For months now gamers have been voting;  wondering what game should be The Ultimate Game of the Year, pitting Mario against Nathan Drake, and pondering on the game they're most excited for. This year hmv presented the 30th annual Golden Joystick Awards Show with Ed Byrne hosting. He was a mediocre host; often reading off of index cards, pitching barely laughable jokes, and quickly taking uncomfortable pictures with the winners. The entire ceremony seemed far too rushed as I continued to hear "ladies and gentleman, now moving along," and winners were hustled off the stage without a peep or utterance of a thank you.

Understandingly, the award show was just an hour long with advertisement breaks for Hitman Absolution, Sniper: Ghost Warrior 2, and Metro: Last Light. This left very little time to discuss the games and why they were deserving of the reign over their contenders.

For an award show that has been going on for 30 years I certainly expect more.

Once the winner was announced a clip of the winning game would play as a small crew of people, or in instances a single person, would walk on stage, receive the award, take a picture, and leave the stage. Nothing of the likes of the Academy Awards. No thank you Mom, God, or you and you and you. The process of accepting an award was done within 30 seconds making it seem minimally special. Once again, this had to be due to a time limit however, I believe it is necessary to at least get a few words out of the winners. This is the video game industry and there's a lot to say about the amazing games we play every day.

To the winners! The Golden Joystick Awards were broken down into 19 different categories with one winner and two runner ups. Each of these categories lead up to the ultimate game of the year. I would imagine that most people could guess before it was even announced what game won this award.

The winners of the 2012 Joystick Awards are as follows:

Action/Adventure Game of the Year
3. Uncharted 3: Drakes Deception
2. Assassin's Creed: Revelations
1. Batman Arkham City

Strategy Game of the Year
3. Might and Magic Heroes VI
2. Total War: Shogun 2 - Fall of the Samurai
1. Civilization V: Gods and Kings

Mobile/Tablet Game of the Year
3. Temple Run
2. Assassin's Creed: Recollection
1. Angry Birds Space

Hitman Sniper Challenge Ultimate Assassin Award
Craig McVeigh

Downloadable Game of the Year
3. Journey
2. The Walking Dead
1. Minecraft (360)

Fighting Game of the Year
3. Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm Generations
2. Soul Calibur V
1. Mortal Kombat Komplete Edition

Shooter Game of the Year
3. Max Payne 3
2. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3
1. Battlefield 3

MMO Game of the Year
3. Star Wars: The Old Republic
2. League of Legends
1. World of Tanks

Handheld Game of the Year
3. Super Mario 3D Land
2. Mario Kart 7
1. Uncharted: Golden Abyss

Top Gaming Moment of the Year
3. Mass Effect 3 - Tuchanka Choice
2. Battlefield 3 - Going Hunting
1. The Elder Scrolls V : Skyrim - The Throat of the World

One to Watch
3. The Elder Scrolls Online
2. Assassin's Creed III
1. Grand Theft Auto V

DLC of the Year
3. Batman Arkham City: Harley Quinn's Revenge
2. The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim: Dawnguard
1. Portal 2: Perpetual Testing Initiative

YouTube Gamer Award
3. Total Halibut
2. The Syndicate Project
1. Yogscast

RPG Game of the Year
3. Mass Effect 3
2. Diablo III
1. The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim

Sports Game of the Year
3. Pro Evolution Soccer 2012
2. SSX
1. FIFA 12

Browser-Based/Flash Game of the Year
3. Ghost Recon Commander
2. Draw Something
1. Slender

Racing Game of the Year
3. Twisted Metal
2. Need for Speed: The Run
1. Forza 4

Outstanding Contribution
EA Sports and FIFA

Ultimate Game of the Year
3. Diablo III
2. Battlefield 3
1. The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim

The categories I was most interested in were Ultimate Game of the Year (of course), RPG, and One to Watch. Being a huge Skyrim fan it wasn't much of a surprise to me that Skyrim took home the Ultimate Game of the Year and RPG Game of the Year. I was a bit bitter that The Elder Scrolls Online was the second runner up for the One to Watch Category but it was up against two heavy hitters.

The category I could care less about is the Racing Game of the Year and Sports Game of the Year. Plus, Isn't racing technically a sport? Being an American I thought for sure that Madden NFL 13 would be in there somewhere but then remembered; football is not the same over here as it is across the ocean.

What do you think? Are there games missing that you are surprised did not make the list? Are there games that won and shouldn't have?

For more information on The Golden Joystick Awards visit their website or YouTube page.

Megan Bethke, NoobFeed.
Twitter | Facebook | Email