Fallout 3 takes top prize at video game 'Oscars'

Sat Oct 31 2009 10:30:23

The 27th Annual Golden Joystick Awards took place in London on Friday, as celebrities, developers and gaming fans gathered to support and celebrate the fastest-growing entertainment industry.

The big winners on the night were post-apocalyptic role-playing game Fallout 3, which was crowned Ultimate Game of the Year, and gaming giants Activision, who took home five gongs, including Publisher of The Year.

The games industry has remained strong over the past year despite the recession, with gaming sales in the UK alone reaching £2.7 billion.

Likewise, it was the biggest year ever for the Golden Joystick Awards. Voted for by the public, organisers reported a 47% surge at the online polls, with over 1.2 million votes cast -an official Guinness World Record making the awards the World’s Most Popular Video Game Awards.

There was also a strong showing for UK-developed titles, as Family Game of the Year was taken by Guildford-based Media Molecule for LittleBigPlanet on PlayStation 3 - an innovative platform game voiced by Stephen Fry. Handheld Game of the Year was won by Rockstar Leed’s Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars for Nintendo DS.

The UK Developer of the Year category saw Cambridge company Jagex smash all-comers as the makers of Runescape, the biggest free massively multiplayer online role-playing game in the world, outflanked rivals in the category by an overwhelming margin.

The full list of winners in the 2009 Golden Joystick Awards is:

Family Game of the Year: LittleBigPlanet

Bliss Handheld Game of the Year: Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars

Retailer of the Year: GAME

Mobile Game of the Year: Metal Gear Solid Touch

Nintendo Game of the Year: Call of Duty: World at War

MSN Multiplayer Game of the Year: Call Of Duty: World At War

The Rampage Soundtrack of the Year: Guitar Hero World Tour

Xbox Game of the Year: Gears of War 2

PC Game of the Year: Fallout 3

Amiqus Games UK Developer of the Year: Jagex

PlayStation Game of the Year: Killzone 2

Publisher of the Year: Activision Blizzard

Online Game of the Year: Left4Dead

ShortList One to Watch: Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2

Ultimate Game of the Year, together with Zavvi.co.uk: Fallout 3

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