Golden Joystick Nominees Announced

The nominees are out for the 25th annual Golden Joystick Awards, and Guitar Hero II and Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories are leading contenders.

Back in 1982 the gaming industry was tiny. But not so small that it couldn’t come up with some awards. So the Golden Joysticks were born. This yearthey’re celebrating their 25^th anniversary, and the award nominees have been announced.   Big contenders are rock game “GuitarHero II” and “Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories,” which each garnered six nominations, including Best Soundtrackand Ultimate Game.   “Lord of the Rings” and “World of Warcraft,” both multiplayeronline games, came in with five nominations each.   The winners will be announced in London at an October 26 ceremony. There are 17 different categories, ranging from Best Family Game to MobileGame of the Year.   Unsurprisingly, there are fewer nominations for games made for more recent platforms. The Xbox 360, which hit the market in 2005, has just four titles nominated, with two forthe Nintendo Wii, and just one for Sony’s Playstation 3.   One of the most popular categories is One To Watch, a way to gauge the anticipation for upcoming titles. Included in nominationsfor that category is “Halo 3” for Xbox 360 and “Assassin’s Creed” for the PS3, along with “Grand Theft Auto IV.”