Four full wins for ‘Half-Life 2

LOS ANGELES - "Half-Life 2" took top honors at the fifth annual Game Developers Choice Awards when it was named game of the year.

The International Game Developers Assn. announced it and other recipients during the 2005 Game Developers Conference this week in San Francisco.

The Valve Software/Vivendi Universal Games first-person shooter also won in the character design, technology and writing categories.

The year's surprise hit, "Katamari Damacy" (Namco), was another multiple winner, selected best in the game design and innovation categories.

Sharing the innovation award was the bongo-controlled "Donkey Konga" (Namco/Nintendo) and the alternate-reality game "I Love Bees" (4orty2wo Entertainment/Microsoft Game Studios).

Other award winners were "Halo 2" (Bungie Software/Microsoft Game Studios), recognized for audio achievement; "World of Warcraft" (Blizzard Entertainment), honored in the visual arts category; and "Crytek" (Far Cry), named best from a new studio.

In a special spotlight, Eugene Jarvis was recognized with the lifetime achievement award for his role in creating such coin-operated arcade successes as "Smash TV," "Defender," "N.A.R.C." and the "Cruis'n" series.

"The Choice Awards are a celebration of all the passion and hard work that goes into creating groundbreaking games," IGDA executive director Jason Della Rocca said. "Developers are the talent that drives this industry, and they deserve the recognition for having worked on these great games."

He added that the awards are nominated by and voted for by professional game developers worldwide and that there are no entry or other fees involved.

The IGDA is a nonprofit membership organization that advocates globally on issues related to digital game creation.

- REUTERS/HOLLYWOOD REPORTER