Game Critics Nominate the Best of E3

Or a handy check-list of games you should buy over the coming year.

The annual Electronic Entertainment Expo is three days of sensory overload. Over a thousands games are shown at the event, more than any mere mortal could sift through to find the good stuff, and yet somehow the judges of the Game Critics Awards have done just that.

Gears of War leads the way with 5 nominations

The full list of nominees (see below) is a sign of the health of video games. New is in, apparently, and the newer the better. No surprise then that most of the nominees are for games on not only the first next-gen console, the Xbox 360, but also for others coming later this year and beyond on the PlayStation 3 and the Wii.

Things are looking particularly good for Nintendo, which has secured 14 nominees - both on DS and Wii. EA's place at the top of the publishing pile is present in full force, but Microsoft and Sony aren't far behind in the nomination count.

It's also encouraging to see original ideas rewarded; the list is surprisingly devoid of sequels and licensed games, and many of the games are system-exclusive too.

The winners will be announced by the end of May. Below is the full list of nominations for the Best of E3:

Best of Show
• Assassin's Creed (PS3)
• BioShock (PC, Xbox 360)
• Gears of War (Xbox 360)
• Spore (PC)
• Wii (Nintendo)

Best Original Game
• Assassin's Creed (PS3)
• BioShock (PC, Xbox 360)
• Gears of War (Xbox 360)
• LocoRoco (PSP)
• Spore (PC)
• Wii Sports (Wii)

Best PC Game
• Crysis (PC)
• Enemy Territory: Quake Wars (PC)
• Hellgate: London (PC)
• Supreme Commander (PC)
• Spore (PC)

Best Console Game
• Assassin's Creed (PS3)
• BioShock (PC, Xbox 360)
• Gears of War (Xbox 360)
• Mass Effect (Xbox 360)
• Super Mario Galaxy (Wii)

Best Handheld Game
• Elite Beat Agents (DS)
• Killzone: Liberation (PSP)
• LocoRoco (PSP)
• Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops (PSP)
• The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass (DS)

Best Hardware
• DS Lite (Nintendo)
• Logitech G25 Racing Wheel (Logitech)
• PlayStation 3 (Sony)
• Wii (Nintendo)
• Xbox 360 Wireless Headset (Microsoft)

Best Action Game
• Crysis (PC)
• Enemy Territory: Quake Wars (PC)
• Gears of War (Xbox 360)
• Lost Planet: Extreme Condition (Xbox 360)
• Resistance: Fall of Man (PS3)

Best Action/Adventure Game
• Assassin's Creed (PS3)
• BioShock (PC, Xbox 360)
• God of War 2 (PS2)
• Super Mario Galaxy (Wii)
• The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess (GameCube, Wii)

Best Fighting Game
• Heavenly Sword (PS3)
• Mortal Kombat: Armageddon (PS2, Xbox)
• Tekken: Dark Resurrection (PSP)
• Virtua Fighter 5 (Arcade, PS3)
• WWE SmackDown! Vs. RAW 2007 (Xbox 360, PS3, PS2, PSP)

Best Role-Playing Game
• Final Fantasy XII (PS2)
• Hellgate: London (PC)
• Mass Effect (Xbox 360)
• Neverwinter Nights 2 (PC)
• World of Warcraft: The Burning Crusade (PC)

Best Racing Game
• Excite Truck (Wii)
• Formula One 06 (PS3)
• Gran Turismo HD (PS3)
• MotoGP 06 (Xbox 360)
• Test Drive Unlimited (Xbox 360, PC, PS2, PSP)

Best Simulation Game
• Microsoft Flight Simulator X (PC)
• Sid Meier's Railroads! (PC)
• Spore (PC)
• The Movies: Stunts And Effects (PC)
• Wii Music Orchestra (Wii)

Best Sports Game
• Madden NFL 07 (PS3, Xbox 360)
• Madden NFL 07 (Wii)
• NBA 2K7 (Xbox 360)
• NCAA Football 07 (Xbox 360, PS2, Xbox, PSP)
• Wii Sports (Wii)

Best Strategy Game
• Company of Heroes (PC)
• Lord of The Rings, The Battle For Middle-Earth II (Xbox 360)
• Medieval 2: Total War (PC)
• Supreme Commander (PC)
• World In Conflict (PC)

Best Puzzle/Trivia/Parlour Game
• Elite Beat Agents (DS)
• Guitar Hero 2 (PS2)
• LocoRoco (PSP)
• Lumines II (PSP)
• WarioWare: Smooth Moves (Wii)

Best Online Multiplayer Game
• Battlefield 2142 (PC)
• Enemy Territory: Quake Wars (PC)
• Gears of War (Xbox 360)
• Huxley (PC, Xbox 360)
• World of Warcraft: The Burning Crusade (PC)

Alex Wollenschlaeger
Editor, Kikizo Games