Mass Effect 2 Cleans Up at Canadian Videogame Awards

[Andy Chalk]

Mass Effect 2 Cleans Up at Canadian Videogame Awards

Mass Effect 2 [http://www.amazon.com/Mass-Effect-2-Xbox-360/dp/B001TORSII/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1305819777&sr=8-1] was the big winner at the 2011 Canadian Videogame Awards, taking home Game of the Year honors and three other wins.

You all know that Mass Effect is made by BioWare [http://www.bioware.com] and you all know that BioWare is based out of Edmonton, or at the very least that it's located somewhere up there in Canada. You may also know the videogame industry is a booming business in Canada, the third largest in the world, in fact, behind only the U.S. and Japan. What you may not know is that Canada also has its very own videogame awards ceremony, celebrating the very best of the Canadian game industry, but it does, but it does and last night everyone got together to hand out the hardware.

Mass Effect 2 went home with the big trophy, selected by the public as Game of the Year, and also got the nod for Best Console Game, Best Game Design and Best Writing. Deathspank [http://www.amazon.com/Assassins-Creed-Brotherhood-Xbox-360/dp/B003L8HQ7S/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1305820268&sr=8-1].

"The work on display at the ceremony tonight was world-class and illustrated once again that Canadian game developers are second to none when it comes to creating interactive entertainment!" said Canadian Videogame Awards host and co-founder Victor Lucas.

The winners list, in full:


Game of the Year: Mass Effect 2 (Bioware/Electronic Arts)
Best Console Game: Mass Effect 2 (Bioware/Electronic Arts)
Best Game on the Go: Osmos for iPad (Hemisphere Games)
Best Downloadable Game: Deathspank (Hothead Games/Electronic Arts)
Best Audio: Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood (Ubisoft Montreal)
Best Social/Casual Game: Pocket God on Facebook (Frima Studio/Bolt Creative)
Best Game Design: Mass Effect 2 (Bioware/Electronic Arts)
Best Technology: Kinect for XBOX 360 (Big Park Game Studio/Microsoft)
Best Visual Arts: Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood (Ubisoft Montreal)
Best Writing: Mass Effect 2 (Bioware/Electronic Arts)
Best Student Game: WOMP! (XnEh?/Centre for Digital Media)
Innovation Award: ModNation Racers (United Front Games/Sony Computer Entertainment)


The Best Student Game and Innovation Award were new categories for 2011, but oddly there was no separate category for PC games. The CVGA explained on Twitter [http://twitter.com/CVAwards/status/60780886160965632] that it was "super-tough" for its advisory board to select the categories but said the PC would "hopefully" make a return next year.

Source: Yahoo! Finance [http://ca.finance.yahoo.com/news/Videogame-Industry-Celebrates-cnw-2456474586.html?x=0]


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[Wolfram23]

Pff AC:B should have won not ME2. Ah well.

 

[Blondi3]

I'm commander Shepard and this is my favorite news article on the escapist

What he said.

 

[shadowmagus]

I'm commander Shepard and this is my favorite news article on the escapist

Think this pretty much sums things up.

 

[Onyx Oblivion]

I dunno about writing, New Vegas seems better in that regard, imo. It's just that the Gamebryo engine naturally hamper delivery.

And maybe Alan Wake...

 

[shadowmagus]

Except Bethesda is an America-based company, and this for an award for Canadian-based games.

 

[Armored Prayer]

Bah, This entire list looks boring to me. Only two big name games, one big name newcomer, and a bunch of indies. Needs more variety.

Still congrats to all the winners.

Edit: Oh wait, its for developers located in Canada. OK now I get it.

 

[Keith K]

Bah, This entire list looks boring to me. Only two big name games, one big name newcomer, and a bunch of indies. Needs more variety.

Still congrats to all the winners.

As stated above you, this is only a pool of Canadian made games... and Kinect for some reason. It stands to reason that there will be only 2 big name games with only 2 big name publishers in the country. EA and Ubisoft have a huge advantage by having big budgets behind them.

Considering the small number of awards and the competition from those 2 big games, I'd say the variety is pleasantly wide. And these are just the winners, not the nominations.

Of course there's tonnes of other great stuff coming out of Canada, but only so much comes out in any given year.

EDIT: Bah! Retconned. Well, you get the idea anyway

 

[Still Life]

Big surprise there Amnesia was my GOTY for 2010, however ME2 was close behind. Hopefully this success will spur Bioware to greater heights with ME3.

 

[CosmicCommander]

BioWare's weakest game is BioWare's greatest success. Excellent.

 

[pokepuke]

I like that Osmos is getting recognition, since the game is amazing. I played it on the PC, so not really "on the go", and either way it is beautifully rendered and quite the interesting challenge.

 

[GrizzlerBorno]

I dunno about writing, New Vegas seems better in that regard, imo. It's just that the Gamebryo engine naturally hamper delivery.

And maybe Alan Wake...

This is for Canadian companies only. Bethesda is American, I think.

OT: Kinda late on the GOTY train isn't it. I mean, June is just around the corner. Or does Canada work on some special "slow time". That explains why Bioware games are ALWAYS delayed, I suppose.

 

[Abedeus]

BioWare's weakest game is BioWare's greatest success. Excellent.

I believe you are mistaken. In your opinion maybe that is their weakest game.

But just a quick look at Wikipedia says your opinion is not shared by the majority. The game holds a 95% average rating on all platforms, and you know what it means? That there are more 100% and 10/10 and 5/5 and A's than there are 90%, 9/10 and B+'s.

That's probably one of their BEST games.

Dragon Age II is probably their worst PC/console game to day. And by "the worst" I mean only 80% average. Because Mass Effect Galaxies is still worse.


Also: DEATHSPAAANK WOOOOOO DEAAATHSPAAAAANK

 

[CosmicCommander]

I believe you are mistaken. In your opinion maybe that is their weakest game.

Is it bad that I note a contradiction there?

But just a quick look at Wikipedia says your opinion is not shared by the majority. The game holds a 95% average rating on all platforms, and you know what it means? That there are more 100% and 10/10 and 5/5 and A's than there are 90%, 9/10 and B+'s.

Once more we fall into the trap of considering Game Reviewers to be a majority, and taking numerical scores for objective fact. You do realise how many reviewers are on the payrolls of major publishers like EA? And how little a chance most of them had to make a completely objective, in-depth assessment of it?

And in the end, remember those immortal words- "What is popular is not always good."

That's probably one of their BEST games.

I love it when people condense entertainment and art into numbers, and use said numbers to disregard other opinions.

In my eyes, the plot was weak, filled with holes, and buffed out by character missions that had no relevance to the plot. Shepherd never developed at all as a character, there was no opportunity for Role-Play, and the antagonistic force was contrived. I'd also take issue with the themes and allies being both shallow and disregarding the depth and ideas of the first game.

Dragon Age II is probably their worst PC/console game to day. And by "the worst" I mean only 80% average.

The only valid judgement is one's own, not refurbished opinions that have been rehashed and averaged up by Metacritic.

Because Mass Effect Galaxies is still worse.

Because it's numbers were lower? Darn.

 

[Grey_Focks]

Hmm, some people seem upset by this news.

http://www.darkintel.org/altron/shepdwi.jpg

anywho, yay, I suppose. Seems to have taken them a while, it is May after all, but hey, maybe they were just busy....doing Canadian stuff. Like playing hockey, making maple syrup, and giving birth to Nathan Fillion. All worthwhile activities.

 

[MajoraPersona]

I'm commander Shepard and this is my favorite news article on the escapist

Enough said.

 

[BrotherRool]

I agree with the Best Game awards but I'm undecided on the Best Writing one. Character writing was top-notch, the story itself was the bad standard video game affair.

 

[The.Bard]

Because Mass Effect Galaxies is still worse.

I can't find it now, but I know I read some article when Galaxy came out saying that Bioware was not directly involved in developing it, but that the EA mobile team was. Either way you slice it, though, yes, by far the worst game with their name on it that I've ever seen. Story was still good, though.