Spike VGA's Out, Surprisingly are not Bullsh*t

[northeast rower]

So for the last few years the VGA's have been ridiculed for some absurd award decisions (Megan Fox for Best Female Performance? Really?) and nominations (like Nathan Fillion for Halo: Reach when he was there for all of five minutes).

However, this year it looks like the nominations and awards make sense. While there are obviously some that will be contested by the fans, the nominations and awards look solid, as well as one really good practice that I like.

Take, for instance, the Game of the Year: Skyrim. Obviously. However, look through the individual console GOTY's and you'll see Skyrim nowhere. That's because it has already won and giving it the awards for individual console would just be repetitive. I like that.

The trailers were also pretty friggin' sweet. The standout is "The Last of Us", but "Hitman: Absolution" and "Fortnite" put up a pretty good fight. A few of them annoyed me, though: "Bioshock: Infinites" is basically just a recut of already-published footage and Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance just looks... ugh.

Links below, but one thing annoyed me: have we all forgotten that Dead Space 2 came out this year? I mean, that was a pretty damn good game and it's not even in any of the nominations.

Awards: http://www.spike.com/events/video-game-awards-2011-nominees/voting/game-of-the-year

Trailers: http://www.spike.com/events/video-game-awards-2011/world-premiere-trailers/9bqhmn

 

[Naal]

I was really happy with the outcome of this years winners. All of them were great in their own way, and loved throughout the gaming community. The host was very entertaining, too.

 

[Berithil]

Well, its nice to see them leaving the vein of mtv type awards programs. I'm glad that they didn't have the repetitive "let's give one popular game all the awards it qualifies for" like these types of award programs tend to do

 

[tippy2k2]

Was the show itself any good? I no longer have cable but the one time I did watch it...the horror...the horror....

It was just so very bad. If Neil Patrick Harris can't save you, you were dead on arrival.

Even with the presentation, the entire award categories didn't really make much sense here. Why is Batman a 360 contender (the PS3 category had nothing but PS3 exclusives)? I suppose the rest of my complains would be subjective (No Witcher 2 RPG nomination?). The VGA's may one day be a respectable award but they've got quite the uphill battle because of their actions in the past and it might be a battle that they just can't win.

 

[ankensam]

im glad to see bastion won a fair number of awards

 

[Sethzard]

I'm glad that what won won, although I would have preferred it if bastion won best indi game.

 

[DustyDrB]

I watched the first hour or so last night, and the program as a whole wasn't bad. There were a few things ("make your speech short or we'll teabag you!", giving the mic to a random troll from Youtube, the cheesy effect of "putting the characters on stage"), but Zachary Levi did a good job. It wasn't the usual affair I'd expect from Spike, at least.

 

[Encentrik]

I think the main complaint I had with this years VGAs was they forgot the A in VGAs. Only 5 developers went on stage to accept awards and they spit out 15 awards in a matter of seconds, including Best Male Voice Actors, Best Female Voice Actor, Best Action/Adventure, Best XBLA game etc.

The point of an award show is for the viewers to see the movies they voted for (or simply want to win) actually win and accept their award onstage. The entire show was mainly skits that contributed nothing to the show; I love Felicia Day but damn it, those skits were pointless. Zachary Levi tried his hardest to make the show funny but he had nothing to work out; last years VGAs took a step forward with Neil Patrick Harris as the host and the virtual reality segments but they still had a lot to work on but this year they just took 5 steps back due to the sheer stupidity of what was going on.

The only reason people watch the VGAs is for the trailers, that's mainly it; they forgot that an award show is about the awards. Also they obviously were biased because they tea-bagged anyone who went over the limit but they let the last two developers continue to talk with no problem while the others received at most 30 seconds to talk. I was severely disappointed and all I was really there for was the trailers.

 

[Tallim]

Dark Souls didn't win best RPG.

Bullshit!

My exact thoughts when I saw that category :/ Skyrim as GOTY is utter rubbish as well.

 

[JohnDoey]

I really don't think Skyrim deserved GOTY because of the numerous issues some people are having and some other niggling problems, but the rest of the show was good.

 

[D0WNT0WN]

The VGAs were bad, really really bad.

They make people who play games look like a bunch of immature children.

Also 15 awards jammed into 2 minutes and then 4 minutes of cupcake eating, the VGAs are a fucking joke.

 

[Radeonx]

Eh. They are still not nearly as good as the Inside Gaming Awards.

 

[Filiecs]

The Witcher 2 didn't win anything? Dang, that was a damn fine game.

 

[kebab4you]

ha? Are you nut? Dead Space 2 as GOTY? But it failed, so hard.

I'm still questioning if I should watch it since I was foolish enough to watch it last year, and oh my...

 

[Gmans uncle]

My message to the VGAs game of the year comity...
ARE YOU FORGETTING SOMETHING?!?!?!

 

[LarenzoAOG]

Spike is bad, really really bad.

It makes anyone who watches it look like a bunch of immature children and to be fair at least 10% of said people are.

Also 15 awards jammed into 2 minutes and then 4 minutes of cupcake eating, Spike is a fucking joke.

Fixed that for you, but honestly what did you expect from a television station that dares to ask such profound questions as "How many tits does it take to screw in a light bulb?" and shows as well made and clever as 1000 Ways to Die and MANswers?

 

[The-Epicly-Named-Man]

The issue many of us raised with the nominations wasn't that they were stupid (you expect that from any award show), but that they have such a narrow view of the industry. Every game nominated is always triple-A and has already won a million awards every bloody gaming mag editor and their mum. What about the indies? Hell, what about the genuinely brilliant games non-independent devs churn out despite the best efforts of publishers? But no, let's give Halo 9 the award for "most original game" or whatever the f*ck.

 

[Jubbert]

When I need someone else to tell me which of the games I played and enjoyed were better than others, I'll ask them.

Especially if I have to sit through more random "HURR I LIEK VIDYAGAEMS AND I WILL PROVE IT BY MAKING REFERENCES WHENEVER I CAN" than actual awards.