BAFTA winners revealed

By Robert Purchese Published 24 October, 2007

Wii Sports steals limelight.

The British Academy of Film and Television Arts has revealed this year's Video Games Awards winners, GamesIndustry.biz reports.

And although BioShock was named as the best game, it was Wii Sports that took home the most face-statues, bagging six out of 13 awards in categories ranging from Sports to Multiplayer to Innovation.

Elsewhere Crackdown walked away with best Action and Adventure and Use of Audio, Okami nabbed Artistic Achievement and best Original Score, and God of War 2 took Technical Achievement and Best Story and Character.

Overall the Wii walked away with six awards to its name, the PS2 with four, and the Xbox 360 with three. Numerous PlayStation 3 titles were nominated, but none of them managed to win.

The PC World Gamer's Award as voted for by the public went to Football Manager 2007, and BAFTA also picked out Ragnarawk - a role-playing game created by a bunch of students as part of the Dare to be Digital design competition - as one to watch.

The full list of winners can be found below:

  • Action and Adventure: Crackdown
  • Strategy and Simulation: Wii Sports
  • Sports: Wii Sports
  • Multiplayer: Wii Sports
  • Casual and Social: Wii Sports
  • Use of Audio: Crackdown
  • Original Score: Okami
  • Technical Achievement: God of War II
  • Artistic Achievement: Okami
  • Gameplay: Wii Sports
  • Innovation: Wii Sports
  • Story and Character: God of War II
  • Game: BioShock
  • The Gamers' Award: Football Manager 2007 (PC)
  • BAFTA's ones to watch: Ragnarawk

And, of course, at the end of the evening Will Wright was awarded the BAFTA Fellowship award for his lifetime of work in the games industry.

Pop over and read our list of nominated games to see who missed out.

Award yourself with a healthy bar of fiction-free news over on GamesIndustry.biz.

Picture of Robert.

About Robert Purchese

Bertie is Eurogamer's Senior Staff Writer. When he's not hunting down news stories he's often found playing with his kids or gabbling about fantasy games and strange online worlds.

Read more articles from Robert by visiting the Robert Purchese archive page.

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Comments (57) Latest comment 4 years ago

Comments threads automatically close after 30 days, but please feel free to continue chatting on the forum!

  • Royal Fool #1 4 years ago

    Story and Character: God of War II

    What?

  • Pac-man-ate-my-wife #2 4 years ago

    Not a bad list of winners there.

  • Bertie Verified Senior Staff Writer, Eurogamer.net #3 4 years ago

    Yeah, I did blink a bit at that one.

  • viper_h #4 4 years ago

    Use of Audio: Crackdown

    ???

    The one music track it had in it and the three generic immigrant voices repeated over and over?

    Right.

  • Lexx87 #5 4 years ago

    God of War 2 on XBLA? Anyone? Please..

  • Darren #6 4 years ago

    Nice to see God of War II and Okami getting the recognition they deserved. And while Wii Sports is a nice demonstration of the Wii's abilities, as a full game it's perhaps a little disappointing with its lack of options and is really little more than a glorified tech demo IMO, made more palatable by the fact it was free.

  • MENTAL1ST Verified Senior Software Engineer, Picsel UK Ltd. #7 4 years ago

    Action and Adventure: Crackdown

    Fucking yass, get in!

    I've won a Bafta (not on my own, though).

    Suck it down Miyamoto - you are denied!
    Edited by 1 at 24/10/07 @ 09:34

  • Darren #8 4 years ago

    @viper_h - I cannot understand how Crackdown won Best Use of Audio at all - it had average sound-effects, an extremely annoying voice-over that told you that you'd made an impressive ascent (agent!) when you'd just jumped over a car... on the ground, and had barely audible but very mediocre music. I think of dozens of games more deserving than that. An odd choice and a very undeserved award if you ask me.

  • MENTAL1ST Verified Senior Software Engineer, Picsel UK Ltd. #9 4 years ago

    I guess someone really liked either the voice of the Agency or Stuart's taste in licensed music.

    Congratulations, guys, put it beside the photocopy of your Vice City award that Rockstar are keeping.

  • Cheapshot #10 4 years ago

    Vernon Kay didn't fucking host this again did he? And yay for Okami!!

  • kangarootoo #11 4 years ago

    Really pleased Crackdown got in the winners list. Same goes for Bioshock, though less unexpected to be honest. Fair play to Wii Sports (no pun intended).

    But I'm also rather surprised that GoW2 for an award for character and story. Technical Achievement, yes no problem absolutely. But character and story?! When it is alongside games like Bioshock (with plenty of others not in the list that could have taken that award)?!

    /is puzzled

    Are these voted for by the public?

  • kangarootoo #12 4 years ago

    Crackdown had all original tracks, that dynamically changed as you changed location. Now I'd be the first to deliver a sarcastic "whoop dee doo" at that apparent feat of technical majesty, but that might be why it won an audio award I suppose.

    And I guess the explosions sounded cool.

  • asphaltcowboy #13 4 years ago

    Crackdown's audio was great! You lot should listen to the Major nelson podcast from many moons ago where they discuss the audio features. Personally, the use of the orb sound effect alone was absolute genius.

    I think this was the one: MajorNelson.com
    Edited by 2 at 24/10/07 @ 09:43

  • myk #14 4 years ago

    "as a full game it's perhaps a little disappointing with its lack of options and is really little more than a glorified tech demo IMO"

    I'd happily pay £50 for it, 4 player tennis has to be played to be believed. Get 4 players that know how to spin, do drop shots and power serves and it's superb - so much depth hidden beneath a very accessible control scheme.

  • kangarootoo #15 4 years ago

    me said "Crackdown had all original tracks"

    Was that a big fat lie I told there? I thought they were original, but that might be rubbish.

  • 3william56 #16 4 years ago

    Heh - no real surprise the PS3 got no awards - most of the nominated games aren't even out yet, so a bit hard to vote for. Though I reckon WarHawk deserved the nod for gameplay (or even audio - the THX in a hectic situation is as good of anything since the original Medal of Honour D Day scene).

  • MENTAL1ST Verified Senior Software Engineer, Picsel UK Ltd. #17 4 years ago

    They weren't original, just quite obscure.

    Except for the Molotov and Control Machete tracks that have probably been in Saints Row and Total Overdose at least already, plus any other games to feature Latino Gangstas.

  • muftak #18 4 years ago

    the bafta games are a joke arnt they

    Wii sports won best game play over Gears and warhawk

    a better innovation than Eye of judgement better Multiplayer than world of warcraft

    plus half the game on their arnt ever out yet like R&C:ToD , uncharted , kane and lynch etc etc

    even how much i hate halo it deserved to be in there

  • L42yB #19 4 years ago

    "Strategy and Simulation: Wii Sports" - What? STRATEGY!!! This wins the strategy and simulation award over all other games released this year??? I don't get it.

    "Sports: Wii Sports" - OK, FIFA may be shite, but it is still a whole lot better than Wii sports... and there is still PES, Tiger Woods, and all the other much better sports games...

    "Multiplayer: Wii Sports" - ROFL! Yeh, right. It's not even online and it wins the multiplayer award *sigh*

    "Use of Audio: Crackdown" - Who gave out these awards?!? Someone who has never played games?!

    "Story and Character: God of War II" - I'm so confused...

    "Game: BioShock" - Not arguing with this one (Bioshock is the best game on this so called "winners" list), just not entirely sure what the award is for... "Game"?

    "The Gamers' Award: Football Manager 2007 (PC)" - This is the one voted for by us, yeh? I figured this one would win, but only because the choice of games was so limited. Hardly "Gamers Game of the Year" when we only got to choose from six games...

    Overall, I have to say that these are the most meaningless awards EVER!!! I have lost all respect for the BAFTA's. What a bunch of idiots.

  • Putty-Man #20 4 years ago

    Its funny I've got a 6 bafta award winning game sitting under my TV which I rarely (well never) play. It certainly is innovative, and great multiplayer but gameplay?

  • Vice.Destroyer #21 4 years ago

    I've got a 6-Bafta-award winning game under my telly too. And I feel the same way I felt when Halle Berry won the Oscar for best Actress in Monster's Ball.

    Completely undeserved, considering the competition and perhaps she should consider giving it back.

  • Skeptopotamus #22 4 years ago

    Best audio for Crackdown over Bioshock is a travesty

  • L42yB #23 4 years ago

    To quote Team America:

    "Matt Damon"

  • Pac-man-ate-my-wife #24 4 years ago

    Wii Sports is far from shallow.

    If you are playing against a 2000+ rated computer opponent it's a challenging and skillful game where in tennis, for instancew, you have to know how to spin, slice and put the ball anywhere on the court.

    I think there are probably a load of folk here who have had a quick go and are basing their judgements on that.

  • SBfistfun #25 4 years ago

    Welcome to the third placelol

  • OllyJ #26 4 years ago

    I'd probably Give Guitar hero 2 best use of Audio, quite a clever system and some nice little FX touches.

    although I hear SKATE sounds really good.

    As for Crackdown I thought it sounded great, the vehicles and weapons all sounded nice, the Voiceover guy was good (although I wish he'd stop being hired now), it had it's problems like boring music but on the whole a top job. I do get a feeling they've won it for that agility orb sound though ;D

  • OllyJ #27 4 years ago

    "Crackdown had all original tracks, that dynamically changed as you changed location."

    hehehe so did Resident Evil 1 ;D

    I just think the music was dull, can't remember whether they had cinematic boss battle music either....? to be honest I turned my own music on after a few hours play.

  • huxathon #28 4 years ago

    Wii sports definitely got the awards it deserved. Haven't had this much fun since Stock Exchange on my Acorn Electron. (seriously)

  • Xerx3s #29 4 years ago

    Strategy and Simulation: Wii Sports
    Multiplayer: Wii Sports

    lol.

  • L42yB #30 4 years ago

    @MattDamon:

    "The usual guys who don't get Wii Sports trodding out their rubbish"

    It's a collection of minigames using the new controller... thats it. I'm not arguing with the inovation award, but to get "Best Sports Game" and "Best Strategy and Simulation" is pushing it WAY to far.

    "World of Warcraft best multiplayer someone says ha ha - geekfest or what " - World of Warcraft multiplayer is far more impressive than a "four players on one console" game as far as multiplayer goes, but WoW would not count for this years games (altho Wii sports shouldn't have counted either as it was last year).

    "Team America. Yeah, no sh''t sherlock. Humour is obviously lost on you." - And clearly irony is not lost on you...

    "And other people having an opinion is also something which I guess is lost on you. " - *sigh* oh well, I guess I'll keep *my opinion* to myself next time... ;)

  • VMerken #31 4 years ago

    Big award ceremonies rewarding the "hip" and "fly" things, making it more of a politics and spur of the moment matter rather than objectively measuring the factors these things are weighed upon?

    What else is new.

  • L42yB #32 4 years ago

    @MattDamon:

    I understand that you probably think that "Irony" means "kinda like Iron" but sympathise with your feeble intellect and will try to help u out ;)

    Irony - "The use of words to convey a meaning that is the opposite of its literal meaning"

    For example, you were using the reference to MattDamon in Team America ironically. I was merely pointing out that you saying (and I quote) "And other people having an opinion is also something which I guess is lost on you" as a response to me expressing my opinion about someone elses was ironic.

    Finally, all of my comments were playful and said in jest, as are my comments above. Please don't take life so seriously ;)

    EDIT (spellig :o)
    Edited by 2 at 24/10/07 @ 12:09

  • Arnold__ #33 4 years ago

    Its politically correct to be a huge Wii/DS fanboy right now, so no surprises there. So forget about objectivity wrt these awards.

    Well done to Nintendo though, they made some good decisions and are making a lot of money, I just do not believe that they target the same market as Microsoft or Sony or that they are even trying to. Trying to pass Wii Sports as a better sports sim than something like Virtua Tennis 3 is not only ridiculous, its impossible. The time has come to label the Wii as a neat, nifty little gadget primarily aimed at children and the elderly that you toy around with every now and again, however it is questionable that it can still be classified as a legitimate 'games console'.

    Am I the only one with this viewpoint?

  • Skooch #34 4 years ago

    "Numerous PlayStation 3 titles were nominated, but none of them managed to win."

    Ouch!

  • L42yB #35 4 years ago

    @Arnold__ - Finally, sum1 talking sense! My earlier point (which it seems was completely lost on the likes of MattDamon) that FIFA is better was only to point out just how bad WiiSports really is. I don't like Fifa at all, but I think that as far as a "Sports Simulation" game it is much better than Wii Sports.

  • smoison #36 4 years ago

    'L42yB' and 'Arnold__' are from the troll convention downtown.

    They are quite mad the Wii comes free with one of the best games to be released in a year.
    Bioshock is good, but not Wii sports good.

  • Kropotkin #37 4 years ago

    What an absolute farce. Wii Sports, a game that was released in December '06 and therefore does not qualify to be considered for nomination gets 13 of them and wins 6. What really troubles me about these awards is what was nominated and what eventually won. Portal was not considered yet is one of the most innovative games to appear on any format. Halo 3 and Team Fortress 2 are also very strong multiplayer games that are again brushed aside for no apparent reason. Finally story should have gone to Halflife 2: Episode 2. That game is driven by its story and to ignore it entirely is a travesty.

    A lot of great games were missed and the one that won the most didn't even qualify to win anything according to BAFTA's own rules.

  • ajcham #38 4 years ago

    I'd say it's BAFTA that don't understand Wii sports. I have absolutely nothing against it, but some of it's accolades are a little inappropriate:

    Best Multiplayer: A lot of fun surely, but the game is only really suited to one form of multiplayer gaming, which is best described under another category; Social & Casual, which it deservedly won. For an all-round mulitplayer experience there were better candidates.

    Best Strategy & Simulation: I'm not sure anyone could pretend this accurately simulates the sports involved - it approximates them. That's not a criticism of the game itself - full on sims are a niche, which (if they've been done correctly) are inaccessible to the mainstream. Wii Sports doesn't fall under this category, nor was it ever intended to.

    Best Sports: Well this will always cause arguments, whoever wins...

    Best Gameplay: As above - what constitutes good gameplay is massively subjective.

    Best Innovation: An interesting one. I think this only won because it had to be a game and not a system. The Wii itself is the innovation - Wii Sports merely a showcase for it.

    As for the others - I'm really pleased for Okami - although its award for Artisitic Achievement was a no-brainer. Having played God of War II, I have to say Best Technical Achievement was also well-deserved. We've been inundated with coverage of next-gen (I guess its current-gen now), but these two titles, running on a humble PS2, took my breath away with their gorgeous visuals.

  • L42yB #39 4 years ago

    @MattDamon - Well, if u've ignored me then so be it. Good to see you respect others opinions. So far you have yet to actually make a decent argument, rather you seem to think that calling me stupid and being dismissive make for a strong opposition. Whatever.

    I believe I explained the meaning of Irony and how it applied to what I said. If you don't understand or disagree then say so. Calling someone stupid in the face of a debate only shows your own ignorance and inability to support your opinion with an actual argument.

    And finally, yes I believe that FIFA (or any of the other EA Sports nonesense) are better sports simulations than WiiSports for the following reasons:

    1) Graphically, they look far more like the game they are representing than any WiiSports equivalent.
    2) Controller wise, I don't believe that waving a piece of plastic at a TV is any more "realistic" than pressing buttons. It's a nice gimmick, but it does not even come close to representing the real thing. To give an example, practising you golf swing on Wii Sports is highly likely to mess up your golf swing rather than improve it. This is because the way you need to swing the controller to get a good hit is *very* different from the way you swing a golf club. Now in Tiger Woods, you may only press a button to initiate you golf swing, but the *simulation* is far better in that you can customise your swing to *look* not only like a real swing but you can even get it to look like *your* swing.

    Those are the main points, I have more but I don't see the point in making this post even longer than it already is. The main point is that people seem to be dismissing all the the incredible advances we have made in sports simulation games over the last few years - impressive and immersive graphics looking as close to the real thing as possible, gameplay and player movement that matches how people really move, commentary and sound effects that add to immersion and atmosphere... all of these things make a "simulation" more realistic and therefore a better sports simulation game. Just adding new control method and then dismissing all of the other criteria does not make for the "Best Sports Simulation and Strategy game". I still think these are just a bunch of (admittedly quite fun) minigames that use a new controller. The only award they truly deserved was the innovation one.

    Anyway, that's my argument. Since the all knowing Matt "Respector of all's opinions (that agree with mine) and master of Irony" Damon is ignoring me I don't expect a reply, but then having him come back with another "your stupid" comment wudn't be constructive anyway ;)

  • L42yB #40 4 years ago

    @smoison - Why is anyone expressing a negative opinion a troll? I am more than willing to debate the point intelligently if anyone cares to.

    IMO, MattDamon is the troll because so far his comments back to me have consisted only of remarks at me personally (which I don't mind, I give as good as I get) but the bit that annoys me is that his replies have been completely devoid of any argument whatsoever. Isn't that what makes you a troll?

    Saying "WiiSports is the best because it is and anyone who disagree's is stupid!" makes you a troll.

    Saying "WiiSports is not all that and doesn't deserve a BAFTA for the following reasons" is an argument. Yes, I backed it up with a strong opinion at the end ("I have lost all respect for the BAFTA's. What a bunch of idiots.";) but is just my way and doesn't make me a troll. I still preceded my comment with an actual argument.


  • sanctusmortis #41 4 years ago

    Did it ever occur to anyone that the award for use of sound going to Crackdown could be about the great use of positional audio to hunt the orbs?

    Audio is about more than songs, you know.

  • Arnold__ #42 4 years ago

    I have to agree with L42yB. What is also a bit concerning is that these days if you issue a single criticism towards the Wii or DS, then you are labelled a 'troll'. Its called legitimate criticism people. Freedom of speech and press versus dictatorial regimes where no criticism is tollerated.

    One can only speculate as to how 'free' these BAFTA awards were. If Wii Sports was included, then surely GOW should be included as well. However it is safe to assume that somewhere, somehow, money was involved and exchanged, similar to all these 10/10 ratings we are seeing these days. Just out of control.

    We might as well start comparing sales of Bicycle Playing cards to sales of Wii Sports because they belong more or less in the same category.

    Wise up.

  • paulf #43 4 years ago

    if gaming is supposed to be fun, wii sports is certainly that and imo deserves the accolades, the hardcore gamer may not like it but wii has brought a whole new audience to gaming and sports represents the reasons why it has done that.

  • Pac-man-ate-my-wife #44 4 years ago

    Wii Sports is fun, different, sociable and innovative (it is, even if you don't like it).

    Therefore it deserves every award it's got.

  • Sebo #45 4 years ago

    Wii Sports is the freshest thing I've played in the last 12 months.

    I loved Gears of Wars, Bioshock, Halo 3, all those so called "hardcore games".

    But Wii Sports was definitely the most different, and most enjoyable experience of the year so far.

    People who say it's shallow really have not played this for any great length of time.

    Could it be improved? Yes. But is there anything out there better than it right now? No.

  • MrChuckles #46 4 years ago

    In short, some fair enough...but...

    Wii sports - Strategy & simulation.

    Just a complete joke. That takes an award away from a legitimate strategy game or flight sim, driving game etc.

    The others at least could be argued, but who votes for these things as that award is clearly voted for by imbeciles.

    Also, if Wii Sport is SOOOO awesome and with 6/13 awards, how the hell did Bioshock win best Game??? when it didn't win anything else?

  • OllyJ #47 4 years ago

    @Sanctusmortis

    Yes I pretty much said exactly that a page ago, to be honest though that's not really ground breaking is it, but yes I agree that orb hunting went some way to the win.

  • Bumhug360 #48 4 years ago

    So out of the 14 awards given out for the best games of 2007 half were awarded to 2006 releases, and you could argue Okami was a 2006 game as well which would make 9 out of 14

  • Pac-man-ate-my-wife #49 4 years ago

    [link url=http://www.ba vga.co.uk//Eligibility.aspx
    ]http://www.ba vga.co.uk//Eligibility.aspx
    [/link]

    Why don't you all read the criteria before mouthing off.

    The eligible period for entry was 6th Oct 2006 to 31 Dec 2007.
    An entry fee has to be paid to be considered.

  • monty2k #50 4 years ago

    @Arnold___: Are you seriously comparing someone calling you a "troll" and disagreeing with your opinion to the struggle of the free press against totalitarian regimes? Isn't that a bit over melodramatic?

  • markypants #51 4 years ago

    Ragnarawk is actually really brilliant. I saw this game at the 'Be Afraid' event at BAFTA on Monday. Its a Guitar Hero type RPG. The guys made it within a 8 week period as part of Dare To Be Digital. It's so good to see those guys get recognition, they were up against 2 other brilliant games one in particular called Bear Go Home which was a kind of Loco Roco meets Tim Burton game which would be perfect on the DS.

    In regards to rest of BAFTA results... Bit rubbish really.

  • tobsen #52 4 years ago

    # Gameplay: Wii Sports
    # Innovation: Wii Sports

    These people are out of their mind.

  • menage #53 4 years ago

    These awards are a joke. There's even games on the nominees list which aren't even released yet.

    "Audio is about more than songs, you know. "

    Bioshock did way more than that.
    Edited by 1 at 24/10/07 @ 19:42

  • Monkey_Puncher #54 4 years ago

    Best use of audio Crackdown? Awful soundtrack and generic gun shots.....surely this should have gone to Bioshock?

  • Oddly #55 4 years ago

    I'm shocked Wii Sports didn't get more awards. I think it should also get the "Most Fun For After The Pub" award and "Most Likely To Cause You To Accidentally Punch Someone During Multiplayer" award.

  • Charlie_Miso #56 4 years ago

    wiisportshaterslol

  • Nikanoru #57 4 years ago

    Isn't that a bit over melodramatic?

    I think you just described this whole thread, lol~!

    Wii Sports is a milestone and deserves recognition, get over it, crybabies.