The event was taped about a month ago, so I'm not revealing a state secret by mentioning Resident Evil 4 was named game of the year. I am a fan of the Resident Evil series, and this was a well-earned victory for Capcom, the series developer.

Other big winners include Ubisoft's Lumines for best handheld game, and World of Warcraft collected four awards, including best RPG.

I am over the Madden hype, so it was disappointing to see it named best team sports game.

Some weird categories that made me laugh are best performance by a human - male, and best performance by a human - female. Congrat's to Jack Black and Charlize Theron for their impressive performances as humans.

Highlights from the show include performances by 50 Cent and Missy Elliott. The kudocast also features clips of 24: The Game, Star Wars: Empire of War and Spy Hunter: Nowhere to run.

Here's the complete list of winners.

GAME OF THE YEAR
-- Resident Evil 4 (Capcom)

BEST ACTION GAME
-- God of War (Sony Computer Entertainment America)

BEST INDIVIDUAL SPORTS GAME
-- Tony Hawk's American Wasteland (Activision, Inc.)

BEST TEAM SPORTS GAME
-- Madden NFL 06 (Electronic Arts)

CYBER VIXEN OF THE YEAR
-- Maria Menounos as Eva in James Bond 007: From Russia With Love
(Electronic Arts)

BEST GAME BASED ON A MOVIE
-- Peter Jackson's King Kong: The Official Game of the Movie (Ubisoft)

BEST PERFORMANCE BY A HUMAN -- MALE
-- Jack Black in Peter Jackson's King Kong: The Official Game of the
Movie (Ubisoft)

BEST SUPPORTING MALE PERFORMANCE
-- Christopher Walken in True Crime(TM): New York City (Activision, Inc.)

BEST PERFORMANCE BY A HUMAN -- FEMALE
-- Charlize Theron in Aeon Flux (Majesco Entertainment)

BEST SUPPORTING FEMALE PERFORMANCE
-- Traci Lords in True Crime(TM): New York City (Activision, Inc.)

BEST CAST
-- Peter Jackson's King Kong: The Official Game of the Movie (Ubisoft)

BEST ORIGINAL SONG
-- "Maybe We Crazy" by 50 Cent in 50 Cent: Bulletproof
(Vivendi Universal Games)

BEST SOUNDTRACK
-- Guitar Hero (RedOctane)

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE
-- We Love Katamari(TM) (Namco Hometek Inc.)

DESIGNER OF THE YEAR
-- David Jaffe for God of War (Sony Computer Entertainment America)

PONTIAC BEST DRIVING GAME AWARD (Viewer's Choice)
-- Burnout Revenge (Electronic Arts)

MOST ADDICTIVE GAME FUELED BY DEW (Viewer's Choice)
-- World of Warcraft (Blizzard Entertainment)

BEST WIRELESS GAME (Viewer's Choice)
-- Marc Ecko's Getting Up (Atari, Inc. & Glu)

BEST FIGHTING GAME
-- EA Sports Fight Night Round 2 (Electronic Arts)

BEST FIRST PERSON ACTION
-- F.E.A.R. (Vivendi Universal Games)

BEST MILITARY GAME
-- Call of Duty 2 (Activision, Inc.)

BEST GRAPHICS
-- Resident Evil 4 (Capcom)

BEST HANDHELD GAME
-- Lumines (Ubisoft)

BEST MULTI-PLAYER GAME
-- World of Warcraft (Blizzard Entertainment)

BEST BREAKTHROUGH TECHNOLOGY
-- Sony PSP (Sony Computer Entertainment America)

BEST PC GAME
-- World of Warcraft (Blizzard Entertainment)

BEST RPG
-- World of Warcraft (Blizzard Entertainment)

Let me go on record as hating all awards shows. Oscars, Grammys, Golden Globes, whatever. There are far too many award shows and most are wanker material. (or I could say most are a waste of time)

I almost always disagree with the winners of the top award categories and usually don't like the nominees.

Tonight's award show du jour is Spike TV Video Game Awards, hosted by Samuel L. Jackson.

I am happy to announce that Resident Evil 4 won the Game of the Year Title. Yes it was pre-taped about a month ago, so I am not revealing a state secret. I am a huge fan of the Resident Evil series and this was a well earned victory for Capcom, the developer of the series.

Other big winners include Ubisoft's Lumines for Best Handheld Game and World of Warcraft's four awards including Best RPG.

Overall, it was a terrible awards show. It didn't drag too much. I am over the Madden hype, so I was disappointed to see it when for Best Team Sports Game.

Some weird categories that made me laugh was Best Performance by a Human - Male, Best Performance by a human - Female. Congrats to Jack Black and Chalize Theron for their impressive victory as a humans.

There were a few other highlights such as a performance by 50 Cent and Missy Elliott. There was also clips of 24: The Game, Star Wars: Empire of War and Spy Hunter: Nowhere to run.

Here is the complete list of winner

GAME OF THE YEAR
-- Resident Evil 4 (Capcom)

BEST ACTION GAME
-- God of War (Sony Computer Entertainment America)

BEST INDIVIDUAL SPORTS GAME
-- Tony Hawk's American Wasteland (Activision, Inc.)

BEST TEAM SPORTS GAME
-- Madden NFL 06 (Electronic Arts)

CYBER VIXEN OF THE YEAR
-- Maria Menounos as Eva in James Bond 007: From Russia With Love
(Electronic Arts)

BEST GAME BASED ON A MOVIE
-- Peter Jackson's King Kong: The Official Game of the Movie (Ubisoft)

BEST PERFORMANCE BY A HUMAN -- MALE
-- Jack Black in Peter Jackson's King Kong: The Official Game of the
Movie (Ubisoft)

BEST SUPPORTING MALE PERFORMANCE
-- Christopher Walken in True Crime(TM): New York City (Activision, Inc.)

BEST PERFORMANCE BY A HUMAN -- FEMALE
-- Charlize Theron in Aeon Flux (Majesco Entertainment)

BEST SUPPORTING FEMALE PERFORMANCE
-- Traci Lords in True Crime(TM): New York City (Activision, Inc.)

BEST CAST
-- Peter Jackson's King Kong: The Official Game of the Movie (Ubisoft)

BEST ORIGINAL SONG
-- "Maybe We Crazy" by 50 Cent in 50 Cent: Bulletproof
(Vivendi Universal Games)

BEST SOUNDTRACK
-- Guitar Hero (RedOctane)

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE
-- We Love Katamari(TM) (Namco Hometek Inc.)

DESIGNER OF THE YEAR
-- David Jaffe for God of War (Sony Computer Entertainment America)

PONTIAC BEST DRIVING GAME AWARD (Viewer's Choice)
-- Burnout Revenge (Electronic Arts)

MOST ADDICTIVE GAME FUELED BY DEW (Viewer's Choice)
-- World of Warcraft (Blizzard Entertainment)

BEST WIRELESS GAME (Viewer's Choice)
-- Marc Ecko's Getting Up (Atari, Inc. & Glu)

BEST FIGHTING GAME
-- EA Sports Fight Night Round 2 (Electronic Arts)

BEST FIRST PERSON ACTION
-- F.E.A.R. (Vivendi Universal Games)

BEST MILITARY GAME
-- Call of Duty 2 (Activision, Inc.)

BEST GRAPHICS
-- Resident Evil 4 (Capcom)

BEST HANDHELD GAME
-- Lumines (Ubisoft)

BEST MULTI-PLAYER GAME
-- World of Warcraft (Blizzard Entertainment)

BEST BREAKTHROUGH TECHNOLOGY
-- Sony PSP (Sony Computer Entertainment America)

BEST PC GAME
-- World of Warcraft (Blizzard Entertainment)

BEST RPG
-- World of Warcraft (Blizzard Entertainment)

Don't get me wrong. I loved the "Evil Dead" series, and I enjoy playing this sometimes laughably bad game filled with bugs and cheap graphics.

The game features Ash, the wisecracking lunatic who kills deadites for fun and to save the world.

An odd twist to the game that makes it worth playing is the addition of a half-human, half-deadite named Sam.

Sam does the expected tasks, like helping has explore hidden areas, but he also has a talent for ripping the heads off enemies. Anytime Sam dies, he automatically reappears next to you. If you get bored, you can kick Sam into a fan and watch him get chopped to bits. He returns, and you can do it all over again.

Sam usually complains after he is resurrected, but that is half the fun.

I wouldn't recommend anyone buying Evil Dead: Regeneration, but it makes a great rental. Invite a few friends over, because the game, like the movie, is funnier in a group setting.

My first reaction was confusion. The controller looks like TV remote. Are these guys crazy? Is this an attempt to attract the masses to play video games by making the experience more like channel surfing? The new design might impress my grandma, but it looks weird to me.

Nintendo offers an optional analog stick, but it must be used in conjunction with the main controller. With the stick in one hand and controller in the other, game play must be awkward.

I don’t want to pass judgment until I've held the controller myself, but I have my doubts.

If you are looking for an in-depth review, read the Nintendo Revolution at Gamespot.com

After reading some of my recent entries, I do see a trend. It is difficult not to be outraged after playing an obnoxiously bad game such as Advent Rising.

To balance my coverage, I will write only about a few games that get my hard-earned stamp of approval.

The top of my list is Nintendogs. To be honest, before I started playing the innovative strategy game, I was convinced I would hate it. Raising virtual puppies sounded about as interesting as owning a Pet Rock or Chia Pet. But the cute, cuddly puppies quickly melted my cold heart. What I anticipated would be a lifeless, digital beast turned out to be an adorable pet that responds to touch and voice commands.

Warning: Nintendogs requires gamers to talk to the digital puppy using the built-in microphone. Don’t make the mistake I did and embarrass yourself by playing this game in public. It is difficult to explain why you are telling your DS to sit down or roll over.

As much as I savor violence and mayhem in video games, I still enjoy the gentle nature of Nintendogs. And no, you can’t kill your puppy when you get tired of playing with it.

Coming soon: Evil Dead: Regeneration.

Besides making it possible share photos wirelessly and customize the PSP using the wallpaper function, the software update allows gamers to browse the World Wide Web.

The current PSP Web browser doesn’t support Macromedia Flash, but industry insiders expect the next release will.

Other changes include support of TIFF, GIF, PNG and BMP graphics, 4:3 screen mode and new audio formats.

Go to the official Sony site to get a complete list of updated features.

Before you decide, you can have the game randomly create a new pair of parents until you find one you like. (So for my flashy running back, having a mom who is a Hollywood actress helped him get endorsements and movie roles.)

As I was scanning the different choices, I found a mother who had a surprisingly low IQ. Her occupation? "Game reviewer." Maybe the makers of the game, Electronic Arts, were uspet about my review of their horrendous Catwoman game. Still, it hurt as much as a Brett Favre pass to the face. Thanks, EA.

Scheduled to launch simultaneously in North America, Europe and Japan in late fall or early winter (no release date has been set, but Microsoft execs promise it will be out before Christmas), the Xbox 360 will sell for $299 and in a package for $399.

Here is what you get.

Xbox 360 Core - $299
Xbox 360 console
Wired controller
Detachable faceplate
Xbox Live Silver membership
Standard AV cables

Xbox 360 System - $399
Xbox 360 console
20GB detachable hard drive
Wireless controller
Wireless Xbox headset
High-definition AV cables
Ethernet cable
Xbox 360 Media Remote Control (limited time)
Detachable faceplate
Xbox Live Silver membership

I am reserving my final judgment on the Xbox 360, but I am cautiously optimistic. There have been a lot of unflattering comparisons made to the PS3, but it is too soon to make any bold statements because Sony might not release their console until 2007. Don’t count Nintendo out, I expect they will surprise everyone with their new system.

The bottom line: If you are patient and want to wait another year before choosing a console, you are a stronger person than I am, and you are crazy. I will be standing in line with everyone else on the day it launches to get my hands on the Xbox 360. I may talk trash about next-gen games and consoles, but I am eager to plug in the 360 and see what it can do.

That might be a reason to skip work and celebrate, but I am still bitter over EA’s exclusive contract with the NFL, which gave the developer sole rights to the league's players, stadiums and teams in video games.

Until this year, I enjoyed the fierce rivalry between EA and Sega as much as I enjoyed playing their games. Each year the competition heated up and the games got better.

Sega upped the ante a couple of years ago by dropping the price of their game to $20. EA countered late last year with a deal that makes them the sole developer of NFL games for the next five years.

How is that for fan appreciation? Thank you, EA; thank you, John Madden; and thank you, NFL. It is good to know that fan support can never be sold or bartered, unless the price is right.

The real loser in the NFL/EA arrangement is the fans. EA keeps the price of its game at $50 with no pressure to improve. NFL fans can either buy Madden NFL 06 or take up soccer.

I hate to trash Madden NFL 06, but it’s only slightly better than Madden NFL 05. The latest version has new passing controls, but nothing that makes it a must-buy for anyone who bought last year’s game.

One option is to wait until October and buy Midway's Blitz: The League. You get all the NFL action in an arcade game without any references to the NFL.

Sounds a lot like casting a vote in Florida.

Equally confusing was the decision to have Wilmer Valderrama from "That '70s Show" host the awards. Not the best choice, but an odd assortment of recognizable characters, such as William Shatner, Ron Jeremy and uber-geek Richard Rubin (from reality show "Beauty and the Geek") made the event a bit more entertaining.

I hope the show plays better on TV, because hanging out in the crowd was boring. To make it worse, the show fell way behind schedule and dragged on and on. I couldn't take it for very long and left early, missing the headline band, the Black Eyed Peas.

Spoiler alert: Readers who don't want to know who won should stop here.

The big news from the event was Microsoft Game Studios and Bungie Studios won an impressive seven awards for Halo 2, including game of the year.

Here is a complete list of the winners, courtesy of GameSpot.

Alt Sports Award--NBA Street Vol. 3
Best Adaptation--LEGO Star Wars
Best Action Game--God of War
Best Boss--Halo 2 - Scarab Battle
Best Cinematic--God of War
Best Graphics--Half-Life 2
Best Handheld Game--The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap
Best Innovation--Katamari Damacy
Best Licensed Soundtrack--Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas
Best Multiplayer Game--Halo 2
Best Original Game--God of War
Best Original Soundtrack--Halo 2
Best Racing Game--Burnout 3: Takedown
Best RPG--Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic II: The Sith Lords
Best Shooter--Halo 2
Best Sound Design--Halo 2
Best Traditional Sports Game--Madden NFL 2005
Best Voice Performance - Female--Half-Life 2 - Merle Dandridge
Best Voice Performance - Male--Halo 2 - David Cross
EB Gamers' Choice Award--World of Warcraft
Favorite Character--God of War - Kratos
Game of the Year--Halo 2
Legend Award--Ralph Baer

According to Bloomberg News, the House voted 355 to 21 to ask regulators to probe whether Take-Two Interactive Software Inc., the maker of No. 1-selling video game Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, misled a ratings board to avoid an adults-only tag.

How impressive.

For those interested, here is how Congress voted. Fifty-six members didn't vote.

Fred Upton, a Michigan Republican who heads the House's telecommunications and Internet subcommittee said, "In my view, they did deceive the folks that deem the rating, but they also deceived a heck of a lot of parents out there." Upton went on to say the resolution reflects "the angst of the Congress in terms of the violation of the integrity of the process."

Integrity and Congress. Is that an oxymoron?

As a fan of the series, I think it was a poor choice for developers to include explicit, interactive sex scenes that players can unlock. I admit I want to see it, but I still think it was a bad call.

To view the content, players must download a mod known as "Hot Coffee." The mod got its name from a scene in GTA:SA where the protagonist drinks coffee with his girlfriend before having sex. I haven't seen it, but I hear it's pretty tame.

As an owner of a PlayStation 2 version of the game, I feel a little cheated because the hidden scenes are reportedly only on the PC version.

But wait…

Gamespot reports "PlayStation 2 edition of the game does indeed include a sexually graphic minigame, which plays almost exactly the same as the Hot Coffee mod. It begins inside a bedroom with Denise, wearing only a pink thong and a cutoff T-shirt bearing the Rockstar logo, performing simulated fellatio on CJ, who is fully clothed in jeans and a 'wife beater'-style tank top."

Kotaku.com even posted the secret codes to unlock "Hot Coffee" mode, and TheGFCC.com message board claims there is an Xbox version of "Hot Coffee."

According to smutmuffin.com, gamers need third-party devices such as GameShark and Action Replay Max to access the content.

Ultimately, who cares? I don't know why simulated digital sex is worse than the game's other scenes, such as one where you kill a prostitute and steal her money. If you don't have problem with the extreme violence, then R-rated sex in a game shouldn't be an issue.

By Michael McGehee, latimes.com

The much ballyhooed music is overpowering, the storyline co-written by famed sci-fi author Orson Scott Card is incomprehensible, and the so-called next generation of video games is so full of bugs that it occasionally causes the console to crash.

This third-person shooter is so bad I won’t waste any time writing about the flawed controls, weak AI, slow frame rates or mediocre graphics.

Whenever I encounter mediocre game mechanics such as the horrendous auto-targeting system in Advent Rising, I wonder who is going to lose a job over this poor excuse for a game. Perhaps coincidentally, GameIndustry is reporting the CEO of Majesco Games, the publisher of Advent Rising, is stepping down.

According to GI, "Shares in publisher Majesco have dropped almost 50% after the firm's CEO and chairman, Carl Yankowski, announced his resignation in the wake of revised financial forecasts which predict a full-year loss for the company."

GameSpot reports the poor performace of Advent Rising and Psychonauts, Majesco's other high-profile release, combined with the delayed release of Aeon Flux, helped push the company into the red.

By Michael McGehee, latimes.com

Groms competed in four divisions: boys 12 & under, boys 14 & under, boys 16 & under and girls 16 & under. Hey, that doesn't seem fair. Why only one division for girls? We've come a long way, baby.

It was a beautiful day at the beach and a perfect day for a surf contest. The wave conditions were good, and the kids competing were surprisingly talented.

Contestants played video games provided by the sponsor between heats. Winners of the GromSeach received a GameBoy Advance SP and compete Nov. 5 in the national finals in Salt Creek.

By Michael McGehee, latimes.com

Eidos successfully brought their voluptuous superhero Laura Croft to the big screen in "Lara Croft: Tomb Raider" and "Lara Croft Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life."

Microsoft is looking for similar success with Master Chief, the alien-killing protagonist of Halo and Halo 2.

The deal has not been finalized, but 20th Century Fox and Universal Pictures are teaming up to get the winning bid, reported to be $5 million plus 10% of initial box office receipts.

There is a constant stream of rumors about huge franchise games like Metal Gear Solid being made into movies, but I am eagerly awaiting the news about the PaRappa The Rapper movie deal. There is a film I would pay $10 to see.

Details on the Halo movie deal are expected later this month.

By Michael McGehee, latimes.com

To make the musical extravaganza more interesting, the Phil will adapt its performance to the action of the game being played on the big screen. Now that's entertainment.

Called "Video Games Live," the event is supposed to legitimize the music in video games and put it on equal footing with movie scores. Sounds a little pompous and self-serving to me.

Sure, many of the games featured in Wednesday’s concert, like Advent Rising and Halo, have impressive soundtracks, but I am more eager to hear the symphony play music from Mario, Zelda and Donkey Kong. Music from Pong also will be featured. Beep — oops, I hope I didn’t spoil the show for anyone.

Ticket prices start at $4 and go all the way up to $92. OUCH!

As much as I would like to go, I’m not paying $100 to listen to background music from some games I don’t even like. I'm tempted to go for $4, but at that distance from the stage I'd have to read about the event the next day to find out if it was any good.

My plan is to stay home, play games and ignore the background music — my way of protesting outrageous ticket prices.

By Michael McGehee, latimes.com