2001 Nintendo Power Awards

The 2001 Nintendo Power Awards were the 15th annual awards published in the May 2002 issue (Volume 156) after listing the nominees in Volume 154.

Mainly due to the excitement that surrounded the arrival of the GameCube and the subsequent popularity of Super Smash Bros. Melee, that game won the majority of awards for the year along with the Overall Game of the Year award, and this was the final year to have awards and nominees for Nintendo 64 and Game Boy Color games.

Game of the Year Awards

Best Overall Game
Super Smash Bros Melee Pikmin Star Wars Rogue Squadron II: Rogue Leader
Best Nintendo GameCube Game
Super Smash Bros Melee Star Wars Rogue Squadron II: Rogue Leaders Pikmin Other Nominees: Luigi's Mansion Madden NFL 2002 SSX Tricky Super Monkey Ball Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3 Wave Race: Blue Storm
Best Nintendo 64 Game
Paper Mario Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2 Mario Party 3 Other Nominees Aidyn Chronicles: The First Mage Dr. Mario 64 Madden NFL 2002 Mega Man 64 Pokemon Stadium 2
Best GameBoy Advance Game
Golden Sun Mario Kart: Super Circuit Advance Wars Other Nominees Castlevania: Circle of the Moon Rayman Advance Spider-Man: Mysterio's Menace Super Mario Advance Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2 Wario Land 4
Best Game Boy Color Game
The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Ages The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Seasons Pokemon Crystal Other Nominees Dragon Warrior III Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone Harvest Moon 3 Kirby Tilt 'n' Tumble Mario Tennis Wendy the Witch: Every Witch Way
Best Overall Graphics
Super Smash Bros Melee Star Wars Rogue Squadron II: Rogue Leader Luigi's Mansion Other Nominees Batman Vengeance Golden Sun Madden NFL 2002 Pikmin Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3 Wave Race: Blue Storm
Best Opening Sequence (Online)
Star Wars Rogue Squadron II: Rogue Leader Paper Mario Luigi's Mansion
Best GameCube Graphics (Online)
Star Wars Rogue Squadron II: Rogue Leader Super Smash Bros Melee. Luigi's Mansion
Best Music
Super Smash Bros Melee Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3 Star Wars Rogue Squadron II: Rogue Leader Other Nominees: Castlevania: Circle of the Moon Dave Mirra Freestyle BMX 2 Fifa Soccer 2002 Paper Mario Super Monkey Ball Wario Land 4
Best Game Boy Advance Graphics (Online)
Golden Sun Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2 Wario Land 4
Best Sound
Super Smash Bros Melee Star Wars Rogue Squadron II: Rogue Leader Luigi's Mansion Other Nominees: Castlevania; Circle of the Moon Fifa Soccer 2002 The Legend of Zelda; Oracle of Ages/Seasons Pikmin Wario Land 4 Wave Race: Blue Storm
Best Voice Acting (Online)
Star Wars Rogue Squadron II: Rogue Leader Luigi's Mansion The Simpsons: Road Rage
Best Driving Game
The Simpsons: Road Rage Crazy Taxi Mario Kart: Super Circuit Other Nominees Disney's Toy Story Racer Extreme G 3 F-Zero: Maximum Velocity GT Advance Championship Racing Konami Krazy Racers Wave Race: Blue Storm
Best RPG/Strategy Game
Golden Sun Paper Mario Pokemon Crystal Other Nominees: Advance Wars Aidyn Chronicles: The First Mage Breath of Fire Dragon Warrior III Magi-Nation Megaman Battle Network
Best Puzzler
Dr. Mario 64 ChuChu Rocket! Super Bust-a-Move Other Nominees: Fortress Rampage Puzzle Attack Snood Tang Tang Toki Tori
Best Sports Game
Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3 SSX Tricky Mario Tennis (GBC) Other Nominees Dave Mirra Freestyle BMX 2 FIFA Soccer 2002 Madden NFL 2002 (GameCube) NHL Hitz 20-02 Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2 (GBA) WWF Road to WrestleMania (GBA)
Best Sequel
Super Smash Bros Melee Star Wars Rogue Squadron II: Rogue Leader The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Ages/Seasons Other Nominees: Castlevania: Circle of the Moon Mario Party 3 Pokemon Crystal Pokemon Stadium 2 Wario Land 4 Wave Race: Blue Storm
Best Revival Game (Online)
Super Mario Advance Super Street Fighter II Turbo Revival Breath of Fire
Best Replay Value
Super Smash Bros Melee Madden NFL 2002 (GameCube) Advance Wars Other Nominees: Dragon Warrior Monsters 2: Cobi's Journey/Tara's Adventure Jurassic Park 3: Park Builder Monster Rancher Advance Pokemon Crystal Super Monkey Ball Tetris Worlds
Best Use of a License (Online)
Star Wars Rogue Squadron II: Rogue Leader The Simpsons: Road Rage Batman Vengance
Best Build-Your-Own (Online)
Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3's Create-A-Skater Pikmin's Pikmin Creation - Challenge Mode Advance Wars' Map Creation
Most Innovative Game
Pikmin Luigi's Mansion Super Monkey Ball Other Nominees: Advance Wars ChuChu Rocket! Fortress Kirby Tilt 'n' Tumble Pinobee: Wings of Adventure Toki Tori
Best Minigame
Home Run Contest (Super Smash Bros Melee) Fowl Play (Mario Party 3) Clear Cut Challenge (Pokemon Stadium 2) Other Nominees: Dancing (The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Seasons) Monkey Fight (Super Monkey Ball) Monkey Target (Super Monkey Ball) Pachisi Tracks (Dragon Warrior III) Wario's Home Run Derby (Wario Land 4)
Best Multiplayer Mode
Super Smash Bros Melee Mario Party 3 Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3 (GameCube) Other Nominees: Advance Wars Bomberman Tournament Mario Kart: Super Circuit NHL Hitz 20-02 Super Monkey Balll Wave Race: Blue Storm
Best New Villain
Giga Bowser (Super Smash Bros Melee) Saturos & Menardi (Golden Sun) King Boo (Luigi's Mansion) Best Original Character Catbat (Wario Land 4) Emperor Bulblax (Pikmin) Jr. Koopa (Paper Mario) Sturm (Advance Wars) Tubba Blubba (Paper Mario) Veran (The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Ages)
Best New Character
Pikmin Sandbag (Super Smash Bros Melee) Professor E. Gadd (Luigi's Mansion) Other Nominees Eddie (SSX Tricky) The Playable Female Trainer (Pokemon Crystal) GonGon (Super Monkey Ball) Moosh the Bear (The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Ages/Seasons) Professor Kolorado (Paper Mario) Serena Del Mar (Wave Race Blue Storm)
Most Difficult Boss (Online)
Fusion Dragon (Golden Sun) Star Destroyer (Star Wars Rogue Squadron II: Rogue Leader) Emperor Bulblax (Pikmin)
Cutest Character (Online)
Pikmin Young Link (Super Smash Bros Melee) Baby (Super Monkey Ball)
Best New Weapon/Item
Super Scope (Super Smash Bros Melee) Djinn (Golden Sun) Poltergust 3000 (Luigi's Mansion) Other Nominees: Advanced TIE Fighter (Star Wars Rogue Squadron II: Rogue Leader) The Big Boxing Clove (Super Monkey Ball) CDs (Wario Land 4) DSS Cards (Castlevania: Circle of the Moon) Magnetic Gloves (The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Seasons) Pikmin
Best Secret/Unlockable Character (Online)
Mr. Game And Watch (Super Smash Bros Melee) Darth Maul (Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3) Slave 1 (Star Wars Rogue Squadron II: Rogue Leader)
Weirdest Title
Zoboomafoo: Playtime in Zobooland Pikmin ChuChu Rocket! Other Nominees Ecks vs. Sever Paper Mario Rox Snood Tang Tang Toki Tori
Best In-Game Text/Dialogue (Online)
Golden Sun The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Ages Paper Mario
Coolest Box Art (Online)
Golden Sun Pikmin Luigi's Mansion
Why Aren't You Playing This?
Kirby Tilt 'n' Tumble Super Dodge Ball Advance Magi-Nation Other Nominees Klonoa: Empire of Dreams Lady Sia LEGO Island 2: The Brickster's Revenge Snoopy Tennis Wendy the Witch: Every Witch Way
Strangest Concept Or Plotline
Help potatoes from Mars fall in love by launching them out of a converted school bus (Hot Potato) Pick up garbage in exchange for magical hats that let you enter different sections of a theme park while answering Woody Woodpecker's arcane trivia questions. (Universal Studios Theme Park Adventure) Drive a limo and run errands for NSYNC, then watch them dance around (NSYNC: Get to the Show) Other Nominees: Infiltrate secret project BSBODSOM (Build Secret Base on Dark Side of Moon) and stop an evil alien from assimilating humans into his cyborg army of terror (Back Track) Help four young girls shop until they drop and put on a fab-a-licious fashion show. (Diva Starz: Mall Mania) Watch a scientist working for a totalitarian regime send his son to an alternate reality where medieval castles coexist with Panzer tanks, giant rats, and fedora-wearing heavies (Hands of Time) Become a young punk who must defeat aliens with a turntable (No Rules: Get Phat) Complete mind-bending puzzles with the assistance of gigantic monsters (Rampage Puzzle Attack)
Best Way to Amaze Your Friends
Smash an opponent off the stage in Super Smash Bros Melee Check someone through the glass in NHL Hitz 20-02 Unlock the Slave I in Star Wars Rogue Squadron II: Rogue Leader Other Nominees: Do a Double Back Flip in Wave Race: Blue Storm Perform and Uber Trick in SSX Tricky Scroll through the list of wrestlers in Fire Pro Wrestling Stop the car chase in Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3 Summon Judgement in Golden Sun
Best Game URL (Online)
Super Smash Bros Melee Super Mario World Pikmin
Most Frustrating Moment
Being eliminated by the 99th fighter in Super Smash Bros Melee's 100-Man Melee Falling at the end of a 300,000-point combo in Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3 Watching helplessly as all your Pikmin get devoured by Emperor Bulblax Other Nominees Falling at the end of a perfect run in Super Monkey Ball Having the Millennium Falcon hit an asteroid during a cut scene in the Asteroid Field Level of Star Wars Rogue Squadron II: Rogue Leader Losing a character in Aidyn Chronicles: The First Mage only to realize that there is no way to bring him or her back to life Losing the final battle in Advance Wars after playing for hours Scoring an own goal in FIFA Soccer 2002 Trying to get the boat to sail in Golden Sun
NP VIP Award (Online)
Alan Jason Scott
The Hardest Job in All of Gaming
Unlocking every trophy in Super Smash Bros Melee Clear Ace Mode in Star Wars Rogue Squadron II: Rogue Leader Beat Dragon Warrior 3 without a party Other Nominees Beat Pokemon Stadium 2 with rental Pokemon Clear the Battle Tower in Pokemon Crystal Clear Crossbone Isle in Golden Sun Clear Expert Mode without falling in Super Monkey Ball Earn the A and H houses in Luigi's Mansion