Spike TV’s VGA awards ceremony is still something of a joke, but it’s the closest thing gamers have to the Oscars, so as much as we may not like it, it’s still relevant.  The nominees for all 26 categories were announced today, with Mass Effect 2 receiving the most nominations, ten.

Red Dead Redemption comes in second, with nine nominations, while Call of Duty: Black Ops and Halo: Reach each garnered seven nods.  For the second year in a row, the nominees are actually pretty solid, with some inspired selections, like Costume Quest’s nomination for best downloadable game, and Transformers: War for Cybertron’s nod for best adapted game.  If only Spike could put together a show that didn’t patronize gamers and revel in bad stereotypes and sexism, it might be worth watching.

Here’s the full list of nominees:

 

Game of the Year

Call of Duty: Black Ops
God of War III
Halo: Reach
Mass Effect 2
Red Dead Redemption

Studio of the Year

Bioware
Blizzard Entertainment
Bungie Studios
Rockstar San Diego

Best Xbox 360 Game

Alan Wake
Fable III
Halo: Reach
Mass Effect 2

Best PS3 Game

God of War III
Heavy Rain
Modnation Racers
Red Dead Redemption

Best Wii Game

Donkey Kong Country Returns
Kirby's Epic Yarn
Metroid: Other M
Super Mario Galaxy 2

Best PC Game

Fallout: New Vegas
Mass Effect 2
Sid Meier's Civilization V
Starcraft II: Wings of Liberty

Best Handheld Game

God of War: Ghost of Sparta
Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker
Professor Layton and the Unwound Future
Super Scribblenauts

Best Shooter

Battlefield: Bad Company 2
Bioshock 2
Call of Duty: Black Ops
Halo: Reach

Best Action Adventure Game

Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood
God of War III
Red Dead Redemption
Super Mario Galaxy 2

Best RPG

Fable III
Fallout: New Vegas
Final Fantasy XIII
Mass Effect 2

Best Multiplayer

Battlefield: Bad Company 2
Call of Duty: Black Ops
Halo: Reach
Starcraft II: Wings of Liberty

Best Individual Sports Game

EA Sports MMA
Shaun White Skateboarding
Tiger Woods PGA Tour 11
UFC Undisputed 2010

Best Team Sports Game

FIFA Soccer 11
Madden NFL 11
NBA 2K11
MLB 10: The Show

Best Driving Game

Blur
Modnation Racers
Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit
Split/Second

Best Music Game

Dance Central
DJ Hero 2
Def Jam Rapstar
Rock Band 3

Best Soundtrack

Def Jam Rapstar
DJ Hero 2
Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock
Rock Band 3

Best Song in a Game

Basket Case - Green Day
Black Rain - Soundgarden
Far Away - Jose Gonzalez
Goldeneye - Nicole Scherzinger
Won't Back Down -Eminem
Replay / Rude Boy Mashup - Iyaz and Rihanna

Best Original Score

God of War III
Halo: Reach
Mass Effect 2
Red Dead Redemption

Best Graphics

God of War III
Heavy Rain
Kirby's Epic Yarn
Red Dead Redemption

Best Adapted Video Game

LEGO Harry Potter: Years 1 - 4
Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World: The Game
Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions
Star Wars: The Force Unleashed II
Transformers: War for Cybertron

Best Performance by a Human Male

Daniel Craig as James Bond in Blood Stone 007
Gary Oldman as Sgt Reznov in Call of Duty: Black Ops
John Cleese as Jasper in Fable III
Martin Sheen as Illusive Man in Mass Effect 2
Nathan Fillion as Sergeant Edward Buck in Halo: Reach
Neil Patrick Harris as Peter Parker in Amazing Spider-Man
Rob Wiethoff as John Marston in Red Dead Redemption
Sam Worthington as Alex Mason in Call of Duty: Black Ops

Best Performance by a Human Female

Dame Judi Dench as M in Blood Stone 007
Danica Patrick as herself in Blur
Emmanuelle Chriqui as the Numbers Lady in Call of Duty: Black Ops
Felicia Day as Veronica in Fallout: New Vegas
Jennifer Hale as Commander Sheppard in Mass Effect 2
Kristen Bell as Lucy Stillman in Assassin's Creed Botherhood
Tricia Helfer as Sarah Kerrigan in Starcraft II: Wings of Liberty
Yvonne Strahovski as Miranda Lawson in Mass Effect 2

Best Downloadable Game

Costume Quest
Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light
Monday Night Combat
Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World: The Game

Best DLC

Bioshock 2: Minerva's Den
Borderlands: The Secret Armory of General Knoxx
Mass Effect 2: Lair of the Shadow Broker
Red Dead Redemption Undead Nightmare

Best Independent Game

Joe Danger
Limbo
Super Meat Boy
Misadventures of P.B. Winterbottom

Most Anticipated Game

Batman: Arkham City
Bioshock: Infinite
Gears of War 3
Portal 2