Let's play a little game of "What should get the award" and "what will get the award."
GAME OF THE YEAR
Burnout 3: Takedown (Electronic Arts)
Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas (Rockstar Games)
Half-Life 2 (Vivendi Universal Games)
Halo 2 (Microsoft Game Studios)
Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater (Konami)
What Should: Pretty much any of these deserves it. Metroid Prime 2 Echoes is noticably missing (could have easily replaced Burnout 3). There's also a notable lack of Madden on this list. Apprently last year's Spike GAME OF THE YEAR isn't even good enough to be nominated this year? I smell year-old money hats from EA.
What Will: Halo 2, even if Half-Life 2 is probably better in every regard.
BEST GAME BASED ON A MOVIE
The Chronicles of Riddick: Escape From Butcher Bay (Vivendi Universal Games)
GoldenEye: Rogue Agent (Electronic Arts)
Spider-Man 2 (Activision)
Star Wars: Battlefront (LucasArts)
What Should: Riddick
What Will: GoldenEye
BEST PERFORMANCE BY A HUMAN-FEMALE
Brooke Burke - Need for Speed Underground 2 (Electronic Arts)
Judi Dench - Goldeneye: Rogue Agent (Electronic Arts)
Carmen Electra - Def Jam: Fight For New York (Electronic Arts)
Jennifer Garner - Alias (Acclaim)
Heidi Klum - James Bond 007: Everything or Nothing (Electronic Arts)
What Should: Did any of these people do anything special? It probably should go to a female no-name voice actor from San Andreas.
What Will: Carmen Electra
BEST PERFORMANCE BY A HUMAN-MALE
Vin Diesel - The Chronicles of Riddick: Escape from Butcher Bay (Vivendi Universal Games)
Hugh Jackman - Van Helsing (Vivendi Universal Games)
Samuel L. Jackson - Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas (Rockstar Games)
Christopher Lee - GoldenEye: Rogue Agent (Electronic Arts)
Tobey McGuire - Spider-Man 2 (Activision)
What Should: Either Vin Diesel or Sam Jackson. Both did excellent jobs. I find it hilarious that Tobey McGuire is even nominated for this award. His reads for Spiderman 2 are horrible, and he outta be replaced with a nomination for Alfred Molina who did an excellent job with the reads in that game.
What Will: Sam Jackson
HOTTEST VIDEO VIXENS
Tina Armstong - Dead or Alive Ultimate (Tecmo)
Carmen Electra - Def Jam: Fight For NY (Electronic Arts)
BloodRayne - BloodRayne 2 (Majesco Games)
Luba Licious - Leisure Suit Larry: Magda Cum Laude (Vivendi Universal Games)
Rachel Teller (played by Brooke Burke) - Need for Speed Underground 2 (Electronic Arts)
What Should: Who cares, this is a bullshit fluff category
What Will: See Above
GTO PONTIAC BEST DRIVING GAME
Burnout 3: Takedown - (Electronic Arts)
NASCAR 2005: Chase for the Cup - (Electronic Arts)
Need For Speed Underground 2 - (Electronic Arts)
What Should: Burnout 3
What Will: NFSU2 or Burnout 3, but i'm guessing NFSU2 because it's all riced out
BEST SPORTS GAME
ESPN NFL 2K5 (Sega)
Madden NFL 2005 (Electronic Arts)
NBA Ballers (Midway)
Tiger Woods PGA Tour 2005 (Electronic Arts)
Tony Hawk's Underground 2 (Activision)
What Should: Of these, probably Madden
What Will: Madden, by a landslide.
BEST FIGHTING GAME
Def Jam: Fight For New York (Electronic Arts)
Dead or Alive Ultimate (Tecmo)
Fight Night 2004 (Electronic Arts)
Mortal Kombat: Deception (Midway)
WWE: Smackdown! vs. Raw (THQ)
What Should: I honestly don't play these games so I can't weigh in.
What Will: This is close, because one is a wrestling game, one is a hip-hop game, and a third features scantily clad women with huge ta-tas. I'm going for Ta-Tas. DOAU wins.
BEST ACTION GAME
Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas (Rockstar Games)
Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater (Konami)
Ninja Gaiden (Tecmo)
What Should: Probably MGS 3
What Will: Definatly GTA:SA, which is definatly an excellent game
BEST FIRST PERSON ACTION
Doom 3 (Activision)
Far Cry (Ubisoft)
Halo 2 (Microsoft Game Studios)
Half-Life 2 (Vivendi Universal Games)
Unreal Tournament 2004 (Atari)
What Should: Half-Life 2
What Will: Halo 2. Again there is a severe lack of Metroid Prime 2, which is easily better than Far Cry or UT 2004.
BEST SONG IN A VIDEO GAME
Chingy - "I Do" Need for Speed Underground 2 (Electronic Arts)
Green Day - "American Idiot" Madden NFL 2005 (Electronic Arts)
Jimmy Eat World - "Pain" Tony Hawk's Underground 2 (Activision)
Terror Squad -"Lean Back"- Need for Speed Underground 2 (Electronic Arts)
Will I Am -"GO" NBA Live 2005 (Electronic Arts)
Who Should: None of these songs even relate to their games. It's all licensed. Anyway, American Idiot is the best song on the list.
Who Will: This is another pointless fluff cateogry. I can't believe Microsoft didn't throw aorund some money hats to get Incubus on the ballot.
BEST SOUNDTRACK
GoldenEye: Rogue Agent (Electronic Arts)
Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas (Rockstar Games)
Halo 2 (Microsoft Game Studios)
Katamari Damacy (Namco)
Madden NFL 2005 (Electronic Arts)
What Should: Katamari Damacy, obviously
What Will: This is though, we've got a couple real soundtracks (Halo 2, Katamari, Bond?) and a couple of licensed soundtracks (Madden, GTA). Those two shouldn't even be on the list. Too bad GTA is going to win.
DESIGNER OF THE YEAR
Sam Houser and Rockstar North, for Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas (Rockstar Games / Rockstar North)
Tomonobu Itagaki and Team Ninja, for Ninja Gaiden (Tecmo / Team Ninja)
Jason Jones and Bungie Studios, for Halo 2 (Microsoft Game Studios / Bungie Software)
Hideo Kojima for Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater (Konami / KCEJ)
Alex Ward and Criterion, for Burnout 3: Takedown (Electronic Arts / Criterion)
What Should: MGS 3, as long as it doesn't have an uber-suck story.
What Will: Bungie
MOST ADDICTIVE GAME- VIEWER'S CHOICE
Burnout 3: Takedown (Electronic Arts)
City of Heroes (NCsoft)
Donkey Konga (Nintendo)
Katamari Damacy (Namco)
The Sims 2 (Electronic Arts)
What should: I'd say that Burnout 3 is the most addictive here, with Konga in second
What Will: Probably The Sims 2 because of it's large audience
BEST GAMING PUBLICATION-FAN FAVORITE
Electronic Gaming Monthly (EGM)
Game Informer
Official Playstation Magazine
Official Xbox Magazine
GMR
What Should: Xbox Nation, which isn't nominated. Of these, I'd actually say GMR
What Will: Does it matter? This is more fluff, probably EGM
BEST GAMING WEB SITE-FAN FAVORITE
www.1up.com
www.gamespot.com
www.gamespy.com
www.ign.com
www.shacknews.com
What Should: A lot of people here don't like GameSpot, but I do.
What Will: Definatly IGN. Their idiotic fan-base will vote them in because it somehow makes them look "cool" on their boards.
BEST MILITARY GAME
Call of Duty: Finest Hour (Activision)
Conflict: Vietnam (Global Star Software)
Full Spectrum Warrior (THQ)
Rome: Total War (Activision)
Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War (THQ)
What Should: I don't really know here.
What Will: See above
BEST PC GAME
Doom 3 (Activision)
Half-Life 2 (Vivendi Universal Games)
Rome: Total War (Activision)
The Sims 2 (Electronic Arts)
What should: Half-Life 2
What will: Half-Life 2
BEST WIRELESS GAME
CBS Sportsline Baseball 2004 (Mforma)
Jamdat Sports NFL 2005 (Jamdat Mobile)
Might and Magic (Ubisoft - Gameloft)
National Treasure (Starwave)
What Should: None of them, cell games suck
What Will: Who knows, let's gow ith the Baesball one.
BEST GRAPHICS
Doom 3 (Activision)
Half-Life 2 (Vivendi Universal Games)
Halo 2 (Microsoft Game Studios)
Ninja Gaiden (Tecmo)
What should: Half-Life 2
What Will: Probably Halo 2 because most people don't play PC games.
BEST NEW TECHNOLOGY
Half-Life 2 engine (Vivendi Universal Games / Valve)
Nintendo DS (Nintendo)
NVIDIA GeForce 6800 (NVIDIA)
Spherex XBOX 5.1 Surround Sound System (Spherex Inc.)
What should: The Nintendo DS
What Will: Actually, probably the DS
BEST HANDHELD
Astro Boy: Omega Factor (Sega)
Mario Golf: Toadstool Tour (Nintendo)
Metroid: Zero Mission (Nintendo)
Pokemon FireRed Version (Nintendo)
What should: Zero Mission
What Will: probably Zero Mission
BEST MASS MULTI-PLAYER GAME
City of Heroes (NCsoft)
Everquest II (Sony Online Entertainment)
Final Fantasy XI (Square Enix)
What should: from the little I've played of any of these, City or Heroes
What will: Final Fantasy XI
BEST RPG
The Bard's Tale (InXile Entertainment)
Fable (Microsoft Game Studios)
Shin Megami Tensei: Nocturne (Atlus Co.)
X-Men Legends (Activision)
They allow for up to 5 nominies, only choose 4, and then snub Paper Mario and Tales of Symphonia? WTF guys?
What Should: From what I've seen of these, X-Men Legends
What Will: Fable