Nintendo 3DS was definitely received positively by critics, consumers and the media. The new lineup of games, new hardware and 3D capability made for a great announcement at E3 2010, and the Game Critics Awards: Best of E3 has affirmed that the 3DS was indeed “Best of Show.”
The Game Critics Awards: Best of E3 has become something of a notable venture for the past couple of years with leading gaming reviewers rating the top entries every year at the annual Electronic Entertainment Expo and publishers taking the awards pretty seriously.
Perhaps most surprising on the winners list (see the complete list here) is Dance Central for Best Original Game and Best Motion Simulation Game; the Kinect exclusive was a major hit at E3 this year. Other big winners were Rage, for Best Console Game, Best Action Game and the Special Commendation for Graphics. Portal 2 also took home several awards: Best PC game and Best Action/Adventure Game.
Interestingly, in the battle of the top third-party publishers, Activision didn't take a home a single Game Critics award, while rival EA won four awards. It looks like Activision had just two nominations, one for Call of Duty Black Ops and another for DJ Hero 2. IndustryGamers heard from one inside source that Activision's elaborate, celebrity laden press event during E3 cost the company about $9 million, and we have to wonder if it was worth it for the publisher.
EA meanwhile did seem to generate some more buzz around its games, seemingly reinforcing its renewed focus on quality. Corporate spokesman Jeff Brown told us, "E3 was a great reflection on EA developers and we’re really happy with the outcome. With a strong floor show and a press briefing that focused on games rather than celebrities, EA generated 4 awards and 15 nominations."
