GAME OF THE YEAR
- Assassin’s Creed 2 (Ubisoft / Ubisoft Montreal)
- Batman: Arkham Asylum (Eidos Interactive – Warner Bros)
- Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 (Activision Publishing / Infinity Ward)
- Left 4 Dead 2 (Valve)
- UNCHARTED 2: Among Thieves (Sony Computer Entertainment / Naughty Dog)
STUDIO OF THE YEAR
- Infinity Ward
- Naughty Dog
- Rocksteady Studios
- Valve
BEST MUSIC GAME
- DJ Hero (Activision Publishing / FreeStyleGames)
- Guitar Hero 5 (Activision Publishing / Neversoft Entertainment)
- LEGO Rock Band (MTV Games – Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment / Traveler’s Tales Games – Harmonix)
- The Beatles: Rock Band (MTV Games / Harmonix)
For a full list, please go to VGA.Spike.Com
New York, NY, November 18, 2009 – Spike TV today announced the nominees and categories for the biggest world-wide event ever to celebrate the video game industry, the 2009 “Video Game Awards.” The seventh annual “VGAs” will be a global event, broadcasting in over 180 territories and countries and gathering megastars from the worlds of video games, Hollywood, music, sports and more to honor the outstanding achievements within the video game industry during the past year. The two-hour event, taking place in Los Angeles, CA, will premiere LIVE on Spike TV Saturday, December 12 at 8:00pm, ET/PT (tape delay west coast). Beginning today, fans can vote for their favorite nominees at VGA.Spike.Com.
The 2009 “Video Game Awards” will reveal blockbuster global premieres of never-before-seen titles and break international news with announcements of new games from the industry’s leading publishers. Game companies contributing exclusive new content to the VGAs include 2K, Activision, Disney Interactive Studios, Electronic Arts, LucasArts Entertainment, Microsoft Game Studios, THQ, Ubisoft, Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment, with more to be announced in the coming weeks..
This year VGA viewers will get a sneak peek at Halo: Reach with the debut of an exclusive, world premiere video from the opening of the game. Halo: Reach is an all-new prequel to the massively popular Halo trilogy from developer Bungie and Microsoft Game Studios which launches in the fall of 2010 exclusively on the Xbox 360.
“The global appetite and response from the fans internationally has been astounding,” said Casey Patterson, executive producer and senior vice president, Event Productions Spike TV. “Video games, like movies and music, are a universal language and Spike is thrilled that we will now be showing gamers all over the world a glimpse into their future with more than 12 mind-blowing world premieres.”
For additional information about other “VGA” world exclusives and announcements, fans can log onto VGA.Spike.com as well as get updates on Twitter at www.twitter.com/Spike_TV.
Leading the way with eight nominations this year, including nods for Game of the Year and Studio of the Year, is Naughty Dog’s cinematic adventure Uncharted 2: Among Thieves. Batman: Arkham Asylum, Rocksteady Studios’ dark and gritty Batman game, racked up seven nods, including Game of the Year as well as Best Voice for Mark Hamill’s portrayal of The Joker. Infinity Ward’s military shooter Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 and Valve’s zombie thriller Left 4 Dead 2 each landed six nominations.
Nominees for Spike TV’s 2009 “Video Game Awards” were determined by the VGA Advisory Council, made up of a group of the most well-respected experts in the industry of leading game media outlets such as GameTrailers.com, Game Informer, USA Today, Wired, Penny Arcade, GameSpot and IGN. Games released between December 2, 2008 and November 23, 2009 were eligible for nomination.
from DigitalTrends.com:
Just one week after the record-breaking launch of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 helped kickstart the holiday shopping season, Ubisoft plans to release Assassin’s Creed 2 on Tuesday at midnight.
Specifically, Ubisoft designed the second game to offer even more mission and objective flexibility, additional characters and NPCs, and new character development. The game itself has players work their through an environment similar to the Italian Renaissance, with a realistic portrayal of the 15th century, according to Ubisoft.
The second Assassin’s Creed game is expected to be one of the most popular games this holiday season, but isn’t expected to launch with the same enthusiasm as CoD. The first version of Assassin’s Creed has sold more than 4 million copies worldwide in 2007, with the sequel entering development immediately after the first game’s release.
Assassin’s Creed 2 will be available tomorrow for the Microsoft Xbox 360 and Sony PlayStation 3 game consoles, with a PC game launch expected early next year.
The video game industry has struggled as of late, but November could prove to be a good month for the industry. Assassin’s Creed 2 is expected to be the second of three highly anticipated games to launch during the month. The final anticipated game title is New Super Mario Bros. Wii, a Nintendo Wii exclusive, which should also help generate spending among Wii owners.
The video game industry made $21.3 billion last year, and depending on the popularity of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, Assassin’s Creed 2 and New Super Mario Bros. Wii, it’s possible the 2009 industry tally could be from $20 billion to $21 billion.
The Super Mario Bros. franchise is world-recognized for its dedication to fun for all ages, while welcoming gamers of all skill levels. This holiday season the Nintendo Wii re-introduces video game fans to the gameplay style that they have been craving since the early 90s, as the Mario Bros. series makes its triumphant return to the world of side-scrolling adventure. Join us at http://WatchMojo.com as we take you through the seven things you may not know about Mario’s newest adventure in the Mushroom Kingdom!
Since moving the series out of the World War II era with Call of Duty 4, this franchise has received an overwhelming amount of critical praise. In addition, it has gained an extremely loyal fan base. Infinity Ward’s highly anticipated follow-up, Modern Warfare 2 improves on every aspect of its predecessor. Join http://www.WatchMojo.com as we take a look at the seven things you probably didn’t know about this new and exciting entry in the award-winning franchise.
Launching this October exclusively for Xbox 360, “Forza Motorsport 3″ unites the racing game genre making it possible for everyone to experience the thrill of the world’s most exotic and exquisite cars. This game is perfect whether you’re a Forza pro or just beginning. All can race, drift and customize some of the world’s most exotic and exquisite cars. Watch as Jeff Rivait of Xbox Games & Accessories shows WatchMojo.com how to drive. Find out more Here.
from Joystiq.com:
Not only will the first few months of 2010 play host to the release dates of a squadron of delayed aught-nine blockbusters, it’s also when we can expect to see the recently announced, seriously embiggened DSi XL hit North American and European store shelves. According to a Nintendo spokesperson, the new model of the handheld will be released stateside (and … union-side?) in the first quarter of 2010.
That just leaves us with one final, appropriately oversized question: How much is it going to cost? Don’t get us wrong, we love the idea of buying a bigger version of a smaller version of a smaller version of an originally bulky handheld — but based on the sheer number of titles we’ll be buying in the dawn of next year, we’re probably going to be kinda strapped.
The good people at Kotaku.com weigh in on the DJ version of Guitar Hero:
Loved
The Music: DJ Hero features 93 tracks that are completely original, yet immediately familiar. I am a huge fan of song mashups, to the point where genre’s and artists I normally wouldn’t listen to are fine as long as they are mixed with something I enjoy. Fortunately, the original tracks employed by DJ Hero’s various mix-masters are tunes that I enjoyed in the first place. I realize that taste in music is a very personal thing, but no one can deny the brilliance of mixing together Vanilla Ice’s “Ice, Ice, Baby” with MC Hammer’s “Can’t Touch This.” This game is filled with clever combinations like this, to the point where I’d say you could easily have the game running on auto-pilot in the background at a party and no one would complain.The Machine: The DJ Hero turntable is a daunting device when you first get your hands on it, and it certainly takes some getting used to. I tried several different finger positions on the disc itself before finding one that allowed me to comfortably manage scratching without my fingers slipping. Once I found the right position I began burning through the set list at a rapid pace, tweaking the effects knob and managing the crossfader like a pro would if he or she was working with a plastic facsimile of a turntable.
Easing Up: FreeStyleGames has done an excellent job of creating a game that is accessible to players of all skill levels. There are five different difficulty levels in the game, each ramping up the challenge level, adding in new game mechanics leading up to expert mode, where the game pulls out all of its tricks. Beginner mode has the player simply pressing any button, holding it down to scratch, while expert has you scratching to match directional arrows while crossfading like some sort of maniac. The difficulty range makes the game much more approachable to new players, while allowing more experienced players to show off their mad DJ skills.
Guitar VS. DJ: DJ Hero would have been fine without the inclusion of tracks specifically tailored toward a combination of turntable and guitar controller, but the addition is quite welcome, especially for folks who scraped up every last penny they had to afford the $119.99 price tag for the bundled version of the game. As the turntable currently isn’t available for purchase as a separate unit, giving players another way to play DJ Hero with their friends is a nice touch.
DJ Style: DJ Hero oozes DJ style, or at least DJ style as far as I am familiar with it. The presentation is light on words and big on images, using a pseudo-graffiti style to depict the options as you navigate through a simple sliding menu. The venues you perform in are vibrant and full of life, ensuring that onlookers have something to keep them occupied while you stare at the DJ highway. You unlock decks, headphones, and outfits as you progress through the game, as well as DJs, from original characters with their own fictional biographies to some of the biggest names ever to touch a turntable. Of course if you’re like me, as soon as Daft Punk is unlocked you never go back. Overall, the game presents a rather well put-together package.
Party Play: As mentioned previous, DJ Hero’s track listing is definitely party-worthy. Fortunately the game contains a Party Play option, which lets the player choose from a custom or premade playlist, which will run on its own with but a touch of a button. Unfortunately the game flashes a message on the screen during Party Play to keep players from using the automatic play as false examples of how good they are at the game, but it’s a small price to pay for some excellent party music.
Hated
Re-Remix: Perhaps a result of having to go through all 93 tracks in the game in quick succession, I found myself growing weary of the repeat songs in DJ Hero’s playlist. It isn’t that the songs themselves repeat, but you’ll find certain songs used in multiple mashups, like Tears for Fears’ “Shout” and Rihanna’s “Disturbia,” to the point where I sighed every time I saw the song names come up. Again, possibly not an issue if you are playing in short bursts - just be ready for it if you plan any marathon sessions.One-Track Multiplayer: DJ Hero’s online multiplayer is a plain vanilla affair, lacking any real sense of competition outside of simply trying to complete the song better than the other player. Two DJs take the stage, playing the same song, with the reverse option turned off as to not interrupt the flow of things. Simply leaving the reverse option on and having it affect both tables would have been enough, adding an element of strategy to the gameplay by allowing the other player to force their opponent to replay parts of the song they stumbled over previously. Hopefully FreeStyleGames will spice up multiplayer in the inevitable sequels.
Can I Just Play A Song Please?: For some strange reason, FreeStyleGames omitted to include any sort of quick play option in DJ Hero. In order to play one song, you have to either find the pre-created playlist the song is in or edit out the other tunes, or create your own custom playlist with only that one song in it. It seems completely silly to me that you can’t just look at the complete track listing, choose one song, and hit play, but there you go. Strange.
Final Thoughts:
There’s definitely room for improvement, but even a flawed DJ Hero is a breath of fresh air for fans of music games.
Those hoping for full web browsing capabilities on their Xbox 360 Media system will be left wanting. So while PS3 and Wii owners continue to log into Facebook and Twitter, in addition to every other web page, the Xbox 360 continues to tease only portions of true online. Is anyone else bummed? In a way I’m happy as this keeps my Wii in constant use with its excellent Internet Channel.
Is anyone else out there baffled as to why Microsoft of all companies continues to sit out on a basic media application? Go nuts!
from Mirror.co.uk:
The Nintendo Wii 2 will be smaller and cheaper. That’s the word from Shigeru Miyamoto, the man behind Mario and Donkey Kong. He says the console will also move into “other aspects of daily life”, hinting Ninty will follow Microsoft and Sony into the world of home entertainment.
Speaking with Popular Mechanics, Miyamoto, who has plenty of knowledge of what goes down inside Nintendo HQ said, “While we don’t have any concrete plans for what we’ll be doing with hardware in the future… I think it would be likely that we would try to make that same functionality perhaps more compact and perhaps even more cost-efficient.”
Black Wii and controllers UK bound
Miyamoto does think, though, that the Wii 2 will be more than just a “toy”. “We’re gradually seeing video games moving beyond simply entertainment into other aspects of everyday life,” he said. Maybe he was simply talking about the new Wii Exercise Bike?
DenOfGeek.com has a great look at 10 upcoming games that will be exclusive to the PS3. Enjoy:
10. Agent
Currently being developed by Rockstar North, in Edinburgh, and being touted as the ultimate action game. Few details are known apart from Agent will take players into the shadowy world of 1970s espionage and assassination during the cold war. Scheduled for release in 2010, Rockstar are hoping that Agent will achieve similar levels of success enjoyed by their flagship franchise, Grand Theft Auto.
9. The Last Guardian
From Team ICO, who brought you the highly acclaimed ICO and Shadow Of The Colossus, comes The Last Guardian. The game is a third person action adventure and will focus on a young boy and his friendship with a creature called Trico. The player will take control of the unarmed boy and is responsible for guiding the creature that’s driven by animal instincts.
8. ModNation Racers
This kart racing game will focus heavily on user-created content with customisable racetracks that players will be able to share online and fully customisable characters and vehicles using Urban Vinyl stylings. It’s similar to Little Big Planet with the level of customisation available (a beta demo of ModNation Racers is included in the Little Big Planet game of the year edition in the US) and the emphasis on user-created content. The single player mode will, apparently, boast 30 tracks designed by the development team using the tools that will be available to players of the game. Gameplay will be similar to that of other Kart racing games as power ups and weapons will be available to collect to give racers an advantage.
7. Gran Turismo 5
The highly anticipated and much delayed racer will, apparently, according to Polyphony Digital’s Kazunori Yamuchi, look “better than reality”. The game will support online racing, which is a first for the series. Another first is that some of the vehicles will suffer damage. The game will feature over 900 cars and 20 courses with 70 course variations. At the time of writing, the game is set for release on the 31st March in Japan, but no solid release date is set for Europe or the US, despite the developers annoyingly stating that they can release it any time they want.
6. Eight Days
Up until recently, it appeared that development of Eight Days was cancelled, along with The Getaway 3. However, it appears that it was merely on hold and it will finally get a release. Footage of Eight Days was shown as far back as 2005, in the form of a scene showing a petrol station exploding, to show the PS3’s capabilities of handling visual effects and physics. The following year, at E3, another video was released showcasing stunning graphics, but in 2008, Sony Computer Entertainment London announced that they cancelled the development of the game.
Since then they have worked on Eye Pet, which is scheduled for release at the end of October in the UK and 2010 in the US. Eight Days will be set, as the title suggests, over the course of eight days and will include a real life clock so if you’re playing during the day this will be reflected in the game. The game is also set in eight different US states, one of which is Arizona, so the potential size of the game map is rather large. Players will be able to choose between a good and an evil character, both of which are going after an organised crime syndicate for different reasons.
5. White Knight Chronicles
This fantasy RPG about two rival kingdoms at war has already enjoyed considerable success and acclaim in Japan. So much so that Sony has already got a sequel in development despite not being available in the US or Europe. European and US PS3 owners can expect to be able to get their hands on WKC in April 2010. Players will be able to customise their avatar and enjoy an immersive single player campaign as well as a real-time online multiplayer quest mode with up to four other players.
4. Demon’s Souls
Here’s another intriguing RPG prospect that’s been available elsewhere for sometime. It has been released in the US recently, but it’s unclear when it will be available in Europe. The game offers severe punishment if their character dies in combat, as all of their experience and equipment up to that point will be lost. No problem, just load your last save game, right? Afraid not! The game autosaves frequently, meaning that you can’t just reload an old game save if something bad happens to your character. Oh, and the more your character dies, the more powerful the enemies get. Rather than detracting from the game, reviews indicate that this aspect of the game makes it an incredibly rewarding experience. With still no European date yet, if you want to play this any time in the near future you’ll have to import it.
3. God Of War III
Ex-Spartan warrior Kratos finally makes his appearance on the PS3 next year, in what will be the final chapter of the God Of War series. This chapter will take advantage of a new purpose built game engine adding levels of realism and interaction to Kratos’ adventure. God Of War 3 is scheduled for release at the end of March next year, so there’s still a bit of a wait for this. For those of you who can’t wait, a God Of War collection containing parts 1 and 2 will be released on PS3 in time for Christmas and will include a demo of God Of War 3. Unfortunately, at the time of writing, this is only scheduled for a US release.
2. MAG (Massive Action Game)
Set for release in January 2010, this massive multiplayer online shooter is set to be something quite special as it will support battles of up to 256 players! Players will be divided into squads of 8. Four squads will form a platoon and 4 platoons will form a company. Players can advance through the game’s ranking system and the player with the highest rank will lead their squad and, potentially, an army. The game is set in 2025 amidst a global crisis where natural resources have diminished. Three private military companies recruited members aggressively to battle for control of what resources are available in a shadow war. Players will have three PMC’s to choose from: S.V.E.R ,a faction of war torn countries, Raven, who utilise high tech armor and weaponry and Valor company, who use standard equipment. Players will be able to customise a number of aspects of their character including facial features, voice, armor and equipment.
1. Heavy Rain
The game I’m looking forward to the most by some considerable margin. Renowned games designer David Cage is directing the game that’s being developed by Quantic Dream studios. Having directed acclaimed titles Farenheit and Omrikon: The Nomad Soul previously, it’s unsurprising that there’s a high level of anticipation around Heavy Rain. This dark thriller in a film noir style carries the tagline: “How far are you willing to go to save someone you love?” Players will control one of four playable characters that are all said to be on the hunt for The Origami Killer. The game will adopt a unique control system that will involve players having to perform actions such as tilting their pad or pressing buttons as they appear on the screen. Failure to do so will lead to their character’s reactions being performed incorrectly or their character saying something in the wrong way and take the story in a different direction. If the events lead to your character dying, they will no longer be a part of the story. The game won’t end, though, as players will take control of another character to continue the hunt. This is a fantastic prospect for replay value as there’s the distinct possibility that the game will be different every time you play it. Heavy Rain is set for release in the first quarter of 2010.
PLAY
