Bafta Video Game Awards 2013 – The Nominees
And the winner is . . .
Well, no. We don’t actually have a winner yet, but we do have nominations. Loads and loads of nominations. The Bafta Awards, for those that don’t know, are the British Academy of Film and Television Arts, which has held awards for games since 1998. The Bafta’s are a kinda big deal, and part of what makes them a big deal is their recognition of games as an art form equal to that of Film and Television. Which, as any gamer worth his salt will tell you, is not as recognized as it should be. Previous winners of the ‘Best Game’ category have been Half-Life 2 and the original Call of Duty. So they do know what they’re talking about.
All the big hitters are there; Mass Effect 3, Halo 4, Assassins Creed 3 etc. etc., but it’s great to see some of this year’s indie titles such as Journey and Dear Esther getting some attention. Personally, if Dishonored doesn’t run away with the ‘Game of the Year’ award, it’ll be a scandal. But, hey, each to their own.
Without further ado, the nominations are:
Action
Far Cry 3, Hitman: Absolution, Call of Duty: Black Ops 2, Halo 4, Mass Effect 3, Borderlands 2.
Game Innovation
Fez, Call of Duty: Black Ops 2, Wonderbook: Book of spell, Journey, Kinect Sesame Street, The Unfinished Swan.
Artistic Achievement
Journey, Far Cry 3, The Room, Halo 4, Dear Esther, Borderlands 2.
Mobile and Handheld
LittleBigPlanet, The Room, New Star Soccer, Incoboto, The Walking Dead, Super Monsters Ate my Condo.
Audio Achievement
Far Cry 3, Beat Sneak Bandit, Halo 4, Assassin’s Creed 3, Dear Esther, Journey.
Online – Browser
The Settlers online, Songpop, Merlin: The Game, Runescape, Amateur Surgeon Hospital, Dick and Dom’s HOOPLA.
BAFTA Ones to Watch Award
Starcrossed, Project Thantos, Pixel Story.
Online – Multiplayer
Assassin’s Creed 3, Call of Duty: Black Ops 2, Journey, Need for Speed Most Wanted, Halo 4, Borderlands 2.
Original Music
Diablo 3, Assassin’s Creed 3, Thomas Was Alone, Journey, The Unfinished Swan, The Walking Dead.
British Game
Need for Speed Most Wanted, The Room, Forza Horizon, Dear Esther, Super Hexagon, LEGO: The Lord of the Rings
Performer
Nolan North (Nathan Drake in Uncharted: Golden Abyss), Danny Wallace (The Narrator in Thomas was Alone), Mellissa Hutchinson (Clementine in The Walking Dead), Dave Fennoy (Lee Everett in The Walking Dead), Adrian Hough (Haytham in Assassin’s Creed 3), Nigel Carrington (The Narrator in Dear Esther).
Debut Game
Deadlight, The Unfinished Swan, Forza Horizon, Dear Esther, The Room, Proteus.
Sports/Fitness
Forza Horizon, F1 2012, FIFA 13, Nike+ Kinect Training, New Star Soccer, Trials Evolution.
Family
LEGO Batman 2: DC Super Heroes, Minecraft: XBOX 360 Edition, Just Dance 4, Skylanders Giants, Clay Jam, LEGO the Lord of the Rings.
Story
Journey, Far Cry 3, The Walking Dead, Thomas as Alone, Mass Effect 3, Dishonored.
Game Design
Dishonored, Far Cry 3, Journey, XCOM: Enemy Unknown, Borderlands 2, The Walking Dead.
Strategy
Dark Souls: Prepare to Die, Diably 3, Great Big War Game, Total War Shogun 2: Fall of the Samurai, Football Manager 2013, XCOM: Enemy Unknown.
Best Game
Far Cry 3, FIFA 13, Journey, Mass Effect 3, Dishonored, The Walking Dead.
So there you go, all the nominations. Let me know who’d you vote for!