The nominees are in for the 10th annual Game Developers Conference Awards and… they really aren’t all that surprising.
All of the big players are there: Uncharted 2 with seven nominations, Assassin’s Creed II with four, and other recognizable titles like Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, Dragon Age: Origins, Batman: Arkham Asylum, and Borderlands also receiving nominations.
One surprise, however, is the downloadable title Flower from thatgamecompany getting the second most nominations with five. Apparently I need to check that one out and get my cross-pollination on.
Here is the full list of nominees:
Best Game Design
Batman: Arkham Asylum (Rocksteady)
Assassin’s Creed II (Ubisoft Montreal)
Flower (thatgamecompany)
Uncharted 2 (Naughty Dog)
Plans Vs. Zombies (PopCap)
Best Visual Art
Borderlands (Gearbox Software)
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 (Infinity Ward)
Best Technology
Red Faction: Guerrilla (Volition)
Killzone 2 (Guerrilla Games)
Best Writing
Brutal Legend (Double Fine)
Dragon Age: Origins (BioWare)
Halo 3: ODST (Bungie)
Best Audio
Rock Band: The Beatles (Harmonix)
Innovation
Scribblenauts (5th Cell)
Plants Vs. Zombies (PopCap)
Demon’s Souls (From Software)
Best Debut
The Maw (Twisted Pixel)
League of Legends (Riot Games)
Spider: The Secret of Bryce Manor (Tiger Style)
Torchlight (Runic Games)
Zeno Clash (ACE Team)
Best Downloadable Game
Trials HD (RedLynx)
PixelJunk Shooter (Q Games)
Shadow Complex (Chair Entertainment)
Best New Social/Online Game
Restaurant City (Playfish)
Farmville (Zynga)
Dungeon Fighter Online (Neople/Nexon)
Free Realms (Sony Online Entertainment San Diego)
Bejeweled Blitz (PopCap)
Best Handheld Game
Flight Control (Firemint)
Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars (Rockstar Leeds/Rockstar North)
The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks (Nintendo EAD)
Game of the Year
Though I have opinions on most of these categories, I won’t bore you with my five thousand word essay on the intricacies of the writing in Dragon Age: Origins.
That said, I do have one thing to add:
Rocksteady. Yes, you. Do I have your attention? You almost did it. You almost gave me my personal game of the year. More varied and interesting boss fights and a better ending and you would have knocked Batman: Arkham Asylum out of the park. But, alas, I must give my GOTY to Dragon Age: Origins. Please remedy this situation for the sequel. Thank you.
So, if you made it this far, what do you think? Applause at the nominees? Any notable exclusions? What is your GOTY?
Source: Press Release
