With this weekend's big Oscar telecast, and the upcoming Gamervision Pwny Awards, we're now seeing the beginning of the end of awards show season. Last night, the 12th annual Interactive Achievement Awards were held at the Red Rock Resort and Casino in Las Vegas. Hosted by comedian Jay Mohr, awards were given in a variety of categories, from the various game genres, to the technical highpoints.

The night's big winner was the PS3 exclusive LittleBigPlanet, which took home a whopping eight awards on ten nominations, namely those for art direction, visual engineering, outstanding character performance, outstanding innovation, game direction,  family game, console game, and overall game of the year. Being named game of the year at this particular awards show puts LBP in some fairly elite company, as past winners include some of the most impressive examples of their respective genres, including Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare (2008), Half Life 2 (2005), and The Legend of Zelda: The Ocarina of Time (1999).

If LittleBigPlanet was the night's top dog, props certainly have to be given to Jay Mohr's hosting duties. Attempting to get a comedian to translate to a gaming audience is at best a risky proposition; just ask a room full of GameStop managers who had to sit through Jamie Kennedy. During his opening monologue, Mohr managed to skewer LittleBigPlanet, saying, "It's like buying CD, plugging it in, and then having to go buy all the instruments." He went after the design lead of Epic Games, Cliff Bleszinski for dropping the "Y" from his name, "That worked well for Rick Schroder."

Here's the full list of nominees and winners from the night. 

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12th Annual Interactive Achievement Awards
(All nominees listed; winners bolded)

Family Game of the Year
-Boom Blox
-LittleBigPlanet
-Rayman Raving Rabbids TV Party
-Rock Band 2
-Wii Fit

Strategy/Simulation Game of the Year
-Advance Wars: Days of Ruin
-Command & Conquer: Red Alert 3
-Sid Meier’s Civilizations Revolution
-Sins of a Solar Empire
-Tom Clancy’s EndWar

Outstanding Achievement in Animation
-Castle Crashers
-Gears of War 2
-Left 4 Dead
-Metal Gear Solider 4: Guns of the Patriots
-Prince of Persia

Outstanding Achievement in Art Direction
-Dead Space
-Fable II
-LittleBigPlanet
-Mirror’s Edge
-Prince of Persia

Outstanding Achievement in Visual Engineering
-Gears of War
-LittleBigPlanet
-Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots
-Resistance 2
-Tomb Raider: Underworld

Outstanding Achievement in Gameplay Engineering
-Fable II
-Fallout 3
-Left 4 Dead
-Spore
-Tom Clancy’s EndWar

Outstanding Character Performanc
-Gears of War 2 - Dom
-Gears of War 2 - Marcus
-LittleBigPlanet - Sackboy
-Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots - Old Snake
-Tomb Raider: Underworld - Lara Croft

Outstanding Achievement in Story - Adapted Material
-Lego Batman: The Videogame
-Mortal Kombat Vs. DC Universe
-Naruto: The Broken Bond
-Quantum of Solace
-Star Wars: The Force Unleashed

Outstanding Achievement in Story - Original
-Brothers in Arms: Hell’s Highway
-Fable II
-Fallout 3
-Grand Theft Auto IV
-Professor Layton and the Curious Village

Role Playing Game of the Year
-Fable II
-Fallout 3
-Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Time
-Tales of Vesperia

Outstanding Innovation in Gaming
-Braid
-Left 4 Dead
-LittleBigPlanet
-Spore
-Wii Fit

Outstanding Achievement in Original Music Composition
-de Blob
-Dead Space
-Fable II
-Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots
-World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King

Outstanding Achievement in Soundtrack
-Guitar Hero: World Tour
-LittleBigPlanet
-MotorStorm: Pacific Rift
-Rock Band 2
-Singstar PS3 Vol. 1

Outstanding Achievement in Sound Design
-Dead Space
-Gears of War 2
-LittleBigPlanet
-Prince of Persia
-Wipeout HD

Computer Game of the Year
-Fallout 3
-Left 4 Dead
-Mass Effect
-Spore
-World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King

Adventure Game of the Year
-Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia
-God of War: Chains of Olympus
-Mirror’s Edge
-Naruto: The Broken Bond
-Prince of Persia

Massively Multiplayer Game of the Year
-EVE Online: Quantum Rise
-Pirates of the Burning Sea
-PMOG
-Warhammer Online; Age of Reckoning
-World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King

Sports Game of the Year
-FIFA 09
-Madden NFL 09
-MLB 08: The Show
-NBA 2K9
-NHL 09

Racing Game of the Year
-Burnout Paradise
-GRID
-Mario Kart Wii
-Motorstorm Pacific Rift
-Pure

Fighting Game of the Year
-Mortal Kombat Vs. DC Universe
-Soul Calibur IV
-Super Smash Bros. Brawl
-Super Street Fighter II: Turbo HD Remix
-WWE Smackdown Vs. Raw 2009

Outstanding Achievement in Online Gameplay
-Call of Duty: World at War
-Gears of War 2
-Left 4 Dead
-NHL 09
-Rock Band 2

Action Game of the Year
-Call of Duty: World at War
-Dead Space
-Far Cry 2
-Gears of War 2
-Grand Theft Auto IV

Handheld Game of the Year
-Advance Wars: Days of Ruin
-Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia
-God of War: Chains of Olympus
-Patapon
-Professor Layton and the Curious Village

Cellphone Game of the Year
-Reset Generation
-Spore Origins
-Trism

Casual Game of the Year
-Braid
-Mystery Case Files: Return to Ravenhurst
-Patapon
-Professor Layton and the Curious Village
-World of Goo

Outstanding Achievement in Game Design
-Fable II
-Fallout 3
-Gears of War 2
-Left 4 Dead
-World of Goo

Outstanding Achievement in Game Direction
-Fallout 3
-Gears of War 2
-Left 4 Dead
-LittleBigPlanet
-Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots

Console Game of the Year
-Fallout 3
-Gears of War 2
-Grand Theft Auto IV
-LittleBigPlanet
-Metal Gear Solid 4: Gun of the Patriots

Overall Game of the Year
-Fallout 3
-Grand Theft Auto IV
-Left 4 Dead
-LittleBigPlanet
-Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots

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[Source 1] [Source 2]

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