metalhead212

So I was watching the VGA's (video game awards) last night, and wow. I must say this is the first time I have actually bothered to watch them, and what a disappointment. It has the making of an awards show that COULD be respectable, but it is just, at the moment, stuck way to deep in the juvenile department. In the first five minutes of the section of show I started watching at there were no fewer than five (5) farts jokes. That is one fart joke a minute five times consecutively. This is just another reason why Spike TV sucks.

The show tried way to hard to be "cool" and ended up just being "B-Movie Cheesy".

Not only that, but the winners didn't quite make sense to me.

* GAME OF THE YEAR: BioShock
* STUDIO OF THE YEAR: Harmonix
* BEST SHOOTER: Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare (Activision/ Infinity Ward)
* BEST RPG: Mass Effect (Microsoft Game Studios/ BioWare)
* BEST MILITARY GAME: Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare (Activision/ Infinity Ward)
* BEST INDIVIDUAL SPORTS GAME: skate (Electronic Arts/ EA Black Box)
* BEST HANDHELD GAME: The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass (Nintendo/ Nintendo)
* BEST GRAPHICS: Crysis (Electronic Arts/ Crytek)
* BEST GAME BASED ON A MOVIE OR TV SHOW: The Simpsons Game (Electronic Arts/ EA Redwood Shores)
* BEST RHYTHM GAME: Rock Band (MTV Games/ Harmonix)
* BEST DRIVING GAME: DiRT (Codemasters/ Codemasters)
* BEST ACTION GAME: Super Mario Galaxy (Nintendo/ Nintendo)
* BEST TEAM SPORTS GAME: Madden NFL 08 (Electronic Arts/ EA Tiburon)
* BEST SOUNDTRACK: Rock Band (MTV Games/ Harmonix)
* BREAKTHROUGH TECHNOLOGY: The Orange Box/ Portal (Valve/ Valve)
* BEST XBOX 360 GAME: BioShock
* BEST WII GAME: Super Mario Galaxy (Nintendo/ Nintendo)
* BEST PS3 GAME: Ratchet & Clank Future: Tools of Destruction (Sony Computer Entertainment/ Insomniac Games)
* BEST PC GAME: The Orange Box (Valve/ Valve)
* BEST ORIGINAL SCORE: BioShock
* BEST MULTI-PLAYER GAME: Halo 3 (Microsoft Game Studios/ Bungie Studios)
* MOST ADDICTIVE VIDEO GAME FUELED BY DEW: Halo 3 (Microsoft Game Studios/ Bungie Studios)

Now for the most part I guess the winners make sense, but there are three categories that confuse me the most. Most Addictive Video Game Fueled by Dew, Game of the Year, and Best Xbox360 game. First off, yes I understand Dew had all kinds of licensing and publicity agreements with Halo but did Halo 3 really deserve to win? Also, the other two category winners don't make sense to me. The most monumental selling, most insane grossing video game/form of entertainment EVER in the history of the world wasn't popular enough to win both game of the year and best xbox360 game? Hello? I'm not a Halo fanboy by any means, but it just seems odd that this game didn't win. I thought it was a shoe in.

lotsofdvds

I like the fact that the Studio of the Year didn't create the Game of the Year.

Chris_D

The Mountain Dew thing was actually just a public online vote, so Halo 3 winning is not surprising. It's not something to be particularly stressed about, I mean, the actual category name pretty much demands ridicule.

As for the other two categories, well actually all the awards (apart from the Mountain Dew thing) this year were voted on by a panel of 30 experts from the game journalism industry (including 1UP, Gamespot, etc.). So it's not strange to see an industry darling like Bioshock win - and not that I'm even saying that is not a perfectly deserving winner.

The main controversy from what I've heard is Mario Galaxy wasn't nominated for GOTY (but there were only 4 nominees so I'm sure it was just outside that group). I would imagine many people think that Halo 3 should have been squeezed out to make room for MG. The other 3 GOTY nominees, Mass Effect, Bioshock, and Orange Box were all pretty worthy IMO.

metalhead212

They were all worthy games every game that won was AAA, that is also a problem I think, but that is neither here nor there. I just hate how they have all these supposed "experts" throw their two cents in, when in reality it should really either be based off the consumers or the sales and revenue numbers, or by online activity or something. 30 people should not speak for millions.

Michael Corvin

I don't get how Orange Box qualifies for GOTY anyway. How old is the content in the package? I can understand that it is a great value, but a reissue shouldn't qualify, no matter what extras you put in the box.

PixyJunket

I agree, it's an extremely over-hyped package based on its perceived "value," however, Episode 2, Team Fortress 2 and Portal were all new. Half-Life 2 and Episode 1 were the only "oldies" on there and I believe merely as a bonus. The primary package is still all new content.

Decker

Actually, I have no problem with it being a GOTY nominee, it is a game released this year andis supurb. How on earth does it win "Breakthrough Technology" though? I don't know what the other nominees were, but that seems like an award that CoD 4 or Rock Band would be more deserving of.

superdeluxe

Hah. SMG wasn't even considered for GOTY? Now that makes alot of sense, since it is the highest rated game of the year, and top 2 of all-time.

PixyJunket

The Spike TV Video Game Awards are targeted at their advertisers first and the target demographic of their network, pre-teen and early-teen boys, second. Super Mario Galaxy is the type of game that's much more appreciated below and above that age range.

fumanstan

No problems with Orange Box being listed either. The original content is all top notch, with or without Half-Life 2/Episode 1. The breakthrough technology thing is iffy, but considering they listed Portal specifically, it makes more sense.

No problem with Bioshock either. It deserves it.

The list doesn't seem that bad to me

starseed1981

I don't really take stock in the awards. But Kristen Bell in that dress was phenomenal.

DVDChris

After beating Bioshock this weekend, I truly feel this is the game of the year. Just an incredible story and technologically sound as well.

RichC2

I agree with most of the awards. I really love Rock Band, BioShock, Orange Box, and Super Mario Galaxy and feel they all got some love.

I will say BioShock makes me chuckle in terms of advertising. I've seen numerous ads for it lately, and it had an obviously paid spot in 30 Rock a couple weeks ago (Tina Fey gives a copy of it to her then 20 year old boyfriend. It wasn't quite as over the top as the Verizon ad ( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d36wUmJGzvA ) but it was pretty obvious) Seems like its publisher is pulling out the $$ for advertising it this xmas... But unlike most, I feel it deserves the push, great game.

PixyJunket

On that subject, the TV ad for Mass Effect is horrible.

msdmoney

I'll disagree since Portal alone is my GOTY, making everything else included in the package just the icing on the cake.

DRG

I haven't played everything on that list, but all in all it seems like a decent list. I liked Halo 3, but I'm glad it didn't automatically win GotY just because of its popularity. It at least gives this a bit of credibility. I haven't seen the actual show... these sorts of things are almost always too cheesy to watch.

Chris_D

I would disagree. I can't say I've played it, but the word is that TF2 by itself is simply the best online multiplayer FPS going around at the moment. Likewise Portal has been receiving massive plaudits from most outlets.

fujishig

So did Orange Box win the "breakthrough technology" solely because of Portal?

And where are all the PS3 and PSP games? Talk about biased...

Chris_D

Huh? There are quite a lot of PS3 winners actually:
* BEST SHOOTER: Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare (Activision/ Infinity Ward)
* BEST MILITARY GAME: Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare (Activision/ Infinity Ward)
* BEST INDIVIDUAL SPORTS GAME: skate (Electronic Arts/ EA Black Box)
* BEST GAME BASED ON A MOVIE OR TV SHOW: The Simpsons Game (Electronic Arts/ EA Redwood Shores)
* BEST RHYTHM GAME: Rock Band (MTV Games/ Harmonix)
* BEST DRIVING GAME: DiRT (Codemasters/ Codemasters)
* BEST TEAM SPORTS GAME: Madden NFL 08 (Electronic Arts/ EA Tiburon)
* BEST SOUNDTRACK: Rock Band (MTV Games/ Harmonix)
* BREAKTHROUGH TECHNOLOGY: The Orange Box/ Portal (Valve/ Valve)
* BEST PS3 GAME: Ratchet & Clank Future: Tools of Destruction (Sony Computer Entertainment/ Insomniac Games)

dvdsteve2000

How does Mario Galaxy, and maybe even Rock Band qualify when they were basically just released? It just seems like the games haven't been around long enough to be nominated.

Chris_D

They've been reviewed, and the nominations and winners were decided on by a panel of 30 game journalists.

DeltaSigChi4

Frank Kozik made the trophy.

E

dan30oly

Nice spin.

Only 2 of those games are exclusive to the PS3 and one of those happens to be in the "BEST PS3 GAME" category (the other being DiRT).

RichC2

DiRT isn't exclusive.

Trevor

Shame on you for not linking a pic.