After numerous delays, the results are finally in. Here are the best games of 2001 - as chosen by the readers of PlayStation Pro 2.
Best Action Game
WINNER: Grand Theft Auto 3- 59%
RUNNER UP: Devil May Cry- 30%
Grand Theft Auto 3 easily won in this category with more than 50 percent of the votes. Devil May Cry came in second with a respectable 30 percent of all the votes in this category. Better luck next year Dante.
Best Adventure Game
WINNER: Jak and Daxter- 33%
RUNNER UP: Resident Evil: Code Veronica X- 31%
As you can see, Jak and Daxter barely won over Resident Evil. Red Faction came in 3rd with 27% of the votes.
Best Multiplayer Game
WINNER: Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3- 27%
RUNNER UP: Gran Turismo 3- 22%
It's no secret that multiplayer split screen sucks, so no wonder these two games came out on top. Both Tony Hawk 3 and GT3 have excellent network modes that allow people with multiple TV's and PS2 systems to go at it. However, THPS3 had a superior edge over GT3 with its online mode.
Best Sports Game
WINNER: Madden NFL 2002- 33%
RUNNER UP: Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3- 26%
This is the second year in a row that Madden NFL has won "Best Sports Game". Let's hope they can keep it up with next year's edition despite competition from Sega.
Best RPG Game
WINNER: Final Fantasy X- 89%
RUNNER UP: Dark Cloud- 8%
What can I say? Compared to FFX, Dark Cloud is a steaming pile of donkey crap.
Best Racing Game
WINNER: Gran Turismo 3- 69%
RUNNER UP: SSX Tricky- 17%
Once again, the Gran Turismo series has won again in this category for the 2nd year in a row. This is also SSX's second year as a runner up.
Best Graphics
WINNER: Metal Gear Solid 2- 40%
RUNNER UP: Final Fantasy X- 23%
Comparing MGS2 and FFX is like comparing a green apple to a red one. Both look equally tasty no matter which way you slice it. However, Metal Gear Solid 2's amazing real time water must have given it an edge over Square's masterpiece.
Best Music/Sound
WINNER: Metal Gear Solid 2- 37%
RUNNER UP: Final Fantasy X- 29%
With the help of Harry Gregson-Williams, MGS2 was able to accomplish a movie-like soundtrack that pulled gamers further into the experience. Nobuo Uematsu also produced some great music for FFX as well.
PS2 Game of the Year
WINNER: Grand Theft Auto 3- 38%
RUNNER UP: Metal Gear Solid 2- 33%
Ever since last year's E3, everyone jumped the gun and said that MGS2 would easily be the best game of 2001. Bar none. However, as the game was released, gamers began to realize that the storyline was... well, not up to par with the previous game. (Replacing Snake with Raiden didn't help either).
In the end, MGS2's massive hype gave Grand Theft Auto 3 an advantage. People were expecting GTA3 to be a good game - but NOT this good! All in all, 2001 was a great year to own a PS2.
Game Developer of the Year
WINNER: Konami- 27%
RUNNER UP: Squaresoft- 23%
Some people asked me why I didn't include Rockstar as a nominee. Well, Rockstar is a publisher, not a developer, so I removed them at the last minute.