The Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences on Wednesday announced the nominees for the 18th annual D.I.C.E. Awards, which will be held in Las Vegas early next month.

　　A total of 56 games were nominated this year. Monolith's Lord of the Rings game Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor leads the pack with nine nominations, including Game of the Year. The other Game of the Year nominees this year are Destiny, Dragon Age: Inquisition, Far Cry 4, and Hearthstone: Heroes of Warcraft.

　　Other games receiving multiple nominations included Far Cry 4 (with 7), Destiny and Hearthstone (6 each), Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare and Monument Valley (5 each), and Infamous: Second Son, The Vanishing of Ethan Carter, and Valiant Hearts: The Great War (4 each).

　　A new category this year is called the D.I.C.E Sprite Award, and it will go to a game that has "disproportionate resources for development and exposure (as compared to AAA titles), represents a higher degree of risk tolerance, and advances our industry with innovative gameplay and experiences." Nominees this year for the first-ever award are The Banner Saga, Hohokum, Monument Valley, Threes!, and Transistor.

　　The full list of nominees is below. The show itself will take place Thursday, February 5, starting at 7 PM PDT. Industry icons Ralph Baer and Al Alcorn will also be honored during the event.

　　The Academy also has announced that comedian Pete Holmes of The Pete Holmes Show will serve as this year's host, replacing Jay Mohr.

　　

Game of the Year:

DestinyDragon Age: InquisitionFar Cry 4Hearthstone: Heroes of WarcraftMiddle-earth: Shadow of Mordor

Outstanding Achievement in Game Direction

Lumino CityMiddle-earth: Shadow of MordorMonument ValleyNever Alone (Kisima Ingitchuna)The Vanishing of Ethan Carter

Adventure Game of the Year

inFAMOUS Second SonMiddle-earth: Shadow of MordorValiant Hearts: The Great WarThe Vanishing of Ethan CarterThe Wolf Among Us

Action Game of the Year

Call of Duty: Advanced WarfareDestinyFar Cry 4TitanfallWolfenstein: The New Order

Mobile Game of the Year

80 DaysHearthstone: Heroes of WarcraftKingdom Rush OriginsMonument ValleyThrees!

D.I.C.E. Sprite Award

The Banner SagaHohokumMonument ValleyThrees!Transistor

Outstanding Achievement in Art Direction

Assassin's Creed UnityMonument ValleySunset OverdriveValiant Hearts: The Great WarThe Vanishing of Ethan Carter

Outstanding Character

Jonathan Irons (Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare)Far Cry 4 (Pagan Min)Infamous: First Light (Abigail "Fetch" WalkerInfamous: Second Son (Deslin Rowe)Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor (Talion)

Outstanding Achievement in Sound Design

Assassin's Creed UnityCall of Duty: Advanced WarfareDestiny Far Cry 4Valiant Hearts: The Great War

Outstanding Achievement in Original Music Composition

DestinyFar Cry 4Lara Croft and the Temple of OsirisThe Vanishing of Ethan CarterTransistor

Outstanding Achievement in Animation

Assassin's Creed Unityinfamous: Second SonMiddle-earth: Shadow of MordorSunset OverdriveTitanfall

Outstanding Technical Achievement

Call of Duty: Advanced WarfareFar Cry 4Infamous: Second SonMiddle-earth: Shadow of MordorSunset Overdrive

Outstanding Achievement in Story

Middle-earth: Shadow of MordorSouth Park: The Stick of TruthThis War of MineValiant Hearts: The Great WarThe Wolf Among Us

Family Game of the Year

Disney Infinity 2.0Lego Batman 3: Beyond GothamLittleBigPlanet 3Project SparkSkylanders: Trap Team

Fighting Game of the Year

Guilty Gear Xrd -SIGN-NidhoggSuper Smash Bros. Wii UUltra Street Fighter IV

Racing Game of the Year

Forza Horizon 2Mario Kart 8The Crew

Strategy/Simulation Game of the Year

Boom BeachDungeon of the EndlessEndless LegendHearthstone: Heroes of WarcraftSid Meier's Civilization: Beyond Earth

Role-Playing/Massively Multiplayer Game of the Year

The Banner SagaBravely DefaultDivinity: Original SinDragon Age: InquisitionWorld of Warcraft: Warlords of Draenor

Sports Game of the Year

FIFA 15Madden NFL 15MLB 14: The ShowNBA 2K15

Handheld Game of the Year

Bravely DefaultChild of LightShovel KnightSuper Smash Bros. 3DSTheatrhythm Final Fantasy: Curtain Call

Outstanding Achievement in Online Gameplay

Call of Duty: Advanced WarfareDestinyElite DangerousHearthstone: Heroes of WarcraftWorld of Tanks: Xbox 360 Edition

Outstanding Innovation in Gaming

DestinyHearthstone: Heroes of WarcraftMiddle-earth: Shadow of MordorMonument ValleyProject Spark

Outstanding Achievement in Game Design

Dungeon of the EndlessFar Cry 4Hearthstone: Heroes of WarcraftMiddle-earth: Shadow of MordorTitanfall