Electronic Gaming Monthly and Computer Gaming World Announce the Best Games of 2004

Electronic Gaming Monthly and Computer Gaming World Announce the Best Games of 2004

SAN FRANCISCO, Feb. 8 /PRNewswire/ -- Ziff Davis Media's market-leading PC and videogame publications Electronic Gaming Monthly and Computer Gaming World today revealed the winners of their annual Game of the Year Awards honoring the best video and PC games of 2004. The winners will be published in the March 2004 issues of Electronic Gaming Monthly and Computer Gaming World, which will be on newsstands February 8, 2005. 1UP.com, the Company's new online community for gaming enthusiasts, will also feature the winners in the same issues.

"Every year we review hundreds of PC and videogames so that core gamers can make smart purchasing decisions," said John Davison, Vice President and Editorial Director, Ziff Davis Media Game Group. "Every winner of an EGM or CGW Game of the Year Award represents something truly special. 2004 was an unbelievable year in terms of quality releases, and picking the very best was more challenging than ever before."

Electronic Gaming Monthly

The editors of Electronic Gaming Monthly, the ultimate guide to video gaming, reviewed scores of videogames that reflect the various platforms that comprise the videogame industry -- PlayStation 2, Xbox and GameCube -- as well as handheld, online and multi-platform games. The EGM editors' overall winner for 2004 Game of the Year was Microsoft's Halo 2, the juggernaut of the gaming industry that had gamers lining up to purchase and competitors moving their release dates to avoid. Four months after its debut, the editors of EGM still play Halo 2 every week. The complete list of Electronic Gaming Monthly's 2004 Game of the Year awards is:

* Game of the Year: Halo 2
-- Publisher: Microsoft (Redmond, WA)
-- Developer: Bungie
* Sony PlayStation 2 Game of the Year: Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas
-- Publisher: Rockstar Games (New York, NY)
-- Developer: Rockstar North
* Microsoft Xbox Game of the Year: Ninja Gaiden
-- Publisher: Tecmo (Torrence, CA)
-- Developer: Team Ninja
* GameCube Game of the Year: Metroid Prime 2
-- Publisher: Nintendo (Redmond, WA)
-- Developer: Nintendo
* Multiplatform Game of the Year: Burnout 3
-- Publisher: Electronic Arts (Redwood City, CA)
-- Developer: Criterion Studios
* Handheld Game of the Year: Metroid: Zero Mission
-- Publisher: Nintendo (Redmond, WA)
-- Developer: Nintendo

Computer Gaming World


The editors of Computer Gaming World, the number one PC gaming publication in the industry providing two decades of gaming industry editorial leadership, revealed their 21st annual Game of the Year Awards. The 2004 awards expanded this year to include 15 distinct categories, ranging from in-depth role-playing games to real-time strategy and sports games. The winners represent the best PC games and hardware in the industry. The editors' pick for the overall 2004 PC Game of the Year was Vivendi Universal Games' World of Warcraft, lauded as the first massive-multiplayer game that anyone can play, both hardcore and casual gamers alike, bringing the genre into the mainstream. It was also deemed a triumph of art direction, rendering a gorgeous fantasy world without demanding the most expensive hardware. The complete list of Computer Gaming World's 2004 Game of the Year winners is:

* Game of the Year: World of Warcraft
-- Publisher: Vivendi Universal Games (Los Angeles, CA)
-- Developer: Blizzard Entertainment
* Strategy Game of the Year: The Sims 2
-- Publisher: Electronic Arts (Redwood City, CA)
-- Developer: Maxis
* Real-Time Strategy Game of the Year: Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War
-- Publisher: THQ (Calabasas, CA)
-- Developer: Relic Entertainment
* Action Game of the Year: The Chronicles of Riddick: Escape from Butcher
Bay
-- Publisher: Vivendi Universal Games (Los Angeles, CA)
-- Developer: Starbreeze
* MMORPG of the Year: City of Heroes
-- Publisher: NCsoft (Austin, TX)
-- Developer: Cryptic Studios
* Single Player Shooter Game of the Year: Painkiller
-- Publisher: Dreamcatcher Interactive (Toronto, ON)
-- Developer: People Can Fly
* Multiplayer Shooter Game of the Year: Unreal Tournament 2004
-- Publisher: Atari (New York, NY)
-- Developer: Epic Games
* Wargame Game of the Year: Battles in Normandy
-- Publisher: Matrix Games (Staten Island, NY)
-- Developer: Strategic Studies Group
* Adventure Game of the Year: Missing: Since January
-- Publisher: The Adventure Company (Toronto, ON)
-- Developer: Lexis Numerique
* Expansion Pack of the Year: Rise of Nations: Thrones & Patriots
-- Publisher: Microsoft (Redmond, WA)
-- Developer: Big Huge Games
* Sports Game of the Year: Tiger Woods PGA Tour 2005
-- Publisher: Electronic Arts (Redwood City, CA)
-- Developer: EA Sports
* Classic Game of the Year: Sid Meier's Pirates!
-- Publisher: Atari (New York, NY)
-- Developer: Fireaxis
* Role-Playing Game of the Year: Vampire: The Masquerade.Bloodlines
-- Publisher: Activision (Santa Monica, CA)
-- Developer: Troika
* 2004 Hardware of the Year: Athlon 64 FX-55
-- Manufacturer: AMD (Sunnyvale, CA)

About the Ziff Davis Media Game Group


The Ziff Davis Media Game Group is the largest publisher of electronic game magazines in the United States. Electronic Gaming Monthly has the highest rate base of any independent gaming magazine published, covering the PlayStation 2, Xbox, GameCube, Game Boy Advance, and all relevant and emerging game systems. The Official U.S. PlayStation Magazine is the #1 publication for passionate PlayStation gamers. Computer Gaming World is the longest running and most respected publication for core PC gamers. 1UP.com, the Ziff Davis Media Game Group's online property, reaches active electronic game buyers on the web.

About Ziff Davis Media Inc.

Ziff Davis Media is a leading integrated media company focusing on the technology, videogame and consumer lifestyle markets. The Company is an information services provider of technology media including publications, websites, conferences, events, eSeminars, eNewsletters, custom publishing, list rentals, research and market intelligence. In the United States, the Company publishes 9 market-leading magazines including PC Magazine, Sync, ExtremeTech, eWEEK, CIO Insight, Baseline, Electronic Gaming Monthly, Computer Gaming World and Official U.S. PlayStation Magazine. The Company exports the power of its brands internationally, with publications in 41 countries and 20 languages. Ziff Davis Media leverages its content on the Internet with eight highly-targeted technology and gaming sites including PCMag.com, eWEEK.com, ExtremeTech.com and 1UP.com. The Company also produces highly-targeted b-to-b and consumer technology events including DigitalLife. With its main headquarters and PC Magazine Labs based in New York, Ziff Davis Media also has offices and lab facilities in the San Francisco and Boston markets. Additional information is available at http://www.ziffdavis.com/.


Source: Ziff Davis Media

CONTACT: Randy Zane of Ziff Davis Media Inc., +1-212-503-3535,
randy_zane@ziffdavis.com

Web site: http://www.ziffdavis.com/


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