Geoff Keighley will present the 2020 Game Awards to the best games from this past year on December 10th.
But first, let’s travel back in time to his earlier awards show gig, the Spike Video Game Awards, and see what was big in gaming in… 2005.
The 2005 Spike Video Game Awards were also held on a 10th of December, which was just days after the launch of the Xbox 360 and the beginning of a new generation for consoles. Promising high definition graphics and out-of-the-box online play, the Xbox 360 offered console gamers something they had never seen before. So it wasn’t too surprising that the console’s showcase game, King King: The Official Game of the Movie, lead all titles with seven nominations (though not one for “Game of the Year”).
2005 was also the year that the PC platform came roaring back in a big way with the release of Blizzard’s World of Warcraft, which was one of the frontrunners for “Game of the Year.” The massively popular game did battle against Infinity Ward’s Call of Duty 2, Monolith’s F.E.A.R., and Sony Santa Monica’s God of War for the prize, but it was Resident Evil 4 that took home the trophy. Capcom’s reinvention of the franchise put a nice capper on the GameCube/PS2/Xbox generation while also grabbing the award for “Best Graphics.”
However, all the “Game of the Year” nominees would get their chance to step into the spotlight.
World of Warcraft claimed victory as the “Best PC Game” and “Best RPG.” Call of Duty 2 captured the award for “Best Military Game.” F.E.A.R. scared up the prize for “Best First Person Action.” And God of War smashed its way to the stage to collect “Best Action Game” and “Designer of the Year” for David Jaffe.
Activision’s True Crime: New York City wasn’t up for “Game of the Year,” but its cinematic presentation and stacked cast garnered six nominations ahead of the ceremony. Those Hollywood connections came in handy, the game took home two trophies (“Best Supporting Male Performance” for Christopher Walken and “Best Supporting Female Performance” for Traci Lords) on its way to becoming a multi-award winner.
While one game can often dominate an awards show, that wasn’t the case at the 2005 Spike Video Game Awards. The judging panel was in a generous mood, and more than a dozen games received at least one award during the ceremony. Lumines (“Best Handheld Game”), Tony Hawk’s American Wasteland (“Best Individual Sports Game”), Madden NFL 06 (“Best Team Sports Game”), Fight Night Round 2 (“Best Fighting Game”), and We Love Katamari (“Best Original Score”) were among the games who each picked up a single award.
King King: The Official Game of the Movie even got the chance to climb up on stage by the end of the night. The Ubisoft-published adaptation claimed victory for “Best Performance by a Human Male” (for Jack Black), “Best Cast,” and “Best Game Based on a Movie.” Publishers poured a lot of resources into game adaptations of blockbuster movies 15 years ago, and though they’re mostly forgotten today, Charlize Theron also won an award for “Best Performance by a Human Female” for Aeon Flux and Maria Menounos was named the “Cyber Vixen of the Year” for her appearance in James Bond 007: From Russia With Love.
Samuel L. Jackson hosted the Spike Video Game Awards for the first time in 2005, and he would return to MC the ceremony three more times over the next decade. A complete list of all 27 trophies he handed out (as well as all the nominees) can be found after the break.