Spike TV has announced the nominees for this year's Video Game Awards.  While many gamers feel that the Spike VGA's are nothing but a hype machine for Microsoft and whatever publisher pays the most that year, but the ratings don't lie, and like it or not, it is a major event and provides the largest exposure for gaming on TV.  The winners are chosen by a panel of game journalists (sadly, not including me) except for the "Most Addictive Game (Powered by Dew)" which is chosen in an online poll.  It is kind of hard to take the nominees seriously when so many of them haven't even been released yet, but here they are anyway with my predictions in italics.  Remember, these are my predictions as to who will win, not who SHOULD win.

 

Game of the Year
BioShock
Halo 3
Mass Effect
The Orange Box

 

Best Shooter
BioShock
Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare
Halo 3
The Orange Box

 

Best Action Game
Assassin's Creed
God of War 2
Super Mario Galaxy
Ratchet & Clank Future: Tools of Destruction

 

Best Rhythm Game
Guitar Hero Encore: Rock the 80s
Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock
Jam Sessions
Rock Band

 

Best RPG
Eternal Sonata
Final Fantasy Tactics: The War of the Lions
Mass Effect
Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 3

 

Best Driving Game
Colin McRae: DiRT
Forza Motorsport 2
Need for Speed ProStreet
Project Gotham Racing 4

 

Best Military Game
Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare
Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter 2
Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Vegas
World in Conflict

 

Studio of the Year
Bungie Studios
Harmonix
2K Boston / 2K Australia
Valve

 

Best Graphics
BioShock
Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare
Crysis
Mass Effect

 

Breakthrough Technology
Crysis
Halo 3
Portal
Rock Band

 

Best PS3 Game
Heavenly Sword
Ratchet & Clank Future: Tools of Destruction
Uncharted: Drake's Fortune
Warhawk

 

Best Wii Game
The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess
Metroid Prime 3: Corruption
Super Mario Galaxy
Super Paper Mario

 

Best Xbox 360 Game
BioShock
Halo 3
Mass Effect
The Orange Box

 

Best PC Game
BioShock
Crysis
The Orange Box
World in Conflict

 

Best Individual Sports Game
skate
Tiger Woods PGA Tour 08
Tony Hawk's Proving Ground
Virtua Tennis 3

 

Best Team Sports Game
Madden NFL 08
NBA 2K8
NHL 08
Winning Eleven: Pro Evolution Soccer 2007

 

Best Handheld Game
Final Fantasy Tactics: The War of the Lions
The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass
Syphon Filter: Logan's Shadow
Puzzle Quest: Challenge of the Warlords

 

Best Game Based on a Movie or TV Show
The Lord of the Rings: Shadows of Angmar
Naruto: Rise of a Ninja
The Simpsons Game
John Woo Presents Stranglehold

 

Best Soundtrack
BioShock
Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock
Tony Hawk's Proving Ground
Rock Band

 

Best Original Score
BioShock
God of War 2
Halo 3
Mass Effect

 

Best Multiplayer Game
Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare
Halo 3
Rock Band
The Orange Box

 

Most Addictive Game Fueled by Dew
Halo 3
Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock
Orange Box
Wii Sports