X-Play Presents The Best of 2011 Awards: And The Nominees Are...

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Posted December 5, 2011 - By Leah Jackson

On December 14 X-Play will be presenting their Best of 2011 Awards at 6:00 PM ET, honoring some of our favorite games of the year. In their special one-hour episode of X-Play, hosts Adam Sessler, Morgan Webb, and Blair Herter will take you through each category to reveal the champions, and we'll all get to find out which game won the highly coveted Game of the Year award. Today, we have a list of the nominees so you can see which games have a chance of winning one of these prestigious awards.

X-Play's Game of the Year 2011 Nominees »

To whet your appetite, here's our Game of the Year nominees:

Game of the Year

    Batman: Arkham City
    The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim
    Gears of War 3
    L.A. Noire
    Portal 2
    Saints Row: The Third
    Super Mario 3D Land

Check after the break for the full list of categories including Best RPG, Best Multiplayer, Best Shooter, Best Trailer, Most Original Game, and many more! Also, don't forget to vote in the final rounds of our Videogame Deathmatch to make your voice heard during the episode.

Most Original Game

    Catherine
    L.A. Noire
    Minecraft
    Stacking
    Superbrothers: Sword and Sworcery

Best Gameplay Innovation

    L.A. Noire – Facial animation/capture
   League of Legends– Dominions mode
    Minecraft – Creative freedom
    Rocksmith – Teaching real guitar
   Skylanders Spyro's Adventure – Figurine integration

Best Multiplayer Game

    Assassin’s Creed: Revelations
    Battlefield 3
    Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3
    Dark Souls
    Gears of War 3

Best Multiplayer Co-Op Game

    Dance Central 2
    Gears of War 3
    Ilomilo
    Portal 2
    Saints Row: The Third

Best Sports Game

    FIFA 12
    MLB 11: The Show
    NBA 2K12
    NHL 12
    WWE ‘12

Best Downloadable Game

    Bastion
    InFamous: Festival of Blood
    Insanely Twisted Shadow Planet
    Iron Brigade
    Stacking

Best Downloadable Content

    Call of Duty: Black Ops – Rezurrection
    Deus Ex: Human Revolution – Missing Link
    Fallout: New Vegas – Old World Blues
    Gears of War 3 – Raam’s Shadow
    Portal 2 – Co-Op Challenges

Best Shooter

    Battlefield 3
    Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3
    Gears of War 3
    Rage
    Resistance 3

Best Role-Playing Game

    Dark Souls
    Deus Ex: Human Revolution
    The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
    Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky
    The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings

Best Fighting Game

    King of Fighters XIII
    Marvel vs. Capcom 3: Fate of Two Worlds
    Mortal Kombat
    Street Fighter III 3rd Strike Online Edition
    Super Street Fighter IV: Arcade Edition

Best Art Direction

   Alice: Madness Returns
    Batman: Arkham City
    El Shaddai: Ascension of the Metatron
    Portal 2
    Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception

Best Animation

    Assassin’s Creed: Revelations
    Batman: Arkham City
    NBA 2K12
    Rage
    Rayman Origins

Best Writing

    Batman: Arkham City
    L.A. Noire
    Portal 2
    Saints Row: The Third
    Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception

Best Soundtrack

    Deus Ex: Human Revolution
    The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
    The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword
    Portal 2
    Superbrothers: Sword & Sworcery

Best Sound Design

    Batman: Arkham City
    Battlefield 3
    Dead Space 2
    The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
    Portal 2

Best Action/Adventure Game

    Batman: Arkham City
    L.A. Noire
    Rayman Origins
    Super Mario 3D Land
    Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception

Best Racing Game

    Dirt 3
    F1 2011
    Forza Motorsport 4
    Motorstorm: Apocalypse
    Shift 2: Unleashed

Best Motion Control Game

    Dance Central 2
    Just Dance 3
    Killzone 3
    The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword
    Sesame Street: Once Upon A Monster

Best Handheld Game

    Dissidia 012 Final Fantasy
    Ghost Trick: Phantom Detective
    Pokemon Black & White
    Professor Layton and the Last Specter
    Super Mario 3D Land

Best Puzzle/Strategy Game

    Achron
    Catherine
    Portal 2
    Professor Layton and the Last Specter
    Tactics Ogre: Let Us Cling Together

Best Performance By Nolan North

    Adventure/Space/Fact Cores – Portal 2
    Deadpool – Marvel vs. Capcom 3
    Desmond Miles – Assassin’s Creed: Revelations
    Nathan Drake – Uncharted 3
    The Penguin – Batman: Arkham City

Best Performance Not By Nolan North

    Aaron Staton – Cole Phelps, L.A. Noire
    JK Simmons – Cave Johnson, Portal 2
    John DiMaggio – Marcus Fenix, Gears of War 3
    Mark Hamill – The Joker, Batman: Arkham City
    Stephen Merchant – Wheatley, Portal 2

Best Remake/Retro Release

    Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary
    Ico and Shadow of the Colossus Collection
    The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D
    Metal Gear Solid HD Collection
    Street Fighter III 3rd Strike Online Edition

Best Trailer

    Dead Island
    The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim Live Action
    OverStrike

Make sure you tune in to X-Play on December 14th @ 6PM ET to find out who wins!

Tags: Nintendo 3DS, PC Gaming, PlayStation 3, Videogames, Wii, Xbox 360

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ddf

I LOVE gear of war 3 but the story was disapointed
multplayer battlefield 3
game of year batman or skyrim
best graphics battlefield 3

Posted: December 5, 2011 9:46 PM
Exprima

LA Noire doesn't deserve a nomination. I've played it and feel strongly that it's a mediocre game. Seeing as Zelda's not even nominated, Portal 2 better win.

Posted: December 5, 2011 9:18 PM
Tmidiman

I have to say I agree with G4 99.999% on their nominations. I don't know about the Mario game, but it must be good since all there other choices seem right on point.

Yes I have a Wii (LOL), but I'm sorry. Zelda not only looks very dated, but it almost seem like a half hearted effort compared to other releases by Nintendo. I refuse to call a turd "great" just because Nintendo poops it out. And while I'm sure Zelda is no turd it is not that great. I'm waiting for the Wii U version.

Madden however is a turd and is nowhere on the lists. Bravo G4. Maybe now EA will put some effort into getting it right.

I have a PS3 too, but is Uncharted a game or a well scripted animation that you make choices for from time to time? Dragon's Lair HD perhaps? Not really, but hmmmm, kind of, sort of, a little bit. Truth I have only played U2, and while fun I felt it was rails a lot too. Was that bad, no, but its world is just a tab bit controlled to me.

Are those reasons G4's reasons. Probably not. But they are mine and with those I like what I see.

Thanks G4!

So let's get to the results.

Posted: December 5, 2011 9:13 PM
Duckman6969

To all you morons making ridiculous comments out there. They have there opinions and you have yours! Quit complaining that not everyone on the planet shares the same opinion that you morons do!!! You are a egotistical, childish fools, and oh yeah my opinions right and yours is totally wrong!...idiots.

Posted: December 5, 2011 9:08 PM
GameBoss01

Game of the Year should be: Uncharted 3: Skyward Sword or The Legent of Zelda: Drake's Deception.

Posted: December 5, 2011 9:02 PM
CustosIntusSilentium

Saints Row?... Really?........ Really........... Ok,. Well, it's got camp appeal, but I thought quality was one main criterion superseding intentionally tacky aesthetics. Guess I was wrong.

Posted: December 5, 2011 9:01 PM
GameBoss01

OMG?! Why the hell are Uncharted 3 and Zelda not there? G4 sucks.

Posted: December 5, 2011 9:00 PM
NintendoVER

Man, G4 must really hate Zelda (Even the VGA's nominated it even though they barely nominate any nintendo games)

Posted: December 5, 2011 8:33 PM
AfroThunder781

My List:

GOTY- Portal 2
Original- LA Noire
Innovation- LA Noire
Multiplayer- MW3 and BF3
Co-Op- Portal 2
Sports- MLB 11: The Show
Downloadable- Bastion
DLC- Black Ops- Rezurrection
Shooter- Resistance 3
RPG- Dark Souls
Fighting- Mortal Kombat
Art- Portal 2
Animation- Arkham City
Soundtrack- Bastion (Should be nominated)
Sound- Portal 2
Action/Adventure- Arkham City
Racing- Motorstorm: Apocalypse
Motion Control- LoZ: Skyward Sword
Handheld- Pokemon Black & White
Puzzle/Strategy- Portal 2
Nolan North- Nathan Drake
Not Nolan North- Mark Hamill as The Joker and Stephen Merchant as Wheatley
Remake- Metal Gear Solid HD Collection
Trailer- Dead Island

Posted: December 5, 2011 8:31 PM
RandyMercer

Wow, I try not to complain about theses thing but you guys seem to be along the lines of bourgeois Hollywood, I mean seriously no nod to Uncharted 3 (what it wasn't Uncharted 2 enough for you?)? or Skyward Sword (it wasn't OoT enough?)? It kinda looks like they let their scores do the talking this time but whatever. I mean damn U3 didn't even get a nod for animation, whatever it's your list. But in my not-so-humble opinion I disagree, heavily. I know there were quite a few people pissed in your studio as well.

Posted: December 5, 2011 8:24 PM
unchartedkratos293

where is Uncharted 3? Mario is on list which is like millionth super mario but no uncharted 3? pathetic n sad G4.

Posted: December 5, 2011 8:24 PM
ReiverBell21

lol at the nolan north categories <3

Posted: December 5, 2011 8:23 PM
porphyria'slover

Did anyone here watch the Zelda episode of feedback? By the looks of it not many of the staff members enjoyed it as much as the average rabid Nintendo fanboy, so obviously it isn't going to be a contender for THEIR staff picks for "Game of the Year". I swear, the internet astonishes me with the sheer amount of idiocy I find on it (especially on gaming sites. These are just the opinions of a select few individuals. If they didn't like Skyward Sword enough to give it "GOTY", who cares? Does that change how you feel about it? If it does, then make you're voice heard and vote for it in the fan poll (where it is quite popular). Honestly, I get so tired of seeing this and it really turns me away from gaming culture.

With that said, I'm glad to see a site give LA Noire a nomination. I feel most people went in expecting another GTA-inspired romp, but were turned off by the more adventure style gameplay (and because of this, the game seems to have built a pretty poor reputation among fans). I personally love the game and would probably make it my choice for "Game of the Year".

Posted: December 5, 2011 8:14 PM
NinjaManZecho

Skyrim!

Posted: December 5, 2011 8:13 PM
piratexzombiex

I think that with best writting Batman and Portal are very neck and neck. It will be intresting to see who wins.

Posted: December 5, 2011 8:12 PM
jediapprentice

How can Sesame street: once upon a monster be nominated at all when it was never reviewed, and how can Kirby: mass attack not be nominated for best handheld, but of course it was never reviewed. Three cheers for the laziest gaming website of all time, where they don't even do what their paid to do which is to review at least 99% of games that are released, and to educate gamers on what's happening in the industry. I can think of thousands of stories that other sites have reported on that this site doesn't even acknowledge. I will say G4 is not the worst gaming website or magazine but it is surely not the best far from it, their right in the middle which means they don't suck but their not good either.

Posted: December 5, 2011 8:11 PM
Kimahriman

Skyrim shouldn't win game of the year unless bathesda fixes at least the bugs that make the game unplayable within the next week.

Posted: December 5, 2011 8:09 PM
Hycoudog

I agree with Namikaze1, I just cannot understand how Zelda and Uncharted 3 are not in the Game of the Year category! Ya Saints Row was a amusing and entertaining game but it was certainly not the best game I have played this year, not even close. Worse than that is L.A. Noire, I expected great things from it but was graced with an overly mediocre game that became extremely repetitive after a few missions. I am offended that L.A. Noire has a game of the year nomination over Zelda and especially over Uncharted 3 (which I think is a front runner for the award between itself and Batman)

Posted: December 5, 2011 8:09 PM
Fizzy_Lamingo

Im only sad Dead Space 2 is ONLY nominated for sound design

Posted: December 5, 2011 8:06 PM
smashbrother4

This list lacks Skyward Sword, BF3, Ocarina of Time 3D, Uncharted 3, and Assassins Creed, which are all amazing.

Posted: December 5, 2011 8:06 PM