So, 2012 has come and gone. The year that was supposed to end the world is bidding us farewell, and with that we prepare ourselves for 2013. But now is the time when we start looking back on what sort of a year 2012 was- in every way, yes, but for now, we look at how it was when it comes to the one thing that matters so much to almost all of us- gaming.

2011 was an absolute cracker of a year, and we expected ’12 to be no less. It had some big names to boast of. But many of them disappointed. Many of them didn’t, and there were a few surprise hits, but ultimately, 2012 turned out to be more of a transitional year for the industry, and due to that, the quality of releases of 2010 and 2011 was lost.

But out of the entire lot that was released in these twelve months, there were a few games that stood out amongst the pack. Games that defined this year. There were a few big names that spring to mind- Far Cry 3, Halo 4, Mass Effect 4, Journey. And then there are others that were equally remarkable- Kid Icarus: Uprising. Hotline Miami. The Walking Dead. It wasn’t the best year in gaming, but it was a pretty good one.

But out of all those games, which ones managed to impress us the most? Which were the games that had the quality that made them worth these awards? This year, in our fourth annual Game of the Year awards, we have 56 categories looking at everything from genres to platforms to dubious honours to general categories. We’ve got pretty much everything covered.

The staff of GamingBolt together decided on the games we thought were the most worthy, and here are the final winners for you.

Do you agree with our choices? Tell us what games would be your personal favourites for this year in the comments section below.

Click on the winners’ names to read their reviews.

GENERAL AWARDS

TellTale

This category was a real surprise for us. At the beginning of the year, we could have bet any amount of money that developers such as Ubisoft Montreal, BioWare or 343 Industries would claim this award, but while they all made some truly outstanding games, it was Telltale that came up top with the surprisingly moving adventure called The Walking Dead. Not only did they make a great game, they released it in an excellent episodic format, priced it greatly, listened to their fans, and more or less revived the adventure genre. And for that, they deserve this award more than any other developer this year.

RUNNER UP- Arkane Studios

Ubisoft

With games like Assassin’s Creed 3, I Am Alive, Trials: Evolution, ZombiU and Far Cry 3 and ports such as Rayman Origin and Rocksmith all released in the same year under the banner of Ubisoft, we could not have given this award to any other publisher even if we wanted to.

RUNNER UP- 2K Games

Grand Theft Auto V

Ever since we saw the debut trailer for Grand Theft Auto V a year ago, we knew that whichever year the game did come out in, it’d overshadow all other releases. But considering the lineup we’ve got coming our way in the first half of 2013 itself, which looks like the best two quarters in gaming since 2011’s last two quarters, that’s a huge ask. But somehow, GTA 5 still manages to be our most anticipated game of 2013. We can’t wait to see how much Los Santos has changed since our visit back in 2004.

RUNNER UP- The Last of Us

 It was always going to be a toss-up between Halo, Call of Duty and the other odd multiplayer success for us, and surprisingly, both Halo and CoD made plenty of changes to the way they tackled online play. However, Halo 4 with its excellent maps, innovative weapons designs and addictive leveling system proved to be the best game in the category.

RUNNER UP- Call of Duty: Black Ops 2

There’s no joy equal to that of blowing shotguns in the faces of your enemies with your friend while you sit on the same couch and shout at the screen together. Borderlands 2 doubles that enjoyment, being the awesome game that it is as it is, and then adding co-op mayhem to that adventure. If you have two controllers and the game itself, playing co-op should not even be optional for you. Just go ahead and do it.

RUNNER UP- Syndicate

There was no real competition here, was there? Journey was just such a wonderful game- it’s beautiful style of storytelling without actually telling a story in the conventional sense, its wonderful visuals, its addictive gameplay, its absolutely amazing soundtrack. There’s more than just a few things to like about Journey. In fact, there’s too many of them to list.

RUNNER UP- Mark of the Ninja

This was a no-brainer (har!). Sure, it had some tough, fierce competitors in its way, but ultimately, we had to go with this wonderful experience. With its tense moments of zombie killing and poignant, silent ones with lovely, memorable characters, The Walking Dead tugged at more than one string in all our hearts, and will be remembered as not only the best downloadable game of the year, but one of the finest games of the generation.

RUNNER UP- Journey

You get to fly around the world atop a dragon! What more do you want? Dragon mounted combat? Well, you get that too, you greedy bastards.

RUNNER UP- Borderlands 2: Captain Scarlett and Her Pirate’s Booty

With the themes of sacrifice, love and camaraderie spearheading the emotional charge that was Mass Effect 3, the story turned out to be a thrilling and oftentimes unpredictable experience. Keeping all the galactic and personal issues that have developed over the last two games in play while keeping the focus on the fight against Reapers was expertly handled, and moments pivotal to both, characters and entire races altogether were ingeniously written.

RUNNER UP- The Walking Dead

This was a tough one for us, since there have been plenty of games with excellent writing this year, but Telltale’s The Walking Dead ultimately took the cake. The characters were wonderfully written, and the story was an enthralling one, set in an atmospheric world. And the silent moments between Lee and Clem or Lee and Kenny or Lee and Ben were just excellent.

RUNNER UP- Mass Effect 3

With games like Garrus Vakarian, Mordin Solus, Liara T’Soni and Tali Zorah all in the same cast, you cannot really even think about handing this particular award out to any other game. Supporting characters like Joker and EDI and Admiral Anderson were just as captivating and likeable as the main cast. You felt happy when they laughed, and mourned when they were lost. The character cast of Mass Effect 3 was truly an unforgettable one.

RUNNER UP- The Walking Dead

Vaas (Far Cry 3)

Right from the moment we first saw Vaas in the trailers themselves, we were hooked. Everything about him was unique. Right from his unhinged rants about insanity to his macabre  tendencies, he captivated us all and didn’t let go until the end. He was real, an actual character, and of the best antagonists in recent years across across all forms of storytelling.

RUNNER UP- Haytham Kenway (Assassin’s Creed 3)

Commander Shepard (Mass Effect 3)

No competition. Commander Shepard was the high point in Mass Effect 3- him and his emotional journey and him coming to terms with his losses and the losses of the entire galaxy. It wasn’t really a personal story on face value, Mass Effect 3. But it was. It really was. And Shepard’s blend of badassery and kind-heartedness made him the perfect character to carry this riveting tale to its end.

RUNNER UP- Max Payne (Max Payne 3)

The world of Far Cry 3 is beautiful, there’s no doubt about that. From the lighting to the particle effects to the animations to the attention paid by the devs to the tiny little detail, the visuals of Far Cry 3 are so technically proficient, sometimes they border on photorealism. And when you’re gliding over the islands and beholding the sun setting on the horizon, you’ll start agreeing with us if you don’t already.

RUNNER UP- Hitman: Absolution

There was no competition in this category, as far as we are concerned. Journey is just such a beautiful game, with its impeccable lighting, beautiful and desolate world that will actually bring tears to your eyes. It may not be set in space or an expansive island, but it’s still is one of the most beautiful games to have been released this year.

RUNNER UP- Assassin’s Creed 3

Whether you’re on Earth, trying to get a scared boy out of an air duct so you can help him or on the Krogan home planet of Tuchanka, fighting hordes of Reaper forces with friendlies and foes shooting at each other everywhere while the entire world gets blown to bits, the music in Mass Effect 3 is always with you, punctuating the action and poignant moments of the story and the gameplay perfectly.

RUNNER UP- Journey

The hum of the engine, the roar of the leopard, the thumb of a fist, the swish of a blade, the drumming of a machine gun- Far Cry 3 hits all the sweet spots when it comes to the sound effects. Go swimming, go hiking, go skydiving, and you’ll hear Brody’s panting. Get shot at, you hear his grunts. It’s really something, and adds a great deal to the experience.

RUNNER UP- Mass Effect 3

Best Voice Acting

Be in Grunt’s guttural yet friendly voice, or Miranda’s sexy, understated character, or Liara’s calm and composed manner or Garrus’ oh-so-cool behavior, the voice actors of Mass Effect 3 convey the emotional high and lows of the characters across a striking variety with indisputable quality. The lip syncing and facial animations do the voice work justice, and at the end of the day, you actually feel like you’re speaking to all those crewmates.

We’ll bang, okay?

RUNNER UP- Far Cry 3

This award’s value is twofold this year, considering how horrible endgames have been in videogames in the past twelve months. The Walking Dead really has only one ending, but the way the emotional and breathtaking journey comes to an end just tears away at your heart. It leaves a few doors open for the players to keep playing the guessing game, and yet gives enough closure- personally and in the larger scheme of things- for it to feel like a complete experience.

RUNNER UP- Dear Esther

The Walking Dead is known to be a pretty atmospheric franchise, but not in the video game genre. We never expected the game to grab hold of us the way it did, and that was largely due to how well it portrayed the world created by Robert Kirkman, and how you felt the fear of other survivors, the horror of the walkers and the isolation of the world in yourself as much as you did in the game.

RUNNER UP- Journey

With characters like Handsome Jack and Claptrap and the excellent, witty writers at Gearbox writing them all coming together to back Borderlands 2, it was pretty much clear to everyone that it would be a hilarious game. Right from the excellent, cracking dialogue to the downright absurd missions (shoot this guy in the face), Borderlands 2 just never let up on the laughing gas.

RUNNER UP- Kid Icarus: Uprising

With games getting more and more streamlined and “casualized” now, games that actually challenge you are a rarity, but surprisingly enough, we got a few of them this year. I Am Alive, with its unique mechanics and blend of genres was the one that came across as the most difficult of them all, sometimes even getting a bit unfair towards the player. All things said, I Am Alive balanced it difficulty pretty well, for the most part, and hence deserves to win this category.

RUNNER UP- ZombiU

Let’s face it- the past few years have been all about the sequels. Some franchises have gotten revivals, but we’ve rarely seen notable new franchises in months. We got to see a few this year, and it was Dishonored that impressed up and got us excited about its potential and what the future might hold for it.

RUNNER UP- Dragon’s Dogma

Far Cry 2 was, in many ways, a disappointment, compared to the original, so of course, after its announcement, people were initially a big cautious of whether or not to get hyped for Far Cry 3. However, the first person shooter improved on its predecessors on so many ways, and turned a previously enjoyable yet flawed game into an unforgettable experience.

RUNNER UP- Mass Effect 3

Dark Souls: Prepare to Die Edition

With boss fights becoming rarer and rarer in video games these days, we cherish the ones we get even more, especially when they’re as high quality as the ones in Dark Souls. Even though it was released last year, we did get to experience Dark Souls on the PC in 2012, and the boss fights were as enjoyable as ever. Of course, there wasn’t much competition in this particular category, other than a few notable games, but that doesn’t, in any way possible, undermine the great boss fights of Dark Souls.

RUNNER UP- Kid Icarus: Uprising

Mass Effect 3

You often forget while playing Mass Effect 3 that the cutscenes are even going on- they feel so organic, and as a result, you may end up going a full 30 minutes just picking dialogue choices, without doing any shooting, and realize that you still had as much fun as you would shooting the reapers. The cutscenes are so completely capable of delivering a range of emotions and thrilling stories, it’s ridiculous.

RUNNER UP- Far Cry 3

Shepard is being held, relieved of his duty for killing 50,000 Batarians when an entire freaking fleet of Reapers just emerges out of the skies and starts wreaking havoc everywhere. You see dreadnoughts exploding and sending shockwaves everywhere like Lord of the Rings, and little children trying to escape but sadly not being able to make it out alive. The first twenty minutes of Mass Effect 3 are the perfect mixture of emotional and action-packed storytelling that represents the entire game.

RUNNER UP- Far Cry 3

It’s an MMO, of course it was going to win! Well, not exactly. Sure, Guild Wars 2 offers content that could keep you coming back to it for well over 500 years, no exaggeration. But the thing that makes it so much of a worthy winner in this category is this- you don’t have to pay a monthly subscription- just buy the game and enjoy its awesomeness forever.

RUNNER UP- FIFA 13

Rarely do strategy games come our way that get it right on consoles and the PC, both, but XCOM: Enemy Unknown did it with flying colours. It’s combat, awesome strategy mechanics and the multiplayer all came together to deliver an addictive experience that could keep you hooked for months, if not years.

RUNNER UP- Far Cry 3

Assassin’s Creed 3- Haytham’s Revelation

Without giving away any spoilers- you all know which part I’m talking about. Charles Lee’s induction. There they are, doing stuff that makes us think they’re dome some other stuff, and for reasons that may or may not be the ones we’re under the impression of, but then BAM- the induction. They’re what, now?!

RUNNER UP- The Walking Dead- Ending

A game based on a comic book about zombies? No way! It cannot get the feeling and the atmosphere of the comics right. And it’s zombies. And it’s being developed by Telltale. It’ll be a half-decent game about killing drooling freaks. Well, you know what? We were all wrong. The Walking Dead turned out to be a dream game for any fan of the series- and others- and became the most emotionally riveting experience to have come out of the industry in some time.

RUNNER UP- Spec Ops: The Line

Platform Awards | Dubious Honors | Game of the Year

Go over to the next page for the Platform Awards

]]> https://gamingbolt.com/gamingbolts-4th-annual-game-of-the-year-awards/feed 3 129792 https://gamingbolt.com/game-of-the-year-2012-here-are-the-winners-from-various-publications https://gamingbolt.com/game-of-the-year-2012-here-are-the-winners-from-various-publications#comments Sun, 23 Dec 2012 12:59:53 +0000 http://gamingbolt.com/?p=129060 Ah, Game of the Year. No other award inspires as much controversy, vitriol, fanboyism and hatred (the Oscars? What are those?). Game of the Year is the pinnacle, the prime degree of awesomeness, the proof in the pudding, and the most prestigious award any single title could achieve. Sure, sales are important and catering to the fan’s expectations and paying your dues and hustle, loyalty and that other stuff, but Game of the Year. It stays with you and puts you in hallowed company. Half Life. Uncharted 2. The Legend of Zelda: The Ocarina of Time. Halo. Any game that can stand in the company of these legends is a big deal indeed.

This year was pretty interesting when it came to games, as not only did we see a fair amount of innovation but a bevy of returning titles and franchises which succeeded their predecessors. However, it’s easy to see which game stood out the most: Telltale Games’ The Walking Dead.

Awarded Game of the Year at the Spike Video Game Awards 2012, The Walking Dead was also chosen by Yahoo! which called it “the most captivating video game experience of 2012”; Wired, which stated that it was “the game that defined 2012. There was nothing else this year like it. I don’t think there’s ever been anything like it at all”; VentureBeat, which said, “what it lacks in technical polish it more than makes up for in emotional, stress-inducing storytelling”;
and Destructoid which said, “If you haven’t played it yet, you’re really missing out on something great”. They’re not the first to say as much, and they won’t be the last.

From there, it was a competition for second place and two games have tied for now: thatvideogamecompany’s Journey and Bioware’s Mass Effect 3. Game Informer and The Globe and Mail sided with Bioware’s epic while IGN and Entertainment Weekly side with thatvideogamecompany. The venerable EDGE decided to stay aloof and vote for the short but nonetheless stellar Dishonored from Arkane Studios.

Stay tuned for our GamingBolt’s Game of the Year Awards 2012 to find out our topic picks for the title of year!

(Special thanks to NeoGAF)

Best Remake/Re-release

Nominations:

• Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary
• The Sly Collection
• Metal Gear Solid HD Collection
• The Ico & Shadow of the Colossus Collection
• Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell Collection

WINNER

Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary

Best Licensed Game

Nominations:

• WWE’ 12
• Batman: Arkham City
• FIFA 12

WINNER

Batman: Arkham City

Most ‘value for money’

Nominations:

• The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
• Saints Row: The Third
• The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword
• Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3

WINNER

The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim

Best MMO Game

Nominations:

• Rift
• Earthrise
• DC Universe Online

WINNER

Rift

Most Addictive Game

Nominations:

• Deus Ex: Human Revolution
• The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
• Pokemon Black/White
• Battlefield 3
• Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3

WINNER

Deus Ex: Human Revolution

Best Free To Play Game

Nominations:

• Team Fortress
• DC Universe Online
• Farmville

WINNER

Team Fortress

Best Trailer of the Year

Nominations:

• Dead Island Announcement Trailer
• Skyrim- Extended Director’s Cut
• Mass Effect 3- War for Earth Trailer
• Dragon Age II- Destiny Extended Trailer

WINNER

Dead Island Announcement Trailer

Best Intro

Nominations:

• Gears of War 3
• Resistance 3
• Deus Ex: Human Revolution
• Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception

WINNER

Gears of War 3

Funniest Game

Nominations:

Portal 2

Best Ending

Nominations:

• Gears of War 3
• Deus Ex: Human Revolution
• L.A. Noire
• Assassin’s Creed: Revelations

WINNER

Assassin’s Creed: Revelations

Most Disappointing Game

Nominations:

• Homefront
• Dragon Age II
• Crysis 2
• Brink

WINNER

Brink

Best Cutscenes

Nominations:

• Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception
• Gears of War 3
• Batman: Arkham City
• Resistance 3

WINNER

Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception

Best Textures

Nominations:

• Crysis 2
• Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception
• Battlefield 3

WINNER

Crysis 2

Best Motion Capture

Nominations:

• L.A. Noire
• Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception
• Gears of War 3

WINNER

L.A. Noire

Best Story

Nominations:

• Deus Ex: Human Revolution
• Gears of War 3
• Batman: Arkham City
• Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception
• Assassin’s Creed: Revelations

WINNER

Assassin’s Creed: Revelations

Best Voice Acting

Nominations:

• L.A. Noire
• Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception
• Gears of War 3
• Assassin’s Creed: Revelations

WINNER

Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception

Best Soundtrack

Nominations: 

• Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception
• The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword
• Battlefield 3
• Deus Ex: Human Revolution
• The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim

WINNER

The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword

Best Graphics

Nominations:

• The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
• Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception
• Rage
• Battlefield 3
• Crysis 2
• Gears of War 3

WINNER

Crysis 2

Best thing to happen in 2011 for video games

Nominations:

• The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim gets released
• Wii U’s Announcement
• PSV Announcement
• Battlefield 3 versus Call of Duty Modern Warfare 3

WINNER

The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim

Best Publisher

Nominations:

• EA
• Sony
• Ubisoft
• Paradox Interactive

WINNER

EA

Best Developer

Nominations:

• Naughty Dog
• Epic Games
• Bethesda Game Studios
• Eidos Montreal
• DICE

WINNER

Epic Games

Most Difficult Game

Nominations:

• Dark Souls
• Deus Ex: Human Revolution
• The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D

WINNER

Dark Souls

Best Boss Fights

Nominations: 

• Gears of War 3: Final Boss Fight With Myrrah
• The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword
• Batman: Arkham City
• Pokemon Black/White

WINNER

The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword

Most Memorable Moment

Nominations:

• Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception- Plane Crash
• The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim- Fus Roh Dah
• Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3- Eiffel Tower Falls
• Gears of War 3: The End Of Dom

WINNER

Gears of War 3- The End Of Dom

Best Beta

Nominations:

• Gears of War 3
• Battlefield 3
• Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception
• Star Wars: The Old Republic

WINNER

Gears of War 3

Best Environment/Art

Nominations:

• The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
• Assassin’s Creed: Revelations
• Killzone 3
• The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword

WINNER

Assassin’s Creed: Revelations

Best DLC

Nominations:

• Fallout: New Vegas- Old World Blues
• Magicka- Vietnam
• Deus Ex: Human Revolution- Missing Link

WINNER

Magicka- Vietnam

Worst Game of the Year

Nominations: 

• Mindjack
• Brink
• Duke Nukem Forever
• Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows- Part 2

WINNER

Duke Nukem Forever

Most Underrated Game

Nominations:

Resistance 3

Best Couple/Duo

Nominations:

• Portal 2 Robots (Portal 2)
• Dom and Marcus (Gearts of War 3)
• Sully And Drake (Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception)
• Link and Zelda (The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword)

WINNER

Sully And Drake (Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception)

Best Antagonist Female

Nominations:

Glados (Portal 2)

Best Antagonist Male

Nominations:

The Joker (Batman: Arkham City)

Best Protagonist Female

Nominations:

• Elena Fisher (Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception)
• Anya Stroud (Gears of War 3)
• Zelda (The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword)

WINNER

Elena Fisher (Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception)

Best Protagonist Male

Nominations:

• Nathan Drake (Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception)
• Adam Jensen (Deus Ex: Human Revolution)
• Dragonborn (The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim)
• Marcus Fenix (Gears of War 3)
• Captain Price (Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3)

WINNER

Adam Jensen (Deus Ex: Human Revolution)

Best Sequel

Nominations:

• Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception
• Resistance 3
• Gears of War 3
• The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
• Deus Ex: Human Revolution

WINNER

Deus Ex: Human Revolution

Best Fighting Game

Nominations:

Mortal Kombat

Best Rhythm/Music Game

Nominations:

• Dance Central 2
• Child of Eden
• Rocksmith
• Michael Jackson The Experience
• Just Dance 3

WINNER

Child of Eden

Best Survival Horror Game

Nominations:

• Dead Space 2
• Amnesia: Dark Descent
• Dead Space Extraction
• Dead Island

WINNER

Amnesia: Dark Descent

]]> https://gamingbolt.com/game-of-the-year-2011-nominations-and-winners/feed 20 59185 https://gamingbolt.com/game-of-the-year-2010-and-the-most-anticipated-game-of-2011-nominations-are https://gamingbolt.com/game-of-the-year-2010-and-the-most-anticipated-game-of-2011-nominations-are#comments Thu, 09 Dec 2010 17:46:17 +0000 http://gamingbolt.com/?p=16206 Folks, it’s time again to vote for your favourite games of the year. This time we have close to 60 categories and there are tons of deserving games that have been nominated. So without any further delays, I present to you GamingBolt’s 2^nd annual Game of the Year Nominations!

Note: Please click the links below to see the Nominations!

Best Sequel, Best Protagonist: Male, Best Antagonist: Male, Best Protagonist: Female, Best Antagonist: Female, Best Couple/Duo

Most Underachieved Game, Most Overachieved Game, Most Underrated Game, Most Overrated Game, Worst Game of the Year, Best Innovation of the Year

Best Downloadable Content, Best Environments/Art, Best Beta, Most Memorable Moment, Best Boss Fights, Most Difficult Game

Best Role Playing Game, Best First Person Shooter, Best Third Person Shooter, Best Action/Adventure Game, Best Sports Game, Best Racing Game

Best Open Sandbox Game, Best Survival Horror Game, Best Rhythm/Music Game, Best Multiplayer Game, Best Platformer, Best Strategy Game

Best Fighting Game, Best Indie Game, Best Developer, Best Publisher, Best Thing to Happen in 2010 for Video Games

Best Graphics, Best Sound, Best Voice Acting, Best Story, Best Cutscenes, Best Motion Capture, Best Lip Sync

PlayStation 3 Game of the Year, Xbox 360 Game of the Year, PSP Game of the Year,

PC Game of the Year, Wii Game of the Year, DS Game of the Year, Multiplatform Game of the Year,

Best PSN Game, Best XBL Game, Best Wiiware, Best Move Game, Best Kinect Game

Game of the Year 2010, Most Anticipated Game of 2011

• PlayStation Heroes Skin Pack
• Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune Multiplayer Pack
• Un charted 2 Siege Expansion Pack
• Currency Multiplier which grants Double XP up to level 10 in Multiplayer
• Golden Guns option for the AK-47 and the 92FS 9mm pistol for use in Multiplayer
• Early access to “Revenge” Booster – you still have to purchase it with in-game cash!
• Uncharted: Eye of Indra – Motion Comic Bundle (which includes Episodes 1-4)
• Uncharted: Eye of Indra – Rika Raja and Daniel Pinkerton Character Skins
• Uncharted 2: Among Thieves – Avatar Pack 1
• Uncharted 2: Among Thieves – Avatar Pack 2
• Uncharted Avatar Pack 3
• Uncharted Avatar Pack 4
• Pinball Heroes – Uncharted for the PSP

Check out the trailer for the GOTY edition below:

There have been some awfully close ones, and some incredible white-washes, so, with no further ado, I present to you YOUR Game Of the Year Awards.

Game of the Year

Uncharted 2 won by over 160 votes in a landslide!

Best Shooter

Perhaps surprisingly, Killzone 2 easily stole the trophy from Modern Warfare 2.

Best Action Adventure Game

Uncharted 2 takes the biscuit yet again.

Best Strategy Game

Empire Total War won easily.

Best Sports Game

Fifa 10 scraped past MLB 09 The Show.

Best Role Playing Game

Demon's Souls beat out Dragon Age Origins by a solid 40 votes.

Best Racing Game

Forza 3 reflected our Editor's Choice as Racing GOTY.

Best Fighting Game

That's a KO for Street Fighter 4.

Best New Male Protagonist

The 'InFamous' Cole McGrath.

Best New Female Protagonist

Chloe Frazer starred in Uncharted 2.

Best Story

Uncharted 2, with all its glitz and glamourous Hollywood plot wost voted top in the polls.

Best Visuals

Well waddya' know? Uncharted reigns top dog!

Best Voice Acting

Naughty Dog, at this point I would like to remind you that bribing our voters is not acceptable.

Best Cutscenes

Well look what we have here. Uncharted 2!

Biggest Flop

It was a close thing, competing with AC: Bloodlines, but we always knew Stormrise was crap.

Best Developer

Naughty Dog, quite rightfully, took top spot, with only Rocksteady attemping an opposition.

Best Handheld Game

Little Big Planet a comfortable 28 votes clear of FF: Dissidia.

Best Console Game

Look who's back...back again....

Best PC Game

A comfortable win for the folks behind Empire Total War.

Best PSN/XBLA Game

Flower secures No.1 position.

Biggest ‘Oh Snap’ Moment

Now this is gettings silly. Even the GB editors didn't give UC2 this many awards...And if you are wondering what part of the game won, it's the whole game. Yeah.

Best DLC

The Ballad of Gay Tony.

Best Sequel

In the words of our very own Chris Vogt, 'You can't say you didn't see this coming''.

Most Underacheived Game

Ninga Gaiden Sigma 2 had potential. 'Had.'

Best Original Score

That makes No 11.

Best Soundtrack

Brutal Ledgend narrowly beat The Beatles Rock Band.

Best Multiplayer

In a surprising turnaround at the polls, Modern Warfare 2 was beaten by, yep, you guessed it, Uncharted 2.

Well that just about wraps it up for the Community GOTY awards. And what an award ceremony it has been. We at GB thank everyone who voted.

Now, I think I know which game to play next!

Game of the Year:

Uncharted 2

Best Shooter:

Killzone 2

Best Action Adventure Game:

Uncharted 2

Best Strategy Game:

Empire Total War

Best Sports Game:

Fifa 10

Best Role-Playing Game:

Dragon Age Origins

Best Racing Game:

Forza 3

Best Fighting Game:

Tekken 6

Best New Male Protagonist:

Cole McGrath

Best New Female Protagonist:

Chloe Frazer

Best Story/Plot:

Uncharted 2

Best Visuals:

Uncharted 2

Best Voice Acting:

Uncharted 2...I'm detecting a recurring theme here

Best Cutscenes:

Ok so maybe we liked Uncharted 2...a lot

Biggest Flop:

Stormrise, you can't tell me you expected Uncharted 2 again

Best Developer:

Were you expecting someone else?

Best Handheld Game:

Final Fantasy Dissidia

Best Console Game (Console Exclusive):

...

Best PC Game (PC Exclusive):

Empire Total War

Best PSN/XBLA Game:

Battlefield 1943

Biggest “Oh Snap!” Moment of 2009:

Modern Warfare 2 Sells 7 Million Worldwide Day 1

Best DLC:

Grand Theft Auto IV The Ballad of Gay Tony

Best Sequel:

You can't say you didn't see this coming

Most Underachieved Game:

Halo Wars

Best Original Score:

Demigod

Best Soundtrack:

DJ Hero

Best Multiplayer Game:

Modern Warfare 2

Well that’s all for the Editor’s Choice winners. Remember to keep voting for your favorites in the user voting. Polls close on December 30th and User’s Choice winners will be announced on December 31st, the perfect way to close out the year. As always keep it here on Gaming Bolt!

2009 was a great year for gaming and we already have our own people choice for the Game of the Year running. There are hardly a few days remaining for 2009 and 2010 will be upon us in no time. I know it’s very early to predict what will be the Game of the Year for 2010, But here are eight very strong candidates that may be crowned Game of the Year in 2010.
Note: A probability meter is mentioned in the article for each game, which indicates the chances of the game winning. Also this list might not have mentioned your favorite game, but you can always list that in the comments below.

God of War 3

Probability: 9/10

God of War franchise has to be one of the major and the biggest franchises out there. The hype of third part of the game is at an all time high. I doubt that you people should have any complain by seeing this game on top of our list. Kratos’s actions are brutal like ripping off heads or tearing a Mortar apart, this game will have tons of blood and action. Through this game the developers will finally explain why the Greek mythology ended. We just can’t wait for this game.

Heavy Rain

Probability: 8/10

From what we’ve seen so far, this game looks phenomenal and unique in every way. Quantic Dream has been very careful about keeping the story secret. Even though it is a single-player game, watching the events unfold is just as intense and exciting for an audience. All the news regarding latest developments it is evident that the game developing process in running very smoothly and everything is right on track. Being a major PS3 exclusive Heavy Rain promises to deliver on its expectations and that coming from the developers of Quantic Dream’s background we are confident too.

Halo Reach

Probability: 7/10

Halo. The word is so special. Whenever or wherever it gets mentioned it gets accolades and achievements. The last release, ODST was a stellar of a game, and against what many people say that it’s just an expansion, it wasn’t, but the truth is ODST managed to better Halo 3. Halo: Reach is a prequel to Halo that takes place during the Battle of Reach.

Dead Space 2

Probability: 6/10

Ok, so we all knew Dead Space 2 was coming there just hasn’t been any official word yet. Just rumors for the sequel release. Well Xbox 360 World magazine has a teaser for its next issue which will be out December 22nd. The teaser shows the character you played in the first Dead Space (Isaac) with a big number 2 next him. If the sequel can create the same magic as Dead Space than I see no reason in seeing this game as a major contender for the Game of the Year award.

Gran Turismo 5

Probability: 6/10

Announced way back in E3 2005, Gran Turismo 5 is going to be awesome, but having said that game will be carrying huge expectations since the game has undergone a huge development cycle. If the final product is somewhat similar to what we had in GT PSP than it will be unfortunate, but we hope that it won’t be the case when the game hits in 2010.

Mass Effect 2

Probability: 9/10

Commander Shepard returns for the sequel to the 2007 Xbox 360 hit: Mass Effect. According to the developers, Shepard is on a suicide mission in the game. Expect some major game play changes like automatic regeneration of health, better weapon and inventory management and many fluid animations. This is one major game for the Xbox 360 in 2010.

BioShock 2

Probability: 8/10

Bioshock 2 will take place ten years after the original Bioshock and players will assume the role of a Big Daddy. If the sequel can be anything closer to what the original achieved, than we will be in for a major treat. The real beauty of the original lied in the way that the game allowed the customization of the weapons, the amount of plasmids you can use, plus you can use the environment to your advantage. We will see how this will pan out and is one of the major games to hit 2010.

The Last Guardian

Probability: 6/10

Team ICO has a pedigree of great PlayStation 2 games like Shadow of the Colossus and ICO so going by that The Last Guardian should not be anything less than stellar. The developers at Team ICO are hard at work for the last four years and when 2010 hits that should make it five years. Early trailers indicate a small boy riding a griffin like creature. Judging by that we can see a lot of platforming sections and puzzles that the previous two games were known for.

Welcome to the First Annual Gaming Bolt Game of the Year awards. Here you can see our nominees for all of our 27 different categories (along with a handy Hit or Miss rating for the likelihood of winning from the editors perspective). So lets get right to it guys.

Note: Voting closes on 31st December 2009.

Click on various categories below to vote for the games.

Game of the Year & Best Shooter

Best Action Adeventure & Best Strategy Game

Best Sports Game & Best Role Playing Game

Best Racing Game & Best Fighting

Best New Male Protagonist & Best New Female Protagonist

Best Story/Plot & Best Visuals

Best Voice Acting & Best Cutscenes

Biggest Flop of 2009 & Best Developer

Best Handheld Game & Best Console Game

Best PC Game & Best PSN/XBLA Game

Best OH! Snape Moment of 2009 & Best DLC

Best Sequel & Most Under Achieved Game

Best Original Score & Best Sound Track & Best Multiplayer Game