LAS VEGAS--The first 24 hours of the 2009 D.I.C.E. Summit were all business, with presentations from Valve founder Gabe Newell, Capcom creative director Jun Takeuchi, and Electronic Arts CEO John Riccitiello. Tonight, though, the annual game-industry confab, noted for its exclusivity and insider access, got its glamour on with the 12th Annual Interactive Achievement Awards.

　　Jay Mohr hams it up.

　　Dually doled out by D.I.C.E. organizers the Academy of Interactive Arts and Sciences and the International Game Developers Association, the Interactive Achievement Awards stand in stark contrast to the Spike TV Video Game Awards. Whereas that event embraces the notion of games as hip and youthful entertainment, the IAA show is a more Oscar-esque attempt at seriously acknowledging the growing medium.

　　If there is a breach in the IAA's high-class facade, it is the blue humor of comedian Jay Mohr, who emceed the ceremony for the fourth year running. Despite the disparity, Mohr has proven to be a popular part of the program, even as he ruthlessly mocked the crowd as a crowd of "guys and blow-up dolls."

　　"We're going to give out some awards to some people who deserve them, and some who quite frankly do not deserve them," Mohr joked. "Some people are gonna come up here who are real ***holes."

　　Other early victims of Mohr's sarcasm included Harmonix cofounder Alex Rigopoulos and Epic Games design director Cliff Bleszinski. Richard "Lord British" Garriott was singled out for particular ridicule. "This guy spent $30 million to go into space," joked the comedian, "Maybe he should have spent that money on [his failed MMORPG] Tabula Rasa!"

　　But unlike Jamie Kennedy, with his infamous nerd-bashing at E3 2007, Mohr actually displayed a knowledge of gaming. He made jokes that former Sony Worldwide Studios president Phil Harrison's takeover of Atari was akin to salvaging the Titanic, and pointed out that Leonardo DiCaprio is now playing company founder Nolan Bushnell in a forthcoming Atari film.

　　"Did anyone here actually finish Fallout 3?" he then asked of the crowd, before poking fun at Bethesda Softworks' Todd Howard. "100 hours of gameplay? How much time do you think we have?" Shortly after, when Media Molecule's Alex Evans took the stage, Mohr mockingly referred to the pale Briton as "that guy from Trainspotting."

　　But it was Media Molecule that had the last laugh. Its adorable platformer Little Big Planet was the big winner of the evening with eight awards, including Family Game of the Year, Outstanding Achievement in Art Direction, Outstanding Achievement in Visual Engineering, Outstanding Character Performance, Outstanding Innovation in Gaming, Outstanding Achievement in Game Direction, Console Game of the Year, and the big kahuna, Overall Game of the Year.

　　Valve's Left 4 Dead snagged two major prizes in the form of Computer Game of the Year and Outstanding Achievement in Online Game Play, with Fallout 3 nabbing Outstanding Achievement in Original Story and Best Role-Playing Game. Two surprise winners from EA were Dead Space, which took home Action Game of the Year and Outstanding Achievement in Sound Design, and Mirror's Edge, which won Adventure Game of the Year.

　　Despite the comic tone of the night, the ceremony took a moving turn when Bruce Shelley, cofounder of the now-defunct Ensemble Studios, was inducted into the AIAS Hall of Fame. The developer, who had just delivered an unflinching postmortem of his studio's recent demise, was given a standing ovation when he took the stage.

　　Another interesting moment came when BioWare's Ray Muzyka and Greg Zeschuk presented the award for Massively Multiplayer Game of the Year. The winner was World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King--the expansion to the massively multiplayer game that BioWare will fiercely challenge next year with its own epic MMORPG, Star Wars: The Old Republic. When Blizzard vice president Rob Pardo took the stage to accept the statuette, the two soon-to-be archrivals greeted each other cooly, perhaps auguring the battle to come.

　　The full list of finalists for the 12th Annual Interactive Achievement Awards is below--winners are highlighted in bold.

　　Overall Game of the Year

　　Fallout 3 - Bethesda Softworks - Bethesda Softworks

　　Grand Theft Auto IV - Rockstar Games - Rockstar North

　　Left 4 Dead - Valve Software - Valve Software

　　Little Big Planet - Sony - Media Molecule

　　Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots - Konami - Kojima Productions

　　Console Game of the Year

　　Fallout 3 - Bethesda Softworks - Bethesda Softworks

　　Gears of War 2 - Microsoft Game Studios - Epic Games

　　Grand Theft Auto IV - Rockstar Games - Rockstar North

　　Little Big Planet - Sony - Media Molecule

　　Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots - Konami - Kojima Productions

　　Computer Game of the Year

　　Fallout 3 - Bethesda Softworks - Bethesda Softworks

　　Left 4 Dead - Valve Software - Valve Software

　　Mass Effect - Electronic Arts - BioWare

　　Spore - Electronic Arts - Maxis

　　World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King - Blizzard Entertainment - Blizzard Entertainment

　　Adventure Game of the Year

　　Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia - Konami - Konami

　　God of War: Chains of Olympus - Sony - Ready at Dawn

　　Mirror's Edge - Electronic Arts - Digital Illusions

　　Naruto: The Broken Bond - Ubisoft - Ubisoft

　　Prince of Persia - Ubisoft - Ubisoft Montreal

　　Massively Multiplayer Game of the Year

　　EVE Online: Quantum Rise - CCP - CCP

　　Pirates of the Burning Sea - Sony Online Entertainment - Flying Lab Software

　　PMOG - GameLayers - GameLayers

　　Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning - Electronic Arts - Mythic Entertainment

　　World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King - Blizzard Entertainment - Blizzard Entertainment

　　Sports Game of the Year

　　FIFA 09 - Electronic Arts - EA Canada

　　Madden NFL 09 - Electronic Arts - EA Tiburon

　　MLB 08: The Show - Sony - SCE Studios San Diego

　　NBA 2K9 - 2K Sports - Visual Concepts

　　NHL 09 - Electronic Arts - EA Canada

　　Racing Game of the Year

　　Burnout Paradise - Electronic Arts - Criterion Games

　　GRID - Codemasters - Codemasters

　　Mario Kart Wii - Nintendo - Nintendo

　　MotorStorm: Pacific Rift - Sony - Evolution Studios

　　Pure - Disney Interactive Studios - Black Rock Studio

　　Fighting Game of the Year

　　Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe - Midway - Midway

　　Soulcalibur IV - Namco Bandai Games - Project Soul

　　Super Smash Bros. Brawl - Nintendo - Nintendo, Sora

　　Super Street Fighter II Turbo HD Remix - Capcom - Backbone Entertainment

　　WWE Smackdown vs. Raw 2009 - THQ - Yuke's

　　Outstanding Achievement in Online Game Play

　　Call of Duty: World at War - Activision - Treyarch

　　Gears of War 2 - Microsoft Game Studios - Epic Games

　　Left 4 Dead - Valve Software - Valve Software

　　NHL 09 - Electronic Arts - EA Canada

　　Rock Band 2 - MTV Games - Harmonix

　　Action Game of the Year

　　Call of Duty: World at War - Activision - Treyarch

　　Dead Space - Electronic Arts - EA Redwood Shores

　　Far Cry 2 - Ubisoft - Ubisoft Montreal

　　Gears of War 2 - Microsoft Game Studios - Epic Games

　　Grand Theft Auto IV - Rockstar Games - Rockstar North

　　Handheld Game of the Year

　　Advance Wars: Days of Ruin - Nintendo - Intelligent Systems

　　Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia - Konami - Konami

　　God of War: Chains of Olympus - Sony - Ready at Dawn

　　Patapon - Sony - Sony Computer Entertainment International

　　Professor Layton and the Curious Village - Nintendo - Level 5

　　Cellular Game of the Year

　　Reset Generation - Nokia - RedLynx

　　Spore Origins - Electronic Arts - Babaroga, Tricky Software

　　Trism - Demiforce - Demiforce

　　Casual Game of the Year

　　Braid - Microsoft Game Studios - Number None

　　Mystery Case Files: Return to Ravenhurst - Big Fish Games - Big Fish Games

　　Patapon - Sony - Sony Computer Entertainment International

　　Professor Layton and the Curious Village - Nintendo - Level 5

　　World of Goo - Nintendo - 2D Boy

　　Outstanding Achievement in Game Design

　　Fable II - Microsoft Game Studios - Lionhead Studios

　　Fallout 3 - Bethesda Softworks - Bethesda Softworks

　　Gears of War 2 - Microsoft Game Studios - Epic Games

　　Left 4 Dead - Valve Software - Valve Software

　　World of Goo - Nintendo - 2D Boy

　　Outstanding Achievement in Game Direction

　　Fallout 3 - Bethesda Softworks - Bethesda Softworks

　　Gears of War 2 - Microsoft Game Studios - Epic Games

　　Left 4 Dead - Valve Software - Valve Software

　　Little Big Planet - Sony - Media Molecule

　　Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots - Konami - Kojima Productions

　　Family Game of the Year

　　Boom Blox - Electronic Arts - EA Los Angeles

　　Little Big Planet - Sony - Media Molecule

　　Rayman Raving Rabbids TV Party - Ubisoft - Ubisoft Paris

　　Rock Band 2 - MTV Games - Harmonix

　　Wii Fit - Nintendo - Nintendo

　　Strategy/Simulation Game of the Year

　　Advance Wars: Days of Ruin - Nintendo - Intelligent Systems

　　Command & Conquer: Red Alert 3 - Electronic Arts - EA Los Angeles

　　Sid Meier's Civilization Revolution - 2K Games - Firaxis

　　Sins of a Solar Empire - Stardock Entertainment - Ironclad Games

　　Tom Clancy's EndWar - Ubisoft - Ubisoft Shanghai

　　Outstanding Achievement in Animation

　　Castle Crashers - Microsoft Game Studios - The Behemoth

　　Gears of War 2 - Microsoft Game Studios - Epic Games

　　Left 4 Dead - Valve Software - Valve Software

　　Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots - Konami - Kojima Productions

　　Prince of Persia - Ubisoft - Ubisoft Montreal

　　Outstanding Achievement in Art Direction

　　Dead Space - Electronic Arts - EA Redwood Shores

　　Fable II - Microsoft Game Studios - Lionhead Studios

　　Little Big Planet - Sony - Media Molecule

　　 Mirror's Edge - Electronic Arts - Digital Illusions

　　Prince of Persia - Ubisoft - Ubisoft Montreal

　　Outstanding Achievement in Visual Engineering

　　Gears of War 2 - Microsoft Game Studios - Epic Games

　　Little Big Planet - Sony - Media Molecule

　　Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots - Konami - Kojima Productions

　　Resistance 2 - Sony - Insomniac Games

　　Tomb Raider: Underworld - Eidos/Warner Bros. Interactive - Crystal Dynamics

　　Outstanding Achievement in Game Play Engineering

　　Fable II - Microsoft Game Studios - Lionhead Studios

　　Fallout 3 - Bethesda Softworks - Bethesda Softworks

　　Left 4 Dead - Valve Software - Valve Software

　　Spore - Electronic Arts - Maxis

　　Tom Clancy's EndWar - Ubisoft - Ubisoft Shanghai

　　Outstanding Character Performance

　　Gears of War 2 (Dom) - Microsoft Game Studios - Epic Games

　　Gears of War 2 (Marcus) - Microsoft Game Studios - Epic Games

　　Little Big Planet (Sackboy) - Sony Computer Entertainment America - Media Molecule

　　Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots (Old Snake) - Konami - Kojima Productions

　　Tomb Raider: Underworld (Lara Croft) - Eidos/Warner Bros. Interactive - Crystal Dynamics

　　Outstanding Achievement in Adapted Story

　　Lego Batman: The Videogame - Warner Bros. Interactive - TT Games

　　Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe - Midway - Midway

　　Naruto: The Broken Bond - Ubisoft - Ubisoft

　　Quantum of Solace - Activision - Treyarch

　　Star Wars: The Force Unleashed - LucasArts - LucasArts

　　Outstanding Achievement in Original Story

　　Brothers in Arms: Hell's Highway - Ubisoft - Gearbox Software

　　Fable II - Microsoft Game Studios - Lionhead Studios

　　Fallout 3 - Bethesda Softworks - Bethesda Softworks

　　Grand Theft Auto IV - Rockstar Games - Rockstar North

　　Professor Layton and the Curious Village - Nintendo - Level 5

　　Role-Playing Game of the Year

　　Fable II - Microsoft Game Studios - Lionhead Studios

　　Fallout 3 - Bethesda Softworks - Bethesda Softworks

　　Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Time - Nintendo - Chunsoft

　　Tales of Vesperia - Namco Bandai Games - Namco Bandai Games

　　Outstanding Innovation in Gaming

　　Braid - Microsoft Game Studios - Number None

　　Left 4 Dead - Valve Software - Valve Software

　　Little Big Planet - Sony - Media Molecule

　　Spore - Electronic Arts - Maxis

　　Wii Fit - Nintendo - Nintendo

　　Outstanding Achievement in Original Music Composition

　　de Blob - THQ - Blue Tongue

　　Dead Space - Electronic Arts - EA Redwood Shores

　　Fable II - Microsoft Game Studios - Lionhead Studios

　　Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots - Konami - Kojima Productions

　　World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King - Blizzard Entertainment - Blizzard Entertainment

　　Outstanding Achievement in Soundtrack

　　Guitar Hero World Tour - Activision - Neversoft Entertainment

　　Little Big Planet - Sony - Media Molecule

　　Motorstorm: Pacific Rift - Sony - Evolution Studios

　　Rock Band 2 - MTV Games - Harmonix

　　Singstar PS3 Vol. 1 - Sony - SCE London Studio

　　Outstanding Achievement in Sound Design

　　Dead Space - Electronic Arts - EA Redwood Shores

　　Gears of War 2 - Microsoft Game Studios - Epic Games

　　Little Big Planet - Sony - Media Molecule

　　Prince of Persia - Ubisoft - Ubisoft Montreal

　　Wipeout HD - Sony - SCE Studios Liverpool