Did you know that Spike had its very own video game award show last night? That’s right, the generically named “Video Game Awards” or VGAs. They’ve had ’em for a few years now. Did you actually watch? Me neither. But apparently this was a good time for several long-awaited titles to debut trailers, proving once again that all award shows are really just marketing events.
My favorite trailer was for Brutal Legend, the upcoming platformer/action game from the guys who made the fantastic Psychonauts. This title is poised to followup that last game’s greatness, plus its got the starpower of Jack Black behind it. I hope it’ll be a hit. This trailer doesn’t reveal much about actual gameplay, but the nun bit was funny.
The Uncharted 2 trailer was interesting, I think I’d be a fan of that franchise if I had a PS3. I can’t say much for God of War III, Fight Night Round 4, Terminator Salvation or the new GTA IV DLC, they’re exactly as expected. I probably won’t download that GTA content, I mean, what’s the point?
This brings us to the one everybody’s talking about, Dante’s Inferno. Obviously an incredibly odd choice for a game, those Dead Space guys have a lot to prove with this one. I think most people are just scratching their heads right now. At least Watchmen has fighting in it, although I still think that’s a really bad idea for a video game.
Oh, right, the award show. Here are the winners:
Game of the Year: Grand Theft Auto IV
Best Xbox 360 Game: Gears of War 2
Best PS3 Game: LittleBigPlanet
Best PC Game: Left 4 Dead
Best Wii Game: Boom Blox
Best Handheld Game: Professor Layton and the Curious VillageBest Individual Sports Game: Shaun White Snowboarding
Best Fighting Game: Soul Calibur IV
Best RPG: Fallout 3
Best Shooter: Gears of War 2
Best Team Sports Game: NHL 09
Best Action Adventure Game: Grand Theft Auto IV
Best Driving Game: Burnout Paradise
Best Music Game: Rock Band 2
Best Game Based on a Movie or TV Show: LEGO Indiana JonesStudio of the Year: Media Molecule
Best Multi-Player Game: Left 4 Dead
Best Independent Game: World of Goo
Big Name in the Game (Female): Jenny McCarthy
Big Name in the Game (Male): Kiefer Sutherland
Best Performance by a Human (Female): Debbie Mae West
Best Performance by a Human (Male): Michael Hollick
Best Original Score: Metal Gear Solid 4
Best Soundtrack: Rock Band 2
Best Graphics: Metal Gear Solid 4
Obviously not my choices, but you’ll get those when we do 2008 week (three weeks from now). My biggest complaint is their choice for best fighting game. Soul Calibur 4? No one bought that shit. Smash Bros. Brawl hands down deserves that.