The Game Critic Awards, of which some editors of this website (not me!) are judges, have announced their nominees for the 2013 Game Critics Awards: Best of E3 awards.
These are the real deal; while individual sites can slap a ribbon or badge on anything they want, these nominees were settled on by a hivemind of representatives of 30 of the biggest and most influential video game outlets on the planet.
A quick note on which games were eligible and which weren’t: a game had to be playable by judges. Which is why some games not playable on the showroom floor are on this list, and why others not playable by anyone – like Metal Gear Solid V, Smash Bros. Wii U and The Division – were excluded.
The winners will be announced next Tuesday.
Best of Show
– Destiny (Bungie/Activision)
– Oculus Rift HD (Oculus VR)
– PlayStation 4(Sony Computer Entertainment)
– Titanfall (Respawn Games/Electronic Arts)
– Watch Dogs (Ubisoft)Best Original Game
– Destiny (Bungie/Activision)
– Fantasia: Music Evolved (Harmonix/Disney Interactive)
– Rain (Japan Studio/Sony Computer Entertainment)
– Titanfall (Respawn Games/Electronic Arts)
– Watch Dogs (Ubisoft)Best Console Game
– Batman: Arkham Origins (WBIE Montreal/WBIE)
– Beyond: Two Souls (Quantic Dream/Sony Computer Entertainment)
– Destiny (Bungie/Activision)
– Infamous: Second Son (Sucker Punch/Sony Computer Entertainment)
– Titanfall (Respawn Games/Electronic Arts)
– Watch Dogs (Ubisoft)Best Handheld Game
– Batman: Arkham Origins Blackgate (Armature Studio/WBIE)
– Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney – Dual Destinies (Capcom/Capcom)
– Plants vs. Zombies 2 (Popcap/EA)
– Tearaway (Media Molecule/Sony Computer Entertainment)
– The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Two Worlds (Nintendo EAD/Nintendo)Best PC Game
– Battlefield 4 (DICE/Electronic Arts)
– Company of Heroes 2 (Relic/Sega)
– The Elder Scrolls Online (Zenimax Online/Bethesda)
– Titanfall (Respawn/Electronic Arts)
– Total War: Rome II (Creative Assembly/Sega)Best Hardware
– Oculus Rift (Oculus VR)
– PlayStation 4 (Sony Computer Entertainment)
– Blade (Razr)
– Shield (Nvidia)
– Xbox One (Microsoft)Best Action Game
– Battlefield 4 (DICE/Electronic Arts)
– Call of Duty Ghosts (Infinity Ward/Activision)
– Destiny (Bungie/Activision)
– Killzone: Shadow Fall (Guerilla Games/Sony Computer Entertainment)
– Titanfall (Respawn/Electronic Arts)Best Action/Adventure Game
– Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag (Ubisoft Montreal/Ubisoft)
– Batman: Arkham Origins (WBIE Montreal/WBIE)
– Bayonetta 2 (Platinum Games/Nintendo)
– Infamous: Second Son (Sucker Punch/Sony Computer Entertainment)
– Watch Dogs (Ubisoft Montreal/Ubisoft)Best RPG
– Dark Souls II (FromSoftware/Namco-Bandai)
– The Elder Scrolsl Online (Zenimax Online/Bethesda)
– Mario & Luigi: Dream Team (AlphaDream/Nintendo)
– Shin Megami Tensei IV (Atlus/Atlus)
– South Park: The Stick of Truth (Obsidian/Ubisoft)Best Racing Game
– Forza 5 (Turn 10 Studio/Microsoft Studios)
– Gran Turismo 6 (Polyphony Digital/Sony Computer Entertainment)
– Mario Kart 8 (Nintendo EAD/Nintendo)
– Need for Speed: Rivals (Ghost Games/Electronic Arts)
– The Crew ( Ivory Tower/Ubisoft)Best Sports Game
– FIFA 14 (EA Canada/EA Sports)
– NHL 14 (EA Canada/EA Sports)
– Madden NFL 25 (Tiburon/EA Sports)
– Pro Evolution Soccer 2014 (PES Productions/Konami)Best Strategy Game
– Command and Conquer (Victory Games/Electronic Arts)
– Company of Heroes 2 (Relic/Sega)
– Pikmin 3 (Nintendo EAD/Nintendo)
– Total War: Rome II (Creative Assembly/Sega)Best Social/Casual
– Disney Infinity (Avalanche/Disney Interactive)
– Fantasia: Music Evolved (Harmonix/Disney Interactive)
– LEGO Marvel Super Heroes (TT Games/WBIE)
– Plants vs. Zombies 2: It’s About Time (Popcap/EA)
– Skylanders: Swap Force (Vicarious Visions/Activision)
– Project Spark (Team Daokta/Microsoft Studios)Best Online Multiplayer
– Battlefield 4 (DICE/Electronic Arts)
– Destiny (Bungie/Activision)
– Titanfall (Respawn/Electronic Arts)
– The Elder Scrolls Online (Zenimax Online/Bethesda)
– Watch Dogs (Ubisoft Montreal/Ubisoft)Best Downloadable
– Contrast (Compulsion Games)
– Octodad: Dadliest Catch (Young Horses Inc)
– Outlast (Red Barrels)
– Rain (Japan Studio/Sony Computer Entertainment)
– Transistor (Supergiant Games)
