Call of Duty 4,
Grand Theft Auto IV and
Fable II lead this year's field of nominees for this year’s British Academy Video Games Awards.
The gala ceremony, to be hosted by Irish comedian Dara O’Briain, will also see
Pong creator Nolan Bushnell
inducted into the BAFTA Fellowship.
Organized by BAFTA (British Academy of Film and Television Arts), the awards had been criticized in previous years for including too many games not yet released when nominated. As a result, the
2008 event was canceled and rescheduled from late autumn to March 10th in London.
In most other respects, this year’s awards are run in the same manner as before, with 14 categories voted on by British games journalists and industry figures. This includes the One To Watch new talent award, organized in association with Dare to be Digital. The additional GAME Award of 2008 is the only category voted on by members of the public.
The full list of nominees is as follows:
ACTION & ADVENTURE
Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare
Dead Space
Fable II
Grand Theft Auto IV
Prince of Persia
Tomb Raider: Underworld
ARTISTIC ACHIEVEMENT
Assassin's Creed
Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare
Dead Space
Gears of War 2
LittleBigPlanet
Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots
BEST GAME
Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare
Fable II
Fallout 3
Grand Theft Auto IV
Rock Band
Super Mario Galaxy
CASUAL
Boom Blox
Buzz! Quiz TV
Guitar Hero: World Tour
LittleBigPlanet
SingStar Vol. 2
Wii Fit
GAMEPLAY
Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare
Grand Theft Auto IV
Left 4 Dead
Mario Kart Wii
Rock Band
Super Mario Galaxy
HANDHELD
Geometry Wars: Galaxies
God of War: Chains of the Olympus
The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass
Patapon
Professor Layton and the Curious Village
Soul Bubbles
MULTIPLAYER
Buzz! Quiz TV
Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare
Gears of War 2
Left 4 Dead
Mario Kart Wii
Rock Band
ORIGINAL SCORE
Assassin's Creed
Dead Space
Fable II
Fallout 3
LittleBigPlanet
Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots
SPORTS
FIFA 09
Football Manager 2009
Motorstorm: Pacific Rift
Pure
Race Driver: GRID
Wii Fit
STRATEGY
Advance Wars: Dark Conflict (aka
Advance Wars: Days of Ruin)
Command & Conquer: Red Alert 3
Ninjatown
Sid Meier's Civilization Revolution
SOCOM: U.S. Navy Seals - Tactical Strike
Viva Pinata: Pocket Paradise
STORY AND CHARACTER
Assassin's Creed
Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare
Fable II
Fallout 3
Grand Theft Auto IV
Mass Effect
TECHNICAL ACHIEVEMENT
Assassin's Creed
Fable II
Fallout 3
Grand Theft Auto IV
LittleBigPlanet
Spore
USE OF AUDIO
Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare
Dead Space
Gears of War 2
Grand Theft Auto IV
LittleBigPlanet
Super Mario Galaxy
BAFTA ONE'S TO WATCH AWARD
Boro-Toro
Origamee
VegeMe
GAME Award of 2008
Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare
Fallout 3
Gears of War 2
Grand Theft Auto IV
Guitar Hero: World Tour
Left 4 Dead
LittleBigPlanet
Professor Layton and the Curious Village
Wii Fit
World of WarCraft: Wrath of the Lich King 
