Wii Takes E3 Best of Show

By Geoff Duncan Published June 2, 2006

Yeah yeah yeah – the E3 Expo was weeks ago in Los Angeles (you can check out DT’s coverage), but the independent Game Critics Awards have just been announced, and Nintendo’s offerings have landed top slots, with the Best Of Show and Best Hardware awards going to the company’s forthcoming Wii gaming console.

Nintendo also took home prizes for Best Sports Game (Wii Sports), Best Racing Game (Excite Truck), and Best Handheld Game (The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass). That’s a total of five awards: more than any other manufacturer at this year’s E3 Expo.

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The awards seal the notion that Nintendo successfully stole the thunder from higher priced gaming consoles like Microsoft’s Xbox 360 and Sony’s Ã¼ber-pricey, not-yet-available Playstation 3, in part due to the Wii’s innovative wireless controller but also its emphasis on fun, casual gaming designed to appeal to a wider audience rather than solely to hard-core video game enthusiasts. However, it remains to be seen whether enthusiasm for the not-yet-shipping Wii will translate into blockbuster sales.

Other key winners of Game Critics Awards include Best Console Game going to Epic/Microsoft’s Gears of War for Xbox 360, and Ubisoft’s Assassin’s Creed earning a trophy for Best Action/Adventure Game. And another big winner was EA’s Spore, which took home prizes for Best PC Game, Best Simulation Game, and Best Original Game.

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