I didn’t realize that these were a properly official thing but a group of 30 gaming publications come together after E3 to give out official awards for games that are presented and playable at E3. I just thought that each publication did their own awards and they didn’t really mean anything. Okay, in reality, E3 awards don’t mean anything but they sure look great for marketing.

Anyway, if this year’s E3 awards mean anything, Titanfall is going to be an absolute blockbuster that makes Microsoft smart for locking it up as a console exclusive. That was about the only bright spot for Microsoft. When it came to first-party nominations, Sony racked up more than three times as many as Microsoft.

First, here are the nominees:

Best of Show
– Destiny (Bungie/Activision)
– Oculus Rift HD (Oculus VR)
– PlayStation 4(Sony Computer Entertainment)
– Titanfall (Respawn Entertainment/Electronic Arts)
– Watch Dogs (Ubisoft)

Best Original Game
– Destiny (Bungie/Activision)
– Fantasia: Music Evolved (Harmonix/Disney Interactive)
– Rain (Japan Studio/Sony Computer Entertainment)
– Titanfall (Respawn Entertainment/Electronic Arts)
– Watch Dogs (Ubisoft)

Best Console Game
– Batman: Arkham Origins (WBIE Montreal/WBIE)
– Beyond: Two Souls (Quantic Dream/Sony Computer Entertainment)
– Destiny (Bungie/Activision)
– Infamous: Second Son (Sucker Punch/Sony Computer Entertainment)
– Titanfall (Respawn Entertainment/Electronic Arts)
– Watch Dogs (Ubisoft)

Best Handheld Game
– Batman: Arkham Origins Blackgate (Armature Studio/WBIE)
– Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney – Dual Destinies (Capcom/Capcom)
– Plants vs. Zombies 2 (Popcap/EA)
– Tearaway (Media Molecule/Sony Computer Entertainment)
– The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Two Worlds (Nintendo EAD/Nintendo)

Best PC Game
– Battlefield 4 (DICE/Electronic Arts)
– Company of Heroes 2 (Relic/Sega)
– The Elder Scrolls Online (Zenimax Online/Bethesda)
– Titanfall (Respawn Entertainment/Electronic Arts)
– Total War: Rome II (Creative Assembly/Sega)

Best Hardware
– Oculus Rift (Oculus VR)
– PlayStation 4 (Sony Computer Entertainment)
– Blade (Razr)
– Shield (Nvidia)
– Xbox One (Microsoft)

Best Action Game
– Battlefield 4 (DICE/Electronic Arts)
– Call of Duty Ghosts (Infinity Ward/Activision)
– Destiny (Bungie/Activision)
– Killzone: Shadow Fall (Guerilla Games/Sony Computer Entertainment)
– Titanfall (Respawn Entertainment/Electronic Arts)

Best Action/Adventure Game
– Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag (Ubisoft Montreal/Ubisoft)
– Batman: Arkham Origins (WBIE Montreal/WBIE)
– Bayonetta 2 (Platinum Games/Nintendo)
– Infamous: Second Son (Sucker Punch/Sony Computer Entertainment)
– Watch Dogs (Ubisoft Montreal/Ubisoft)

Best RPG
– Dark Souls II (FromSoftware/Namco-Bandai)
– The Elder Scrolls Online (Zenimax Online/Bethesda)
– Mario & Luigi: Dream Team (AlphaDream/Nintendo)
– Shin Megami Tensei IV (Atlus/Atlus)
– South Park: The Stick of Truth (Obsidian/Ubisoft)

Best Racing Game
– Forza 5 (Turn 10 Studio/Microsoft Studios)
– Gran Turismo 6 (Polyphony Digital/Sony Computer Entertainment)
– Mario Kart 8 (Nintendo EAD/Nintendo)
– Need for Speed: Rivals (Ghost Games/Electronic Arts)
– The Crew ( Ivory Tower/Ubisoft)

Best Sports Game
– FIFA 14 (EA Canada/EA Sports)
– NHL 14 (EA Canada/EA Sports)
– Madden NFL 25 (Tiburon/EA Sports)
– Pro Evolution Soccer 2014 (PES Productions/Konami)

Best Strategy Game
– Command and Conquer (Victory Games/Electronic Arts)
– Company of Heroes 2 (Relic/Sega)
– Pikmin 3 (Nintendo EAD/Nintendo)
– Total War: Rome II (Creative Assembly/Sega)

Best Social/Casual
– Disney Infinity (Avalanche/Disney Interactive)
– Fantasia: Music Evolved (Harmonix/Disney Interactive)
– LEGO Marvel Super Heroes (TT Games/WBIE)
– Plants vs. Zombies 2: It’s About Time (Popcap/EA)
– Skylanders: Swap Force (Vicarious Visions/Activision)
– Project Spark (Team Daokta/Microsoft Studios)

Best Online Multiplayer
– Battlefield 4 (DICE/Electronic Arts)
– Destiny (Bungie/Activision)
– Titanfall (Respawn Entertainment/Electronic Arts)
– The Elder Scrolls Online (Zenimax Online/Bethesda)
– Watch Dogs (Ubisoft Montreal/Ubisoft)

Best Downloadable
– Contrast (Compulsion Games)
– Octodad: Dadliest Catch (Young Horses Inc)
– Outlast (Red Barrels)
– Rain (Japan Studio/Sony Computer Entertainment)
– Transistor (Supergiant Games)

As I quickly mentioned off the top, the awards are only given out to games playable by the press. That meant that three popular games from E3 weren’t eligible for nomination. Those were Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain, The Witcher III and The Division. I don’t know why they aren’t eligible for nomination. Didn’t Aliens: Colonial Marines show us that demos aren’t necessarily representative of the final product?

Admittedly, I’m slightly surprised that Titanfall was the big winner. I wasn’t particularly impressed but I don’t like shooters and especially first-person shooters. I was disappointed that Project Spark only got one nomination since that seemed like the most original game at the show, even if hindsight says that it’s what we can expect from the level creation tools in a next-gen LittleBigPlanet.

The winners will be announced on July 2nd.

Via: Game Critics Awards