For a second year in a row the analysts at Broadpoint AmTech took a look at the past 11 years worth of winners to see if Best Of awards are a predictor of sales. Their conclusion:

"While there have been a few exceptions, overall we found that "Best of" award winners in categories such as "Best Console Game" and "Best in Show" have been retail hits in the U.S. (e.g. have sold in excess of 1mm units lifetime since release according to NPD)."

Certain categories, such as Best Original Game and Best Racing Game, were more hit or miss than others in predicting sales success, the analysts say. That's because, they said, these sort of games have "qualities that appeal more to industry insiders/game critics on the panel (forexample, innovative gameplay and art direction) vs. the average consumer."

While interesting, I wonder if the awards predict a sales success or help to create one. Lots of publishers have in the past used the award in their marketing of the games.

Here are the staff of Kotaku's picks for the best of 2009's Electronic Entertainment Expo:

Best Console/PC Game

After three years in hiatus, Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell returns with a stunning new look and style of play that is sure to reinvigorate a flagging franchise.

Splinter Cell Conviction (PC and Xbox 360) is Ubisoft's fifth installment of the Clancy-inspired secret agent stealth game, streamlined to make sure players never have to leave the game for instruction, objectives or back story.

Instead of wasting gamers' time with mission briefings or cut-scenes, the game projects everything into the world as you play. Mission goals appear as giant text painted across buildings, or splashed across the scenery as Conviction's Sam Fisher passes through it, cut-scenes are delivered in real-time black and white movies projected on the walls of the rooms he is standing in.

Embedding objectives into the scenery of missions isn't the only change Conviction delivers. Other new features including the ability to put Fisher on autopilot and have him take out a room full of "marked" enemies, a more stylized look for the game and interactive "interrogation" scenes.

Runner-up: Star Wars The Old Republic (PC)

Best Portable Game

In Scribblenauts (Nintendo DS) players work to navigate child-like Maxwell through a hand-drawn world on his quest to collect Starites. The side-scrolling puzzle game does have a significant twist. To aid Maxwell on his journey, players can drop items in the world simply by writing the word on the DS screen. Developers boast a substantial dictionary of words that include everything from guillotines to robot zombies, all of which players can interact with.

Runner-Up: The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks (Nintendo DS)

Best Downloadable Game

In Q-Games' PixelJunk Shooter (Playstation 3) you have to rescue miners trapped underground by piloting a spaceship through the maze of tunnels. Miners aren't the only thing you'll find underground, some areas are also filled with pockets of lava or water. Blasting holes under these pockets allow the liquid to spill out. If the lava mixes with water it forms rock, if it mixes with miners, you have less miners.

Runner-Up: Shadow Complex (PC and Xbox 360)

Best Original Title

Brutal Legend (Playstation 3, Xbox 360) gives players control of epic-roadie Eddie Riggs who has been sent to a fantasy heavy metal world to do battle alongside headbangers and musicians. The game's fiction is all pulled from the sort of art you'd expect to find on bad heavy metal record albums, and its humorous story is backed by a hefty cast of voice actors including Jack Black, Lita Ford, Rob Halford and Lemmy Kilmister.

Runner-Up: Alan Wake (PC, Xbox 360)

Best Sequel

Ubisoft's willingness to reboot their stealth franchise and turn it into something different will go a long way in making Splinter Cell Conviction (PC, Xbox 360) a hit.

Runner-Up: Uncharted 2: Among Thieves (PlayStation 3)

Best New Hardware

When Microsoft unveiled Project Natal (Xbox 360), their controller-free motion controller, during E3 earlier this month the reaction was almost incredulity. Not that Microsoft would be able to garner any attention with another motion controller, but that a high-definition camera could let you interact with games without the help of anything else. Using just the camera and the 360, Project Natal can let you drive cars, swat balls or even interact with a virtual child.

Runner-Up: PSPgo

Best New Gameplay Mechanic

Scribblenauts' ability to turn your written word into a little cartoon version of the item is astounding, add to that the ability to blend these items so they interact with each other or can be wielded by the hero and you have the best new mechanic to hit a video game since Nintendo perfected the waggle.

Runner-Up: Invizimals' (PSP) monster-catching camera.

Best Weapon

In the weapon-centric world of action video games, swords, guns and tanks are all played out. Enter Bayonetta (Playstation 3, Xbox 360). The eponymous heroine with the Sarah Palin glasses can quad-wield her guns, carrying two pistols in her hands and two more strapped to her ankles, and unwind her black hair, which she wears as a jumpsuit, to turn it into giant fists, high-heeled feet and even a dragon .

Runner-Up: Left 4 Dead 2's frying pan.

Best of 2010

It has been four years since Team Ico released Shadow of the Colossus to critical acclaim. The action adventure game delivered an emotional story and reinvented the way people thought about game design, turning the titular Colossus into living levels that had to be tracked down, climbed and destroyed.

During Playstation's E3 press conference, the team unveiled their latest work: The Last Guardian (Playstation 3). The game appears to revolve around the relationship between a boy and a giant feathered creature. Not much to go on, but fans of Team Ico know the developers will deliver.

Runner-Up: Mass Effect 2 (PC, Xbox 360)

Biggest Game Changer

Sony's $250 PSPgo is more than just another portable, it's the first time a major gaming hardware company has jumped entirely into the realm of digital downloads . Its success could blaze the way for digital only gaming, its failure could set the movement back by years.

Runner-Up: Wii Vitality Sensor (Wii)

Well Played is a weekly opinion column about the big news of the week in the gaming industry and its bigger impact on things to come. Feel free to join in the discussion.

Thing is, I don't really have a solution. Take for instance today's news of the Game Critics' Best of E3 finalists. Check out those categories.

Best Social/Casual/Puzzle Game
Best Online Multiplayer Game
Best Action Game
Best Action/Adventure Game

Heck this year there were even a few that didn't get enough votes to make the cut.

Best Simulation Game, for instance, didn't get enough nominations to make the finalists list, but what would you include in there. Spore? Why not. HAWX, Sure, I suppose. Left 4 Dead? Maybe.

That's the problem, a lot of these categories are very easy to redefine and justify. What if you were making a Best of list for gaming, which categories would you include? Me? I think you need to include one category for each console, because often gamers only own one or two and they want to know which game is best on "their" system. But what about those collection of genres? I find them baffling, but it certainly looks like a lot of people use them. Maybe they just need new names. So what are you waiting for? Get to it.

The only rule? They have to be playable by the judges at E3.

The winning games haven't quite been selected yet, but the judges (including myself) have selected the finalists. Best of show nominees are Fallout 3, Gears of War 2, LittleBigPlanet, Mirror's Edge and Spore. LittleBigPlanet managed to get the most nominations across the board, with five, while both Gears of War 2 and Left 4 Dead nabbed four nominations. EA was the publisher with the most nominations, pulling in a whopping 21.

While I mostly agree with the list, there is one stand-out. Early on in the process we were told that Street Fighter IV the arcade machine was eligible for awards. Personally, as much as I love the game, I don't think that's fair. It's not a video game in the true sense of the word. When it does hit consoles that's fine, but I think mixing in arcade games with console and PC titles sets a bad precedent.

Best of Show
- Fallout 3
- Gears of War 2
- LittleBigPlanet
- Mirror’s Edge
- Spore

Best Original Game
- Flower
- Left 4 Dead
- Little Big Planet
- Mirror’s Edge
- Spore

Best Console Game
- Fallout 3
- Gears of War 2
- LittleBigPlanet
- Resistance 2
- Resident Evil 5

Best Handheld Game
- Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia
- Chrono Trigger DS
- Puzzle Quest: Galactrix
- Resistance: Retribution
- Rhythm Heaven

Best PC Game
- Dragon Age: Origins
- Left 4 Dead
- Spore
- Warhammer 40000: Dawn of War II
- Warhammer Online

Best Hardware
- Lips Microphone
- Rock Band 2 Ion “Drum Rocker” Set
- Wii MotionPlus

Best Action Game
- Far Cry 2
- Gears of War 2
- Left 4 Dead
- Mirror’s Edge
- Resistance 2

Best Action/Adventure Game
- Dead Space
- Prince of Persia
- Resident Evil 5
- Star Wars: The Force Unleashed
- Tomb Raider: Underworld

Best Role Playing Game
- Chrono Trigger DS
- Dragon Age: Origins
- Fable 2
- Fallout 3
- Sonic Chronicles: The Dark Brotherhood

Best Fighting Game
- Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe
- Soul Calibur IV
- Street Fighter IV
- Super Street Fighter II Turbo HD Remix

Best Racing Game
- Baja: Edge of Control
- Midnight Club: Los Angeles
- MotorStorm: Pacific Rift
- Pure

Best Sports Game
- Madden NFL 09
- NBA Live 09
- Shaun White Snowboarding
- Skate It
- Tiger Woods PGA TOUR 09

Best Strategy Game
- Command and Conquer: Red Alert 3
- Empire: Total War
- Halo Wars
- Tom Clancy’s EndWar
- Warhammer 40000: Dawn of War II

Best Social/Casual/Puzzle Game
- Guitar Hero World Tour
- Lego Batman: The Videogame
- LittleBigPlanet
- Rock Band 2
- Wii Sports Resort

Best Online Multiplayer Game
- Gears of War 2
- Left 4 Dead
- LittleBigPlanet
- Resistance 2
- Rock Band 2

This is it, the official list of winners for the Game Critics Awards: Best of E3 2007. Before you jump to the full list, some stats:

- Rock Band leads with three wins including Best of Show. Mass Effect earns two including Best Console.
- Xbox 360 is leading platform with 11 wins, followed by eight wins for games playable on PS3
- Electronic Arts leads with six wins total, followed by Microsoft with three

Grats to Rock Band for Best of Show and LittleBigPlanet for Best Original. Hit the jump for the full, official and final list.

Best of Show
Rock Band
(Harmonix/MTV Games/EAP for PlayStation 3, Xbox 360)

Best Original Game
LittleBigPlanet
(Media Molecule/Sony Computer Entertainment Europe for PS3)

Best Console Game
Mass Effect
(Bioware/Microsoft Games Studio for Xbox 360)

Best PC Game
Crysis
(Crytek/EAP)

Best Handheld Game
The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass
(Nintendo for Nintendo DS)

Best Hardware/Peripheral
Rock Band Instruments
(Harmonix/MTV Games/EAP for PlayStation 3, Xbox 360)

Best Action Game
Call of Duty 4
(Infinity Ward/Activision for PC, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360)

Best Action/Adventure Game
Bioshock
(Irrational Games/2K Games for PC, Xbox 360)

Best Role Playing Game
Mass Effect
(Bioware / Microsoft Games Studio for Xbox 360)

Best Racing Game
Burnout Paradise
(Criterion Games/Electronic Arts for PlayStation 3, Xbox 360)

Best Sports Game
Madden NFL 08
(Electronic Arts for All Platforms)

Best Fighting Game
Virtua Fighter 5
(Sega for Xbox 360)

Best Strategy Game
World in Conflict
(Massive Entertainment/Sierra for PC)

Best Social/Casual/Puzzle
Rock Band
(Harmonix/MTV Games/EAP for PlayStation 3, Xbox 360)

Best Online Multiplayer
Halo 3
(Bungie/Microsoft Games Studio for Xbox 360)

Special Commendation for Graphics
Killzone 2
(Guerilla Games/Sony Computer Entertainment Europe for PS3)

2007 Game Critics Awards [GCA]

Yesterday's Best of E3 finalists announcement gives you a sense of what the several dozen official Game Critics judges thought of the show.

But it doesn't really point any fingers. Fortunately, a lot of people have been posting up their ballots for the nomination process. I posted ours and MTV's Totilo's last week. Now we get to peek at Newsweek's N'Gai Croal and The Merc's Dean Takahashi's. I've posted excerpts and links after the jump.

Dean Takahashi's list was also very similar, though with a few notable differences like Legendary: The Box and the Looney Tune game. Again with the Zapper? Was I looking at the wrong thing?

Best of Show:
1. Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare
2. Legendary: The Box
3. Halo 3
4. Wii Fit
5. Mass Effect

Best Original Game:
1.
2. Wii Fit
3. Little Big Planet
4. Fracture
5. De Blob

Best Game, Console:
1. Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, Xbox 360
2. Legendary: The Box, Xbox 360
3. Halo 3, Xbox 360
4. Wii Fit, Wii
5. Mass Effect, Xbox 360

Best Game, Handheld:
1. Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass
2. Silent Hill Origins, PSP
3. Looney Toons: Duck Amuck

Best Game, PC
1. Crysis
2. Brothers in Arms: Hell's Highway
3. World in Conflict
4. Enemy Territory: Quake Wars
5. Stranglehold

Best Hardware/Peripheral:
1. Wii Zapper
2. Wii Balance Board
3. Wii Wheel
4. Microsoft Big Button Remote
5. PlayStation Portable redesign

Some highlights before you hit the jump:
Rock Band leads with five nominations, followed by Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare and Bioshock with 4 nominations each

EA leads publishers with 14 nominations, followed by Activision, Microsoft and Nintendo with 8 nominations each

Xbox 360 most nominated platform with 38 nominations, followed by PS3 with 29, PC with 21 and Wii with 14.

Hit the jump for the full break down and to post your choices. Keep in mind these games had to be playable at E3 to be nominated, meaning no Killzone 2, no MGS4, etc, etc. The final list of winners will be unveiled on Tuesday, July 31.

Best of Show
- Bioshock (Irrational Games/2K Games for PC, Xbox 360)
- Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare (Infinity Ward/Activision for PC, PS3, Xbox 360)
- Fallout 3 (Bethesda Softworks for PC, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360)
- Mass Effect (Bioware/Microsoft Game Studios for Xbox 360)
- Rock Band (Harmonix/MTV Games/EAP for PlayStation 3, Xbox 360)

Best Original Game
- Bioshock (Irrational Games/2K Games for PC, Xbox 360)
- de Blob (Blue Tongue/THQ for Wii)
- Little Big Planet (Media Molecule/SCEE for PS3)
- Rock Band (Harmonix/MTV Games/EAP for PlayStation 3, Xbox 360)
- Wii Fit (Nintendo for Wii)
Best PC Game
- Call of Duty 4 (Infinity Ward/Activision)
- Crysis (Crytek/Electronic Arts)
- Enemy Territory: Quake Wars (Splash Damage/id/Activision)
- Fallout 3 (Bethesda Softworks)
- World in Conflict (Massive Entertainment/Sierra)
Best Console Game
- Bioshock (Irrational Games/2K Games for Xbox 360)
- Call of Duty 4 (Infinity Ward/Activision for PlayStation 3, Xbox 360)
- Mass Effect (BioWare/Microsoft Games Studio for Xbox 360)
- Rock Band (Harmonix/MTV Games/EAP for PlayStation 3, Xbox 360)
- Super Mario Galaxy (Nintendo for Wii)

Best Handheld Game
- Contra 4 (WayForward/Konami for Nintendo DS)
- Dead Head Fred (Vicious Cycle/D3 for PSP)
- God of War: Chains of Olympus (Ready at Dawn/SCEA for PSP)
- Silent Hill: Origins (Climax/Konami for PSP)
- The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass (Nintendo for Nintendo DS)
Best Hardware
- PSP-2000 (Sony Computer Entertainment)
- Rock Band Instruments (Harmonix/MTV Games/EAP for PlayStation 3, Xbox 360)
- Wii Balance Board (Nintendo for Wii)
- Wii Zapper (Nintendo for Wii)
Best Action Game
- Call of Duty 4 (Infinity Ward/Activision for PC, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360)
- Crysis (Crytek/EA for PC)
- Halo 3 (Bungie/Microsoft Game Studios for Xbox 360)
- Metroid Prime 3: Corruption (Retro Studios/Nintendo for Wii)
- Unreal Tournament 3 (Epic Games/Midway for PC, PlayStation 3)

Best Action/Adventure Game
- Assassin's Creed (Ubisoft Montreal/Ubisoft for PC, PS3, Xbox 360)
- Bioshock (Irrational Games/2K Games for PC, Xbox 360)
- Heavenly Sword (Ninja Theory/SCEE for PlayStation 3)
- Super Mario Galaxy (Nintendo for Wii)
- Uncharted: Drake's Fortune (Naughty Dog/SCEA for PlayStation 3)

Best Fighting Game
- Naruto: Rise of a Ninja (Ubisoft Montreal/Ubisoft for Xbox 360)
- Virtua Fighter 5 (Sega for Xbox 360)
- WWE SmackDown! vs. RAW 2008 (Yuke's/THQ for Nintendo Wii)

Best Role Playing Game
- Eternal Sonata (Namco Bandai Games for Xbox 360)
- Fable 2 (Lionhead/Microsoft Game Studios for Xbox 360)
- Fallout 3 (Bethesda Softworks for PC, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360)
- Hellgate: London (Flagship Studios/EAP for PC)
- Mass Effect (BioWare/Microsoft Games Studio for Xbox 360)

Best Racing Game
- Burnout Paradise (Criterion Games/EA for PlayStation 3, Xbox 360)
- Need for Speed ProStreet (EA Black Box/EA for PlayStation 3, Xbox 360)
- Project Gotham Racing 4 (Bizarre Creations/Microsoft Game Studios for Xbox 360)
- Stuntman: Ignition (Paradigm/THQ for PS2, PS3, Xbox 360)

Best Sports Game
- Madden NFL 08 (Tiburon/EA for All Systems)
- Skate (EA Black Box/EA for PS3, Xbox 360)
- Tiger Woods PGA Tour 08 (Tiburon/EA Sports for PC, PS3, Xbox 360)
- Tony Hawk's Proving Ground (Neversoft/Activision for PlayStation 3, Xbox 360)

Best Strategy Game
- Sid Meier's Civilization Revolution (Firaxis/2K Games for PS3, Xbox 360, Wii)
- Company of Heroes: Opposing Fronts (Relic/THQ for PC)
- Halo Wars (Ensemble Studios/Microsoft Game Studios for PC, Xbox 360)
- Universe at War: Earth Assault (Petroglyph/Sega for PC, Xbox 360)
- World in Conflict (Massive Entertainment/Sierra for PC)
Best Social/Casual/Puzzle Game
- Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock (Neversoft/Red Octane/ATVI for PS2, PS3, 360, Wii)
- Little Big Planet (Media Molecule/SCEE for PS3)
- Rock Band (Harmonix/MTV Games/EAP for PlayStation 3, Xbox 360)
- Wii Fit (Nintendo for Wii)
- Zack & Wiki: Quest for Barbaros' Treasure (Capcom for Wii)

Best Online Multiplayer Game
- Burnout Paradise (Criterion Games/EA for PlayStation 3, Xbox 360)
- Enemy Territory: Quake Wars (Splash Damage/Nerve/id/ATVI for PC, PS3, 360)
- Halo 3 (Bungie/Microsoft Games Studio for Xbox 360)
- Little Big Planet (Media Molecule/SCEE for PlayStation 3)
- Unreal Tournament 3 (Epic Games/Midway for PC, PlayStation 3)

2007 Game Critic Nominees [GCA]

We posted our nominees for the Game Critics Best of E3, now it's time to see what MTV's Stephen Totilo had to say with his nomination form.

Unlike us, he was a one-man show at E3, so while he didn't get to see as much, he also didn't have to duke it out with anyone to decide which game deserved which nod. I think our selections are very similar, though he went with Phantom Hourglass for game of the show, while my desire to even include it in our list was beaten down by the other hulking Kotaku writers.

E3: My Judgment Is Rendered. My Official Picks For The E3 Game Critics Awards [MTV]

Kotaku was lucky enough to be added to the list of judges for the 2007 Game Critics Awards this year. The E3 judges, there's 36 of us, ramble the show floor and spend tons of time leading up to the show looking for what will end up being the best games of the year's expo.

It's a challenging task, and one meant to reflect each of the judge's publications, not just their personal views. The final vote for the 18 or so categories is due tomorrow and we just wrapped up. But before we lay Kotaku's hard-argued votes on your, I wanted to give the readers a chance to have their own say. Hit the jump to check out the categories and descriptions and then vote in comments.

A couple of rules: For most categories the games had to be playable. To nominate any games in a category you had to nominate at least three, but no more than five. This is true of all but the final two "special commendation categories." Each game can only be nominated in one "genre category". The votes Kotaku casts ( and remember we've already made up our minds) will be worth points toward the final decision by the Game Critics as a whole. Since each category can have up to five nominations, the first choice is worth five points and so on.

I've always viewed the Best of E3 awards with a bit of skepticism, mostly because I had no idea how they worked. Now that I do, I can say that they're not a trivial affair and that the games that earn them, probably deserve them.

Best of Show:
In a nutshell, the "best of show" is an award to reflect the one thing you were talking about on the plane and to your friends when you returned home. Open to ANYTHING on the floor or off — you can nominate a game, a specific company's booth, a new console/handheld system, a piece of hardware, etc. In a nutshell, what was the buzz of the show...so long as it was playable.

Best Original Game:
Open to ANY game on ANY platform, regardless of genre. Game should be nominated for ambition, newness, and creativity, with a bias towards actual gameplay innovation. (Don't fall for the trap of a "cool concept" that sounds innovative but may not turn out to be a very good game). Typically this award goes to an original game series (Previous winners include: Spore, Full Spectrum Warrior, Psychonauts, Majestic and Black & White). Please do not nominate a sequel or franchise extension unless it's mind-blowingly new.

Best Game, Console:

Best Game, Portable:

Best Game, PC:

Best Peripheral/Hardware:
This can include console systems, handheld/mobile gaming devices, graphics cards, sound cards, and other peripheral devices.

Action: First-person shooters and other fast-paced games that focus on enemy combat as the primary means of advancing through the game. In the past, games nominated in this category include: Half-Life, Halo, Call of Duty, Unreal, etc.

Action/Adventure: Third-person action variants where you collect items, solve puzzles, possibly work in teams and also shoot enemies. In the past, games nominated in this category include: Prince of Persia: Sands of Time, Ninja Gaiden, Ratchet & Clank, etc.

Fighting: Games focused around hand-to-hand combat against another opponent (or group of opponents). Past examples include Dead or Alive 3, Virtua Fighter, etc.

Role Playing: Games primarily focused around character advancement - Including single-player games and online games (i.e. massively multiplayer games).

Racing: Any racing game - past examples include Mario Kart, Gran Turismo, Burnout, etc.

Simulation: Games that simulate something (with the exception of racing). Past examples include The Sims, Full Spectrum Warrior, Spore, etc.

Sports: Includes all the major sports and also underground/extreme sports.

Strategy: Real-time strategy and turn-based strategy games. Past examples include Command & Conquer, Starcraft, etc.

Social/Casual/Puzzle: A catch-all for games that don't fit into other categories - puzzle games like WarioWare, EyeToy games, music games like Guitar Hero, etc.

OTHER CATEGORIES
Online Multiplayer: A game with a unique online component - it can also have single-player support. You can nominate a game in this category and also in its appropriate genre category.

Special Commendations (sound & graphics): These work differently than the other categories. You have three nominations to reward outstanding graphics and sound in games shown at E3 — This is the only group of categories where non-playable games are eligible. Anything mentioned on over 50% of the nomination lists wins a special commendation.

Spore came in a close second, earning three awards.

Hit the jump for the full, and kinda pointless, list of winners. Brian Crecente

Best of Show
Nintendo's Wii

Best Original Game
EA's Spore

Best PC Game
EA's Spore

Best Console Game
Epic Games' Gears of War

Best Handheld Game
Nintendo's The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass

Best Hardware
Nintendo's Wii

Best Action Game
Epic Games' Gears of War

Best Action/Adventure Game
Ubisoft's Assassin's Creed

Best Fighting Game
Ninja Theory's Heavenly Sword

Best Role Playing Game
Bioware's Mass Effect

Best Racing Game
Nintendo's Excite Truck

Best Simulation Game
EA's Spore

Best Sports Game
Nintendo's Wii Sports

Best Strategy Game
Gas Powered Games' Supreme Commander

Best Puzzle/Trivia/Parlor Game
Harmonix's Guitar Hero 2

Best Online Multiplayer Game
id's Enemy Territory: Quake Wars

Dean Takahashi, who has been a voting member of the nefarious Game Critics Awards "for a few years", has posted up the full list of nominees on his site. Now the 38 publications get together in some ginormous misshapen star chamber to decide who gets what awards and then vote on what ill-conceived portable gets pushed into the limelight for half a year before dying an ignoble death. You didn't think the Gizmondo happened by accident did you? Brian Crecente

Best of E3 Judges Nominations [Merc News]

According to the press release, all of the nominees, with the exception of the best trailer award, were playable at the show. So how did Assassin's Creed make the list? Or do they mean that it was playable by the people doing the demo, because to the best of my knowledge only the people demoing the game actually got their hands on a controller.

The winners of this latest awards line-up will be announced on Friday. Hit the jump for the full list of finalists. —Brian Crecente

GENERAL AWARDS:
Best of Show
The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess (Wii) Nintendo
Crysis (PC) Electronic Arts
Gears of War (Xbox 360) Microsoft
Assassins Creed (Ubisoft) PlayStation 3
Rainbow Six: Vegas (Ubisoft) Xbox 360

Best Trailer
Super Smash Bros.: Brawl (Nintendo) Wii
Metal Gear Solid: Guns of the Patriots (Konami) PlayStation 3
Assassins Creed (Ubisoft) PlayStation 3
Final Fantasy XIII (Square Enix) PlayStation 3
Tony Hawk's Project 8 (Activision) PlayStation 3, Xbox 360

Most Innovative
Spore (Electronic Arts) PC
Loco Roco (SCEA) Sony PSP
Eye of Judgment (SCEA) PlayStation 3
WarioWare: Smooth Moves (Nintendo) Wii
Assassins Creed (Ubisoft) PlayStation 3

Best Graphics
Gears of War (Microsoft Game Studios) Xbox 360
Resistance: Fall of Man (SCEA) PlayStation 3
Rainbow Six: Vegas (Ubisoft) Xbox 360
Crysis (Electronic Arts) PC
Heavenly Sword (SCEA) PlayStation 3

Best Hardware
Nintendo Wii
Xbox 360
PlayStation 3
Nintendo DS
Sony PSP

Best User Submitted E3 Video
Nominees and winner announced on Friday on the E3 edition of GT Weekly.

GENRE AWARDS:
Best Shooter
Crysis (Electronic Arts) PC
Gears of War (Microsoft Game Studios) Xbox 360
Resistance: Fall of Man (SCEA) PlayStation 3
Enemy Territory: Quake Wars (Activision) PC
Lost Planet (Capcom) Xbox 360

Best Action/Adventure
The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess (Nintendo) Wii
Super Mario Galaxy (Nintendo) Wii
Splinter Cell: Double Agent (Ubisoft) Xbox 360
Assassins Creed (Ubisoft) PlayStation 3
God of War II (SCEA) PlayStation 2

Best Puzzle
Loco Roco (SCEA) Sony PSP
Every Extend Extra (Q Entertainment) Sony PSP
WarioWare: Smooth Moves (Nintendo) Wii
Lumines II (Buena Vista Games) Sony PSP
Capcom Puzzle Worlds (Capcom) Sony PSP

Best Strategy
Command & Conquer 3: Tiberium Wars (Electronic Arts) PC
Panzer Tactics DS (CDV Software) Nintendo DS
Supreme Commander (THQ) PC
Heroes of Might and Magic V (Ubisoft) PC
The Lord of the Rings, The Battle for Middle Earth II (Electronic Arts) Xbox 360

Best Role-Playing
Final Fantasy XII (Square Enix) PlayStation 2
World of Warcraft: The Burning Crusade (Blizzard Entertainment) PC
BioShock (Take-Two) PC, Xbox 360, PlayStation 3
Mass Effect (Microsoft Game Studios) Xbox 360
Tabula Rasa (NCSoft) PC

Best Sports
Madden NFL 07 (Electronic Arts) Xbox 360
Wii Sports (Nintendo) Wii
NCAA Football 07 (Electronic Arts) Xbox 360
NBA 2K7 (Take-Two) Xbox 360
Rockstar Presents Table Tennis (Rockstar Games) Xbox 360

Best Online
The Lord of the Rings Online: Shadows of Angmar (Midway) PC
World of Warcraft: The Burning Crusade (Blizzard Entertainment) PC
Tabula Rasa (NCSoft) PC
Enemy Territory: Quake Wars (Activision) PC
Gods & Heroes: Rome Rising (SOE) PC

Best Racing
Test Drive Unlimited (Atari) Xbox 360
Gran Turismo HD (SCEA) PlayStation 3
Moto GP 06 (THQ) Xbox 360
Motorstorm (SCEA) PlayStation 3
Diddy Kong Racing (Nintendo) Nintendo DS

Best Fighting
Mortal Kombat: Armageddon (Midway) PlayStation 2, Xbox
Tekken: Dark Resurrection (Namco) Sony PSP
Virtua Fighter 5 (Sega) PlayStation 3
Powerstone Collection (Capcom) Sony PSP
WWE Smackdown! vs RAW 07 (THQ) Xbox 360, PlayStation 3

Best Simulation
Spore (Electronic Arts) PC
Chrome Hounds (Sega) Xbox 360
Microsoft Flight Simulator X (Microsoft Game Studios) PC
Guitar Hero 2 (RedOctane) PlayStation 2
Gran Turismo HD (SCEA) PlayStation 3

PLATFORM AWARDS:
Best Xbox 360
Rainbow Six: Vegas (Ubisoft) Xbox 360
Gears of War (Microsoft Game Studios) Xbox 360
Lost Planet (Capcom) Xbox 360
Mass Effect (Microsoft Game Studios) Xbox 360
Splinter Cell: Double Agent (Ubisoft) Xbox 360

Best PlayStation 3
Resistance: Fall of Man (SCEA) PlayStation 3
Warhawk (SCEA) PlayStation 3
Heavenly Sword (SCEA) PlayStation 3
Gran Turismo HD (SCEA) PlayStation 3
The Eye of Judgment (SCEA) PlayStation 3

Best Wii
The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess (Nintendo) Wii
Super Mario Galaxy (Nintendo) Wii
Metroid Prime 3: Corruption (Nintendo) Wii
Wii Sports (Nintendo) Wii
Red Steel (Ubisoft) Wii

Best Nintendo DS
Castlevania: Portrait of Ruin (Konami) Nintendo DS
The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass (Nintendo) Nintendo DS
New Super Mario Bros. (Nintendo) Nintendo DS
Star Fox DS (Nintendo) Nintendo DS
Yoshi's Island 2 (Nintendo) Nintendo DS

Best Sony PSP
Killzone Liberation (SCEA) Sony PSP
Loco Roco (SCEA) Sony PSP
Ratchet and Clank: Size Matters (SCEA) Sony PSP
Tekken: Dark Resurrection (Namco Bandai) Sony PSP
Gitaroo-Man Lives! (Koei) Sony PSP

Best PC
Crysis (Electronic Arts) PC
Spore (Electronic Arts) PC
Enemy Territory: Quake Wars (Activision) PC
Tabula Rasa (NCSoft) PC
World of Warcraft: The Burning Crusade (Blizzard Entertainment) PC