Best Action/Adventure: Metroid Prime
Honorable Mention: Grand Theft Auto: Vice City
Chalk up yet another nod for Retro Studio's first title. I don't believe there's anything left to be said about Metroid Prime at this point other than it rocks the house, but... oh, forget it.

Best Fighter: Virtua Fighter 4
Honorable Mention: Guilty Gear X2 (IMPORT)
With Virtua Fighter 4 receiving as many nods as Metroid Prime is in our year-end awards, it's no wonder that both were mentioned as our Games of the Year. In terms of sheer complexity, no fighting game (and arguably no game) this year can match Virtua Fighter 4, not even our runner-up, Guilty Gear X2. While the PS2 version of VF4 does have some minor problems (most relating to the graphics), there's no doubt that if you want a game that you will be playing for several months after its release while still discovering new techniques, you can't turn to any other game other than Virtua Fighter.

Best Platformer: Super Mario Sunshine
Honorable Mention: Sly Cooper
The moustachioed plumber made his return this year, and despite not being loved by all gamers like his previous titles were, Sunshine was good enough to top all competitors to its platforming throne and emerge victorious. That's not to discredit Sly Cooper, which was an extremely enjoyable title in its own right. Perhaps it was those fond memories of playing previous Mario games that made us appreciate it, but in the end Super Mario Sunshine came out on top.

Best RPG: Suikoden III
Honorable Mention: (Tie) Kingdom Hearts & Morrowind
Who needs storylines that cross worlds, dimensions, time & space when you can just tell a good ol' story about policticial strife and war? That's the direction Konami's Suikoden III took, and with their Trinity system, you can experience the entire story from several angles and perspectives. Sure, it doesn't have the visual flair of Kingdom Hearts and it's not open-ended like Morrowind, but like Overworks' classic Skies of Arcadia, sometimes keeping it simple is the way to go.

Best Puzzle: Super Bust-a-Move 2 (PS2)
Another year, another rendition of Bust-a-Move? Sounds about right, but this is one franchise that keeps giving wonderful experiences. A fun battle mode plus a puzzle edit mode where you can devise your very own BaM puzzles make this our Puzzle Game of the Year.

Best Racing: Burnout 2
Honorable Mention: Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit 2
With Gran Turismo a distant memory, the playing field has been left wide open for supremacy in the racing game genre. Both EA and Acclaim (!) have put out exceptional titles: EA with Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit 2 and Acclaim with Burnout 2. While other games, such as Rallisport Challenge for the Xbox, were in the race (no pun intended), it was HP2 and Burnout 2 that stole the show. For those who grew up on the Need for Speed series, it's great to see the franchise back in its prime, and for Burnout addicts, this is just the beginning.

Best Strategy: (Tie) WarCraft III & Dynasty Tactics
It was a long time coming, but Blizzard finally put out the best selling PC game of the year in WarCraft III, much to the joy of diehard Blizzard fans who have been settling on StarCraft: Brood War and Diablo II for the past couple of years. With an estimated 4.5 million preorders for the game weeks before its launch, WarCraft III set the PC community on fire and gave strategy fans everywhere a breath of fresh air. For those who aren't down with the PC scene, Koei's Dynasty Tactics took its robust Dyntasy franchise into the strategy realm after tenures in the fighting game and beat-'em-up genre.

Best Sports: NHL 2K3
Honorable Mention: (Tie) Madden 2003 & MLB Slugfest 20-03
The coolest game on the planet has been making waves on all three platforms for the past month now, but the real deal has been the combination of NHL2K3 and Xbox Live. Sure, the game is terrific on the PS2 and GameCube, but nothing beats the feeling when you crush (Ed.: Um, Reno? Are you all right? Just kind of stopped in mid-sentence there. Oh, well. As soon as he stops playing his hockey game, I'll get him to finish that sentence. [Or do Canadians spell it "houckey"?])

Best Shooter: Ikaruga
Honorable Mention: Sky Gunner
September 2002 proved to be a joyous occasion for all Dreamcast and shooter fans, as Treasure's last Dreamcast game was released. Featuring slick graphics and the tried-and-true shoot-'em-up formula, Ikaruga wowed crowds all over the world. For those who weren't fortunate enough to pick up the game on the DC, fear not; Infogrames will be releasing a GameCube version of Ikaruga very soon. Start saving those pennies! And let's not forget about Atlus' premier title, Sky Gunner. While our Sleeper Game of the Year put up a good fight, in the end it wasn't able to withstand the might of Treasure's classy shooter.

Best Other: Animal Crossing
Developed for the N64, Animal Crossing is part life-simulator, part mini game and all addiction. From the moment that you come face to face with Tom Nook (and your future home), to the weekly fishing tournaments in November, to the town's New Years celebration, Animal Crossing is one of Nintendo's most inventive games in the past couple of years and proves that you don't need cool graphics or a melodramatic storyline to win over gamers.

··· Best and Worst of 2002 (Part one) / (Part Three) / Introduction