The nominees for this year’s Game Developers Choice Awards have been announced and, unsurprisingly, Middle-Earth: Shadow of Mordor leads the way with five nominations, including “Game of the Year.”
Shadow of Mordor will compete for the top prize with other four multi-category nominees including Alien: Isolation, Bayonetta 2, Destiny, and Hearthstone: Heroes of Warcraft. Believe it or not, the next-most-nominated game, The Vanishing of Ethan Carter, was actually shut out of the “Game of the Year” category. The Astronauts’ mystery title was nominated for “Best Narrative,” “Best Audio,” the “Innovation Award,” and “Best Debut.”
Alien: Isolation (“Best Visual Art” and “Best Audio”), Destiny (“Best Audio” and “Best Technology”), and Hearthstone: Heroes of Warcraft (“Best Design” and “Best Handheld/Mobile Game”) are each up for two additional awards while Bayonetta 2 is also up for “Best Visual Art.”
A complete list of the nominees for this year’s Game Developers Choice Awards can be found after the break. And be sure to check back for a look at the winners, which will be announced on March 4 during the Game Developers Conference.
[Source: GamesIndustry.biz]
Game of the Year
- Alien: Isolation (Creative Assembly/Sega)
- Bayonetta 2 (Platinum Games/Nintendo)
- Destiny (Bungie/Activision)
- Hearthstone: Heroes of Warcraft (Blizzard)
- Middle-Earth: Shadow of Mordor (Monolith Productions/Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment)
Honorable Mentions: Titanfall (Respawn/Electronic Arts), Valiant Hearts: The Great War (Ubisoft Montpellier/Ubisoft), Far Cry 4 (Ubisoft Montreal/Ubisoft), Dragon Age: Inquisition (BioWare/Electronic Arts), Super Smash Bros. for Wii U (Sora Ltd. and Bandai Namco/Nintendo)
Innovation Award
- Bounden (Game Oven)
- Middle-Earth: Shadow of Mordor (Monolith Productions/Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment)
- Monument Valley (Ustwo)
- This War of Mine (11 bit studios)
- The Vanishing of Ethan Carter (The Astronauts)
Honorable Mentions: Crypt of the Necrodancer (Brace Yourself Games), Extrasolar (Lazy 8 Studios), Elite: Dangerous (Frontier Developments), Elegy For A Dead World (Dejobaan Games), 80 Days (Inkle Studios)
Best Debut
- The Astronauts (The Vanishing of Ethan Carter)
- Respawn Entertainment (Titanfall)
- Stoic Studio (The Banner Saga)
- Upper One Games (Never Alone)
- Yacht Club Games (Shovel Knight)
Honorable Mentions: Dynamighty (CounterSpy), Hinterland Games (The Long Dark), 1337 & Senri (Leo’s Fortune), MachineGames (Wolfenstein: The New Order), Hipster Whale (Crossy Road)
Best Design
- Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker (Nintendo EAD Tokyo and 1-Up Studio/Nintendo)
- Dragon Age: Inquisition (BioWare/Electronic Arts)
- Hearthstone: Heroes of Warcraft (Blizzard)
- Middle-Earth: Shadow of Mordor (Monolith Productions/Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment)
- Shovel Knight (Yacht Club Games)
Honorable Mentions: Mario Kart 8 (Nintendo EAD Tokyo/Nintendo), Alien: Isolation (Creative Assembly/Sega), Destiny (Bungie/Activision), Monument Valley (Ustwo), Far Cry 4 (Ubisoft Montreal/Ubisoft)
Best Handheld/Mobile Game
- 80 Days (Inkle Studios)
- Hearthstone: Heroes of Warcraft (Blizzard)
- Monument Valley (Ustwo)
- Super Smash Bros. For 3DS (Sora Ltd. and Bandai Namco/Nintendo)
- Threes! (Sirvo)
Honorable Mentions: Bounden (Game Oven), Bravely Default (Silicon Studio and Square Enix/Nintendo and Square Enix), Desert Golfing (Blinkbat Games), Velocity 2X (FuturLab), Fantasy Life (Level-5/Nintendo)
Best Visual Art
- Alien: Isolation (Creative Assembly/Sega)
- Bayonetta 2 (Platinum Games/Nintendo)
- Child of Light (Ubisoft Montreal/Ubisoft)
- Hohokum (Honeyslug and Sony Santa Monica/Sony)
- Monument Valley (Ustwo)
Honorable Mentions: Never Alone (Upper One Games/E-Line Media), The Vanishing of Ethan Carter (The Astronauts), Transistor (Supergiant Games), Broken Age: Act 1 (Double Fine Productions), Destiny (Bungie/Activision)
Best Narrative
- 80 Days (Inkle Studios)
- Kentucky Route Zero: Episode 3 (Cardboard Computer)
- Middle-Earth: Shadow of Mordor (Monolith Productions/Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment)
- This War of Mine (11 bit studios)
- The Vanishing of Ethan Carter (The Astronauts)
Honorable Mentions: Dragon Age: Inquisition (BioWare/Electronic Arts), Valiant Hearts: The Great War (Ubisoft Montpellier/Ubisoft), Tales From The Borderlands: Episode 1 (Gearbox Software/Telltale Games), D4: Dark Dreams Don’t Die (Access Games/Microsoft), Hatoful Boyfriend (Mediatonic/Devolver Digital)
Best Audio
- Alien: Isolation (Creative Assembly/Sega)
- Destiny (Bungie/Activision)
- Hohokum (Honeyslug/Sony)
- Transistor (Supergiant Games)
- The Vanishing of Ethan Carter (The Astronauts)
Honorable Mentions: Child of Light (Ubisoft Montreal/Ubisoft), Far Cry 4 (Ubisoft Montreal/Ubisoft), D4: Dark Dreams Don’t Die (Access Games/Microsoft), Bayonetta 2 (Platinum Games/Nintendo), Crypt of the Necrodancer (Brace Yourself Games)
Best Technology
- Destiny (Bungie/Activision)
- Elite: Dangerous (Frontier Developments)
- Far Cry 4 (Ubisoft Montreal/Ubisoft)
- Middle-Earth: Shadow of Mordor (Monolith Productions/Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment)
- Wolfenstein: The New Order (MachineGames/Bethesda)
Honorable Mentions: Assassin’s Creed Unity (Ubisoft Montreal/Ubisoft), The Last of Us: Remastered (Naughty Dog/Sony), Sunset Overdrive (Insomniac Games/Microsoft), Alien: Isolation (Creative Assembly/Sega), Infamous: Second Son (Sucker Punch Productions/Sony)
