And the winner for best Xbox game goes to….The Last of Us. All joking aside, the DICE summit and its subsequent awards are one of the game industry’s biggest events, in which the best games of the year are celebrated in front of an audience of about 600 people, consisting mostly game developers and publishers.
To make matters even more special, Sam and Dan Houser, as well as Leslie Menzies, were ushered into the AIAS Hall of Fame appearing on stage with a mob of fellow Rockstar staff. “It’s a tremendous honor to have Rockstar’s work to be recognized in this way,” said Dan Houser. “To be honest we normally turn this sort of stuff down but they wouldn’t let us this year. And we turn it down because focusing on an individual or individuals at Rockstar just feels wrong. The nice people at DICE at least agreed to let there be the three of us but really there should be several hundred people standing here not just the ten or so of us.”
AIAS also wants to make sure that others know: this isn’t some rehearsed spectacle that is all about the glitz and the glam. As AIAS president Martin Rae said, “This event is important from the perspective of the gamers who have played the games and respect the people who make the games. Our job is to put those guys on the stage and honor them and their work.”
The Winners from the DICE awards
ORIGINAL MUSIC COMPOSITION: Bioshock Infinite (nominees were Beyond: Two Souls, Puppeteer, rain and Rayman Legends)
ADVENTURE GAME: The Last of Us (nominees were Assassin’s Creed: IV Black Flag, Tearaway, The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds and Tomb Raider)
DOWNLOADABLE: Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons (nominees were Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon, Gone Home, Papers, Please, and The Stanley Parable)
MOBILE: Plants vs Zombies 2 (nominees were Fetch, Flick Kick Football Legends, Ridiculous Fishing – A Tale of Redemption, and The Wolf Among Us)
HANDHELD: The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds (nominees were Fire Emblem: Awakening, Luigi’s Mansion: Dark Moon, Pokémon X & Y and Tearaway)
ANIMATION: The Last of Us (nominees were Assassin’s Creed: IV Black Flag, Beyond: Two Souls, Puppeteer and Rayman Legends)
ART DIRECTION: The Last of Us (nominees were Bioshock Infinite, Puppeteer, Rayman Legends and Tearaway)
VISUAL ENGINEERING: The Last of Us (nominees were Assassin’s Creed: IV Black Flag, Battlefield 4, Grand Theft Auto V and Ryse)
GAMEPLAY ENGINEERING: Grand Theft Auto 5 (nominees were Assassin’s Creed: IV Black Flag, Forza Motorsport 5, Super Mario 3D and The Last of Us)
HALL OF FAME: Rockstar Games
CASUAL: Plants vs Zombies 2 (nominees were Candy Box, Peggle 2, Rayman Fiesta Run and Ridiculous Fishing – A Tale of Redemption)
FAMILY: Super Mario 3D World (nominees were Disney Infinity, LEGO Marvel Super Heroes, Rayman Legends and Skylanders Swap Force)
ROLE-PLAYING AND MASSIVELY MULTIPLAYER: Diablo 3 (nominees were Dota 2, Dragon’s Dogma: Dark Arisen, Ni No Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch3 and Pokémon X & Y)
STRATEGY SIMULATION: XCOM: Enemy Within (nominees were Europa Universalis 4, Fire Emblem: Awakening, Sid Meier’s Civilization V: Brave New World and StarCraft II: Heart of the Swarm)
OUTSTANDING INNOVATION: The Last of Us (nominees were Grand Theft Auto V, Papers, Please, Tearaway, and The Stanley Parable)
SOUND DESIGN: The Last of Us (nominees were Battlefield 4, Bioshock Infinite, God of War: Ascension, and Grand Theft Auto V)
STORY: The Last of Us (nominees were Beyond: Two Souls, Bioshock Infinite , The Novelist  and Tomb Raider)
CHARACTER PERFORMANCE: Ellie, The Last of Us (nominees were Trevor, Grand Theft Auto V; Marius Titus, Ryse; Joel, The Last of Us; and Narrator, The Stanley Parable)
PIONEER: Eugene Jarvis
ONLINE GAME: World of Tanks (nominees were Battlefield 4, Borderlands 2, Diablo III, and The Last of Us)
SPORTS: FIFA 14 (nominees were Madden NFL 25, MLB 13 The Show, NBA 2K14, and NHL 14)
DRIVING: Forza Motorsport 5 (nominees were Gran Turismo 6, Grid 2, Need for Speed Rivals and Real Racing 3)
FIGHTING: Injustice: Gods Among Us (nominees were Divekick and Killer Instinct)
ACTION: Bioshock Infinite (nominees were Battlefield 4, Dead Rising 3, DmC: Devil May Cry, and RESOGUN)
DIRECTION: The Last of Us (nominees were Brothers – A Tale of Two Sons, Grand Theft Auto V, Papers, Please and Tearaway)
GAME OF THE YEAR: The Last of Us (nominees were Assassin’s Creed: IV Black Flag, Bioshock Infinite , Grand Theft Auto V and The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds)
