Gears of War Takes Top GDC Honors

Epic Games' blockbuster Xbox 360 title Gears of War takes three top honors at the Game Developers Choice Awards...but other game makers weren't exactly left in the cold.

The winners of the 2007 Game Developers Choice Awards have been announced (if not posted on the awards’ Web site yet), and the big winner this year is the first-person shooter Gears of War, from Epic Games and Microsoft Game Studios. Gears of War took home honors for technology and visual arts, as well as the coveted "best game" award.

However, other video game developers weren’t exactly left in the cold. Clover Studio and Capcom’s Okami combination nature/adventure game took top prizes for character design and innovation, and Nintendo’s Wii Sports earned prizes for game design and innovation. Nintendo’s Shigero Miyamoto also received a Lifetime Achievement award; his contributions to the medium include iconic titles like the Mario Brothers and Legend of Zelda franchises.

Iron Lore Entertainment received the award for Best New Studio, while Tetris creator Alexey Pajitov (considered by many to be the “father” of casual video games) was also honored at the event. Writer Greg Costikyan took home the year’s Maverick award. Also honored: The Behemoth’s Castle Crashers was voted audience favorite in an online poll; Samorost Two was voted Best Web Browser Game, and Bang!Howdy received an award for technical excellence.