On a televised special that aired last Saturday night, SpikeTV has announced the finalists for its first annual Video Game Awards. Online polling whittled fifteen of the sixteen categories down to three nominees each, with the PC version of Grand Theft Auto: Vice City picking up the most nods: three for the game itself, and two for voice actors Ray Liotta and Jenna Jameson. (Yes, that Jenna Jameson.)
The Video Game Awards telecast will tape at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas on Tuesday, December 2 for broadcast on SpikeTV on Thursday, December 4 at 9pm (ET/PT). Comedian David Spade will host the high-tech ceremony, which will feature presenters L'il Kim, POD, Pamela Anderson and the Oakland Raiderettes, a live performance by Andrew WK and a skate demonstration by Tony Hawk.
Free tickets to the broadcast will be given away on Saturday, Nov. 22 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena box office. Those who want to attend need to show up between 8-11am and receive a numbered wristband for the ticket-giveaway lottery at noon.
The final nominees are....
Game of the Year: Grand Theft Auto: Vice City (PC Version) (Rockstar) Madden NFL 2004 (EA) Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell (Ubisoft)
Best Sports Game: Madden NFL 2004 (EA Sports) NBA Street Vol. 2 (EA Big) Tony Hawk's Underground (Activision)
Best Action Game: Freedom Fighters (EA) Max Payne 2: The Fall of Max Payne (Rockstar Games) True Crime: Streets of L.A. (Activision)
Best Animation: Dead or Alive: Extreme Beach Volleyball (Tecmo) Grand Theft Auto: Vice City (PC Version) (Rockstar) Warcraft III: The Frozen Throne (Blizzard)
Best Driving Game: F-Zero GX (Nintendo) NASCAR Thunder 2004 (EA Sports) The Simpsons: Hit and Run (VU Games)
Best Game Based on a Movie: Enter the Matrix (Atari) The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (EA) Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic (LucasArts)
Best Music: Def Jam Vendetta (EA Big) Grand Theft Auto: Vice City (PC Version) (Rockstar) Madden NFL 2004 (EA Sports)
Best Performance by a Human: David Duchovny - XIII (Ubisoft) DMX, Method Man, & more - Def Jam Vendetta (EA Big) Jenna Jameson- Grand Theft Auto: Vice City (PC Version) (Rockstar) Ray Liotta - Grand Theft Auto: Vice City (PC Version) (Rockstar) Snoop Dogg - True Crime: The Streets of L.A. (Activision)
Most Addictive Game: PlanetSide (Sony Online Entertainment) Soul Calibur II (Namco) The Sims: Superstar (EA)
Best PC Game: Halo: Combat Evolved (Microsoft) Max Payne 2: The Fall of Max Payne (Rockstar) Warcraft III: The Frozen Throne (Blizzard)
Best Online Game: Battlefield 1942: The Road to Rome (EA) Final Fantasy XI (Square Enix) Star Wars Galaxies (LucasArts)
Best Handheld Game: Advance Wars 2: Black Hold Rising (Nintendo) Final Fantasy Tactics (Nintendo/Square Enix) Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell (Ubisoft)
Best Fighting Game: Def Jam Vendetta (EA Big) Soul Calibur II (Namco) WWE Smackdown! Here Comes the Pain (THQ)
Best First-Person Action Game: Call of Duty (Activision) Halo: Combat Evolved (Microsoft) Rainbow Six 3: Raven Shield (Ubisoft)
Best Fantasy Game: Final Fantasy XI (Square Enix) Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic (LucasArts) The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker (Nintendo)
Most Anticipated Game: Doom 3 (Activision) Driver 3 (Atari) Fable (Microsoft) Full Spectrum Warrior (THQ) Gran Turismo 4 (SCEA) Half-Life 2 (VU Games) Halo 2 (Microsoft) James Bond 007: Everything or Nothing (EA) Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater (Konami) The Sims 2 (EA) Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Pandora Tomorrow (Ubi Soft)