Wii Takes E3 Best of Show

By Geoff Duncan June 2, 2006

Yeah yeah yeah – the E3 Expo was weeks ago in Los Angeles (you can check out DT’s coverage), but the independent Game Critics Awards have just been announced, and Nintendo’s offerings have landed top slots, with the Best Of Show and Best Hardware awards going to the company’s forthcoming Wii gaming console.

Nintendo also took home prizes for Best Sports Game (Wii Sports), Best Racing Game (Excite Truck), and Best Handheld Game (The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass). That’s a total of five awards: more than any other manufacturer at this year’s E3 Expo.

Recommended Videos

The awards seal the notion that Nintendo successfully stole the thunder from higher priced gaming consoles like Microsoft’s Xbox 360 and Sony’s Ã¼ber-pricey, not-yet-available Playstation 3, in part due to the Wii’s innovative wireless controller but also its emphasis on fun, casual gaming designed to appeal to a wider audience rather than solely to hard-core video game enthusiasts. However, it remains to be seen whether enthusiasm for the not-yet-shipping Wii will translate into blockbuster sales.

Other key winners of Game Critics Awards include Best Console Game going to Epic/Microsoft’s Gears of War for Xbox 360, and Ubisoft’s Assassin’s Creed earning a trophy for Best Action/Adventure Game. And another big winner was EA’s Spore, which took home prizes for Best PC Game, Best Simulation Game, and Best Original Game.

Topics

Nintendo

Former Digital Trends Contributor

Geoff Duncan writes, programs, edits, plays music, and delights in making software misbehave. He's probably the only member…

Gaming

The best weapons in Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom

Link holding the master sword in the clouds.

Prior to The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, Link's arsenal of weapons was usually limited to a couple of options. You could count on having a sword, a ranged weapon like a bow, and a handful of other weapons. But since The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom continues with the weapon durability system from that game, Link will be swapping out weapons far more frequently.

Since just about anything can be used as a weapon, even a stick, the power difference between the worst and best weapons is massive. Just as massive, however, is the size of Hyrule this time around. That can make the best, more unique weapons far more difficult to get your hands on. If you're trying to gear up before taking the fight to Ganon, here are the best weapons and where to find them in Tears of the Kingdom.
Best weapons and where to find them

Gaming

The best Zelda games, ranked from best to worst

Link with the Master Sword in The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild.

The Legend of Zelda series is one of the most iconic video game franchises of all time. Ever since its debut on NES in 1986, Nintendo has consistently delivered awe-inspiring experiences that often define entire console generations. More than a handful of Link's adventures are among the greatest games ever created.

That makes ranking The Legend of Zelda series a challenging endeavor. We did just that, though -- from the 8-bit era all the way to the high-definition open-world game of Breath of the Wild (and its new sequel Tears of the Kingdom). Our journey through the history of The Legend of Zelda starts now.

Gaming

Best Legend of Zelda boss fights

Ganondorf screams in The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom.

One of the core pillars that the Legend of Zelda franchise is known for is its impressive boss battles. Every entry shakes things up with a new cast of powerful and unique bosses to take down at the end of a dungeon. While there are a few that have shown up across multiple entries -- we're looking at you Ganon -- even when they're repeated, fighting them is never the same experience.

The best bosses are ones that test the player to think critically, almost like solving a puzzle, offer a new way to play, are massive spectacles, or all three at once. With dozens of fantastic bosses across all of Link's adventures, narrowing down the best ones was a tough fight on its own, but we've survived and can now present our list of the best Legend of Zelda bosses of all time.
Twinrova (Ocarina of Time)