BioShock nabs 'record-breaking' 12 nominations from AIAS awards

by Christopher Grant on Jan 18th 2008 3:00AM

Not content with manhandling the Spike VGAs, the BAFTA awards, the AP game of the year (and we're sure other acronym-determined awards), BioShock has dominated the Academy of Interactive Arts and Sciences' list of nominees for the Interactive Achievement Awards, to be held at next month's D.I.C.E. Summit. The underwater corridor crawler racked up a reportedly "record-breaking" 12 nominations, with Call of Duty 4 bringing up a close second place.

Though we doubt the winners will be announced to the world via a lineup of bare-chested women (ahem), the IAAs will be hosted by Jay Mohr for the third year running and broadcast by both GameSpot and Comcast (through their video-on-demand service). Previous Game of the Year winners have included the GoWs, God of War and Gears of War.

[Via Gamasutra]

Overall Game of the Year

Bioshock
Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare
Rock Band
Super Mario Galaxy
The Orange Box

Computer Game of the Year

Bioshock
Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare
Crysis
The Orange Box
World of Warcraft: The Burning Crusade

Console Game of the Year

Bioshock
Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare
Mass Effect
Rock Band
Super Mario Galaxy

Handheld Game of the Year

Drawn to Life
Jeanne D'Arc
Puzzle Quest: Challenge of the Warlords
Ratchet and Clank: Size Matters
The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass

Outstanding Innovation in Gaming

Assassin's Creed
Bioshock
Rock Band
Super Mario Galaxy
The Orange Box

Source

Tags: 2K-Boston, AIAS, BioShock, DICE, PC, Xbox-360

Reader Comments (40)

Nice picks.

Agreed, but Jay Mohr hosting? What was Jamie Kennedy taken?

It's funny because I know people that swear that that dude is funny. Personally, I could take him or leave him (though he was pretty good in 'Go', I have to admit.)

well deserved

Based on the categories, the nominees, and the previous winners, I'd say this is probably the most credible award ceremony for games.

And I really can't dispute any of the nominees, either. Maybe I'd throw out one or two, but for the most part, these games are the ones that should be more or less expected to win such things.

Does anyone know who determines the winners? It's not decided by online vote or anything like that, right? That would take away from some of that credibility I mentioned...

Oh, and it's interesting to note that Halo 3 isn't up for game of the year by default (as it seems to be with other awards). I loved Halo 3, but there was just too many amazing games for it to hold up.

I just read that all awards are voted for by members of the AIAS, and only people in the industry can be members - very cool. Why haven't I heard of this before?

Can't wait to hear the winners.

Correction:
Only industry people who PAY to be members can be members.
...and only members can have a game submitted for entry.

I don't get what's "outstandingly innovative" about AC or Bioshock?

The storyline and game mechanics.

Care to elaborate? I didn't see anything innovative about these points in either game. Maybe I just didn't look hard enough.

Well, Assassin's Creed has pretty realistic NPC AI, incredibly fluid animation, and impressive collision detection. I'm about 7 hours in right now and I don't know if it'll continue to be fun the whole way, but they've really got the tech portion of that game nailed.

I'll play devils advocate and ask what was particularly innovative about Rock Band, Super Mario Galaxy and The Orange Box?

Rock Band is Guitar Hero with more instruments.
Orange Box is another shooter.
Super Mario Galaxy is another Mario game + planets.

AC certainly does interesting things with collision detection and the "run anywhere, climb anywhere" mechanic, but I don't see what was so innovative about Bioshock.

Don't get me wrong, I thought Bioshock was a great game, the art and story were fantastic, etc., but it wasn't exactly what I'd call *innovative*. Even the concept of plasmids was just really a minor sci-fi twist on "magic".

I'll bite...

Rock Band: provides an experience you can't really describe to anyone who hasn't actually played it. I guess that counts as the "je ne sais quoi" factor. Definitely more than just "Guitar Hero with more instruments."

Orange Box: You mean, besides the fact that they decided to include 5 games in one package? Then I've got one word: Portal.

Super Mario Galaxy: Had the dubious honor of being so perfectly designed for the Wii that it made the 2 previous "must have" Wii games (Zelda and Metroid) look like shit in comparison.

Hmm I got voted down for asking a question. How mature.

baby sea tuna : why would "pretty realistic NPC AI, incredibly fluid animation, and impressive collision detection" qualify as innovation? These are "just" improvements... Otherwise a game like Crysis should also be nominated.

How about instead of voting down this guy, someone answers his question? The major touted theme of Bioshock that was supposed to be new an innovative was their whole 'choice' thing, which basically boils down the same way Fable did; two choices with the depth of a puddle.

Honestly, i'm not understanding all the praise here. Someone just explain to me why it's loved so much and i'll sleep much better tonight.

Orange Box was nominated for either Team Fortress 2 or Portal.

I've got to ask the naysayers, what 5 games would you consider particularly "innovative" in 2007 then?

Actually, I don't find Bioshock innovative in the slightest, except for the water graphical effects. It's System Shock 2, but prettier. It's very fun and I enjoyed it, yes, but innovative?

Assassin's Creed, however, has some great new features that I would love to see implemented in other games.

baby sea tuna : I'd say Crayon Physics is the most innovative game this year. Of course it had no chance of getting nominated for these awards, but then again I never cared about this kind of stuff.

It's going to win the game of the year.
FPS? Check.
Made in the west? Check.
Subdued "OMG DOESN'T HOLD YOUR HAND" story? Check.

The AIAS loves shooters, hates stories, has an affinity toward western games, and let's not forget that nothing is nominated if they don't pay.

Actually, this is only partially true. Remember a few years ago? Capcom bitching that RE4 was unable to get awards from this show just because they didn't pay to get into this organization?

And truth be told, that's fair. If an org wants to have an exclusive awards show, you must be a member. After all, the country club down the street is always having contests and it would be nice to win a Saturn Sky, but I'll be damned if I'm joining their club just to enter.

I don't see Halo 3 in any of those categories.

By the way, I'm not complaining, I don't think it really deserves to be in any of them.

Read the article Joystiq only posted a few on the categorizes not all.

I couldn't see Halo being up for these - the other choices are simply better.

Halo is not a technical marvel - its a great guilty pleasure type game, but can't compete with games like BioShock, Orange Box and Mario which have more depth and push the line regarding value, playability or storyline.

IMO, Bioshock was a complete meh.

http://www.avclub.com/content/blog/please_resolve

Well-played baby sea tuna. Well-played.

:P

The nominees are so good that it'd be really hard to pick a winner: 2007 was a great year for videogames.

Impact-wise, shouldn't WoW be nominated for game of the decade instead?

Screen Actors Guild take note: this is the game you forgot to include in your Game Writing award. This, and, well, every other game listed.

Phenomenal lineup -- for the first time that I can remember, nearly all the nominees actually seem award-worthy in their respective categories, and I think that speaks volumes on the steps the medium took this year toward deserving broader credibility.

But, c'mon...the Portal song doesn't make it for Original Music?

"But, c'mon...the Portal song doesn't make it for Original Music?"

No, but it is nominated for Outstanding Character Performance (I can only assume they mean GlaDOS)

Isn't this the awards program that gave Splinter Cell Console GotY over Metroid Prime?

Yeah, not caring one bit over here. Although I did enjoy Bioshock.

Looking at those nominations really makes you see how great of a year 2007 was for games. I mean, I'm not a fan of but only one game on the list, and that's solely because it's not my type of game. Every single one of those, though, have really done something very well, no matter if for one the gameplay got boring, it was hella innovative with its technology and a poster child for what to expect with the next generation of games (just with better overall gameplay, we hope :p).

Very proud of what we have been given this year in so far as games, the devs have really been topping themselves as well as masterfully proving some unknown Movie reviewer that games can be just as artistic, involving, and meaningful as any other form of art.

The _only_ thing I wish would have made this list is Uncharted. The game is a masterpiece, IMHO. Don't know why it's on there, but may be because Naughty Dog people aren't members or something. I hope it wasn't just overlooked, though, because that would be criminal in my book :p

Good game, but I think others were better such as Rock Band and Super Mario Galaxy. Would you kindly vote for something else?

Orange Box isn't a game.

Thats some dumb picky crap - its the title of the package one buys and thus its the correct name.

I still don't think it should be considered a game, as a whole. It's a package of five distinctly separate games, and, for example, if one buys it on Steam, is displayed as such.

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BioShock nabs 'record-breaking' 12 nominations from AIAS awards

Reader Comments (40)

Posted: Jan 18th 2008 3:17AM (Unverified) said

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