Spike Video Game Awards honors the best video games of 2012

The first weekend of December saw something special happen for the gaming community, as Spike celebrated the best the video game industry had to offer with their annual Video Game Awards. 2012 marked the 10th installment of this prestigious event, featuring a collection of titles and awards for the best that the year has to offer, as well as recognizing several milestones in the decade since the VGA came into existence. Hosted for the fourth time by none other than Hollywood and pop culture acting legend Samuel L. Jackson, this year’s VGA ceremony featured popular new titles like Assassin Creed III, Borderlands 2, The Walking Dead: The Game, and Dishonored among the list of nominees for various awards. As with each installment per year, Spike’s Video Game Awards provided an avenue for forthcoming games to make their debut and/ or showcase new details. Games like Naughty Dog’s highly anticipated survival horror action game “The Last Of Us” got a new trailer and release date, while a mysterious game called “The Phantom Pain” became the subject of speculation and was tipped to be “Metal Gear Solid 5” in disguise. Amidst all this, other Hollywood celebrities besides Jackson had time to make an appearance in the show and provide special performances. Starlet Jessica Alba came in to introduce the new Dark Souls 2 trailer, while famed pop music group Linkin Park stepped in to perform live one of their newest hits “Castle Glass”! That’s not to say that Sam L. J didn’t get his time to shine, as he was digitally added to several games in a “What If Samuel L. Jackson appeared in this segment” that sent everyone into a funny frenzy! In the end, it ultimately came down to the most important feature of the show – calling forth the nominees and announcing the winners. Games and studios won awards and trophies based on their category and system, but ultimately it was Telltale Games “The Walking Dead: The Game” that came out on the top spot as “Game of the Year” for 2012. A special “Game of the Decade” award was also presented to commemorate ten years of gaming, and that prestigious honor went to Valve’s “Half Life 2”, which is certainly a classic and marks a milestone in gaming history. Indeed, ten years is certainly a long time for the video game industry, and with so much potential still untapped and more opportunities to showcase great stuff, Spike’s VGA is one of those great ways to celebrate gaming as a whole and the achievements that come along with it. — DVM, GMA News