Last year’s VGA was an abomination and the year before that it was the same thing. I stopped watching MTV as well as it’s corny Movie and Music Award Shows to avoid the putrid that is celebrity humor but only to have it’s presence at the Video Game Awards. I had to stop watching even that for one year. However, I still like to give the benefit of the doubt and I’m glad I did this year because the nominees and categories are pretty good.
I am not sure how winners are picked for the VGAs but here’s to hoping more categories having a longer stage time then last year’s 10-second announcement.
Categories
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 Game Studios
Naughty Dog
Rocksteady Studios
Valve
Best Xbox 360 Game
Batman: Arkham City
Forza Motorsport 4
Gears of War 3
Portal 2
Best PS3 Game
inFAMOUS 2
Killzone 3
LittleBigPlanet 2
Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception
Best Wii Game
Disney’s Epic Mickey
Kirby’s Return to Dream Land
Lost in Shadow
The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword
Best PC Game
Battlefield 3
Minecraft
The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings
Portal 2
Best Handheld/Mobile Game
Ghost Trick: Phantom Device
Infinity Blade
Super Mario 3D Land
Jetpack Joyride
Best Shooter
Battlefield 3
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3
Gears of War 3
RAGE
Best Action/Adventure Game
Assassin’s Creed: Revelations
Batman: Arkham City
The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword
Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception
Best RPG
Dark Souls
Deus Ex: Human Revolution
Dragon Age II
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
Best Multiplayer
Battlefield 3
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3
Gears 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
NBA 2K12
NHL 12
MLB 11: The Show
Best Driving Game
DiRT 3
Driver: San Francisco
Forza Motorsport 4
Need for Speed: The Run
Best Fighting Game
The King of Fighter XIII
Marvel vs Capcom 3: Fate of Two Worlds
Mortal Kombat
WWE All Stars
Best Motion Game
Child of Eden
Dance Central 2
The Gunslinger
The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword
Best Independent Game
Bastion
Minecraft
Superbrothers: Sword and Sorcery EP
The Binding of Isaac
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 Johnathan Coulton – Portal 2
Best Original Score
Bastion
Batman: Arkham City
Deus Ex: Human Revolution
Portal 2
Best Graphics
Batman: Arkham City
LA Noire
RAGE
Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception
Best Performance by a Human Male
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 Performance by a Human Female
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
Most Anticipated Game
BioShock: Infinite
Diablo III
Halo 4
Mass Effect 3
The Last Guardian
Spike TV’s Video Game Awards premieres Saturday, December 10, 2011 at 8pm EST with host Zachary Levi as “Chuck” from the NBC show, Chuck.
I really hope this year’s award show is better than last year’s!