Presenting the 2008 Spike Video Game Award nominees
by Ludwig Kietzmann 
{ Nov 13th 2008 at 6:45PM }
Peer past the break for the full list, which includes categories such as Best Studio, Best Independent Game and Best Shooter. There's even one that somehow manages to toss Dame Judi Dench in with Liv Tyler, Eliza Dushku and Jenny McCarthy. Never going to happen again, ladies.
Game of the Year
- Grand Theft Auto IV (Rockstar Games/ Rockstar North)
- LittleBigPlanet (Sony Computer Entertainment/ Media Molecule)
- Fallout 3 (Bethesda Softworks/ Bethesda Game Studios)
- Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots (Konami Digital Entertainment, Inc / Kojima Productions)
- Gears of War 2 (Microsoft Game Studios/ Epic Games)
Studio of the Year
- Media Molecule
- Rockstar North
- Harmonix
- Bethesda Game Studios
Best Shooter
- Far Cry 2
- Resistance 2
- Gears of War 2
- Left 4 Dead
Best RPG
- Fable II
- Fallout 3
- Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning
- The World Ends With You
Best Fighting Game
- SoulCalibur IV
- Mortal Kombat Vs. DC Universe
- Super Smash Bros. Brawl
- Dragon Ball Z: Burst Limit
Best Individual Sports Game
- Shaun White Snowboarding
- Tiger Woods PGA Tour 09
- Wii Fit
- Skate It
Best Handheld Game
- God of War: Chains of Olympus
- Professor Layton and the Curious Village
- Patapon
- Castlevania Order of Eccelsia
Best Graphics
- Gears of War 2
- Fallout 3
- LittleBigPlanet
- Metal Gear Solid 4
Best Game Based on a Movie or a TV Show
- Lego Indiana Jones: The Original Adventures
- Quantum of Solace
- Star Wars: The Force Unleashed
- Naruto: The Broken Bond
Best Music Game
- Rock Band 2 (MTV Games/ Harmonix)
- Guitar Hero World Tour (RedOctane/ Activision Publishing/ Neversoft Entertainment)
- Wii Music (Nintendo/ Nintendo)
- SingStar (Sony Computer Entertainment/ SCE Studios London)
Best Driving Game
- Burnout Paradise
- Pure
- Midnight Club: Los Angeles
- Mario Kart Wii
Best Action Adventure Game
- Grand Theft Auto IV
- Dead Space
- Mirror's Edge
- Metal Gear Solid 4
Best Team Sports Game
- NHL 09
- Madden NFL 09
- NBA 2K9
- FIFA Soccer 09
Best Soundtrack
- LittleBigPlanet
- Grand Theft Auto IV
- Rock Band 2
- Guitar Hero World Tour
Best Xbox 360 Game
- Fable II
- Gears of War 2
- Grand Theft Auto IV
- Fallout 3
Best Wii Game
- Super Smash Bros. Brawl
- Boom Blox
- Wii Fit
- No More Heroes
Best PS3 Game
- Metal Gear Solid 4
- Resistance 2
- LittleBigPlanet
- Grand Theft Auto IV
Best PC Game
- Spore
- Crysis Warhead
- Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning
- Left 4 Dead
Best Original Score
- Fallout 3
- Spore
- Metal Gear Solid 4
- LittleBigPlanet
Best Multiplayer Game
- Gears of War 2
- Left 4 Dead
- Resistance 2
- Call of Duty: World at War
Best Performance by a Human Male
- Michael Hollick as Niko Bellic in GTA IV
- David Hayter as Old Snake in MGS4
- Stephen Fry as The Narrator in LBP
- Jason Zumwalt as Roman Bellic in GTA IV
Best Performance by a Human Female
- Nathalie Cox as Juno Eclipse in The Force Unleashed
- Debi Mae West as Meryl Silverburgh in MGS4
- Paula Tiso as Silvia Christel in No More Heroes
- Keeley Hawes Lara Croft in Tomb Raider Underworld
Best Independent Game Fueled by Mountain Dew
- World of Goo
- PixelJunk Eden
- Braid
- Audiosurf
Big Name in the Game Male
- Ricky Gervais as "Himself" in Grand Theft Auto IV
- Kiefer Sutherland as "Sgt. Roebuck" in Call of Duty World at War
- Liam Neeson as "Father" in Fallout 3
- Daniel Craig as "James Bond" in Quantum of Solace
Big Name in the Game Female
- Jenny McCarthy as "Tanya" in Command & Conquer: Red Alert 3
- Liv Tyler as "Betty Ross" in The Incredible Hulk
- Eliza Dushku as "Shaundi" in Saints Row 2
- Dame Judi Dench as "M' in Quantum of Solace
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
Shagittarius @ Nov 13th 2008 6:57PM
Best PC Game
* Spore
* Crysis Warhead
* Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning
* Left 4 Dead
What a completely random list.
Jimiisama @ Nov 13th 2008 7:38PM
Plus, why is Fallout 3 on every single list but not best PC game?
Haggard @ Nov 13th 2008 6:59PM
lol @ Best Graphics award
not to be a snobby elitist PC gamer or anything, but what exactly are they judging on?
..anyway, L4D = Best Shooter
Titanium_Orchid @ Nov 13th 2008 7:00PM
Game of the Year
GMS4/LBP
Studio of the Year
Rockstar North/Harmonix
Best Shooter
Gears of War 2
Best RPG
World Ends With You
Best Fighting Game
Super Smash Bros. Brawl
Best Individual Sports Game
*phbttt*
Best Handheld Game
Tough call
Best Graphics
Gears of War 2
Metal Gear Solid 4
Best Game Based on a Movie or a TV Show
*phbttt*
Best Music Game
Rock Band 2
Best Driving Game
Burnout Paradise
Best Action Adventure Game
Dead Space
Best Team Sports Game
NHL 09
Best Soundtrack
Tough call
Best Xbox 360 Game
Gears of War 2
Best Wii Game
Super Smash Bros. Brawl
Best PS3 Game
Metal Gear Solid 4/LBP
Best PC Game
Left 4 Dead
Best Original Score
Metal Gear Solid 4
Best Multiplayer Game
Gears of War 2
Best Performance by a Human Male
Michael Hollick/David Hayter/Stephen Fry
Best Performance by a Human Female
No idea
Best Independent Game Fueled by Mountain Dew
None, Mountain Dew can suck it
Big Name in the Game Male
*phbttt*
Big Name in the Game Female
*phbttt*
The Dark Wayne @ Nov 13th 2008 7:20PM
wtf is that big name thing? and who the fuck is eliza duhska?
Jeepers Creepers 712 @ Nov 13th 2008 7:48PM
You seriously don't know who Eliza Dushku is? Pop-culture noob. It's called IMDB.
Most famously known for her roles as Faith in Buffy the Vampire Slayer series, Missy in Bring It On (the 'bad ass' cheerleader), the ring leader of the fem-criminals in Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back, and the main character on the canceled TV show "Tru Calling".
She was also the daughter in Arnold's True Lies.
Beatz @ Nov 13th 2008 7:00PM
It's great the way Spike throws in games that haven't even come out yet. Like they've been to the future and know that these games are worthy, without playing them. Yeah!
JP @ Nov 13th 2008 11:15PM
seconded, thirded, fourth, fifth, etc.
seriously. don't most GOTY awards require a game to have been out on the market for some time before qualifying?
I mean, what if two months from now some seriously game-breaking mechanic or bug is discovered that totally shits all over whatever accomplishments a title has achieved?
VGA's have gone from a cheap laugh to YAMP (Yet Another Marketing Ploy)
Purple Haze @ Nov 14th 2008 12:29AM
It also stops games that could be amazing from being nominated for game of the year, like Left 4 Dead. I also thing it's stupid how much they go with popular opinion. I think Lost Odyssey is by far my RPG of the year, but it didn't sell that well so I doubt they even looked at it.
cxm @ Nov 13th 2008 7:02PM
This is such a joke. Considering how many potential contenders haven't even been released yet, how the hell could they possibly have put up a list of nominees for best of the year? Nothing more than marketing/PR bull...
Sackolantern PSN ID: johnnynumber5 @ Nov 13th 2008 8:13PM
Those games fall into GOTY 2009 I believe. It isn't a full calendar year if memory serves me correct.
Mike @ Nov 13th 2008 7:03PM
First off, I'd like to petition the internets to start calling the Spike VGA's the "Spikeys"
Second, I'd like to petition the internet to stop watching, or paying attention to the Spikeys. They don't seem to know too much about gaming, or at least that's been the case in previous iterations of their VGA ceremonies. Looking at this list, and seeing what games they nominated, I feel like they don't REALLY know what they're talking about. Like, they've played some games, and they know the names of a lot of games, but have no insight into the content of said games. Littlebigplanet is up for best graphics - which is silly. The game looks pretty good for what it is, but it's not a graphics powerhouse. Wii fit is up for best Wii game, and it's barely a game, however it did sell well, and I suspect that's where they're getting their nominees.
BananaBoat @ Nov 13th 2008 7:05PM
Spike is a joke, and so are their awards.
My pick for game of the year though?
Mmm....I'm going to give it to Metal Gear Solid 4. Nothing else this year was quite as polished in my opinion. I have a feeling that Grand Theft Auto 4 is going to get the nod though. It's sub-vice-city IMO, but the sales speak for themselves I guess.
Mr Khan @ Nov 13th 2008 7:27PM
Last year (and this year, really) their nominees and winners have been rather deserving. Aside from the hideous Mountain Dew plugs, their credibility has gone up
Granted, i haven't *watched* the show in about 3 years, so i wouldn't know
Val @ Nov 13th 2008 8:29PM
what do you mean "Quite as polished"?!
You had to sit through a 3 minute install every time a section of the game loaded! It didn't even eliminate normal load times!!
Don't get me started about those fucking cutscenes. Once I got to the damn Europe level the game practically wrestles control away from you, and it gets worse after that.
And the multiplayer segment, while decent, was eclipsed by utter fucking frustration when I had to sit through more tedius loading screens, put in not one but TWO fucking passwords, and the fact that I can change my avatar.... But only if I use a different konami ID, or buy a new avatar.
MGS4 is not game of the year material.
BananaBoat @ Nov 14th 2008 12:06AM
MGO is a completely different beast. It's one of the first times in memory that a Japanese developer has ever tried an online shooter game, atleast on this grand of a scale. The gameplay is there, but the infrastructure isn't, and there is no sign that it will ever be there.
The load times were due to the limits of Blu-Ray, so you can't really hold them against the game... I look at MGS4 in the same way that I look at a Stanley Kubrick movie. Sometimes they are good, and sometimes the creative mind behind them goes on an insane tangent and you get a tekken style Snake-on-Ocelot fighting mini-game, or in the case of Kubrick, a long arduous scene where a man turns into a baby...or something.
MGS4 was a challenge to create, because of all the backstory stuff that absolutely had to be wrapped up during the course of the game. That's the only reason why it feels a little weighty. I'll agree that it would have been nice to have a few more missions....or maybe a lot more missions, in more locales, but it's clear that alot of time and resources had to be spent on the story elements. I think the gameplay turned out fantastic though.
This has really been the year of megaton disappointments for me. Ninja Gaiden II wasn't nearly as polished as the first game, Fable II (while enjoyable) doesn't do enough to separate itself from its predecessor, LBP turned out to be less fun than imagined, Alan Wake never came out, Mass Effect turned out to be a buggy mess, etc. Even Grand Theft Auto 4, the game I gave a 100% chance of myself loving, was less than expected (or rather, a different game than expected) gone were the intense yet comical action sequences (where is the mission to light up a building with a huge boob spotlight?) gone were the property purchasing, the fun weapons, etc.
Oh well, that's my rant for tonight. Some day we will have a real awards show for video games, with little chance of idiots in rooster costumes running on stage during acceptance speeches, etc. That time hasn't come yet though.
Sub Zero @ Nov 14th 2008 1:56PM
Such a joke that they awarded Bioshock as Game of the Year for 2007?
Donald @ Nov 13th 2008 7:10PM
So which speech is Gamecock going to crash this year?
I'm picking Studio of the Year, myself.
Haggard @ Nov 13th 2008 7:14PM
Studio of the year just seems to be an extension of various other 'best game' awards.
dantebk @ Nov 13th 2008 7:15PM
Wow, like 90% of the games on this list I've either played or will play before the year is over.
I obviously play way too many games. Geez.
Do I need to get PixelJunk Eden? I've played the other three "indy" games and they're all really great.
brickwalker0 @ Nov 13th 2008 7:26PM
try the demo.
its best played with 2 friends. lack of online play is what hurt it the most.
Titanium_Orchid @ Nov 13th 2008 7:26PM
Eden is a pretty fun platformer. Try out the demo and see if you like the basic premise. The mechanics are simple but as the game progresses, different physics and enemies are thrown at you to mix up the game play.
I enjoyed the game. Is it something that you NEED to play? No. Its a great choice if you looking for a pick-up-and-play game though.
Evan @ Nov 13th 2008 8:25PM
Yes, the indy games were great this year.
I hope Spike shows the indy games, but knowing them, they'll gloss over the award show's actual content to give the hosts more airtime.
The Dark Wayne @ Nov 13th 2008 7:16PM
does anyone else get the feeling that for PC games they just chose the only ones they heard about and didnt bother looking anymore?
Does anyone also get the feeling Spike is a total joke?
Titanium_Orchid @ Nov 13th 2008 7:22PM
I too, get the feeling that a lot of "main stream" media outlets are a total joke
The Dark Wayne @ Nov 13th 2008 8:42PM
i am intrigued by your ideas and would like to subscribe to your newsletter
jimmygotsmack @ Nov 14th 2008 9:07AM
Most of the games on that list are based on popularity then actual merit. For example, who could forget the year, where the PC version of halo won best shooter, despite being a 2 year old port.......
Most shocking of all, how the hell was 50 Cent: Bulletproof even nominated, despite being consider one of the worst games that came out that year. Also, how was Super Mario Galaxy, only nominated for one category, despite being the highest rated game of that year. "At least according to metacritic"
Its a popularity contest at best.
Mr Khan @ Nov 13th 2008 7:24PM
(Puts Objective hat on)
GoTY: MGS4
Studio: Media Molecule
Shooter: Left 4 Dead
Music: World Tour
Driving: Burnout Paradise (if only for the tremendous support Criterion has given)
RPG: TWEWY
Fighting: Brawl
Sports: Really can't say. Between Skate It and Shaun White's, but we don't know the verdict on Skate It
Handheld: Chains of Olympus
Graphics: Gears 2
Licensed game: Force Unleashed
Team Sports: Madden
Soundtrack: LBP (but its a fallacy that Brawl isn't there)
360: Gears 2
Wii: Brawl
PS3: MGS4
PC: Left 4 Dead
Multiplayer: Left 4 Dead
Male Performance: Hayter
Female Performance: Tiso
The rest: dumb
(takes off Objective hat)
Stuff the ballot box for No More Heroes. Do it or i shall implode yet again!
Hyams @ Nov 13th 2008 7:31PM
Looks good to me. But then, I'm gonna auto-agree with any list that puts MGS4 as the GOTY. ^_^
j.howlett @ Nov 13th 2008 7:27PM
all i want to say is music games should get a separate soundtrack award
Mr Khan @ Nov 13th 2008 7:29PM
Agree. As awesome as the orchestrated sweetness of Brawl or MGS4 (or MGS4 in Brawl) was, it's not going to stand a chance against Rush's "Tom Sawyer"
Jeepers Creepers 712 @ Nov 13th 2008 7:52PM
They are two separate categories... Best Soundtrack is licensed music, and Best Original Score is for stuff like MGS4 / Smash Bros Brawl... Although I take offense to the idea of Brawl winning such a category, seeing is how Nintendo screwed Uematsu out of a credit for his song (the opening orchestral track). Way to dick over the people who contribute to the one of four games worth getting on your system.
Papytendo @ Nov 14th 2008 3:14PM
IF WII MUSIC DOES NOT WIN BEST MUSIC GAME. I AM PAYING EVERYONE $1000,MAINLY BECAUSE WII MUSIC IS THE BEST MUSIC GAME EVER!
Mr Khan @ Nov 13th 2008 7:30PM
It's must better than the haters give it credit for, but it's biggest problem is the fact that it seems to have failed to find its audience
Titanium_Orchid @ Nov 13th 2008 7:31PM
make my check out to "Awsome McGee"
KTHXBY
Hala Madrid!! (THE BIRD IS THE WORD!!) @ Nov 13th 2008 7:30PM
Best Performance by a Human Male
Michael Hollick as Niko Bellic in GTA IV
David Hayter as Old Snake in MGS4
Stephen Fry as The Narrator in LBP
Jason Zumwalt as Roman Bellic in GTA IV
Where the fuck is John Di Maggio?
No no, this is not right.
The Dark Wayne @ Nov 13th 2008 8:06PM
meh, if it was for Bender he should win, but pretty much anyone can make their voice sound super gravelly
Jeepers Creepers 712 @ Nov 13th 2008 8:46PM
Your avatar brings forth irony, Dark Wayne. Christian Bale is proof in the new Batman series that not everyone can make their voice all "gravely" and come out sounding awesome. Bale is full on "I'm constipated from too many cheese pizzas" in his voice when disguising it as Batman.
Bass Masterson @ Nov 13th 2008 7:36PM
This type of show is just pointless, because they only nominate the game/studio everyone thinks they're going to nominate, then the game/studio everyone thinks is going to win, wins. What's the point? If the only criteria is how well an award can match pointless public hype, what is the point?
For example, MGS4 is a shit game. It's awful. It just has excellent production values. Yet here it is listed as a GOTY contender. Why? Because it's what all the fanboys want.
Media Molecule for studio of the year? Why? Because they released the game everyone was excited about until it actually released, and now nobody talks about? Shouldn't a studio of the year release a game that makes a lasting impression?
And Gears of War 2 being on that list just proves my point again.
Hyams @ Nov 13th 2008 7:42PM
You do make a good point about the pointlessness of the whole thing, but MGS4 and Gears 2 are both awesome games. =(
brickwalker0 @ Nov 13th 2008 7:43PM
sooo what youre saying is...
Bratz: Rock Angelz should be listed because it sucks?
BJ is Gooder @ Nov 13th 2008 7:49PM
I couldn't agree more. I don't think anyone that actually cares about gaming (console or PC) actually gives two sh*ts about thes 'awards'.
The categories and nominees are an insult to anyone that pays attention to gaming.
Sackolantern PSN ID: johnnynumber5 @ Nov 13th 2008 9:12PM
Bass
I hate to break it to you but not everyone agrees with your opinions. I think Gears 2, LBP & MGS 4 are all excellent and are certainly my 3 favorite games this year. My guess is you haven't played any of them and your just being a hater.
What was your GOTY?
Einhanderkiller @ Nov 13th 2008 7:42PM
All video game awards suck.
Jeepers Creepers 712 @ Nov 13th 2008 8:49PM
This is a flawed logic. AIAS Awards are amazing and IMO very thoughtful as to their nominees and winners. Chances are you aren't aware of this though, since it's more of an 'inside the industry' award ceremony.
http://www.interactive.org/
Superstar90 @ Nov 13th 2008 7:49PM
Professor Layton for Handheld GOTY!
But knowing Spike, they will dock points for lack of blood, pectorals, violence and hidden sex mini games... ironically God of War has all that.
And I know it probably won't win, but The World Ends With You is an incredible RPG.
j @ Nov 13th 2008 7:53PM
Goddamn, look at this shoddy list of choices.
Oh boy, I sure am looking forward to the future of video games.
Papytendo @ Nov 13th 2008 7:54PM
@brickwalker0
He's saying games worthy of being nominated should be nominated. Not what the fanboys want to see. If Bratz: Rock Angelz was an extremely good game, then yes it should be nominated.
CJLopez @ Nov 13th 2008 8:01PM
My own opinion
Game of the Year (TIE, bouth are awesome, even though MGS4 is more of a movie than a game)
* Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots (Konami Digital Entertainment, Inc / Kojima Productions)
* Gears of War 2 (Microsoft Game Studios/ Epic Games)
Studio of the Year (FallOut 3 is awesome)
* Bethesda Game Studios
Best Shooter (hey, GoW 2 is going for GOTY)
* Far Cry 2
Best RPG (I can't be fair, even though i hadn't any of the others, but i loved fable lost chapter; i'm pretty this is as awesome as the prequels, or even more)
* Fable II
Best Fighting Game (I'm a wiifanboy, SCIV is nice but not something i like to keep playing, DC vs MK is stupid there's already enough dbz games. Besides, its not awesome, liked more budokai 3)
* Super Smash Bros. Brawl
Best Individual Sports Game
* Wii Fit
Best Handheld Game
* Castlevania Order of Eccelsia
Best Graphics (GoW2 is awesome, but nothing new we didn't saw on GoW on the grahics dpto. MGS4 is also awesome, but i could had been beter. LBP.... come on, a sidescroller? In that case, also list Lost Wind!!!)
* Fallout 3
Best Game Based on a Movie or a TV Show (I loved the game, i loved the story, and the WiiVersion is pretty awesome!!!!)
* Star Wars: The Force Unleashed
Best Music Game (sorry, i'm a GH fanboy. And, are you serious, WiiMusic, even though i'm a WiiFanboy and i liked the game, but not worthy t be listed for a award. In that case go for a Dance Dance Revolution. Wasn't there a new one this year?)
* Guitar Hero World Tour (RedOctane/ Activision Publishing/ Neversoft Entertainment)
Best Driving Game (Sorry, WiiFanboy here, and even though I loved to do stunts on Burnout Paradise, and still love, the multiplayer and online of this game its what made me decide for it)
* Mario Kart Wii
Best Action Adventure Game (No comments, i don't think i need to)
* Mirror's Edge
Best Team Sports Game (soccer sucker)
* FIFA Soccer 09
Best Soundtrack (where is MGS4!!!! i loved the soundtrack of the game.)
Best Xbox 360 Game (This descision is pretty hard!!!!!)
* Fable II
* Gears of War 2
Best Wii Game (Come on, there wasn't a greater game than Brawl this year. Was Mario Kart Wii listed, think they missed it here)
* Super Smash Bros. Brawl
Best PS3 Game (again, i don't see the big fuss over LBP)
* Metal Gear Solid 4
Best PC Game (Spore, with its awefull DRM???? Warhammer?? another senseless MMO??? Left4Dead.... ok, i hadn't played this one, but pretty sure would had choosen that one. Now, where's FarCry 2?????)
* Crysis Warhead
Best Original Score
* Fallout 3
Best Multiplayer Game
* Call of Duty: World at War
Best Performance by a Human Male
* David Hayter as Old Snake in MGS4
Best Performance by a Human Female
* Paula Tiso as Silvia Christel in No More Heroes
Best Independent Game Fueled by Mountain Dew
* World of Goo
Big Name in the Game Male
* Daniel Craig as "James Bond" in Quantum of Solace
Big Name in the Game Female
* Jenny McCarthy as "Tanya" in Command & Conquer: Red Alert 3
If ya ain't agree with my descicions, take da next things in account
1.- There are many games listed I hadn't had the change to play em, or full play em (specially on the 360 side) and i'm only based on what I knoe of comments, reviews, videos and prequels I might had player
2.- I'm a wiifanboy, a Sony liker, and a M$ hater
bVork @ Nov 13th 2008 8:02PM
Lolwut. GRID wasn't even nominated for best driving game?
At least it's nice to see an "indie" category.