The Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences have announced the nominees for this year’s DICE Awards and, just like the GDC Awards, Middle-Earth: Shadow of Mordor is leading the pack. Monolith’s expansion of Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings garnered nine nominations including “Outstanding Achievement in Animation,” “Outstanding Achievement in Game Design,” “Outstanding Achievement in Game Direction,” “Outstanding Achievement in Story,” “Outstanding Innovation in Gaming,” “Outstanding Technical Achievement,” “Outstanding Character,” “Adventure Game of the Year,” and “Game of the Year.”
Shadow of Mordor will be competing against four games for the top prize. Rounding out the category are Bungie’s Destiny, BioWare’s Dragon Age: Inquisition, Ubisoft’s Far Cry 4, and Blizzard’s Hearthstone: Heroes of Warcraft. All told, 56 games received a nomination in at least one category.
This year’s DICE Awards have added a new category to the festivities, the DICE Sprite Award, in an attempt to recognize work done by smaller studios. The Banner Saga, Hohokum, Monument Valley, Threes!, and Transistor will be competing for the inaugural DICE Sprite Award, which honors “innovative gameplay and experiences.”
The full list of nominees can be found after the break and don’t forget to tune in to Twitch.TV on Thursday, February 5 at 7:00 PM (Eastern Time) to find out the winners.
Game of the Year
- Destiny
- Dragon Age: Inquisition
- Far Cry 4
- Hearthstone: Heroes of Warcraft
- Middle-Earth: Shadow of Mordor
Handheld Game of the Year
- Bravely Default
- Child of Light
- Shovel Knight
- Super Smash Bros. For 3DS
- Theatrhythm Final Fantasy: Curtain Call
Mobile Game of the Year
- 80 Days
- Hearthstone: Heroes of Warcraft
- Kingdom Rush Origins
- Monument Valley
- Threes!
Outstanding Achievement in Animation
- Assassin’s Creed: Unity
- InFamous: Second Son
- Middle-Earth: Shadow of Mordor
- Sunset Overdrive
- Titanfall
Outstanding Achievement in Art Direction
- Assassin’s Creed: Unity
- Monument Valley
- Sunset Overdrive
- Valiant Hearts: The Great War
- The Vanishing of Ethan Carter
Outstanding Achievement in Game Design
- Dungeon of the Endless
- Far Cry 4
- Hearthstone: Heroes of Warcraft
- Middle-Earth: Shadow of Mordor
- Titanfall
Outstanding Achievement in Game Direction
- Lumino City
- Middle-Earth: Shadow of Mordor
- Monument Valley
- Never Alone
- The Vanishing of Ethan Carter
Outstanding Achievement in Online Gameplay
- Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare
- Destiny
- Elite: Dangerous
- Hearthstone: Heroes of Warcraft
- World of Tanks: Xbox 360 Edition
Outstanding Achievement in Original Music Composition
- Destiny
- Far Cry 4
- Lara Croft and the Temple of Osiris
- The Vanishing of Ethan Carter
- Transistor
Outstanding Achievement in Sound Design
- Assassin’s Creed: Unity
- Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare
- Destiny
- Far Cry 4
- Valiant Hearts: The Great War
Outstanding Achievement in Story
- Middle-Earth: Shadow of Mordor
- South Park: The Stick of Truth
- The War of Mine
- Valiant Hearts: The Great War
- The Wolf Among Us
Outstanding Innovation in Gaming
- Destiny
- Hearthstone: Heroes of Warcraft
- Middle-Earth: Shadow of Mordor
- Monument Valley
- Project Spark
Outstanding Technical Achievement
- Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare
- Far Cry 4
- InFamous: Second Son
- Middle-Earth: Shadow of Mordor
- Sunset Overdrive
Outstanding Character
- Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare (Jonathan Irons)
- Far Cry 4 (Pagan Min)
- InFamous: First Light (Abigail “Fetch” Walker)
- InFamous: Second Son (Delsin Rowe)
- Middle-Earth: Shadow of Mordor (Talion)
DICE Sprite Award
- The Banner Saga
- Hohokum
- Monument Valley
- Threes!
- Transistor
Action Game of the Year
- Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare
- Destiny
- Far Cry 4
- Titanfall
- Wolfenstein: The New Order
Adventure Game of the Year
- InFamous: Second Son
- Middle-Earth: Shadow of Mordor
- Valiant Hearts: The Great War
- The Vanishing of Ethan Carter
- The Wolf Among Us
Family Game of the Year
- Disney Infinity: Marvel Super Heroes
- Lego Batman 3: Beyond Gotham
- LittleBigPlanet 3
- Project Spark
- Skylanders Trap Team
Fighting Game of the Year
- Guilty Gear Xrd Sign
- Nidhogg
- Super Smash Bros. For Wii U
- Ultra Street Fighter IV
Racing Game of the Year
- Forza Horizon 2
- Mario Kart 8
- The Crew
Role-Playing/Massively Multiplayer Game of the Year
- The Banner Saga
- Bravely Default
- Divinity: Original Sin
- Dragon Age: Inquisition
- World of Warcraft: Warlords of Draenor
Sports Game of the Year
- FIFA 15
- Madden NFL 15
- MLB 14: The Show
- NBA 2K15
Strategy/Simulation Game of the Year
- Boom Beach
- Civilization: Beyond Earth
- Dungeon of the Endless
- Endless Legend
- Hearthstone: Heroes of Warcraft
