There was plenty to see Saturday night during Spike TV’s Video Game Awards (including Felicia Day playing live action Fruit Ninja with a katana). With plenty of games announced and new trailers shown we’ll be seeing the fallout from the show for some time to come. But if you’re just really wondering who won the best soundtrack or game of the year, here’s your place for those facts. The winner is in bold; where I have a strong opinion otherwise I’ve indicated my own pick in italics.
Game of the Year:
Batman: Arkham City
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword
Portal 2
Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception
Studio of the Year:
Bethesda (Skyrim)
Naughty Dog (Uncharted)
Rocksteady (Arkham City)
Valve (Portal 2)
Best XBox 360 Game:
Batman: Arkham City
Forza Motorsport 4
Gears of War 3
Portal 2
Best PS3 Game:
inFamous 2
Killzone 3
Little Big Planet 2
Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception
Best Wii Game:
Epic Mickey
Kirby’s Return to Dreamland
The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword
Lost in Shadow
Best PC Game:
Battlefield 3
Minecraft
Portal 2
The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings
Best Handheld/Mobile Game:
Ghost Trick: Phantom Detective
Infinity Blade
Jetpack Joyride
Super Mario 3D Land
Best Shooter:
Battlefield 3
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3
Gear of War 3
Rage
Best Action/Adventure:
Assassins’ Creed: Revelations
Batman: Arkham City
The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword
Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception
Best RPG:
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
Dark Souls
Deus Ex: Human Revolution
Dragon Age II
Best Multiplayer:
Battlefield 3
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3
Gear of War 3
Portal 2
Best Individual Sports Game:
Fight Night Champion
Tiger Woods PGA Tour 12: The Masters
Top Spin 4
Virtua Tennis 4
Best Team Sports Game:
FIFA Soccer 12
MLB ’11: The Show
NBA 2K12
NHL ’12
Best Driving Game:
Dirt 3
Driver: San Francisco
Forza Motorsport 4
Need for Speed: The Run
Best Fighting Game:
The King of Fighters XIII
Marvel vs. Capcom 3: The Fate of Two Worlds
Mortal Kombat
WWE All Stars
Best Motion Game:
Child of Eden
Dance Central 2
The Gunstringer
The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword
Best Independent Game:
Bastion
The Binding of Isaac
Minecraft
Superbrothers: Sword and Sorcery EP
Best Adapted Video Game:
Back to the Future: The Game
Batman: Arkham City
Captain America: Super Soldier
LEGO Star Wars III: The Clone Wars
Best Song in a Game:
Build That Wall (Zia’s Theme) by Darren Korb (Bastion)
Exile Vilify by The National (Portal 2)
I’m Not Calling You a Liar by Florence + The Machine (Dragon Age II)
Setting Sail, Coming Home (End Theme) by Darren Korb (Bastion)
Want You Gone by Jonathan Coulton (Portal 2)
Best Original Score:
Batman: Arkham City
Bastion
Deus Ex: Human Revolution
Portal 2
Best Graphics:
Batman: Arkham City
L.A. Noire
Rage
Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception
Best Male Performance:
J.K. Simmons as Cave Johnson (Portal 2)
Mark Hamill as The Joker (Batman: Arkham City)
Nolan North as Nathan Drake (Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception)
Stephen Merchant as Wheatley (Portal 2)
Best Female Performance:
Claudia Black as Chloe Frazer (Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception)
Ellen McLain as Glados (Portal 2)
Emily Rose as Elena Fisher (Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception)
Tara Strong as Harley Quinn (Batman: Arkham City)
Best Downloadable Game:
Bastion
Insanely Twisted Shadow Planet
Stacking
Trenched
Best DLC:
Fallout: New Vegas – Old World Blues
Mass Effect 2 – Arrival
Mortal Kombat – Freddy Krueger
Portal 2 – Peer Review
There were also four categories voted by the fans.
Who should be on the cover of NFL Blitz?
Ray Rice
Roddy White
Patrick Willis
Character of the Year:
Nathan Drake (Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception)
Marcus Fenix (Gears of War 3)
The Joker (Batman: Arkham City)
Wheatley (Portal 2)
Most Anticipated Game of 2012:
Bioshock: Infinite
Diablo 3
Halo 4
The Last Guardian
Mass Effect 3
Best Trailer:
Assassins’ Creed: Revelations
Batman: Arkham City
Dark Souls
Dead Island
Deus Ex: Human Revolution
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
Hitman: Absolution
Prey 2
Tomb Raider
Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception
I have a few contentions with the list, but the winners are definitely exceptional games in a very exceptional year.
My first quibble, shouldn’t Best XBox 360 Game have gone to an exclusive? All of the PS3 and Wii nominees are exclusive to those system and the winner was a strong candidate for the top prize. Only two of the four in 360’s category were only playable on that console. Best PC gets a pass with this gripe simply because PC-exclusive gaming has become such a niche market with the consoles becoming family entertainment hubs, not just gaming devices.
However, that brings me to my second quibble. Portal 2 was one of my favorite games this year but Minecraft got robbed. It’s obvious to me that Spike was just trying to get Valve some kind of prize for their amazingness. And they deserve a prize, just not this one. What they should have received was Developer of the Year. After all, they didn’t win Game of the Year, but their sequel really progressed from the original game and added lots of new elements – not to mention tremendous writing, excellent voice performances, and a general growth for the franchise. It was a big step forward. Bethesda, on the other hand, just made yet another iteration (a really remarkable one, don’t get me wrong) on their already broken engine. Skyrim is huge and has good additions but…
My last quibble, the Game of the Year had to be patched quickly because of so many rampant glitches. Yet the patch somehow made it worse. Bethesda has made a fantastic game with Skyrim, they just forgot to make it playable. Even if we allow the possibility of greatness to give it Game of the Year, they certainly didn’t earn Developer of the Year.