The Game Awards announced their nominees today, and I think their picks are pretty solid. This is the successor to the VGAs (Video Game Awards), a show that I frankly hated. The show never found its comfort zone and always, always felt awkward. The show was hosted by Geoff Keighley, a guy who I think "gets" gaming, but I wonder how much say he had in the show. It felt like a show pulled straight out of the 90s to me, and I do mean that in a bad way. Keighley, who is producing the show out of his own pocket, has made it clear he thinks this new show will be much better than before. Time will tell on that front, but in the meantime we can just look at the nominations.

I'm working on my own top 5 list, so this is a little spoiler-y, but we only overlap on 1 of the top 5 choices. Middle Earth: Shadow of Motor is an amazing game that I think anyone would love. Taking out hundreds of orcs could not be more satisfying.

In the other categories, I'm happy to see Threes! and Monument Valley get noms in the mobile race. "Games for Change" is an interesting category that seems like it may be a way to recognize games that push the industry in new and interesting ways. I find it funny that there is now a "Best Remaster" award (who says this is a transitional year????). And finally, it would appear that the show will continue its interest in yet-unreleased games, as there is an award for the most anticipated future game.

There's a lot to see, but we don't have to wait much longer to see the show. It's streaming here on December 5.