BAFTA announces Video Games Awards nominations

UK's most prestigious gaming awards to be given out on October 23; BioShock, Wii Sports both in the running for Best Game.

The British Academy of Film and Television Arts, the body responsible for the UK's equivalent to the Oscars, has announced the 2007 shortlist for its Video Game Awards. Last year, BAFTA raised the status of its games awards to the same level as the gongs given out to the film and television industries, and this year's event will continue that tradition. The London-based ceremony will be televised by Channel 4.

Games released in the UK between October 6, 2006, and December 31, 2007, were eligible for nomination to the awards, but had to be playable by the jury members by September 6 in order to be judged--which may account for the absence of Halo 3 from any of the shortlists this year. Games not ready for judging by September 6 "will be eligible in the following year's Awards," according to the BAFTA Web site.

Nintendo's Wii Sports has been shortlisted in seven categories, including Casual, Sports, Multiplayer and Innovation. BioShock and Crysis are both nominated for the Best Game award, taking on Gears of War, Guitar Hero II, Kane & Lynch: Dead Men, and the omnipresent Wii Sports.

The number of categories has been reduced to 15 from 17 last year, and the full shortlist is as follows:

Action and adventure
Crackdown (Realtime Worlds)
Gears of War (Epic Games)
God of War 2 (SCE Santa Monica Studio)
Orange Box (Valve)
Ratchet and Clank: Tools of Destruction (SCE Foster City Studio & Insomniac)
The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess (Nintendo)

Artistic achievement
BioShock (2K Boston/2K Australia)
Heavenly Sword (Ninja Theory)
Okami (Clover(Capcom))
Ratchet and Clank: Tools of Destruction (SCE Foster City Studio & Insomniac)
skate (EA Black Box)
Viva Piņata (Rare)

Best game
BioShock (2K Boston/2K Australia)
Crysis (Crytek)
Gears of War (Epic Games)
Guitar Hero II (Harmonix)
Kane & Lynch: Dead Men (Eidos)
Wii Sports (Nintendo)

Casual
Big Brain Academy for Wii (Nintendo)
Cake Mania (Digital Embryo)
Guitar Hero II (Harmonix)
More Brain Training (Nintendo)
SingStar (SCE London Studio)
Wii Sports (Nintendo)

Gameplay
Crackdown (Realtime Worlds)
Gears of War (Epic Games)
Sega Rally (SEGA Racing Studio)
The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess (Nintendo)
Warhawk (Incognito)
Wii Sports (Nintendo)

Innovation
fl0w (SCE Santa Monica Studio/Thatgamecompany)
Okami (Clover(Capcom))
Super Paper Mario (Intelligent Systems)
The Eye of Judgement (SCE Japan Studio)
Trauma Center: Second Opinion (Atlus USA)
Wii Sports (Nintendo)

Multiplayer
Battlefield 2142 (EA Dice)
Crackdown (Realtime Worlds)
Guitar Hero II (Harmonix)
Wii Sports (Nintendo)
World in Conflict (Massive Entertainment)
World of Warcraft: The Burning Crusade (Blizzard Entertainment)

Original score
Final Fantasy XII (Final Fantasy XII Project Team)
God of War 2 (SCE Santa Monica Studio)
Lair (SCE Foster City Studio & Factor 5)
Okami (Clover (Capcom))
The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess (Nintendo)
Viva Piņata (Rare)

Sports
Football Manager 2008 (Sports Interactive)
Colin McRae: DiRT (Codemasters)
FIFA 08 (EA Chicago)
MotorStorm (SCE External Development Studio & Evolution)
Virtua Tennis 3 (Sumo Digital)
Wii Sports (Nintendo)

Strategy and simulation
Command & Conquer: Tiberium Wars (Electronic Arts LA)
Forza Motorsport 2 (Turn 10) Medieval II: Total War Kingdoms (The Creative Assembly)
Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Vegas (Ubisoft Studios (Montreal))
Wii Sports (Nintendo)
World in Conflict (Massive Entertainment)

Story and character
Final Fantasy XII (Final Fantasy XII Project Team)
God of War 2 (SCE Santa Monica Studio)
Heavenly Sword (Ninja Theory)
Okami Clover (Capcom))
The Darkness (Starbreeze Studios)
The Simpsons Game (EA)

Technical achievement
Crackdown (Realtime Worlds)
Gears of War Epic Games)
God of War 2 (SCE Santa Monica Studio)
MotorStorm (SCE External Development Studio/Evolution)
Okami (Clover(Capcom))
Uncharted: Drake's Fortune (Naughty Dog)

Use of audio
Crackdown (Realtime Worlds)
Elite Beat Agents (iNiS)
Gears of War (Epic Games)
God of War 2 (SCE Santa Monica Studio)
Guitar Hero II (Harmonix)
skate (EA Black Box)

BAFTA One's To Watch Award (in association with Dare to Be Digital)
Ragnarawk (Voodoo Boogy)
ClimbActic (Carebox)
Bear Go Home (Phoenix Seed)

The PC World Gamers Award (voted for by the public)
Dr Kawashima's Brain Training (Nintendo)
FIFA 07 (EA Canada)
Football Manager 2007 (Sports Interactive)
Gears of War (Epic Games)
Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories (Rockstar Leeds)
Resistance: Fall of Man (Insomniac)
Wii Play (Nintendo)

228 Comments

  • penguins227

    Posted May 9, 2009 2:43 pm PT

    bf2142 best multiplayer game!

  • division_9

    Posted Jun 22, 2008 3:04 am PT

    Most of the games up there are boring but it doesnt mean they dont have innovation etc. Halo series are getting boring.

  • Sim_genius

    Posted Nov 18, 2007 8:12 am PT

    Wow Im glad Okami is there

  • Welshmun

    Posted Oct 30, 2007 3:27 am PT

    WTF??????????????????????????????!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

  • davidnoakes

    Posted Oct 28, 2007 3:06 pm PT

    I can understand some games like gears of war or C&C tiberium wars doing well but i don't see the obsession with crackdown and it is ridiculous that the wii does so well in the awards. Halo 3 isn't even on the list and that game could be the best every year for years to come. And as for some championship manager game getting awards i ask, crysis isn't even out so i'm confused there and the categories that some of these games fall into are all over the place. These BAFTA awards nominations must be done by people who don't play video games or something because i certainly wouldn't of nominated some of the games on that list.

  • MrAuthority

    Posted Oct 18, 2007 10:17 am PT

    can anybody please tell me why Crysis is there (release nov) and halo 3 isnt as surly if they were playing crysis as it hasnt been finished and not halo 3 which i think halo had gone gold by then were the ***k is the logic ?! also ... crysis .... TECHNICAL ACHIEVEMENTS ?!

  • VGLeo34

    Posted Oct 17, 2007 9:50 pm PT

    Wheres Bioshock in story?

  • hotlavaman

    Posted Oct 13, 2007 1:49 pm PT

    lol at wii sports

  • elmetfano

    Posted Oct 8, 2007 1:25 pm PT

    Warhawk

  • KBenDeBeste

    Posted Oct 6, 2007 7:33 am PT

    humikimi:
    Games released in the UK between October 6, 2006, and December 31, 2007, were eligible for nomination to the awards, but had to be playable by the jury members by September 6 in order to be judged--which may account for the absence of Halo 3 from any of the shortlists this year. Games not ready for judging by September 6 "will be eligible in the following year's Awards," according to the

  • Humikimi

    Posted Oct 5, 2007 11:13 pm PT

    I wonder why Halo 3 isn't on there, because I'm sure it qualifies for something. Nonetheless I'm glad Elite Beat Agents is up there and I sure as heck hope Okami wins something, preferably Artistic, though I have a feeling Bioshock is going to win that one. For the most part though I agree with the nominations.

  • Dark_MetaRidley

    Posted Oct 2, 2007 8:51 am PT

    PC World is a shop people... not just one shop.. but a multimillion company... they only sell Electronics... and they have stores all around the UK and Europe.... they sell tv's, pc's, games, cameras... ect! Since the show is sponsered by PC WORLD they made THE PC WORLD GAMERS AWARD... geddit!

    And by the way all those nominations are voted by the public...

  • hooperfax006

    Posted Oct 1, 2007 1:23 pm PT

    cool

  • microwavedapple

    Posted Oct 1, 2007 8:34 am PT

    Warhawk should be in the multiplayer category. Other than that, they seem to be spot on.

  • StOcKoHeArTs

    Posted Sep 30, 2007 12:24 pm PT

    playstation_wii

    i think its from a PC mag which you could vote from.

  • playstation_wii

    Posted Sep 29, 2007 2:13 pm PT

    Brain Age, GTA, Resistance, and Wii Play are on the PC?

  • Lord_Tigger

    Posted Sep 29, 2007 5:54 am PT

    Why the heck is Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Vegas under strategy games? Why isn't Bioshock listed for more awards? Sheesh.

  • CapnQwark

    Posted Sep 27, 2007 7:39 pm PT

    I agree with Ratchet and Clank Future being on the Artistic Achievements list. That is a start. The list could use some "Tweaking" if you know what I mean.

  • sieg6529

    Posted Sep 27, 2007 8:37 am PT

    I'm glad to see at least some places recognize good games as works of art

  • tieed15

    Posted Sep 27, 2007 8:36 am PT

    Why the **** is Wii Sports nom'd for best game? I mean it's a fun little thing, but...come on! Twilight Princess deserves to be in that category much more than some packaged game like Wii Sports. Gees.....

  • stuckboy

    Posted Sep 27, 2007 8:35 am PT

    Crysis wasn't nominated for technical achievement... what are they on?

  • jakndaxter7223

    Posted Sep 26, 2007 6:49 pm PT

    wtf why is wii sports there? i hope GoW 2 gets some, along with Okami, and Warhawk

  • x-2tha-z

    Posted Sep 26, 2007 3:46 pm PT

    I really hope God of War 2 wins a few of the awards it's nominated for. Such a great game really deserves it.

  • DynamoFan

    Posted Sep 26, 2007 3:23 pm PT

    wii sports is in a lot of categories for a pack in with console game. how did wii play get on there?

  • Katosepe321

    Posted Sep 26, 2007 2:35 pm PT

    I agree with Bannermanner, I think wii sports was great and wii play... well... wii sports was great! but I don't think that they deserve GOTY at all... for anything. Maybe innovation but definitely not best sports games. I hope they don't win.

  • playstation_wii

    Posted Sep 26, 2007 2:29 pm PT

    Ratchet and Clank is my most anticipated game!

  • comthitnuong

    Posted Sep 26, 2007 12:37 pm PT

    A lot of these games seem pretty outdated or were from last year. Whats up with that?

  • bannermanner

    Posted Sep 26, 2007 9:23 am PT

    Am I the only one who's just dumbfounded that Wii Sports and Wii Play are ANYWHERE in this list, not to mention multiple categories? No disrespect intended, but Wii Sports and Wii Play were not nearly GOTY material.

  • Deanyzy

    Posted Sep 26, 2007 9:14 am PT

    'thats bs. no nhl 08?'

    Ummm This is the UK not America. Hockey nor American Football is played here i have never even seen it on television, It would never be nominated because it's not a big sport in the UK.

  • carljohnson3456

    Posted Sep 26, 2007 7:27 am PT

    Resistance is only up for one award??? WTF??? God of War 2 might win best score, but I'd say the rest of the categories it's in will get swallowed up by next gen games. I think Gears and Wii Sports will clean up.

  • killeryoda85

    Posted Sep 26, 2007 4:50 am PT

    Wii Sports RULES!!!!

  • Pumpkin-Head

    Posted Sep 26, 2007 4:42 am PT

    Wow okami still wins award.. Awesome! : D
    Lol Wii sports is almost in every category : O

  • stublue

    Posted Sep 26, 2007 1:10 am PT

    you can play unreleased games if the judges were able to test a playable version by September 6; read the article! That's also why Halo 3 isn't in there. It's all in the article, so read it properly before asking questions

  • TehUndeadHorror

    Posted Sep 26, 2007 1:04 am PT

    Why's Halo 3 not there by Crysis is? Both are unreleased! Maybe they judge it on demos too but that just isn't right...

  • KieranCottrell

    Posted Sep 26, 2007 1:02 am PT

    @ imgimonfire13 - they're not in the PC gamers category.
    'PC World' is a computer store in the UK, and the Gamers Award category is just sponsored by them.

  • camzoo

    Posted Sep 25, 2007 11:20 pm PT

    Come on Okami.

  • omgimonfire13

    Posted Sep 25, 2007 10:45 pm PT

    Why is Resistance and Wii play in the PC gamers award catagory?

  • Monkey_O_Rly

    Posted Sep 25, 2007 10:20 pm PT

    why the hell is crackdown in almost every category its one crappy excuss of a game

  • wrect

    Posted Sep 25, 2007 9:04 pm PT

    I can't believe that Half Life 2: Episode 3 and The Longest Journey 3 (Untitled) didn't get nominated

  • dEaThAwAiTs013

    Posted Sep 25, 2007 8:30 pm PT

    i dont understand how they nominate games that havent been released yet

  • cf2012

    Posted Sep 25, 2007 8:21 pm PT

    thats bs. no nhl 08?

  • Ultim8wpn788

    Posted Sep 25, 2007 7:37 pm PT

    wii sports!

  • spraynard

    Posted Sep 25, 2007 7:34 pm PT

    i really hope Okami gets some awards, such a great game that doesnt get its creed. ::crosses fingers::

  • jab692

    Posted Sep 25, 2007 7:15 pm PT

    go zelda.

  • Bulldog19892

    Posted Sep 25, 2007 7:03 pm PT

    Out of the story contestants I'd say The Darkness wins by a mile. I can't believe Crysis is in the running for best game. How can a game that hasn't been released yet be considered the best of the year? Hype alone? Same with about 4 of the others. They should be giving out game of the year awards when the year is over. How do they know that Crysis won't end up being a big flop? They don't. Nobody does.

  • digitalgamer22

    Posted Sep 25, 2007 6:50 pm PT

    to 66skullkid99 Lair got a nomination for the score buddy as in the music in it.

  • cevic

    Posted Sep 25, 2007 6:37 pm PT

    Vote for Crysis and poor Halo 3.

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