GameCritics' E3 2005 nominations

Best of Show*
- F.E.A.R. (Monolith Productions/Vivendi Universal Games for PC)
- Gears of War (Epic Games/Microsoft Games Studio for Xbox 360)
- Spore (Maxis/Electronic Arts for PC)
- The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess (Nintendo for GameCube)
- Xbox 360 (Microsoft)

* IMPORTANT NOTE ON HARDWARE ELIGIBILITY The PlayStation 3 and Nintendo Revolution were ineligible for Best of Show because judges did not experience "hands-on" play with the systems. PlayStation 3 was, however, eligible for Best Hardware/Peripheral because real-time hardware demos were shown.

Best Original Game
- Indigo Prophecy (Quantic Dream/Atari for PC, PlayStation 2, Xbox)
- Nintendogs (Nintendo for Nintendo DS)
- Okami (Clover Studios/Capcom for PlayStation 2)
- Shadow of the Colossus (SCEI/SCEA for PlayStation 2)
- Spore (Maxis/Electronic Arts for PC)

Best PC Game
- Age of Empires III (Ensemble Studios/Microsoft Games Studios for PC)
- Battlefield 2 (Digital Illusions/Electronic Arts for PC)
- F.E.A.R. (Monolith Productions/Vivendi Universal Games for PC)
- Prey (Human Head Studios/3D Realms/2K Games for PC)
- Spore (Maxis/Electronic Arts for PC)

Best Console Game
- Black (Criterion Games/Electronic Arts for PlayStation 2, Xbox)
- Gears of War (Epic Games/Microsoft Games Studios for Xbox 360)
- Okami (Clover Studios/Capcom for PlayStation 2)
- Shadow of the Colossus (SCEI/SCEA for PlayStation 2)
- The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess (Nintendo for GameCube)

Best Handheld Game
- Burnout Legends (Criterion Games/Electronic Arts for PSP)
- Infected (Planet Moon Studios/Majesco Games for PSP)
- Mario Kart DS (Nintendo for Nintendo DS)
- Nintendogs (Nintendo for Nintendo DS)
- SOCOM: U.S. Navy SEALs Fireteam Bravo (Zipper/SCEA for PSP)

Best Peripheral / Hardware
- Game Boy Micro (Nintendo)
- Gizmondo (Tiger Telematics)
- PlayStation 3 (Sony Computer Entertainment/ Nvidia/IBM)
- Xbox 360 (Microsoft)

Best Action Game
- Battlefield 2 (Digital Illusions/Electronic Arts for PC)
- Black (Criterion Games/Electronic Arts for PS2, Xbox)
- Call of Duty 2 (Infinity Ward/Activision for PC, Xbox 360)
- F.E.A.R. (Monolith Productions/Vivendi Universal Games for PC)
- Gears of War (Epic Games/Microsoft for Xbox 360)

Best Action/Adventure Game
- Okami (Clover Studios/Capcom for PlayStation 2)
- Peter Jackson's King Kong (UbiSoft for All Platforms)
- Shadow of the Colossus (SCEI/SCEA for PlayStation 2)
- The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess (Nintendo for GameCube)
- Ultimate Spider-Man (Treyarch/Activision for GameCube, PlayStation 2, Xbox)

Best Fighting Game
- Marvel Nemesis: Rise of the Imperfects (Nihilistic/EA for GC/PS2/Xbox/PSP)
- Mortal Kombat: Shaolin Monks (Paradox/Midway Games for PlayStation 2/Xbox)
- Soul Calibur III (Namco for PlayStation 2)
- The Con (Think and Feel/Sony for PSP)

Best Role Playing Game
- City of Villains (Cryptic Studios/NC Soft for PC)
- Dragon Quest VIII: Journey of the Cursed King (Level 5/Square Enix for PS2)
- Hellgate: London (Flagship Studios/Namco for PC)
- Kingdom Hearts II (Square Enix for PS2)
- The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion (Bethesda Software for PC / Xbox 360)

Best Racing Game
- Burnout Legends (Criterion Games/Electronic Arts for PSP)
- Burnout Revenge (Criterion Games/Electronic Arts for PlayStation 2/Xbox)
- Full Auto (Pseudo Interactive/Sega for Xbox 360)
- Mario Kart DS (Nintendo for Nintendo DS)
- Need for Speed Most Wanted (Electronic Arts for All Platforms)

Best Simulation Game
- Nintendogs (Nintendo for Nintendo DS)
- Sims 2 (Electronic Arts for All Consoles)
- Spore (Maxis/Electronic Arts for PC)
- The Movies (Lionhead Studios/Activision for PC)
- Trauma Center: Under the Knife (Atlus Co. for Nintendo DS)

Best Sports Game
- Blitz: The League (Midway for PS2/Xbox)
- Madden NFL 06 (EA Sports/Electronic Arts for All Platforms)
- Tony Hawks American Wasteland (Neversoft/Activision for All Platforms)
- Top Spin 2 (2K Sports for Xbox 360)
- Virtua Tennis: World Tour (Sega for PSP)

Best Strategy Game
- Age of Empires III (Ensemble Studios/Microsoft for PC)
- Civilization IV (Firaxis Games/2K Games for PC)
- Company of Heroes (Relic/THQ for PC)
- Rise of Nations: Rise of Legends (Big Huge Games/Microsoft for PC)
- Star Wars Empire At War (Petroglyph Games/LucasArts for PC)

Best Puzzle/Trivia/Parlor Game
- EyeToy: Kinetic (SCEE London Studio/SCEA for PS2)
- Mario Party 7 (Hudson/Nintendo for GameCube)
- Meteos (Q Entertainment/Nintendo for Nintendo DS)
- We Love Katamari (Namco for PS2)
- Yoot Saito's Odama (Vivarium/Nintendo for GameCube)

Best Online Multiplayer Game
- Auto Assault (NetDevil/NCSoft for PC)
- Battlefield 2 (Digital Illusions/Electronic Arts for PC)
- City of Villains (Cryptic Studios/NCSoft for PC)
- SOCOM 3: U.S. NAVY SEALs (Zipper Interactive/SCEA for PS2)
- Star Wars Battlefront II (Pandemic Studios/LucasArts for PC, PS2, Xbox)