Part 1
Part 2

Here is the third and final part of my feature that covers the best games from 2000-present. The first two parts can be found in the above links. Just a quick note about the Best Director category: all five people were nominated for different reasons - they weren't nominated for making the five best games of the 2000s. I've put the reason for each nomination below. Also, there are 10 nominees for the best picture category because I couldn't narrow it down to five, there are just too many great games Now without further ado, here are the three big categories for the best games from the 2000s.

Best Screenplay (Best Story/Writing)

Nominees:
Chrono Cross
Grand Theft Auto series
Mass Effect
Metal Gear Solid series
Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic

And the winner is...Chrono Cross

This was a tough decision. The Grand Theft Auto series features some great writing that is often hilarious, the stories in Mass Effect and KOTOR were very interesting and captivating, and although complex and sometimes confusing, the Metal Gear Solid series always managed to be bold with its story. But Chrono Cross' wide range of interesting characters and inclusion of two alternate dimensions was intriguing and fairly original at the time. There were also some twists and turns along the way that kept things entertaining. I was always playing on for hours straight wanting to know what would happen next.

Best Director (Best Lead Game Designer)

Nominees:
Dan Houser (Grand Theft Auto series) - For creating a game featuring sandbox gameplay that allowed the player so much freedom.
Hideo Kojima (Metal Gear Solid series) - For taking the presentation qualities of movies and incorporating them into his games, and for helping popularize the stealth action genre.
Shinji Mikami (Resident Evil 4) - For drastically improving on what I thought was a very overrated series.
Fumito Ueda (Shadow of the Colossus) - For taking the risky move of making a game with only bosses and very little dialogue, and making it work.
James Ohlen (Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic) - For allowing the player to become good or evil and putting the Star Wars franchise to great use.

And the winner is...Hideo Kojima (Metal Gear Solid series)

I know a lot of people don't like the Metal Gear Solid series, especially with the amount of cutscenes and how long they are. But I appreciate the fact that Kojima does that with every game in the series. I feel like he pushed the boundaries of video game storytelling with the top notch presentation. Now I'll admit, sometimes Kojima does a little too much with the story and excessive cutscenes to the point of almost being like a movie, so I'd like to see him go in a different direction with future projects. But for now, I think he did a great thing with the series. Also, he made the MGS series one of the premier franchises for Sony, and the focus of the game is to not kill every enemy!

Best Picture (Best Game)

Nominees:
Call of Duty series
Chrono Cross
The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion
God of War series
Grand Theft Auto series
Half-Life 2
Mass Effect
Metal Gear Solid series
Resident Evil 4
Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic

And the winner is...Chrono Cross

Out of all those games up there, Chrono Cross is probably the least known, but it's certainly my favorite. I already mentioned how much I enjoyed the story, and the huge cast of characters was really appealing. Also, it didn't feature the usual turn-based combat system, which I really liked. I guess I couldn't really find a weak spot with the game; I loved the story, characters, gameplay, music, visuals, and it wasn't a short game. That about covers everything.

Part 1

This is part 2 of my feature recognizing the best games from 2000-present. Part 1 can be found in the above link. This part focuses on the great voice acting in games, and the actual people who did the voice work. Unfortunately I could not include a best leading female category since I haven't played many games where the main character is female. Anyways, hope you enjoy part 2.

Best Supporting Actress (Best Voice Acting - Supporting Female)

Nominees:
Linda Hunt as the Narrator/Gaia (God of War series)
Kimberly Brooks as Ashley (Mass Effect)
Marina Sirtis as Matriarch Benezia (Mass Effect)
Lori Alan as The Boss (Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater)
Jennifer Hale as Bastila (Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic)

And the winner is...Linda Hunt as the Narrator/Gaia (God of War series)

No one will ever narrate a game better than Linda Hunt. Her voice as the narrator (Gaia) in the God of War games is as good as it gets. That dark and powerful voice perfectly fits the tone of the game, and really hooks you in so you want to know what happens to Kratos and what he's been through.

Best Supporting Male (Best Voice Acting - Supporting Male)

Nominees:
Samuel L. Jackson as Officer Frank Tenpenny (Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas)
Michael McGaharn as Jansen (Lost Odyssey)
Fred Tatasciore as Saren (Mass Effect)
Patric Zimmerman as Revolver/Liquid Ocelot (Metal Gear Solid series)
Raphael Sbarge as Carth (Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic)

And the winner is...Frank Tatasciore as Saren (Mass Effect)

A great villain can look evil, but they also have to sound the part. Frank Tatasciore's voice over work as Saren helped create that great villain in the game and conveyed his emotions perfectly.

Best Leading Male (Best Voice Acting - Leading Male)

Nominees:
Terrence 'T.C.' Carson as Kratos (God of War series)
Young Maylay as C.J. (Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas)
Ray Liotta as Tommy Vercetti (Grand Theft Auto: Vice City)
David Hayter as Snake (Metal Gear Solid series)
Michael Ironside as Sam Fisher (Splinter Cell series)

And the winner is...Terrence 'T.C.' Carson as Kratos (God of War series)

Terrence Carson knew what he was doing when he voiced Kratos. The character of Kratos is the ultimate badass, and Carson made him sound like one with that gruff and sinister voice. He also really made Kratos seem like an antihero, which helped add to the greatness of the character.

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The final part of the feature will include the big three awards: best screenplay, best director, and best picture.

This little feature stems from my boredom last night around midnight. I was thinking about what games I've enjoyed from 2000 until now (Why I was doing that, I'm not really sure). So I decided to do a little awards feature, with the categories being taken from the Academy Awards, which translate into a certain video game award. Obviously this is all based on opinion, and I haven't played every game from 2000-present, so don't freak out if you don't see Crysis nominated for best graphics since it's considered the best looking game by many. This will be in three parts throughout the week, with part 1 today. I guess I had too much time on my hands. Hope you enjoy it.

*Note: When the Grand Theft Auto series is mentioned, that's not including the first two games since they were released before 2000. The same goes for the Metal Gear Solid series and the first game.

Best Sound Editing (Best Sound Effects)

Nominees:
Burnout series
Call of Duty series
Grand Theft Auto series
Half-Life 2
Metal Gear Solid series

And the winner is...the Call of Duty series

The Call of Duty series has always managed to make you feel like you're really part of a war. It immerses you in the game world, and the sound effects are a huge part of that. From the firing of an assault rifle to explosions destroying the battlefield, the series has always had top notch sound effects, and that's important when it comes to war games.

Best Original Score (Best Original Music)

Nominees:
Chrono Cross
Final Fantasy X
God of War series
Mass Effect
Metal Gear Solid series

And the winner is...Chrono Cross

I don't remember the name of the track, or exactly what part it's from, but there's one piece of music in Chrono Cross that gives me chills because of how good it is. As a whole, the score is excellent, whether it be upbeat pieces or the more somber tracks. Yasunori Mitsuda handled the score for Chrono Trigger with Nobuo Uematsu, famed Final Fantasy composer, and it seemed to have helped him grow as a composer when you listen to the Chrono Cross soundtrack.

Best Art Direction (Best Graphics - Artistic)

Nominees:
BioShock
The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion
Okami
Shadow of the Colossus
World of Warcraft

And the winner is...Shadow of the Colossus

I'm a big fan of a great artistic design, whether it be vibrant colors or the dark shades of gray in a darker world. In this case, Shadow of the Colossus' stark colors impressed me the most. The world of Shadow of the Colossus is deserted with the exception of the Colossi, and this is represented through the dark hues that fill the screen. Despite this, the game manages to have a beautiful look about it, and the wide open lands are really something. Oh, and did I even mention the colossi? They're huge! But they also have a unique look, adding to the wonderful artistic design.

Best Cinematography (Best Graphics - Technical)

Nominees:
BioShock
Gears of War
Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots
Resident Evil 4
Uncharted: Drake's Fortune

And the winner is...Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots

When I played Uncharted last year, I thought I'd seen the best the PS3 had to offer...and then I played Metal Gear Solid 4. Every face is life-like, each environment is popping with great detail, and the cutscenes are incredible. The amazing thing is that they're not rendered through FMVs, so the transition from a cutscene to the game itself is so natural. Also, no other game tops the animations seen in the game; a lot of the scenes make you think you're watching an intense action movie.

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The next part of the feature will highlight the voice acting of games from 2000-present.

Have you guys ever watched a movie or listened to an album and hated it, but then you revisit it later and end up realizing your love for it? That's happened to me quite a few times, and I think that may be happening with Metal Gear Solid 4 (actually, the series). I picked it up a couple of days ago, and I've finished 3 of the 5 acts. I always say that I'm not the biggest MGS fan, even though I've played and finished the previous three games. But now here I am, playing MGS4 and loving it. Now obviously there are big improvements, especially with the weapons, gadgets, and combat. But the stealth part of the game hasn't changed a whole lot, and I'm even enjoying that part of the game. So after I finish MGS4, I'm thinking about revisisting the series and playing the games again. I mean, the last time I'd played an MGS game before a couple of days ago was Metal Gear Solid 3 back in 2005. So maybe if I play them all again, it will miraculously become one of my favorite video game series...you never know. As far as just MGS4 goes, the game is incredible. I already mentioned it's an improvement over the previous games, and the presentation is out of this world. Sure, it's kind of like a film with the lengthy and frequent cutscenes, but the way they're handled is amazing. The game honestly beats plenty of movies in terms of the presentation and storytelling. (This has always been the case with the series; really makes me appreciate Hideo Kojima) The wide selection of weapons is awesome, and overall the combat is great. When I read the reviews at first, I thought I would think the game is overrated, but that's not the case anymore. Obviously it's not for everyone, and that basically goes for the entire series, but it's my GOTY now, even surpassing GTAIV, and I really love that game.

Actually, my vacation started Monday not counting the weekend, but I forgot to post a blog that day. I don't have too much planned, it's just a time to relax for me...kind of. I have AP classes next year in high school (I'll be a junior), so I have summer assignments for AP US History and AP Biology. I've got to do some reading for AP Bio and fill out a few packets. For AP US History, I have to read Born for Liberty by Sara Evans. According to the back cover, it's "the most concise and comprehensive one-volume history of American women." I then have to write a five-page essay on it detailing the high points. On top of that, I have to watch the Grapes of Wrath, fill out a packet for that, and another that goes over US laws. Doesn't that sound like fun? Also, I HAVE to go to the American Idol concert for my Grandma's birthday. I don't mind the show, but seeing everyone in concert sounds like torture to me. Oh well, at least I can look forward to sleeping in every day, I need my beauty sleep. Other than all of that, I hope to get out and play some golf with my dad, and maybe the family and I could take a trip to an amusement park. Plus, I want to learn to get my driver's license (actually, my permit), so hopefully I can drag my dad out of the house to help with that.

Hey everyone. Not sure if you guys have noticed, but I haven't been on Gamespot that much for the past month or so. It had to do with computer problems. Turns out our connection was going A LOT slower than it's supposed to. We had to get a new modem, and now the internet's back to normal. So I'll be on more freqently, and I'll go back to checking friend's blogs, I know I've missed a few.