The Game Awards: The Nominees Are...

Image courtesy of VentureBeat

Gamers everywhere have been clamoring for a real award show to honor their favorite games each year, and though the Spike VGAs did a somewhat decent job, there has never truly been a large-scale show dedicated to honoring the best the gaming industry has to offer every year. That's all hoping to change with the premiere of The Game Awards on December 5th, brought to you by producer Geoff Keighley. It's being held in the AXIS Theater in Las Vegas and will feature a much more professional atmosphere than the VGAs. Each winner will be chosen by a jury of well-respected industry individuals, all of which you can see here. Though it's not being broadcast on television, you can stream the show live online or on any device you can think of.

The VGAs were OK for what they were, but they had a really over-the-top, "dude-bro" attitude that really pushed me and many other gamers away. Last year's show got a complete rebranding and tried to change things up a bit, but failed miserably (I quit watching after about 15 minutes). The only real draw to the VGAs were the game reveals, but The Game Awards is (rightfully) putting more focus on the accomplishments of games that came out this year and the developers behind them. 2014 hasn't been the greatest year for gaming (especially compared to last year), but there have been a handful of great titles released that deserve recognition.

After the jump, you can see the nominees and who I personally think should win.

(Those who I think should win are highlighted in yellow)

Best Shooter

• Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare
• Destiny
• Far Cry 4
• Titanfall
• Wolfenstein: The New Order

Best Action/Adventure

• Alien: Isolation
• Assassin's Creed Unity
• Bayonetta 2
• Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor
• Sunset Overdrive

Best RPG

• Bravely Default
• Dark Souls II
• Divinity: Original Sin
• Dragon Age: Inquisition
• South Park: The Stick of Truth

Best Fighting Game

• Killer Instinct: Season Two
• Persona 4 Arena Ultimax
• Super Smash Bros. for 3DS
• Super Smash Bros. for Wii U
• Ultimate Street Fighter IV

Best Family Game

• Disney Infinity 2.0
• Fantasia: Music Evolved
• Mario Kart 8
• Skylanders: Trap Team
• Tomodachi Life

Best Sports/Racing Game

• FIFA 15
• Forza Horizon 2
• Mario Kart 8
• NBA 2K15
• Trials Fusion

Best Online Experience

• Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare
• Dark Souls II
• Destiny
• Hearthstone: Heroes of Warcraft
• Titanfall

Best Mobile/Handheld

• Bravely Default
• Monument Valley
• Hearthstone: Heroes of Warcraft
• Super Smash Bros. for 3DS
• Threes

Best Remaster

• Grand Theft Auto V
• Halo: The Master Chief Collection
• Pokemon Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire
• The Last of Us Remastered
• Tomb Raider: Definitive Edition

Best Narrative

• South Park: The Stick of Truth
• The Walking Dead: Season 2
• The Wolf Among Us
• Valiant Hearts: The Great War
• Wolfenstein: The New Order

Best Score/Soundtrack

• Alien: Isolation
• Child of Light
• Destiny
• Sunset Overdrive
• Transistor

Best Independent Game

• Broken Age: Part 1
• Monument Valley
• Shovel Knight
• Transistor
• The Vanishing of Ethan Carter

Games for Change

• Mountain
• Never Alone
• The Last of Us: Left Behind
• This War of Mine
• Valiant Hearts: The Great War

Developer of the Year

• Blizzard
• Monolith
• Nintendo
• Telltale Games
• Ubisoft Montreal

Best Performance

• Adam Harrington as Bigby Wolf - The Wolf Among Us
• Kevin Spacey as Jonathan Irons - Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare
• Melissa Hutchinson as Clementine - The Walking Dead: Season 2
• Trey Parker as Various Voices - South Park: The Stick of Truth
• Troy Baker as Talion - Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor

Most Anticipated Game

• Batman: Arkham Knight
• Bloodborne
• Evolve
• The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt
• Uncharted 4: A Thief's End

Game of the Year

• Bayonetta 2
• Dark Souls II
• Dragon Age: Inquisition
• Hearthstone: Heroes of Warcraft
• Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor