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Dragon Age: Inquisition swoops in for Game of the Year at DICE 2015

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BioWare’s Dragon Age: Inquisition received Game of the Year for 2014 at the Academy of Interactive Arts & Science’s 18th annual D.I.C.E. awards. The ceremony, hosted by comedian Pete Holmes, was held at the Hard Rock Hotel in Las Vegas.

The selection came as a surprise to many after Monolith Production’s Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor had swept the remaining eight out of its nine nominations. Inquisition, meanwhile was only nominated for two. Digital Trends favorite Destiny also had a strong showing, taking home awards in four of its six nominated categories. Blizzard’s digital collectible card game Hearthstone snagged both Mobile and Strategy Games of the Year and Super Smash Bros. was honored on both its Wii U and 3DS iterations for Fighting and Handheld Games of the Year, respectively.

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The Academy also honored industry pioneers Allan Alcorn, the creator of pong, and the recently-deceased Ralph Baer, the so-called “father of video games.” Apple took home the inaugural Technical Impact Award for its App Store critical role in expanding the mobile gaming space. The full list of nominees and winners is below.

Game of the Year
  • Destiny
  • Dragon Age: Inquisition
  • Far Cry 4
  • Hearthstone: Heroes of Warcraft
  • Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor
Outstanding Achievement in Game Direction
  • Lumino City
  • Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor
  • Never Alone (Kisima Ingitchuna)
  • The Vanishing of Ethan Carter
Outstanding Achievement in Game Design
  • Dungeon of the Endless
  • Far Cry 4
  • Hearthstone: Heroes of Warcraft
  • Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor
  • Titanfall
Outstanding Innovation in Gaming
  • Destiny
  • Hearthstone: Heroes of Warcraft
  • Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor
  • Monument Valley
  • Project Spark
Outstanding Achievement in Online Gameplay
  • Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare
  • Destiny
  • Elite: Dangerous
  • Hearthstone: Heroes of Warcraft
  • World of Tanks: Xbox 360 Edition
Mobile Game of the Year
  • 80 Days
  • Hearthstone: Heroes of Warcraft
  • Kingdom Rush Origins
  • Monument Valley
  • Threes!
Handheld Game of the Year
  • Bravely Default
  • Child of Light
  • Shovel Knight
  • Super Smash Bros. 3DS
  • Theatrhythm Final Fantasy: Curtain Call
D.I.C.E. Spite Award
  • The Banner Saga
  • Hohokum
  • Monument Valley
  • Threes!
  • Transistor
Strategy/Simulation Game of the Year
  • Boom Beach
  • Dungeon of the Endless
  • Endless Legend
  • Hearthstone: Heroes of Warcraft
  • Sid Meier’s Civilization: Beyond Earth
Sports Game of the Year
  • FIFA 15
  • Madden NFL 15
  • MLB 14: The Show
  • NBA 2K15
Role-Playing/Massively Multiplayer Game of the Year
  • The Banner Saga
  • Bravely Default
  • Divinity: Original Sin
  • Dragon Age: Inquisition
  • World of Warcraft: Warlords of Draenor
Racing Game of the Year
  • Forza Horizon 2
  • Mario Kart 8
  • The Crew
Fighting Game of the Year
  • Guilty Gear Xrd -SIGN-
  • Nidhogg
  • Super Smash Bros. Wii U 
  • Ultra Street Fighter IV
Family Game of the Year
  • Disney Infinity: Marvel Super Heroes (2.0 Edition)
  • LEGO Batman 3: Beyond Gotham
  • LittleBigPlanet 3
  • Project Spark
  • Skylanders Trap Team
Adventure Game of the Year
  • inFAMOUS Second Son
  • Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor
  • Valiant Hearts: The Great War
  • The Vanishing of Ethan Carter
  • The Wolf Among Us
Action Game of the Year
  • Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare
  • Destiny
  • Far Cry 4
  • Titanfall
  • Wolfenstein: The New Order
Outstanding Technical Achievement
  • Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare
  • Far Cry 4
  • inFAMOUS Second Son
  • Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor
  • Sunset Overdrive
Outstanding Achievement in Story
  • Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor
  • South Park: The Stick of Truth
  • This War of Mine
  • Valiant Hearts: The Great War
  • The Wolf Among Us
Outstanding Achievement in Sound Design
  • Assassin’s Creed Unity
  • Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare
  • Destiny
  • Far Cry 4 U
  • Valiant Hearts: The Great War
Outstanding Achievement in Original Music Composition
  • Destiny
  • Far Cry 4
  • Lara Croft and the Temple of Osiris
  • The Vanishing of Ethan Carter
  • Transistor
Outstanding Achievement in Character
  • Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare (Jonathan Irons)
  • Far Cry 4 (Pagan Min)
  • inFAMOUS First Light (Abigail “Fetch” Walker)
  • inFAMOUS Second Son (Delsin Rowe)
  • Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor (Talion)
Outstanding Achievement in Art Direction
  • Assassin’s Creed Unity
  • Monument Valley
  • Sunset Overdrive
  • Valiant Hearts: The Great War
  • The Vanishing of Ethan Carter
Outstanding Achievement in Animation
  • Assassin’s Creed Unity
  • inFAMOUS Second Son
  • Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor
  • Sunset Overdrive
  • Titanfall
Will Fulton
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Will Fulton is a New York-based writer and theater-maker. In 2011 he co-founded mythic theater company AntiMatter Collective…
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