Canadian Videogame Awards 2014 Nominees Revealed

Despite plenty of AAA, mid-sized and Indie games under their belts, the Canadian gaming scene is not as recognized for their achievements as one might think. You might be surprised to hear that some of gaming’s best and brightest titles came out of Canadian development studios in 2013 alone. Over the past few years, the spotlight is beginning to shine brightly, as noted games critic Victor Lucas and Reboot Communications are bringing back the 5th annual Canadian Videogame Awards later this year.

Today, they have announced the finalist nominees for each award. In addition, fans can vote for their favorite game of the year candidate here, from now until April 24.

This year’s Canadian Videogame Awards will take place at the Carlu, in downtown Toronto, Ontario, this November 21st. With 29 games picked out of an initial 75 nominated, each game must be developed primarily in Canada. The nominees are detailed below (game, followed by developer):

Game of the Year

• Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag (Ubisoft Montréal)
• Batman: Arkham Origins (WB Games Montréal)
• Contrast (Compulsion Games)
• Dead Rising 3 (Capcom Vancouver)
• Don’t Starve (Klei Entertainment)
• Far Cry 3 Blood Dragon (Ubisoft Montréal)
• Guacamelee! (DrinkBox Studios)
• Luigi’s Mansion: Dark Moon (Next Level Games)
• Outlast (Red Barrels)
• Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell Blacklist (Ubisoft Toronto)

Best Console Game

• Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag (Ubisoft Montréal)
• Batman: Arkham Origins (WB Games Montréal)
• Dead Rising 3 (Capcom Vancouver)
• Far Cry 3 Blood Dragon (Ubisoft Montréal)
• Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell Blacklist (Ubisoft Toronto)

Best Downloadable Game

• Contrast (Compulsion Games)
• Don’t Starve (Klei Entertainment)
• Guacamelee! (DrinkBox Studios)
• Outlast (Red Barrels)
• Rogue Legacy (Cellar Door Games)

Best Game on the Go

• Fast & Furious 6: The Game (Kabam)
• Infinite (Nexus Game Studio)
• Jurassic Park Builder, Battle Arena (Ludia)
• Luigi’s Mansion: Dark Moon (Next Level Games)
• Mighty Bots (East Side Games)

Best iOS Game

• Baldur’s Gate II: Enhanced Edition (Beamdog)
• Dungeon Hunter 4 (Gameloft Montreal)
• Pocket Mine (Roofdog Games)
• Soul Power (Gabriel Koenig)
• Super Splatform (P1XL Games)

Best Social/Casual Game

• Ballpark Empire (Behaviour)
• EGGNOGG (Madgarden)
• Monster Loves You! (Radial Games)
• TraceRace (Spaddlewit Inc.)
• UNO & Friends (Gameloft Toronto)

Best Animation

• Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag (Ubisoft Montréal)
• Batman: Arkham Origins (WB Games Montréal)
• Dead Rising 3 (Capcom Vancouver)
• Don’t Starve (Klei Entertainment)
• Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell Blacklist (Ubisoft Toronto)

Best Audio

• Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag (Ubisoft Montréal)
• Batman: Arkham Origins (WB Games Montréal)
• Dead Rising 3 (Capcom Vancouver)
• Far Cry 3 Blood Dragon (Ubisoft Montréal)
• Luigi’s Mansion: Dark Moon (Next Level Games)

Best Game Design

• Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag (Ubisoft Montréal)
• Batman: Arkham Origins (WB Games Montréal)
• Dead Rising 3 (Capcom Vancouver)
• Don’t Starve (Klei Entertainment)
• Guacamelee! (DrinkBox Studios)

Best Game Innovation

• Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag (Ubisoft Montréal)
• Contrast (Compulsion Games)
• Dead Rising 3 (Capcom Vancouver)
• Guacamelee! (DrinkBox Studios)
• Infinite (Nexus Game Studio)

Best Indie Game

• Contrast (Compulsion Games)
• Don’t Starve (Klei Entertainment)
• Guacamelee! (DrinkBox Studios)
• Infinite (Nexus Game Studio)
• MacGuffin Quest (Pixel Crucible)
• Outlast (Red Barrels)
• Pocket Mine (Roofdog Games)
• Rogue Legacy (Cellar Door Games)
• Sang-Froid – Tales of Werewolves (Artifice Studio)
• Super Stickman Golf 2 (Noodlecake Studios Inc.)

Best New Character

• Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag (Ubisoft Montréal) – Edward Kenway
• Contrast (Compulsion Games) – Didi Malenkaya
• Dead Rising 3 (Capcom Vancouver) – Nick Ramos
• Don’t Starve (Klei Entertainment) – Wilson
• Guacamelee! (DrinkBox Studios) – Juan Aguacate

Best Original Music

• Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag (Ubisoft Montréal) – Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag Main Theme
• Batman: Arkham Origins (WB Games Montréal) – Arkham Origins Main Title
• Contrast (Compulsion Games) – House on Fire
• Far Cry 3 Blood Dragon (Ubisoft Montréal) – Power Core
• Luigi’s Mansion: Dark Moon (Next Level Games) – Dark Moon

Best Technology

• Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag (Ubisoft Montréal)
• Bungee Pigs (InLight Entertainment)
• Contrast (Compulsion Games)
• Dead Rising 3 (Capcom Vancouver)
• Warframe (Digital Extremes)

Best Visual Arts

• Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag (Ubisoft Montréal)
• Batman: Arkham Origins (WB Games Montréal)
• Contrast (Compulsion Games)
• Don’t Starve (Klei Entertainment)
• Guacamelee! (DrinkBox Studios)

Best Writing

• Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag (Ubisoft Montréal)
• Batman: Arkham Origins (WB Games Montréal)
• Contrast (Compulsion Games)
• Dead Rising 3 (Capcom Vancouver)
• Far Cry 3 Blood Dragon (Ubisoft Montréal)

Fans’ Choice Award

• Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag (Ubisoft Montréal)
• Batman: Arkham Origins (WB Games Montréal)
• Contrast (Compulsion Games)
• Dead Rising 3 (Capcom Vancouver)
• Don’t Starve (Klei Entertainment)
• Far Cry 3 Blood Dragon (Ubisoft Montréal)
• Guacamelee! (DrinkBox Studios)
• Luigi’s Mansion: Dark Moon (Next Level Games)
• Outlast (Red Barrels)
• Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell Blacklist (Ubisoft Toronto)

So, GameSiders, what are your picks for this year’s Canadian Videogame Awards? Let us know in the comments below.

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