D.I.C.E. Award for Adventure Game of the Year
{{short description|Annual award presented by the Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences}}
{{Use American English|date=June 2022}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=June 2022}}
{{Infobox award
| name = D.I.C.E. Award for Adventure Game of the Year
| country = United States
| presenter = Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences
| year = 1998
| holder = Indiana Jones and the Great Circle
| website = {{URL|https://www.interactive.org/}}
}}
The D.I.C.E. Award for Adventure Game of the Year is an award presented annually by the Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences during the D.I.C.E. Awards. This award recognizes titles in which "players are challenged with real-time action activities where timing, skill, and accuracy are necessary to succeed. Puzzle-solving, resource management and exploration often drive the quest oriented narrative rather than primarily combat mechanics". All active creative/technical, business, and affiliate members of the Academy are qualified to vote for this category.{{cite web |title=D.I.C.E. Awards Voting Rules & Procedures |url=https://www.interactive.org/awards/voting_rules.asp |website=Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences |access-date=10 December 2023}} The award initially had separate awards for console games and computer games at the 1st Annual Interactive Achievement Awards in 1998, with the first winners being Final Fantasy VII for console and Blade Runner for computer. There have been numerous mergers and additions of adventure-related games throughout the history of the awards ceremony. The current version was officially introduced at the 11th Annual Interactive Achievement Awards in 2008, which was awarded to Super Mario Galaxy.
The award's most recent winner is Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, developed by MachineGames and published by Bethesda Softworks.
History
{{See also|D.I.C.E. Award for Action Game of the Year}}
{{See also|D.I.C.E. Award for Role-Playing Game of the Year}}
Initially the Interactive Achievement Awards had separate awards for Console Adventure Game of the Year and Computer Adventure Game of the Year.{{cite web |title=The Award - Categories |url=http://www.interactive.org/html/award/awardCat.htm |website=Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences |access-date=5 December 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/19980615090135/http://www.interactive.org:80/html/award/awardCat.htm |archive-date=June 15, 1998}} The adventure category was merged with the Role-Playing category at the 2000 awards.{{cite web |title=2000 Awards Category Details Console Adventure/Role Playing Game of the Year |url=https://www.interactive.org/awards/award_category_details.asp?idAward=2000&idGameAwardType=40 |website=Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences |access-date=27 June 2022 |archive-date=June 1, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220601142819/https://www.interactive.org/awards/award_category_details.asp?idAward=2000&idGameAwardType=40 |url-status=live }}{{cite web |title=2000 Awards Category Details Computer Adventure/Role Playing Game of the Year |url=https://www.interactive.org/awards/award_category_details.asp?idAward=2000&idGameAwardType=15 |website=Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences |access-date=27 June 2022 |archive-date=June 1, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220601142820/https://www.interactive.org/awards/award_category_details.asp?idAward=2000&idGameAwardType=15 |url-status=live }} This was probably because the previous console adventure game winners also won the award for console role-playing, which were Final Fantasy VII in 1998 and The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time in 1999. In 2001, the awards for action games and adventure games were consolidated to Action/Adventure awards, recognizing titles in which players are challenged with real-time action activities and combat where possibly skill, accuracy and puzzle-solving are required.{{cite web |title=2001 Awards Category Details Console Action/Adventure |url=https://www.interactive.org/awards/award_category_details.asp?idAward=2001&idGameAwardType=37 |website=Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences |access-date=24 June 2022 |archive-date=May 31, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220531160424/https://www.interactive.org/awards/award_category_details.asp?idAward=2001&idGameAwardType=37 |url-status=live }}{{cite web |title=2001 Awards Category Details PC Action/Adventure |url=https://www.interactive.org/awards/award_category_details.asp?idAward=2001&idGameAwardType=110 |website=Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences |access-date=24 June 2022 |archive-date=May 31, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220531160421/https://www.interactive.org/awards/award_category_details.asp?idAward=2001&idGameAwardType=110 |url-status=live }} A category for Console Platform Action/Adventure Game of the Year was also introduced in 2003.{{cite web |title=2003 Awards Category Details Console Platform Action/Adventure Game of the Year |url=https://www.interactive.org/awards/award_category_details.asp?idAward=2003&idGameAwardType=50 |website=Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences |access-date=24 June 2022 |archive-date=June 24, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220624214353/https://www.interactive.org/awards/award_category_details.asp?idAward=2003&idGameAwardType=50 |url-status=live }} Starting in 2006, genre specific awards would no longer have separate categories for console and computer games, resulting in only Action/Adventure Game of the Year award, which also included platform games going forward.{{cite web |title=2006 Award Category Details Action/Adventure Game of the Year |url=https://www.interactive.org/awards/award_category_details.asp?idAward=2006&idGameAwardType=4 |website=Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences |access-date=25 June 2022 |archive-date=June 25, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220625025843/https://www.interactive.org/awards/award_category_details.asp?idAward=2006&idGameAwardType=4 |url-status=live }} This would ultimately be separated into Action Game of the Year and Adventure Game of the Year in 2008.{{cite web |title=2008 Award Category Details Action Game of the Year |url=https://www.interactive.org/awards/award_category_details.asp?idAward=2008&idGameAwardType=1 |website=Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences |access-date=27 June 2022 |archive-date=June 25, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220625025932/https://www.interactive.org/awards/award_category_details.asp?idAward=2008&idGameAwardType=1 |url-status=live }}{{cite web |title=2008 Award Category Details Adventure Game of the Year |url=https://www.interactive.org/awards/award_category_details.asp?idAward=2008&idGameAwardType=5 |website=Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences |access-date=25 June 2022 |archive-date=June 26, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220626073738/https://www.interactive.org/awards/award_category_details.asp?idaward=2008&idgameawardtype=5 |url-status=live }}
- Console Adventure Game of the Year (1998—1999)
- Computer Adventure Game of the Year (1998—1999)
- Console Adventure/Role-Playing Game of the Year (2000)
- Computer Adventure/Role-Playing Game of the Year (2000)
- Console Action/Adventure Game of the Year (2001—2005)
- Computer Action/Adventure Game of the Year (2001—2005)
- Console Platform Action/Adventure Game of the Year (2003—2005)
- Action/Adventure Game of the Year (2006—2007)
- Adventure Game of the Year (2008—present)
Winners and nominees
= 1990s =
| class="wikitable"
|+ Table key |
| style="background:#FAEB86; height:20px; width:20px"|
|Indicates the winner |
= 2000s =
= 2010s =
= 2020s =
Multiple nominations and wins
= Developers and publishers =
Out of all the publishers, Sony has published the most nominees and the most winners for adventure-related awards. Ubisoft Montreal has developed the most nominees while Nintendo, internally, has developed the most award winners. Ubisoft Montreal and Ubisoft are the only developer and publisher, respectively, to win more than one adventure game award for the same game in the same year with Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time. Rockstar North and Rockstar Games also won multiple adventure game awards in the same year, but for different games. Ubisoft Montreal is also the only developer to have back-to-back wins for the same category, being Console Platform Action/Adventure Game of the Year in 2004 and 2005. Ubisoft as a publisher also had back-to-back wins for Computer Action/Adventure Game of the Year in 2004 and 2005, but with different developers.
{{col-float}}
{{col-float-break}}
| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" rowspan="2" style="text-align:center; background: #f6e39c"
|+ Publishers |
| scope="col" | Publisher
! scope="col" | Nominations ! scope="col" | Wins |
|---|
| Sony Computer/Interactive Entertainment
| 33 | 8 |
| Nintendo
| 19 | 5 |
| Ubisoft
| 23 | 4 |
| Electronic Arts
| 9 | 3 |
| Microsoft/Xbox Game Studios
| 9 | 3 |
| Rockstar Games
| 9 | 3 |
| Eidos Interactive/Square Enix Europe
| 7 | 2 |
| SquareSoft/Square Enix
| 6 | 2 |
| Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment
| 4 | 2 |
| Konami
| 4 | 1 |
| LucasArts
| 4 | 1 |
| Activision
| 3 | 1 |
| Bethesda Softworks
| 2 | 1 |
| Telltale Games
| 2 | 1 |
| Capcom
| 4 | 0 |
| THQ
| 4 | 0 |
| Annapurna Interactive
| 3 | 0 |
| Sierra On-Line
| 3 | 0 |
| Vivendi Universal Games
| 3 | 0 |
| Fox Interactive
| 2 | 0 |
| GT Interactive
| 2 | 0 |
| Interplay Productions/Entertainment
| 2 | 0 |
| Midway Games
| 2 | 0 |
| Red Orb Entertainment
| 2 | 0 |
| Sega
| 2 | 0 |
{{col-float-end}}
= Franchises =
The Legend of Zelda franchise has received the most nominations and won the most awards. The Assassin's Creed franchise is second in nominations but has not won a single award. In the early years of the Interactive Achievement Awards when there were multiple awards for adventure-related genres, some games received multiple nominations in the same year:
- Riven: The Sequel to Myst (1998): Nominated for Console Adventure Game of the Year and Computer Adventure Game of the Year.
- Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time (2004): Won Computer Action/Adventure Game of the Year and Console Platform Action/Adventure Game of the Year.
- Max Payne 2: The Fall of Max Payne (2004): Nominated for Console Action/Adventure Game of the Year and Computer Action/Adventure Game of the Year.
- Full Spectrum Warrior (2005): Nominated for Console Action/Adventure Game of the Year and Computer Action/Adventure Game of the Year.
- Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Pandora Tomorrow (2005): Nominated for Console Action/Adventure Game of the Year, and won Computer Action/Adventure Game of the Year.
Grand Theft Auto is the only franchise to win computer and console adventure game awards within the same year, but with different games: in 2003 for Console Action/Adventure Game of the Year with Grand Theft Auto: Vice City, and Computer Action/Adventure Game of the Year with Grand Theft Auto III. In addition, these two games are the only games to receive more than one nomination spread across more than one year:
- Grand Theft Auto III was nominated for Console Action/Adventure Game of the Year in 2002, and won Computer Action/Adventure Game of the Year in 2003.
- Grand Theft Auto: Vice City won Console Action/Adventure Game of the Year in 2003, and was nominated for Computer Action/Adventure Game of the Year in 2004.
The only franchise to have back-to-back wins for the same adventure-related award is Prince of Persia for Console Platform Action/Adventure Game of the Year in 2004 with Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time, and 2005 with Prince of Persia: Warrior Within. The original Resident Evil 2 has been nominated for Console Adventure Game of the Year in 1998, and the 2019 remake has been nominated in 2020.
| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" rowspan="2" style="text-align:center; background: #f6e39c"
|+ {{nowrap|Franchises}} |
| scope="col" | Franchise
! scope="col" | Nominations ! scope="col" | Wins |
|---|
| The Legend of Zelda
| 10 | 4 |
| Prince of Persia
| 6 | 3 |
| God of War
| 5 | 3 |
| Grand Theft Auto
| 5 | 3 |
| Uncharted
| 5 | 2 |
| Final Fantasy
| 2 | 2 |
| Mario{{efn|Includes Luigi's Mansion 3.}}
| 6 | 1 |
| Ratchet & Clank
| 5 | 1 |
| Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell
| 5 | 1 |
| Batman: Arkham
| 3 | 1 |
| Star Wars
| 3 | 1 |
| Crimson Skies
| 2 | 1 |
| Marvel
| 2 | 1 |
| Metal Gear
| 2 | 1 |
| The Last of Us
| 2 | 1 |
| Assassin's Creed
| 7 | 0 |
| Myst
| 5 | 0 |
| Jak & Daxter
| 4 | 0 |
| Resident Evil
| 3 | 0 |
| Alan Wake
| 2 | 0 |
| Banjo-Kazooie
| 2 | 0 |
| Castlevania
| 2 | 0 |
| Full Spectrum Warrior
| 2 | 0 |
| Horizon
| 2 | 0 |
| King's Quest
| 2 | 0 |
| Max Payne
| 2 | 0 |
| Monkey Island
| 2 | 0 |
| Ori
| 2 | 0 |
| Oddworld
| 2 | 0 |
| Tomb Raider
| 2 | 0 |
Notes
{{notelist}}