Best of E3 2011
This June the Game Critics Awards will present its Best of E3 Awards. These awards recognize the games that will shape the future of interactive entertainment, as demonstrated via hands-on playable form at the E3 Expo in Los Angeles, CA. This year's E3 will be held June 7-9.
Each year the Game Critics also conduct a critics poll for the Game of the Year to recognize the top 10 titles released during the previous calendar year. Red Dead Redemption was named Game of the Year for 2010.
In 2011 the voting publications for the Game Critics Awards are as follows:
Spike Game Awards
The Spike Video Game Awards (VGA) is an award show hosted by Spike TV that recognizes the best computer and video games of the year. The VGAs feature live music performances and appearances by popular performers in music, movies, and television. Additionally, preview trailers for upcoming games are highlighted. The show is produced by GameTrailers TV's Geoff Keighley. The event has been held at various locations in Los Angeles and Santa Monica, California as well as Las Vegas, Nevada.
The program has encountered criticism for its selection of both nominees and winners by the gaming community. Bias for specific platforms and products has been claimed by critics. Additionally, winners are selected via online polling leading to critics calling the results merely a "popularity contest."
2010 Awards
The 2010 VGAs were held Saturday, December 11, 2010 in Los Angeles, California at the L.A. Convention Center and returned to using a host which was Neil Patrick Harris.Unlike previous years, all the awards were not awarded during the show. The 2010 VGAs were the world's biggest global gaming event broadcasted in over 175 territories worldwide.
BioWare announced Mass Effect 3 at the 2010 Awards. Batman: Arkham City had another CGI trailer debut at the 2010 awards along with the sequel to Prototype with gameplay footage. Acclaimed movie director Guillermo del Toro announced his video game, inSANE, which is being developed by Saints Row's Volition team. Bethesda Softworks also announced their next entry into The Elder Scrolls series, The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim. The first trailer of Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception aired during the 2010 awards. Other new games previewed included Mortal Kombat featuring Kratos, Resistance 3, Portal 2, SSX: Deadly Descents, and Forza Motorsport 4.
With appearances by the cast members of It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, Danny DeVito, Kaitlin Olson, Rob McElhenney, Academy Award Nominated Director Guillermo del Toro, Halo: Reach star and VGA Nominee Nathan Fillion, Thor: God of Thunder star Chris Hemsworth, Olivia Munn, AnnaLynne McCord, and Tony Hawk, among others. Including musical performances by award winning violinist Diana Yukawa, My Chemical Romance and José González.
| Award | Winner | Nominees |
|---|---|---|
| Game of the Year | Red Dead Redemption | |
| Studio of the Year | Bioware, Mass Effect 2 |
|
| Character of the Year | Sgt. Frank Woods, Call of Duty: Black Ops |
|
| Best Xbox 360 Game | Mass Effect 2 | |
| Best PS3 Game | God of War III | |
| Best Wii Game | Super Mario Galaxy 2 | |
| Best PC Game | StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty | |
| Best Handheld Game | God of War: Ghost of Sparta | |
| Best Shooter | Call of Duty: Black Ops | |
| Best Action Adventure Game | Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood | |
| Best RPG | Mass Effect 2 | |
| Best Multiplayer | Halo: Reach | |
| Best Individual Sports Game | Tiger Woods PGA Tour 11 | |
| Best Team Sports Game | NBA 2K11 | |
| Best Driving Game | Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit | |
| Best Music Game | Rock Band 3 | |
| Best Soundtrack | DJ Hero 2 | |
| Best Song in a Game | "Far Away" by José González, Red Dead Redemption |
|
| Best Original Score | Red Dead Redemption | |
| Best Graphics | God of War III | |
| Best Adapted Video Game | Scott Pilgrim vs. the World: The Game | |
| Best Performance by a Human Male | Neil Patrick Harris as Peter Parker/Amazing Spider-Man, Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions |
|
| Best Performance by a Human Female | Tricia Helfer as Sarah Kerrigan, StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty |
|
| Best Downloadable Game | Costume Quest | |
| Best DLC | Red Dead Redemption: Undead Nightmare | |
| Best Independent Game | Limbo | |
| Most Anticipated Game | Portal 2 | |
| Strongest Heroes of All Time |
|
|
| Best Original Game | Red Dead Redemption | N/A |
| Best Zombie Game | Red Dead Redemption: Undead Nightmare | N/A |
| Best Dressed Assassin | Ezio Auditore da Firenze, Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood | N/A |
| Biggest Badass | Kratos, God of War III | N/A |
