Indie hit Superbrothers: Sword & Sworcery EP and dystopian action/adventure Deus Ex: Human Revolution were the belles of the ball at the third annual Canadian Videogame Awards, held Saturday Night on the West coast in conjunction with Fan Expo Vancouver.
The ceremony, designed to recognize excellence in Canada's booming video game industry, doled out awards in 15 categories.
Toronto-based Capybara Games' art-y retro adventure Superbrothers, which earned critical raves and commercial acclaim when it was released on iPhone, iPad, and through Steam for Windows PCs last spring, took home five awards, including Best Game on the Go, Best Downloadable Game, Best Indie Game, the Innovation Award (given to games that push design in new directions), and Best Original Music for a memorable soundtrack composed by Jim Guthrie.
Eidos' new Montreal studio took earned five trophies, too. Deus Ex: Human Revolution, prequel to the classic transhumanist adventure Deus Ex, was awarded Best Console Game, Best Audio, Best Game Design, and Best Writing. The game's hero, Adam Jenson, won for Best New Character, beating out other memorable game personalities that emerged in 2011, including Sissy from Sissy's Magical Ponycorn Adventure and the stoic Captain Titus from Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine.
However, Game of the Year, selected by gamers via an online vote, went to Electronic Arts' FIFA Soccer 12, the latest entry in a Burnaby B.C.-made sports series that has found global popularity.
Ubisoft Montreal shared in the evening's bounty, winning Best Visual Arts for its work on Assassin's Creed: Revelations and Best Technology for Your Shape Fitness Evolved 2012. Vancouver's Exploding Barrel Games scored a victory in the Best Social/Casual Game category for Margaritaville Online.
The Future Shop Gamers' Choice Award, which is given to the Canadian-made game that sold best at the electronics retailer, went to Electronic Arts' hockey sim NHL 12.
The event's nominees were chosen by committee, with winners in all but two categories selected by a panel of industry veterans and Canadian media voting by online ballot.
If you want to see the people behind the games accepting their awards, an edited version of the event, which was produced by The Electric Playground's Victor Lucas, will run on CityTV April 28th at 8:00 p.m. and G4 Canada on April 28th and 29th.