Okami, Oblivion Top GDC Nominations

The AIAS may have snubbed Capcom for not being a member of their organization, but there are other awards. For example, there are the Game Developers Choice Awards, which take place on Wednesday, March 7, at 6:30 p.m. For those lucky enough to land a ticket, you'll be in the beautiful Esplanade Ballroom of Moscone South. The Game Developers Conference runs from the 7th through the 9th.

Both of Capcom's best titles of 2006 - Okami and Dead Rising - received nominations, led by the former with four, including a nod for the prestigious Best Game award. Dead Rising secured a nomination for Technology, and the other leading title is The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion, which equaled Okami's four nominations.

"The GDC derives its authenticity from the developers themselves, who teach and share at the show--the Game Developers Choice Awards is then the natural validation of their collective artistic effort, voted on and awarded to individual game creators," said GDC executive director Jamil Moledina in a statement. "Since the Choice Awards have an open nomination process and reflect the judgment of peers, the awards have earned the highest respect of the community."

Other notable titles on the nomination list are Final Fantasy XII (Character Design, Visual Arts) and Gears of War (Best Game, Technology, Visual Arts). How FF XII missed a Best Game nomination is beyond us, but unfortunately, it's not for us to decide. We did, however, decide on Square-Enix's epic RPG for our 2006 Game of the Year.

2/6/2007 Ben Dutka