Uncharted 2 voted best game of E3

By the US critics. Natal also wins praise.

The Game Critics Awards has crowned Uncharted 2: Among Thieves as the best game of E3 2009.

The panel, made up of editors from 28 American videogame websites and magazines, voted in 15 separate categories.

Notable winners are Project Natal, which snagged Best Hardware/Peripheral, Split/Second as Best Racing Game - despite tough competition - and DJ Hero as Best Social/Casual/Puzzle, as Rock Band: The Beatles must have been hard to beat.

The full list of winners is below.

Eurogamer, incidentally, disagrees. We thought the best game of E3 was New Super Mario Bros. for Wii, although Milo & Kate - the Lionhead game for Project Natal - was our pick of the technology on show.

Uncharted 2: Among Thieves got an honourable mention, and publisher Sony, we thought, had the most impressive wares of the show.

The Game Critics Awards

Best of Show

  • Uncharted 2: Among Thieves (PS3)

Best Action/Adventure Game

  • Uncharted 2: Among Thieves (PS3)

Best Console Game

  • Uncharted 2: Among Thieves (PS3)

Best Hardware/Peripheral

Best Role Playing Game

Best PC Game

  • Star Wars: The Old Republic (PC)

Best Action Game

Best Original Game

  • Scribblenauts (DS)

Best Handheld Game

  • Scribblenauts (DS)

Best Racing Game

Best Sports Game

Best Fighting Game

  • Tatsunoko vs. Capcom: Ultimate All-Stars (Wii)

Best Strategy Game

Best Social/Casual/Puzzle

Best Online Multiplayer

Comments (79) Latest comment 3 years ago

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  • AphoticCosmos #1 3 years ago

    Uh-oh, fanboy shitstorm incoming.
  • liverpoolfc #2 3 years ago

    no surprise uncharted was the best. It just looks amazing.
  • lcmnick #3 3 years ago

    You can't have a fanboy argument about Uncharted 2.

    Simply the best graphics this side of Crysis.
  • kungphu #4 3 years ago

    Uncharted did have the biggest wow factor. It did look amazing
  • LOLLERS #5 3 years ago

    money can be exchanged for goods and services.
  • stevetuck #6 3 years ago

    Its true the uncharted video did look nice :)
  • GreyBeard #7 3 years ago

    Naughty Dog are truly world-class developers. Congratulations to them on a deserved win.
  • Progguitarist #8 3 years ago

    Really looking forward to Uncharted 2
  • DFawkes #9 3 years ago

    I'll be honest, I didn't even know it had a showing at E3. Not my personal choice, but I could see their reasoning fine. It does look good.
  • AphoticCosmos #10 3 years ago

    "Best PC game being a prerendered trailer.

    That's quite something. "

    The E3 judges saw the behind-doors demo of TOR, the public saw the CGI trailer.

    Seeing as just about every critic who watched the demo except EG [which was still pretty positive] has been positively glowing about TOR, it doesn't surprise me that it won best PC game. Besides, there wasn't exactly a lot of competition, Crysis 2 wasn't being shown and there were only a handful of other major PC titles at E3.
  • Zomoniac #11 3 years ago

    I guess I'm still the only one who's more excited about the PS3 motion controller than Natal...
  • Progguitarist #12 3 years ago

    I dont think so Zomoniac. I just think Natal has captured the imagination of a lot of people at the moment.
  • GreyBeard #13 3 years ago

    @Zomoniac

    Well, a lot of us are dubious about Natal's viability (I'm with Miyamoto and others on the absolute neccessity of some kind of button/trigger control), but I guess time will tell.

    Sony's device seems to have more immediate practicality, but as its not a great deal different to Motion+, its hard to get really excited about it.
  • AphoticCosmos #14 3 years ago

    @ Zomoniac,

    Natal was simply a bit more different than Sony's wand from Nintendo's offering, I'm hopeful that both will be great in their own way, but Natal got a bit more of a buzz after it's E3 showing by virtue of it being the first to be shown at E3. Natal is also potentially more ambitious, but it remains to be seen whether it works as well as it is said to by the PR guys, hence there is naturally more speculation about it. Not raining on the wand's parade here, just saying that Natal had a few PR advantages after E3, and that it innately looks more futuristic than the wand which just seemed to be a refinement of Eyetoy mixed up with the Wiimote.

    Edited by 1 at 23/06/09 @ 12:17
  • crazyhorse174 #15 3 years ago

    Agree that Uncharted 2 looks amazing - just hope they dont fuck it up with the new multiplayer elements...

    Have just finished the first one recently and it is definitely one of my gaming highlights of the last 12 months. Am hoping for great things from the sequel.
  • Zomoniac #16 3 years ago

    Sony's device seems to have more immediate practicality, but as its not a great deal different to Motion+, its hard to get really excited about it.

    I keep seeing people saying this, and I don't get that at all. Motion+, AFAICT, just means the remote knows better which way it is facing, to increase accuracy a bit. I'm pretty sure it doesn't feature absolute sub-millimetre precision accuracy within all dimensions like PS3MC does. Also, the pointing aspects only work within direct line of sight of the sensor bar, which limits the Wii remote. For example, that little bit of the PS3MC tech demo where he has the torch, and can lean in and shine it at any angle, behind objects on the screen, I'm pretty sure wouldn't be possible on Wii, since unless you're pointing the front of the remote at the sensor bar it doesn't have any idea how far away it is from the screen, which to me restricts it a lot. PS3MC seems to be the first motion controller that knows exactly where it is at all times, which opens up many more possibilities.
  • rhubarbandcustard #17 3 years ago

    and Eurogamer chose NSMB2.

    EurogamerLOL
  • NKSR #18 3 years ago

    Eurogamer, incidentally talks out of its arse
  • #19 3 years ago

    "Incidently, Eurogamer disagrees"... with a panel made up of editors from 28 American videogame websites and magazines!

    Just shows how out of touch this pathetic site is.
  • crazyhorse174 #20 3 years ago

    @DaemonB

    Why are you even here if this site is so pathetic!?
  • laudy #21 3 years ago


    has the shitstorm started yet?
  • #22 3 years ago

    Comedy value from reviews and a lot of the forumites are actually very nice and helpful people. Plus ive met a few nice forum heads on line who frequent here.

    My criticism is the site, not its users who I think are a bloody helpful / nice bunch.
  • Monkey_Puncher #23 3 years ago

    New Super Mario Bros? LOLZ!
  • miiiguel #24 3 years ago

    It's so funny how opinions about Americans change in a matter of an article. Roll on one that says they dig Halo, and we'll do a fancy 180.
  • Les #25 3 years ago

    Where's the Super Mario Brothers love?!
  • Harrihotpants #26 3 years ago

    Well done naughty dog! Right up there with infinity ward as top class developers.
  • mkreku #27 3 years ago

    I must say I agree with the 28 Americans more than I do with Eurogamer. New Super Mario Bros?! Geez.
  • EvilBob_leeds #28 3 years ago

    IMHO a lot of Natal's potential is going to be based on how well it can tell what your fingers are doing. Ducking (imagine if you had to do a squat thrust every time you wanted to duck behind cover in Gears) will get real old real quick for all but the most masochistic / fit. Facial recognition again I think could make some pretty damn impressive tech demos but again will be of limited usefulness when it comes down to it.

    For the most part with Natal, once the novelty wears off, you're going to be wanting to be sat on the sofa and having your hands and fingers do most of the work. How well it copes with your fingers, which are relatively small and fiddly (and, from the single point of view of a camera or two stuck on top of the telly, constantly blocking each other from view) is going to play a large part in how well Natal does.
  • MENTAL1ST Verified Senior Software Engineer, Picsel UK Ltd. #29 3 years ago

    New Super Mario Bros? LOLZ!

    It'll sell at least 10 times more than Uncharted 2. And all those tens of millions of customers will love it.
  • Ryuken #30 3 years ago

    I am curious how many publishers will put these 'awards' on the box cover again. Even a proper review score looks dirty enough already.

    Hopefully we still get to see more articles on some of these games, I can understand EG wants to spread its E3 content but it's been two weeks now since the show and still no SupCom 2 preview even though several other major sites gathered enough intel for a preview after Chris Taylor's presentation of that game. Not to mention Hearts of Iron III, East India Company or Disciples III. Where is the strategy here? :)
  • makeamazing #31 3 years ago

    Uncharted 2 looked amazing at E3, so I think it deserved it. Personally Im not a fan of Mario and was surprised EG gave that game of show.. but still different tastes etc.

    With regards to Natal, MS are certainly winning the PR war on that front, they are getting so much more column inches than both Nintendo and Sony. So credit where its due, the question is can they release it with critical acclaim and good games. I think this is less likely because we have all seen the Wii, and for many the gloss of that will affect how people see Natal.

    If Natal had been released before the Wii, I am pretty certain that MS would now be leading the console sales, but many people have played the wii, got bored and realised actually I dont want to be jumping around for 10, 15, 30 minutes or more. This will affect sales of Natal no doubt... the question is by how much.
  • Dizzy #32 3 years ago

    I think the EG pick was certainly not bad. The 2 new Wii Mario games looked brilliant and with oodles of gameplay. Platforming : refined.
  • Doctor_What #33 3 years ago

    It's not exactly 'the year of the PS3' but this might help silence the people who keep on banging on insisting that Sony's machine has no real games. I thought Sony had a good show this year, and this tops that off.

    Like others above, I see more gaming applications for the wand than natal, partly because I've got a small living room and don't have space to perform a roundhouse on every enemy, but more because there are lots of difficult questions that I don't think the natal announcement addressed. Still, it's done MS a lot of good in terms of coverage. The wand is an evolution of tech that I played with at a Game On exhibition with the EyeToy many years ago. TBH, I'm surprised it's taken so long to come around to us, but that also explains a little why it's not made such an impact.
  • Les #34 3 years ago

    IMHO it's rather sad (or a sign of getting old, which is sad in it's own way) that gamers these days seem to only appreciate generic HD 3rd and 1st person shooters.

    What's wrong with a game that's all about gameplay and doesn't bore you with a poor and uninteresting story?
  • Brianstorm #35 3 years ago

    The new super mario bros game for wii has no online support and looks directed at the casual market... a real shame..........
  • Mortey #36 3 years ago

    Uncharted 2 looks brilliant. But I have to agree with Eurogamer, 4 player Mario, that is any right minded gamers Mecca.
  • gareth886 #37 3 years ago

    Rightfully so. The game looks great. I'm glad a real game was voted best of show as opposed to the casual stuff that is becoming way too common in the industry today.
  • HolyJebus #38 3 years ago

    I think both NSMB and Uncharted look brilliant.

    I must be mental.
  • SEVQA #39 3 years ago

    Some of the little subtle effects (such as the wet cloths) Uncharted has other games are still playing catchup in my opinion and this sequel looks set to surpass that - the vistas observable in the E3 videos were breathtaking and very much hope the gameplay matches the visual look.
  • Dizzy #40 3 years ago

    Wow.. look at the backlash against the "Mario-lovers". This karma system is craaaazy.

    /awaits backlash
  • Darren #41 3 years ago

    Well I concur with that list more than I did EG's! Out of all the great games shown at E3, they just had to choose a retro 2D game as the Best of the Show! OK, fair dos, it's their choice but nevertheless I found it an odd one when there was so much quality on show elsewhere. Ah well...

    Uncharted 2 looks terrific, I'm very excited about playing that later on this year, but I'm surprised that God of War III wasn't mentioned in there or Last Guardian, those for me look very, very interesting. God of War III is probably the game I'm most excited about playing but it's nine months away at least. :(

    The PS3 had a very strong E3 I felt, possibly the strongest to date, although the 360 wasn't too far behind. Alan Wake and Forza 3 look great so I'm really looking forward to those, and Natal looks intriguing.

    The disappointment for me was the Wii. The announcement of a new Mario and Zelda was welcome but predictable and are no doubt both years away so it still leaves 2009 as a disappointing year for Wii games for me. I can't say I'm excited about a new 2D Mario game though as you can imagine from the opening paragraph of my post. Klonoa was very nice (and cheap!) but if I have to wait a year between quality game releases then I may as well sell my Wii now and buy it three years down the line when there's three or four decent games for it!!! :p
  • Triggerhappytel #42 3 years ago

    Is CountFapula around? Just wondering whether he still considers Uncharted a poor man's Tomb Raider, and what he would make of his beloved Americans voting Uncharted 2 game of the show...

    Anyway, good results mostly, I s'pose. It will be interesting to see more demonstrations of Natal over the next 12 months or so, as I am still sceptical of it's potential beyond an advanced version of EyeToy. Ideally I would like KotOR 3 with some sort of online co-op, but I'm hoping TOR is good enough to encourage me to delve into the world of MMOs.
  • drumbaby #43 3 years ago

    Uncharted 2 is looking unbelievable. It deserved to win.
  • Les #44 3 years ago

    "I think both NSMB and Uncharted look brilliant."

    True. I've got nothing against Uncharted. Loved the first game, one of the best on PS3 so far IMO. But I'm a bit disappointed that the critics seem to favour eye candy over gameplay TBH.
  • El-Dev #45 3 years ago

    Uncharted 2 quite possibly deserved it but my pick would have been The Last Guardian. Can't wait for either of them.
  • Triggerhappytel #46 3 years ago

    Les - "But I'm a bit disappointed that the critics seem to favour eye candy over gameplay TBH."

    Have you even played the first game? It has superb gameplay!

    Oh, and I see Fapula is hovering around here but not posting, hence the last few comments looking forward to Uncharted 2 have got negative feedback.
  • Darren #47 3 years ago

    I didn't see the Last Guardian trailer until well after E3 (last week in fact) but it blew me away when I did, particularly as I didn't initially realise that it wasn't pre-rendered but using in-game assets. I'm not sure what the game is about exactly but if it's half as good as Shadow of the Colossus on the PS2 then it'll be stunning and supremely atmospheric. Looks really gorgeous too. It's great to see developers getting to grips with the PS3 hardware and producing visuals that I didn't think were possible on that platform given it's dated graphics chip.
  • TheRook21 #48 3 years ago

    I'm shocked the Nintendo heart/pulse monitor didnt win the best Hardware award...

    Motion Sensing, face recognition, talking 12 year old AI boy hasn't got anything on the heart monitor add on!
  • chrisno21 #49 3 years ago

    Uncharted 2, looks stunning, all the footage looks like an improvement on the first and that was the finest game of this generation. I'm more hyped about Among Thieves than any other title, have been since it was announced.
  • Les #50 3 years ago

    "Have you even played the first game? It has superb gameplay!"

    Yes, that's what I said in the sentence before the sentece you quoted... ;)

    Again, to make things clear, I didn't mean to say that Uncharted 2 didn't deserve to win. But looking at the list of award winners, I'm a bit disappointed that pretty much everything in there is the standard HD 3D stuff.
  • TheRook21 #51 3 years ago

    @ Les

    Scribblenaughts ;)

    /does in your face gesture
    Edited by 1 at 23/06/09 @ 14:23
  • Triggerhappytel #52 3 years ago

    Gotcha, Les. I keep quoting people at the moment without reading their whole post properly ;)

    And who is this who's giving everyone who says anything positive about Uncharted 2 negative feedback (like chris @ post 52: he had -2 before I brought it back to -1 a moment ago)? C'mon, own up...
  • Dizzy #53 3 years ago

    "I didn't see the Last Guardian trailer until well after E3 (last week in fact) but it blew me away when I did, particularly as I didn't initially realise that it wasn't pre-rendered but using in-game assets"

    Everything points to pre-rendered parts (way to good AA). Check out the Digital foundry report.
  • Machiavellian #54 3 years ago

    Interesting enough, I was watching one of the direct feed videos of Uncharted2. For some reason the video started to pause at certain scenes and I noticed the magic of uncharted2. The developers have done a great job on choosing which objects get the most detailed textures while others do not. One scene really put that concept to home is when Nate is running away from the truck in the alley. Since you will be concentrated on the truck and Nate, his poly count/texture and the truck are high while the background and floor is PS2 level. After I noticed this, I started to look at the video more closely and notice how details were shifted around the game always being more detailed on the main focus for the player and much less in others.

    I do not know if Uncharted has the best graphics for any game out there but I will definitely say that the developers techniques are probably the best because they really know how to compose a scene to the strength of their game.
    Edited by 1 at 23/06/09 @ 14:52
  • Xerx3s #55 3 years ago

    LOL @ the uncharted wank circle.

    Some odd choices though. Split/Second instead of GT5 or Forza 3? Tatsunoko vs. Capcom: Ultimate All-Stars (Wii) instead of something like Tekken?

    Mass Effect 2 didn't even show up (all their stuff was from before the E3) and they still got a spot? But then that would have some logic behind it considering that it will be the most awesome game in the next couple of years.
  • Xerx3s #56 3 years ago

    Machiavellian: nothing new about that. Developers have been doing tricks like that since the dawn of polygons.
  • Triggerhappytel #57 3 years ago

    "LOL @ the uncharted wank circle.

    Some odd choices though. Split/Second instead of GT5 or Forza 3?"


    What's funny about looking forward to the sequel of a very good game from a developer with an excellent track record...?!

    I also think Split/Second looks a lot more interesting than the dullfests GT5 or Forza 3 - exciting arcade racing beats driving 'sims' any day, in my book.
  • TheRook21 #58 3 years ago

    @Xerx3s

    A lot of people dont like the aggressive simulations of Forza, GT games... so more of a pick up and play enjoy racer has more "mass market" appeal.

    I'm personally not a fan of GT games as I dont have the patience to learn the tiny minute details required to be very good at it so I stick to more arcadey racers... but I do know a few people who would sell a testicle for GT5...
  • El-Dev #59 3 years ago

    "the uncharted wank circle."

    The game with the best graphics when the PS wands come out?
  • Les #60 3 years ago

    "Scribblenaughts ;)

    /does in your face gesture"

    Which is why I said 'pretty much everything' instead of plain 'everything'... ;)

    But Scribblenauts is one of the games I'm looking most forward to on any platform TBH. My DSi is getting most of my playtime recently. In part because I can play it while my girlfriend watches TV or does other things and in part because I can play stuff like Pokemon (grinding doesn't require that much immersion) while watching MLB.TV games. ;)
  • Dizzy #61 3 years ago

    "The developers have done a great job on choosing which objects get the most detailed textures while others do not."

    This is indeed a classic gaming/CGI trick. There are even companies (I am not going to give names) that remove some shadows because they know your brain will actually fill them in instinctively. Many parts of a 3D scene can be lowered in detail, such is the magic of the human brain. It tends to compensate. In many ways it is the same principle as JPEG but not on a pixel level but on an object level.
  • Machiavellian #62 3 years ago

    @ Xerx3s
    Trust me I know this is a technique to maximize a game graphics by developers but once the magic is revealed, you seem to notice it more. When I first watched some of the videos, I did not even notice the slight of hand because I was concentrated on the spots the developer wanted me to. Once the video paused and I saw how the scene was composed, now I noticed it much more and it does take away from the total effect. Sometimes ignorance is bliss;)
  • woodnotes #63 3 years ago

    All Internet videos look crappy when you pause them though due to compression.
  • Machiavellian #64 3 years ago

    @ woodnotes
    No this had nothing to do with compression because that would effect the whole video not just certain objects within the scene. Also bad compression will not take the poly count out of certain objects and increase them in others. If you can find a direct feed video of Uncharted2 with the truck scene I describe you will easily see what I am talking about.

    Do not get me wrong, Uncharted still looks absolutely gorgeous but thats because the developers are also masters of what they do. It's just not the graphics that make Uncharted look so good it's also the animation, sound etc. It looks like the developer did not leave anything up to chance.
  • Negotiator #65 3 years ago

    Playing the first one at the moment, good but not great 7.5 out of 10 from me. Has a Tomb Raider crossed with Gears vibe going on, but not as good as either of those, so my guess is the second one ain't gonna be much different except for MP. Nice to see Natal winning the best hardware, best moment of E3 IMHO.
  • Xerx3s #66 3 years ago

    "I'm personally not a fan of GT games as I dont have the patience to learn the tiny minute details required to be very good at it so I stick to more arcadey racers... but I do know a few people who would sell a testicle for GT5..."

    I'm not a big fan of those games either - but I do enjoy them - but it just seems far more obvious choice.
  • Les #67 3 years ago

    "And who is this who's giving everyone who says anything positive about Uncharted 2 negative feedback (like chris @ post 52: he had -2 before I brought it back to -1 a moment ago)? C'mon, own up..."

    IMHO the whole feedback system is rather useless as the fanboys will be the most fanatical in actually giving it. Didn't work on crap sites like N4G.com and in all likelihood won't work here. :(
  • El-Dev #68 3 years ago

    They should use the videogamer.com system of showing how many + and how many - you get.

    What would be more interesting would be to see how the MS devs got on with the PS3 to see if they are up to the challenge, or are Naughty Dog the best in the business at present.
  • dr_faulk #69 3 years ago

    I just finsihed the first one yesterday for the first time. It's one of the best games I've ever played. A master-class in presenting action-adventure.
  • Les #70 3 years ago

    "i would love to see what they could do on 360 if they can milk this sort of performance from the flawed ps3."

    Very likely about the same as developers like Epic or Bungie are capable of. As the PS3 is mainly flawed from a cost-of-development perspective as it uses a non-standard architecture.
  • Triggerhappytel #71 3 years ago

    @ donnie - as stated elsewhere, Naughty Dog are owned by Sony, so your point in moot. It's nothing to do with the hardware but rather the fact they are exceptionally talented at getting the best out of the consoles - look at Crash Bandicoot 3/CTR, the Jak & Daxter trilogy or obviously Uncharted for proof. Their games are always amongst the best-looking on each system.
  • Les #72 3 years ago

    "the ps3 is flawed because it has a mixture of hardware ie great cpu/bluray space combined with outdated hardware like its gpu graphics card.etc. not a good all rounder like the 360"

    Wouldn't exactly call the 360 an all rounder TBH. It's a pixel pusher while the PS3 has an architecture that in theory allows developers to sacrifice some pixels for interesting gameplay (there's a reason Sony didn't invest too heavily in a dedicated GPU: When needed, the Cell can offer support). But as gamers ask little more of developers than lots of brown pixels, that's what we get and much of PS3's potential is actually wasted.
  • spudsbuckley #73 3 years ago

    I loved the first Uncharted and i also love the fact that a simple platformer, a genre that's been around forever, tops the polls.

    Suck on that 'innovation' junkies :D
    Edited by 1 at 23/06/09 @ 20:59
  • Cannibal #74 3 years ago

    The first Uncharted looked pretty but it played like a 6/10. The gunplay in particular was VERY repetitive with wave after wave of enemy just swarming at you. Space invaders with guns.
  • El-Dev #75 3 years ago

    "The first Uncharted looked pretty but it played like a 6/10. The gunplay in particular was VERY repetitive with wave after wave of enemy just swarming at you. Space invaders with guns. "

    Yep, playing games on easy is for some.
  • 3william56 #76 3 years ago

    Space Invaders *had* guns. Or one, anyway.

    EG still calling Milo a "game"? 3 parts impressive tech demo, 4 parts scripted con job, zero parts game shurely? At least the infamous pre-rendered Killzone 2 video showed an actual *game*. So far, I've seen zip in terms of actual fun things to do with Milo, apart from make posh voice killbot apocalypse jokes. Methinks EG got sucked in worse than that Bolivian tv news showing footage from Lost as an air france crash video.

  • septimus #77 3 years ago

    Of course you disagree EG.. You are EG ffs. If it was on the 360 it would have been the game of the show, and SMB was a nice easy get out :-P, and we all know this to be true no matter what console you own.

    EG is funny. :)

    Natal's potential does look great.... but I am concerned how it will work in my sometimes cluttered lounge? If a mirror is anywhere behind you, creating extra motion or your dog runs past etc, will it really mess up what you are doing in that instance?
    Edited by 1 at 24/06/09 @ 10:06
  • spudsbuckley #78 3 years ago

    Why does everyone think Natal has good potential after they said the exact same thing about the Wii and it sucks balls?

    Maybe, just maybe, motion control is a dead end.
  • makeamazing #79 3 years ago

    Why does everyone think Natal has good potential after they said the exact same thing about the Wii and it sucks balls? Maybe, just maybe, motion control is a dead end.

    People get excited by new tech, thats how everyone is these days. Ive suddenly got into Apple after years of not being interested, now I have an iPhone and a Mac...

    I just think Natal, is a good concept, but wont work in practice, but peoples excitement for futuristic tech and good PR/videos can really drag people in. I mentioned it in another post, but I really think if Natal came out before the Wii, MS would be leading the pack, now most people know what the Wii is and isnt at this point (how many users who own a wii are not using it) and I wont be bitten twice...I think duplicating the Wiis success this generation with a new controller is not going to happen. MS really should have considered holding it back and putting it into the 720.