It’s Oscar season. More importantly for this space however, the nominations for the 2008 Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences awards are in. Why is this relevant? Because unlike most end-of-year videogame awards these are peer-based, not to mention having two awards devoted to animation and character performance.
Additionally, after missing out on Console Game of The Year in 2007, Mass Effect is back in with a shot at Computer Game of The Year after the later PC release, though is once again up against some seriously tough competition.
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 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
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