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Spike TV's 'Video Game Awards 2009' Plans Global Domination 7th Annual Event Will Be Broadcast in More Than 180 Countries and Territories Worldwide

Two-Hour Event Premieres LIVE On Saturday, December 12 At 8:00 PM ET

Halo: Reach To Exclusively Premiere At VGAs, Plus Spectacular First Looks At Never-Before-Seen Titles Set To Rock Gaming Consoles In 2010 And Beyond

Nominees And Categories Honoring The Best In Video Games Announced With Sony's Uncharted 2: Among Thieves Topping List With Eight Nominations

Voting Begins Today At VGA.Spike.Com

NEW YORK, Nov. 18 /PRNewswire/ -- Spike TV today announced the nominees and categories for the biggest world-wide event ever to celebrate the video game industry, the 2009 "Video Game Awards." The seventh annual "VGAs" will be a global event, broadcasting in over 180 territories and countries and gathering megastars from the worlds of video games, Hollywood, music, sports and more to honor the outstanding achievements within the video game industry during the past year. The two-hour event, taking place in Los Angeles, CA, will premiere LIVE on Spike TV Saturday, December 12 at 8:00pm, ET/PT (tape delay west coast). Beginning today, fans can vote for their favorite nominees at VGA.Spike.Com.

The 2009 "Video Game Awards" will reveal blockbuster global premieres of never-before-seen titles and break international news with announcements of new games from the industry's leading publishers. Game companies contributing exclusive new content to the VGAs include 2K, Activision, Disney Interactive Studios, Electronic Arts, LucasArts Entertainment, Microsoft Game Studios, THQ, Ubisoft, Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment, with more to be announced in the coming weeks..

This year VGA viewers will get a sneak peek at Halo: Reach with the debut of an exclusive, world premiere video from the opening of the game. Halo: Reach is an all-new prequel to the massively popular Halo trilogy from developer Bungie and Microsoft Game Studios which launches in the fall of 2010 exclusively on the Xbox 360.

"The global appetite and response from the fans internationally has been astounding," said Casey Patterson, executive producer and senior vice president, Event Productions Spike TV. "Video games, like movies and music, are a universal language and Spike is thrilled that we will now be showing gamers all over the world a glimpse into their future with more than 12 mind-blowing world premieres."

For additional information about other "VGA" world exclusives and announcements, fans can log onto VGA.Spike.com as well as get updates on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/Spike_TV.

Leading the way with eight nominations this year, including nods for Game of the Year and Studio of the Year, is Naughty Dog's cinematic adventure Uncharted 2: Among Thieves. Batman: Arkham Asylum, Rocksteady Studios' dark and gritty Batman game, racked up seven nods, including Game of the Year as well as Best Voice for Mark Hamill's portrayal of The Joker. Infinity Ward's military shooter Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 and Valve's zombie thriller Left 4 Dead 2 each landed six nominations.

Nominees for Spike TV's 2009 "Video Game Awards" were determined by the VGA Advisory Council, made up of a group of the most well-respected experts in the industry of leading game media outlets such as GameTrailers.com, Game Informer, USA Today, Wired, Penny Arcade, GameSpot and IGN. Games released between December 2, 2008 and November 23, 2009 were eligible for nomination.

Following are several of the nominees and categories for Spike TV's 2009 "Video Game Awards." For a full list, please go to VGA.Spike.Com.

GAME OF THE YEAR

* Assassin's Creed 2 (Ubisoft / Ubisoft Montreal)
* Batman: Arkham Asylum (Eidos Interactive - Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment / Rocksteady Studios)
* Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 (Activision Publishing / Infinity Ward)
* Left 4 Dead 2 (Valve)
* UNCHARTED 2: Among Thieves (Sony Computer Entertainment / Naughty Dog)

STUDIO OF THE YEAR

* Infinity Ward
* Naughty Dog
* Rocksteady Studios
* Valve

BEST MUSIC GAME

* DJ Hero (Activision Publishing / FreeStyleGames)
* Guitar Hero 5 (Activision Publishing / Neversoft Entertainment)
* LEGO Rock Band (MTV Games - Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment / Traveler's Tales Games - Harmonix)
* The Beatles: Rock Band (MTV Games / Harmonix)

The official sponsors of Spike TV's 2009 "Video Game Awards" are Burger King, Mountain Dew, Verizon Wireless, GameStop, Energizer and U.S. Army.

Albie Hecht, Oscar®-nominated producer and Casey Patterson, senior vice president, event production & talent development for Spike TV will serve as executive producers of Spike TV's 2009 "Video Game Awards." Beth McCarthy will direct. Greg Sills is supervising producer.

Spike TV is available in 98.6 million homes and is a division of MTV Networks. A unit of Viacom ( VIA, VIA.B), MTV Networks is one of the world's leading creators of programming and content across all media platforms. Spike TV's Internet address is http://www.spike.com and for up-to-the-minute and archival press information and photographs, visit Spike TV's press site at http://www.spike.com/press.

UFC Undisputed 2010 VGA Trailer

Spike TV Announces 2009 'Video Game Awards' Winners

'UNCHARTED 2: AMONG THIEVES' CROWNED GAME OF THE YEAR

Legendary Musician Stevie Wonder On Hand To Pronounce The Beatles: Rock Band As Best Music Game of 2009

LIVE Show Unveils World Premiere Footage From Twelve Of The Industry's Most Anticipated Titles



Featuring world premiere footage from twelve of the gaming world's most hotly anticipated releases and a slew of unbelievable moments, Spike TV's seventh annual "Video Game Awards" was a night to remember as the network celebrated the outstanding artistic and technical achievements in the gaming industry over the past year. The two-hour event premiered LIVE on Spike TV Saturday, December 12 at 8:00 PM, ET (tape delay west coast) from The Event Deck @ LA Live in downtown Los Angeles.

The night's most memorable moment belonged to 25 time Grammy® Award winner Stevie Wonder, who was on hand to present The Beatles: Rock Band as Best Music Game of 2009. After being welcomed to the stage by a three minute standing ovation from the adoring crowd, the icon challenged the gaming industry to create video games specifically designed for those with disabilities.

Another of the night's signature moments occurred when former heavyweight boxing champion "Iron" Mike Tyson teamed up with another Mike, "The Situation," and his "Jersey Shore" castmates to present Best Shooter to Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2.

The gaming industry's most influential developers as well as luminaries from the world of entertainment were on hand as Sony Computer Entertainment and Naughty Dog moved into "Uncharted" territory, as their smash hit UNCHARTED 2: Among Thieves, was named Game of the Year. The title also took home awards for Best PS3 Game and Best Graphics, nothing a total of three Vector Monkeys, making it the year's winningest game.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 tied with X-Men Origins: Wolverine Uncaged Edition in taking home the second most honors, with the former netting a pair of awards for Best Shooter and Best Multi-Player Game, and the latter winning Best Cast and Best Performance By A Human Male due to Hugh Jackman's outstanding work.

Viewers were treated to performances by Snoop Dogg as he stirred the crowd with his latest single, "I Want to Rock" and The Bravery, who rocked the house with "Slow Poison," the first single from their new album, "Stir The Blood" and closed the show out with "I Have Seen the Future."

The 2009 "VGAs" featured twelve exclusive world premieres, the highest number in the show's seven year history. First look world premieres included Halo: Reach, UFC 2010 Undisputed, Tron, Medal of Honor, Prince of Persia: The Forgotten Sands, Crackdown 2, Bonanza, Spec Ops, Rock Band, Deadliest Warrior, True Crime and Star Wars.

The "VGAs" pays tribute to the outstanding achievements of games, designers, animation, breakthrough technology, music and performances of the past year in the world of video games. The awards also provide a glimpse of the future of gaming - including exclusive sneak peeks and world premiere footage of some of the hottest and most anticipated games of 2010 and beyond.

A full list of winners is included below:

GAME OF THE YEAR
UNCHARTED 2: Among Thieves (Sony Computer Entertainment / Naughty Dog)

STUDIO OF THE YEAR
Rocksteady Studios

BEST SHOOTER
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 (Activision Publishing / Infinity Ward)

BEST RPG
Dragon Age: Origins (Electronic Arts / BioWare)

BEST FIGHTING GAME
Street Fighter IV (Capcom / Capcom/Dimps)

BEST INDIVIDUAL SPORTS GAME
UFC 2009 Undisputed (THQ / Yuke's Media Creations)

BEST HANDHELD GAME
Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars (Rockstar Games / Rockstar Leeds)

BEST GRAPHICS
UNCHARTED 2: Among Thieves (Sony Computer Entertainment / Naughty Dog)

BEST MUSIC GAME
The Beatles: Rock Band (MTV Games / Harmonix)

BEST DRIVING GAME
Forza Motorsport 3 (Microsoft Game Studios / Turn 10)

BEST ACTION ADVENTURE GAME
Assassin's Creed II (Ubisoft / Ubisoft Montreal)

BEST TEAM SPORTS GAME
NHL 10 (Electronic Arts / EA Canada)

BEST SOUNDTRACK
DJ Hero (Activision Publishing / FreeStyleGames)

BEST XBOX 360 GAME
Left 4 Dead 2 (Valve)

BEST Wii GAME
New Super Mario Bros. Wii (Nintendo)

BEST PS3 GAME
UNCHARTED 2: Among Thieves (Sony Computer Entertainment / Naughty Dog)

BEST PC GAME
Dragon Age: Origins (Electronic Arts / BioWare)

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE
Halo 3: ODST (Microsoft Game Studios / Bungie)

BEST MULTI-PLAYER GAME
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 (Activision Publishing / Infinity Ward)

BEST GAME BASED ON A MOVIE OR TV SHOW
South Park Let's Go Tower Defense Play! (Microsoft / DoubleSix)

BEST CAST
X-Men Origins: Wolverine Uncaged Edition (Activision Publishing / Raven Software)

BEST PERFORMANCE BY A HUMAN MALE
Hugh Jackman as Wolverine in X-Men Origins: Wolverine Uncaged Edition (Activision Publishing)

BEST PERFORMANCE BY A HUMAN FEMALE
Megan Fox as Mikaela Banes (Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen / Activision Publishing)

BEST VOICE
Jack Black as Eddie Riggs (Brutal Legend / Electronic Arts)

BEST DOWNLOADABLE GAME
Shadow Complex (Microsoft Game Studios / Chair Entertainment)

BEST COMEDY GAME
Eat Lead: The Return of Matt Hazard (D3Publisher / Vicious Cycle)

BEST DLC
Grand Theft Auto IV: The Ballad of Gay Tony (Rockstar Games / Rockstar North)

BEST INDEPENDENT GAME FUELED BY DEW
Flower (ThatGameCompany)

MOST ANTICIPATED GAME
God of War III (Sony Computer Entertainment / SCE Studios Santa Monica)

The official sponsors of Spike TV's "Video Game Awards 2009" are Burger King, Mountain Dew, Verizon Wireless, GameStop, Energizer and U.S. Army.

Albie Hecht, Oscar®-nominated producer and Casey Patterson, senior vice president, event production & talent development for Spike TV will serve as executive producers of Spike TV's "Video Game Awards 2009." Beth McCarthy will direct. Greg Sills is supervising producer.

Spike TV is available in 98.6 million homes and is a division of MTV Networks. A unit of Viacom ( VIA, VIA.B), MTV Networks is one of the world's leading creators of programming and content across all media platforms. Spike TV's Internet address is http://www.spike.com and for up-to-the-minute and archival press information and photographs, visit Spike TV's press site at http://www.spike.com/press.