Spike TV has announced the nominees for its fifth annual Video Game Awards. The awards show will be airing live this year, which is probably a great improvement over the previous shows, which were pre-taped, so the winners were always given out earlier than the broadcast.
This is my second year as a judge for the awards. Actually, it might be my third. Dude, it's kind of a blur. Anyway, being a judge entails selecting nominees, then voting on those nominees to select a winner. The nominees are listed below. You can find out the winners at the same time I do, when the show broadcasts on Spike on December 14th.
This year, the judges didn't vote on the sponsored "Fueled By Dew" category for best independent game. If we did, I'd be totally torn between Braid and Audiosurf. Nothing says independence quite like Mountain Dew, I say.
And now, the fat list of nominees. Who do you think got robbed? And who do you think will win?
Game of the Year
- Gears of War 2
- Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots
- Grand Theft Auto IV
- LittleBigPlanet
- Fallout 3
Studio of the Year
- Media Molecule
- Rockstar North
- Harmonix
- Bethesda Game Studios
Best Shooter
- Far Cry 2
- Resistance 2
- Gears of War 2
- Left 4 Dead
Best RPG
- Fable II
- Fallout 3
- Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning
- The World Ends With You
Best Fighting Game
- Soul Calibur IV
- Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe
- Super Smash Bros. Brawl
- Dragon Ball Z: Burst Limit
Best Individual Sports Game
- Shaun White Snowboarding
- Tiger Woods PGA Tour 09
- Wii Fit
- Skate It
Best Handheld Game
- God of War: Chains of Olympus
- Professor Layton and the Curious Village
- Patapon
- Castlevania Order of Eccelsia
Best Graphics
- Gears of War 2
- Fallout 3
- LittleBigPlanet
- Metal Gear Solid 4
Best Game Based on a Movie or a TV Show
- Lego Indiana Jones: The Original Adventures
- Quantum of Solace
- Star Wars: The Force Unleashed
- Naruto: The Broken Bond
Best Music Game
- Rock Band 2
- Guitar Hero: World Tour
- Wii Music
- SingStar
Best Driving Game
- Burnout Paradise
- Pure
- Midnight Club: Los Angeles
- Mario Kart Wii
Best Action Adventure Game
- Grand Theft Auto IV
- Dead Space
- Mirror’s Edge
- Metal Gear Solid 4
Best Team Sports Game
- NHL 09
- Madden NFL 09
- NBA 2K9
- FIFA Soccer 09
Best Soundtrack
- LittleBigPlanet
- Grand Theft Auto IV
- Rock Band 2
- Guitar Hero World Tour
Best Xbox 360 Game
- Fable II
- Gears of War 2
- Grand Theft Auto IV
- Fallout 3
Best Wii Game
- Super Smash Bros. Brawl
- Boom Blox
- Wii Fit
- No More Heroes
Best PS3 Game
- Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots
- Resistance 2
- LittleBigPlanet
- Grand Theft Auto IV
Best PC Game
- Spore
- Crysis Warhead
- Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning
- Left 4 Dead
Best Original Score
- Fallout 3
- Spore
- Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots
- LittleBigPlanet
Best Multiplayer Game
- Gears of War 2
- Left 4 Dead
- Resistance 2
- Call of Duty: World at War
Big Name In The Game (Male)
- Michael Hollick (Niko Bellic, Grand Theft Auto IV)
- David Hayter (Solid Snake, Metal Gear Solid 4)
- Stephen Fry (Narrator, LittleBigPlanet)
- Jason Zumwalt (Roman Bellic, Grand Theft Auto IV)
Big Name In The Game (Female)
- Nathalie Cox (Juno Eclipse, Star Wars: The Force Unleashed)
- Debi Mae West (Meryl Silverburgh, Metal Gear Solid 4)
- Paula Tiso (Silvia Christel, No More Heroes)
- Keeley Hawes (Lara Croft, Tomb Raider: Underworld)
Best Independent Game (Fueled By Dew)
- World of Goo
- PixelJunk Eden
- Braid
- Audiosurf