News
Game Developers Name Game Of The Year Nominees
Like They Know What They're Talking About
Apparently, Gamervision’s Game Of The Year isn’t official enough for some people. Those arrogant bastards – the developers – seem to think that their opinions count in the video game world. Whatever. Seriously, though, the nominees for the 8th annual GDC (Game Developers Choice) Awards were released today, and the big surprise is….no big surprises. The Game Of The Year category included just about every game you’d expect, except maybe Mass Effect and the other categories are filled with Bioshock, CoD 4, Halo 3, Assassin’s Creed, all the usuals.
Of all the game awards out there, this is probably the one with the most industry cachet, so it’s good to see that their picks are pretty much in line with ours and everyone else’s. The awards will be issued on January 20 during the 2008 Game Developers Conference, and will feature video entertainment provided by video blogger The Escapist (of Zero Punctuation fame). Here’s the nominees:
Best Game Design
BioShock
Call of Duty 4
Mass Effect
Portal
Super Mario Galaxy
Best Visual Art
Assassin's Creed
Team Fortress 2
Crysis
BioShock
Uncharted: Drake's Fortune
Best Technology
Halo 3
Crysis
Call of Duty 4
Portal
Assassin's Creed
Best Writing
Portal
God of War II
Mass Effect
Half-Life 2: Episode 2
BioShock
Best Audio
Call of Duty 4
Everyday Shooter
BioShock
God of War II
Mass Effect
Best Debut
Crackdown (Realtime Worlds)
flOw (ThatGameCompany)
The Witcher (CD Projekt)
Everyday Shooter (Queasy Games)
Aquaria (Bit Blot)
Innovation
Rock Band
Portal
flOw
Peggle
Mass Effect
Best Handheld Game
Puzzle Quest: Challenge of The Warlords
The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass
Phase
Contra 4
Peggle (for iPod)
Best Downloadable Game
Pac-Man Championship Edition
Everyday Shooter
Peggle
Puzzle Quest: Challenge of The Warlords (XBLA version)
Flow
Game of the Year
BioShock
Call of Duty 4
Portal
Rock Band
Super Mario Galaxy
Comments
Here's my predictions:
Game Design: Bioshock
Visual Art: Bioshock
Technology: Portal
Writing: Mass Effect
Audio: Call of Duty 4
Debut: flOw
Innovation: Portal
Handheld: Zelda: Phantom Hourglass (although I'll be rooting for Puzzle Quest)
Downloadable: flOw
Game of the Year: Bioshock
It's like our version of the Oscar pool. I'm willing to bet a shot of vodka for every category in which BioShock was nominated and doesn't win.
Best Game Design: Call of Duty 4
My buddy worked on this game and it was so well designed they could barely find any bugs in Alpha stages.
Best Visual Art: Bioshock
Nothing will convince me otherwise. When a game looks good enough for me to sit in the water for a good 60 seconds after the opening cinematics, waiting for the movie to continue. Nothing can beat that. And the style. God. It's awesome.
Best Technology: Crysis
Physics demo's.
Best Writing: Mass Effect
I know it's an excellent piece of work when a game can feel like a movie. I keep playing most games for the game play. I kept playing this one for the story.
Best Audio: Mass Effect
Probably the main reason Mass Effect is so immersing. Conversation was never a drag. Only elevators.
Best Debut: flOw (ThatGameCompany)
flOw stands out in this category.
Innovation: Portal
Genius design from what I hear. I haven't got to play this one myself.
Best Downloadable Game: Flow
Again, a stand out.
Best Handheld Game: The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass
Nothing else can touch this.
Game of The Year: Call of Duty 4
It looks like a solid list to me.....Bioshock and COD4 all the way....