G4 Picks Best Video Games of the Year on 'X-Play Best of 2005 Awards'

Winners Will be Revealed Wednesday, January 25 at 11:00 PM ET/PT

LOS ANGELES, Jan. 18 /PRNewswire/ -- G4, the only 24/7 television
network dedicated to all things video games, today unveils the
nominees of the "X-Play Best of 2005 Awards," celebrating the hottest
titles of the year. Hosted by Adam Sessler and Morgan Webb, winners
will be revealed during a special edition of "X-Play" Wednesday,
January 25 at 11:00 PM ET/PT on G4.

The "X-Play Best of 2005 Awards" reflects the show's reputation for
brutally honest reviews, and this year's nominees stand out as the
preeminent games of the year. Any game published from January 1, 2005
through December 31, 2005 was eligible, and five nominees were
hand-picked from hundreds of games in 11 separate categories.
Recognizing the outstanding achievements of the past year, "X-Play"
has chosen nominees across all genres in categories such as "Best
Strategy Game" and "Best First Person Shooter," and will crown
winners, including the 2005 "Game of the Year," during the special.

Selected as "Best TV Show of the Year" by video game industry
newsletter GameDaily Biz in December 2005, "X-Play" offers spot on
video game reviews and gives gamers tips, tricks, and previews for the
latest games. "X-Play" airs every weeknight at 11:00 PM ET/PT on G4.

Tune in to the "X-Play Best of 2005 Awards" airing Wednesday, January
25 at 11:00 PM ET/PT to find out which games will take home top
honors.

The complete list of nominees follows:

Best Original Game

God of War (PlayStation 2) -- Sony Computer Entertainment America

Psychonauts (Xbox, PlayStation 2, PC) -- Majesco

Guitar Hero (PlayStation 2) -- RedOctane

Nintendogs (Nintendo DS) -- Nintendo

Shadow of the Colossus (PlayStation 2) --

Sony Computer Entertainment America

Best Strategy Game

Civilization IV (PC) -- 2K Games

Advance Wars: Dual Strike (Nintendo DS) -- Nintendo

Lumines (Sony PSP) -- Ubisoft

Age of Empires III (PC) -- Microsoft Game Studios

Rome Total War: Barbarian Invasion (PC) -- Sega

Best Role-Playing Game

Shin Megami Tensei: Digital Devil Saga 1 & 2 (PlayStation 2) -- Atlus

Animal Crossing: Wild World (Nintendo DS) -- Nintendo

Dragon Quest VIII (PlayStation 2) -- Square Enix

Jade Empire (Xbox) -- Microsoft Game Studios

X-Men Legends 2: Rise of the Apocalypse (PlayStation 2, Xbox,

GameCube) -- Activision

Best Fighting Game

Soul Calibur III (PlayStation 2) -- Namco

Dead or Alive 4 (Xbox 360) -- Tecmo

Tekken 5 (PlayStation 2) -- Namco

Darkstalkers Chronicle: The Chaos Tower (Sony PSP) -- Capcom

WWE Smackdown vs Raw 06 (PlayStation 2) -- THQ

Best Online Game

Guild Wars (PC) -- NCsoft

Battlefield 2 (PC) -- Electronic Arts

Mario Kart DS (Nintendo DS) -- Nintendo

Perfect Dark Zero (Xbox 360) -- Microsoft Game Studios

City of Villains (PC) -- NCsoft

Best Racing Game

Burnout Revenge (PlayStation 2, Xbox) -- Electronic Arts

Project Gotham Racing 3 (Xbox 360) -- Microsoft Game Studios

Mario Kart DS (Nintendo DS) -- Nintendo

Forza Motorsport (Xbox) -- Microsoft Game Studios

Gran Turismo 4 (PlayStation 2) -- Sony Computer Entertainment America

Best Action/Adventure Game

God of War (PlayStation 2) -- Sony Computer Entertainment America

Resident Evil 4 (GameCube, PlayStation 2) -- Capcom

Shadow of the Colossus (PlayStation 2) --

Sony Computer Entertainment America

The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap (Game Boy Advance) -- Nintendo

Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow (Nintendo DS) -- Konami

Best First-Person Shooter

F.E.A.R. (PC) -- VU Games

Battlefield 2 (PC) -- Electronic Arts

Call of Duty 2 (Xbox 360) -- Activision

Brothers in Arms: Road to Hill 30 (PlayStation 2, Xbox) -- Ubisoft

SWAT 4 (PC) -- VU Games

Best Platformer

Psychonauts (PlayStation 2, Xbox) -- Majesco

Sly 3: Honor Among Thieves (PlayStation 2) --

Sony Computer Entertainment America

Sonic Rush (Nintendo DS) -- Sega

Kirby: Canvas Curse (Nintendo DS) -- Nintendo

Lego Star Wars (PlayStation 2, GameCube) -- Eidos

Best Sports Game

World Soccer Winning Eleven 8 International (PlayStation 2, Xbox) --

Konami

NBA Street V3 (PlayStation 2, GameCube, Xbox) -- Electronic Arts

Fight Night Round 2 (PlayStation 2, GameCube, Xbox) -- Electronic Arts

MVP Baseball 2005 (PlayStation 2, GameCube, Xbox) -- Electronic Arts

NBA 2K6 (PlayStation 2, Xbox, Xbox 360) -- 2K Games

Game of the Year

God of War (PlayStation 2) -- Sony Computer Entertainment America

Battlefield 2 (PC) -- Electronic Arts

Guitar Hero (PlayStation 2) -- RedOctane

Resident Evil 4 (GameCube, PlayStation 2) -- Capcom

Shadow of the Colossus (PlayStation 2) --

Sony Computer Entertainment America

About G4

G4 launched in April 2002 and is now available in 53 million cable and
satellite homes nationwide. The #1 podcasted cable network in America
and a leader in VOD, G4's programming includes breaking video game
industry news, trends, reviews, the hottest games and gear, celebrity
interviews and insider opinions. Targeting the male 18-34 audience, G4
is the last word on games, sports, technology, animation,
interactivity, the Internet and broadband. The company is
headquartered in Los Angeles and is owned by Comcast Corporation. To
learn more, log onto www.g4tv.com.

*Art available upon request SOURCE G4