The Golden Joystick Awards 2007

Microsoft's breakthrough title, Gears of War has been honoured as the 'O2 Ultimate Game of the Year' at today's 25th annual Golden Joystick Awards, which took place at the prestigious Hilton Hotel on London's Park Lane.

Developed by Epic Games, Gears of War offered gamers a unique blend of tactical action and survival horror and was this year's big winner scooping a massive four awards in total including 'The Sonopress Xbox Game of the Year', the 'Nuts All-Nighter Award' as voted for by Nuts readers and the prestigious 'Editors' Choice' award. In the 25th anniversary year of the UK's longest-established and most popular games awards, it was the diverse range of pioneering software that grabbed the attention of UK gamers as nearly 750,000 votes were cast, up on last year's 540,000 votes.

Guitar Hero II and Nintendo were the ceremony's other notable winners each receiving two awards each. Played with a special guitar controller, Guitar Hero II was honoured in both 'BBC 1Xtra's Soundtrack of the Year' category and 'bliss magazine's Girls' Choice award'.

Nintendo triumphed as the 'Publisher of the Year' while their ultra successful Wii console scooped the 'T3 Innovation Award', gazumping Sony's Playstation 3 console, which was last year's winner of the 'One To Watch' award.

Elsewhere in the awards, 'GameTribe's Online Game of the Year' and the 'Mobile Game of the Year', sponsored by Channel 4's 4Talent, proved successful categories with gamers, attracting significant votes overall.

Blizzard Entertainment's stunning 'World of Warcraft: The Burning Crusade' topped the online game category while the mobile version of long-running fantasy series Final Fantasy hit the top spot of the mobile game category.

In keeping with the Golden Joystick Awards' celebration of gaming talent, Tom Dowding, a budding mobile game developer was presented with a cheque for £2500 from Channel 4 and will receive a hothouse work placement with EA Mobile. Tom successfully pitched his 'Let It Grow' mobile game concept to a panel of industry experts, beating eight other shortlisted competitors as part of an initiative between 4Talent, the Golden Joystick Awards and EA Mobile.