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Pocket Gamer predicts winners of BAFTA games awards

Yes, the BAVGAs are coming... on TV later this month, announced later this week, our verdict now!

Pocket Gamer predicts winners of BAFTA games awards
By Chris James
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N-Gage + DS + Game Boy ...

Whilst the British film industry is rarely accused of being in rude health, the same cannot be said for games development in this sceptred isle, which continues to go from strength to strength.

Hardly surprising then that BAFTA is so keen to bring the digital creative arts under its wing with a plush dedicated awards ceremony, which will be all the more glitzy thanks to television coverage from Channel 4.

Although the special one hour TV show (hosted by loveable northern whippersnapper Vernon Kay) won't be broadcast on E4 till the October 17th (and then on Channel 4 the following Sunday), the awards themselves will be thrust into deserving palms on Thursday this week in a ceremony to take place at the Roundhouse in Chalk Farm, London.

Like their film and TV comrades, the BAFTA video games awards are selected by a crack committee of industry experts and designed to celebrate the very best in digital creativity, as well as setting a benchmark for excellence. Well, that's what the press release says anyway. We'll be a little closer to knowing if these realistic goals can be fulfilled when we see who actually wins.

No less than 17 categories are being contested: we've listed the runners and riders are below, along with the respective publisher and developer and links to the game were relevant (the number of handheld entrants is decidedly notable with the likes of Loco Roco and Brain Training featuring prominently), and for a bit of fun we've prediced who'll win.

(You'll notice too that mobile games aren't featured – an oversight we personally intend to correct by next year!)

Innovation

Pocket Gamer predicts: Strong field but Dr Kawashima's BRAIN TRAINING: How Old Is Your Brain? has to get this, surely?

Artistic Achievement
  • Black (EA Games/Criterion Games)
  • Hitman: Blood Money (Eidos Interactive/Io Interactive)
  • LocoRoco (SCEE/SCEJ)
  • Shadow of the Colossus (SCEE/SCEI)
  • The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion (2K Games/Bethesda Softworks)
  • We Love Katamari (Electronic Arts/Namco)

Pocket Gamer predicts: A beautiful brawl between Black and Shadow of the Colossus – we'll tip the latter

Character

Pocket Gamer predicts: Cute, cuddly and squashy (no, not Lara's naughty bits), it's LocoRoco.

Strategy
  • Age of Empires: The Age Of Kings (Nintendo/Majesco Entertainment)
  • Football Manager 2006 (Sega Europe/Sports Interactive)
  • Medieval II Total War (Sega Europe/The Creative Assembly)
  • Rise And Fall: Civilizations At War (Midway/Stainless Steel)
  • Sid Meier's Civilization IV Warlords (2K Games/Firaxis Games)
  • Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter (Ubisoft/Red Storm Entertainment)

Pocket Gamer predicts: In recognition of the hard fought campaign of the series, Medieval II Total War.

Casual & Social

Pocket Gamer predicts: Hmm, two different categories here. Probably Guitar Hero, just sneaking Buzz!.

Screenplay
  • 24: The Game (SCEE)
  • Psychonauts (THQ/Double Fine Productions & Majesco Entertainment)
  • Rogue Trooper (Eidos Interactive/Rebellion)
  • The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion (2K Games/Bethesda Softworks)
  • Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter (Ubisoft/Red Storm Entertainment)
  • Tomb Raider: Legend (Eidos Interactive/Crystal Dynamics)

Pocket Gamer predicts: Erm, don't they mean script? We'll plump for Psychonauts.

Children's

Pocket Gamer predicts: Eh, hang on, these surely aren't just for kids are they? And how old? Surely 'the kids' are really after sex and violence? In the absence of both, we'll go for Lego Star Wars II: The Original Trilogy.

Gameplay
  • Guitar Hero (Red Octane/Harmonix Music)
  • Lego Star Wars II: The Original Trilogy (LucasArts/Traveller's Tales)
  • LocoRoco (SCEE/SCEJ)
  • The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion (2K Games/Bethesda Softworks)
  • Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter (Ubisoft/Red Storm Entertainment)
  • We Love Katamari (Electronic Arts/Namco)

Pocket Gamer predicts: Tight one this, but LocoRoco.

Simulation
  • C-130 Hercules (Just Flight/Captain Sim)
  • Championship Manager 2006 (Eidos Interactive/Beautiful Game)
  • Football Manager 2006 (Sega Europe/Sports Interactive)
  • Rockstar Games presents Table Tennis (Take-Two Interactive/Rockstar San Diego)
  • The Movies (Feral Interactive/Lionhead Studios/Feral Interactive)
  • Trauma Center: Under The Knife (Nintendo)

Pocket Gamer predicts: Would love to hear judges comparing a flight sim with footie and table tennis. We say Football Manager 2006.

Multiplayer
  • 2006 FIFA World Cup (Electronic Arts/EA Canada)
  • Animal Crossing: Wild World (Nintendo)
  • Battlefield 2: Modern Combat (EA Games/Digital Illusions)
  • Dungeons & Dragons Online: Stormreach (Codemasters/Turbine Inc.)
  • Guild Wars Factions (NCsoft/ArenaNet)
  • Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter (Ubisoft/Red Storm Entertainment)

Pocket Gamer predicts: In absence of World of Warcraft, we go for Battlefield 2: Modern Combat.

Action & Adventure
  • Metroid Prime: Hunters (Nintendo)
  • Shadow of the Colossus (SCEE/SCEI)
  • The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion (2K Games/Bethesda Softworks)
  • Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter (Ubisoft/Red Storm Entertainment)
  • Tomb Raider: Legend (Eidos Interactive/Crystal Dynamics)
  • We Love Katamari (Electronic Arts/Namco)

Pocket Gamer predicts: Tomb Raider will probably get a gong.


Technical Achievement
  • Battlefield 2: Modern Combat (EA Games/Digital Illusions)
  • Black (EA Games/Criterion Games)
  • Burnout Revenge (Electronic Arts/Criterion Games)
  • Just Cause (Eidos Interactive/Avalanche Studios)
  • Shadow of the Colossus (SCEE/SCEI)
  • Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter (Ubisoft/Red Storm Entertainment)

Pocket Gamer predicts: Another diverse and open field; Black might pick up its award here.


Sports
  • 2006 FIFA World Cup (Electronic Arts/EA Canada)
  • Fight Night Round 3 (EA Sports/EA Chicago)
  • Football Manager 2006 (Sega Europe/Sports Interactive)
  • MotoGP '06 (THQ/Climax)
  • Pro Evolution Soccer 6 (Konami/KCAT)
  • Rockstar Games presents Table Tennis (Take-Two Interactive/Rockstar San Diego)

Pocket Gamer predicts: Inevitably this will go to Pro Evolution Soccer 6.


Original Score
  • Dragon Quest: The Journey of the Cursed King (Square Enix/Level 5)
  • LocoRoco (SCEE/SCEJ)
  • Shadow of the Colossus (SCEE/SCEI)
  • The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion (2K Games/Bethesda Softworks)
  • The Movies (Feral Interactive/Lionhead Studios)
  • Tomb Raider: Legend (Eidos Interactive/Crystal Dynamics)

Pocket Gamer predicts: On the grounds that we haven't given it anything else, The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion.

Soundtrack
  • B-Boy (SCEE/FreeStyleGames)
  • Guitar Hero (Red Octane/Harmonix Music)
  • Reservoir Dogs (Eidos Interactive/Volatile Games)
  • SingStar Rocks! (SCEE)

Pocket Gamer predicts: B-Boy to pip Guitar Hero (which will already have won at least one award by now).

Audio
  • Black (EA Games/Criterion Games)
  • Electroplankton (Nintendo)
  • LocoRoco (SCEE/SCEJ)
  • Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter (Ubisoft/Red Storm Entertainment)
  • Tomb Raider: Legend (Eidos Interactive/Crystal Dynamics)
  • We Love Katamari (Electronic Arts/Namco)

Pocket Gamer predicts: Electroplankton really should win this, but has it been widely played enough?

Best Overall Game

Pocket Gamer predicts: If there's any justice in the world Lego Star Wars II: The Original Trilogy, but the children's category above makes us suspicious it'll go elsewhere.

We'll be donning our dicky bows and rolling up to the Roundhouse later this week, so come back later to see how the handheld games faired.

Chris James
Chris James
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A footy game fanatic and experienced editor of numerous computing and game titles, bossman Chris is up for anything – including running Steel Media (the madman).