The finalists for the 9th annual Interactive Achievement Awards have been announced. The list is long, to put it mildly, and dominated by the same clutch of games. The full list is after the jump, but to summarize: God of War, Guitar Hero, Shadow of the Colossus, Call of Duty 2, Nintendogs. Shake and repeat. Actually, Call of Duty 2 didn t quite make as many lists as the others and a few titles braved the competition to mix things up a bit. All in all, this is the sort of list that I think most gamers can live with, though Resident Evil 4 is nowhere to be seen and two N-Gage games are.

The finalists in each category are as follows:
I. Game of the Year:
a. Overall
- God of War (P: Sony Computer Entertainment America, D: Sony Computer Entertainment America-Santa Monica)
- Guitar Hero (P: Red Octane, D: Harmonix)
- Shadow of the Colossus (P:/D: Sony Computer Entertainment America)
- Call of Duty 2 (P: Activision, D: Infinity Ward)
- Nintendogs (P: Nintendo, D: Nintendo EAD)

b. Computer
- F.E.A.R.: First Encounter Assault Recon (P: Vivendi Universal Games, D: Monolith)
- Sid Meier's Civilization IV (P: 2K Games, D: Firaxis Games)
- Battlefield 2 (P: EA, D: Digital Illusions)
- Age of Empires III (P: Microsoft, D: Ensemble Studios)
- The Movies (P: Activision, D: Lionhead Studios)

c. Console
- God of War (P: Sony Computer Entertainment America, D: Sony Computer Entertainment America-Santa Monica)
- Guitar Hero (P: Red Octane, D: Harmonix)
- Shadow of the Colossus (P:/D: Sony Computer Entertainment America)
- Call of Duty 2 (P: Activision, D: Infinity Ward)
- Nintendogs (P: Nintendo, D: Nintendo EAD)

II. Outstanding Innovation in Gaming
- Nintendogs (P: Nintendo, D: Nintendo EAD)
- Guitar Hero (P: Red Octane, D: Harmonix)
- Shadow of the Colossus (P:/D: Sony Computer Entertainment America)
- God of War (P: Sony Computer Entertainment America, D: Sony Computer Entertainment America-Santa Monica)
- The Movies (P: Activision, D: Lionhead Studios)

III. Outstanding Achievement:
a. Animation
-Shadow of the Colossus (P:/D: Sony Computer Entertainment America)
- God of War (P: Sony Computer Entertainment America, D: Sony Computer Entertainment America-Santa Monica)
-Prince of Persia: The Two Thrones (P: Ubisoft, D: Ubisoft-Montreal)
-Rise of the Kasai (P: Sony Computer Entertainment America, D: Bottlerocket Entertainment)
-Oddworld Stranger's Wrath (P: EA, D: Oddworld)

b. Art Direction
-Shadow of the Colossus (P:/D: Sony Computer Entertainment America)
- God of War (P: Sony Computer Entertainment America, D: Sony Computer Entertainment America-Santa Monica)
-Peter Jackson's King Kong (P: Ubisoft, D: Ubisoft-Montpellier)
-Ultimate Spider-Man (P: Activision, D: Treyarch)
-Jade Empire (P: Microsoft, D: Bioware)

c. Soundtrack
- Guitar Hero (P: Red Octane, D: Harmonix)
- SSX On Tour (P: EA, D: EA-Canada)
- Wipeout Pure (P: Sony Computer Entertainment America, D: Studio Liverpool)
- The Warriors (P: Rockstar Games, D: Rockstar Toronto)
- Burnout Revenge (P: EA, D: Criterion Games)

d. Original Music Composition
- God of War (P: Sony Computer Entertainment America, D: Sony Computer Entertainment America-Santa Monica)
- Rise of the Kasai (P: Sony Computer Entertainment America, D: Bottlerocket Entertainment)
- Gun (P: Activision, D: Neversoft Entertainment)
- Jade Empire (P: Microsoft, D: Bioware)
- Kameo: Elements of Power (P: Microsoft, D: RARE)

e. Sound Design
- F.E.A.R.: First Encounter Assault Recon (P: Vivendi Universal Games, D: Monolith)
- God of War (P: Sony Computer Entertainment America, D: Sony Computer Entertainment America-Santa Monica)
- Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell Chaos Theory (P:/D: Ubisoft)
- Condemned: Criminal Origins (P: Sega, D: Monolith)
- Peter Jackson's King Kong (P: Ubisoft, D: Ubisoft-Montpellier)

f. Story and Character Development
- Peter Jackson's King Kong (P: Ubisoft, D: Ubisoft-Montpellier)
- Gun (P: Activision, D: Neversoft Entertainment)
- Call of Duty: Big Red One (P: Activision, D: Treyarch)
- Brothers in Arms: Earned in Blood (P: Ubisoft, D: Gearbox Software)
- Sly Cooper 3: Honor Among Thieves (P: Sony Computer Entertainment America D: Suckerpunch)

g. Game Play Engineering
- Nintendogs (P: Nintendo, D: Nintendo EAD)
- Guitar Hero (P: Red Octane, D: Harmonix)
- God of War (P: Sony Computer Entertainment America, D: Sony Computer Entertainment America-Santa Monica)
- Lumines (P: Ubisoft, D: Q Entertainment)
- Zoo Tycoon 2: Endangered Species (P: Microsoft, D: Blue Fang)

h. Online Game Play
- Battlefield 2 (P: EA, D: Digital Illusions)
- Mario Kart DS (P: Nintendo, D: Nintendo EAD)
- Age of Empires III (P: Microsoft, D: Ensemble Studios)
- Project Gotham Racing 3 (P: Microsoft, D: Bizarre Creations)
- Call of Duty 2 (P: Activision, D: Infinity Ward)

i. Visual Engineering
- F.E.A.R.: First Encounter Assault Recon (P: Vivendi Universal Games, D: Monolith)
- Shadow of the Colossus (P:/D: Sony Computer Entertainment America)
- Kameo: Elements of Power (P: Microsoft, D: RARE)
- Call of Duty 2 (P: Activision, D: Infinity Ward)
- God of War (P: Sony Computer Entertainment America, D: Sony Computer Entertainment America-Santa Monica)

j. Game Design
- Guitar Hero (P: Red Octane, D: Harmonix)
- God of War (P: Sony Computer Entertainment America, D: Sony Computer Entertainment America-Santa Monica)
- Shadow of the Colossus (P:/D: Sony Computer Entertainment America)
- Nintendogs (P: Nintendo, D: Nintendo EAD)
- Peter Jackson's King Kong (P: Ubisoft, D: Ubisoft-Montpellier)

IV. Outstanding Character Performance:
a. Male
- God of War (P: Sony Computer Entertainment America, D: Sony Computer Entertainment America-Santa Monica)
- Gun (P: Activision, D: Neversoft Entertainment)
- Oddworld Stranger's Wrath (P: EA, D: Oddworld)
- Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory (P:/D: Ubisoft)
- Jade Empire (P: Microsoft, D: Bioware)

b. Female
- Jade Empire (P: Microsoft, D: Bioware)
- Gun (P: Activision, D: Neversoft Entertainment)
- Prince of Persia: The Two Thrones (P: Ubisoft, D: Ubisoft-Montreal)
- Need for Speed: Most Wanted (P: EA, D: EA-Vancouver)

V. Genre Awards:
a. Sports Game of the Year
- NBA 2K6 (P: 2K Games, D: Visual Concepts)
- MLB 2006 (P:/D: Sony Computer Entertainment America)
- SSX On Tour (P: EA, D: EA Canada)
- MLB 2K5: WS Edition (P: 2K Games, D: Visual Concepts)
- Super Mario Strikers (P: Nintendo, D: Next Level)

b. First-Person Action Game of the Year
- Call of Duty 2 (P: Activision, D: Infinity Ward)
- Condemned: Criminal Origins (P: Sega, Monolith)
- Brothers in Arms: Road to Hill 30 (P: Ubisoft, D: Gearbox Software)
- F.E.A.R.: First Encounter Assault Recon (P: Vivendi Universal Games, D: Monolith)
- Battlefield 2 (P: EA, D: Digital Illusions)

c. Role-Playing Game of the Year
- Jade Empire (P: Microsoft, D: Bioware)
- Dragon Quest VII (P: Sqaure Enix, D: Level 5)
- Dungeon Siege II (P: Microsoft, D: Gas Powered)
- Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance (P: Nintendo, D: Intelligent Systems)
- Radiata Stories (P: Square Enix, D: Tri-Ace Inc.)

d. Fighting Game of the Year
- Soul Calibur 3 (P:/D: Namco)
- Tekken 5 (P:/D: Namco)
- Fight Night Round 2 (P: EA, D: EA-Chicago)
- WWE Smackdown VS Raw (P: THQ, D: Yuke's Co. Ltd.)

e. Action/ Adventure Game of the Year
- God of War (P: Sony Computer Entertainment America, D: Sony Computer Entertainment America-Santa Monica)
- Shadow of the Colossus (P:/D: Sony Computer Entertainment America)
- Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory (P:/D: Ubisoft)
- Prince of Persia: The Two Thrones (P: Ubisoft, D: Ubisoft-Montreal)
- The Incredible Hulk: Ultimate Destruction (P: Vivendi Universal Games, D: Radical Entertainment)

f. Racing Game of the Year
- Forza Motorsport (P: Microsoft, D: Microsoft Game Studios)
- Project Gotham Racing 3 (P: Microsoft, D: Bizarre Creations)
- Mario Kart DS (P: Nintendo, D: Nintendo EAD)

g. Children's Game of the Year
- Chicken Little (P: Buena Vista Games, D: Avalanche Software)
- Madagascar (P: Activision, D: Toys for Bob)
- Sly 3: Honor Among Thieves (P: Sony Computer Entertainment America, D: Sucker Punch)
- Tak 3: The Great Juju Challenge (P: THQ, D: Avalanche)
- We Love Katamari (P:/D: Namco)

h. Downloadable Game of the Year
- Oasis (P: PlayFirst, D: Mind Control Software)
- Egg v. Chicken (P: PlayFirst, D: GameLab)
- Chuzzle (P:/D: PopCap)
- Tradewinds Legend (P:/D: Sandlot)
- WIK: Fable of Souls (P: Microsoft, D: Reflexive)

i. Family Game of the Year
- Guitar Hero (P: Red Octane, D: Harmonix)
- Dance Dance Revolution: Mario Mix (P: Nintendo, D: Konami)
- LEGO Star Wars (P: TT Games, D: Traveler's Tales)

j. Simulation Game of the Year
- The Movies (P: Activision, D: Lionhead Studios)
- Silent Hunter III (P: Ubisoft, D: Ubisoft-Romania)
- Animal Crossing (P: Nintendo, D: Nintendo EAD)

k. Strategy Game of the Year
- Age of Empires III (P: Microsoft, D: Ensemble Studios)
- Civilization IV (P: 2K Games, D: Firaxis)
- Empire Earth II (P: Vivendi Universal Games, D: Mad Doc)

l. Massively Multiplayer/Persistent World Game of the Year
- City Villains (P: NCSoft, D: Cryptic Studios)
- Guild Wars (P: NCSoft, D: ArenaNet)
- Lineage II: The Chaotic Principle (P:/D: NCSoft)
- Final Fantasy XI: The Vana'diel Collection (P:/D: Square Enix)

m. Handheld Game of the Year
- Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap (P: Nintendo, D: Capcom)
- Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories (P: Rockstar Games, D: Rockstar-Leeds)
- Burnout Legends (P: EA, D: EA-UK Fusion)
- Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time (P: Nintendo, D: Alpha Dream)
- Nintendogs (P: Nintendo, D: Nintendo EAD)

n. Cellular Game of the Year
- Mile High Pinball (P: Nokia, D: Bonus.com)
- Skipping Stone (P: I-Play, D: Gamevil)
- One (P: Nokia, D: Digital Legends)
- Ancient Empires II (P:/D: Glu Mobile)
- High Seize (P: Nokia, D: Red Lynx

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