GAME INDUSTRY NEWS ("GIN") GAME OF THE YEAR NOMINEES ANNOUNCED

Game Industry News
Posted 1/24/2008

Thousands of passionate GiN readers have cast their ballots to choose the nominees for the Game Of the Year Awards ("GOTY.") According to GiN columnists Chella Ramanan and Todd Hargosh, 2007 was an incredible year for gaming, producing more excellent titles that at any other time in recent memory, making the job of finding just a few nominees in each category all the more difficult. As such, even being nominated is a huge honor.

Like a caucus, the top vote getters in each category have advanced to the final vote process. Nominees had to garner at least ten percent of the vote.

Now however, all things are equal once again. Each and every subscriber to the free weekly GiN newsletter gets one vote to cast. If you are not already a subscriber, you can still  Subscribe Now so you can vote.

And so, in a very difficult year with thousands of worthy titles, here are the nominees for the 2007 GiN Game of the Year.

Best Adventure Game

Assassin's Creed -- UbiSoft
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix -- Electronic Arts
Monster Hunter Freedom 2 -- Capcom
Penumbra: Overture -- Strategy First
Sherlock Holmes: The Awakened -- CDV
Uncharted: Drake's Fortune -- Sony Computer Entertainment

Best Family Game

Fritz & Chesster’s Chess For Winners -- Viva Media
Marvel Heroes: Comic Book Creator -- Planetwide Games
Pet Vet 3D Wild Animal Hospital -- Viva Media
Scene It? Movie Edition -- Namco Networks
Xango Tango -- MumboJumbo

Best Online Only Game

Myst Online: URU Live -- GameTap
Pirates of the Caribbean Online -- Disney Online
The Lord of the Rings Online: Shadows of Angmar -- Turbine
Vanguard Saga of Heroes -- Sony Online
World of Warcraft: The Burning Crusade -- Blizzard Entertainment

Best Peripheral

I Can Play Guitar -- Mattel
MadCatz Arcade GameStick 360 -- MadCatz
SteelSound: 5H v2 -- SteelSeries

Best Puzzle Game

Capcom Puzzle World -- Capcom
Kororinpa: Marble Mania -- Hudson
Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney Justice For All -- Capcom
PopCap Arcade Volume 1 -- PopCap
Zendoku -- Eidos

Best RPG

Hellgate: London -- Electronic Arts
Mass Effect -- Microsoft Game Studios
Neverwinter Nights 2 -- Atari
The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Shivering Isles -- Bethesda Softworks
The Witcher -- CDProjekt

Best Shooter

BioShock -- 2K Games
Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare -- Activision
Enemy Territory: Quake Wars -- Activision
Halo 3 -- Microsoft
John Woo Presents Stranglehold -- Midway
S.T.A.L.K.E.R. Shadow of Chernobyl -- THQ
The Orange Box -- Valve

Best Simulation

ArmA: Combat Operations -- Atari
Flyboys Squadron -- Interactive Magic
Race 07 -- Viva Media
Sid Meier’s Railroads! -- 2K Games
The Guild 2 -- JoWooD

Best Sports Game

Baseball Mogul 2008 -- Enlight Interactive
Madden 08 -- Electronic Arts Sports
Race 07 -- Viva Media
Tony Hawk's Project 8 -- Activision
Virtua Tennis 3 -- Sega of America

Best Strategy Game

Battlestations Midway -- Eidos
Dawn of War: Dark Crusade -- THQ
Europa Universalis III -- Paradox Interactive
Front Mission -- Square Enix
Galactic Civilizations II: Dark Avatar -- Stardock

Best Environment

Bioshock -- 2K Games
Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare -- Activision
Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock -- Activision
Oblivion: Shivering Isles (Expansion Pack) -- Bethesda Softworks
Rock Band -- MTV Games
Space Giraffe -- Llamasoft

Best Soundtrack

Bioshock -- 2K Games
Europa Universalis III -- Paradox Interactive
Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock -- Activision
Rock Band -- MTV Games
Star Trek Legacy -- Bethesda Softworks

Best DS Game

Contra 4 -- Konami
Front Mission -- Square Enix
Glory Days 2 -- Eidos
Naruto: Ninja Council 3 -- D3 Publisher
Nervous Brickdown -- Eidos
Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney Justice For All -- Capcom

Best PC Game

Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare -- Activision
Europa Universalis III -- Paradox Interactive
Hellgate: London -- Electronic Arts
John Woo Presents Stranglehold -- Midway
The Lord of the Rings Online: Shadows of Angmar -- Turbine

Best PlayStation 2 Game

Dawn Of Mana -- Square Enix
Karaoke Revolution Presents: American Idol -- Konami
Marvel Ultimate Alliance -- Activision
Spiderman: Friend or Foe -- Next Level Games
Tomb Raider Anniversary -- Eidos

Best PlayStation 3 Game

Assassin's Creed -- UbiSoft
Dragon's Lair (Blu-ray) -- Digital Leisure
Heavenly Sword -- Sony
The Darkness -- 2K Games
The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion -- Bethesda Softworks
Uncharted: Drake's Fortune -- Sony Computer Entertainment

Best PSP Game

Alien Syndrome -- Sega
Call of Duty: Roads to Victory -- Activision
Chili Con Carnage -- Eidos
Monster Hunter Freedom 2 -- Capcom
Silent Hill: Origins -- Konami
Valkyrie Profile: Lenneth -- Square Enix

Best Wii Game

Bleach: Shattered Blade -- Sega
Cooking Mama: Cook Off -- Majesco
Dragon Blade: Wrath of Fire -- D3 Publisher
Elebits -- Konami
Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games -- Sega
Resident Evil: Umbrella Chronicles -- Capcom

Best Xbox 360 Game

Bioshock -- 2K Games
Crackdown -- Microsoft
Halo 3 -- Microsoft
Mass Effect -- Microsoft
Project Sylpheed -- Square Enix

And the overall GOTY is wide open. Any game, even one not already nominated in another category, can win the big prize.
Each reader gets one vote, and we look forward to the results.

Congratulations to everyone nominated this year and may the best game (and the developer/publisher team behind it) win!