Uncharted 3 leads AIAS 2011 award nominations
We've already told you what our favorite games of 2011 are, but the Academy of Interactive Arts and Sciences apparently needed a bit more time to ruminate on the matter. The final awards will be given at the annual DICE summit in Las Vegas on February 9, giving us all tons of time to pressure the AIAS into giving Rayman Origins the awards for Outstanding Animation and Outstanding Art Direction.
Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception is the belle of the ball this year, with a total of 12 nominations across several categories. Other notable titles include Portal 2 (10 nominations) L.A. Noire (9 nominations), Bastion (3 nominations), and Battlefield 3 (6 nominations). 2010's top game from the AIAS was Mass Effect 2, which walked away with awards in the RPG and storytelling categories.
Jay Mohr will be hosting again -- here's his monologue from last year -- and the entire show will be streamed online through GameSpot, starting at 7:30pm PT/10:30pm ET. Or you could buy a plane ticket and fly to Vegas, hoping to somehow sneak in. We wouldn't suggest that, though, as your time and money can be better spent petitioning for Rayman Origins.
Hit the jump for the full list of this year's nominees.
Outstanding Achievement in Original Music Composition
L.A. Noire
LittleBigPlanet 2
Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception
InFamous 2
Portal 2
Outstanding Achievement in Sound Design
Battlefield 3
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3
L.A. Noire
Need For Speed: The Run
Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception
Outstanding Achievement in Story
Bastion
L.A. Noire
Portal 2
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception
Outstanding Character Performance
Deus Ex: Human Revolution (Adam Jensen)
L.A. Noire (Cole Phelps)
Portal 2 (Wheatley)
Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception (Nathan Drake)
Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception (Victor Sullivan)
Downloadable Game of the Year
Bastion
Drawn: Trail of Shadows
Insanely Twisted Shadow Planet
Ms. Splosion Man
Orcs Must Die!
Casual Game of the Year
Fruit Ninja Kinect
Tiny Wings
Jetpack Joyride
Monsters Ate My Condo
Where's My Water?
Social Networking Game of the Year
Army Attack
CastleVille
Gardens of Time
The Sims Social
Triple Town
Role-Playing/Massively Multiplayer Game of the Year
Dark Souls
Deus Ex: Human Revolution
Star Wars: The Old Republic
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings
Outstanding Innovation in Gaming
Bastion
L.A. Noire
Portal 2
Skylanders Spyro's Adventure
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
Sports Game of the Year
FIFA 12
Madden NFL 12
MLB 11 The Show
NBA 2K12
NBA Jam: On Fire Edition
Racing Game of the Year
Forza Motorsport 4
Mario Kart 7
Real Racing 2 HD
Fighting Game of the Year
Fight Night Champion
King of Fighters XIII
Mortal Kombat
Super Street Fighter 4: 3D Edition
Ultimate Marvel vs Capcom 3
Strategy/Simulation Game of the Year
Iron Brigade
Orcs Must Die!
Total War: Shogun II
Toy Soldiers: Cold War
Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War II - Retribution
Family Game of the Year
Dance Central 2
Just Dance 3
Kinect Disneyland Adventure
LittleBigPlanet 2
Skylanders Spyro's Adventure
Mobile Game of the Year
Contre Jour
Dead Space
Infinity Blade II
Tentacles
The Dark Meadow
Handheld Game of the Year
Ghost Trick: Phantom Detective
Kirby Mass Attack
Mario Kart 7
Professor Layton and the Last Specter
Super Mario 3D Land
Adventure Game of the Year
Batman: Arkham City
L.A. Noire
Portal 2
The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword
Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception
Outstanding Achievement in Online Game Play
Battlefield 3
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3
Gears of War 3
LittleBigPlanet 2
Star Wars: The Old Republic
Outstanding Achievement in Connectivity
Battlefield 3
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3
Dragon Age II
Portal 2
Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception
Action Game of the Year
Battlefield 3
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3
Dead Space 2
Gears of War 3
Saints Row: The Third
Outstanding Achievement in Animation
Assassin's Creed: Revelations
Batman: Arkham City
L.A. Noire
Rayman Origins
Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception
Outstanding Achievement in Art Direction
Batman: Arkham City
Battlefield 3
Portal 2
Rayman Origins
Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception
Outstanding Achievement in Visual Engineering
Battlefield 3
Crysis 2
L.A. Noire
RAGE
Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception
Outstanding Achievement in Game Play Engineering
Batman: Arkham City
Portal 2
Skylanders Spyro's Adventure
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword
Outstanding Achievement in Game Direction
Batman: Arkham City
L.A. Noire
Portal 2
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception
Game of the Year
Batman: Arkham City
Portal 2
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword
Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception