This year’s BAFTA Game awards nominations are out, and for once its not all about Batman: Arkham City. Arkham City notched up an impressive 8 nominations, but so did LA Noire. Both are up for Artistic Achievement, Best Game, Design, Original Music, Performer and Story, but LA Noire also has a nod for Game Innovation. In total, some 48 titles have received nominations. Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception and LittleBigPlanet 2 each garner six nominations, Portal 2 and The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim follow with five and Deus Ex: Human Revolution with four.
New categories for 2011 include Debut Game, Online-Browser, Online-Multiplayer and Performer. The latter, which includes industry mainstays like Nolan North (Nathan Drake, Uncharted) and Mark Hamill (The Joker, Arkham City) also has a few mainstream actors and performers such as Mad Men's Aaron Stanton for LA Noire, Stephen Fry for LittleBigPlanet 2, and Extras and The Office writer Stephen Merchant for Portal 2.
Its a little disappointing that Minecraft, the indie sensation of the last year, only garners one nomination, in the publicly-voted GAME Award of 2011. That said, the rest of the nominees, like Arkham City, Battlefield 3, and Uncharted 3 are all Triple-A releases; an indy title getting a mention just shows how big Minecraft has become. Also, Bastion received 2 nominations, for Debut and Innovation, a justified nod to a game that is visually unique and beautiful. This year’s nominations for the BAFTA Ones To Watch Award in association with Dare to be Digital are Dreamweaver, Joust! and Tick Tock Toys.
While I'd still put my Bat-Bet on Arkham City in Best Game, the presence of LA Noire as a dark horse contender, not to mention Portal 2 and meme-spawning The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, means there could be an upset at the BAFTAs.
The Full List of nominees are:
Action
Assassin’s Creed Revelations
Batman: Arkham City
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3
Deus Ex: Human Revolution
Portal 2
Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception
Artistic Achievement
Batman: Arkham City
L.A. Noire
LitteBigPlanet 2
Raymans Origins
The Elder Scrolls V – Skyrim
Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception
Audio Achievement
Batman: Arkham City
Battlefield 3
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3
Dead Space 2
The Nightjar
Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception
Best Game
Batman: Arkham City
FIFA 2012
L.A. Noire
Portal 2
The Elder Scrolls V – Skyrim
The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword
Debut Game
Bastion
Eufloria
Insanely Twisted Shadow Planet
L.A. Noire
Monstermind
RIFT
Design
Batman: Arkham City
L.A. Noire
LittleBigPlanet 2
Portal 2
Super Mario 3D Land
The Elder Scrolls V - Skyrim
Family
Dance Central 2
Kinect Sports 2
LEGO Pirates of the Caribbean
LEGO Star Wars III: The Clone Wars
LittleBigPlanet 2
Mario Kart 7
Game Innovation
Bastion
Child of Eden
From Dust
L.A. Noire
LittleBigPlanet 2
The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword
Mobile & Handheld
Dead Space iOS
Magnetic Billiards: Blueprint
Peggle
Quarrel
Super Mario 3D Land
The Nightjar
Online – Browser
Gardens of Time
I Am Playr
Monstermind
Resistance 3
Skylanders: Spyro’s Adventure
The Sims Social
Online-Multiplayer
Assassin’s Creed: Revelations
Battlefield 3
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3
Dark Souls
Gears of War 3
LittleBigPlanet 2
Original Music
Assassin’s Creed: Revelations
Batman: Arkham City
Deus Ex: Human Revolution
L.A. Noire
The Elder Scrolls V – Skyrim
Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception
Performer
Aaron Stanton (Cole Phelps) – L.A. Noire
Mark Hamill (The Joker) – Batman: Arkham City
Nolan North (Nathan Drake) – Uncharted 3:
Drake’s Deception
Stephen Fry (Narrator) – LittleBigPlanet 2
Stephen Merchant (Wheatley) – Portal 2
Togo Igawa (Dipolomat, Advisor and Military General) – Total War: SHOGUN 2
Sports/Fitness
Dance Central 2
DiRT 3
Fl 2011
FIFA 2012
Kinect Sports 2
Your Shape Fitness Evolved 2012
Story
Batman: Arkham City
Deus Ex: Human Revolution
L.A. Noire
Portal 2
The Elder Scrolls V – Skyrim
Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception
Strategy
Dark Souls
Deus Ex: Human Revolution
Football Manager 2012
From Dust
Ghost Recon Shadow Wars
Total War: SHOGUN 2
BAFTA Ones to Watch Award in association with Dare to Be Digital
Dreamweaver
Joust!
Tick Tock Toys
GAME Award of 2011 (Public vote)
Batman: Arkham City
Battlefield 3
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3
FIFA 2012
L.A Noire
Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword
Minecraft
Portal 2
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
Uncharted 3: Drakes Deception
- Baz Nugent
