There are certainly some deserving titles among the winners, but there are also a few head-scratchers among the nominees.

Our pick for Game of the year was Grand Theft Auto IV. Here are the rest of the best:

KOTAKU'S PICKS

Studio of the Year: Media Molecule
Best Shooter: Far Cry 2
Best RPG: Fallout 3
Best Fighting Game: Soulcalibur IV
Best Individual Sports Game: Tiger Woods PGA Tour 09
Best Handheld Game: God of War: Chains of Olympus
Best Graphics: Metal Gear Solid 4
Best Game Based on a Movie or TV Show: LEGO Indiana Jones
Best Music Game: Rock Band 2
Best Driving Game: Burnout Paradise
Best Action Adventure Game: Dead Space
Best Team Sports Game: Madden NFL 09
Best Soundtrack: Rock Band 2
Best Xbox 360 Game: Gears of War 2
Best Wii Game: No More Heroes
Best PS3 Game: Metal Gear Solid 4
Best PC Game: Left 4 Dead
Best Original Score: No Vote
Best Multiplayer Game: Left 4 Dead
Best Performance by a Human Male: Stephen Fry as The Narrator
Best Performance by a Human Female: Debie Mae West as Meryl Silverburgh

The full 2007 Game Critics: Game of the Year Award winners have hit the Game Critics website, naming BioShock the game of the year.

Here's the complete break down, via the Game Critics Geoff Keighley and Rob Smith:

Top 10 Games of 2007:
1. BioShock
2. The Orange Box
3. Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare
4. Rock Band
5. Super Mario Galaxy
6. Halo 3
7. Mass Effect
8. God of War II
9. Assassin's Creed
10. Uncharted: Drake's Fortune

Game of the Year breakdown by platform:
Xbox 360: 7
PlayStation 3: 5
PC: 3
Wii: 1
PlayStation 2: 1

Game of the Year breakdown by publisher:
Microsoft Game Studios: 2
Sony Computer Entertainment: 2
EAP (Valve, MTV Games/Harmonix): 2
2K Games: 1
Activision: 1
Nintendo: 1
Ubisoft: 1

Hit up the site for each game's write-up and the break down of how judges voted.

Game Critics Awards

MTV's Stephen Totilo decided to eschew the annual Game of the Year chestnut for a much more fun to pronounce and acronymize Game of the Game of the Year or GOTGOTY. Actually he didn't really eschew anything, seeing that he did his own GOTYs not too long ago, but this is still a fun idea. Totilo created a sort of MetaGOTY if you can imagine that (Personally, mine is a billy goat in a Robocop suit) by rounding up all of the GOTYs and tallying them to see which game was selected the most.

Included in the list are such gems as ours, Destructoid's, Joystiq's, The LA Times, The Rocky's and even Yahoo's. The final result? BioShock, it seems was selected the most as GOTY (nine times), while Super Mario Galaxy was selected six times and Call of Duty 4 an appropriate four times.

Forget 'Game Of The Year' — Introducing The 2007 'GOTGOTY' [MTV]

First a thing about the name: I didn't pick it. I think it's hilarious, but I'd never name an award after myself, it's obnoxious... and quite funny. Which is what I think the Rocky was going for. There are quite a few closet smart-asses over there. :)

So my annual pick for best video game ran in the Rocky Mountain News today and I picked Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare as the overall winner. The game beat out The Orange Box, Bioshock, Super Mario Galaxy and Uncharted: Drake's Fortune.

Here's why I decided to pick a war-time first-person shooter sequel over the splendor of a dystopian society, amazing character interaction of Uncharted and innovative design of Galaxy and Orange Box:

This solid first-person shooter for the PC, PS3 and Xbox 360 may not be as innovative as The Orange Box and Super Mario Galaxy. It may not deliver an awe-inspiring glimpse at an eschewed philosophy like BioShock or create the sort of sizzling character interaction found in Uncharted, but, hands down, it is the most thoroughly entertaining video game of the past year.

The single-player story is captivating, set in a present-day Middle East and parts of Russia and comes at the player in a mix of sweeping cinematic set pieces and smart pacing that can easily glue the audience to the game for the entire six- to eight-hour experience.

It's a game that has the sorts of moments usually found only in film, hiding these startling revelations in gamers' blind spots. People you come to care about die. You die, and not in the sort of plastic, ephemeral death found in video games. These deaths are permanent and, at times, evocative.

A deep, seemingly limitless online multiplayer experience also adds quite a bit of life to the title. Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare may seem like more of the same, but this title is the realization of a rewarding franchise meeting its complete potential.

Hit the link to check out my winners for the rest of the categories, including a selection of "hot flashes" I managed to sneak into the awards. Feel free to bash me here for not choosing (your selection here) for best (your category here).

Ps. I didn't write the awards' intro, that's one of those smart-asses I was talking about.
Game Gold

Having popped in a few times over the weekend to check things out, I couldn't help but notice a wee bit of dissatisfaction over the way the Reader's Choice Awards were run. What we decided to do this year was use the same finalist list we used for our own Game of the Year selection because it seemed the most practical way to proceed. While it may be possible to create a poll listing every single game to hit a particular platform in 2007, it just didn't make sense to. Next year I'll try to figure out a better way to broaden the finalist list in a way that works for you guys, perhaps by asking people to post their favorite games and then selecting the finalists from that list.

Once the winners in each category were selected I think it's very fair to use those as the finalists for the overall game of the year. If a game is voted by you the readers as the best game for a system then it should be the one used to represent the system in what is essentially the finals for the overall awards.

One other point. I didn't include the Wii's Virtual Console this year because they don't really have original games. But was that fair? Should I have included it along with the PSN and XBLA?

Hit the jump to see the winners and then make up your own list of winners in the comments. I'm interested to see how different the list would have been had it been entirely in your hands.

GOTY DS
The Legend of Zelda Phantom Hourglass

GOTY PC
Portal

GOTY PS2
God of War II

GOTY PS3
Uncharted: Drake's Fortune

GOTY PSP
Ratchet and Clank: Size Matters

GOTY Wii
Super Mario Galaxy

GOTY Xbox 360
Bioshock

GOTY XBLA
Alien Hominid HD

GOTY PSN
Everyday Shooter

OVERALL GOTY
Super Mario Galaxy

When the New York Times' Seth Schiesel delivered this year's video game awards in the paper, they arrived on the back of his hand. While some of the awards, like best newcomer for BioShock and Best Adaptation of an Adored Intellectual Property for The Lord of the Rings Online, are pretty straight forward and complimentary, most of them come with more than a little slap down.

Take for instance the Best Unambitious Representations of the State of the Art, awarded to Halo 3 and Super Mario Galaxy. While both receive an "award", Schiesel uses it as an excuse to point out their flaws. Halo 3 is called a polished gem, but one that merely relies on the "time-tested Halo formula rather than a daring attempt to provide a new sort of experience."

Super Mario Galaxy too gets a bit of a poke, with Schiesel calling it a "reinvention of classic play modes" and not something genuinely new.

Hit the jump for the full list of awards and the New York Times to read all of the "compliments."

BEST NEWCOMER: BIOSHOCK
MOST DIFFICULT DELIVERY: THE NEW E3
BEST ADAPTATION OF AN ADORED INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY: THE LORD OF THE RINGS ONLINE
BEST UNAMBITIOUS REPRESENTATIONS OF THE STATE OF THE ART: HALO 3 AND SUPER MARIO GALAXY
BEST SINGLE-HANDED RESCUE OF A MAJOR GAME SYSTEM: RATCHET & CLANK: TOOLS OF DESTRUCTION
GAME OF THE YEAR: MASS EFFECT

High Scores for the Games of 2007 [NYT]

I had a tireless, amazing team who was on a mission to make BioShock great. We didn't have 300 people or five years. We had an insane amount of passion. I'd like to thank the people who made it with me, the families that patiently waited while we did our thing, the publisher with the guts not to make us change it, and the fans who showed that gamers have a much broader range of interest and intellect than anybody in certain parts of the media or the political space is comfortable giving them credit for.

It's a relatively short article, but there is some great stuff in there regarding his thoughts on BioShock's weaknesses as well as his pick for 2007 GOTY. A nice bit of weekend reading for your early morning coffee or late night holiday booze binge.

Ken Levine Talks BioShock [1Up]

MSNBC video game section has been polling gamers about their favorite games in a number of categories, trying to narrow down the search for the Game of the Year.

Today the site put up the poll to decide which of the finalists, culled from the best of each genre, should be named the game of the year.

The finalists are:
Madden NFL 08
Project Gotham Racing 4
Big Brain Academy: Wii Degree
LEGO Star Wars: The Complete Saga
Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock
The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass
Mass Effect
Bioshock
Call of Duty 4

At the time of this writing Call of Duty 4 was leading with 31 percent of the vote. BioShock was close behind with 22 percent and Mass Effect was in a distant third with 8.6 percent.

Which game deserves the crown in 2007? [MSNBC]

1. Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare
2. Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock
3. The Orange Box
4. BioShock
5.God of War II
6. Super Mario Galaxy
7. The Darkness
8. Metroid Prime 3: Corruption
9. John Woo's Stranglehold
10. Lost Planet: Extreme Condition

We'll be tabulating the LOLs, ROFLs, ROFLMAOs, WTFs and GTFOs as soon as possible and plan to provide nice pie charts.

Best of 2007: Video Games [Maxim]

1. Halo 3
2. The Orange Box
3. Rock Band
4. Super Mario Galaxy
5. BioShock
6. Call of Duty 4
7. Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass
8. Mass Effect
9. Ace Combat 6: Fires of Liberation
10. God of War 2

Now go ahead and do the obligatory duking it out for the honor of your favorite games in the comments.

Top 10 Video Games [TIME]

Game of the Year * Mass Effect * Assassin's Creed * BioShock * Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare * Halo 3 * Super Mario Galaxy

Most Original Game
* Assassin's Creed
* Portal
* Overlord
* Crackdown
* Zack & Wiki: Quest for Barbaros' Treasure

Best Gameplay Innovation
* Assassin's Creed (free-running/climbing)
* Mass Effect (conversation system)
* Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare (online level-up system)
* Halo 3 (Forge/Replays/Screenshots)
* Crackdown (Advanced Co-op features)

Best Multiplayer Game
* World of Warcraft: The Burning Crusade
* Team Fortress 2
* Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare
* Halo 3
* Rock Band

Best Action/Adventure Game
* Super Mario Galaxy
* Assassin's Creed
* Crackdown
* God of War II
* Ratchet & Clank Future: Tools of Destruction

Best Sports Game
* MLB PowerPros
* NCAA Football 2K8
* Forza Motorsport 2
* DiRT
* Winning Eleven Pro Evolution Soccer 2007

Best Shooter
* BioShock
* Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare
* Halo 3
* Half-Life 2: Episode 2
* Team Fortress 2

Best Role Playing Game
* Mass Effect
* Final Fantasy VI Advance
* The Witcher
* Neverwinter Nights 2: Mask of the Betrayer
* Titan Quest: Immortal Throne

Best New Character
* Weighted Companion Cube (Portal)
* Saren (Mass Effect)
* Andrew Ryan (BioShock)
* GLaDOS (Portal)
* King Bohan (Heavenly Sword)

Best Art Direction
* BioShock
* Assassin's Creed
* Super Mario Galaxy
* Mass Effect
* Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare

Best Animation
* Assassin's Creed
* Ratchet & Clank Future: Tools of Destruction
* Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare
* Heavenly Sword
* Uncharted: Drake's Fortune

Best Writing/Story
* BioShock
* Ratchet & Clank Future: Tools of Destruction
* The Simpsons Game
* Mass Effect
* Portal

Best Original Soundtrack
* Mass Effect
* Portal
* BioShock
* Super Mario Galaxy
* Halo 3

Best Sound Design
* Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare
* Assassin's Creed
* Halo 3
* BioShock
* Ratchet & Clank Future: Tools of Destruction

Best Downloadable Content
* The Elder Scrolls IV: Shivering Isles (XBL)
* Pac-Man Championship Edition (XBLA)
* Super Stardust HD (PSN)
* Carcassonne (XBLA)
* Crackdown Download Packs (XBL)

Best Strategy Game
* World In Conflict
* Company of Heroes: Opposing Fronts
* Supreme Commander
* Galactic Civilizations II: Dark Avatar
* Command & Conquer 3: Tiberium Wars

Gamespot called Gears of War their "Game of the Year." The New York Times gave it the distinction of "Best Job of Living Up to the Hype." Epic and Microsoft's over-the-shoulder shooter also snagged IGN's "Xbox 360 Game of the Year." It's a pretty safe bet that we'll see a box art update in the new year, chronicling the many kudos the bleak shooter netted from critics.

But Gamedaily? They just nod and casually mention Gears as the winner of their game of the year for 2006's NOD Awards. Sure they have their GOTY Edition quote in "Balls-out fun? Hell yes!" and also mention the two very capable runners up (The Legend of Zelda Twilight Princess and Guitar Hero II).

Check out the full round up below. Michael McWhertor

Gamedaily's Nod Awards 2006 [Gamedaily]