So it’s that time of the year, where I attempt to crawl out of the depths of obscurity to write a blog about this past year of gaming. As always, while I can write pages upon pages on certain subjects, game criticism is, interestingly, not one of those subjects, so I will try to keep things relatively short and to the point. I went back and forth between whether or not I should write a few sentences justifying each choice but decided that I didn’t really have enough to say to make it worthwhile. Let’s just say it’s a combination of research and gut instinct. Anyways, onto the awards.

Part 1: Special Categories

Best Technical Graphics

Winner: Battlefield 3 (PC)

Runners up: Crysis 2 (PC), Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings

Best Artistic Graphics

Winner: Bastion

Runners up: Alice: Madness Returns, El Shaddai: Ascension of the Metatron

Best Looking Game Overall

Winner: Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings

Runner's up: Crysis 2 (PC), Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception

Best Sound Design

Winner: Battlefield 3

Runners up: Dead Space 2, Shadows of the Damned

Best Music

Winner: Bastion

Runners up: To the Moon, Shadows of the Damned

Best Story

Winner: Portal 2

Runners up: Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings, To the Moon

Best Writing

Winner: Portal 2

Runners up: Bastion, To the Moon

Best New Character

Winner: Wheatly (Portal 2)

Runners up: Cave Johnson (Portal 2), Garcia Hotspur (Shadows of the Damned)

Best Voice Acting

Winner: Portal 2

Runners up: Saints Row the Third, Batman: Arkham City

Best Single Player Campaign

Winner: The Witcher 2: Assassin’s of Kings

Runners up: Gears of War 3, Portal 2

Best Multiplayer Game

Winner: Gears of War 3

Runners up: Battlefield 3, Saints Row the Third

Best Atmosphere

Winner: Dark Souls

Runners up: Dead Space 2, L.A. Noire

Funniest Game

Winner: Portal 2

Runners up: Shadows of the Damned, Saints Row the Third

Best New IP

Winner: Bastion

Runners up: Shadows of the Damned, L.A. Noire

Best Zombie Game

Winner: Dead Island

Runners up: Dead Rising 2: Off the Record, Dead Space 2

Most Disappointing Game

Winner: Brink

Runners up: Dragon Age II, Modern Warfare 3

Best Game That Nobody Played/Bought

Winner: Shadows of the Damned

Runners up: El Shaddai: Ascension of the Metatron, Rayman: Origins

Best Surprise

Winner: Deus Ex: Human Revolution

Runners up: Dead Island, Driver: San Francisco

Special Award: So Bad, It's Good That It’s Bad

Winner: Duke Nukem Forever

Special Award: Oops, I Targeted the Wrong Version (aka Press "Y" to Noclip)

Winner: Dead Island (PC)

Special Award: Most Epic Theme Song

Winner: The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim

Special Award: Best Game that Most People Forgot About

Winner: Dead Space 2

Special Award: Most Ridiculous Game

Winner: Saints Row the Third

Part 2: Platform and Genre Awards, and GOTY

Best Shooter

Winner: Battlefield 3

Runners Up: Gears of War 3, Crysis 2

Best Action/Adventure

Winner: Deus Ex: Human Revolution

Runners Up: Batman: Arkham City, Saints Row the Third

Best RPG

Winner: The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim

Runners up: Dark Souls, The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings

Best Strategy

Winner: Total War: Shogun 2

Runners up: Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War II – Retribution, Anno 2070

Best Puzzle Solving

Winner: Portal 2

Runners up: Ghost Trick: Phantom Detective, Catherine

Best Driving

Winner: Dirt 3

Runners up: Trackmania 2: Canyon, Forza Motorsport 4

Best 360 Only Game:

Winner: Gears of War 3

Runners up: Forza Motorsport 4, Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary

Best PS3 Only Game:

Winner: Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception

Runners up: Killzone 3, Resistance 3

Best PC Only Game:

Winner: Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings

Runners up: Shogun 2: Total War, Trackmania 2: Canyon

Best Multi-platform Game:

Winner: The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim

Runners up: Saints Row the Third, Portal 2

GOTY 2011

Winner: The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim

Runners up: Saints Row the Third, Portal 2