the board. New innovations, stunning visuals, epic storylines - it's all here, and it's here to stay. Soon enough we'll be seeing Wario's first 3D adventure, the latest chapter in the Legend of Zelda, 135 new Pokemon species, and definately a few new surprises. Sit back, relax. We hope you enjoy your stay in 2003. Stay tuned.