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]

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]

The winner is: RDANEEL, which is awesome since he helped track down all of the finalists names. Ain't fate grand? RDANEEL please use the email you registered with Kotaku to tell us where to ship the fake guns. And thanks to everyone for participating. Next time, and there will be a next time, we'll make sure to require more than one bet to try and cut down on the multiple winners.

MCV is reporting, source-free, that next year's E3 will not be in Santa Monica.

Nosing around the story, something we've been asking execs about since last week, I hear that, that is likely true, but certainly has yet to be officially decided.

When I spoke with Robbie Bach, president of Microsoft's entertainment and devices unit and ESA board member, earlier this week about Peter Moore quitting Microsoft, I had a chance to hit him up for information about the future of E3.

He seemed happy with the format, but not so much with the logistics and said the future location would be on the agenda for the ESA's next meeting, set for later this year:

"My view is I thought there were some significant advantages for the new format. Certainly there are logistics that ESA will work on, but I personally liked the format a little bit more than the zaniness of e3s past.

Lets hope so, because E3 scavenger hunt is not a fun game to play on deadline.

All change again for E3 2008 [MCV]

Looks like we had a 48-way tie. So here's the deal. I'm going to leave it up to the 48 winners of the bet-off. Either I can do a random drawing and give the person selected the prize, ooor, we can do another bet-off among those 48 for what will be shown at Leipzig and I'll find some other cool prize to throw on top of what we're giving away for the E3 prize.

I'll give the 48 of you until this evening to decide. Just drop into comments (the 48 only please) and tell me which you would prefer. The full list of winners is after the jump. (A HUGE thank you to RDANEEL who went through the list and picked them out for us.)

Oh, I suppose you want to know what you won? I decided, despite the fact that I love them with all of my heart, to give away those super awesome, kick-ass Stranglehold lighters. On the one hand I'll be sad to see them go,but on the other hand it's good for the soul to give stuff you like away and I'm sure whoever wins they will really appreciate them.

The Winners
BY UNSEEING AT 07/04/07 07:27 PM - Confirmed
500 KP - New Wii channel shown. (10:1)

BY BHAPGOOD AT 07/04/07 07:31 PM - Confirmed
500KP - New Wii channel shown. (10:1)

BY JSLAY012 AT 07/04/07 07:50 PM - Confirmed
500KP — New Wii channel shown. (10:1)

BY JAZ AT 07/04/07 08:01 PM - Confirmed
500 KP - New Wii channel shown. (10:1)

BY GOLDARSUN AT 07/04/07 08:16 PM
500KP: New Wii channel shown. (10:1)

BY BLUERONDO AT 07/04/07 08:29 PM - Confirmed
500KP - Reggie will unveil his new catch phrase. (10:1)

BY AEX AT 07/04/07 09:11 PM - Confirmed
I'm putting all my eggs in one basket,
500 KP - New Wii channel shown. (10:1)

BY RANNIC AT 07/04/07 09:57 PM
500 KP - New Wii channel shown. (10:1)
I'm blowing my load ALL OVER that... happenstance.

BY BUNN AT 07/04/07 11:12 PM - Confirmed
500KP - New Wii channel shown. (10:1)
The comment system is bugging, maybe I already posted this

BY L0VESMENOT AT 07/04/07 11:34 PM - Confirmed
500KP — New Wii channel shown. (10:1)

BY PULLUPACHAIR AT 07/04/07 11:46 PM
500 KP- New Wii channel shown. (10:1)

BY DOWINGBA AT 07/04/07 11:59 PM
500 KP — New Wii channel shown. (10:1)

BY ANDYBOGARD AT 07/05/07 01:00 AM - Confirmed
500 KP-New Wii channel shown. (10:1)

BY ELSILENTO AT 07/05/07 01:41 AM - Confirmed
500KP- New Wii channel shown. (10:1)

BY ROCKETMOOSE AT 07/05/07 02:13 AM - Confirmed
500KP - New Wii Channel Shown. (10:1)

BY RDANEEL AT 07/05/07 02:39 AM - Confirmed
500KP - New Wii channel shown (10:1)

BY TALISEIN AT 07/05/07 02:47 AM - Confirmed
500 KP, New Wii Channel Shown (10:1)

BY THE_SIDEBURNS AT 07/05/07 02:51 AM - Confirmed
500 KP - Reggie will unveil his new catch phrase. (10:1)

BY NOLANO AT 07/05/07 03:20 AM
500 Kp on a new wii channel 10:1
Come on, baby! Daddy needs whatever the prize is!!!

BY TIPP AT 07/05/07 05:22 AM - Confirmed
500KP - New Wii Channel Shown

BY EATRICE AT 07/05/07 06:03 AM - Confirmed
500 KP- New Wii Channel shown. (10-1)

BY TOKEYO AT 07/05/07 07:32 AM - Confirmed
500 KP - New Wii channel shown. (10:1)

BY JORDIEBEAR88 AT 07/05/07 09:44 AM - Confirmed
500 KP - New Wii channel shown. (10:1)

BY GUIZZY AT 07/05/07 10:12 AM
500 KP - New Wii channel shown.

BY FUZZ AT 07/05/07 10:34 AM
500 KP - New Wii channel shown. (10:1) .

BY THEJORDANATOR AT 07/05/07 10:41 AM
500 KP - New Wii Channel Shown (10:1)

BY NLYONSSMITH AT 07/05/07 10:45 AM - Confirmed
500 KP - New Wii channel shown. (10:1)

BY KARMAKIN AT 07/05/07 10:56 AM
500 KP- New Wii Channel shown (10:1)

BY PANFRIEDCHARLIE AT 07/05/07 11:13 AM - Confirmed
500 KP - New Wii channel shown. (10:1)

BY SCHUYLERV AT 07/05/07 11:24 AM
500 KP- New Wii channel shown. (10:1).

BY XXEYES AT 07/05/07 11:52 AM
500 KP New Wii channel shown. (10:1)

BY EZWAFFLES AT 07/05/07 12:04 PM
500KP New Wii channel shown. (10:1)

BY OGHOWIE AT 07/05/07 12:42 PM - Confirmed
500kp - New Wii channel shown (10:1)

BY EZWAFFLES AT 07/05/07 01:39 PM
500 - KP New Wii channel shown. (10:1) —- REPEATED COMMENT

BY MASKEDAPRENTICE AT 07/05/07 02:42 PM - Confirmed
500KP-New wii channel shown(10:1)

BY BLAZING_CRASH AT 07/05/07 04:27 PM
500KP - New Wii channel shown. (10:1)
I get 10 to 1 for each new Wii Channel shown... right? RIGHT?! Wuw, I have a gambling problem...

BY ZEGOTA AT 07/05/07 04:59 PM - Confirmed
500KP - New Wii channel shown. (10:1)

BY CAPTTYLOR34 AT 07/05/07 06:26 PM - Confirmed
500 - New Wii channel shown. (10:1)

BY BIGBUBS AT 07/06/07 12:10 AM
500KP- New Wii channel shown. (10:1)
Best bet I ever made. Didn't they announce some kind of new wii channel a while ago? Maybe i'm just crazy...

BY LOTKROTA AT 07/07/07 02:32 AM - Confirmed
New Wii channel shown. (10:1)
500kp

BY DOSBOOT AT 07/07/07 05:39 AM - Confirmed
500 KP — New Wii channel shown. (10:1)

BY AVTIGER AT 07/07/07 10:04 AM
*500KP - New Wii channel shown. (10:1)

BY KEVININE AT 07/09/07 11:23 AM - Confirmed
500kp - New Wii channel shown. (10:1)

BY IAMSPOO AT 07/09/07 11:25 AM
500 KP - New Wii channel shown. (10:1)
Seems like the best odds.

BY YANIPHEONU AT 07/09/07 11:46 AM
All 500 on Micheal's New Wii Channel Prediction.
(10:1..I think)

BY TSHACK AT 07/09/07 12:48 PM
500KP- New Wii Channel shown (10:1)
Yup just some more worthless shit to take up another square. Or maybe something like a Wii version of IRC

BY THEETERNALCOWBOY AT 07/09/07 12:56 PM - Confirmed
500 KP - New Wii channel shown. (10:1)

BY VERNICHTER AT 07/09/07 01:10 PM - Confirmed
My original bet:
500 KP - New Wii channel shown. (10:1)

BY EL FUEGO AT 07/09/07 02:24 PM - Confirmed
500KP - New Wii Channel shown. (10:1)

BY ARSENAL AT 07/09/07 07:58 PM
500KP - New Wii channel shown. (10:1)

Shigeru Miyamoto was all over E3 this year. As I mentioned in a post last week, one of the major benefits of this year's show was that developers seemed to have a bit more time to get chatty with the competition, seeing each other's stuff, even playing each other's stuff. It was certainly a kinder, gentler E3.

This tiny gallery shows Miyamoto's visit to the Ubisoft suite where he checked out Haze, Assassin's Creed (Yes, that's Jade there doing the demo. I bet she remembered his name) and other games. Oh, and that's him shaking hands with Ubi pres Yves Guillemot. Hit the jump for Epileptic Game's fantastic vid of "The Shiggy", Miyamoto's gamer's face while watching Haze... I think the game might have freaked him out a bit.

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]

The new deal will include both original IP and current IP. So that could mean games like Aion, City of Heroes or Tabula Rasa could be heading to the console. Whats weird is that yonks ago, there was an old "partner" image that made the rounds which showed all of the developers working with the 360 and NCSoft was on that list. I guess things didn't work out.

Garriott says there won't be anything hitting the PS3 in the next 12 months, but shortly after that some of the lighter content should hit followed, down the line, by their big titles like Tabula. The games will come both to the PSN and Blu-ray, depending on where the game best fits. Finally, NC is looking at whether games should have PC to PS3 interplayability.

I've gone through our predictions and marked them as true or false. Some were open to a bit of interpretation, especially the price cut one, but we've talked it over and this is what we're sticking with.

Now we'll leave the tallying to you. Go through your bet from the official betting page and tally up your payout and then post it here if you think it's a high score. Don't worry, we'll be double checking the math of the winner.

On Friday we'll announce the winner... and the prize, which I think you'll like.

BRIAN ASHCRAFT
FALSE * Nintendo will show off its peripheral storage device. (2:1)
TRUE * Reggie will unveil his new catch phrase. (10:1)
TRUE * Sony will show off a new PSP redesign. The new portable will be called the PSSP (PlayStation Slim Portable). (2:1)
FALSE * Microsoft will announce Metal Gear Solid 4 for the Xbox 360. Peter Moore will sport a MGS4 tattoo on his forehead. His wife will divorce him. (5:1)

BRIAN CRECENTE
SCEA
FALSE * A PSP online game and media store are detailed, perhaps launched. (5:1)
TRUE * PLAYSTATION 3 gets a price drop. (2:1)
TRUE * Additional Home details announced. (2:1)
TRUE (N'Gai played it) * Killzone 2 will be playable. (2:1)
FALSE * Quantic Dream's PS3 exclusive game details are revealed. (2:1)
FALSE * Full SOCOM 4 is announced. (10:1)
FALSE * New game from Fumito Ueda revealed. (20:1)
FALSE * Metal Gear Solid 4 will be playable. (10:1)

Microsoft
FALSE * Big XBLA announcement. (2:1)
FALSE * Xbox 360 gets a price drop. (4:1)
FALSE * Xbox branded portable is announced. (20:1)
FALSE * More Zune functionality added to Xbox 360. (5:1)
FALSE * More GTA IV details revealed. (2:1)
TRUE * Live Anywhere shown off. (3:1)
FALSE * Peter Jackson game details announced. (8:1)

Nintendo
FALSE * Wii with DVD playability announced. (5:1)
TRUE * Mario Kart for Wii announced. (4:1)
TRUE * Super Smash Bros. Brawl details and dated. (2:1)
FALSE * New Nintendo DS redesign. (20:1)
FALSE * TGS showing by Nintendo announcement. (4:1)
FALSE * WiiWare games announced. (2:1)

MIKE FAHEY
TRUE * Once again, Aztecs will be completely overlooked as a major villain grouping for a video game. (2:1)
TRUE * A World War II shooter will be shown. (1:1)
FALSE * A SEGA rep will finally crack, tearfully admitting that the real Sonic the Hedgehog was killed in 1999, replaced by Bubsy the Bobcat with hair extensions. (100:1)
FALSE * Someone is gonna get shown some Pokemans, bitches. (1:1)
FALSE * Reggie, Peter, and Phil...did somebody say group hug? (1000000:1)

MICHAEL MCWHERTOR
FALSE * Konami finally gets around to announcing GuitarFreaks and DrumMania for North America. (5:1)
FALSE * Sega announces Sega Vintage Collection for Xbox Live Arcade. (2:1)
FALSE * PLAYSTATION 3 $100 price cut announced, goes into effect the following week. (4:1)
TRUE * First Steven Spielberg/EA co-developed game for Wii revealed. (2:1)
TRUE * New Wii channel shown. (10:1)
FALSE * SIXAXIS with rumble announced. (3:1)
FALSE * Game Boy and Game Boy Advance games added to Virtual Console. (10:1)
FALSE * Capcom finally shows off Lost Planet Colonies for Xbox 360, PC and PLAYSTATION 3. (2:1)
FALSE * Tecmo shows Ninja Gaiden 2 for Xbox 360 and Dead Or Alive for PS3. (5:1)
FALSE * Nintendo announces new Wii game starring Wario. (10:1)
FALSE * PlayStation Store redesign shown. (10:1)
FALSE * Peter Moore eschews tattoos for tasteful body jewelry sporting an MGS 4 dog tag. (500:1)

LUKE PLUNKETT
FALSE * Home is shown again, and announced as being delayed until 08. (10:1)
TRUE * PLAYSTATION 3 gets a price-cut. (3:1)
TRUE * Mario Kart Wii is revealed, with silly Wii Remote control scheme that has a lot of people concerned. (2:1)
FALSE * Nintendo shows off games that actually make proper use of Wii/DS interconnectivity. The world holds its collective breath for Pictionary. (5:1)
FALSE * Dead Rising 2 blows our collective socks off (Yes, we must see socks ejected from feet without voluntarily removal.—Ed.). (500:1)

MARK WILSON
FALSE * Nintendo will unveil its expanded DS to Wii connectivity, assembling its two monster systems with Voltron domination. Miis will fit in your pocket. (4:1)
FALSE * Sony will attempt to completely rebrand the system from PS3 to the Sony Home System, focusing on streaming video and other PSHom3 media sharing. (100:1)
FALSE (we think) * Perrin Kaplan and Matt Casamassina will kiss for the first time (in public) on stage at Nintendo's press conference. They will use tongue. (1000000:1)
FALSE * Microsoft announces Zune 2. (50:1)

We'll be posting up our own Kotaku awards later this week, but for now hit the jump and start complaining.

Best of Show:
1. Rock Band
2. Super Mario Galaxy
3. Fallout 3
4. Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare
5. Wii Fit

Best Original Game:
1. LittleBigPlanet
2. Wii Fit
3. Zack & Wiki: Quest for Barbaros
4. Dewy's Adventure

Best Game, Console:
1. Super Mario Galaxy
2. Mass Effect
3. Rock Band
4. Ratchet & Clank Future: Tools of Destruction
5. Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare

Best Game, Handheld:
1. The Legend of Zelda: The Phantom Hourglass
2. God of War: Chains of Olympus
3. Geometry Wars Galaxies DS
4. Silent Hill Origins

Best Game, PC
1. Crysis
2. Bioshock
3. Fallout 3

Best Hardware/Peripheral:
1. Rock Band Drums
2. Wii Balance Board
3. Wii Party Station

Best Action Game:
1. Call of Duty 4: Modern Combat
2. Bioshock
3. Fracture
4. Turok
5. Haze

Best Action/Adventure Game:
1. Super Mario Galaxy
2. The Legend of Zelda: The Phantom Hourglass
3. Ratchet and Clank: Future Tools of Destruction
4. Folklore
5. Assassin's Creed

Best RPG:
1. Mass Effect
2. Fallout 3
3. Blue Dragon
4. Tabula Rasa
5. Age of Conan: Hyborian Adventures

Best Racing Game:
1. Burnout: Paradise
2. Stuntman: Ignition
3. Project Gotham Racing 4

Best Sports Game:
1. Skate
2. Tony Hawk's Proving Ground
3. Madden 08
4. Tiger Woods PGA Tour 08

Best Strategy Game:
1. Universe at War
2. World in Conflict
3. Company of Heroes: Opposing Fronts

Best Social/Casual/Puzzle Game:
1. Rock Band
2. LittleBigPlanet
3. Zack & Wiki: Quest for Barbaros
4. Pain
5. De Blob

Best Online Multiplayer:
1. Burnout Paradise
2. Army of Two
3. Tiger Woods PGA Tour 08
4. Haze

Special Commendation for Graphics (Non-Playable Games Eligible in this category)
1. Metal Gear Solid 4
2. Killzone 2
3. Mass Effect

Special Commendation for Sound (Non-Playable Games Eligible in this category):
1. Everyday Shooter
2. Rock Band
3. Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare

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.

One of the causalities of our hectic schedule and E3's insane lay out was our appointment with Disney Interactive, which I wasn't too happy about because it meant we missed out on Turok. But it also meant, apparently we missed out on one of the great secrets of the show: Hannah Montana: Music Jam. I'll let Totilo explain.

Hannah Montana: Music Jam," which is a clever enough game (trust me!) that I'd recommend even the most macho gamer to check it out. Why? Because it turns the two stacked screens of the Nintendo DS into the strings of a guitar. Strum the strings with the stylus. Change chords with the buttons. The lower screen can also be used as a stylus-tappable drum kit. And you can sing into the microphone, recording a full composition into the game. Players can link DS systems over short-range wireless to form live multi-"instrument" bands.

Sounds an awful lot like Jam Sessions from Ubisoft, but with drums. I wonder if they did the development.

E3: The Tuesday on Friday Report (Gamecock, Turok and... Hannah Montana?) [Multiplayer Blog]

"This year in our marketing you really won't see much push against Game Boy itself, so it will kind of seek its own level. It's hard to say in the future if we will ever bring back the Game Boy trademark," he told GameDaily BIZ in an E3 interview (full transcription coming soon).

"It was a big risk for us to actually pass on it and call the new product the Nintendo DS, but it was part of Mr. Iwata's philosophy that if we're going to make a radical difference and try to reach a new audience, then we have to change the name... We had to make a break even though we had one of the greatest trademarks in the history of the industry."

Wow, Nintendo killed that brand dead.

Harrison: Nintendo May 'Retire' Game Boy [GameDaily Biz]

And don't even get me started on all of the walks. Traversing Santa Monica, repeatedly, over the course of three days while running late for a meeting isn't exactly fun... me? I cheated and took a cab, but don't tell the rest of Kotaku.

The one thing we didn't do, or at least didn't do much of, was eat and sleep. Personally, I managed to squeeze in seven hours of sleep and one-and-a-half meals over the first two days. I was so exhausted by the end of day three that I skipped the day's only meal for a solid seven hours of sleep. And I believe that was about average.

Don't get me wrong. We love video games, so for us this was like something between nirvana and the seventh circle. Hit the jump for the really long list of our E3 coverage, most of it anyway—and thanks for keeping us company during the journey.

E3 on E3
Who had the worst luck at E3?
Is E3 dead?
A kinder, gentler E3
E3 Deathwatch
Your very own E3 photostream
The "This isn't E3" photogallery
Who won the E3 press conference smackdown

Fact Sheets
Killzone 2 E3 fact sheet
Halo Wars E3 fact sheet
Mass Effect E3 fact sheet
Halo 3 E3 Factsheet

Hardware
PSP Slim Details
Kaz Confirms 60GB PS3 Discontinuation
Xbox 360 Gets Pink, Blue Controllers
Xbox 360 Elite hits Europe Aug. 24
Halo 3 Special Edition Xbox 360
The Wii Balance Board
Nyko's hardware from Wii Party Station to wireless 360 guitars
PSP Slim
PSP Slim Packshots
New PSP Models Up Close
PSP Slim and PSP Slim Silver Coming in September
Wii Zapper

Impressions
Ace Combat 6
Age of Conan
Aion
Assassin's Creed
Bee Movie
Blacksite Area 51
Boogie
Brunswick Pro Bowling
Burnout Paradise
Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare
Castlevania Dracula X Chronicles
The Club
Conan
Condemned 2
Contra 4
De Blob
Dewy's Adventure
Dragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi 3
Drawn to Life
Dungeon Runners
Eye of Judgment
Folklore
Fracture
God of War: Chains of Olympus
Godzilla Unleashed
GTA IV
Guild Wars: Eye of the North
Guitar Hero 3 Impressions
Haze
Halo Wars
Jenga Wii
Kane & Lynch
Killzone 2
Lair
LEGO Star Wars: The complete saga - Lightsaber simulation
LittleBigPlanet
Lost Odyssey
Napoleon Dynamite
Mass Effect
Medal of Honor: Airborne
PGR4
Ratchet & Clank
Rune Factory
Silent Hill Origins
Soul Calibur Legends
S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Clear Sky
Star Wars Battlefront: Renegade Squadron
Stranglehold
Stuntman: Ignition
Super Mario Galaxy Co-op
Team Fortress 2
Thrillville: Off the Rails
Tony Hawk's Proving Grounds
Turok
Uncharted: Drake's Fortune
Williams Pinball
The Witcher
Zack & Wiki: Quest for Barbaros' Treasure

Interviews
Shigeru Miyamoto
Peter Moore
Jack Tretton
Talking Iron Man with SEGA
Everquest Senior Producer Clint Worley

Justify Your...
Army of Two
Boogie
Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare
Rock Band
Warranty (Xbox 360)

News
Epic Talks Unreal Mods on the PS3
Square Enix Wanted to Change Dragon Quest IX
Viva Pinata Party Animals unveiled
MGS4 is PS3 exclusive, last in series
Infamous for PS3
Codemasters brings five more to amBX
Perrin/Beth Still at NOA
Professor Layton Quietly Announced for Domestic Release
id bringing orcs, elves to DS with Orcs & Elves
Nintendo bringing Magic Training stateside
NCsoft signs exclusive deal with Sony

Oddities
Dear Jade
The blue shoe experiment
Taken to Naruto School
Lost: One J Allard, last seen wearing dreadlocks and a white baseball cap
Starcraft 2 codename trivia
Watching Pachter Watch Stuff

Parties
March of the Unfit Gaming Press
Gamecock Eulogizes E3
Riding the Wild Bethesda Bull
Rock Band
Microsoft's afterparty times two
Killzone 2 party

Press Conferences
Activision
Aonuma, Miyamoto Talk Game Development
E3
Konami
Microsoft and a photogallery to boot
Midway
Nintendo
SCEA
SCEA Blogger Meeting
THQ
Ubisoft

Schwag
Ash Schwag
Brian Schwag
Fahey Schwag
Mark Schwag
Mike Schwag
Jason Schwag
Joel Schwag

Screens
Silent Hill V First Screens, Developer Named
Super Mario Galaxy
Skate video editor
Hellboy The Science of Evil PS3
PixelJunk Racers Screens
echochrome screens

It's got to be an absolute highlight to have Shigeru Miyamoto stroll into your suite just to get his hands on your game... no, I'm not talking about Rock Band, though I'd pay high dollar to see a video of him rocking out to Enter Sandman. No, Miyamoto hit up EA's E3 hotel suite to cheack out NBA Live's family play controls for the Wii and Skate, which Stephen Totilo thinks and I hope could be a sign that he wants to get the Wii's Balance Board to work with it.

Both Reggie and Eiji Aonuma (Zelda guy) were in tow. Did anyone else spot Miyamoto at the show somewhere besides his hotel?

Funny story, I was talking to a Nintendo PR guy the day after our interview with Shigeru about the videos, asking if he had seen them yet. Just as I said Miyamoto, Miyamoto walked by me and jumped like a foot straight up in the air. I think I was talking really loudly and startled him. He smiled, waved and sort of quickened his pace to the elevators. Probably thinking, "There's that blue shoes guy again."

E3 Photo Spectacular: Miyamoto in the Wild [Multipayer Blog]

To: Michael McWhertor
From: Mark Wilson
Date: July 13, 2007
Re: Awesome-off

Michael.

It is just not humanly possible that you thought Ratchet & Clank was more awesome than I did. Let's call it a limit of your genetic code - a chromosomal thing - nothing personal. My flesh, from ribosome to stray hair, has been built to fully appreciate this little weapon called the disco ball. Did you notice it creating a a Bollywood musical with full choreography and proper staging?

Did you notice that there are enemies that are big robots, controlled by fish? These fish flop on the ground when the robots are destroyed, but even these suffocating fish dance when that glorious jukebox from the heavens does its thing. It's awesome, indeed. Really awesome.

Yours in awesome,
Mark

***

To: Mark Wilson
From: Michael McWhertor
Date: July 13, 2007
Re: Burn, Bollywood, Burn

Mark.

Glad to see you're on board with the red-lining levels of awesome that Insomniac seems to have achieved with the game. Yes, of course I noticed the choreographed dancing. It reminded me of the arcade version of Michael Jackson's Moonwalker. Bittersweet, those memories.

On topic, I'm afraid that you're neglecting Ratchet & Clank Future: Tools of Destruction's intrinsic appeal to the gut. While you may be more concerned with a "whole body" general feeling of awesomeness, I trust my gut. My gut says "Ratchet & Clank is awesome." I suppose some of the gaming press who got hands on time with the game at E3 are using their "brains" to go through a list of features, technical and visual achievements, and blah blah blah. E3 was dull enough as it was, we don't need a bunch of bullet points listing this and that. What are we? Press release processors?

Sure, the game has giant robots, fish controlling robots and other types of robots, but there's a very human side to how awesome R&CF will be. Maybe we should focus on that? Your cold, calculating, quantitative awesome-checking is kind of a drag.

I guess what I'm getting at is that Ratchet & Clank Future is as much of a game as it is a Turing Test. Supposing that, I have concluded that you are a robot and you must be destroyed with an oversized wrench.

Cheers,
Michael

***

To: Michael McWhertor
From: Mark Wilson
Date: July 14, 2007
Re: 1001011000111001101101100111010110010011010010

...computing response...Michael, your attacks on my body are uncalled for. But I laugh nonetheless, as your accusations are just a red herring for substance. And I challenge you to name ONE INSTANCE where a press release has used the word "awesome." Scratch that.

Your mighty "gut" is hardly a quantifiable measurement of love. Because when you love something, as with Ratchet & Clank, you appreciate every little nuance of it. As my eyes devoured the "Toy Story" quality graphics for which we've long been...longing, I appreciated the millions of little nuances Insomniac fit into the background. For some reason there is a meteor shower going on at all times over the horizon. Most games would scoff at superfluous falling rocks from space, but not Tools of Destruction! They run a victory lap around my heart [read: not gut] by wasting resources with small touches that few see outside of Hollywood.

I have concluded that your "gut" reaction is nothing more than a need for a good burping, and I believe a "booya!" is in order to quantify how my arguments are kicking your "butt."

Shutting down,
Mark

***

To: Mark Wilson
From: Michael McWhertor
Date: July 16, 2007
Re: W.I.L.S.O.N. Mk XXVI

Mark,

"Booya"? My suspicions that you've been replaced by the Wilson 9000 are confirmed. No human being would want something like that in print. And "Toy Story graphics?" Did you harvest this quote while assimilating some analysts, you silicon abomination?

While we can't agree necessarily on how precisely awesome Ratchet & Clank Future is, we can agree that the attention to detail makes one further appreciate the amount of work that the team has put into the game. Seeing an appropriate amount of bloom lighting was not only a rarity at E3, it made the environments feel surprisingly real, combining retro styling with futuristic wonder. Even when absurdly rail sliding away from whatever cartoonish explosion I can't even remember escaping from because I was doing my best not to vomit a rainbow, with a bazillion things going on in the background, I felt as if I were just pleasantly existing in some thrill ride of a world.

Did we talk about the draw distances that seem to go on for days?

Maybe we're thinking about this too hard (a Kotaku first!). Ratchet & Clank Future is the "blue sky in games" answer to just about every question we've been asking this generation's action games. Sure, Clank may be bald, but Ratchet's got hair.

And that's awesome.

Say, did you know about the "RPG lite" upgrades in the game?

Sincerely (you probably don't understand, machine man),
Michael

***

To: Michael McWhertor
From: Mark Wilson
Date: July 16, 2007
Re: *I* will work more hours to purchase one.

Michael, Michael, Michael.

I wish I knew your middle name to chastise you further. The beauty of the "Toy Story graphics" line is that be you analyst, PR pundit, fanboy or jaded videogame writer with a tad too much facial hair, you've been eagerly waiting for this perfectly crafted description to come to fruition. Your haircut may be too cool for "Toy Story" propaganda, but you, certainly, are not.

Though, yes, R&C Future is an answer to everything we've wondered about next-gen action and the PS3...and it's delivered more than this jaded writer thought possible.

As for the "RPG lite" elements - I think you may be blaspheming the new skill tree weapon upgrades. Taking a cue from Diablo II, guns find themselves at a fork in the road and must specialize accordingly. It's the age old debate of 'should I be Sylvester Stallone or Bruce Willis?' packaged cleanly into Penguin Gun form. But since you can max out both directions of each branch, one can be Stallone AND Willis, better known as totally-incredible-i-just-peed-a-bit-don't-judge-me-AWESOME.

Is that what you were referring to? Or was it the space combat that Insomniac didn't deem you awesome enough to witness? (Note: I know your comment had nothing to do with the space combat and was just being an a-hole.)

Sincerelyer,
Mark

***

To: Mark Wilson
From: Michael McWhertor
Date: July 17, 2007
Re: Diet of Doubletree Guest Suites

Okay, Mark. No one's reading at this point. We'll just have to agree to disagree on who's better at accurately gauging how awesome Ratchet & Clank Future is. I'll instead agree with myself that I am more suited to judge the game's inherent greatness, despite having never actually played a game in the series before. Yes, it's true. Some dude whose name was lost near the bottom of this Pabst Blue Ribbon had to tell me what a jump pad was. Regardless of my "fresh perspective" on the series, I feel genuinely qualified to pass judgment on the game's totally rad graphics, sexy animation and sugar sweet controls.

Invoking the name of Diablo II was a bold move, but I admire your balls. They must have great heft. Hopefully, given your testicular fortitude, our readers have been convinced.

Basically, any PLAYSTATION 3 owner who doesn't get this game is banned. From life.

Good night,
Michael

P.S. It's "Ward." Yes, I know.

Final Judgment: AWESOME.

***

New E3-era screenshots of the game are in our gallery below. They'll wash away that icky reading sensation.

(Sincere apologies to Messrs. Croal and Totilo for trivializing their format.)