GTA V, BioShock & Gone Home lead NY Video Game Critics Circle Awards

Grand Theft Auto V, BioShock Infinite and Gone Home lead with five nominations each for the upcoming New York Video Game Critics Circle Awards.

Rockstar Games’ open world action-adventure will battle Irrational Games’ first-person shooter for 5 awards including the Big Apple Award for Best Game, the Herman Melville Award for Best Writing in a Game, the Tin Pan Alley Award for Best Music in a Game, the Great White Way Award for Best Overall Acting, and the Statue of Liberty Award for Best World.

The Fullbright Company’s popular PC title Gone Home is nominated for Best Game, Best Writing, Best Indie Game, Best World and Best Overall Acting. The game has gone on to win one other award for Game of the Year.

Grand Theft Auto V has already won four Game of the Year awards and is currently nominated for a further two. BioShock Infinite went on to receive several Game of the Year nominations, winning one, and won other awards for Best Shooter, Best Story, Best Soundtrack, amongst others.

Sony’s impressive debut with The Last of Us wasn’t ignored however as they too are up for four different awards including Best Game, Best Writing, Best World and Best Overall Acting.

The Legend of Zelda holds 3 nominations whilst Assassin’s Creed 4: Black Flag also holds 3 nominations. Ellen Page is also nominated for her performance as Jodie in Beyond: Two Souls whilst Square Enix’s phenomenal reboot of Tomb Raider is nominated for Best Game also.

The awards take place on February 11th from New York University’s Pfizer Auditorium in Brooklyn, New York.

Written and hosted by Daniel Radosh, a Emmy Award winning writer for The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, the organisers are promising a special video surprise for viewers. No further details were given.

Future Folk, a musical group consisting of Jay Klaitz – who played Lester in Grand Theft Auto V and is nominated for Best Overall Acting – and Nils d’Aulaire, will the musical guests of the ceremony.

The event will be stream on Twitch.tv at 7:30pm (12:30am UK time).

The full list of nominations are below.

Big Apple Award for Best Game 

Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag (Ubisoft)
BioShock Infinite (2K Games)
Gone Home (The Fullbright Company)
Grand Theft Auto V (Rockstar Games)
Kentucky Route Zero (Cardboard Computer)
Ni No Kuni (Namco Bandai)
Super Mario 3D World (Nintendo)
The Last of Us (Sony)
The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds (Nintendo)
Tomb Raider (Square Enix)

Herman Melville Award for Best Writing in a Game

Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag (Ubisoft)
BioShock Infinite (2K Games)
Device 6 (Simogo)
Gone Home (The Fullbright Company)
Grand Theft Auto V (Rockstar Games)
Kentucky Route Zero (Cardboard Computer)
The Last of Us (Sony)
The Stanley Parable (Davey Wreden and William Pugh)

Battery Park Award for Best Handheld Console Game 

Animal Crossing: New Leaf  (Nintendo 3DS)
Etrian Odyssey Untold: The Millenium Girl (Nintendo 3DS)
Fire Emblem: Awakening (Nintendo 3DS)
Guacamelee! (PlayStation Vita)
Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney – Dual Destinies (Nintendo 3DS)
Pokemon X/Y  (Nintendo 3DS)
Spelunky (PlayStation Vita)
Tearaway  (PlayStation Vita)
The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds (Nintendo 3DS)

Tin Pan Alley Award for Best Music in a Game 

Animal Crossing: New Leaf (Nintendo)
BitTrip Runner 2 (Gaijin)
BioShock Infinite (2K Games)
Contrast (Sony)
Grand Theft Auto V (2K Games)
Rocksmith 2014 (Ubisoft)
Ridiculous Fishing (Vlambeer)
Saints Row IV (Deep Silver)
The Last of Us (Sony)
The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds (Nintendo)

The A Train Award for Best Mobile/iOS Game

Device 6 (Simogo)
Icycle: On Thin Ice (Damp Gnat)
Plants vs. Zombies 2 (PopCap)
Rayman Fiesta Run (Ubisoft)
Ridiculous Fishing (Vlambeer)
Rymdkapsel (Grapefrukt)
Type:Rider (Cosmografik)
Year Walk (Simogo)

Off Broadway Award for Best Indie Game 

Antichamber (Alexander Bruce)
Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons (Starbreeze/505 Games)
Gone Home (The Fullbright Company)
Killer Queen Arcade (SortaSoft)
Porpentine’s Twine Compilation (Porpentine)
Papers, Please (Lucas Pope)
Rogue Legacy (Cellar Door)
The Stanley Parable (Davey Wreden and William Pugh)
Towerfall (Matt Thorson)

Statue of Liberty Award for Best World 

Los Santos: Grand Theft Auto V (Rockstar Games)
Columbia: BioShock Infinite (2K Games)
The Caribbean: Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag (Ubisoft)
Your Town: Animal Crossing: New Leaf (Nintendo)
The Greenbriar Home: Gone Home (The Fullbright Company)
Salt Lake City: Last of Us (Sony)
The White House: Saints Row IV (Deep Silver)

Great White Way Award for Best Overall Acting (Combines Male and 
Female Acting) 

Courtney Draper – Elizabeth – Bioshock Infinite (2K Games)
Ellen Page – Beyond: Two Souls (Sony)
Jay Klaitz – Lester – Grand Theft Auto V (Rockstar Games)
Kevan Brighting – Narrator – The Stanley Parable (Davey Wreden and William Pugh)
Sarah Grayson -Sam – Gone Home (The Fullbright Company).
Stefan Rhodri – Drippy – Ni No Kuni  (Namco Bandai)
Steven Ogg – Trevor – Grand Theft Auto V (Rockstar Games)
Troy Baker – Joel – Last of Us (Sony)

The Central Park Children’s Zoo Awards for Best Kids Game 

Animal Crossing: New Leaf (Nintendo)
Disney Infinity (Disney Interactive)
LegoCity Undercover (Traveler’s Tales, WBIE)
Lego Marvel Super Heroes (Traveler’s Tales, WBIE)
Skylanders: Swap Force (Activision)
Super Mario 3D World (Nintendo)
Tearaway (Sony)