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The finalists for the annual Game Critics’ Best of E3 Awards have been announced.   Journalists representing 36 of North America’s leading video game media outlets, ranging from game-specific websites like Kotaku to mainstream magazines like Newsweek, have voted on the games that were playable at the summit and come up with nominees for 15 categories.  Among the finalists, Sony’s much-maligned LittleBigPlanet claimed the most nominations with five.  Left4Dead and Gears of War 2 finished close behind, each with four nods, and Mirror’s Edge, Resistance 2, Spore and Fallout 3 garnered three nominations apiece.

I wish I got to vote on these, because there are a lot of choices here that I just can’t agree with.  Mirror’s Edge as best game?  The demo was cool, and deserves to be nominated for “Best Original Game” but there are at least three games I’d put ahead of it for the “Best of Show” award, including Left4Dead, Star Wars: The Force Unleashed and Resident Evil 5.  And nominating Tomb Raider: Underworld for anything at all seems just this side of ridiculous.  Regardless, EA is the real winner here, with a staggering 21 nominations overall, blowing away second place Sony Computer Entertainment and third place Microsoft, with 11 and 7 nods, respectively, as well as further illustrating the publisher’s newfound commitment to quality titles.  (Yeah, that’s right haters, I said it.)  Take a look at the nominees and chime in with who you think got snubbed.  The winners will be announced August 5, so stay tuned for our coverage of the results.

Best of Show
- Fallout 3
- Gears of War 2
- LittleBigPlanet
- Mirror’s Edge
- Spore

Best Original Game
- Flower
- Left 4 Dead
- Little Big Planet
- Mirror’s Edge
- Spore

Best Console Game
- Fallout 3
- Gears of War 2
- LittleBigPlanet
- Resistance 2
- Resident Evil 5

Best Handheld Game
- Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia
- Chrono Trigger DS
- Puzzle Quest: Galactrix
- Resistance: Retribution
- Rhythm Heaven

Best PC Game
- Dragon Age: Origins
- Left 4 Dead
- Spore
- Warhammer 40000: Dawn of War II
- Warhammer Online

Best Hardware
- Lips Microphone
- Rock Band 2 Ion “Drum Rocker” Set
- Wii MotionPlus

Best Action Game
- Far Cry 2
- Gears of War 2
- Left 4 Dead
- Mirror’s Edge
- Resistance 2

Best Action/Adventure Game
- Dead Space
- Prince of Persia
- Resident Evil 5
- Star Wars: The Force Unleashed
- Tomb Raider: Underworld

Best Role Playing Game
- Chrono Trigger DS
- Dragon Age: Origins
- Fable 2
- Fallout 3
- Sonic Chronicles: The Dark Brotherhood

Best Fighting Game
- Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe
- Soul Calibur IV
- Street Fighter IV
- Super Street Fighter II Turbo HD Remix

Best Racing Game
- Baja: Edge of Control
- Midnight Club: Los Angeles
- MotorStorm: Pacific Rift
- Pure

Best Sports Game
- Madden NFL 09
- NBA Live 09
- Shaun White Snowboarding
- Skate It
- Tiger Woods PGA TOUR 09

Best Strategy Game
- Command and Conquer: Red Alert 3
- Empire: Total War
- Halo Wars
- Tom Clancy’s EndWar
- Warhammer 40000: Dawn of War II

Best Social/Casual/Puzzle Game
- Guitar Hero World Tour
- Lego Batman: The Videogame
- LittleBigPlanet
- Rock Band 2
- Wii Sports Resort

Best Online Multiplayer Game
- Gears of War 2
- Left 4 Dead
- LittleBigPlanet
- Resistance 2
- Rock Band 2

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