Game Critics Announce Best Of E3 2006 Nominees

The group of 37 publications voting for the Game Critics Awards: Best of E3 2006 have completed their fine selection of nominees for the best games and hardware showed at this year's E3 2006, comprising 54 products from 20 different publishers. The most nominated game is Epic's Gears of War on the Xbox 360, although overall Nintendo's games received a total of 13 nominations. Other, less nominated publishers, include Electronic Arts (11 nominations), Sony Computer Entertainment (10), Microsoft (9), Take Two Interactive (6), THQ (5), Activision and Ubisoft (4 each), Namco Bandai and Vivendi Games (3 each), and finally Atari and Sega (2 each). Below is the complete list of games nominated for each category, as well as the Best Hardware selection:

Best of Show

- Assassin's Creed (PS3 - Ubisoft)

- Bioshock (PC, Xbox 360 - Irrational Games/2K Games)

- Gears of War (Xbox 360 - Epic Games/Microsoft)

- Spore (PC - Electronic Arts)

- Wii (Nintendo)

Best Original Game

- Assassin's Creed (PS3 - Ubisoft)

- Bioshock (PC, Xbox 360 - Irrational Games/2K Games)

- Gears of War (Xbox 360 - Epic Games/Microsoft)

- LocoRoco (PSP - Sony Computer Entertainment)

- Spore (PC - Electronic Arts)

- Wii Sports (Wii - Nintendo)

Best PC Game

- Crysis (PC - Crytek/Electronic Arts)

- Enemy Territory: Quake Wars (PC - Splash Damage/id/Activision)

- Hellgate: London (PC - Flagship Studios/Namco Bandai)

- Supreme Commander (PC - Gas Powered Games/THQ)

- Spore (PC - Electronic Arts)

Best Console Game

- Assassin's Creed (PS3 - Ubisoft)

- Bioshock (PC, Xbox 360 - Irrational Games/2K Games)

- Gears of War (Xbox 360 - Epic Games/Microsoft)

- Mass Effect (Xbox 360 - BioWare/Microsoft)

- Super Mario Galaxy (Wii - Nintendo)

Best Handheld Game

- Elite Beat Agents (Nintendo DS - Inis/Nintendo)

- Killzone: Liberation (PSP - Guerrilla/Sony Computer Entertainment)

- LocoRoco (PSP - Sony Computer Entertainment)

- Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops (PSP - Kojima Productions/Konami)

- The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass (Nintendo DS - Nintendo)

Best Hardware

- DS Lite (Nintendo)

- Logitech G25 Racing Wheel (PC - Logitech)

- PlayStation 3 (Sony Computer Entertainment)

- Wii (Nintendo)

- Xbox 360 Wireless Headset (Xbox 360 - Microsoft)

Best Action Game

- Crysis (PC - Crytek/Electronic Arts)

- Enemy Territory: Quake Wars (PC - Splash Damage/id/Activision)

- Gears of War (Xbox 360 - Epic Games/Microsoft)

- Lost Planet: Extreme Condition (Xbox 360 - Capcom)

- Resistance: Fall of Man (PS3 - Insomniac/Sony Computer Entertainment)

Best Action/Adventure Game

- Assassin's Creed (PS3 - Ubisoft)

- Bioshock (PC, Xbox 360 - Irrational Games/2K Games)

- God of War 2 (PS2 - Sony Computer Entertainment)

- Super Mario Galaxy (Wii - Nintendo)

- The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess (GameCube, Wii - Nintendo)

Best Fighting Game

- Heavenly Sword (PS3 - Ninja Theory/Sony Computer Entertainment)

- Mortal Kombat: Armageddon (PS2/Xbox - Midway Games)

- Tekken: Dark Resurrection (PSP - Namco Bandai)

- Virtua Fighter 5 (Arcade, PS3 - Sega)

- WWE SmackDown! vs. RAW 2007 (PS2, PS3, PSP, Xbox 360 - Yuke's/THQ)

Best Role Playing Game

- Final Fantasy XII (PS2 - Square Enix)

- Hellgate: London (PC - Flagship Studios/Namco Bandai)

- Mass Effect (Xbox 360 - BioWare/Microsoft)

- Neverwinter Nights 2 (PC - Obsidian/Atari)

- World of Warcraft: The Burning Crusade (PC - Blizzard)

Best Racing Game

- Excite Truck (Wii - Nintendo)

- Formula One 06 (PS3 - Studio Liverpool/Sony Computer Entertainment)

- Gran Turismo HD (PS3 - Polyphony Digital/Sony Computer Entertainment)

- MotoGP 06 (Xbox 360 - Climax/THQ)

- Test Drive Unlimited (PC, PS2, PSP, Xbox 360 - Eden Studios/Atari)

Best Simulation Game

- Microsoft Flight Simulator X (PC - Microsoft)

- Sid Meier's Railroads! (PC - Firaxis Games/2K Games)

- Spore (PC - Electronic Arts)

- The Movies: Stunts and Effects (PC - Lionhead Studios/Activision)

- Wii Music Orchestra (Wii - Nintendo)

Best Sports Game

- Madden NFL 07 (PS3, Xbox 360 - Electronic Arts)

- Madden NFL 07 (Wii - Electronic Arts)

- NBA 2K7 (Xbox 360 - Visual Concepts/2K Sports)

- NCAA Football 07 (PS2, PSP, Xbox, Xbox 360 - Electronic Arts)

- Wii Sports (Wii - Nintendo)

Best Strategy Game

- Company of Heroes (PC - Relic/THQ)

- Lord of the Rings: The Battle for Middle Earth II (Xbox 360 - EA)

- Medieval 2: Total War (PC - Creative Assembly/Sega)

- Supreme Commander (PC - Gas Powered Games/THQ)

- World in Conflict (PC - Massive Entertainment/Sierra)

Best Puzzle/Trivia/Parlor Game

- Elite Beat Agents (Nintendo DS - Inis/Nintendo)

- Guitar Hero 2 (PS2 - Harmonix/Red Octane)

- LocoRoco (PSP - Sony Computer Entertainment)

- Lumines II (PSP - Q Entertainment/Buena Vista Games)

- WarioWare: Smooth Moves (Wii - Nintendo)

Best Online Multiplayer Game

- Battlefield 2142 (PC - Digital Illusions/Electronic Arts)

- Enemy Territory: Quake Wars (PC - Splash Damage/id/Activision)

- Gears of War (Xbox 360 - Epic Games/Microsoft)

- Huxley (PC, Xbox 360 - Webzen)

- World of Warcraft: The Burning Crusade (PC - Blizzard)

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