Spike TV Reveals Award Nominees

The video games awards season has continued with North American cable network Spike TV unveiling its list of nominees for its 2007 Video Game Awards (VGA) ceremony. The winners will announced on a special program due to air on December 9th. After some criticism of the nominees selected in previous years, this year’s short list has been drawn up by a panel of notable U.S. journalists, including Chris Kohler, Dan Hsu, Dean Takahashi, Geoff Keighley, Jeff Gerstmann. Gamasutra’s own Brandon Boyer and Game Developer Magazine’s Brandon Sheffield were also involved in the selection. Take-Two’s Bioshock and Microsoft’s Halo 3 both received a total of seven nominations, with Rock Band, Guitar Hero III, Call of Duty 4, The Orange Box and Mass Effect also up for multiple awards. The full list of nominees is as follows: Game of the Year: Bioshock Halo 3 Mass Effect The Orange Box Best Shooter: Bioshock Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare Halo 3 The Orange Box Best Action Game: Assassin's Creed God of War II Super Mario Galaxy Ratchet & Clank Future: Tools of Destruction Best Rhythm Game: Guitar Hero Encore: Rock the '80s Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock Jam Sessions Rock Band Best RPG: Eternal Sonata Final Fantasy Tactics: The War of the Lions Mass Effect Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 3 Best Driving Game: Colin McRae: DiRT Forza Motorsport 2 Need for Speed: ProStreet Project Gotham Racing 4 Best Military Game: Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter 2 Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Vegas World in Conflict Studio of the Year: Bungie Studios Harmonix Irrational Games Valve Best Graphics: Bioshock Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare Crysis Mass Effect Breakthrough Technology: Crysis Halo 3 Portal Rock Band Best PS3 Game: Heavenly Sword Ratchet & Clank Future: Tools of Destruction Uncharted: Drake's Fortune Warhawk Best Wii Game: The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess Metroid Prime 3: Corruption Super Mario Galaxy Super Paper Mario Best Xbox 360 Game: Bioshock Halo 3 Mass Effect The Orange Box Best PC Game: Bioshock Crysis The Orange Box World in Conflict Best Individual Sports Game: skate Tiger Woods PGA Tour 08 Tony Hawk's Proving Ground Virtua Tennis 3 Best Team Sports Game: Madden NFL 08 NBA 2K8 NHL 08 Winning Eleven: Pro Evolution Soccer 2007 Best Handheld Game: Final Fantasy Tactics: The War of the Lions The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass Syphon Filter: Logan's Shadow Puzzle Quest: Challenge of the Warlords Best Game Based on a Movie or TV Show: The Lord of the Rings: Shadows of Angmar Naruto: Rise of a Ninja The Simpsons Game Stranglehold Best Soundtrack: Bioshock Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock Tony Hawk's Proving Ground Rock Band Best Original Score: Bioshock God of War II Halo 3 Mass Effect Best Multiplayer Game: Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare Halo 3 Rock Band The Orange Box Most Addictive Game Fueled by Dew: Halo 3 Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock Team Fortress 2 Wii Sports While all nominees were decided upon by the voting panel, the final category, The Most Addictive Game Fueled by Dew category will be voted on by visitors to the official VGA website.