There's nothing videogame publishers like more than their titles getting some awards which can then be listed on the back of the game box. Awards, whether they are handed out by industry bodies or by fans, are a good indication that a certain game is good enough to warrant a purchase, so publishers are especially interested in acquiring the Game of the Year status.

Future has just awarded the Golden Joystick Awards in the United Kingdom. Public votes, actually more than 850,000 of them, decided the winners, and, somewhat surprisingly, Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare has received most of them.

The game, created by Infinity Wars and published by Activision, was launched last year, in 2007, but the single player was engrossing enough and the multiplayer layered and repayable enough to make it a favorite well into 2008. At the Golden Joystick, it picked up: the All Nighter Award, PC Game of the Year, Online Game of the Year and Ultimate Game of the Year. Grand Theft Auto IV was praised as well, receiving Xbox Game of the Year and Soundtrack of the Year, with Rockstar voted as Developer of the Year.

Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock managed to be crowned Family Game of the Year, while Metal Gear Solid 4 is the High Definition PlayStation Game of the Year. Bejeweled 2 is the best mobile game and Super Smash Bros. was Nintendo Game of the Year. Fallout 3 is the game people should be looking out for as it launches while Call of Duty: World at War was also highlighted as one of the most expected titles this year.

The interesting thing is that the awards were dominated by sequels and franchise games. From Call of Duty to Guitar Hero, it seems that only games which are already somewhat known quantities have a chance at impressing both critics and the public.