|
Best Story
Call of Duty: Black Ops
If the key ingredients to a good story are being memorable then Black Ops has that well covered. Reliving events while held hostage Mason comes to realize he may have been brainwashed and that’s when things start getting complicated. The story presentation of Black Ops is first rate.
Runners-up:
Bayonetta
Amnesia: The Dark Descent
Red Dead Redemption
|
|
Best Graphics (Art):
Mafia 2
Empire Bay looks fantastic whether you are gazing at the uniquely designed buildings or the dozens of detailed vehicles. Plenty of works was put into creating a vibrant looking and feeling city set over a few decades and it certainly paid off.
Runners-up:
Enslaved
Castlevania: Lords of Shadow
Darksiders
|
|
Best Graphics (Technical):
Metro 2033
Metro 2033 has a rich atmosphere crafted by a superb looking engine, pixel perfect shadows, volumetric lights, detailed ghastly creatures and very impressive textures and even some great looking desolate outdoor locations.
Runners-up:
God of War 3
Battlefield: Bad Company 2
Final Fantasy 13
|
|
Best Music (original composition)
Call of Duty: Black Ops
Consistent and powerful score composed by Sean Murray that elevated the heart rate to made some of the combat sequences incredibly exciting. One of the few soundtracks this year you’ll probably enjoy listening to outside the game.
Runners-up:
Castlevania: Lords of Shadow
Fallout: New Vegas
Heavy Rain
|
|
Best Audio/Sound design
Battlefield: Bad Company 2
The Frostbite engine certainly can produce some great destruction but its other wonderful strength is the unbelievable audio engine that produces deep sounds of explosions, bullets and incoming tank shells that is quite simply unmatched on the battlefield.
Runners-up:
Limbo
Halo Reach
Fallout: New Vegas
|
|
Best Voice Acting
GTA4: Episodes from Liberty City
Rockstar have always produced games with brilliant voice acting and Episodes from Liberty city is certainly no different. Featuring its fair share of funny and odd characters, the voice work is perfectly delivered.
Runners-up:
Fallout: New Vegas
Mass Effect 2
Alan Wake
|
|
Best Character
Red Dead Redemption - John Marston
As a married man and a father, Marston acts and reacts a certain way which may or may not always be the action taken by the player. This interesting dynamic of a character with more at stake than simply his own life makes taking the infamous road throughout the game as difficult and emotionally troubling as it should be.
Runners-up:
Call of Duty: Black Ops
Bioshock 2
Bayonetta
|
|
Best Atmosphere
Amnesia: The Dark Descent
The player is completely absorbed in Castle Brennenberg and must face fears some which can’t be seen but still pose a deadly threat. Great lighting effects and some clever use of sound make Amnesia an engrossing game no horror experience can match.
Runners-up:
Stalker: Call of Pripyat
Red Dead Redemption
Fallout: New Vegas
|
|
Best Singleplayer
Fallout: New Vegas
New Vegas brings back the great feelings from Fallout 3 with a wide expansive wasteland and hundreds of things to do. A new wasteland brings forth a whole range of interesting locations to discover and crazy people to meet. Deciding where to go and how to tackle your next objective is not something that will disappear when you stop playing either. With a huge and interesting world and hours worth of content, New Vegas is the best single player experience this year.
Runners-up:
Heavy Rain
Mass Effect 2
God of War 3
|
|
Best Multiplayer
Battlefield: Bad Company 2
Concentrated action and well balanced vehicles on some great looking and large destructive maps. Includes Rush and Conquest modes offering plenty of action for snipers, rushers and flankers alike. It's the most action-packed mutliplayer this year, with a focus on squad cooperation to boot.
Runners-up:
Starcraft 2
Call of Duty: Black Ops
Halo Reach
|
|
Best Gameplay
Battlefield: Bad Company 2
Is there anything quite like taking cover from a tank behind a building that creaks and slowly collapses to the ground leaving you vulnerable? Destruction changes the outcomes for the entire battlefield and it makes the action very dynamic.
Runners-up:
Amnesia: The Dark Descent
Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood
Heavy Rain
|