2011 Spike Video Game Award Nominees Announced

[Andy Chalk]

2011 Spike Video Game Award Nominees Announced

Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you the 2011 Spike Video Game Awards nominees.

The Spike VGAs are always an interesting event. "Interesting" can mean a lot of things to a lot of people, of course, so perhaps I'll just toss out the nominees in a few noteworthy categories and let the matter speak for itself.

Game of the Year


Batman: Arkham City (Warner Bros Interactive/Rocksteady Studios)
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim (Bethesda Softworks/Bethesda Game Studios)
The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword (Nintendo)
Portal 2 (Valve)
Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception (Sony Computer Entertainment/Naughty Dog)


Studio of the Year


Bethesda Game Studios
Naughty Dog
Rocksteady Studios
Valve


Best Shooter


Battlefield 3 (Electronic Arts/DICE)
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 (Activision/Infinity Ward/Sledgehammer Games)
Gears of War 3 (Microsoft Studios/Epic Games)
Rage (Bethesda Softworks/Id Software)


Best RPG


Dark Souls (Namco Bandai/Fromsoftware)
Deus Ex: Human Revolution (Square Enix/Eidos Montreal)
Dragon Age II (Electronic Arts/BioWare)
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim (Bethesda Softworks/Bethesda Game Studios)


Best Xbox 360 Game


Batman: Arkham City (Warner Bros Interactive/Rocksteady Studios)
Forza Motorsport 4 (Microsoft Studios/Turn 10 Studios)
Gears of War 3 (Microsoft Studios/Epic Games)
Portal 2 (Valve)


Best PlayStation 3 Game


Infamous 2 (Sony Computer Entertainment/Sucker Punch)
Killzone 3 (Sony Computer Entertainment/Guerrilla Games)
LittleBigPlanet 2 (Sony Computer Entertainment/Media Molecule)
Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception (Sony Computer Entertainment/Naughty Dog)


Best PC Game


Battlefield 3 (Electronic Arts/DICE)
Minecraft (Mojang)
The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings (Atari/CD Projekt)
Portal 2 (Valve)


There are plenty of other categories but I think this mix nicely captures the confusion and puzzlement that is the Spike VGAs. Deus Ex vying for best RPG? The Witcher 2 not vying for Best RPG? Rage vying for... well, anything at all? [It's up for Best Graphics, too.] I'll admit that I don't have any idea how the nominating process works, nor how it is that Portal 2 and Arkham City are up for Game of the Year and Best Xbox 360 Game but not Best PlayStation 3 game, but I suspect that even if somebody explained it to me I'd still be entirely baffled by some of these choices.

The 2011 VGAs will also see The Legend of Zelda become the first-ever addition to the Spike Video Game Hall of Fame. "It is only natural to start with Zelda," said Geoff Keighley, Spike executive in charge of publisher relations. "The Legend of Zelda is a franchise that inspired many of us to see the potential of games when it debuted 25 years ago, one that has successfully transitioned from one game console generation to the next and has continually shown the narrative and artistic potential of the medium."

The 2011 Spike Video Game Awards go down live at 8 pm on December 10, on Spike TV, MTV2 and Spike.com. See you there, bro!


Permalink

 

[Roserari]

I think they just proved to the world how obsolete their current system is.

 

[Irridium]

So, they nominate Dragon Age 2 for best RPG, but not Witcher 2?

And WWE All Stars for best fighting game, but not the newest BlazeBlue?

What the fuck is this, the Spike VGA's? Oh... it is. Well, that explains it.

 

[Soviet Heavy]

Why are multiplatform games being nominated in platform specific categories? The only one that makes sense up there is the PS3 category.

 

[twaddle]

Going by their abysmal ratings last year the real bloody question is: Why should we care?

I'll give the scream awards something though

 

[therandombear]

I like Zelda series, I really do, but how is Skyward Sword nominated for GOTY already?

Not out yet, comes out on Friday.

Bit odd that Witcher 2 isn't nominated for best RPG, but else I can't say there's too much "wrong" with the list.

 

[sune-ku]

Yep that's a nice and confusing mix... but you know what? On single-player campaign alone RAGE actually is my shooter of 2011, despite the ending, I thought it was thoroughly more enjoyable than the entirely linear trawl between set pieces that the other 3 were.

 

[sir.rutthed]

I swear, they just pin up names on a wall and throw darts to come up with the nominees. When are we going to get an awards show that we can actually respect and has sensible categories? Like EC said, we need our own Oscars. But better because there won't be bleeding heart idiots using an acceptance speech to get up on their soapbox.

 

[Raika]

And WWE All Stars for best fighting game, but not the newest BlazeBlue?

The newest BlazBlue is actually inferior as a fighting game to WWE All Stars, sadly.

 

[darthotaku]

well how about some predictions
game of the year: Arkham city
studio of the year: lets be hopeful and say valve
best shooter: COD
best RPG: skyrim
best xbox game: gears 3
best ps3: uncharted
best pc: minecraft if they're just morons, battlefield 3 if they're genuinly bat shit retarded like I think they are.

I don't think very highly of the whole production.

 

[Fiz_The_Toaster]

And this is why I never cared for them in the first place, and why is The Witcher 2 not in the best RPG category? That doesn't make any bloody sense!

Oh wait, never mind, I answered by own question.

EDIT: I know I'm sick, but how the hell did I manage to misspell RPG?

 

[Soviet Heavy]

And this is why I never cared for them in the first place, and why is The Witcher 2 not in the best RGP category? That doesn't make any bloody sense!

Oh wait, never mind, I answered by own question.

I know, what's an RGP? Routine Gaming Platform? Robust Geriatric Plumbing?

 

[TheScientificIssole]

Portal 2, Arkham City, and Skyrim Have a showdown. OH GAWD, THERE WILL BE NOTHING LEFT!

 

[Soviet Heavy]

Does anyone find it funny that half the 360 category is made of multiplatform games?

 

[Bobic]

Wait I may have this wrong but...

The first game they are putting into a hall of fame is the ONE console they don't even have a category for?

Please tell me I'm wrong on this Chalk. Where is the best Nintendo game category?

There is a wii category I believe, it just wasn't listed in the article. Andy Chalk cut a few out to save space, there are loads of the buggers.

 

[Stevey M]

*snip*

Hey man, can we get a link to the full list of awards and nominees? Also, could you edit in the timezone at which the awards will be played out? I'm guessing it's 8pm US Central or something.

Many thanks, dude!

 

[Lordmarkus]

The Graphicspoll is probably the biggest joke I've seen this year.

- Batman: Arkham City
- L.A. Noire
- Rage
- Uncharted 3

Uncharted 3 certainly belongs here but in a year with Crysis 2, The Witcher 2 and Battlefield 3 you can't stop wonder what blind fuckwits make up the Spike panel.

 

[ShadowsofHope]

..How the fuck did Dragon Age 2 get into the Best RPG category for nominee's, yet Witcher 2 did not?! Witcher 2 should have easily gotten both spots, despite my like (though less than) for Dragon Age 2.

Also, I would add The Old Republic to that list as well, if there was an MMO spot (yes, I'm a beta tester, I actually have an informed opinion on the game - not a fanboy). But it's still just coming out of beta for final release, so I guess that disqualifies it.

I, however, would most definitely agree with Arkham City and Skyrim being up there, naturally.

 

[Fiz_The_Toaster]

And this is why I never cared for them in the first place, and why is The Witcher 2 not in the best RGP category? That doesn't make any bloody sense!

Oh wait, never mind, I answered by own question.

I know, what's an RGP? Routine Gaming Platform? Robust Geriatric Plumbing?

Oh shit sorry, I'm sick and briefly got dumb. RPG I mean, God, I shouldn't type when I'm sick.

Robust Geriatric Plumbing is really funny though.