G4 CROWNS "GLOW AWARD" WINNERS AT G-PHORIA CELEBRATION PRESENTED BY EB GAMES AND JEEP
Thu. Jul. 31, 2003

G4 CROWNS "GLOW AWARD" WINNERS AT G-PHORIA CELEBRATION PRESENTED BY
EB GAMES AND JEEP

Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Drives off with Awards for Game of the Year, EB Gamers Choice, Best Soundtrack, and Best Live Action/Voice Performances

Celebrities and Industry Flocked to the G-Phoria Gala; 90-Minute Special Premieres on G4 Friday, August 8th at 8 p.m.

LOS ANGELES (July 31, 2003) – G4®, the Comcast-owned TV network about video games and the gamer lifestyle, announced the winners of its first video game "Glow Awards™" last night at G-Phoria™, the network's location-based and televised mega-event celebrating the massive phenomenon of video games. Presented by EB Games and Jeep®, G-Phoria boasted a full house and a celebrity-filled audience. The show was hosted by actor/comedian Jamie Kennedy, who announced awards in key categories.

"With G-Phoria, the video game phenomenon swept into Hollywood last night, and G4 had a blast partying all night with celebrities and industry elite at the first video-game celebration of its kind," said G4 Founder and CEO Charles Hirschhorn. "The success of G-Phoria is immeasurable for G4, and we look forward to televising the show next week for video game fans across the country."

The G-Phoria gala brought together hundreds of celebrities, video game insiders, journalists and gamers in a mammoth celebration featuring live performances by recording artists Public Enemy and A Flock of Seagulls. Celebrity gamers Elijah Wood, Dominic Monaghan, Tony Hawk, Jenna Jameson, Hal Sparks, David Gallagher, Gena Lee Nolin, Traci Bingham, Colin Hanks, Brande Roderick, Hayden Panetierre, Shaun Murray and Mia St. John participated in the festivities and enjoyed exclusive previews of some of the industry's hottest upcoming game titles. A 90-minute special taped at G-Phoria will air on G4 August 8th at 8 p.m. EDT/PDT.

"Glow Award" Winners
Grand Theft Auto: Vice City was the biggest, meanest winner of the evening, taking off with Glow Awards for Best Soundtrack and Game of the Year. Additionally, the EB Gamers Choice Award, voted on by gamers at EB Games' 800 stores nationwide, was presented to Grand Theft Auto: Vice City by legendary skateboarder Tony Hawk. Actors Jenna Jameson and Ray Liotta also took home prizes for their work on the game; they were honored with Best Live Action/Voice Performance Award - Female and Best Live Action/Voice Performance Award - Male, respectively. Jameson was on hand to accept her award, while Liotta acknowledged his win in a taped acceptance speech.

The star-studded evening included a taped address from football hero John Madden. His namesake game, Electronic Arts' Madden NFL 2003, scored the Best Sports Game award.

In another noteworthy moment, the Jeep Legend Lifetime Achievement Award was presented to the most beloved plumber ever to be rendered in pixels: "Mario" of Mario Bros. fame. The digitally animated character, who has been appearing in popular Nintendo games since 1982, accepted his award via a heartfelt taped address.

Other key awards included: 

• Best Adaptation - Lord of the Rings™: The Two Towers (Electronic Arts) 
• Best Story - Kingdom Hearts (Square Electronic Arts) 
• Best Rookie Game - Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell (Ubi Soft Entertainment) 
• Guiltiest Pleasure - Dead or Alive Xtreme Beach Volleyball (Tecmo) 
• Best Brawl - Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance (Midway)

The Glow Awards Nominating Committee, comprised of video game industry leaders, top gaming and entertainment journalists, and celebrities who are also gamers, selected the top five games across 23 categories. Games released between March 2002 and March 2003 were eligible. Final winners were chosen by game fans who voted by visiting www.g4tv.com, and at G4's "Gamer 4 Life" kiosk at the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) convention and trade show in May 2003. The EB Gamers Choice Award was voted on exclusively at EB Games' 800 stores nationwide. EB Games is a presenting sponsor of all G-Phoria programming.

G-Phoria Previews the Industry's Hottest New Games
Awards were just one component of the G-Phoria experience. Attendees got their game on throughout the evening, sampling some of the industry's most highly anticipated video games, including: The Lord of the Rings™, The Return of the King (Electronic Arts); Medal of Honor™ Rising Sun (Electronic Arts); Madden NFL™ 2004 (Electronic Arts); Need For Speed™ Underground (Electronic Arts); SSX 3 (Electronic Arts); Full Spectrum Warrior (THQ); Final Fantasy® X-2 (Square Enix USA); Karaoke Revolution™ (Konami of America); Metal Gear Solid® The Twin Snakes (Konami of America); Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time™ (Ubi Soft Entertainment); XIII (Ubi Soft Entertainment); Beyond Good & Evil™ (Ubi Soft Entertainment); Star Wars® Rogue Squadron® III: Rebel Strike™ (LucasArts); Fable™ (Microsoft Game Studios); Project Gotham Racing 2™ (Microsoft Game Studios); Onimusha™ 3 (Capcom Entertainment); Viewtiful Joe (Capcom Entertainment); Call of Duty™ (Activision); Jak II™ (Sony Computer Entertainment America); Ratchet & Clank™: Going Commando (Sony Computer Entertainment); Taiko no Tatsujin (Namco); F-Zero GX (Nintendo of America); and The Hulk™ (Vivendi Universal Games).

Presenting Sponsor Jeep Finds Ample Parking at G-Phoria
Two unique Jeep vehicles were on display at G-Phoria: the "Lara Croft Rubicon" and the "G4 Gamer Mobile." The Lara Croft Rubicon is a special edition production vehicle made in conjunction with the film Lara Croft Tomb Raider 2: The Cradle of Life. The G4 Gamer Mobile, which is appearing at various Jeep-sponsored events across the country - including Lollapalooza - is a customized, one-of-a-kind vehicle featuring working Xbox, GameCube and PlayStation 2 consoles.

About G4
G4 is the Comcast-owned 24-hour, seven-day-a-week television network dedicated to the world of video games. Targeted to young adults 12-34, G4 is committed to creating a lifestyle brand that is the premier source of entertainment, news and information about electronic games, including video, computer, online and wireless platforms. G4 currently has distribution to approximately 11 million digital cable homes on Comcast, Time Warner Cable, Cox Communications, Insight and Mediacom systems. For more information, visit www.g4tv.com.

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