Batman: Arkham City, The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception all made the cut for the annual Video Game Awards' game of the year shortlist. But you may be surprised what didn't.
The SpikeTV Video Game Awards show airs on December 10 this year on MTV2, SpikeTV and Spike.com. While the awards are the focus of the night, the biggest draw increasingly are the cavalcade of new game announcements and trailers rolled out throughout the evening.
This year's show promises to follow in that tradition with appearances by Hideo Kojima, who will reveal "the truth" about Metal Gear Solid: Rising with a spectacular world premiere, the announcement of a new project from the folks behind Mass Effect 3 and our first look at the "all-new adventure" starring Alan Wake.
Now about those awards. Both Stephen Totilo and I are judges on the panel that helps to select the nominees and, eventually, the winners, but we're sworn to secrecy. All we can give you now is the list of Game of the Year and Most Anticipated Game nominees.
Game of the Year
Batman: Arkham City
Portal 2
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword
Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception
Most Anticipated Game
BioShock Infinite
Diablo III
Halo 4
Mass Effect 3
The Last Guardian
Fans can start voting for the Most Anticipated Game today over on the official page for the show.
You can contact Brian Crecente, the author of this post, at brian@kotaku.com. You can also find him on Twitter, Facebook, and lurking around our #tips page.