id Software's Rage Leads E3 Game Critics Awards

id Software's post-apocalyptic first-person shooter Rage walked away with three E3 Game Critics Awards, leading all other video game titles, the organization said Tuesday. id's upcoming effort was the only game to win more than two awards from its showing at the Los Angeles-based E3 video game trade show earlier this month. Rage, published by id parent Bethesda Softworks, won in the categories of best console game, best action game and "special commendation for graphics." The title runs on the id Tech5 engine, the latest proprietary id engine, which is also used in the upcoming Doom 4. Rage is confirmed for PC, Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and Mac, and is expected for a 2011 release. Thirty-one different North American publications vote on the Game Critics Awards, including mainstream publications like USA Today and Gannett, as well as more core-focused outlets like IGN.com and Kotaku. Retailers and other industry watchers monitor E3 buzz to gauge what products will be big for the holidays and beyond. While Rage had the highest volume of awards (the game also led nominations with five recognitions), it was the Nintendo 3DS that earned the best in show award. The upcoming handheld device, which displays a 3D graphics effect without the need for glasses, received a high amount of positive buzz during E3. In 2009, Game Critics gave the E3 best of show award to Sony and Naughty Dog's Uncharted 2: Among Thieves, which went on to be a PS3 hit that earned additional awards after its commercial release. The 3DS also won in the best hardware category for 2010, beating out Microsoft's Kinect and Sony's PlayStation Move. The Nintendo 3DS, Harmonix's Dance Central and Valve Software's Portal 2 all won two awards each. Electronic Arts led all publishers with four awards: Need for Speed Hot Pursuit (best racing game), NBA Jam (best sports game), Rock Band 3 (best social/casual game) and The Old Republic (best RPG). Thanks to Rage's three awards, Bethesda followed as a close second. Below is the full list of Game Critics' E3 winners: Best of Show Nintendo 3DS (Nintendo) Best Original Game Dance Central (Harmonix/MTV Games/Microsoft for Xbox 360) Best Console Game Rage (id Software/Bethesda for PC, PS3 and Xbox 360) Best Handheld Game God of War: Ghost of Sparta (Ready at Dawn/Sony Santa Monica for PSP) Best PC Game Portal 2 (Valve) Best Hardware Nintendo 3DS (Nintendo) Best Action Game Rage (id Software/Bethesda for PC, PS3 and Xbox 360) Best Action/Adventure Game Portal 2 (Valve for PC / Mac, PS3 and Xbox 360) Best Role Playing Game Star Wars: The Old Republic (BioWare Austin/LucasArts/EA for PC) Best Fighting Game Marvel vs. Capcom 3: Fate of Two Worlds (Capcom for PS3 and Xbox 360) Best Racing Game Need for Speed Hot Pursuit (Criterion Games/Electronic Arts for PC, PS3 and Xbox 360) Best Sports Game NBA Jam (EA Canada/EA Sports for Wii) Best Strategy Game Civilization V (Firaxis/2K Games for PC) Best Social/Casual Game Rock Band 3 (Harmonix/MTV Games/Electronic Arts for PS3, Xbox 360, and Wii) Best Motion Simulation Game Dance Central (Harmonix/MTV Games/Microsoft for Xbox 360) Best Online Multiplayer Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood (Ubisoft Montreal/Ubisoft for PC, PS3 and Xbox 360) Special Commendation for Graphics Rage (id Software/Bethesda for PC, PS3 and Xbox 360)