Valve's Portal 2 and Rocksteady's Batman: Arkham City were the big winners at Spike TV's ninth annual Video Game Awards show, although The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim took home the Game of the Year award.
Portal 2 picked up five awards in total, including Best PC Game, Best Multiplayer and Best DLC, while Arkham City took four awards, including Best Xbox 360 Game and Best Action Adventure.
Skyrim also scooped multiple awards, taking home the Game of the Year award as well as this year's Best RPG, while Bethesda Game Studios won Studio of the Year.
The Legend of Zelda series also had a good night, taking the Video Game Hall of Fame Award for the overall franchise, and the Best Wii Game and Best Motion Game awards for the latest in the series, The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword.
Here is the full list of Spike TV's 2011 Video Game Award winners:
Game of the Year
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
Studio of the Year
Bethesda Game Studios
Character of the Year
The Joker - Batman: Arkham City
Video Game Hall of Fame Award
The Legend of Zelda
Gamer God Award
Blizzard Entertainment
Best Xbox 360 Game
Batman: Arkham City
Best PS3 Game
Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception
Best Wii Game
The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword
Best PC Game
Portal 2
Best Handheld/Mobile Game
Super Mario 3D Land
Best Shooter
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3
Best Action Adventure Game
Batman: Arkham City
Best RPG
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
Best Multiplayer
Portal 2
Best Individual Sports Game
Fight Night Champion
Best Team Sports Game
NBA 2K12
Best Driving Game
Forza Motorsport 4
Best Fighting Game
Mortal Kombat
Best Motion
The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword
Best Independent Game
Minecraft
Best Adapted Video Game
Batman: Arkham City
Best Song in a Game
"Build that Wall (Zia's Theme)" by Darren Korb - Bastion
Best Original Score
Bastion
Best Graphics
Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception
Best Performance by a Human Male
Stephen Merchant as Wheatley - Portal 2
Best Performance by a Human Female
Ellen McLain as GLaDOS - Portal 2
Best Downloadable Game
Bastion
Best DLC
Portal 2 Peer Review
Most Anticipated Game
Mass Effect 3
GameTrailers.com Trailer of the Year
Assassin's Creed: Revelations - E3 2011 Trailer
EA Sports NFL Blitz Digital Cover Athlete
Ray Rice
Very predictable, all about sales figures if you'd ask me. And who determines the most anticipated game anyway? For me, it is just a circus of 'talking loud to look awesome' americanism that has nothing to do with the art of gamedesign and development at all. I mean, spending 5% of the show on games and 80% on charlie sheen en jersey shore, come on!
I've never found an excuse to take Spike's awards seriously. They've always struck me as very fake, higher production value than authenticity. And of course they are certainly appealing to the mass market. Though they did award Bastion, I guess that's something.
Maybe the industry is big enough for this kind of fluff to exist. Personally I'm not sure it's relevant, however.
the Spike awards are bull shit, they are a popularity contest that is unorganized and no real good opinion really matters. If i was making a game, i'd not care about the spike VGA, but the GDC awards. Which are reviewed by designers that know the industry.
I think one of the problems with the Spike VGA's is that they're decided on by "media professionals." These people are not artists or designers.
At least its better then the first VGA and seeing Madden be declared Game of the Year, so its not like they haven't made some progress.
The VGA's are just the video game equivalent of the Grammys. Basically, a big showy spectacle for the public that means nothing to industry professionals. Its not really a good or bad thing, just a thing.
Do they have a rule about the game of the year not being eligible for a platform award? If not, isn't it kinda strange that Skyrim would be considered the best game of the year despite every platform it's on apparently having a better game?
Maybe the industry is big enough for this kind of fluff to exist. Personally I'm not sure it's relevant, however.
At least its better then the first VGA and seeing Madden be declared Game of the Year, so its not like they haven't made some progress.
The VGA's are just the video game equivalent of the Grammys. Basically, a big showy spectacle for the public that means nothing to industry professionals. Its not really a good or bad thing, just a thing.