IGN announces E3 award winners

by Randy Nelson { Jul 28th 2008 at 10:00PM }

And the winner is ... gamers! Well, that's the conclusion we came to after witnessing the sheer amount of top-notch games trotted out at this year's E3. While we're finalizing the official Joystiq E3 2008 Awards (coming soon – there was a lot of blood confetti to clean up in the judge's room) we'd like to offer, for your list-reading pleasure, IGN's picks for the Best of Show in various categories.

You can read the entire list after the break. Let us hear what you think of their choices in the comments, and, for nostalgia's sake, check out our award winners (and losers) from last E3.

Overall Game of the Show
Fallout 3 (Bethesda, PS3/360/PC)

Best Handheld Game
Rhythm Heaven (Nintendo, DS)

Best PC Game
Spore (EA, PC/Mac)

Best Console Game
Fallout 3 (Bethesda, PS3/360/PC)

Biggest Surprise
Final Fantasy XIII Coming to Xbox 360

Best Action Game
Mirror's Edge (EA/DICE, PS3/360)

Best Arcade Shooter
Galaga Legions (Namco, XBLA)

Best Fighting Game
Street Fighter IV (Capcom, Arcade/PS3/360)

Best Shooting Game
Gears of War 2 (Microsoft/Epic Games, 360)

Best MMO
Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning (EA/Mythic, PC)

Best Music/Rhythm Game
Rock Band 2 (MTV Games/Harmonix, PS3/360/Wii/PS2)

Best Platform Game
Prince of Persia (Ubisoft, PS3/360)

Best Puzzle Game
Braid (Number None, Inc., XBLA)

Best Racing Game
Motorstorm: Pacific Rift (Sony/Evolution Studios, PS3)

Best RPG
Fallout 3 (Bethesda, PS3/360/PC)

Best Sports Game
Shaun White Snowboarding (Activision, PS3/360/Wii)

Best Strategy Game
Spore (EA, PC/Mac)

Best Downloadable Console Game
Fat Princess (Sony/Titan Studios, PS3)

Best Graphics Technology
Gears of War 2 (Microsoft/Epic Games, 360)

Best Artistic Design
Prince of Persia (Ubisoft, PS3/360)

Best Multiplayer Experience
Left 4 Dead (EA/Valve, PC/360)

Special Achievement for Technological Excellence
Spore (EA, PC/Mac)

Special Achievement for Innovation
Spore (EA, PC/Mac)

Best Hardware/Peripheral
Wii Motion Plus (Nintendo, Wii)

Best Non-Playable Presentation
Final Fantasy XIII (Square Enix, PS3/360)

Tags: awards, e3-2008, ign

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

Dead Texan @ Jul 28th 2008 10:04PM

E3 was a bust

David @ Jul 28th 2008 10:08PM

Funny, I felt as though I lost this year.

Pumped for Spore, GoW2, and Fallout 3 though.

Rabidkeebler @ Jul 28th 2008 10:09PM

For the most part I can't really disagree with it all that much. There is room for argument, but not for an out right ZOMG THOSE IDIOTS moment.

LordKelvin @ Jul 28th 2008 10:14PM

If the show is dead, then how are there any winners at all?

4MyFriends @ Jul 28th 2008 10:16PM

Because even among losers, there stands one that sucked the least.

Deadpool @ Jul 28th 2008 10:18PM

The show is a Zombie...there I said it.

4MyFriends @ Jul 28th 2008 10:15PM

I'll do Joystiq commenters a favor and say it now.

NINTENDO IS KILLING THE INDUSTRY, E3 2008 PROVES THAT THEY AREN'T MAKING ANY MORE HARDCORE GAMES FOR MATURE AUDIENCES SUCH AS OURSELVES. SHITTY GIMMICKY SYSTEM.

There, I think I properly captured the average Joystiq commenter charm.

EliteBeatsAgent08 @ Jul 28th 2008 10:28PM

Lol so true...

Personally I don't think Nintendo is destroying anything. I think it's just a small minority of gamers who realize that they're not even smaller in this new bigger world of gaming that Nintendo has created.

Bottom line is for all the crying and whining there won't be much action taken by these "hardcore" gamers.

And meanwhile The Big N continues to rake in all the dough.

Deadpool @ Jul 28th 2008 10:33PM

So what your saying is Nintendo is killing the game industry by getting people who usually don't play videogames to play videogames. OH NOEZ! NINTENDO IS TEH WORST BECAUSE THEY MADE A SYSTEM ANYONE CAN PLAY!

mr mobius @ Jul 28th 2008 10:35PM

I'm assuming that was highlighting the normal Joystiq comment otherwise I would have directed you to happier places where Nintendo say otherwise (though it is on very loose ground at the minute with the hardcore audience).

Co @ Jul 28th 2008 10:39PM

Man you guys are my types of peoples!

The Fatass of Kickassness @ Jul 28th 2008 11:00PM

I'M AN IDIOT!

There, I think I've captured the average 4MyFriends post charm.

Seriously, man, I don't disagree with you ALL that often, but you can't say that that conference wasn't a bust. Samfish talked a bit o sense into me last night, but fucking hell, still doesn't fill the void man. Never said that Nintendo isn't making hardcore games anymore, I (and many other Joystiq commenters) am just sad that it doesn't seem like we're Nintendo's focus anymore. Their conference was decidedly casual, and to say otherwise would reinforce the idea that, well, you've never seen any other E3 conference in the expo's history.

Saria the Cat @ Jul 28th 2008 11:13PM

Whoa, your reverse psychology is working...

Ihar `Philips` Filipau @ Jul 29th 2008 8:05AM

> NINTENDO IS KILLING THE INDUSTRY

With games at $60 and game consoles above $400, I think, industry was dead long before.

It's just took more time for fabois - as flood of remakes weakened - to finally see it.

Tordre @ Jul 29th 2008 10:02PM

Ok so you are correct in a sense, what they are doing is like legalizing pot. Pot is not that dangerous to people just like video games, all they are doing is making it available to the masses.

Now you are just upset because once you were sticking it to the man to play video games, and now it seems a little bit lame because your parents will want to play with you.

Sure you are upset that the games they release are no longer targeted to you, just accept the fact you are now a niche market, and may be treated like one to at least one of the big names. You will still find your products and maybe the general populous will because open to the harder stuff to. And you will become less of a niche.

Dirk41 @ Jul 28th 2008 10:16PM

So if you go by that the real winners from E3 would be 360 owners!

Eggy @ Jul 29th 2008 4:44AM

PC gamers if I look at that list.

Noshino @ Jul 28th 2008 10:17PM

Why don't you guys just gather up the "Best of E3" awards on just one post instead of multiple ones?...

Gametrailers'
http://www.gametrailers.com/game/9594.html

1up's
http://www.1up.com/do/feature?cId=3168984

X-Play's
http://e3.g4tv.com/e32008/blog/post/687264/XPlays_Best_Of_E3_Awards_Tonight.html

Anton Chigurh @ Jul 28th 2008 10:28PM

Because that would make too much sense.

EliteBeatsAgent08 @ Jul 28th 2008 10:30PM

FFXIII is all that matters.

I'm very skeptical about Fallout 3. Just sounds like a bunch of typical IGN bullshit hype.

Maybe it will be great but I've yet to see any vids that truly intrigue me.

SCIV tomorrow...CAN'T WAIT!

Gears of War 2 and Fable 2 later on this year! New Dashboard update...the 360 rules.

Brett from Atlanta @ Jul 28th 2008 10:45PM

How did prince of persia beat LBP for best platformer? The new POP looks great but LBP beats it imo.

BIGFAT @ Jul 28th 2008 11:28PM

what is so great about LBP, it doesn't wow me at all so what do y'all see in it. all i see is a floaty Mario game if you ask me.(with co-op)

maybe thats why only ps3 owners think this is going to be the second coming, while the average gamer thinks its going to be a letdown.

Brett from Atlanta @ Jul 29th 2008 12:03AM

If by average gamer, you mean xbox fanboy who is pretty jealous and by only ps3 owners you mean just about everyone in the video game industry then ok. Please take your trolling to Xbox360fanboy.com

Desi_D @ Jul 28th 2008 10:47PM

So, all the PS3 exclusive games are crap?! WTF?! Even LBP?

Neptune @ Jul 29th 2008 6:17AM

Best Downloadable Console Game
Fat Princess (Sony/Titan Studios, PS3)

Not all :P

Brett from Atlanta @ Jul 28th 2008 10:50PM

And FFXIII beat Infamous, wtf this kinda crap is the reason I get my gaming news from places like joystiq and not IGN who are all f**king moneyhats. Their list looks like this. first potential advertisement deal: Fill in the blank. second potential advertisement deal, etc.

Zangief @ Jul 28th 2008 10:55PM

I anticipate Fallout 3. Hopefully, it silences doubters.

BIGFAT @ Jul 28th 2008 11:17PM

solid list except the best platformer category is debatable

OMGOMG @ Jul 28th 2008 11:56PM

Fallout 3 looks terrible right now. Yeah, I said it.

eilegz @ Jul 29th 2008 12:00AM

We all know that nintendo failed hard, but E3 overall its an epic fail...

Tez (PSN: Tezasaurus) @ Jul 29th 2008 12:42AM

Fallout 3 looks great, but best of show? Really? Oh wait, it's IGN. Neeevermind.

Just_a_guy @ Jul 29th 2008 12:55AM

what about the condouit: made the wii fake people out into thinking it was a 360 game. now that's good graphics technology...

Shader @ Jul 29th 2008 4:42AM

I'm suprised Gears of War 2 won best graphics technology over Killzone 2. Killzone graphics blows GOW2s out of the water, from the videos at least. Maybe Gears was more stable when actually playing.

knowthyself @ Jul 29th 2008 8:30AM

Wow thats the first time I see so little love for LBP. I haven't seem gamers so happy playing a game in a long time. NO need to be all serious all the time.

knowthyself @ Jul 29th 2008 8:32AM

I weep for a world where anyone would actually hype The Conduit. That game just screams "hey I'm the only game in town if you want a FPS on the Wii! Hype me!" That would be like 360 owners hyping Turok or Dark Sektor. You don't have to hype crap if you've got other great games around. The Conduit reeks of desperation. Reminds me of how fanboys went nuts over Red Steel. Yeah. Red Steel.

Mr Khan @ Jul 29th 2008 5:28PM

Because The Conduit, while very generic for multiconsole owners, is still an example of a developer doing the best they can on Wii

Plus the whole fact that it will be the superior online FPS on the console that has superior FPS controls period, but the haters will argue that, so it's not that great of an issue

Jared @ Jul 30th 2008 9:12AM

Yeah, I'm not sure about the whole arguement that the Wii has the superior console FPS controls. We know console FPS can work very well on the 360 and PS3, but I've yet to see one appear on the Wii. Maybe the Conduit will be the first, but until the Wii remotes start using the motion plus and actually have a 1:1 motion to screen ratio, I don't see it working very well.