Walk of Game Winners Announced

November 23, 2004, 12:25 pm EST
Total comments: 23

Mario, Link, Sonic and Halo will be honored on Metreon's Walk of Game in San Francisco.

San Francisco's Metreon Boasts New Videogame Landmark Destination, Announces First-Ever Inductees to Walk of Game

Videogamers Worldwide Select 2004 Lifetime Achievers Shigeru Miyamoto and Nolan Bushnell, and Favorite Game/Characters Halo, Link, Mario, and Sonic The Hedgehog

Walk of Game, the first physical landmark honoring the icons and pioneers of the videogame industry, today announced its list of 2004 inductees: Shigeru Miyamoto (creator of Mario Brothers and Donkey Kong) and Nolan Bushnell (creator of Pong and founder of Atari) were selected in the Lifetime Achievement category, and Halo, Link (The Legend of Zelda), Mario, and Sonic The Hedgehog received top votes for favorite Game/Character.

Walk of Game quickly captured the attention of the international gaming community, and garnered over 200,000 votes during the four-week voting period of October 1-31, 2004. Gamers worldwide cast their votes through paper ballots and online submissions at www.WalkOfGame.com for the top two Lifetime Achievers and top four Games/Characters. Blast Promotions, Inc., the worldwide leader in online contest validations, powered the Walk of Game voting interface and tallied results for all the nominees.

Winners will be honored with a permanent 24"x24", customized, brushed-steel star installed on the floors of Metreon, a 350,000 square foot mecca for gamers in downtown San Francisco. Official groundbreaking and ceremony is currently set for early 2005. From this year forward, Walk of Game will expand its list of honorees by annually opening voting to the gaming community for an entirely new set of nominations. The second list will be announced in September 2005.

Final results of Walk of Game voting and other media assets for 2004 can be found at www.WalkOfGame.com.

Talkback

Ian SaneNovember 23, 2004

"Favorite Game/Characters Halo, Link, Mario, and Sonic The Hedgehog"

One of these things is not like the other! One of these things just doesn't belong!

Still 3/4 is MUCH better than I anticipated.

PaLaDiNNovember 23, 2004

The only way I'd be completely satisfied with this thing is if they took Halo out and put Samus Aran and Manny Calavera in instead.

But that's not gonna happen, so I guess this is good enough.

ArtimusNovember 23, 2004

I don't see how Halo can possible be considered Hall of Fame calibur. This generation isn't even over! It's absolutely absurd. Sorry, but it completely discredits this.

NinGurl69 *hugglesNovember 23, 2004

FAILS

BANND

7.9

LedgehammerousNovember 23, 2004

Halo is the N64 Goldeneye of this generation. Quality work, but hardly iconic. The fact that it's included with the likes of Mario and Sonic is embarrassing, and illustrates how jaded and flippant gamers, as a whole, are. Final Fantasy, Metal Gear, or Castlevania/Simon Belmont would have been far superior choices.

vuduNovember 23, 2004

My favorite part is 'Halo' isn't even a character. It makes me wonder how many fanboys even know Master Chief's name.

NinGurl69 *hugglesNovember 23, 2004

"hALO gUY"

DUR

ArtimusNovember 23, 2004

It clearly says Video Game/Characters. Unfortunately.

NinGurl69 *hugglesNovember 23, 2004

This "walk of game" deal needs an "edit entire friggin' imaginary awards" function.

Funny how these characters will be honored inside the SONY METREON.

Bill AurionNovember 23, 2004

Halo should have been replaced with Yoshi...Then it would be perfect... ^_^

MarioNovember 23, 2004

Maybe if Nintendo released a smash new hit franchise this generation Halo wouldn't be there!

Bill AurionNovember 23, 2004

Yeah, I guess you're right...Pikmin wouldn't fit AT ALL...

KnoxxvilleNovember 23, 2004

This is what happens when casual gamers are put in charge of hardcore gamer activities. Halo? How embarassing.....

DjunknownNovember 23, 2004

It could've been worse. It could have been Halo, Tomb Raider, and the GTA series on the 'character' walk, and some schmuck for the lifetime achievement category.

The fact that the two iconic Nintendo characters along with Sega's flagship mascot has to say something right? Add to the fact that the lifetime award went to two gentlemen who pioneered and then kickstarted this whole business of videogames, its gotta be worth something.

Methinks that either Yu Suzuki or the late Yunpei (sp?) will get the nod for next year...

CaillanNovember 23, 2004

Dammit, where is Captain Falcon? Or at least the straight-line tetris block. I love that little guy!

They forgot Bubsy.

Aussie Ben PGCBen Kosmina, Staff AlumnusNovember 23, 2004

EVERYONE forgot Bubsy.

Hell, I forgot Bubsy, and I OWNED the game.

I'm pleased overall with how these results turned out. I would have loved to have seen some recognition for ICO rather than Halo, though.

Infernal MonkeyNovember 23, 2004

Quote
Originally posted by: Bill Aurion
Yeah, I guess you're right...Pikmin wouldn't fit AT ALL...

Actually, they probably wouldn't! =O

Poor Bubsy. I guess like Earthworm Jim, people kinda put on the angry pants when the 3D versions were released and forgot about them. NOW THEY'LL BE LOST FOREVER.

S-U-P-E-RTy Shughart, Staff AlumnusNovember 24, 2004

I'd approve of Master Chief and Tommy Vercetti. Other game companies are allowed to have popular characters too, guys. But not Lara Croft, because Tomb Raider is terrible

But if they got in, a hundred others would have to too, I think.

vuduNovember 24, 2004

Quote
I'd approve of Master Chief and Tommy Vercetti

Tommy Vercetti has been the star of one game. That's hardly worth mentioning in the grand scheme of things. Where's my Mega Man? The little pecker's been in like 40 games. Now there's a star.

Ian SaneNovember 24, 2004

"Poor Bubsy. I guess like Earthworm Jim, people kinda put on the angry pants when the 3D versions were released and forgot about them. NOW THEY'LL BE LOST FOREVER."

Bubsy isn't that great. I've gone back and played the first game (the only one I have) and it doesn't hold up. It's just a generic side scroller from an era where those games were everywhere. It's competant but not at all exceptional. Earthworm Jim on the other hand still holds up. It's more polished than Bubsy and it's utter wackyness remains unique. Earthworm Jim has a level where you have a bungie jump competition with a snot creature. That's creative. That's not the sort of thing corporate EA types think of in a board meeting. Bubsy would have been forgotten regardless of Bubsy 3D but EWJ really was a memorable game series ruined by a crappy 3D sequel.

nickmitchNovember 24, 2004

What about Frogger and Pac-man?

davidlow122November 24, 2004

Hey, Earthworm Jim 3(d) was actually a great game. It was just a little late. It had awesome levels and music, and hilarious stuff like the leprechaun (sp?) gun and level names loke ood, the bad and the elderly'

The camera WAS a problem, but that was true of all 3d platformers at the time. And the graphics were great!

RABicleDecember 02, 2004

They actually tinkered with the results. At the end of the poll the top four were Halo, Link, Master Chief and Zelda. Which would've been even more stupid than what we already have.

Luckily this walk is inside a crappy building in a lousy city, so no one will ever see it.

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