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The 3rd Annual Interactive Achievement Awards was the 3rd edition of the Interactive Achievement Awards, an annual awards event that honored the best games in the video game industry within the last nine months of 1999 and the first two months of 2000. The awards were arranged by the Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences (AIAS), and were held at the Millennium Biltmore Hotel in Los Angeles, California on May 11, 2000 during E3 2000. It was hosted by Martin Short, and featured presenters included Martin Lewis, Ahmet Zappa, Stevie Case, Brian Fargo, Alison Sweeney, Harry Shearer, Elisa Donovan, Leah Lail, Carmine Giovinazzo, Delroy Lindo, and Peter Molyneux. This would be the final year the awards ceremony would be held during E3.
Several craft awards were split up into separate categories: "Outstanding Achievement in Art/Graphics" would be separated into the categories of "Art Direction" and "Animation", "Outstanding Achievement in Sound and Music" would be separated into the categories of "Sound Design" and "Original Music Composition", and "Software Engineering" would be replaced with "Visual Engineering" and "Gameplay Engineering". The content awards for "Adventure" and "Role-Playing", both for console and PC, were combined into "Adventure/Role-Playing Game of the Year". The console award for "Children's/Family Title of the Year" was introduced while still having a separate PC award. Only one "Educational Title of the Year" award was offered instead of having separate awards for ages 0–8 and 9-16. There were no genre-specific awards for "Online Game of the Year". This would be the final year that categories for websites would be offered.
Age of Empires II: The Age of Kings received the most nominations. It also tied for winning the most awards along with Final Fantasy VIII and The Sims, with the latter winning "Game of the Year". Electronic Arts received the most nominations, won the most awards, and had the most nominated and award-winning games. There was also a tie for the "Outstanding Achievement in Character or Story Development". Disney Interactive was the only developer with more than one award-winning game.
Hironobu Sakaguchi, creator of Final Fantasy, was inducted into the Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences Hall of Fame.
Winners and Nominees
Winners are listed first, highlighted in boldface, and indicated with a double dagger (‡).
Game of the Year
The Sims — Maxis, Electronic Arts‡
Age of Empires II: The Age of Kings — Ensemble Studios, Microsoft
Donkey Kong 64 — Rare, Nintendo
Pokémon Yellow — Game Freak, Nintendo
Soulcalibur — Namco
Unreal Tournament — Epic Games, Digital Extremes, GT Interactive
Craft Awards
Outstanding Achievement in Game Design
The Sims — Maxis, Electronic Arts‡
Age of Empires II: The Age of Kings — Ensemble Studios, Microsoft
Gran Turismo 2 — Polyphony Digital, Sony Computer Entertainment
Nox — Westwood Studios, Electronic Arts
Syphon Filter — Eidetic, 989 Studios
Outstanding Achievement in Character or Story Development
Age of Empires II: The Age of Kings — Ensemble Studios, Microsoft‡
Thief: The Dark Project — Looking Glass Studios, Eidos Interactive‡
Nox — Westwood Studios, Electronic Arts
Omikron: The Nomad Soul — Quantic Dream, Eidos Interactive
Planescape: Torment — Black Isle Studios, Interplay Entertainment
Outstanding Achievement in Animation
Final Fantasy VIII — SquareSoft, Square Electronic Arts‡
Age of Empires II: The Age of Kings — Ensemble Studios, Microsoft
Disney's Villains' Revenge — Disney Interactive
Spyro 2: Ripto's Rage! — Insomniac Games, Sony Computer Entertainment
Outstanding Achievement in Art Direction
Final Fantasy VIII — SquareSoft, Square Electronic Arts‡
Disney's Villains' Revenge — Disney Interactive
Pharaoh — Impressions Games, Sierra On-Line
Spyro 2: Ripto's Rage! — Insomniac Games, Sony Computer Entertainment
The Sims — Maxis, Electronic Arts
Outstanding Achievement in Sound Design
Medal of Honor — DreamWorks Interactive, Electronic Arts‡
NFL 2K — Visual Concepts, Sega
Thief: The Dark Project — Looking Glass Studios, Eidos Interactive
Outstanding Achievement in Original Music Composition
Um Jammer Lammy — NanaOn-Sha, Sony Computer Entertainment‡
Outcast — Appeal, Infogrames
Silver — Spiral House, Infogrames
Outstanding Achievement in Game Play Engineering
The Sims — Maxis, Electronic Arts‡
Age of Empires II: The Age of Kings — Ensemble Studios, Microsoft
Crazy Taxi — Hitmaker, Sega
NFL 2K — Visual Concepts, Sega
Outstanding Achievement in Visual Engineering
Unreal Tournament — Epic Games, Digital Extremes, GT Interactive‡
NBA 2K — Visual Concepts, Sega
NFL 2K — Visual Concepts, Sega
Sonic Adventure — Sonic Team, Sega
Content Awards
Console
Console Game of the Year
Soulcalibur — Namco‡
Crazy Taxi — Hitmaker, Sega
Donkey Kong 64 — Rare, Nintendo
Driver — Reflections Interactive, GT Interactive
Gran Turismo 2 — Polyphony Digital, Sony Computer Entertainment
Pokémon Yellow — Game Freak, Nintendo
Tony Hawk's Pro Skater — Neversoft, Activision
Console Action Game of the Year
Crazy Taxi — Hitmaker, Sega‡
Armada — Metro3D
Gauntlet Legends — Midway Games
Super Smash Bros. — HAL Laboratory, Nintendo
Syphon Filter — Eidetic, 989 Studios
Console Adventure/Role-Playing Game of the Year
Final Fantasy VIII — SquareSoft, Square Electronic Arts‡
Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver — Crystal Dynamics, Eidos Interactive
Legend of Legaia — Contrail, Sony Computer Entertainment
Console Fighting Game of the Year
Soulcalibur — Namco‡
Ready 2 Rumble Boxing — Midway Studios San Diego, Midway Games
Super Smash Bros. — HAL Laboratory, Nintendo
WWF WrestleMania 2000 — AKI Corporation, THQ
Console Racing Game of the Year
Star Wars Episode I: Racer — LucasArts‡
Crash Team Racing — Naughty Dog, Sony Computer Entertainment
Driver — Reflections Interactive, GT Interactive
Gran Turismo 2 — Polyphony Digital, Sony Computer Entertainment
Console Children's/Family Title of the Year
Pokémon Snap — HAL Laboratory, Nintendo‡
Lego Racers — High Voltage Software, Lego Media
Mario Party — Hudson Soft, Nintendo
Spyro 2: Ripto's Rage! — Insomniac Games, Sony Computer Entertainment
Toy Story 2: Buzz Lightyear to the Rescue — Traveller's Tales, Disney Interactive, Activision
Console Sports Game of the Year
Knockout Kings 2000 — Black Ops Entertainment, EA Sports‡
NFL 2K — Visual Concepts, Sega
Tony Hawk's Pro Skater — Neversoft, Activision
Personal Computer
Computer Game of the Year
Age of Empires II: The Age of Kings — Ensemble Studios, Microsoft‡
Command & Conquer: Tiberian Sun — Westwood Studios, Electronic Arts
Homeworld — Relic Entertainment, Sierra On-Line
RollerCoaster Tycoon — Chris Sawyer Productions, Hasbro Interactive
Unreal Tournament — Epic Games, Digital Extremes, GT Interactive
PC Action Game of the Year
Half-Life: Opposing Force — Gearbox Software, Sierra On-Line‡
Quake III Arena — id Software, Activision
Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six: Rogue Spear — Red Storm Entertainment
Unreal Tournament — Epic Games, Digital Extremes, GT Interactive
PC Adventure/Role-Playing Game of the Year
Asheron's Call — Turbine, Microsoft‡
Gabriel Knight 3: Blood of the Sacred, Blood of the Damned — Sierra On-Line
Outcast — Appeal, Infogrames
Planescape: Torment — Black Isle Studios, Interplay Entertainment
Ultima IX: Ascension — Origin Systems, Electronic Arts
PC Simulation Game of the Year
Microsoft Flight Simulator 2000 — Aces Game Studio, Microsoft‡
FreeSpace 2 — Volition, Interplay Entertainment
Jane's F/A-18 — EA Baltimore
MiG Alley — Rowan Software, Empire Interactive
Star Wars: X-Wing Alliance — Totally Games, LucasArts
PC Sports Game of the Year
FIFA 2000 — EA Canada‡
Backyard Football — Humongous Entertainment
High Heat Baseball 2000 — Team .366, The 3DO Company
NHL 2000 — EA Canada
PC Strategy Game of the Year
Age of Empires II: The Age of Kings — Ensemble Studios, Microsoft‡
Command & Conquer: Tiberian Sun — Westwood Studios, Electronic Arts
Heroes of Might and Magic III — New World Computing, The 3DO Company
Homeworld — Relic Entertainment, Sierra On-Line
RollerCoaster Tycoon — Chris Sawyer Productions, Hasbro Interactive
PC Creativity Title of the Year
Disney's Magic Artist Studio — Disney Interactive‡