Though the nominees were announced less than a week ago, the clandestine cabal of award-bestowing Game Critics have narrowed the field and announced the Best of E3 winners. Those dudes work pretty fast, apparently.

To the surprise of essentially no one, BioShock Infinite took home all four awards it was nominated for, including Best PC Game, Best Action/Adventure Game, Best Original Game, and the most-covered Game of the Show award.

The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, Battlefield 3, and Sound Shapes were the other multi-award-winners, with two apiece.

Elsewhere, the PlayStation Vita took home the award for Best Hardware, edging out the Wii U (which, to be fair, wasn't really showing any actual games), Sony's own proprietary 3D display monitor (we think they're okay with this loss), Ubisoft's guitar game RockSmith, and some Nyko-produced Kinect thing.

Among the few big games shut out entirely, Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception, Batman: Arkham City, and Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 all went home empty-handed.

If you're really into seeing the words "BioShock" and "Infinite" repeated over and over again in a list-based format, you can check out the full roster of winners below.

Best of Show

BioShock Infinite
(Irrational Games/2K Games for PC, PS3, Xbox 360)

Best Original Game

BioShock Infinite
(Irrational Games/2K Games for PC, PS3, Xbox 360)

Best Console Game

The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
(Bethesda Game Studios/Bethesda for PS3, Xbox 360)

Best Handheld Game

Sound Shapes
(Queasy Games/SCEA for PSVita)

Best PC Game

BioShock Infinite
(Irrational Games/2K Games for PC, PS3, Xbox 360)

Best Hardware

PlayStation Vita
(Sony Computer Entertainment)

Best Action Game

Battlefield 3
(DICE/EA Games for PC)

Best Action/Adventure Game

BioShock Infinite
(Irrational Games/2K Games for PC, PS3, Xbox 360)

Best Role Playing Game

The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
(Bethesda Game Studios/Bethesda for PS3, Xbox 360)

Best Fighting Game

Street Fighter X Tekken
(Capcom/Capcom for PS3, Xbox 360, PSVita)

Best Racing Game

Forza 4
(Turn 10 Studios/Microsoft Studios for Xbox 360)

Best Sports Game

FIFA 12
(EA Canada/EA Sports for PC, PS3, Xbox 360)

Best Strategy Game

From Dust
(Ubisoft Montpellier/Ubisoft for PC, PS3, Xbox 360)

Best Social/Casual Game

Sound Shapes
(Queasy Games/SCEA for PSVita)

Best Motion Simulation Game

The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword
(Nintendo EAD/Nintendo for Wii)

Best Online Multiplayer

Battlefield 3
(DICE/EA Games for PC, PS3, Xbox 360)

Best Downloadable Game

Bastion
(Supergiant Games/WB Games for PC, Xbox 360)

Though the nominees were announced less than a week ago, the clandestine cabal of award-bestowing Game Critics have narrowed the field and announced the Best of E3 winners. Those dudes work pretty fast, apparently.

To the surprise of essentially no one, BioShock Infinite took home all four awards it was nominated for, including Best PC Game, Best Action/Adventure Game, Best Original Game, and the most-covered Game of the Show award.

The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, Battlefield 3, and Sound Shapes were the other multi-award-winners, with two apiece.

Elsewhere, the PlayStation Vita took home the award for Best Hardware, edging out the Wii U (which, to be fair, wasn't really showing any actual games), Sony's own proprietary 3D display monitor (we think they're okay with this loss), Ubisoft's guitar game RockSmith, and some Nyko-produced Kinect thing.

Among the few big games shut out entirely, Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception, Batman: Arkham City, and Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 all went home empty-handed.

If you're really into seeing the words "BioShock" and "Infinite" repeated over and over again in a list-based format, you can check out the full roster of winners below.

Best of Show

BioShock Infinite
(Irrational Games/2K Games for PC, PS3, Xbox 360)

Best Original Game

BioShock Infinite
(Irrational Games/2K Games for PC, PS3, Xbox 360)

Best Console Game

The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
(Bethesda Game Studios/Bethesda for PS3, Xbox 360)

Best Handheld Game

Sound Shapes
(Queasy Games/SCEA for PSVita)

Best PC Game

BioShock Infinite
(Irrational Games/2K Games for PC, PS3, Xbox 360)

Best Hardware

PlayStation Vita
(Sony Computer Entertainment)

Best Action Game

Battlefield 3
(DICE/EA Games for PC)

Best Action/Adventure Game

BioShock Infinite
(Irrational Games/2K Games for PC, PS3, Xbox 360)

Best Role Playing Game

The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
(Bethesda Game Studios/Bethesda for PS3, Xbox 360)

Best Fighting Game

Street Fighter X Tekken
(Capcom/Capcom for PS3, Xbox 360, PSVita)

Best Racing Game

Forza 4
(Turn 10 Studios/Microsoft Studios for Xbox 360)

Best Sports Game

FIFA 12
(EA Canada/EA Sports for PC, PS3, Xbox 360)

Best Strategy Game

From Dust
(Ubisoft Montpellier/Ubisoft for PC, PS3, Xbox 360)

Best Social/Casual Game

Sound Shapes
(Queasy Games/SCEA for PSVita)

Best Motion Simulation Game

The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword
(Nintendo EAD/Nintendo for Wii)

Best Online Multiplayer

Battlefield 3
(DICE/EA Games for PC, PS3, Xbox 360)

Best Downloadable Game

Bastion
(Supergiant Games/WB Games for PC, Xbox 360)

Awesome, from the looks of things it totally deserves it.

Come on 2012

I dunno Alex, this is kind of a non-story

i think you missed a category under Best Handheld Game

Wait, Bioshock Infinite was nominated for best handheld game? Is it coming to the Vita or something?

With the last few developer diaries, it's quickly becoming my 2012-most-anticipated-game.  Here's hoping t's worth all the fuss everyone's making.

Bastion got best downloadable game?  Hopefully it's as good as the hypetrain would have us believe.

No awards for Unearthed Trail of Ibn Battuta? Shits rigged!

Wish they'd just release the 15 minute E3 demo of Infinite already!

What we're the requirements for Best Original Game? The setting I guess? Not necessarily the IP

Yay, Bastion!

Bioshock and Bastion aww yeah!

Glad Rocksmith is getting awards over Harmonix who have been creatively (and monetarily) bankrupt for years.

Not sure about getting best original game, but everything else I agree with. I've been hyped for this game since the word go, and the recent videos have only fueled that fire.

@Guibone said:

What we're the requirements for Best Original Game? The setting I guess? Not necessarily the IP

I was thinking the same thing, they didn't put a number in the title so apparently its considered a new IP?

As friend of a PS 3 fanboy deluxe I'm glad to see nothing went to Uncharted 3. Maybe that sucker can shut his piehole. 

Best Original Game is a established IP. Shouldn't that category be new IP's only?

Fuck yeah, BioShock Infinite!

Yup, raised expectations ALWAYS make games so much better.

I just hope the game will play like we all think it will play, live up to the promise.

I'm really looking forward to playing Sound Shapes and Gravity on Vita. More excited about those than Uncharted, but I'll probably still get that as well.

And fuck yeah Bastion!!!

So good to see Skryim, Bioshock Infinite, and Bastion getting the recognition that they deserve.

Fuck Yeah Bastion!

Levine power!!

Best PC game is also Bioshock? What a joke.

Sweet for Bastion!!!

Infinite needs to get pushed up please!

Looks like a good list of winners there so woo is all I shall say.

The first Bioshock looked amazing but ended up being boring. I don't see how Infinite is that much of a change aside from the setting.

@Hero_Swe said:

Jesus, hardly any gameplay shown at all from "From Dust" and it wins best strategy games? Three words Fuck That Shit Sword of the Stars 2 won that title this E3.

It isn't 'Best Game A Non Attendee Thought Looked Good' just accept that the judges who participated saw enough for them to make their judgement.

Oh man I hope Irrational will release that E3 demo they showed to the press, I wanna see it so bad it sounded so crazy out of Jeff's mouth.

Right on Bastion. Kasavin finally is involved with a winner. Shut up Charlie.

@Meatsim Not really no. It has Bioshock in the title but it's not a squel and has very little to do with the first one. So I guess that's why it got nominated. Also the fact it takes place in a city that floats in the sky.... that's pretty original.

I find it strange how much coverage this game is getting, for something slated for a vague 2012, though look at how good it looks, maybe it is closer than we realize. 
 
Someone suggested it may be Q1 of 2012 as that was the same launch window for the original Bioshock, though that may not have anything to do with anything. Still Fall 2012 would kill me!

Yay Bastion!

No love for Prey 2 :(

Awesome for Bastion. Congrats

yay skyrim!

and the most-covered Game of the Show award.

Most "coveted" or covered? Also, am I the only one taking some smug satisfaction that Modern Warfare 3 didn't get any awards?

I'm a big fan of the title of this article.

Yup, raised expectations ALWAYS make games so much better.

I just hope the game will play like we all think it will play, live up to the promise.

awesome that bastion got an award!

"2011's Best Demos of 2012"  
 
Maybe it just me but I find the whole idea of tradeshow awards dumb. And frankly it's just getting more and more meaningless as the relationship between developers and the press continue to deepen. 

I don't know... What I've seen of Bioshock Infinite hasn't really blown me away. It looks great, but certainly not deserving of all these E3 awards. 
Again, the final game might be the greatest thing ever, but from the things they have shown so far, all this praise doesn't make sense to me.

@Hairydutchman said:

The first Bioshock looked amazing but ended up being boring. I don't see how Infinite is that much of a change aside from the setting.

Pretty quick to judge it when the public has seen what, 5 minutes of gameplay? Not saying you're wrong, but to make that judgement this early makes no sense to me.