Annual Interactive Achievement Award Nominees

The Academy of Interactive Arts and Sciences sent out a press release yesterday announcing the nominees for their 12th Annual Interactive Achievement Awards. Fallout 3, Fable II, Warhammer Online, and Wrath of the Lich King nods to be found within:

LITTLEBIGPLANET LEADS WITH AN IMPRESSIVE 10 INTERACTIVE ACHIEVEMENT AWARD NOMINATIONS

Fallout 3, Grand Theft Auto IV, Left 4 Dead, LittleBigPlanet and Metal Gear Solid 4 Fight It Out for ‘Overall Game of the Year’ Honors.

CALABASAS, CA January 23, 2009 The Academy of Interactive Arts and Sciences® (AIAS) today announced the nominees for the 12th Annual Interactive Achievement Awards®. The nominations for the peer-based awards have been dominated by blockbuster game, LittleBigPlanet (Sony Computer Entertainment America) with an astounding 10 nominations from industry leaders and members of the interactive entertainment software business. In addition, finalists with multiple nominations include: Gears of War 2 (Microsoft Game Studios), Left 4 Dead (Valve Software), Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots (Konami Digital Entertainment, Inc.), Fallout 3 (Bethesda Softworks), and Fable II (Microsoft Game Studios).

The awards ceremony will take place during the D.I.C.E. (Design, Innovate, Communicate, Entertain) Summit® 2009, on February 19th at the Red Rock Resort in Las Vegas, with comedian, actor and proud game enthusiast, Jay Mohr, returning for his fourth year to host the award ceremony.

These peer-based awards recognize the outstanding products, talented individuals and development teams that have contributed to the advancement of the multi-billion dollar worldwide entertainment software industry.

‘This was an exciting year for games,’ said Joseph Olin, president, AIAS. “The depth of talent and creativity in this industry continues to amaze me and we are honored to highlight some of the most impressive games of the year at the Interactive Achievement Awards. The 2009 nominees indeed reflect a stronghold of talent embodying the best and brightest in this field.”

The 12th Annual Interactive Achievement Awards Finalists are as follows, listed by game title, publisher, and developer:

Family Game of the Year

• Boom Blox – Electronic Arts – EA Los Angeles
• LittleBigPlanet – Sony Computer Entertainment America – Media Molecule
• Rayman Raving Rabbids TV Party – Ubisoft – Ubisoft Paris
• Rock Band 2 – MTV Games – Harmonix Music Systems, Inc.
• Wii Fit – Nintendo – Nintendo

Strategy/Simulation Game of the Year

• Advance Wars: Days of Ruin – Nintendo – Intelligent Systems
• Command & Conquer: Red Alert 3 – Electronic Arts – EA Los Angeles
• Sid Meier’s Civilization Revolution – 2K Games – Firaxis
• Sins of a Solar Empire – Stardock Entertainment – Ironclad Games
• Tom Clancy’s EndWar – Ubisoft – Ubisoft Shanghai

Outstanding Achievement in Animation

• Castle Crashers – Microsoft Game Studios – The Behemoth
• Gears of War 2 – Microsoft Game Studios – Epic Games, Inc.
• Left 4 Dead – Valve Software – Valve Software
• Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots – Konami Digital Entertainment, Inc. – Kojima Productions
• Prince of Persia – Ubisoft – Ubisoft Montreal

Outstanding Achievement in Art Direction

• Dead Space – Electronic Arts – EA Redwood Shores
• Fable II – Microsoft Game Studios – Lionhead Studios
• LittleBigPlanet – Sony Computer Entertainment America – Media Molecule
• Mirror’s Edge – Electronic Arts – Digital Illusions
• Prince of Persia – Ubisoft – Ubisoft Montreal

Outstanding Achievement in Visual Engineering

• Gears of War 2 – Microsoft Game Studios – Epic Games, Inc.
• LittleBigPlanet – Sony Computer Entertainment America – Media Molecule
• Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots – Konami Digital Entertainment, Inc. – Kojima Productions
• Resistance 2 – Sony Computer Entertainment America – Insomniac Games
• Tomb Raider: Underworld – Eidos/Warner Bros. Interactive – Crystal Dynamics

Outstanding Achievement in Game Play Engineering

• Fable II – Microsoft Game Studios – Lionhead Studios
• Fallout 3 – Bethesda Softworks – Bethesda Game Studios
• Left 4 Dead – Valve Software – Valve Software
• Spore – Electronic Arts – Maxis
• Tom Clancy’s EndWar – Ubisoft – Ubisoft Shanghai

Outstanding Character Performance

• Gears of War 2 (Dom) – Microsoft Game Studios – Epic Games, Inc.
• Gears of War 2 (Marcus) – Microsoft Game Studios – Epic Games, Inc.
• LittleBigPlanet (Sackboy) – Sony Computer Entertainment America – Media Molecule
• Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots (Old Snake) – Konami Digital Entertainment, Inc. – Kojima Productions
• Tomb Raider: Underworld (Lara Croft) – Eidos/Warner Bros. Interactive – Crystal Dynamics

Outstanding Achievement in Adapted Story

• Lego Batman: The Videogame – Warner Bros. Interactive – TT Games
• Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe – Midway – Midway
• Naruto: The Broken Bond – Ubisoft – Ubisoft
• Quantum of Solace – Activision – Treyarch
• Star Wars: The Force Unleashed – LucasArts – LucasArts

Outstanding Achievement in Original Story

• Brothers In Arms: Hell’s Highway – Ubisoft – Gearbox Software
• Fable II – Microsoft Game Studios – Lionhead Studios
• Fallout 3 – Bethesda Softworks – Bethesda Game Studios
• Grand Theft Auto IV – Rockstar Games – Rockstar North
• Professor Layton and the Curious Village – Nintendo – Level 5, Inc.

Role-Playing Game of the Year

• Fable II – Microsoft Game Studios – Lionhead Studios
• Fallout 3 – Bethesda Softworks – Bethesda Game Studios
• Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Time – Nintendo – Chunsoft
• Tales of Vesperia – Namco Bandai Games – Namco Bandai Games

Outstanding Innovation in Gaming

• Braid – Microsoft Game Studios – Number None
• Left 4 Dead – Valve Software – Valve Software
• LittleBigPlanet – Sony Computer Entertainment America – Media Molecule
• Spore – Electronic Arts – Maxis
• Wii Fit – Nintendo – Nintendo

Outstanding Achievement in Original Music Composition

• de Blob – THQ – Blue Tongue
• Dead Space – Electronic Arts – EA Redwood Shores
• Fable II – Microsoft Game Studios – Lionhead Studios
• Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots – Konami Digital Entertainment, Inc. – Kojima Productions
• World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King – Blizzard Entertainment – Blizzard Entertainment

Outstanding Achievement in Soundtrack

• Guitar Hero World Tour – Activision – Neversoft Entertainment
• LittleBigPlanet – Sony Computer Entertainment America – Media Molecule
• Motorstorm Pacific Rift – Sony Computer Entertainment America – Evolution Studios
• Rock Band 2 – MTV Games – Harmonix Music Systems, Inc.
• Singstar PS3 Vol. 1 – Sony Computer Entertainment America – SCE London Studio

Outstanding Achievement in Sound Design

• Dead Space – Electronic Arts – EA Redwood Shores
• Gears of War 2 – Microsoft Game Studios – Epic Games, Inc.
• LittleBigPlanet – Sony Computer Entertainment America – Media Molecule
• Prince of Persia – Ubisoft – Ubisoft Montreal
• Wipeout HD – Sony Computer Entertainment America – SCE Studios Liverpool

Computer Game of the Year

• Fallout 3 – Bethesda Softworks – Bethesda Game Studios
• Left 4 Dead – Valve Software – Valve Software
• Mass Effect – Electronic Arts – Bioware
• Spore – Electronic Arts – Maxis
• World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King – Blizzard Entertainment – Blizzard Entertainment

Adventure Game of the Year

• Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia – Konami Digital Entertainment, Inc. – Konami
• God of War: Chains of Olympus – Sony Computer Entertainment America – Ready at Dawn
• Mirror’s Edge – Electronic Arts – Digital Illusions
• Naruto: The Broken Bond – Ubisoft – Ubisoft
• Prince of Persia – Ubisoft – Ubisoft Montreal

Massively Multiplayer Game of the Year

• EVE Online: Quantum Rise – CCP – CCP hf.
• Pirates of the Burning Sea – Sony Online Entertainment – Flying Lab Software
• PMOG – GameLayers – GameLayers
• Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning – Electronic Arts – Mythic Entertainment
• World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King – Blizzard Entertainment – Blizzard Entertainment

Sports Game of the Year

• FIFA 09 – Electronic Arts – EA Canada
• Madden NFL 09 – Electronic Arts – EA Tiburon
• MLB 08: The Show – Sony Computer Entertainment America – SCE Studios San Diego
• NBA 2K9 – 2K Sports – Visual Concepts
• NHL 09 – Electronic Arts – EA Canada

Racing Game of the Year

• Burnout Paradise – Electronic Arts – Critereon Games
• GRID – Codemasters – Codemasters
• Mario Kart Wii – Nintendo – Nintendo
• Motorstorm Pacific Rift – Sony Computer Entertainment America – Evolution Studios
• Pure – Disney Interactive Studios – Black Rock Studio

Fighting Game of the Year

• Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe – Midway – Midway
• Soul Calibur IV – Namco Bandai Games – Project Soul
• Super Smash Bros. Brawl – Nintendo – Nintendo, HAL Laboratory, Sora Ltd.
• Super Street Fighter II Turbo HD Remix – Capcom – Backbone Entertainment
• WWE Smackdown vs. Raw 2009 – THQ – Yuke’s Co., Ltd.

Outstanding Achievement in Online Game Play

• Call of Duty: World at War – Activision – Treyarch
• Gears of War 2 – Microsoft Game Studios – Epic Games, Inc.
• Left 4 Dead – Valve Software – Valve Software
• NHL 09 – Electronic Arts – EA Canada
• Rock Band 2 – MTV Games – Harmonix Music Systems, Inc.

Action Game of the Year

• Call of Duty: World at War – Activision – Treyarch
• Dead Space – Electronic Arts – EA Redwood Shores
• Far Cry 2 – Ubisoft – Ubisoft Montreal
• Gears of War 2 – Microsoft Game Studios – Epic Games, Inc.
• Grand Theft Auto IV – Rockstar Games – Rockstar North

Handheld Game of the Year

• Advance Wars: Days of Ruin – Nintendo – Intelligent Systems
• Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia – Konami Digital Entertainment, Inc. – Konami
• God of War: Chains of Olympus – Sony Computer Entertainment America – Ready at Dawn
• Patapon – Sony Computer Entertainment America – Sony Computer Entertainment International
• Professor Layton and the Curious Village – Nintendo – Level 5, Inc.

Cellular Game of the Year

• Reset Generation – Nokia – RedLynx
• Spore Origins – Electronic Arts – Babaroga, Tricky Software
• Trism – Demiforce – Demiforce

Casual Game of the Year

• Braid – Microsoft Game Studios – Number None
• Mystery Case Files: Return to Ravenhurst – Big Fish Games – Big Fish Games
• Patapon – Sony Computer Entertainment America – Sony Computer Entertainment International
• Professor Layton and the Curious Village – Nintendo – Level 5, Inc.
• World of Goo – Nintendo – 2D Boy

Outstanding Achievement in Game Design

• Fable II – Microsoft Game Studios – Lionhead Studios
• Fallout 3 – Bethesda Softworks – Bethesda Game Studios
• Gears of War 2 – Microsoft Game Studios – Epic Games, Inc.
• Left 4 Dead – Valve Software – Valve Software
• World of Goo – Nintendo – 2D Boy

Outstanding Achievement in Game Direction

• Fallout 3 – Bethesda Softworks – Bethesda Game Studios
• Gears of War 2 – Microsoft Game Studios – Epic Games, Inc.
• Left 4 Dead – Valve Software – Valve Software
• LittleBigPlanet – Sony Computer Entertainment America – Media Molecule
• Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots – Konami Digital Entertainment, Inc. – Kojima Productions

Console Game of the Year

• Fallout 3 – Bethesda Softworks – Bethesda Game Studios
• Gears of War 2 – Microsoft Game Studios – Epic Games, Inc.
• Grand Theft Auto IV – Rockstar Games – Rockstar North
• LittleBigPlanet – Sony Computer Entertainment America – Media Molecule
• Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots – Konami Digital Entertainment, Inc. – Kojima Productions

Overall Game of the Year

• Fallout 3 – Bethesda Softworks – Bethesda Game Studios
• Grand Theft Auto IV – Rockstar Games – Rockstar North
• Left 4 Dead – Valve Software – Valve Software
• LittleBigPlanet – Sony Computer Entertainment America – Media Molecule
• Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots – Konami Digital Entertainment, Inc. – Kojima Productions