Game Critics Awards E3 2013 Nominees

The Game Critics Awards nominees are in for E3 2013, and Respawn Entertainment's new IP Titanfall has come away with a record 6 nominations. The full list of winners in each category will be announced on July 2nd.

Titanfall wasn't the only game to come away with a handful of nominations, though, as both Destiny and Watch Dogs were well represented thanks to the Game Critics Association. It's important to mention, however, that a few games that might have made best-of lists did not make the cut here because they were not playable.

That's one of the key distinctions in E3 voting — the game must be playable in some form or another. If the Game Critics can't prove that the demo is not a pre-rendered video, then it doesn't matter how much of a splash the game made on the show floor. So, bare that in mind when looking over the nominees:

Best of Show

- Destiny (Bungie/Activision)

- Oculus Rift HD (Oculus VR)

- PlayStation 4(Sony Computer Entertainment)

- Titanfall (Respawn Entertainment/Electronic Arts)

- Watch Dogs (Ubisoft)

Best Original Game

- Destiny (Bungie/Activision)

- Fantasia: Music Evolved (Harmonix/Disney Interactive)

- Rain (Japan Studio/Sony Computer Entertainment)

- Titanfall (Respawn Entertainment/Electronic Arts)

- Watch Dogs (Ubisoft)

Best Console Game

- Batman: Arkham Origins (WBIE Montreal/WBIE)

- Beyond: Two Souls (Quantic Dream/Sony Computer Entertainment)

- Destiny (Bungie/Activision)

- Infamous: Second Son (Sucker Punch/Sony Computer Entertainment)

- Titanfall (Respawn Entertainment/Electronic Arts)

- Watch Dogs (Ubisoft)

Best Handheld Game

- Batman: Arkham Origins Blackgate (Armature Studio/WBIE)

- Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney - Dual Destinies (Capcom/Capcom)

- Plants vs. Zombies 2 (Popcap/EA)

- Tearaway (Media Molecule/Sony Computer Entertainment)

- The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Two Worlds (Nintendo EAD/Nintendo)

Best PC Game

- Battlefield 4 (DICE/Electronic Arts)

- Company of Heroes 2 (Relic/Sega)

- The Elder Scrolls Online (Zenimax Online/Bethesda)

- Titanfall (Respawn Entertainment/Electronic Arts)

- Total War: Rome II (Creative Assembly/Sega)

Best Hardware

- Oculus Rift (Oculus VR)

- PlayStation 4 (Sony Computer Entertainment)

- Blade (Razr)

- Shield (Nvidia)

- Xbox One (Microsoft)

Best Action Game

- Battlefield 4 (DICE/Electronic Arts)

- Call of Duty Ghosts (Infinity Ward/Activision)

- Destiny (Bungie/Activision)

- Killzone: Shadow Fall (Guerilla Games/Sony Computer Entertainment)

- Titanfall (Respawn Entertainment/Electronic Arts)

Best Action/Adventure Game

- Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag (Ubisoft Montreal/Ubisoft)

- Batman: Arkham Origins (WBIE Montreal/WBIE)

- Bayonetta 2 (Platinum Games/Nintendo)

- Infamous: Second Son (Sucker Punch/Sony Computer Entertainment)

- Watch Dogs (Ubisoft Montreal/Ubisoft)

Best RPG

- Dark Souls II (FromSoftware/Namco-Bandai)

- The Elder Scrolls Online (Zenimax Online/Bethesda)

- Mario & Luigi: Dream Team (AlphaDream/Nintendo)

- Shin Megami Tensei IV (Atlus/Atlus)

- South Park: The Stick of Truth (Obsidian/Ubisoft)

Best Racing Game

- Forza 5 (Turn 10 Studio/Microsoft Studios)

- Gran Turismo 6 (Polyphony Digital/Sony Computer Entertainment)

- Mario Kart 8 (Nintendo EAD/Nintendo)

- Need for Speed: Rivals (Ghost Games/Electronic Arts)

- The Crew ( Ivory Tower/Ubisoft)

Best Sports Game

- FIFA 14 (EA Canada/EA Sports)

- NHL 14 (EA Canada/EA Sports)

- Madden NFL 25 (Tiburon/EA Sports)

- Pro Evolution Soccer 2014 (PES Productions/Konami)

Best Strategy Game

- Command and Conquer (Victory Games/Electronic Arts)

- Company of Heroes 2 (Relic/Sega)

- Pikmin 3 (Nintendo EAD/Nintendo)

- Total War: Rome II (Creative Assembly/Sega)

Best Social/Casual

- Disney Infinity (Avalanche/Disney Interactive)

- Fantasia: Music Evolved (Harmonix/Disney Interactive)

- LEGO Marvel Super Heroes (TT Games/WBIE)

- Plants vs. Zombies 2: It's About Time (Popcap/EA)

- Skylanders: Swap Force (Vicarious Visions/Activision)

- Project Spark (Team Daokta/Microsoft Studios)

Best Online Multiplayer

- Battlefield 4 (DICE/Electronic Arts)

- Destiny (Bungie/Activision)

- Titanfall (Respawn Entertainment/Electronic Arts)

- The Elder Scrolls Online (Zenimax Online/Bethesda)

- Watch Dogs (Ubisoft Montreal/Ubisoft)

Best Downloadable

- Contrast (Compulsion Games)

- Octodad: Dadliest Catch (Young Horses Inc)

- Outlast (Red Barrels)

- Rain (Japan Studio/Sony Computer Entertainment)

- Transistor (Supergiant Games)

Obviously the category that will get the most attention is 'Best in Show', which included two pieces of revolutionary hardware: the Oculus Rift HD and the PS4. These nominations in particular not only say a lot about the devices, but the quality of games on display.

Sure, there were plenty of titles that caught our eye, but not as many as in past years. And some that did catch our attention, like The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, The Division, and Metal Gear Solid 5 for example, were not playable.

Destiny Screen - Close Quarters Battle

Also, big props should go to rain, the indie title from Sony that is up against some heavy hitters like Destiny and Titanfall in the Best Original Game category. Sony certainly brought a strong Indie presence to the show floor and their press conference, and they are being justly recognized.

However, while indies were well represented at E3 2013, fighting and motion simulation games were not. As a result the GCA has decided to forgo those two categories. It's funny to think that two years ago motion controlled games littered the show floor, and now there weren't enough titles to even warrant a category.

Again, winners will be announced next Tuesday, at which time we will put out another post congratulating the lucky games.

What do you think of the Game Critics' choices for each category? What game was your 'Best in Show'?

-

Source: Game Critics Awards