2011 VGAs – all nominees announced

Spike TV has finally announced all nominees for the 2011 VGAs, including "Best Graphics" and "Studio of the Year".

[xtheownerzx]

Nice a lot of good candidates. some questionable ones though for certain categories.

[Bleucrunch]

Yes I agree, for one if their is a category for best 360 game....shouldn't it be only games that are only available on the 360??

The Studio of the Year will be VERY interesting because all of these developers made some killer titles and they all deserve it....but SKYRIM man....Oh SKYRIM man!

[piroh]

amen

[fluffydelusions]

Skyrim will definitely win a lot. Probably GOTY too. Well deserved as well IMO.

[sofocado]

Best Graphics = RAGE

[Iroquois_Pliskin]

@sofocado

Can i have some of that stuff youre smoking?

[Ch1d0r1]

@Iroquois_Pliskin Are you sure you want to be that stupid?

[Trekster_Gamer]

sofocado you really should take off those RAGE colored glasses.

Rage should win in one catagory if it existed.

"Game Most Pretty Until you get close and notice there is ugliness everywhere!"

Rage would win that hands down!

[Bleucrunch]

lmao hilarious....just Hilarious...

[clrlite]

Of course! They might as well nominate Skyrim for best PS3 game, but they won't because $ :D Award shows are generally full of politics and I doubt this one is any different. Not really sure if I'll be watching yet.

[Skip_Bayless]

Lol at the "best xbox 360 game". Spike sure had a hard time finding a xbox 360 game nominees when two of the nominees aren't even xbox 360 exclusive. Obviously it's gonna go to Gears of War 3 because by principle it's the only worthwhile exclusive. But Batman technically is the better game compared to Gears 3. And also Portal 2's not too shabby 94% aggregate score compared to Gears 91% aggregate score.

[mikeslemonade]

Game of the Year is stacked. It can really go to any of those five nominees. It's like you have Aaron Rodgers, Tom Brady, Lebron James, Kevin Durant, and Derrick Rose. Who is the best of the year!?

Skyrim has the aggregate score advantage but not by much. The difference is so slim that you almost can't go by scores alone. Just because a certain game got two less 10s or 9.5s doesn't mean it's been ruled out of contention.

[MysticStrummer]

sofocado has to be joking... right?

[HD_GAMER1989]

i have one question why isnt killzone 3 in the best fps category. and wtf is rage doing in it.

so mw3 is seen as a better fps then killzone 3??. i guess nubes really appreciate their killstreaks that get more kills then they do most of the time. facepalm

[Commander_TK]

The people who think that Uncharted 3 has a shit on the PC version of Rage, let alone any PC game, must really lay off the crystal meth.

[buddymagoo]

I can't believe Skyrim gets a free pass for being so glitchy. No game should be allowed to be game of the year with this many glitches. It leads to sloppy development.
http://n4g.com/news/889010/...

[Philoctetes]

"for one if their is a category for best 360 game....shouldn't it be only games that are only available on the 360??"

That's what happens when you don't produce exclusives.

[Boody-Bandit]

Zelda is nominated for best action adventure game.
Isn't it an RPG?

COD MW3 is nominated for shooter of the year but Killzone 3 isn't nominated? (Popularity does not equate to quality)

Multiplat titles are listed for best XBox 360 title. Why not just list Exclusives and give kudos to those that deserve it?

Spike needs to create a best multiplat category.

Best driving game, NFS The Run and Driver: Sanfransico are listed. Does Spike know there is this format called a PC and a couple top tier racing games were released in 2011 that are heads and shoulders better than the trash that is NFS:TR & D:S.

Best graphics LA Noire & Rage but no Skyrim, really? I have seen / played them all and that is plain ridiculous.

About the only catergory I dont have complaints with is GOTY.

[princejb134]

competition is fierce, i was looking the list and couldn't decided the best of each category cause their that good, good luck to each studio and game

im kinda mad they added the captain america game in there against batman arkham city

[TheXgamerLive]

I don't seen Gears of War 3, huge mistake, otherwise a nice list. Crysis 2 also a miss on their part.

skyrim isn't GOTY material, there's too many bugs, yet yes it's a very very good game. People will whine over that but it's true and especially getting the vampirism removed, huge mistakes. oh well. lvl system is also flawed.

[-Alpha]

It just didn't make the cut. Looking at those GOTY contenders I can see why

I would nominate GeoW3 for best graphics over L.A. Noire though, I assume a lot of the reason behind that nomination had to do with the face tech

As for Skyrim: You must consider the game as a whole and realize a game of that caliber is going to have some bugs that will seep through. It's not like Uncharted 3 or Gears where the whole experience is highly linear in comparison and lacks depth outside of the main story

That said, I personally see GOTY going to a highly polished linear game over an open world game like Skyrim simply because it's more consistent in presentation. I am so happy to see Portal 2 nominated, that game deserves the win as much as the rest of them

[Kingdom Come]

Alpha, have you even played Gears of War 3? And if so have you played online? It's just I vaguely remember you saying you couldn't for some reason get on the beta and I was wondering if you even purchased the game. Gears of War 3 is a HUGE contender for GOTY. It received a multitude of perfect scores and was handed unfortunately to Jim Sterling for the Destructoid review. It currently along with Dark Souls sits as Gamespot's highest reviewed game of the year.

And if you think L.A Noire and Batman deserve nominations for best graphics over it then you are clearly blind...

[-Alpha]

No I have never played, I'm just saying that it's not hard to see why it wasn't on there: the other contenders were apparently more valued

[Kingdom Come]

Then I'm sorry but you can't provide a fair assessment as to whether Gears of War 3 is a GOTY Contender. Too many people are reliant on Metacritic on this site, yet unless a review is posted in positive light to their preferred game, they dismiss it. GOTY is personal opinion. VGA's are targeted at creatin positive feedback from the viewers and to establish more viewers. In the past te VGA's have been criticised for being too Xbox friendly, if this speculation continued the Sony Market would stop watching.

I'm sorry Alpha, but you need to experience this game. It is DEFINETLY worthy of GOTY...

[Gam3rSinceBiRTH]

Yeah Gears of War 3 is definitely a GOTY contender. I enjoyed it much more than Uncharted 3. The HORDE mode keeps me coming back.

But SKYRIM should easily win it. If it doesn't, than the powers to be don't know anything about what constitutes a GOTY. The difference between SKYRIM vs. Uncharted 3, Portal 2, Gears of War 3, Batman, etc... is HUGE! It's not even close.

[JeffGUNZ]

@ Alpha

In about 2-3 years I think we have always agreed, but not this time. Gears of War 3 is great. Sure, I think Skyrim will win, but Gears of War 3 is a blast in every aspect. How can you say it doesn't make the cut when you haven't played it?

I do have to admit, I am quickly growing tired of Gears 3 and plan to pick up MW3 soon. The MP is fun and all, but I have noticed in the last month or two that the dedicated servers are down more then they are up, which is annoying.

[TheXgamerLive]

La Noire and Batman were graphically good games, not great. Rage has the years best graphics.
Especially LA Noire, the facial animations were excellent however the graphics were just "good" not great and most definately not Best graphics or even GOTY material. This was a crazy choice.

Gears 3 in every catageory was highly polished and incredible to play and even view.

Skyrim being just released, they would need to patch this game before I would of presented it as a GOTY contender. They had skyrim in their list before it was even release based on name sake alone.

Highly unprofessional and without merit was this done. This years VGA's are smeared unless rectified.

[vasilisk]

Best Adapted Video Game

Batman: Arkham City

Best Original Game

Batman: Arkham City

How can a game be on both categories? It's either adapted or original, can't be both...

[Pandamobile]

The best graphics category is pretty laughable considering they left out the three best looking games of the year... Namely BF3, Crysis 2 and The Witcher 2.

[Bleucrunch]

Witcher 2 is just pure sexiness man...smh who is in charge of the candidates.....we gamers need to interject.

[LOGICWINS]

What we need is gamers supporting games they like with their dollars. Buying games supports this industry, worrying about how the VGAs coincide with our opinions doesn't.

[caboose32]

And of course most people will hit the disagree button because most havent played it.

That's a shame because it really is one of the best looking games I have ever seen.

And I'm kind of upset they didn't add Shogun 2: Total war. It's one of my favorite RTS games in a long time.

[RedDead]

Yeah...VGA's though. Never get anything right

[Dac2u]

@Pandamobile: I completely agree.

Though, I liked the game, I can't believe LA Noire is on the list for best graphics. Personally, I thought the graphics were pretty bad by today's standards, the facial animations were great, but the graphics looked weird to me.

[mandf]

LA Noire should have gotten tech award nominee but not graphics. Killzone3 should have gotten the award beacause it's native 720p and has a stable framerate throughout the game.

[mandf]

LA Noire should have gotten tech award nominee but not graphics. Killzone3 should have gotten the award because it's native 720p and has a stable framerate throughout the game.

[death2smoochie]

They should have best graphic category for consoles and the PC.
The very fact Crysis 2, BF3 and The Wicther 2 for the PC is not on the list for best graphics is laughable at best as those are the best looking games out this year bar none. Those games on a PC look better than any console game.
It seems they just listed console games for best graphics. What's new....

[Kingdom Come]

*Looks at Disagrees for Pandamobile's Comment*
So, people consider Batman: Arkham City's graphics to match those of Gears of War 3, Battlefield 3, Crysis 2, Witcher 2 and such?

I mean, damn, I'd say Batman's on par with Call of Duty Modern Warfare 3 in the graphics department...

Slightly off topic: The funny thing is, Gears of War 3 will beat Batman Arkham City to "Best Xbox 360 Game", confirming it to be a better game than Batman, and yet its not up for GOTY. The VGA's are just trying to satisfy the PS3 fans who have criticised them for being allegedly biased in the past and overly thank Rocksteady for the exclusive reveal of Arkham City last year...

[BigShotSmoov007]

Totally agree with that. The Witcher 2 on a high end PC is just gorgeous, how you leave that out. Plus Crysis 2 on consoles to me is still the best looking game I've seen and on consoles running on DX11 is just banana's. Plus how the hell do you leave BF3 out, really, Really REALLLY?

[Mohdunknown]

WTF is Epic Mickey doing on that list??? Isn't that 2010?

[Evildoomnerd]

However, many Award shows have cut off dates, and since Epic Mickey was released in November 2010, the nominations board probably bumped it for next year. Then again, Skyward Sword is a nominee, so thats a bit perplexing.

[Dark-vash]

So... Where's Xenoblade then? probably the best RPG this gen and no where to be seen! oh... w8... Are those for us released games only?

[The Great Melon]

\begin rant

I really wish they would put Xenoblade on the list and make sure it wins a bunch of awards to kick Nintendo in the a$$ for being so obstinate. I will likely import that game within the next month from the UK if I don't hear any word from Nintendo.

The same goes for The Last Story. Why would you NOT bring games over to the US if they have or will be localized for other English speaking countries.

\facepalm

It is times like this that I am proud to have hacked my Wii, so I can enjoy games that Nintendo would otherwise prevent me from playing by use of the prison known as region locking.

Quit treating your fans like trash Nintendo of America.

\rant off

[Ch1d0r1]

Might of been one of those December games, they usually fall into a black hole and never get in. Kinda like GT5, if i recall it didn't get nominated last year and this year, came out late Nov. 2010.

[FighterJoe]

Exactly, it fell into the black hole and didn't have a chance, if Epic Mickey got nominated then GT5 should have too, it could have been eligible for a few of the categories.

[akaFullMetal]

Kind of laughable that some of the 360's best games are multiplatform games.

[LOGICWINS]

It's kind of laughable that you take the VGAs seriously. It started being a joke since 09' when Jersey Shore castmembers presented an award.... and when AC2 beat out UC2 for best Action/Adventure, yet somehow UC2 won GOTY even though AC2 was voted to be a better Action/Adventure game.

[piroh]

i smell hatred against PS3 in you

i think VGAs are more respected than you

[ZippyZapper]

Jersey Shore castmembers go to the VGA's? LoL that's some funny sh!t. Can't get anymore white trash than that. :0

[LOGICWINS]

"i smell hatred against PS3 in you"

?????

[StrongMan]

You mad, bro?

[shoestring]

It's believed that only AC2 won action/adventure only because UC2 had already won damn near EVERYTHING else expect the nobel peace prize that year so they was being very generous towards AC2 (Which don't get me wrong was a great game by the way)

[perdie]

Thats because the 360 had like 2 exclusives, real talk

[Gam3rSinceBiRTH]

Infamous 2 and Kz3 are pretty average. If we're talking about "BEST" games than Batman and Portal 2 should easily bump Infamous 2 and KZ3.

I think that they added Infamous 2 in that list is laughable.

[AntiTroll]

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

Best Wii Game

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
Portal 2

Best Action Adventure Game

Assassin’s Creed: Revelations
Batman: Arkham City
The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword
Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception

[DonaldBeck]

looks like uncharted is claiming victory again

[_Aarix_]

@donoldbeck
to you cause your a fanboy.

[MysticStrummer]

No Dark Souls = Failed List

I'm playing the hell out of Skyrim and loving it, but it's second to Dark Souls for me. Portal 2 would get third and Uncharted 3 would get fourth if I was Lord of the Awards. All amazing games though. Haven't played Batman: Arkham City yet but I intend to eventually.

[HK6]

If MW3 wins Best FPS or Best Multiplayer we will know who helped pay for half of the event.

[Ch1d0r1]

Who ever owns MTV?

[mobijoker]

How come DA2 is in rpg of the year while witcher2 is not......

[Pandamobile]

Because everyone on the VGA board has a case of the downs.

[Simon_Brezhnev]

Yeah your right. Witcher 2 should also be nominated for GOTY. I say take off Batman: Arkham City and give Witcher 2 that spot.

[nycredude]

I still am perplexed as to why the witcher series is so underrated.

[BitbyDeath]

Probably cause it hasn't hit consoles so many people do not know about it.

[BigShotSmoov007]

Thats because gamers don't pick the titles for this award show, the "suits" in the corporate office does and they'll ONLY pick games that they've heard of. Real gamers now about the witcher serious and thats real talk.

[NeoBasch]

Probably because The Witcher 2 only came out for the PC, while Dragon Age 2 came out for the PC, Xbox 360, and PS3. When taken to a committee to vote on, guess which one the PS3 and 360 editors and journalists will vote for.

[caboose32]

It's fine, I'm sure The Witcher 2 will win many more awards over seas in Europe since it's much more popular and recognized over there.

The VGA's is just like one giant advertisement and most of the people in charge of it don't even know what video games are.

[pr0digyZA]

Yeah that really is a shocker, was expecting it to atleast get nominated in rpg of the year instead of dragon age 2, and best graphics instead of L.A Noire.

[Ch1d0r1]

Because a PC game would win, also for best graphics. Put in a PC game for best graphics and consoles wouldn't have a chance.

[gotgame1985]

They aren't giving gears any love it's only in one nomination
it should be in game of the year and best graphics nomination
how do they but bat man in both these nominations and not gears. hell uncharted three wasn't all that it was basically the same thing just a different story and better graphics, Yet it gets treated like it really has done something ground breaking. by the way I'm not taking any thing away from batman, I'm just saying both these games use the same engine so how is one nominated for best graphics and the other not. I can understand game of the year cause that has to do with game play, but graphics BS.

[Hicken]

So why isn't your gripe with Batman, then, instead of with Uncharted? Why even bring up Uncharted?

[gotgame1985]

because uncharted is not that much better looking then gears, and the game play in both these games are more of the same from their last games. so how can they justify putting one in game of the year nomination and not the other. What was so much better in uncharted then in gears? when you really take a look at it uncharted i will say the only thing that was really better than gears was the story, but now both games stories are pretty good uncharted 3s a little better. and i don,t have a gripe with uncharted, i would think it would be unfair if it was not nominated as well. bottom line is you can't give the biggest games of the year love and not include one of the biggest.

[NeoBasch]

So if I played Uncharted 3 for you so that you might better appreciate the action, direction, and set pieces, you're telling me you couldn't see why it was nominated over Gears of War 3... really? REALLY now? really? o_O

[Strange_Evil]

The reason is Uncharted 3 at least had a decent story and great Set pieces which were leagues better than Gears 3. You can debate that MP is equal on both, but no way in hell was the Single Player of Gears 3 even in the same league as UC3.

A lot of these awards focus on the story. That is why UC2 won it in 2009 and MW2 didn't even though the MP on MW2 was played by more than 20 million people.

Also, even graphically, UC3 on consoles is unmatched. Gears 3 was an upgrade, but the animation of UC3 and the sand levels blows anything away on consoles. Plus, the set pieces in UC3 leave a mark on people, something the Gears 3 story doesn't leave... That is why probably even this year UC3 will take the podium as GOTY.

[_Aarix_]

Okay you give uncarted WAY to much credt compared to gears.

Gears MP is miles and miles better than uncharted 3.

Gears of war story was almost amazing but not as god as uncharteds i'll admit.

Graphically, well gears of war 3 looks as good as uncharted and better in some aspects. Calling them "unmatched" is stupid because no multiplatform game looks as good as gears.

The story in gears leaves what you call "set pieces" too. Millions of its fan were satisfied with the story.

Overall, I felt gears of war 3 was better in terms of gameplay and multiplayer. But don't diss the graphics and story either.

Uncharted 3 is a masterpiece at storytelling and the overall experience is simply incredible. I just wish it wouldve lasted longer for me

[Hicken]

The multiplayer is miles better? That's very subjective. I'd rather play Uncharted's multiplayer than that of Gears any day. And I do.

The graphics really aren't on the same level. At first glance? Maybe. Until you realize that nearly everything rendered in Uncharted is something you can interact with. Until you realize there's nothing like the desert or ocean scenes of Uncharted. They may seem like small things, but being able to realistically render these things and still make it all look as good as the rest of the game- which is AT LEAST on the level of Gears, according to some- takes the cake.

How many bottles did you grab to smash over someone's head? For that matter, how many fish?

[SonyNGP]

Really?

Epic Mickey?
Dragon Age 2 instead of Witcher 2?
L.A Noire instead of Battlefield 3?

REALLY!?

[kaveti6616]

L.A. Noire instead of BF3?

Yeah.

[NeoBasch]

Am I the only person that believes LA Noire deserves the nomination? I mean, yes there's the Witcher 2, and yes there's Skyrim. Hell there's Dead Space 2, Crysis 2, and even Gran Turismo 5. But something about the environments clicked for me. It was like I was taking a stroll through downtown LA in the 1940's.

And I know a lot of people give the game flak for it's notorious lopsided animations (reading faces versus body language) but the animations were only bad during shootouts and if you tested the limits of your driving experience. During the cutscenes, and normal appearances, they were astounding.

Team Bondi may be defunct now, but give them some credit. Honestly, I would have given Killzone 3 the nomination as I believe there are a lot more important things to graphics than beefy textures--cinematography, lighting, physics, art direction, animations--that add to a game's believability. Also, scale and authenticity as in LA Noire's case.

Honestly, they should rename the aware Best Set Design just so people understand the difference. Graphics are starting to become subjective as time goes by. We can notice more differences between engines now than we could on SNES. There's more to consider than resolution or pixel-perfect replication.

[SKUD]

I'm not sure If I'm prepared to feel awkward again watching this award show =/

[undercovrr]

Yeah, all those stars coming on talking about games when they have no idea is really awkward.

[Kran]

Game of the Year - Me: Portal 2 - Who Will Win: Zelda
Studio of the Year - Me: Bethesda - Who Will Win: Bethesda
Best Xbox 360 Game - Me: Portal 2 - Who Will Win: Gears 3
Best PS3 Game - Me: Uncharted 3 - Who Will Win: Uncharted 3
Best Wii Game - Me: Zelda - Who Will Win: Zelda
Best PC Game - Me: The Witcher 2 - Who Will Win: Minecraft
Best Handheld/Mobile Game - Me: Jetpack Joyride - Who Will Win: Super Mario 3D Land
Best Shooter - Me: Battlefield 3 - Who Will Win: Modern Warfare 3
Best Action Adventure Game - Me: Batman: Arkham City - Who Will Win: Zelda
Best RPG - Me: Skyrim - Who Will Win: Skyrim
Best Multiplayer - Me: Portal 2 - Who Will Win: Battlefield 3
Best Individual Sports Game - Me: Fight Night Champion - Who Will Win: Fight Night Champion
Best Team Sports Game - Me: FIFA 12 - Who Will Win: FIFA 12
Best Driving Game - Me: Need for Speed: The Run - Who Will Win: Forza 4
Best Fighting Game - Me: Mortal Kombat - Who Will Win: Marvel VS. Capcom 3
Best Motion Game - Me: Dance Central 2 - Who Will Win: Zelda
Best Independent Game - Me: Minecraft - Who Will Win: Minecraft
Best Adapted Video Game - Me: Batman: Arkham City - Who Will Win: Arkham City
Best Song in a Game - Me: Want You Gone (Portal 2) - Who Will Win: Want You Gone (Portal 2)
Best Original Score - Me: Portal 2 - Who Will Win: Batman Arkham City
Best Graphics - Me: Arkham City - Who Will Win: Uncharted 3
Best Perform. Human Male - Me: Stephen Merchant - Who Will Win: Mark Hamill
Best Perform. Human Female - Me: Ellen McLain - Who Will Win: Emily Rose
Best Downloadable - Me: Stacking - Who Will Win: Bastion
Best DLC - Me: Portal 2 Peer Review - Who Will Win: Fallout NV - Old World Blues

These were my selections and who I think will win (the ones that are "Me" are what I want to win.

[Undeadwolfy]

I think that's pretty much spot on.

[MysticStrummer]

No, you're you. I'm me.

[Khordchange]

I find it odd that zelda didn't get nominated for best score

[Venjense]

I dont get why the PS3 game of the year excludes so many of the GOTY nominations.

The list seems to lack internal consistency

[thehitman]

Thats because there are 4 nominee per category and the ps3 has enough good titles worth mentioning. Reason the 360 has 2 multiplats is because they lack the games to fit the category. Which is even funnier when those 2 games got better support on the ps3.

[DiRtY]

No it is just stupid.

Why aren't these exclusives like InFamous 2, with a 83 (!!) rating on meta and Killzone 3 with a 84 (!!) rating on meta not in the Game of the year category then?

Or why are PS3 games like Skyrim (94 on meta), Batman (96 on meta) or Portal 2 (95 on meta) not inculed in this category? These titles are PS3 games, so they should be included in this category and not be left out for worse games, just to satisfy fanboys.

IMO the overall game of the year should win best platform XYZ game, if it is available on this platform. That would be just logical. Not even being nominated is stupid.

[Venjense]

Your're right and that's what I'm saying, it lacks internal consistency.

Say for example Batman wins GOTY and Uncharted 3 wins best PS3 game.... the best PS3 game should also be Batman.

They either have to add more PS3 exclusives to the GOTY list or replace the PS3 exclusives with the GOTY noms.

Whoever runs the VG awards is a moron.

[NeoBasch]

inFamous 2 was a ridiculously underrated game with a tremendous story. Probably more so than The Witcher 2 (the underrated part). Get over it. I honestly consider it deserving of GotY, but most will neglect it. Don't know why it wasn't nominated. You tell me... oh, wait, you didn't play it, did you? Figures.

[MidnightWatcher]

I still think Minecraft should be up for GOTY. One of my favourite games of all time.

[Ch1d0r1]

haha!

[MidnightWatcher]

Laugh if you must, but its more original and unique then Skyrim or anything else on this list. We all complain about wanting something different, but when something truly unique comes about, people still try the same old stuff. skyrim is a brilliant game but we've experienced it before.

I'm a primarily a console gamer and i tried minecraft on my macbook, after a couple of hour, i realised what this game truly is about ad that i have experienced anything like this before.

Once this comes out on Xbox, you should try it, with a open mind, and then see why i think its a GOTY

[Kran]

You obviously haven't played many games in your lifetime then.

[gotgame1985]

that's his opinion let that dude like what he like, just like some peolpe like vanilla ice cream and some like chocolate, every body is different.

[mixelon]

*High fives* I posted an article to that effect a few days ago, too..

I'm glad to see MC is in the best PC game running and the best indie game category, but TBH "best PC game" isn't fair because that's the only place they've bothered to put Witcher 2.. Which SHOULD be in the best RPG category above Dragon Age 2 etc. When W2 comes out on 360 next year maybe they'll probably put it in best RPG category and confuse matters further!

Fingers crossed for Minecraft though.

[bujasem_89]

ok ok ok wait.. Hold UP just a F*cking second!! did they just nominate need for a speed the F*cking Run over Grand turismo 5?!!? because i do believe it didn't have a chance to be nominated last year because of coming out laTE!!!! What the Multiple F*cks!?

[Kran]

Must have been a game they forgot. Do bare in mind, GT5 was released November 2010, so...

[Undeadwolfy]

So was Epic Mickey which is on this list. Gran Turismo should be on the best racing game list and should win hands down.

[grailly]

I'm not saying it should win, but motorstorm should absolutely be on the list

[Aussiegamer]

How come battlefield 3 is not nominated for best graphics??

Hmmm anyway, pretty good list.

[Rob946]

Very happy MW3 and BF3 aren't up for GOTY :) My bet is Skyrim or Uncharted 3.

[zerocrossing]

I could live with Skyrim winning GOTY since it's a game, not a highly linear interactive movie...

[Tarantino_Life]

Like Gears?

[m23]

Most Anticipated: Halo 4!

[BitbyDeath]

Strange how Skyrim is up on GOTY but not on any of the best system lists.

Some consistency could go a long way.

I also think inFamous 2 : Festival of Blood should be on the best DLC award. Freddy Kruger is awesome and all but shouldn't be on the list since he is just a single character.

[FlintGREY]

inFamous 2 : Festival of Blood isn't DLC, it's a standalone game

[BitbyDeath]

Good point...

[PandaJenkins]

oh VGA's how you are laughable. How the hell did BF3 and Witcher 2 miss out on best graphics?

[caboose32]

I dont think they even count PC games or versions of the game in the VGA's for graphics, because this is just ridiculous to leave those to out.

[PandaJenkins]

It's clearly console biased, I will give credit to Uncharted 3 and Rage for looking fantastic, especially when it comes to consoles. It's also pretty obvious that L.A Noire got nominated for the facial stuff (even if overall it shouldn't be there). But I don't recall Batman ever being thrown around in visual debates 0_o

[Acquiescence]

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

Are you seriously telling me that the 360 didn't even have enough worthy exclusive titles to fill out all 4 selections in its own category?! That speaks volumes man, come on. Get your s**t together Microsoft.

[Mottsy]

guess their not counting kinect games XD

[PygmelionHunter]

Oh boy, another year, another VGA, clearly the worst gaming event of the year...

[DarthBigE]

I like the song in the LBP 2 trailer...have no idea what their saying but i think its a good song and should be nominated.

[BlackSharinganX]

best graphics most likely uncharted3 its like a big wow really.
game of the year : ive said it from the start it was mainly going to be skyrim and uncharted 3 both offer hours of gameplay while skyrim shows it on single player alone, while uncharted shows it all around single and multiplayeri love uncharted very much hope to get skyrim im seeing the GOTY going more towards skyrim but not that much is like a close gap.
As for studio of the year i think betesda and naughty dog deserve the price equally both did a great job on their game also accomplishing to their fans.

[BlackSharinganX]

most anticipated for next year ill say bioshock or mass effect although im reallyyyy curious about how last guardian is going to be like not many people like those styles of games since its kinda something new and never seen before but as a gamer im curious on how it will turn out.

[falcon262]

Some of these nominees....
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[zerocrossing]

I just thought of a great joke, the VGA's.

[Chaos23]

Ah
For GOTY i think its clearly gonna be between UC3 AND SKYRIM , now what i see winning? The edge goes to UC3 for me , gonna be some tight shit but we'll see as for zelda? yeah zelda can win but they should switch Arkham city for Gears 3 .. i mean arkham city has no chance of winning hahaha

[TheLastGuardian]

VGA's dissapoint, just like every year.

Why is Resistance 3 not nominated for anything? Why does Killzone 3 gets a nomination for best PS3 game when Resistance 3 is way better. I would've also nominated The ICO & SotC Collection before KZ3.

Other mistakes:

Outland should be nominated for best downloadable game

LittleBigPlanet 2 should be nominated for GOTY, best original game, best song in a game, best motion game, and best DLC.

[Haseo106]

Studio of the Year: Naughty Dog
Best PS3 Game: Uncharted 3
Best Shooter: Battlefield 3 (MW3 sucks!)
Best Action Adventure Game: Batman Arkham City or Uncharted 3
Best RPG: The Elder Scrolls V Skyrim
Best Multiplayer: Battlefield 3
Best Individual Sports Game: Fight Night Champion
Best Team Sports Game: FIFA Soccer 12
Best Fighting Game: Marvel vs. Capcom 3 or Mortal Kombat
Best Adapted Video Game: Batman Arkham City
Best Original Game: (Not Bastion)
Best Graphics: Uncharted 3
Best Performance By a Human Male: Nolan North
GameTrailers.com Trailer of the Year: Prey 2 (Can't wait for this game after I watched the trailer)
Most Anticipated Game: Mass Effect 3
Game of the Year: Uncharted 3

[Trainz]

I agree with most of that except:

Gametrailers.com Trailer of the Year: Dead Island.
Best Performance By a Human Male: Mark Hamill.
Game of the Year: SKYRIM (You only get a game like that every 5 years the same equivalent to the development of all 3 uncharted games).

[clrlite]

Half of the xbox games nominated are on PS3 and all of the Ps3 games are exclusives. Thus continuing the trend of tricking the people into thinking multiplats are actually exclusives.
Unless they nominated the PS3 exclusives because they think they are better than the multiplats. Nope, just another spin move to pretend they are on even ground is more likely.

[kaveti6616]

Do you have anything to say about the fact that all the games nominated for best graphics are only console games?

Thus continuing the trend of tricking people into thinking that their consoles are more powerful than they really are. It wasn't that long ago when people on this site were seriously making the argument that the CELL in the PS3 was on par with high-end processors.

What the hell does Uncharted 3 have over The Witcher 2 in the graphics department? Why isn't Witcher 2 in the category for best graphics?

[Wintersun616]

That completely depends on if we're talking about graphics in a technical manner or graphics in an artistic and design manner. Higher resolution, higher polygon count, higher AA etc does not equal a better looking game, it equals better graphics from a technical point of view.

[clrlite]

Yes, it should have been nominated, but my point still stands as well. Although I think devs should focus a bit more on innovation and creativity than graphics at this point, your post just confirms my above statement that there may be politics, etc. involved in the nomination process. This is a somewhat mainstream award show so we shouldn't be surprised that there are some elements of bias involved.

[brettyd]

Killzone 3 should replace RAGE on that list. That game is a mess, texture pop in is unbearable and the textures look like ps2 up close. This award show is a joke.

[HINDERIZATION]

Deus Ex for best original soundtrack for sure. The music was amazing throughout.

[OSIRUSSS]

My GoTY is Darksouls. I love that game.

[mistajeff]

okay, i'm guessing they're just ignoring the PC for the best graphics category, and i can ignore that, whatever. but what does "best original game" mean? i would've assumed it was a game that wasn't based on any existing properties from other media, but batman is right there.

[gamerwiips360]

They are deserving candidates... with some minor surprises like not nominating BF3,Crysis 2 for best Graphics.

A Great year for Games indeed and One of the Best with some quality AAA Titles and sequels all delivering to their promise.

BUT BUT... There is one thing I see missing, Maybe its released in jan. so maybe most of us might have forgotten it... Any Guesses.. Yes, Its Visceral Games Masterpiece DEAD SPACE 2. (Sadly there is no award for Sound Department, But DS2 did have Solid SP Campaign!!)

[NoobJobz]

I sure hope JK Simmons as Cave Johnson wins. Although Mark Hamill may be hard to beat.

[joab777]

Very good. A few questions though. Skyrim isn't nominated for original score, xbox360 category has multi platform titles, Batman is nominated for graphics and battlefield isn't, if i remember correctly. B3 on PC is the winner hands down, but U3 is the winner for consoles w rage a very close 2nd. Batman isn't even close. And how can a sequel be original? Shouldn't original games b considered?

Goty is soo difficult. How do i determine my personal goty when they all baaically received 9s & 10s, some stronger on graphics or gameplay. I have them all. I played portal and finished it. It was a blast and the Co open is some of thebest this year. I played batmanbut i will admit that after 15 hours, i set it aside for B3, which isn't mentioned (a shame considering its genre which garners more playtime than any other isn't represented). I set B3 aside for U3, which i finished and absolutely loved. Its simply sad that its such a quick ride. I have played Zelda and it is better than i could have ever imagined,nastalgic yet relative. And while i still have a desire to continue links journey, it suffers from the same problems that Drake, bats, and B3 do right now...skyrim. its simple to me. With all in hand, what am i playing right now?

[Hyperbomb69]

Uncharted 3 for GOTY!!

[mechlord]

Someone please explain why Arkham City counts as original game and an movie adaptation game. Arent these categories supposed to be the opposite?

[mechlord]

Then there is Dragon Age 2....why in the world would someone nominate it for anything??

[Rivitur]

http://kotaku.com/5860330/i... knowing some of the Kotaku people are on the board that nominates the games...

[Megaton]

Nice to see Bastion getting some love, especially in the music department. That game has an incredible soundtrack, and they picked one of my favorite tracks for the nomination.

http://www.youtube.com/watc...

[Kostchtchie]

lmao vga

[Gam3rSinceBiRTH]

Best Graphics???

Batman: Arkham City
L.A. Noire
RAGE
Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception

Are you serious? Horrible selection. Witcher 2 & Battlefield 3 destroy all these games in graphics. No question.

The best games on this list for the GOTY are the following (didn't include Zelda since I didn't play it)...

4. Uncharted 3
3. Batman
2. Portal 2
1. Skyrim (should be an easy win)

[Sizzon]

As for Multiplayer I took BF3. But I wonder why Portal 2 is there, I mean yeah the co-op was really fun, but then?

Uncharted 3 should be there instead of Portal 2 in my opinion, otherwise Portal 2 is a fantastic game and I can see why it is in some of the categories and even for GOTY.

[Laxman]

Best Adapted Game:

Captain America: Super Soldier....

Really?

[lugia 4000]

Best graphics - Battlefield 3 PC and not uncharted 3.
Not sure why they didn't put it in...

[Mykky]

I vote for Skyrim or Zelda for the GOTY! Uncharted 3 did not live up to my expectations, still a completly awesome game though!

Why is not Battlefield 3 considered for best graphics? I thought Battlefield 3 was the ultimate graphic game..
I vote for Uncharted 3 then!

[AmaZinG]

Skyrim is on Best Game overall and then is not on ps3/360 best game... Gears 3, Killzone 3, Witcher 2 and BF3 not on best graphics... This is a pathetic list and spike can get the f*** out.

[AsunaYuukiTheFlash]

LOL! The best graphics is pretty much a given :)

[AsunaYuukiTheFlash]

This is going to be a tough fight.

[Perjoss]

song needs to be added to 'best song in a game' category

http://www.youtube.com/watc...

[DA_SHREDDER]

DiRT 3
Driver: San Francisco
Forza Motorsport 4
Need for Speed: The Run

You mean to tell me Dirt, Driver, and NFS was better than Motorstorm Apocalypse?! F the VGA's!

[bananahammock]

uhhh best graphics...where on earth is BF3?

[zero_cool]

I feel dark souls deserves the best rpg award because there's richer atmospheres diversity to explore that leave a story of it's own,unforgiving & challenging gameplay that punish mistakes & rewards skill & patients,engaging online system that allows you to interact with other players online by communicating through messages & gestures,invade other players quests as a phantom or boss or be invaded by other players as phantoms,join other players quests or be joined by other players in your quests,activate blood stains from other players death to avoid the same mitakes ect...this games excellence outweighs it's few minor flaws by far & why it deserves the best rpg award!

[zero_cool]

I just feel that dark souls is a unique action rpg experience that blazes it's own trail & found it's audience & felt like a action rpg designed by gamers for gamers!

[fourthpersonview]

There needs to be a Best Console of the Year Award.

[Donnywho]

All the game opinions out there, lol why should I care what one more source thinks? I know what's good, I bought it all.

[undercovrr]

I's so dissapointed with the exclusion of the Witcher 2 in the best graphics category. That game was amazing and deserves many more nominations

[GoldPunch-TR]

Best Graphics and Best PS3 Games for sure. UC3 !!

[DC1980]

No Yakuza 4?

[TBONEJF]

GAME OF THE YEAR UNCHARTED 3

[Der_Kommandant]

Where in the fuck is Killzone 3 in best FPS category?

and where in the fuck is Motorstorm Apocalypse in best racer category?

VGA's are a joke...

[Hozi]

My Choice:

Studio of the Year:
Bethesda Game Studios

Best Xbox 360 Game:
Gears of War 3

Best PS3 Game:
Uncharted 3

Best Wii Game:
The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword

Best PC Game:
Battlefield 3

Best Handheld/Mobile Game:
Infinity Blade

Best Shooter:
Battlefield 3

Best Action Adventure Game:
Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception

Best RPG:
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim

Best Multiplayer:
Gears of War 3

Best Individual Sports Game:
Fight Night Champion

Best Team Sports Game

FIFA Soccer 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
Mortal Kombat
WWE All Stars

Best Motion Game
Dance Central 2

Best Independent Game
Minecraft

Best Adapted Video Game
Batman: Arkham City

Best Original Game
Portal 2

Best Graphics
Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception

Best Performance By a Human Male
Nolan North as Nathan Drake – Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception

Best Downloadable Game:
Bastion

Best DLC:
Mass Effect 2 – Arrival

GameTrailers.com Trailer of the Year

Deus Ex: Human Revolution – Purity First Infomercial
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim – In-Game Debut Trailoer

Best Song In A Game
“Exile Vilify” by The National – Portal 2

Best Original Score
Deus Ex: Human Revolution

Most Anticipated Game:
Halo 4

Game of the Year:
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim

[Chaos23]

Why say Skyrim is an easy win? zelda can win i mean that game is amazing , Uncharted 3 no introduction it might get Goty for the 2nd time ............... skYRIM IS GOOD BUT C'MON NOW? uncharted 3 goty goty wooooooooooo