Metroid Prime has been bundled with the GameCube

Nintendo has swept the board at the well-regarded Edge magazine gaming awards.

The veteran Japanese games company snapped up the trophy for best game for its GameCube title, Metroid Prime, as well as being named publisher of the year.

"Nintendo has shone through with its inventiveness and ingenuity," said Edge Editor Joao Diniz-Sanches.

Edge magazine is widely respected in the games industry and its awards could help boost the fortunes of Nintendo's GameCube, which have been flagging outside Japan.

'Enjoyable gaming'

In passing verdict on the year in gaming, Edge noted that the industry had gone from boom to gloom, with several developers facing closure and games publishers radically scaling back.

The Xbox is proving itself as the hardcore gamers' platform of choice and the PlayStation2 has reached maturity, hosting an impressively diverse range of titles Joao Diniz-Sanches, Edge editor

It has meant that many games firms have shunned innovation in favour of tried and tested formulas that can guarantee a hit.

But Edge said there had been some surprises. It heaped praise on Nintendo, which picked up four awards, two of them for the futuristic adventure Metroid Prime.

It won best game of the year "for providing the most consistent gamespace, for the most effective integration of graphics, sound and game mechanics, but above all, for delivering the most enjoyable gaming experience of the year one," said the magazine.

But despite the acclaim for Nintendo, Edge admitted that fate of the GameCube was unclear.

Strong competitors

The console has done well in Japan and the US, but has struggled to make an impact in Europe.

Rocky game named as surprise of the year

Drastic price cuts and the release of key titles like Metroid Prime have helped to boost sales of the GameCube

But it faces with strong competition from Microsoft's Xbox and the unassailable lead of Sony's PlayStation 2.

"The Xbox is proving itself as the hardcore gamers' platform of choice and the PlayStation2 has reached maturity, hosting an impressively diverse range of titles," said Mr Diniz-Sanches.

Among the other awards, developer of the year went to Tecmo, the Japanese firm behind Dead or Alive Xtreme Volleyball.

Surprise of the year award went to 3D boxing title, Rocky, while Microsoft's Blinx: The Time Sweeper was named as disappointment of the year, saying it ended up as an irritating mess of a game.