Video Games Bafta Awards Coming Up

2007 is not over yet, but it's been a busy year for game publishers and developers as many great titles have hit the market and many more will come till 2008. Such a rich list of top games deserves a proper event and an award, the gaming version of BAFTA, the BAVGA (British Academy Video Games Awards), which will be held on October 23 2007. Gears of War received the most nominations, appearing in most categories, from "Best Game" to "Gameplay Technical Achievement" or "PC World Gamers Award".

Crackdown is also listed as a serious contender in many categories, while BioShock, Guitar Hero II, Wii Sports and a couple of other titles make up the "Best Game" nominees list. I'm betting on Final Fantasy XII to pick up the "Original Score" award, having God of War II and The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess as rivals. It seems that the Xbox 360 titles are more appreciated for their graphics, while the PS2 games are usually credited for their character design, storyline and soundtrack.

It surprised me to see that "The Simpsons Game" was also included on the "Story and Character" nominees list, having FF XII, Okami and Heavenly Sword as worthy opponents. The Technical achievement award will surely be picked up by some Xbox 360 title and God of War 2 is the only one that stands a chance, from the PS2's hit titles list. Halo 3 is not mentioned, leaving BioShock to take the crown for its graphics, atmosphere and gameplay system, but maybe we'll see Bungie's blockbuster receiving some original award in a category created especially for the famous trilogy.

Two trends are extremely easily noticeable by checking out the list of nominees: the Xbox 360 games are extremely popular and nobody cares much about sports games (except for Wii Sports, but that's more of a party game). Which is the best game of the year in your opinion?

The full list of BAVGA Award nominees can be seen here.