Best Developer: Sega
Honorable Mention: Nintendo In one of the more interesting developments this year, Sega was among those who decided to try and push ahead by recreating all sorts of old-school characters that have laid dormant for so many years. Even though a lot of their lineup relied on sequels, most of those didn't play like their forebears and were mixed up with tons of original content quite unlike anything else that had come before. Somehow Sega managed to redefine everything from tripped-out shooters to jetpack combat to how a flashy ninja should do his late-night slaughtering. They didn't appear to be lighting up the charts, but it would be damn hard to argue that any other company pulled out more fascinating content this year done so well. Sega will be continuing this trend into the new year with another (reportedly excellent) sequel to a fan classic, something which bodes very well for their time to come.

Worst Developer: 3D0
Honorable (?) Mention: Acclaim The question that needs to be asked is what did 3DO come up with this year? If it's out there, no one was paying attention. Just goes to show how bad Trip has let things sink. Even Acclaim and their bone-headed campaigns (more on that in a sec) get some sort of notoriety, and 3DO has...? What? Army Men? We really have no clue what they've been up to beside that, and that's a big no-no in the gaming world.

Though just as bad would be Acclaim and their wonderful work ethic as of late. Would you like to name your kid Turok and get some funky-fresh 'gear' from your friends at Acclaim? Or how about reading of a poor UK kid, waiting months ahead of time in front of a shop for Turok 3, bcause it really is just that good? How about reading that the whole think was rigged? Lame, worthless marketing gimmicks like these have earned Acclaim the same fame in games as The Enquirer has in journalism.

Should we even mention BMX: XXX? Bleh. Yes, jokes about flatulence, pimps, and pixelated nipples on the most horrid excuses for human (they are human, right?) females is the bleeding edge of adult entertainment. Ugh, just attaching the words "adult" and "mature" to that pile would make anyone want to laugh and cry at the same time.

Best Accessory: Wavebird
Honorable Mention: Xbox Live
A category that seemed to be insignificant in past years has been the subject of some heated debates within the TNL staff. Sure, the Xbox Live Starter Kit can let me play games online, talk with other gamers over a voice headset and experience the thrill of beating fifteen other bikers in Moto GP, but damn it all, the Wavebird is just good at what it was designed to do. The Wavebird is hands down the best wireless controller ever conceived, and pretty inexpensive compared to the Xbox Live Starter Kit.

Worst Accessory: Any GBA light
Now, I wouldn't know from first-hand experience, since I've never had the need for a GBA light. And after hearing the war stories from the brave souls who do get one, I never want to buy one. So far we've had lights that add glare, singe retinas, and set small puppies to fire. Not to mention they go through batteries like Reno goes through a lady's panty drawer. Good grief.

Moral of the story: save the puppies - don't get a GBA light.

Worst Game: BMX XXX
Don't get us wrong here, it's not only the gameplay of Acclaim's latest BMX title that gives us such a low opinion of it. Well. it's mainly about the gameplay, but it's also because of what the game (and countless other "mature" games) have done for the industry. During a time when so many people are trying to have video games taken more seriously, in comes a title that pretty much destroys any progress made thus far. If you were to look for the movie equivalent of BMX XXX, it would be something created by Yahoo Serious or Carrot Top, only slightly less annoying. It's that bad.

··· Best of 2002 (Part one) / (Part Two) / Introduction