Golden Joysticks 2011 shortlist revealed

Future has announced the shortlist for this year’s GamesMaster Golden Joystick Awards 2011 presented by Alienware.

Voting is open now and will remain so until October 14th. There are 14 categories to vote on in total.

20 games are in contention for the big prize, the Ultimate Game of the Year, including LA Noire, Call of Duty: Black Ops, FIFA 11, Portal 2, Ocarina of Time 3D and Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood.

There is a new category, too, for Downloadable, Mobile and Free-to-Play games.

You can vote here. The GamesMaster Golden Joystick Awards 2011 presented by Alienware takes place on October 21st at London’s Westminster Bridge Park Plaza.

The combination of 1.5m votes last year and an outstanding 12 months for games meant the pressure was really on when it came to picking the shortlist for the Golden Joysticks, GamesMaster Editor-in-Chief Robin Always stated.

But while that was difficult, voting is easier than ever and we want every gamer to have their say.
The shortlist features huge sequels living up to the hype, new IP establishing itself, and innovation and creativity wherever you look. There could be some major upsets when the winners are announced.”

Here are the GamesMaster Golden Joystick Awards 2011 categories:

Ultimate Game of the Year

• LA Noire
• Portal 2
• FIFA 11
• Pokemon Black/White
• Halo: Reach
• Call of Duty: Black Ops
• Bulletstorm
• Killzone 3
• Need For Speed: Hot Pursuit
• Total War: Shogun 2
• Super Street Fighter IV 3D Edition
• DiRT 3
• Rock Band 3
• The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings
• The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D
• Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood
• Fallout New Vegas
• Gran Turismo 5
• Civilization V
• Starcraft 2: Wings of Liberty

One to Watch

• The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
• Assassin’s Creed: Revelations
• Saints Row: The Third
• Battlefield 3
• Modern Warfare 3
• Bioshock Infinite
• Far Cry 3
• Mass Effect 3
• Aliens: Colonial Marines
• Ghost Recon: Future Soldier
• Hitman: Absolution
• Halo 4
• Tomb Raider
• Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword (Wii)
• Super Mario (3DS)
• Metal Gear Solid: Rising
• Starcraft II: Heart of the Swarm
• Guild Wars 2
• Agent
• Uncharted Golden Abyss

Best Shooter

• FEAR 3
• Brink
• Crysis 2
• Bulletstorm
• Killzone 3
• Call of Duty: Black Ops
• Red Faction: Armageddon
• Homefront
• Medal of Honor
• Singularity
• Vanquish
• GoldenEve 007
• Dead Space 2

Best Action/Adventure

• InFamous2
• Shadow of the Damned
• LA Noire
• Yakuza 4
• Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood
• Amnesia: The Dark Descent
• Lego Star Wars II: The Clone Wars
• Castlevania: Lords of Shadow
• Dead Rising2
• Enslaved: Odyssey to the West
• Deadly Premonition
• Crackdown II
• Mafia II
• MGS Peace Walker
• Epic Mickey
• Ghost Trick: Phantom Detective
• Okamiden
• Portal2
• LBP2
• Donkey Kong Returns

Best RPG [Role-Playing Game]

• The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D
• The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings
• Dragon Age II
• Dragon Quest VI: Realms of Revelation
• Tactics Ogre: Let Us Cling Together
• Golden Sun: Dark Dawn
• Dungeon Siege III
• Fallout New Vegas
• Pokemon Black/White
• Fable 3
• Magicka

Best MMO [Massively Multiplayer Online game]

• Rift
• World of Warcraft (Cataclysm (Dec 2010))
• Eve Online Incarna (Jun 2011)
• Aion AION: Assault on Balaurea (Sept 2010)
• Age Of Conan Updated May 2010
• DC Universe Online (Jan 2011)

Best Fighting Game

• Dead or Alive Dimensions
• Mortal Kombat (2011)
• Super Street Fighter IV 3D Edition
• Fight Night Champion
• Marvel vs Capcom 3: Fate of Two Worlds
• Super Street Fighter IV: Arcade Edition
• BlazBlue: Continuum Shift
• Arcana Heart 3
• EA Sports MMA
• WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2011

Best Racing Game

• DiRT 3
• Motorstorm: Apocalypse
• SHIFT 2 Unleashed
• Need For Speed: Hot Pursuit
• Gran Turismo 5
• nail’d
• MotoGP 10/11 72/68
• Test Drive Unlimited 2
• F1 2010
• Ridge Racer 3D

Best Sports Game

• Top Spin 4
• Pro Evolution Soccer 2011 3D
• MLB 11 The Show
• Tiger Woods PGA Tour 12: The Masters
• Virtua Tennis 4
• NBA Jam
• FIFA 11
• NBA 2K11
• NHL 11
• Pro Evolution Soccer 2011
• Kinect Sports

Best Strategy Game

• The Sims Medieval
• Total War: Shogun 2
• R.U.S.E.
• Pride of Nations
• Warhammer 40K: Dawn of War 2: Retribution
• Civilization V
• Starcraft 2
• Ghost Recon Shadow Wars
• Ghost Trick: Phantom Detective

Best Music-based Game

• Child of Eden
• Dance Central
• DJ Hero 2
• Rock Band 3
• Def Jam Rapstar
• Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock
• Just Dance 2
• Michael Jackson: The Experience
• Singstar Dance

Best Free-to-play Game

• Allods Online
• RuneScape
• Runes of Magic
• Mythos
• League of Legends
• Dragonica
• Black Prophecy
• Bloodline Champions
• Forsaken World
• Zuma Blitz
• Empires and Allies
• Bejewelled 3
• World of Tanks
• EA Sports FIFA Superstars
• Champions Online
• CityVille

Best Mobile Game

• Inifnity Blade
• Game Dev Story
• Backbreaker 2: Vengeance
• Dead Space
• Tiny Wings
• The Heist
• Hunters: Episode 1
• Monster Hunter: Dynamic Hunting
• Real Racing 2
• Street Fighter IV: Volt
• To-Fu: The Trials of Chi
• Order and Chaos
• Fruit Ninja
• Cut The Rope
• Feed Me Oil
• NBA Jam by EA Sports
• Need For Speed: Hot Pursuit
• N.O.V.A 2 – Near Orbit Vanguard Alliance
• Sonic & Sega All Stars Racing
• Angy Birds Rio

Best Downloadable Game

• Dead Nation
• Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light
• Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode 1
• SEGA Rally Online Arcade
• Auditorium HD
• Outland
• The Dishwasher: Vampire Smile
• Pac-Man Championship Edition DX
• Joe Danger
• Frozen Synapse
• Minecraft
• Trenched
• Gods Vs Humans
• Hydroventure
• DeathSpank
• Bit.Trip Fate
• Glow Artisan
• Limbo
• Stacking
• Might and Magic: Clash Of Heroes