BioShock Leads AIAS Awards Nominations

The Academy of Interactive Arts and Sciences has announced its nominees for its 11th annual Interactive Achievement Awards set to take place during February's D.I.C.E. Summit, with 2K Games' BioShock garnering a "record-breaking" 12 nominations. Activision's Call of Duty 4 has also broken over ten nominations as well, with other top nominees including The Orange Box, Rock Band and Super Mario Galaxy, all in the running for the game of the year award. Jay Mohr will return for the third year to host the award ceremony, which will be broadcast, for the first time, on both GameSpot, and Comcast's HD Video on Demand. The partial list of nominees follows: Overall Game of the Year: BioShock * Publisher: 2K Games * Developer: 2K Boston, 2K Australia Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare * Publisher: Activision * Developer: Infinity Ward Rock Band * Publisher: MTV Games * Developer: Harmonix Super Mario Galaxy * Publisher: Nintendo of America * Developer: Nintendo The Orange Box * Publisher: Electronic Arts / Valve Software * Developer: Valve Software Console Game of the Year: BioShock * Publisher: 2K Games * Developer: 2K Boston, 2K Australia Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare * Publisher: Activision * Developer: Infinity Ward Mass Effect * Publisher: Microsoft Game Studios * Developer: BioWare Rock Band * Publisher: MTV Games * Developer: Harmonix Super Mario Galaxy * Publisher: Nintendo of America * Developer: Nintendo Computer Game of the Year: BioShock * Publisher: 2K Games * Developer: 2K Boston, 2K Australia Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare * Publisher: Activision * Developer: Infinity Ward Crysis * Publisher: Electronic Arts * Developer: Crytek The Orange Box * Publisher: Electronic Arts/Valve Software * Developer: Valve Software World of Warcraft: The Burning Crusade * Publisher: Vivendi Games * Developer: Blizzard Entertainment Outstanding Innovation in Gaming: Assassin's Creed * Publisher: Ubisoft * Developer: Ubisoft Montreal BioShock * Publisher: 2K Games * Developer: 2K Boston, 2K Australia Rock Band * Publisher: MTV Games * Developer: Harmonix Super Mario Galaxy * Publisher: Nintendo of America * Developer Nintendo The Orange Box * Publisher: Electronic Arts/Valve Software * Developer: Valve Software Handheld Game of the Year: Drawn to Life * Publisher: THQ * Developer: 5th Cell Jeanne d'Arc * Publisher: Sony Computer Entertainment America * Developer: Level 5 Puzzle Quest: Challenge of the Warlords * Publisher: D3 Publisher of America * Developer: Infinite Interactive, 1st Playable Productions Ratchet and Clank: Size Matters * Publisher: Sony Computer Entertainment America * Developer: High Impact Games The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass * Publisher: Nintendo of America * Developer: Nintendo The full list of nominees and categories will soon be published at the award show's official site. Said AIAS president Joseph Olin, "This year's finalists reflect the commitment game makers have to create compelling, engaging and exciting experiences for the expanding game playing audience. The 2008 nominees represent the tremendous talent and passion that our members bring to their craft. The Interactive Achievement Awards are dedicated to acknowledging the men and women who create these innovative and excellent games."