The results are in: chosen as this year's Ultimate Game of the Year in the Annual Golden Joystick Awards is (dun dun dun) Gears of War! Gears of War also won the All-Nighter Award, Editor's Choice Award and is the Xbox Game of the Year.

Other winners of the 25th Annual Golden Joystick Awards are the Nintendo Wii, which won Innovation of the Year, World of Warcraft: Burning Crusade as the Online Game of the Year, The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess as the Nintendo Game of the Year, and God of War II as the PlayStation Game of the Year.

Here are the other winners of the Golden Joystick Awards:

• Girls' Choice Game of the Year 2007: Guitar Hero II
• Family Game of the Year 2007: Wii Sports
• Handheld Game of the Year 2007: Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories
• Mobile Game of the Year 2007: Final Fantasy
• Soundtrack of the Year 2007: Guitar Hero II
• Developer of the Year 2007: Codemasters
• The Total Film One to Watch 2007: Assassin's Creed
• Retailer of the Year 2007: Game
• Publisher of the Year 2007: Nintendo
• PC Game of the Year 2007: The Lord of the Rings Online: Shadows of Angmar

Here's to another year of great games!

Back in the day, abundant bloom was the coolest thing in the block. Now that developers have access to more powerful hardware, some gamers will call them lazy if a next-gen title doesn't have parallax mapping, high resolution rendering, and all that. Free Radical co-founder Dave Doak, however, would rather be creative than make generic eye-candy.

"A typical next-gen look has often got all the next-gen stuff like specular highlights and normal mapping turned up to the max... But if it's not turned up to 11, people think it's not next-gen enough," he said in a recent interview with PC Gamer in its issue # 180. Yet, the TimeSplitters series took a more cartoony approach over super-realistic graphics, and Doak seems to favor that style.

Even with powerful tools around, it looks like TimeSplitters will stay true to its roots. After giving Valve's Team Fortress 2 props for standing out, noting how developers are starting to ponder if they really have to do realistic rendering or go for a distinct look, he said:

TimeSplitters has always had that [distinct look] and it's something we want to go back and look at again, specifically taking that cartoon look and doing it with the interesting rendering you can do now [with next-gen].

We haven't heard much about TimeSplitters 4, but if Doak's words hold true, then we're getting more of the quirky first-person shooter that offered hours of fun. Who cares about complex physics engines and extremely detailed character models? Give us rocket launcher-wielding monkeys and we're sold.

Despite hitting some snags in the form of Sega, SCEA, Capcom, and Microsoft backouts, it appears E for All is gaining steam after getting big boosts from dozens of other movers in the gaming industry who have confirmed participation. To prove that E for All is going smoothly as planned, IDG World Expo is now announcing that Future US, Inc. will be publishing the official show magazine for the said event.

This is big news especially for those who are familiar in the ins and outs of attending conventions like this. Why? Event magazines not only provide attendees with a good source of show floor guide, exhibitor and product information, special features and interviews, it's also a great souvenir - it goes right beside event press IDs and pictures with booth babes. Anyway, IDG World Expo CEO Mary Dolaher expressed the same enthusiasm after saying:

We're thrilled to team up with Future to create "E for All Magazine," the event’s official show publication. Given Future’s experience producing publications such as Official Xbox Magazine, PSM: Independent PlayStation Magazine, PC Gamer, Maximum PC and Next Gen, we’re greatly anticipating the creation of a top-notch magazine and commemorative keepsake for this inaugural event.

The magazine will be a 64-page collector's edition in support of the inaugural E for All. Contents will include feature stories, game reviews, product highlights, a full expo schedule, floor plan and exclusive features, interviews with acclaimed game developers, and a user-generated car art from Forza 2. E for All magazine will also carry a commemorative cover to give spice to the said event which will take place October 18-21 at the Los Angeles Convention Center - told you it's a keeper.

 

In pursuit of expanding global sales and expanding band with to support multiple game formats, Mastertronic acquires Redback Sales, a specialist sales agency. Mastertronic Group's MD, Andy Payne, said about the acquisition of Redback that,

we're very pleased to add an established and successful sales agency to our portfolio. We already have a mix of products and services and a reputation forged on the principle that our customers come first. This move will be the foundation stone upon which we will expand ours and our customers' sales further overseas and also allow us the bandwidth to support multiple formats.

Redback focuses on worldwide sales, licensing and distribution agreements. James Cato, who has worked for Eidos Interactive and GT interactive prior to establishing Redback, will now head up the sales team as Group Sales Director. Andy Hoskin will join him in the sales team as Key Account Manager.

Mastertronic's new sales team will be responsible for sales of all of the games publishing labels namely Sold Out, PC Gamer Presents, MAD, Just Flight and Blast! Entertainment Ltd. James Cato further comments that he is looking forward to leading the sales team, and that "Mastertronic have impressed me with their strategic plans and it was an offer I simply could not refuse."

 

GamesRadar reports that Paul Barnett, the creative director of Mythic Creative, says in this month's issue of "PC Gamer" magazine that game guides and walkthroughs corrupt the enjoyment of the game. Barnett explains:

A game guide is actually there to corrupt your enjoyment of the game. ...It tells you the most efficient, straightforward and dull way to increase your numbers, and in no way tells you the wonder and joy of the game you're playing.

For most games the wonder and joy is in getting there. In fact in most of life, the joy is in getting to something. ...We now have people obsessed with getting to the endgame, not realising that the greatness is in going on that journey.

If previous promotion of Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning is to be taken as something a bit more than hype, than Barnett's latest game is set to jolt folks who are walkthrough-reliant, grind-obsessed, and build-anal. We'll end this here, before this post starts sounding like a promotion for "PC Gamer" or Warhammer Online. But, before we go, we'll ask you guys a question.

How do you use your game walkthroughs? Do you make sure that a walkthrough is available before you purchase that US$ 50 dollar 40 plus hour, story-heavy game? Do you consider walkthrough users to be gaming equivalents of the physically handicapped?

Personally, I do my best to play through a game first as fast as I can, not minding secrets and other stuff, with the goal of just getting to see what happens next. If the experience satisfies, only then do I start looking for walkthroughs to get every secret and every hidden ultimate weapon.

What about you folks? What's your take on game guides?

Gamers are now preferring other media for gaming information, it would seem, as the latest figures have revealed that uni-platform gaming magazines are in continuing decline.

ABC has revealed that many Future and Imagine titles has fallen once again. While the sales figures for the Official PlayStation Magazine 3 were not provided, OPSM2's monthly circulation is down by 24 percent from the August 2006 figures, hitting 76,351.

Official Xbox 360 sales, however, were boosted coming up from 42,680 to just over 56,000. A very good news for publisher Future, since it has closed Official Xbox publication recently.

Without the OPSM3 figures, monthly sales of the official titles went down to 175,368, compared to 218,863 six months ago.

In the lead in the unofficial mag titles is Imagine-published Play, with sales of 29,000 despite a 37.5 percent drop in readership compared to last year. Future's PSW figures went down from nearly 34,500 to just over 26,000 copies. Other Imagine titles went down with the following statistics: Powerstation with 15,171 copies from 22, 288 last year, 360 with 11,369 copies from 13,098.

Future published PC gaming titles went down with the following numbers: PC Zone from just over 30,000 to 27,000 while PC Gamer lost 1675 readers, hitting just over 43,600. The decline for PC titles appears to be slow but steady.

The bright spot for these gaming magazine publishers were seen in the stable sales position of multi-platform magazines. Future's Games Master sales hovers around the 54,000 mark while Imagine's Games TM sales stays at 20,000. Future's Edge sales also rose up to four percent from 33,597 to 35,145.

Recently, Nintendo has been grabbing a lot readers' attention, it would seem, after a 17 percent rise in the sales of Official Nintendo Magazine, with readers buying 43,000 copies a month.

James Ashton of Future Publishing complained that the falling magazine sales are to be blamed on the rapid transition to next-generation consoles and the rise in the amount of video game coverage in the mainstream media. Guess we'll be seeing more of you guys checking out this site!

It's that time of the month, people. For those looking for parties to crash to after the Christmas and New Year's festivities, listen up. We're just giving you guys a gentle reminder of a quiet little event that's taking place this January 8 to 11 next year, at Las Vegas, and we're sure you guys will want to go.

The International Consumer Electronics Show (CES 2007) will be picking where the now-pwned downgraded E3 (Once again, booo! Hisss!) left off.

Now, aside from our previous reports of guest speakers like Bill Gates, Michael Dell, and Gary Shapiro, we got (by way of IGN) updates on more gamer-friendly features the organizers will be showcasing.

First up are the conferences - 175 total - being given by professionals on what's going in gaming from the latest rends and technologies, to unique topics like "Ultimate Gaming" and "Understanding Female Gamers."

And as for the other events:

• The Gaming TechZone: This section will be featuring several booths manned by famous game-related companies like Majesco, Gameloft, PC Gamer, Maximum PC, Game Quest, Wolfking, and QMotions. Expect more as we near the conference day.
• World Series of Video Games All-Star Festival: This Intel-sponsored event will host hands-on play on new goodies that the guys over at Xbox 360 and Fatal1ty Brands will be churning out. Attendees can also look forward to playing off again last year's World Series winners. 

We look forward to seeing just what sort of event this will turn out to be, and hope you guys enjoy the event's 40th anniversary - about as old as some of you dudes.

The Consumer Electronics Association's senior vice president, events and conferences, Karen Chupka: "With the CES Gaming TechZone featuring top gaming companies across the globe, conference sessions and other special gaming events, the 2007 International CES is the global hub for the latest trends emerging on the gaming market."