Kotaku: spike

VGAs Promise 'Biggest Surprise Premiere' in First Five Minutes Tonight

Owen Good — Sat, 12 Dec 2009 14:00:00 MST

Geoff Keighley's stoking buzz for tonight's Video Game Awards on Spike (8 p.m. U.S. Eastern). Since we already know of Halo: Reach, the new Medal of Honor and others, it sounds like a total wildcard will open the show.

"Do not miss the first five minutes of the VGAs for our biggest surprise premiere in VGA history!" Keighley Tweeted about four hours ago. Granted, that "history" goes waaaaaay back to 2003. But given Destructoid's talk with Keighley yesterday it sounds like he's talking about some full-bore NDA-signing shit here that no one can even hint at until the show.

So, let's get to guessin'. I've got no idea myself. If it's a bona fide bombshell we are probably not talking about a new IP, and racking my brain, I'm not sure what unannounced, unknown, undated, unrumored sequel is out there that could get people out of their seats. But I'm ready to be surprised.

Geoff Keighley on Twitter [site]

DVR Alert: Spike Televises Top 2009 Indie Developers Tonight

Stephen Totilo — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 18:00:34 MST

Spike TV's second-annual special celebrating indie games airs on Spike tonight. Host Geoff Keighley shared a copy of the show early with Kotaku and it does indeed feature visits with the makers of Osmos, 'Splosion Man, Trials HD and Flower.

The show even offers an early look at 'Splosion Man developer Twisted Pixel's next game, Comic Jumper.

Plus there's some diving in a cold lake by Keighley and the creators of Trials HD (pictured above, of course). A debut of a multi-touch version of my favorite of these very good games, Osmos. Oh, and full disclosure: Someone who may or may not have written this post appears in this show as a talking head.

The games featured in the show are the nominees for the best indie game category in this Saturday's Spike Video Game Awards, which will be televised tonight. (More disclosure: Kotaku is part of the judging panel.)

The half-hour indie games special, "The Next Great Game Gods," premieres tonight on Spike at midnight. (More info about the show on Spike's site.) Check your listings. Celebrate indie games. And... let me know how I did?

Spike Video Game Awards Nominees Announced

Stephen Totilo — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 16:00:10 MST

We here at Kotaku get to vote in the Spike VGAs. Nominations were made public today. Predict winners and complain about omissions below. The awards air live on Spike on December 12.

GAME OF THE YEAR
Assassin's Creed 2 (Ubisoft / Ubisoft Montreal)
Batman: Arkham Asylum (Eidos Interactive - Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment / Rocksteady Studios)
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 (Activision Publishing / Infinity Ward)
Left 4 Dead 2 (Valve)
UNCHARTED 2: Among Thieves (Sony Computer Entertainment / Naughty Dog)

STUDIO OF THE YEAR
Infinity Ward
Naughty Dog
Rocksteady Studios
Valve

BEST SHOOTER
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 (Activision Publishing / Infinity Ward)
Halo 3: ODST (Microsoft Game Studios / Bungie)
Killzone 2 (Sony Computer Entertainment / Guerrilla Games)
Left 4 Dead 2 (Valve)

BEST RPG
Borderlands (2K Games / Gearbox Software)
Demon's Souls (Atlus / FromSoftware)
Dragon Age: Origins (Electronic Arts / BioWare)
Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story (Nintendo / AlphaDream)

BEST FIGHTING GAME
BlazBlue: Calamity Trigger (Aksys Games / Arc System Works)
Soulcalibur: Broken Destiny (NAMCO BANDAI Games / Project Soul)
Street Fighter IV (Capcom / Capcom/Dimps)
Tekken 6 (NAMCO BANDAI Games)

BEST INDIVIDUAL SPORTS GAME
EA SPORTS Fight Night Round 4 (Electronic Arts / EA Canada)
Tiger Woods PGA Tour 10 (Electronic Arts / EA Tiburon)
UFC 2009 Undisputed (THQ / Yuke's Media Creations)
Wii Sports Resort (Nintendo)

BEST HANDHELD GAME
Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars (Rockstar Games / Rockstar Leeds)
Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story (Nintendo / AlphaDream)
Professor Layton and The Diabolical Box (Nintendo / Level-5)
Scribblenauts (Warner Bros. Interactive / 5th Cell)

BEST GRAPHICS
Batman: Arkham Asylum (Eidos Interactive - Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment / Rocksteady Studios)
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 (Activision Publishing / Infinity Ward)
Killzone 2 (Sony Computer Entertainment / Guerrilla Games)
Uncharted 2: Among Thieves (Sony Computer Entertainment / Naughty Dog)

BEST GAME BASED ON A MOVIE OR TV SHOW
Ghostbusters: The Video Game (Atari / Terminal Reality)
South Park Let's Go Tower Defense Play! (Microsoft / DoubleSix)
The Chronicles of Riddick: Assault on Dark Athena (Atari / Starbreeze AB)
X-Men Origins: Wolverine Uncaged Edition (Activision Publishing / Raven Software)

BEST MUSIC GAME
DJ Hero (Activision Publishing / FreeStyleGames)
Guitar Hero 5 (Activision Publishing / Neversoft Entertainment)
LEGO Rock Band (MTV Games – Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment / Traveler's Tales Games - Harmonix)
The Beatles: Rock Band (MTV Games / Harmonix)

BEST DRIVING GAME
Dirt 2 (Codemasters)
Forza Motorsport 3 (Microsoft Game Studios / Turn 10)
Gran Turismo (PSP) (Sony Computer Entertainment / Polyphony Digital)
Need for Speed SHIFT (Electronic Arts / Slightly Mad Studios)

BEST ACTION ADVENTURE GAME
Assassin's Creed 2 (Ubisoft / Ubisoft Montreal)
Batman: Arkham Asylum (Eidos Interactive - Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment / Rocksteady Studios)
Brütal Legend (Electronic Arts / Double Fine Productions)
Uncharted 2: Among Thieves (Sony Computer Entertainment / Naughty Dog)

BEST TEAM SPORTS GAME
FIFA Soccer 10 (Electronic Arts / EA Canada)
Madden NFL 10 (Electronic Arts / EA Tiburon)
NBA 2K10 (2K Sports / Visual Concepts)
NHL 10 (Electronic Arts / EA Canada)

BEST SOUNDTRACK
Brütal Legend (Electronic Arts / Double Fine Productions)
DJ Hero (Activision Publishing / FreeStyleGames)
Guitar Hero 5 (Activision Publishing / Neversoft Entertainment)
The Beatles: Rock Band (MTV Games / Harmonix)

BEST XBOX 360 GAME
Batman: Arkham Asylum (Eidos Interactive - Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment / Rocksteady Studios)
Forza Motorsport 3 (Microsoft Game Studios / Turn 10)
Halo 3: ODST (Microsoft Game Studios / Bungie)
Left 4 Dead 2 (Valve)

BEST Wii GAME
MadWorld (SEGA / Platinum Games)
New Super Mario Bros. Wii (Nintendo)
Punch-Out!! (Nintendo / Next Level Games)
Wii Sports Resort (Nintendo)

BEST PS3 GAME
inFAMOUS (Sony Computer Entertainment / Sucker Punch)
Killzone 2 (Sony Computer Entertainment / Guerrilla Games)
Ratchet & Clank Future: A Crack in Time (Sony Computer Entertainment / Insomniac Games)
Uncharted 2: Among Thieves (Sony Computer Entertainment / Naughty Dog)

BEST PC GAME
Dragon Age: Origins (Electronic Arts / BioWare)
Left 4 Dead 2 (Valve)
Plants vs. Zombies (PopCap Games)
The Sims 3 (Electronic Arts / The Sims Studio)

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE
Assassin's Creed 2 (Ubisoft / Ubisoft Montreal)
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 (Activision Publishing / Infinity Ward)
Halo 3: ODST (Microsoft Game Studios / Bungie)
Uncharted 2: Among Thieves (Sony Computer Entertainment / Naughty Dog)

BEST MULTIPLAYER GAME
Borderlands (2K Games / Gearbox Software)
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 (Activision Publishing / Infinity Ward)
Halo 3: ODST (Microsoft Game Studios / Bungie)
Left 4 Dead 2 (Valve)

BEST PERFORMANCE BY A HUMAN MALE
Bill Murray as Dr. Peter Venkman in Ghostbusters: The Video Game (Atari)
Hugh Jackman as Wolverine in X-Men Origins: Wolverine Uncaged Edition (Activision Publishing)
Samuel L. Jackson as Afro Samurai / Ninja Ninja in Afro Samurai (Surge)
Shia LaBeouf as Sam Witwicky in Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (Activision Publishing)
Vin Diesel as Richard B. Riddick in The Chronicles of Riddick: Assault on Dark Athena (Atari)

BEST PERFORMANCE BY A HUMAN FEMALE
Eliza Dushku as Rubi Malone in WET (Bethesda Softworks)
Kristen Bell as Lucy Stillman in Assassin's Creed 2 (Ubisoft)
Megan Fox as Mikaela Banes (Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen / Activision Publishing)
Tricia Helfer as Dare (Halo 3: ODST / Microsoft Game Studios)

BEST CAST
Brütal Legend (Electronic Arts / Double Fine Productions)
Eat Lead: The Return of Matt Hazard (D3 Publisher / Vicious Cycle)
Ghostbusters: The Video Game (Atari / Terminal Reality)
South Park Let's Go Tower Defense Play! (Microsoft / DoubleSix)
X-Men Origins: Wolverine Uncaged Edition (Activision Publishing / Raven Software)

BEST VOICE
Arleen Sorkin as Harley Quinn in Batman: Arkham Asylum (Eidos Interactive – Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment)
Claudia Black as Chloe Frazer in UNCHARTED 2: Among Thieves (Sony Computer Entertainment)
Jack Black as Eddie Riggs (Brütal Legend / Electronic Arts)
Mark Hamill as The Joker in Batman: Arkham Asylum (Eidos Interactive – Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment)
Nolan North as Nathan Drake in UNCHARTED 2: Among Thieves (Sony Computer Entertainment)

BEST DOWNLOADABLE GAME
Battlefield 1943 (Electronic Arts / DICE)
Fat Princess (Sony Computer Entertainment / Titan Studios)
Plants vs. Zombies (PopCap Games)
Shadow Complex (Microsoft Game Studios / Chair Entertainment)

BEST DLC
Fallout 3 – Broken Steel (Bethesda Softworks / Bethesda Game Studios)
Fallout 3 – Point Lookout (Bethesda Softworks / Bethesda Game Studios)
Grand Theft Auto IV: The Ballad of Gay Tony (Rockstar Games / Rockstar North)
Grand Theft Auto IV: The Lost & Damned (Rockstar Games / Rockstar North)

BEST INDEPENDENT GAME FUELED BY DEW
‘Splosion Man (Twisted Pixel)
Flower (ThatGameCompany)
Osmos (Hemisphere Games)
Trials HD (RedLynx)

MOST ANTICIPATED GAME
Bioshock 2 (2K Games / 2K Marin)
God of War III (Sony Computer Entertainment / SCE Studios Santa Monica)
Mass Effect 2 (Electronic Arts / BioWare)
Starcraft II (Blizzard Entertainment)

For more info, check out Spike's official VGA site.

Way of the Samurai 3 Comes To The iPhone (Barely)

Michael McWhertor — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 13:40:00 MDT

As a casual fan of Spike's Way of the Samurai series, I was probably more excited than you were to read that Way of the Samurai 3 was now available on the iPhone. Technically, it is.

And if you're a massive Way of the Samurai fan, loving the series warts and all, you should grab it for your iPhone or iPod Touch. Just a heads up that it's not much more than a modern day LCD game, with a coat of Way of the Samurai 3 paint. It's also free, so expect that you're getting what you're paying for.

Perhaps you'll be more satisfied by simply waiting for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 versions of the game, due out in just a couple weeks in North America. I'll be giving the iPhone app another go on the train, to see if this little promotional app is worth the storage space.

Spike Showing Halo Legends Anime Clips Tonight

Stephen Totilo — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 15:00:17 MDT

The Halo Legends won't be out for months. Spike will be airing up to seven minutes of it tonight. The shot above is clipped from that clip.

Spike's Halo 3 ODST Countdown To Launch special airs at midnight tonight, Eastern and Pacific, featuring host Geoff Keighley and a trio of Halo-minded experts, Bungie's Joe Staten and Brian Jarrard along with 343 Industries' Frank O'Connor. They get a Keighley grilling about all things Halo.

Possibly more exciting for Halo fans will be the debut of several minutes of action from the Halo Legends anime, focusing on the "Babysitter" short. The clips I've seen have a Spartans and ODSTs in action, snapping at least one neck and delivering the most viscous punch I've ever seen in a Halo project.

Microsoft plans to begin running previews of the seven shorts that comprise Halo Legends this November over Xbox Live, launching the full compilation on DVD and Blu-Ray in 2010.

Samurai Cat Lady Plus Screens

Brian Ashcraft — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 00:00:00 MDT

Action adventure game Way of the Samurai 3 is getting also an Xbox 360 port as well as apparently an English location. In Japan, the PS3 is getting a revamped version with bonus features this October.

Here are screens. Look at them.

GameTrailers TV Reveals New L4D2 Campaign Thursday

Michael McWhertor — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 17:20:56 MDT

Gamers on board with the slow trickle of Left 4 Dead 2 reveals will want to look up the Spike TV channel listing this Thursday, as GameTrailers TV reports straight from Valve on its upcoming games.

The show promises to reveal at least one new campaign from the zombie shooter, plus bug Gabe Newell about a range of subjects, from Half-Life 2: Episode 3 to Portal 2 to his thoughts on the PlayStation 3. We're pretty sure that makes this must see TV and, at the very least, three hotly debated Kotaku posts.

Night owls will need to tune in at Thursday 12:30 AM if they want to see it live, shortly thereafter from the comfort of their computers.

Way of the Samurai Finds Path To Xbox 360

Michael McWhertor — Wed, 31 Dec 2008 16:00:26 MST

Former PlayStation exclusive series Way of the Samurai is making the platform jump. Publisher Spike announced its intentions to bring Way of the Samurai 3 to the Xbox 360 in February.

Originally released on the PlayStation 3 in November, Way of the Samurai 3 (aka Samurai Dou 3) debuted in Japan with 81,000 units sold. Not bad for a week's worth of sales, but developer Acquire and Spike may want to up those numbers with a port for Xbox 360 owners. The new version, dated for February 26th in Japan, will have "new elements" and offer downloadable content of some form.

Hopefully, that means we're one step closer to a Western release, regardless of the platform. I've always loved these quirky, if graphically underwhelming samurai adventure games. Who's with me? Anyone?

『侍道3』がXbox 360でも発売決定 [Famitsu]

More Leaks from the VGA Rehearsal

Owen Good — Sun, 14 Dec 2008 17:10:00 MST

In addition to the Gears 2 rumor, attentive spies listening to the VGA rehearse logged a slew of award winners. We can verify that some actual announcements slipped out, but can't specify which.

According to the eyes and ears at PrimoTech, this is some of what what you can expect tonight. Note: We can't vouch for the accuracy of individual items, just that the rehearsal cam did spill some legit information. So some of this can't be considered verified. But the fact the rehearsal cams went silent about an hour ago is a big indicator. My commentary is in brackets.

Special Announcements
• Gears of War 2 ‘Combustible’ Map Pack available on Xbox Live Marketplace 12 PM Pacific/3 AM East TONIGHT
• EA debuts Dante’s Inferno title, coming in 2009 (See Variety)
• Pearl Jam’s ‘Ten’ available as downloadable Rock Band album in March

Award Winners
• Best Multiplayer: Left 4 Dead (Valve)
• Best PC: Left 4 Dead (Valve)
• Best Fighting: Soul Calibur 4 (Project Soul)
• Best Driving: Burnout Paradise (Criterion)
• Best Portable: Professor Layton (Level 5)
• Best Wii: Boom Blox (EA Casual)
• Best Individual Sports: Shaun White Snowboarding (Ubi Montreal)
• Best Female in a Game: Jenny McCarthy as Tanya in Red Alert 3 (EA Westwood)
• Best Game Based on a Movie or TV Show: Lego Indy (Traveller’s Tales)
• Best Performance by a Human Male: Michael Hollick as Niko Bellic (Grand Theft Auto IV)
• Big Name in a Game: Kiefer Sutherland (Call of Duty: World at War)
• Gamer God Inductee: Will Wright (Sim City, Spore)

Appearances
• Marisa Miller presenting. [Geoff Keighley told Major Nelson it's tied to the Gears 2 announcement].
• LL Cool J presenting ‘Best Shooter’
• Peter Moore presenting Fight Night Round 4 [confirmed]
• Neil Patrick Harris presenting ‘Best Indie Game’ [Doogie Howser: Day of Crisis?]
• Eliza Dushku presenting Kieffer Sutherland as ‘Big Name in Game’ winner
• Kim Kardashian presenting first footage of EA’s Dante’s Inferno
• Tony Hawk presenting Game God Inductee Award to Will Wright [Name of award and recipient confirmed by Keighley to Nelson]
• Geoff Keighley presents Grand Theft Auto IV: The Lost and Damned DLC
• Jerry Stiller makes a cameo for some strange reason [to Air the Grievances?]

Miscellaneous (this sounds like they caught comedy bits or scripted lines. Commentary is Primotech's):
• Plaxico Burress named ‘Best Shooter’ [LMFAO]
• Jack Black is all zany with his Xbox 360 headset! How zany!
• Talking Spore creatures are somewhat fond of Will Wright
• Dante’s Inferno is “based on a book or something.” This perturbs Kim Kardashian a great deal.

Live Winners and News from The Spike 2008 Video Game Awards Show

Gears 2 Map Pack Drops After Midnight

Owen Good — Sun, 14 Dec 2008 16:55:00 MST

So, Spike TV was screening its rehearsals. Someone (not us) saw it and says tonight's big news for Gears 2 is a bit ... anticlimactic. Like, it's a map pack, available on XBLM at midnight.

"Gears of War 2 ‘Combustible’ Map Pack available on Xbox Live Marketplace 12 PM Pacific/3 AM East TONIGHT." Or, so says Primotech, one of a few spying on a VGA rehearsal that mysteriously went silent around 6 PM eastern. Take this rumor with a grain of salt, but, really, if that's the ultra double super secret announcement no one could talk about ... I now know how Ralphie felt when he finally got his Ovaltine decoder.

Either way, you can tune in for the final reveal to see if this gets the rumor smash or not. The 2008 VGAs are live at 9 EST, 8 CST, 7 Crecente, and are tape f***ing delayed on the West Coast.

Live Winners and News from The Spike 2008 Video Game Awards Show [PrimoTech]

VGA Giving Away Thousands of Downloadable Games

Owen Good — Sat, 13 Dec 2008 14:00:00 MST

Spike TV's running a promo for tomorrow's Video Game Awards, giving away 7,000 downloads of four A-list indie titles on XBLM, PSN, WiiWare and Steam. The promo requires you to submit an email address.

Since this promo is being sponsored by Mountain Dew, you can expect that they want to market some stuff to you in exchange for the promise of free loot. But 7,000 winners are decent odds. So if you want Braid (XBLM), PixelJunk Eden (PSN), World of Goo (WiiWare) or AudioSurf (Steam) for free, give it a shot. The giveaway is running through 9 pm U.S. Eastern time tomorrow.

The submission form contains an opt-out for marketing messaging. I'd like to know if anyone who opts out actually wins. I'm not saying that's the case, but you know, if an advertiser's paying to give something away, it's probably bad karma at minimum if you're not even gonna listen to the ad pitch. Then again, Pepsico are big boys, I'm sure their feelings wouldn't be too hurt.

Dew the Download [Spike TV]

Battle of the Rock Bands Tonight on SPIKE

Owen Good — Sat, 13 Sep 2008 09:00:00 MDT

Disturbed, Judas Priest and Cheap Trick (pictured) are challenging the top three user bands in the nation tonight on SPIKE TV's "30 Minutes to Midnight," the official countdown show for the launch of Rock Band 2. The three bands challenge the users to play their songs, among the hardest in the game, with other competitive twists. There will also be a guy who can finish a song playing all four instruments at once. If you're one of those people transfixed by watching others play this game really well, you might want to flip over.

More details, plus exclusive screengrabs from the show (taped live before a studio audience, like "Cheers") on the jump.

"30 Minutes to Midnight" airs at, well, 30 minutes to midnight US Eastern time tonight. The user bands are from the Xbox 360 community (Earth Wind and Centaur! Die! In a Fire, and Here Comes a New Challenger). In addition to playing straight up, there will also be a challenge mode in which they have to play the notes from memory with none on the screen. So we'll see if Rock Band really has taught anyone to rock out.

Here's the one-man band:

... aaaand a "drum-off"

Laser Eye Beam FIGHT

Brian Ashcraft — Wed, 20 Aug 2008 05:00:00 MDT

Developer Spike is back with another bosozoku adventure. That's right, Kenka Bancho 3 is coming to the PSP. The game, which features a high school gang leader who has a laser eye beam, looks like the PS2 titles that proceeded it. Man, I wish i had a laser eye beam in high school — heck, now even. The game features 2 player ad-hoc play and will be out this November in Japan. So there ya go.

싸움짱 3(Kenka Bancho 3)스크린샷 [VideogamerX via PSPHyper]

Way Of The Samurai 3 Looks Budget-y

Michael McWhertor — Tue, 17 Jun 2008 19:00:21 MDT

Spike's Way of the Samurai 3 looks a bit... hideous. That's a PlayStation 3 game you're looking at, folks, pretty much on par with Spike's graphical prowess as displayed in previous Way of the Samurai games for the PlayStation 2. It's certainly no Yakuza 3 KENZAN! So why are we excited? Because the Way of the Samurai series is fun way to waste an afternoon, even if it's a bit of an ugly duckling. The series has been getting worse and worse from the get go, but that doesn't mean we aren't hoping that some naive American publisher will pick it up and loose buckets of money on the thing so we can get our oddball samurai thrills.

Spike VGAs: Nominees Announced

geoff — Fri, 09 Nov 2007 11:00:00 MST

Yes, the game of the year discussion is already beginning! Spike is hosting its 5th annual Video Game Awards this December in Las Vegas, and this morning the nominees were released on Spike.com. What's in contention for Game of the Year? Orange Box, Halo 3, BioShock, and Mass Effect. Don't agree with the nominees? Blame Crecente and this here guest editor, who are both part of the judge advisory panel. For all full list of all the nominees, check after the jump. Watch the show Sunday, December 9 at 9 PM to see if this year's host can pronounce my last name correctly.

Game of the Year BioShock Halo 3 Mass Effect The Orange Box
Best Shooter
BioShock
Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare
Halo 3
The Orange Box

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

Best Rhythm Game
Guitar Hero Encore: Rock the 80s
Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock
Jam Sessions
Rock Band

Best RPG
Eternal Sonata
Final Fantasy Tactics: The War of the Lions
Mass Effect
Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 3

Best Driving Game
Colin McRae: DiRT
Forza Motorsport 2
Need for Speed ProStreet
Project Gotham Racing 4

Best Military Game
Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare
Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter 2
Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Vegas
World in Conflict

Studio of the Year
Bungie Studios
Harmonix
2K Boston / 2K Australia
Valve

Best Graphics
BioShock
Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare
Crysis
Mass Effect

Breakthrough Technology
Crysis
Halo 3
Portal
Rock Band

Best PS3 Game
Heavenly Sword
Ratchet & Clank Future: Tools of Destruction
Uncharted: Drake's Fortune
Warhawk

Best Wii Game
The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess
Metroid Prime 3: Corruption
Super Mario Galaxy
Super Paper Mario

Best Xbox 360 Game
BioShock
Halo 3
Mass Effect
The Orange Box

Best PC Game
BioShock
Crysis
The Orange Box
World in Conflict

Best Individual Sports Game
skate
Tiger Woods PGA Tour 08
Tony Hawk's Proving Ground
Virtua Tennis 3

Best Team Sports Game
Madden NFL 08
NBA 2K8
NHL 08
Winning Eleven: Pro Evolution Soccer 2007

Best Handheld Game
Final Fantasy Tactics: The War of the Lions
The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass
Syphon Filter: Logan's Shadow
Puzzle Quest: Challenge of the Warlords

Best Game Based on a Movie or TV Show
The Lord of the Rings: Shadows of Angmar
Naruto: Rise of a Ninja
The Simpsons Game
John Woo Presents Stranglehold

Best Soundtrack
BioShock
Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock
Tony Hawk's Proving Ground
Rock Band

Best Original Score
BioShock
God of War 2
Halo 3
Mass Effect

Best Multiplayer Game
Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare
Halo 3
Rock Band
The Orange Box

Most Addictive Game Fueled by Dew
Halo 3
Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock
Orange Box
Wii Sports

Spike 2007 VGA Nominees Announced

geoff — Thu, 08 Nov 2007 10:00:00 MST

The Spike TV Videogame Awards are coming up on December 9. Over at Spike.com they've posted the list of this year's nominees, decided on by a panel that includes Kotaku's own Brian Crecente and this week's guest editor Geoff Keighley. For Game of the Year, the nominees are Orange Box, Mass Effect, BioShock and Halo 3. Check out all the other nominees over on the official site.

VGA Nominees Announced [Spike.com]

Fire Pro to Set West Blaze

Brian Ashcraft — Fri, 27 Jul 2007 06:00:02 MDT

Almost two years later, Spike's unreleased sprite based Fire Pro Wrestling Returns for the PS2 is getting an American and European release. Publisher Agetec will be bringing it to the West, and Agetec's Mark Johnson:

I admit that I am not a "hardcore" FPW fan, however I am a "hardcore" gamer - always have been and always will be. Those who are familiar with the approval process at SCEA can understand that getting this title approved was not an easy task, however the gameplay greatly outweighs what some would consider poor and/or dated graphics.
With this being said - I would like both the NTSC and Pal version to be as authentic as possible. I am looking for some help from both the Fire Pro Club community and some key people who I can work closely with that have a solid and complete love for the series.

Previously, the Fire Pro series got Gameboy Advance release with Fire Pro Advance and Fire Pro Advance 2. Nice to see the title finally getting a Western release — and a proper one at that!
Fire Pro Release [Fire Pro Club via Insert Credit]

DS Comedy Game Gets English Page

Brian Ashcraft — Mon, 18 Jun 2007 23:00:15 MDT

DS comedy trainer Archime-DS has gotten an English page that includes not only an explanation of the game, but also a Japan sale date countdown. Wonder why they've created an English page... As previously mentioned, the game does not have any single player — it's only multi-player! Here's an explanation from the site:

Archime puts a new twist on the traditional Japanese game "Oogiri." In this game, the leader poses a question or challenge that the players try to answer within the time limit. Answers are revealed and everyone awards points to players with the best answers.
Since there are no rules or pre-defined questions, Archime-DS is an excellent tool to sharpen your wit, brush up your comedy skills and showcase your sense of humor. It's also a great way to get your creative juices flowing—use it as a group brainstorming tool for new ideas.

Don't just think of it as a comedy game, but a brainstorming game. The title comes courtesy of developer Skip of Chibi-Robo fame. Past glories aside, it looks like Skip has decided to charge folks for PictoChat Version 2.0. Hilarious. Brian Ashcraft

English Page [Archime-DS via Insert Credit]

Spinning Princess: Figure Sparkling Ice Angel Trailer Get

Michael McWhertor — Thu, 14 Jun 2007 15:40:04 MDT

Japanese developer Spike released first screens of its Nintendo DS-bound figure skating game Spinning Princess: Figure Sparkling Ice Angel back in January to many hooray!s, but first video of the supposed "sport" playable with a stylus is now available. They've added some interesting touchscreen mechanics and managed to make even harsh figure skating critics like myself raise an eyebrow in interest. Training mini-games, dozens of glittering costume choices and thrilling ice competitions with stylus action? Sign me my girlfriend up! Michael McWhertor

How's This DS Doctor Game Different From That?

Brian Ashcraft — Thu, 26 Apr 2007 06:00:01 MDT

Two doctor series. Both from Japan. Trauma Center, you know and love. And Kenshuui Tendo Dokuta, well, that DS title you might not be familiar with. Retitled as "Lifesigns: Surgical, the game is coming to North American via publisher Dreamcatcher this June. The game's producer Jay Podilchuk explains how it's different from Trauma Center:

You can't possibly imagine how many times I have answered this question over the last couple of months!
...I would have to say that the most noticeable difference between the games is the storyline and adventure aspect of Lifesigns. Each mission you are presented with is tied together seamlessly by a great story which adds context to the operations you perform and people you interact with. Lifesigns really bridges the gap between being a medical simulation style game like TC and full on interactive adventure title... which is something we know a little about ;)

And like that, the point is DRIVEN home with a winking smiley face. Brian Ashcraft

Lifesigns Producer Talks [Siliconera]