The Game Critic Awards, of which some editors of this website (not me!) are judges, have announced their nominees for the 2013 Game Critics Awards: Best of E3 awards.
These are the real deal; while individual sites can slap a ribbon or badge on anything they want, these nominees were settled on by a hivemind of representatives of 30 of the biggest and most influential video game outlets on the planet.
A quick note on which games were eligible and which weren't: a game had to be playable by judges. Which is why some games not playable on the showroom floor are on this list, and why others not playable by anyone - like Metal Gear Solid V, Smash Bros. Wii U and The Division - were excluded.
The winners will be announced next Tuesday.
Best of Show
- Destiny (Bungie/Activision)
- Oculus Rift HD (Oculus VR)
- PlayStation 4(Sony Computer Entertainment)
- Titanfall (Respawn Games/Electronic Arts)
- Watch Dogs (Ubisoft)
Best Original Game
- Destiny (Bungie/Activision)
- Fantasia: Music Evolved (Harmonix/Disney Interactive)
- Rain (Japan Studio/Sony Computer Entertainment)
- Titanfall (Respawn Games/Electronic Arts)
- Watch Dogs (Ubisoft)
Best Console Game
- Batman: Arkham Origins (WBIE Montreal/WBIE)
- Beyond: Two Souls (Quantic Dream/Sony Computer Entertainment)
- Destiny (Bungie/Activision)
- Infamous: Second Son (Sucker Punch/Sony Computer Entertainment)
- Titanfall (Respawn Games/Electronic Arts)
- Watch Dogs (Ubisoft)
Best Handheld Game
- Batman: Arkham Origins Blackgate (Armature Studio/WBIE)
- Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney - Dual Destinies (Capcom/Capcom)
- Plants vs. Zombies 2 (Popcap/EA)
- Tearaway (Media Molecule/Sony Computer Entertainment)
- The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Two Worlds (Nintendo EAD/Nintendo)
Best PC Game
- Battlefield 4 (DICE/Electronic Arts)
- Company of Heroes 2 (Relic/Sega)
- The Elder Scrolls Online (Zenimax Online/Bethesda)
- Titanfall (Respawn/Electronic Arts)
- Total War: Rome II (Creative Assembly/Sega)
Best Hardware
- Oculus Rift (Oculus VR)
- PlayStation 4 (Sony Computer Entertainment)
- Blade (Razr)
- Shield (Nvidia)
- Xbox One (Microsoft)
Best Action Game
- Battlefield 4 (DICE/Electronic Arts)
- Call of Duty Ghosts (Infinity Ward/Activision)
- Destiny (Bungie/Activision)
- Killzone: Shadow Fall (Guerilla Games/Sony Computer Entertainment)
- Titanfall (Respawn/Electronic Arts)
Best Action/Adventure Game
- Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag (Ubisoft Montreal/Ubisoft)
- Batman: Arkham Origins (WBIE Montreal/WBIE)
- Bayonetta 2 (Platinum Games/Nintendo)
- Infamous: Second Son (Sucker Punch/Sony Computer Entertainment)
- Watch Dogs (Ubisoft Montreal/Ubisoft)
Best RPG
- Dark Souls II (FromSoftware/Namco-Bandai)
- The Elder Scrolsl Online (Zenimax Online/Bethesda)
- Mario & Luigi: Dream Team (AlphaDream/Nintendo)
- Shin Megami Tensei IV (Atlus/Atlus)
- South Park: The Stick of Truth (Obsidian/Ubisoft)
Best Racing Game
- Forza 5 (Turn 10 Studio/Microsoft Studios)
- Gran Turismo 6 (Polyphony Digital/Sony Computer Entertainment)
- Mario Kart 8 (Nintendo EAD/Nintendo)
- Need for Speed: Rivals (Ghost Games/Electronic Arts)
- The Crew ( Ivory Tower/Ubisoft)
Best Sports Game
- FIFA 14 (EA Canada/EA Sports)
- NHL 14 (EA Canada/EA Sports)
- Madden NFL 25 (Tiburon/EA Sports)
- Pro Evolution Soccer 2014 (PES Productions/Konami)
Best Strategy Game
- Command and Conquer (Victory Games/Electronic Arts)
- Company of Heroes 2 (Relic/Sega)
- Pikmin 3 (Nintendo EAD/Nintendo)
- Total War: Rome II (Creative Assembly/Sega)
Best Social/Casual
- Disney Infinity (Avalanche/Disney Interactive)
- Fantasia: Music Evolved (Harmonix/Disney Interactive)
- LEGO Marvel Super Heroes (TT Games/WBIE)
- Plants vs. Zombies 2: It's About Time (Popcap/EA)
- Skylanders: Swap Force (Vicarious Visions/Activision)
- Project Spark (Team Daokta/Microsoft Studios)
Best Online Multiplayer
- Battlefield 4 (DICE/Electronic Arts)
- Destiny (Bungie/Activision)
- Titanfall (Respawn/Electronic Arts)
- The Elder Scrolls Online (Zenimax Online/Bethesda)
- Watch Dogs (Ubisoft Montreal/Ubisoft)
Best Downloadable
- Contrast (Compulsion Games)
- Octodad: Dadliest Catch (Young Horses Inc)
- Outlast (Red Barrels)
- Rain (Japan Studio/Sony Computer Entertainment)
- Transistor (Supergiant Games)