Heavy Rain, Mass Effect 2 win big at BAFTAs
Heavy Rain proves a critical favourite, picking up three British Academy awards; Mass Effect 2 wins the Best Game prize; Peter Molyneux awarded the BAFTA Fellowship for lifetime achievement.
Heavy Rain and Mass Effect 2 were the big winners at the British Academy Video Game Awards, with the PlayStation 3-exclusive Heavy Rain picking up prizes for Technical Innovation, Story, and Original Music, and Mass Effect 2 bagging the Best Game award. This year's awards were announced by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts in a ceremony at the London Park Lane Hilton, presided over by celebrity host Dara O'Briain.
Super Mario Galaxy 2 was awarded the gong for Best Gameplay and iOS title Cut the Rope was given the award for Best Handheld Game. To be eligible for nomination, games had to be released in the UK between January 1, 2010 and December 31, 2010. Red Dead Redemption was notably absent from the shortlists of nominees; developer Rockstar did not submit its game for consideration by the judging panels. Red Dead Redemption did appear in the public-voted GAME award shortlist, but the prize went to Call of Duty: Black Ops.
At the close of the ceremony, British games industry luminary Peter Molyneux was presented with a BAFTA Fellowship for his illustrious career so far. He thanked everyone he ever worked with, saying "I'm just the idiot that stands up and says 'Why don't you make a game about theme parks? Or dungeons?'" He also thanked the press, referring to his notoriety for making attention-grabbing promises about his upcoming games, joking: "I can name at least 10 features in games I've made up." For all the winners and nominees in full, scroll on.
Action
Winner: Assassin'’s Creed: Brotherhood
Battlefield: Bad Company 2
BioShock 2
Call of Duty: Black Ops
God of War III
Halo: Reach
Artistic Achievement
Winner: God of War III
Assassin'’s Creed: Brotherhood
Call of Duty: Black Ops
Heavy Rain
Limbo
Mass Effect 2
Best Game
Winner: Mass Effect 2
Assassin'’s Creed: Brotherhood
FIFA 11
Heavy Rain
Limbo
Super Mario Galaxy 2
Family
Winner: Kinect Sports
Dance Central
Kinect Adventures
Kinectimals
LEGO Harry Potter: Years 1-4
Toy Story 3
Gameplay
Winner: Super Mario Galaxy 2
Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood
God of War III
Heavy Rain
Limbo
Mass Effect 2
Handheld
Winner: Cut the Rope
God of War: Ghost of Sparta
LEGO Harry Potter: Years 1-4
Professor Layton and the Lost Future
Sonic Colours
Super Scribblenauts
Multiplayer
Winner: Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit
Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood
Battlefield: Bad Company 2
Call of Duty: Black Ops
Halo: Reach
Starcraft II: Wings of Liberty
Original Music
Winner: Heavy Rain
Alan Wake
Fable III
James Bond 007: Bloodstone
Mass Effect 2
Super Mario Galaxy 2
Social Network Game
Winner: My Empire
Bejeweled Blitz
Farmerama
FIFA Superstars
Zoo Mumba
Zuma Blitz
Sports
Winner: F1 2010
FIFA 11
Football Manager 2011
Gran Turismo 5
International Cricket 2010
Pro Evolution Soccer 2011
Story
Winner: Heavy Rain
Alan Wake
BioShock 2
Call of Duty: Black Ops
Fallout: New Vegas
Mass Effect 2
Strategy
Winner: Civilization V
Fallout: New Vegas
FIFA Manager 11
Napoleon Total War
Plants vs. Zombies XBLA
Starcraft II: Wings of Liberty
Technical Innovation
Winner: Heavy Rain
Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood
Call of Duty: Black Ops
Halo: Reach
Kinectimals
Super Mario Galaxy 2
Use of Audio
Winner: Battlefield: Bad Company: 2
Alan Wake
Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood
Call of Duty: Black Ops
DJ Hero 2
Limbo
BAFTA Ones to Watch Award in Association With Dare to Be Digital
Winner: Twang
Mush
Sculpty
GAME Award of 2010 (voted by the public)
Winner: Call of Duty: Black Ops
Dance Central
FIFA 11
Halo Reach
Heavy Rain
Limbo
Mass Effect 2
Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit
Red Dead Redemption
Super Mario Galaxy 2
Got a news tip or want to contact us directly? Email news@gamespot.com
Join the conversation