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Uncharted 2 maps out 15 AIAS award noms

Assassin's Creed II, Modern Warfare 2, Batman also earn multiple nods; Activision CEO Bobby Kotick to deliver keynote address at ceremony-hosting summit next month.

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The week after it picked up seven Game Developers Choice Award nominations, developer Naughty Dog has added a few more plumes to its cap. The Academy of Interactive Arts and Sciences has announced its finalists for the 13th Annual Interactive Achievement Awards, and Uncharted 2: Among Thieves leads the field with 15 nominations in 14 categories.

Nathan Drake celebrates Uncharted 2's 15 nominations with a little impromptu skanking.
Nathan Drake celebrates Uncharted 2's 15 nominations with a little impromptu skanking.

The PlayStation 3-exclusive action adventure will be going up against stiff competition in many of those categories. The year saw a strong field of contenders receiving multiple award nods, with Assassin's Creed II (10 nominations), Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 (nine nominations), and Batman: Arkham Asylum (eight nominations) leading the pack. All of the aforementioned games are up for Overall Game of the Year, with Dragon Age: Origins rounding out the candidates for the show's top honor. Last year, that prize went to Media Molecule's PS3 platformer Little Big Planet.

This year's awards show will feature 27 categories, with three awards being doled out for the first time ever. The new categories are Portable Game of the Year, Outstanding Achievement in Game Design, and Social Networking Game of the Year, which will see a municipal matchup between FarmVille and Farmtown. Comedian Jay Mohr will emcee the event for the fifth time, with the awards bring doled out as part of the AIAS's annual D.I.C.E. Summit on February 18 at the Red Rock Resort in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Mohr won't be the only outspoken person on stage at the D.I.C.E. Summit. The event will also feature a keynote address from Activision CEO Bobby Kotick, who roiled the industry in 2009 by saying his company planned on bypassing consoles. The AIAS said the executive--who also said his goal was to "take all the fun out of making video games"--will talk "about how creative talent drives the video game industry."

The full list of finalists for the 12th Annual Interactive Achievement Awards is as follows:

Overall Game of the Year
Assassin's Creed II
Batman: Arkham Asylum
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2
Dragon Age: Origins
Uncharted 2: Among Thieves

Portable Game of the Year
Little Big Planet
Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story
Professor Layton and the Diabolical Box
Scribblenauts
The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks

Action Game of the Year
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2
Left 4 Dead 2
Prototype
Red Faction: Guerrilla
Shadow Complex

Adventure Game of the Year
Assassin's Creed II
Batman: Arkham Asylum
New Super Mario Bros. Wii
Ratchet & Clank Future: A Crack in Time
Uncharted 2: Among Thieves

Role Playing/Massively Multiplayer Game of the Year
Borderlands
Champions Online
Demon's Souls
Dragon Age: Origins
Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story

Sports Game of the Year
FIFA Soccer 10
MLB 09: The Show
NBA 2K10
NHL 10
Tiger Woods PGA Tour 10 (Wii)

Racing Game of the Year
Dirt 2
Forza Motorsport 3
Need for Speed Shift

Fighting Game of the Year
Fight Night Round 4
Punch-Out!!
Street Fighter IV
Tekken 6
UFC 2009 Undisputed

Strategy/Simulation Game of the Year
Brutal Legend
Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon
Halo Wars
The Sims 3
Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War 2

Family Game of the Year
Guitar Hero 5
Lego Rock Band
The Beatles: Rock Band
Wii Fit Plus
Wii Sports Resort

Casual Game of the Year
Drawn: The Painted Tower
Flower
Flight Control
Plants Vs. Zombies
Scribblenauts

Social Networking Game of the Year
Bejeweled Blitz
Farmtown
FarmVille
Restaurant City

Outstanding Innovation in Gaming
Demon's Souls
Farmville
Flower
Scribblenauts
Uncharted 2: Among Thieves

Outstanding Achievement in Game Design
Batman: Arkham Asylum
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2
Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story
Plants Vs. Zombies
Uncharted 2: Among Thieves

Outstanding Achievement in Game Direction
Assassin's Creed II
Batman: Arkham Asylum
Brutal Legend
Flower
Uncharted 2: Among Thieves

Outstanding Achievement in Gameplay Engineering
Assassin's Creed II
Forza Motorsport 3
Left 4 Dead 2
New Super Mario Bros. Wii
Uncharted 2: Among Thieves

Outstanding Achievement in Portable Game Design
Henry Hatsworth
Little Big Planet
LocoRoco 2
Patapon 2
Scribblenauts

Outstanding Achievement in Visual Engineering
Assassin's Creed II
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2
Killzone 2
Ratchet & Clank Future: A Crack in Time
Uncharted 2: Among Thieves

Outstanding Achievement in Art Direction
Assassin's Creed II
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2
Machinarium
Resident Evil 5
Uncharted 2: Among Thieves

Outstanding Achievement in Animation
Assassin's Creed II
Batman: Arkham Asylum
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2
Ratchet & Clank Future: A Crack in Time
Uncharted 2: Among Thieves

Outstanding Achievement in Adapted Story
Batman: Arkham Asylum
Ghostbusters: The Video Game
Marvel Ultimate Alliance 2

Outstanding Achievement in Original Story
Assassin's Creed II
Brutal Legend
Professor Layton and the Diabolical Box
Ratchet & Clank Future: A Crack in Time
Uncharted 2: Among Thieves

Outstanding Achievement in Online Gameplay
Borderlands
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2
FarmVille
Left 4 Dead 2
Uncharted 2: Among Thieves

Outstanding Achievement in Original Music Composition
Assassin's Creed II
Batman: Arkham Asylum
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2
Flower
Uncharted 2: Among Thieves

Outstanding Achievement in Soundtrack
Brutal Legend
DJ Hero
Skate 2
The Beatles: Rock Band

Outstanding Achievement in Sound Design
Assassin's Creed II
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2
Flower
Skate 2
Uncharted 2: Among Thieves

Outstanding Character Performance
Batman: Arkham Asylum - The Joker
Brutal Legend - Eddie Riggs
Resident Evil 5 - Sheva Alomar
Uncharted 2: Among Thieves - Chloe Frazier
Uncharted 2: Among Thieves - Nathan Drake

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