Every year the video game industry looks forward to pretty much the only televised award show for its product — the Spike TV Video Game Awards. After all, the awards show goes all out with full on unannounced titles being revealed, huge industry figures handing out awards and all of the glitz and glamor that Hollywood has to offer. It’s the time of year when the gaming industry is put on the same pedestal as the Oscars and the rest of the art world as a respectable medium in that field.
This year, however, the Spike TV VGAs are a complete joke.
As some of you may have seen, today Spike revealed the nominee list for every category imaginable and as expected, it contained a good chunk of God of War III, Heavy Rain, Halo Reach and Red Dead Redemption. Unfortunately, one megaton game was left off this list despite being one of the biggest releases 2010 had in store for the industry itself. This glaring omission is not only disrespectful to the development team, but a complete disservice to the industry as a whole.
I’m obviously speaking about the fact that Gran Turismo 5 has been left off of the nominee listing entirely. Polyphony Digital has been hard at work developing this title for the past 2000+ days and is going to break records in offering well over 1,000 vehicles for consumer consumption. Almost every PlayStation 3 owner has at one time or another thought about purchasing this game when it finally hit store shelves and now a title with the name recognition that is so famous isn’t even being considered for Best Driving Game of the Year?
Now, I know you’re probably thinking — “Well, maybe there was a cutoff date to become eligible for this nominee process?” And that’s a great question. It’s even a legitimate one at that. However, after scouring the SpikeTV website, I see no indication of a cutoff date for eligibility and I see an award being given out for “Most Anticipated Game.”
So, that begs the questions — If Gran Turismo 5 doesn’t qualify for any present awards on the SpikeTV VGAs, then why doesn’t it qualify for the Most Anticipated Game either? That sounds oddly ridiculous.
I believe that this glaring omission of arguably the second largest release to date of this generation (probably behind Halo: Reach), has rendered the SpikeTV Awards to be faulty, illegitimate, and an obvious indicator that this Awards show is being conducted far too early in the year, despite voting ending on December 11th. After all, there isn’t even an “other” option to write in Gran Turismo 5 for any awards.
Oh, and yes — I’m well aware that Gran Turismo 5 has yet to be released, but let’s be realistic here, it’s undoubtedly going to retail with AAA scores across the board on average with a few sites grading it lower in order to look impartial or not willing to buy into the hype.
Spike needs to amend its selections this year to include the greatest racing franchise of all time, or its awards show is going to be nothing more than a joke.
Meh, I couldn’t care less and it really isn’t anything to get all riled about. All it would probably win is best driving game. It might be on next years list.
Besides only reason I care to watch is for the game announcements.
their a joke alright
Without a singular “academy” to select and award nominees, the VGAs are mostly an excuse for publishers to pimp upcoming and unannounced games. Regardless, the next entry in Sony’s top-selling franchise deserves to at least be nominated for “Most Anticipated”. It’s only been about 6 years, after all.
lol I don’t know I think the anticipation has more turned into frustration over the years.
@One-Shot: The frustration doesn’t necessarily replace the anticipation — the game will still sell millions of copies.
Well yeah its not out yet… so thats why its not on there. Simple as that lol.
@Hero: Neither is Donkey Kong Country Returns, a game that comes out only 3 days before GT5, yet that’s up for Best Wii Game. What’s your point?
Meh, I always thought the VGAs were a joke.
FAKE AND GAY!!!
Yea they are a joke. They have freaking Black Ops for GOTY. Take that down and put GT5 in. Apparently they think GT5 will end up being delayed. Morons.
@Hero
@Joe Garcia
last year PD said they had the game finished and then they spent an entire year polishing it to native 1080p and 60fps and in 3d
im ok with a delay if 1080p, 60fps, 1030 cars, 75 tracks and 3d is what the deweloper is delaying it for
bad article!
GT5 is not even farking out yet so why should they put it in the damn list!?
it’s like putting Duke Nukem Forever in the list and the sh* is not even out yet!:/
they didnt even nominate mario galaxy 2 for game of the year -_-
The video game industry is the joke here. How many modern shooters have been released in the last few months (MW2, Black Ops, MOH2010, Battlefield)? How many space marine games (Halo, Dead Space, Gears of War)? How many games with zombies/infections (Resident Evil, Half Life, Doom 3, Left 4 Dead, Dead Rising)? The most originality you get are games that — gasp — mix those genres together! Genius! I wish we were more creative than this.
thats funny….when were the VGA ever considered seriously…?
@xin: So why is Donkey Kong Country Returns up for Best Wii game? That game doesn’t come out until next week, which — GASP — is just three days before Gran Turismo 5. Bad reading!
@noah: The industry is based on what people buy. If you have any real creative beef, I’d take it up with your fellow gamers. Games like Okami and Bayonetta came and went, and nobody bought them. Who’s fault is that?
It’s spike tv guys, we all know they are xbox biased anyway. Sony has to release something really lame to get attention from them.
I’m surprised it took you this long to realize they’re a joke.
Joe you are right…sorry about comment.
the VGA awards is a FARKING joke!
No Medal of Honor but RDR got nominated on ps3 whereas it’s inferior to xbox 360 version.
Farking piece of sh* award!
We’ll have the last laugh when GT5 smokes just about all the other racing games, and gets online racing traffic they wish they had.
Nothing says “U R irrelevant” like millions of fans voting with their money.
They weren’t sure is GT5 would be released this year, I think they’re putting it on the 2011 list in case it gets delayed xD.
MAIL THOSE CLOWNS: spike-feedback@spike.com
Its only from 23-nov-2009 to 23-nov-2010 dumbass, do some research before making a whole aricle about it, and maybe they are just tired of waiting since it would have to be nominated for most anticipated in like the last 5 years.
@xin
gt5 has a release date for nowemmber 24
I’m sure GT5 will be a great racing game, but the prospect that it could be the best game of this year is very unlikely. This article is completely absurd. To say that the VGAs is illegitimate because it doesn’t include GT5 in it’s roster of best games of 2010 is ridiculous.
Honestly, I’m going for Red Dead Redemption, but we all know it’s between Black Ops and Reach, both of which I couldn’t care less about. Bad Company 2 is my FPS of the year. And honestly, if Uncharted 2 hadn’t beaten Modern Warfare 2 last year I would not be watching it at all this year.
Since all the games on the 360 are so low – quality with such last – gen graphics it wouldn’t have surprised me if Microsoft have paid Spike TV off to purposefully omit Sony’s biggest game from the award ceremony.
Think about it, last year every game on the 360 was made to look like crap in comparison to Uncharted 2, Microsoft couldn’t risk being embarassed that badly again by another of Sony’s heavy hitters, so they took out their wallets and tried to buy the awards.
Also, to all the braindead morons who said that GT 5 was omitted because it’s not out yet – how do you explain why Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood made the list then??? That game doesn’t come out till tomorrow.