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July 12th, 2003

Best Shooter for PC

Winner: Tie Return to Wolfenstein/Operation Flashpoint

Since the only thing more satisfying than mowing down World War II Nazis with a Tommy gun is blowing away Cold War Russkies with an M16, it's sort of appropriate that the best PC shooter tally came down to a tie between thesetwo exceptional titles. While Wolfenstein's linear run-and-gun single player game is about as different from the realistic, open-ended and tactics-obsessed Flashpoint experience as you can get, together they cover the spectrum of the best that PC shooters have to offer, and both are backed up by solid and satisfying multiplayer components. Sequels! NOW! -Steve Tilley

Other Nominees
Serious Sam
Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon
Aliens Vs. Predator 2

Best Simulation for PC

Winner: IL2 Sturmovik

For combat flight sim enthusiasts, IL-2 Sturmovik is a dream: there are countless solo missions, a meaty historical campaign, smooth and easy to set-up multiplayer options, customizability up the wazoo, accurate handling and graphics to die for. Quite simply, this is a must-have flight simulator for war buffs or flight sim nuts alike, and will surely remain as a resident on your hard drive for a long, long time. -Marc Saltzman

Other Nominees
Black & White
The Sims: Hot Date
Microsoft Flight Sim 2002

Best Multiplayer PC Game

Winner: Dark Age of Camelot

While you can play solo, Dark Age of Camelot is a MMORPG and that means playing with others. The Realm versus Realm conflict is by far the best way to enjoy the game. The amount of co-operation between large numbers of gamers is astounding and being part of large raids and battles is incredibly involving and rewarding. This game will suck hours from your life.

Other Nominees
Shattered Galaxy
Aliens Vs. Predator 2
Return to Castle Wolfenstein

Best Strategy Game for PC

Winner: Etherlords

Ingenious combination of Magic the Gathering and Heroes of Might and Magic. Yes, Civ III improved the genre, Empire Earth expanded the genre, Myth III made the genre seem alive, but Etherlords EXPLODED the genre. Easily the best strategy game I played in 2001-–and I'm still playing it. -Mark Walker

Other Nominees
Empire Earth
Civilization III
Myth III
Tropico
Worms World Party
Commandos 2
Etherlords

Best Sports Game for PC

Winner: High Heat Baseball 2002

The true beauty of High Heat Baseball is the massive amount of options that are available. Of course, players can choose from exhibition, season, and playoff games. However, the real goods don't start until you begin a season. Unlike any of the other baseball games on the market, you can choose an unbalanced season with a set number of interleague and interdivisional games. Although usually not a good idea, if you want to, you can have a four-pitcher rotation. Other goodies include switch-hitting, rotating the batting lineup, or even redrafting your whole team in a fantasy draft. I could go on for days about all the various game options... -Chris Zimmerman

Other Nominees
NHL 2002
FIFA 2002
Madden 2002
PCAction Football 2001

Best Independent PC Game

Winner: Serious Sam

The best Independent games don't remain that way for long...big publishers come along and scoop them up. That's exactly what happened to Croteam, the developers of Serious Sam. A back-to-basics shooter, Sam offered big ginormous monsters, and lots of them, plus a delicious assortment of weapons to gun them down with. Add to this some really purty graphics, and your trigger finger is in heaven. They've since released Serious Sam: The Second Encounter for more ultraviolence. -Jason MacIsaac

Other Nominees
Shattered Galaxy

PC Game of the Year

Winner: Max Payne

At this stage, it's hard to find something to say about Max Payne that hasn't already been said about a gazillion times. Even people living in caves have heard that the graphics are fantastic, how cool Bullet Time is... Max Payne did for action games what John Woo and Chow-Yun Fat did for action movies. It was one of the few games that was hyped from the very beginning and didn't land with a thud. And on the net, the fans are even doing creative things with the included level editor. This title sparked some serious "I want to review that one" arguments around the office. The end credits promise a sequel. Already I drool in anticipation. -Jason MacIsaac

Other Nominees
Empire Earth
Dark Age of Camelot
Return to Castle Wolfenstein
Black & White

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