2006 NAViGaTR Nominations

February 25, 2007 --- The National Academy of Video Game Testers and Reviewers Corp.™ is pleased to announce the nominees for its sixth annual awards honoring the best of the interactive entertainment industry in the fields of art, technology, and production. A voting body of more than 1,150 eligible video game media critics, analysts, and journalists determined the final 236 nominees in 48 categories, up from 223 nominations last year.

The nominees for Game of the Year are Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion, Final Fantasy XII, Gears of War, Loco Roco, Okami, and Viva Pinata. The nominees for Game of the Year represent 29.24% of the total nominations, up from 22.87% last year.

For the first time ever, four original IP’s have been nominated for Game of the Year. With 16 nominations, Gears of War has broken the records set by God of War and Psychonauts last year for being the most-nominated original IP’s in Academy history. Final Fantasy XII also received 16 nominations, just one short of Metroid Prime's 17 nomination record.

Other leading original IP’s over the years have been ICO (13 nominations), Shadow of the Colossus (10), Kingdom Hearts (10), Sly Cooper and the Thievius Raccoonus (10), Fable (10), Chronicles of Riddick: Escape from Butcher Bay (10), Halo (9), and Devil May Cry (9).

Of the games which tallied three or more nominations this year, 54% of the nominations went to original properties (70 nominations), compared to franchises (60 nominations). Last year, the comparison was 84:57.

This year, Microsoft leads all other publishers with 29 nominations. In 2002, Nintendo set a record with 41 nominations. The record still stands.

Square Enix, Nintendo, and 2K Games also lead with 23, 22, and 20 nominations respectively as publishers, making this only the second year in which four publishers totaled 20 nominations or more. Other top publishers are Sony and Capcom with 18 nominations each, Bethesda Softworks (14), THQ (13), Rockstar, Konami, and Electronic Arts with 9 nominations each, Atlus (8), Activision (6), and Atari (5), Sega, RedOctane, and Namco Bandai with 4 nominations each.

As developers, Square Enix leads with 22 nominations, followed by Epic with 16 nominations. Bethesda Game Studios, Clover Studios, and Nintendo have 13 developer nominations each, followed by Sony with 11 developer nominations.

Gears of War and Final Fantasy XII are leading the pack with 16 nominations each. Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion received the next highest total with 13 nominations, while Clover Studios’ swan song Okami received 12 nominations. These four games are the only games to score double digit nominations.

Loco Roco rolled in with 7 nominations, while Viva Pinata pinned down 5 nominations. Suikoden V, Company of Heroes, and Bully also earned 5 nominations each. Resistance: Fall of Man, Kingdom Hearts II, Guitar Hero II, and Dead Rising received 4 nominations each.

Earning three nominations each were the games Rule of Rose, Rise of Nations: Rise of Legends, Neverwinter Nights 2, Marvel Ultimate Alliance, Lumines II, Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories, Elite Beat Agents, Dreamfall: The Longest Journey, Destroy All Humans! 2: Make War Not Love, and Al Emmo and the Lost Dutchman’s Mine.

Through annual awards, television specials, videos, and other future plans, we hope to preserve the history of the medium as well as honor the creative and technical individuals who have paved the way for new ideas and innovations.

For more information on NAVGTR Corp.’s missions and programs, log onto www.navgtr.org. Winners will be announced May 20, 2007.

The general voting body of more than 1,150 journalists and writers includes contributors for such varied outlets as About.com, Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Austin American-Statesman, NBC, CNN, CNN.com, CNNmoney.com, Chicago Sun-Times, Computer Gaming World, Contra Costa Times, Digital Journal, ElectricPlayground.com, FHM, GamersTemple.com, GamingTarget.com, Gannett News Service, Gear, HappyPuppy.com, Kids & Computers, LA Weekly, Los Angeles Times, National Post, New York Times, Marquee, PC Gamer, Philadelphia Inquirer, PlanetPong.com, Salon, San Jose Mercury-News, USA Today, USAToday.com, Wired News, Wizard Magazine, WOW Weekly, ZDNet, Detroit Free Press, National Public Radio, Public Radio International, Play Magazine, Electronic Gaming Monthly (Ziff-Davis Media), Evergeek Media, The Ottawa Citizen, The Vancouver Sun, The Regina Leader-Post, EclipseMagazine.com, and hundreds more.

-30-

Adult Content - Bully
Adult Content - Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories
Adult Content - Love Chess: Age of Egypt
Adult Content - Scarface: The World is Yours
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Animation in a Game Cinema - Call of Duty 3
Animation in a Game Cinema - Fight Night Round 3
Animation in a Game Cinema - Final Fantasy XII
Animation in a Game Cinema - Gears of War
Animation in a Game Cinema - Okami
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Animation in a Game Engine - Gears of War
Animation in a Game Engine - Kingdom Hearts II
Animation in a Game Engine - Loco Roco
Animation in a Game Engine - Okami
Animation in a Game Engine - Zoo Tycoon 2: Marine Mania
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Art Direction in a Game Cinema - Final Fantasy XII
Art Direction in a Game Cinema - Gears of War
Art Direction in a Game Cinema - Godfather, The
Art Direction in a Game Cinema - Marvel Ultimate Alliance
Art Direction in a Game Cinema - Suikoden V
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Art Direction in a Game Engine - Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion
Art Direction in a Game Engine - Final Fantasy XII
Art Direction in a Game Engine - Gears of War
Art Direction in a Game Engine - Okami
Art Direction in a Game Engine - Yoshi’s Island DS
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Camera Direction in a Game Engine - Gears of War
Camera Direction in a Game Engine - Metal Gear Solid 3: Subsistence
Camera Direction in a Game Engine - Okami
Camera Direction in a Game Engine - Rule of Rose
Camera Direction in a Game Engine - Viva Pinata
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Character Design - Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion
Character Design - Final Fantasy XII
Character Design - Lego Star Wars II: The Original Trilogy
Character Design - Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Summoner
Character Design - Yggdra Union
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Control Design - Company of Heroes
Control Design - Gears of War
Control Design - Loco Roco
Control Design - Okami
Control Design - Tokobot Plus: Mysteries of the Karakuri
Control Design - Wii Sports
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Control Precision - Elite Beat Agents
Control Precision - Gears of War
Control Precision - Guitar Hero II
Control Precision - Loco Roco
Control Precision - Tomb Raider: Legend
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Costume Design - Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion
Costume Design - Final Fantasy XII
Costume Design - Marvel Ultimate Alliance
Costume Design - N3: Ninety-Nine Nights
Costume Design - Suikoden V
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Direction in a Game Cinema - Dead Rising
Direction in a Game Cinema - Final Fantasy XII
Direction in a Game Cinema - Gears of War
Direction in a Game Cinema - Okami
Direction in a Game Cinema - Rise of Nations: Rise of Legends
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Game - Classic Revival - Bonk’s Adventure (1990)
Game - Classic Revival - Final Fantasy III
Game - Classic Revival - Gunstar Heroes (1993)
Game - Classic Revival - Metal Slug Anthology
Game - Classic Revival - Tetris DS
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Game - Music or Performance - Elite Beat Agents
Game - Music or Performance - Guitar Hero II
Game - Music or Performance - Guitaroo Man Lives!
Game - Music or Performance - SingStar Rocks!
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Game - Original Action - Dead Rising
Game - Original Action - Gears of War
Game - Original Action - Just Cause
Game - Original Action - Prey
Game - Original Action - Resistance: Fall of Man
Game - Original Action - Saint’s Row
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Game - Original Adventure - Al Emmo and the Lost Dutchman’s Mine
Game - Original Adventure - Bully
Game - Original Adventure - Marvel Ultimate Alliance
Game - Original Adventure - Okami
Game - Original Adventure - Rule of Rose
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Game - Original Children’s - Cooking Mama
Game - Original Children’s - Dragon Quest Heroes: Rocket Slime
Game - Original Children’s - Loco Roco
Game - Original Children’s - Super Princess Peach
Game - Original Children’s - Viva Pinata
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Game - Original Fighting - God Hand
Game - Original Fighting - Samurai Champloo Sidetracked
Game - Original Fighting - Yakuza
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Game - Original Racing - Cars: The Video Game
Game - Original Racing - Excite Truck
Game - Original Racing - GT Pro Series
Game - Original Racing - Pursuit Force
Game - Original Racing - Tony Hawk’s Downhill Jam
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Game - Original RPG - Contact
Game - Original RPG - Enchanted Arms
Game - Original RPG - Steambot Chronicles
Game - Original RPG - Titan Quest
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Game - Original Sports - Mario Hoops: 3 on 3
Game - Original Sports - Super Swing Golf
Game - Original Sports - Table Tennis
Game - Original Sports - Wii Sports
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Game - Sequel Action - Castlevania: Portrait of Ruin
Game - Sequel Action - Daxter
Game - Sequel Action - Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories
Game - Sequel Action - Half-Life 2: Episode 1
Game - Sequel Action - Metroid Prime Hunters
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Game - Sequel Adventure - Broken Sword: The Angel
Game - Sequel Adventure - Dreamfall: The Longest Journey
Game - Sequel Adventure - Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess
Game - Sequel Adventure - Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops
Game - Sequel Adventure - Sam and Max: Episode 1
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Game - Sequel Children’s - Lego Star Wars II: The Original Trilogy
Game - Sequel Children’s - Mega Man: Powered Up
Game - Sequel Children’s - New Super Mario Bros.
Game - Sequel Children’s - Nintendogs: Dalmation
Game - Sequel Children’s - Yoshi’s Island DS
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Game - Sequel Fighting - Dragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi 2
Game - Sequel Fighting - Fight Night Round 3
Game - Sequel Fighting - Guilty Gear: Judgment
Game - Sequel Fighting - Mortal Kombat: Armageddon
Game - Sequel Fighting - Tekken: Dark Resurrection
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Game - Sequel Racing - ATV Off Road Fury 4
Game - Sequel Racing - FlatOut 2
Game - Sequel Racing - Outrun 2006
Game - Sequel Racing - Ridge Racer 7
Game - Sequel Racing - Test Drive Unlimited
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Game - Sequel RPG - Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion
Game - Sequel RPG - Final Fantasy XII
Game - Sequel RPG - Kingdom Hearts II
Game - Sequel RPG - Neverwinter Nights 2
Game - Sequel RPG - Suikoden V
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Game - Sequel Sports - FIFA 07
Game - Sequel Sports - Madden NFL 2007
Game - Sequel Sports - NBA 2K7
Game - Sequel Sports - NHL 2K7
Game - Sequel Sports - World Soccer Winning Eleven 9
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Game - Simulation Game - Microsoft Flight Simulator X
Game - Simulation Game - Sid Meier’s Railroads
Game - Simulation Game - The Sims 2: Open for Business
Game - Simulation Game - The Sims 2: Pets
Game - Simulation Game - Zoo Tycoon 2: Marine Mania
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Game - Special Class - Big Brain Academy
Game - Special Class - Brain Age
Game - Special Class - Gunpey
Game - Special Class - Lumines II
Game - Special Class - Trauma Center: Second Opinion
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Game - Strategy - Age of Empires: The War Chiefs
Game - Strategy - Company of Heroes
Game - Strategy - Defcon
Game - Strategy - Medieval II: Total War
Game - Strategy - Rise of Nations: Rise of Legends
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Game Design - Dead Rising
Game Design - Final Fantasy XII
Game Design - Gears of War
Game Design - New Super Mario Bros
Game Design - Okami
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Game of the Year - Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion
Game of the Year - Final Fantasy XII
Game of the Year - Gears of War
Game of the Year - Loco Roco
Game of the Year - Okami
Game of the Year - Viva Pinata
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Graphics/Technical - Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion
Graphics/Technical - Final Fantasy XII
Graphics/Technical - Gears of War
Graphics/Technical - Okami
Graphics/Technical - Resistance: Fall of Man
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Innovation in Game Play - Elektroplankton
Innovation in Game Play - Loco Roco
Innovation in Game Play - Nintendo Wii
Innovation in Game Play - Odama
Innovation in Game Play - Viva Pinata
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Innovation in Game Technology - Havok FX 4.0
Innovation in Game Technology - Nintendo Wii
Innovation in Game Technology - Sony PlayStation 3
Innovation in Game Technology - Unreal Engine 3
Innovation in Game Technology - Vivox Precision Studio
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Lighting/Texturing - Dark Messiah of Might and Magic
Lighting/Texturing - Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion
Lighting/Texturing - Final Fantasy XII
Lighting/Texturing - Gears of War
Lighting/Texturing - Resistance: Fall of Man
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Original Musical Score - Company of Heroes
Original Musical Score - Dreamfall: The Longest Journey
Original Musical Score - Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion
Original Musical Score - Final Fantasy XII
Original Musical Score - Suikoden V
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Original/Adapted Song - “Heavenly Star,” Lumines II
Original/Adapted Song - “Kiss Me Good-bye,” Final Fantasy XII
Original/Adapted Song - “Loco Roco No Uta,” Loco Roco
Original/Adapted Song - “Sanctuary,” Kingdom Hearts II
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Song Collection - Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories
Song Collection - Guitar Hero II
Song Collection - Lumines II
Song Collection - Saint’s Row
Song Collection - SingStar Rocks!
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Sound Editing in a Game Cinema - Dirge of Cerberus: Final Fantasy VII
Sound Editing in a Game Cinema - Final Fantasy XII
Sound Editing in a Game Cinema - Gears of War
Sound Editing in a Game Cinema - Okami
Sound Editing in a Game Cinema - Rise of Nations: Rise of Legends
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Sound Effects - Call of Duty 3
Sound Effects - Company of Heroes
Sound Effects - Dead Rising
Sound Effects - Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion
Sound Effects - Gears of War
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Use of Sound - Company of Heroes
Use of Sound - Gears of War
Use of Sound - Guitar Hero II
Use of Sound - Okami
Use of Sound - Resistance: Fall of Man
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Lead Performance in a Comedy - Christopher Warren, “Al Emmo and the Lost Dutchman’s Mine”
Lead Performance in a Comedy - Gerry Rosenthal, “Bully”
Lead Performance in a Comedy - Grant Albrecht, “Destroy All Humans! 2: Make War Not Love”
Lead Performance in a Comedy - Johnny Depp, “Pirates of the Caribbean: The Legend of Jack Sparrow
Lead Performance in a Comedy - Max Casella, “Daxter”
Lead Performance in a Comedy - Seth MacFarlane, “Family Guy”
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Lead Performance in a Drama - Ellie Conrad-Leigh, “Dreamfall: The Longest Journey”
Lead Performance in a Drama - Merle Dandridge, “Half-Life 2: Episode 1”
Lead Performance in a Drama - Patrick Stewart, “Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion”
Lead Performance in a Drama - Sean Bean, “Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion”
Lead Performance in a Drama - Vida Guerra, “Scarface: The World is Yours”
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Supp Performance in a Comedy - John Bell, “Al Emmo and the Lost Dutchman’s Mine”
Supp Performance in a Comedy - Peter Vack, “Bully”
Supp Performance in a Comedy - Richard Horvitz, “Destroy All Humans! 2: Make War Not Love”
Supp Performance in a Comedy - Seth Green, “Family Guy”
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Supp Performance in a Drama - Adam Sietz, “Neverwinter Nights 2”
Supp Performance in a Drama - Andreas Katsulas, “24: The Game”
Supp Performance in a Drama - Catherine Taber, “Final Fantasy XII”
Supp Performance in a Drama - Christopher Lee, “Kingdom Hearts II”
Supp Performance in a Drama - Terence Stamp, “Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion”
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Writing in a Comedy - Bully
Writing in a Comedy - Destroy All Humans! 2: Make War Not Love
Writing in a Comedy - Elite Beat Agents
Writing in a Comedy - Sam and Max: Episode 1
Writing in a Comedy - Viva Pinata
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Writing in a Drama - Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion
Writing in a Drama - Final Fantasy XII
Writing in a Drama - Neverwinter Nights 2
Writing in a Drama - Rule of Rose
Writing in a Drama - Suikoden V

GAME TALLIES

16, GEARS OF WAR

16, FINAL FANTASY XII

13, ELDER SCROLLS IV: OBLIVION

12, OKAMI

07, LOCO ROCO

05, VIVA PINATA

05, SUIKODEN V

05, COMPANY OF HEROES

05, BULLY

04, RESISTANCE: FALL OF MAN

04, KINGDOM HEARTS II

04, GUITAR HERO II

04, DEAD RISING

03, RULE OF ROSE

03, RISE OF NATIONS: RISE OF LEGENDS

03, NEVERWINTER NIGHTS 2

03, MARVEL ULTIMATE ALLIANCE

03, LUMINES II

03, GRAND THEFT AUTO: VICE CITY STORIES

03, ELITE BEAT AGENTS

03, DREAMFALL: THE LONGEST JOURNEY

03, DESTROY ALL HUMANS! 2

03, AL EMMO AND THE LOST DUTCHMAN’S MINE

02, ZOO TYCOON 2: MARINE MANIA

02, YOSHI’S ISLAND DS

02, WII SPORTS

02, SINGSTAR ROCKS!

02, SCARFACE: THE WORLD IS YOURS

02, SAM AND MAX: EPISODE 1

02, SAINT’S ROW

02, NINTENDO WII

02, NEW SUPER MARIO BROS.

02, LEGO STAR WARS II: THE ORIGINAL TRILOGY

02, HALF-LIFE 2: EPISODE 1

02, FIGHT NIGHT ROUND 3

02, FAMILY GUY

02, DAXTER

02, CALL OF DUTY 3

PUBLISHER TALLIES

29, MICROSOFT

23, SQUARE ENIX

22, NINTENDO

20, 2K GAMES

18, SONY

18, CAPCOM

14, BETHESDA SOFTWORKS

13, THQ

09, ROCKSTAR

09, KONAMI

09, ELECTRONIC ARTS

08, ATLUS

06, ACTIVISION

05, ATARI

04, SEGA

04, REDOCTANE

04, NAMCO

03, VIVENDI

03, UBISOFT

03, HIMALAYA STUDIOS

03, BUENA VISTA

03, ASPYR

02, TELLTALE GAMES

02, TECMO

02, MAJESCO

02, LUCASARTS

02, EIDOS

DEVELOPER TALLIES

22, SQUARE ENIX

16, EPIC

13, BETHESDA GAME STUDIOS

13, CLOVER

13, NINTENDO

11, SONY

09, ROCKSTAR

07, KONAMI

05, CAPCOM

05, Q ENTERTAINMENT

05, RARE

05, RELIC

04, ELECTRONIC ARTS

04, HARMONIX

04, INIS

04, INSOMNIAC

03, BIG HUGE GAMES

03, FUNCOM

03, HIMALAYA STUDIOS

03, OBSIDIAN

03, PANDEMIC

03, PUNCHLINE

03, SHIROGUMI

03, RAVEN

02, ACTIVISION

02, ARTOON

02, ATLUS

02, BLUE FANG

02, GRASSHOPPER

02, HIGH VOLTAGE

02, KOJIMA PRODUCTIONS

02, MAXIS

02, MICROSOFT

02, NAMCO BANDAI

02, RADICAL

02, READY AT DAWN

02, TELLTALE GAMES

02, TOSE

02, TRAVELLER’S TALES

02, VALVE

02, VOLITION