Portal 2 and Battlefield 3 win big at 2012 videogame Baftas

by Ben Abbott at 7:01 pm on Monday, 19 March 2012

Portal 2 and Battlefield 3 have walked away with three awards each from the 2012 Bafta Video Games Awards (held in London last Friday) despite stiff competition. Presided over by Dara O'Briain and with stars such as Jonathan Ross, Aaron Staton, Craig Fairbrass and the Saturdays shouldering presenting duties for the ceremony’s myriad categories, this year’s event was also notable due to the absence of fan favourites such as The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, Gears of War 3 and Uncharted 3 amongst the list of victors.

The winners were as follows:

Best Game: Portal 2

GAME Award of 2011: Battlefield 3

Online Multiplayer: Battlefield 3

Story: Portal 2

Action: Batman: Arkham City

Design: Portal 2

Artistic Achievement: Rayman Origins

Sports/Fitness: Kinect Sports 2

Strategy: Total War: SHOGUN 2

Original Music: L.A Noire

Audio Achievement: Battlefield 3

Game Innovation: LittleBigPlanet 2

Performer: Mark Hamill - The Joker, Batman: Arkham City

Debut Game: Insanely Twisted Shadow Planet

Family: LittleBigPlanet 2

Mobile and Handheld: Peggle HD

Online Browser: Monstermind

Special Award Winner: Markus ‘Notch’ Persson

BAFTA Ones to Watch: Tick Tock Toys

Acknowledging the calibre of this year’s nominees, Valve’s Josh Weier said in an interview with Bafta that, "it sounds like such a cliché to say it’s so thrilling just to be nominated, and to win it is amazing, but this year more than any." Meanwhile, Minecraft creator Markus ‘Notch’ Persson stated of the industry that there was "room for innovation now", praising the works of smaller developers after what he described onstage as a "time where games were only about huge studios".

Are you pleased or miffed about the winners? Did your favourites get an award, or were they left out in the cold? Sound off in the comments below and let us know what you think.

Source: Bafta

- Ben Abbott

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