Super Mario Galaxy voted 'best game' by BAFTA

The British Academy of Film and Television Arts has handed out its annual video game awards, and this year's top honor went to ... Super Mario Galaxy. Nintendo's topsy-turvy Wii platformer beat out Call of Duty 4, Fallout 3, Fable II, Grand Theft Auto IV and Rock Band in being crowned "Best Game." (Guess that settles it.)

Meanwhile, Call of Duty 4 earned the title of "People's Choice" winner based on votes placed via BAFTA's website. In an epic upset, Grand Theft Auto IV won exactly ... zero awards, despite being nominated in seven categories. That's alright; it's selling just fine. You'll find the full list of categories and respective winners after the break.

Alright, perhaps "debate" is a somewhat enthusiastic label for a question none of us have ever seriously considered. Which is more worthy of a prestigious award -- the cratered theater of war in Activision's Call of Duty 4, or the smiling planetoids of Super Mario Galaxy? We can't come up with a way to decide, which is precisely why we're grateful that the GAME British Academy Video Games Awards (for games that are sold by GAME) have decided to lump both into the "Best Game" category:

* Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare
* Fable II
* Fallout 3
* Grand Theft Auto IV
* Rock Band
* Super Mario Galaxy

Before you object to the British Academy of Film and Television Arts' seemingly outdated choices, note that the period of valid entries spans October 26, 2007 to December 31, 2008 due to an earlier delay in ceremonies. The messy result, of course, is two Novembers duking it out. You'll see the rest of the quality-riddled categories after the break.


ACTION & ADVENTURE

* Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare
* Dead Space
* Fable II
* Grand Theft Auto IV
* Prince of Persia
* Tomb Raider: Underworld

ARTISTIC ACHIEVEMENT

* Assassin's Creed
* Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare
* Dead Space
* Gears of War 2
* LittleBigPlanet
* Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots

BEST GAME

* Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare
* Fable II
* Fallout 3
* Grand Theft Auto IV
* Rock Band
* Super Mario Galaxy

CASUAL

* Boom Blox
* Buzz! Quiz TV
* Guitar Hero: World Tour
* LittleBigPlanet
* SingStar Vol. 2
* Wii Fit

GAMEPLAY

* Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare
* Grand Theft Auto IV
* Left 4 Dead
* Mario Kart Wii
* Rock Band
* Super Mario Galaxy

HANDHELD

* Geometry Wars: Galaxies
* God of War: Chains of the Olympus
* The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass
* Patapon
* Professor Layton and the Curious Village
* Soul Bubbles

MULTIPLAYER

* Buzz! Quiz TV
* Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare
* Gears of War 2
* Left 4 Dead
* Mario Kart Wii
* Rock Band

ORIGINAL SCORE

* Assassin's Creed
* Dead Space
* Fable II
* Fallout 3
* LittleBigPlanet
* Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots

SPORTS

* FIFA 09
* Football Manager 2009
* Motorstorm Pacific Rift
* Pure
* Race Driver: GRID
* Wii Fit

STRATEGY

* Advance Wars: Dark Conflict
* Command and Conquer: Red Alert 3
* Ninjatown
* Sid Meier's Civilization Revolution
* SOCOM: US Navy Seals Tactical Strike
* Viva Pinata: Pocket Paradise

STORY AND CHARACTER

* Assassin's Creed
* Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare
* Fable II
* Fallout 3
* Grand Theft Auto IV
* Mass Effect

TECHNICAL ACHIEVEMENT

* Assassin's Creed
* Fable II
* Fallout 3
* Grand Theft Auto IV
* LittleBigPlanet
* Spore

USE OF AUDIO

* Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare
* Dead Space
* Gears of War 2
* Grand Theft Auto IV
* LittleBigPlanet
* Super Mario Galaxy

BAFTA ONE'S TO WATCH AWARD in association with Dare to Be Digital

* Boro-Toro
* Origamee
* VegeMe

This post has been edited by PaiGeWonG: Mar 11 2009, 08:46 PM