If Spike s 2009 Video Game Awards show managed to prove one thing this year it is that what s on shelves is as important to game consumers as what they can anticipate to play one, two, maybe even three years from now. The program, which aired on Saturday night, wasn’t just about honoring the year s best games. While titles such as Sony’s Uncharted 2, Take-Two’s Left 4 Dead 2, and Nintendo’s The New Super Mario Brothers took top honors, the spotlight may have been shining more brightly on what s coming down the pike from the likes of Halo, Batman, Star Wars and Rock Band. Exclusive first-look trailers have always been a part of the VGA, and a coveted placement for game marketing and PR folks.
This year it became central to the show, with the network dedicating considerably more air time for the game announcements, as well as making it a central part of its promotions for the show. Spike may have made it easy for marketing heads to circle the calendar on when to pull the veil off of their games. Now the onus is on their PR teams to keep some semblance of that buzz alive for the months and years to come until the products see the light of day.
Check out the list of winners and games announced at the 2009 Spike VGA at Joystiq.
