Weren't those G-Phoria awards exciting last night? I was on the edge of my seat the entire time! Okay, I was at Walmart buying cat litter, but I did brush precariously close to some seats in the office furniture section. So what did I miss? Nintendo getting shut out of every award except best racing game for Mario Kart Wii for one...an award it really didn't deserve. Rock Band and Grand Theft Auto IV each came away with three awards, with Metal Gear Solid 4 and Call of Duty 4 taking home two each. For those keeping track, that's seven awards to games that were number four in their respective series. It was a year of damn fine sequels, wasn't it? Turok walked away with the coveted Uwe Boll Film Award, which seems far more fitting than Skate winning Best Sports Game.

Keep in mind that these awards are all voted on by viewers, so the Game of the Year Award winner should be a pretty good indicator of the sort of audience G4 has left after they hacked away most of the good bits. And the winner is...Halo 3. Really. Hit the jump for the full awards listing.

G4 ANNOUNCES WINNERS OF FAN-VOTED “G-PHORIA 2008” AWARDS

“Halo 3” Voted Game of the Year
“GTA IV” and “Rock Band” Score Three Awards Each

LOS ANGELES, August 7, 2008 – The winners of the “G-Phoria 2008” awards were revealed TONIGHT during a special one-hour “X-Play” broadcast on G4. The biggest winner of the night was “Halo 3,” taking the highly coveted Game of the Year award. Other big winners were “Grand Theft Auto IV” and “Rock Band” tying with three awards each, along with “Metal Gear Solid 4” and “Call of Duty 4,” each receiving two awards. Set during the summer when gamers can find respite from the heat and take advantage of time off to engage in their passion, “G-Phoria 2008” honors games that were released in the 12 months between July 31, 2007 and July 31, 2008. “X-Play” hosts Adam Sessler and Morgan Webb presented this year’s installment of the annual videogame awards show that included more than 90 nominees in 18 categories.

The “G-Phoria 2008” winners include:

Game of the Year
Halo 3

Favorite System
Xbox 360

Best Graphics
Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots

Best New Character
Niko Bellic - Grand Theft Auto IV

Best Party Game
Rock Band

Best Strategy Game
Sid Meier's Civilization Revolution

Best Sports Game
skate.

Best Action Game
Grand Theft Auto IV

Best Shooter
Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare

Best Racing Game
Mario Kart Wii

Best Role-Playing Game
Mass Effect

Most Original
Portal

Best Online Multiplayer Game
Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare

Best Downloadable Content
Rock Band

Best Handheld Game
God of War: Chains of Olympus

Best Voice Acting
Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots

Best Soundtrack
Rock Band

Game Most Deserving of an Uwe Boll Movie
Turok

Longest Lasting Game presented by Stride
Grand Theft Auto IV

“We’d like to thank our dedicated fans for their votes and unwavering support of our games. We’d also like to congratulate the other nominees in this category; their existence improves the gaming landscape,” said Brian Jarrard, Director of PR and Community, Bungie, developer of Halo 3.

Following the awards presentation, Morgan Webb explained what she thinks made Halo 3 such a runaway hit with “G-Phoria” game-playing voters.

“The record-breaking sales we saw with ‘Halo 3’ at the game’s launch and the continued success on Xbox Live are testament to how many people really love this game, as reinforced by the fans’ votes for Game of the Year.”

“G-Phoria” is the only videogame award show that hands control to the gamers, giving fans an opportunity to select their favorites in categories ranging from Best Party Game to Best New Character. By logging interactive votes, “G-Phoria” lets viewers honor those special games that offer spectacular game playing experiences. Winners in each ”G-Phoria 2008” category were determined through votes submitted online at G4tv.com and via text message. Games had to be released between July 31, 2007 and July 31, 2008.

“Given that this was the most incredible year for games in memory I have to commend our fans for making some tough decisions but well deserved spreading of the love to all the great developers out there,” said Adam Sessler, Host and Managing Editor, “X-Play.”

“X-Play” is the most-watched videogame series on television, offering smart, funny and brutally honest reviews of the hottest videogames on the market. More information on “X-Play” and the “G-Phoria 2008” awards presentation is available at http://www.g4tv.com/xplay . Visitors can learn more about the most-watched videogame show on television, find reviews of the latest games, participate in the show’s online forums and become a part of the show via unique interactive features.

It's here, it's here! It's finally here! Tonight at 8PM Eastern time, X=Play presents G-Phoria 2008, the only video game awards show where the gamers vote for their favorite titles. Adam Sessler and Morgan Webb will be putting their personal opinions aside and let the viewers decide which games deserve the awards, from the lowly Best Downloadable Content to the possibly highly coveted Game of the Year. They've even got a Game Most Deserving of an Uwe Boll Movie Adaptation award! Hilarity ensues.

You can head over to the G-Phoria website to cast your vote, or they've got an option to vote via text message in case you don't have access to the internet or just really enjoy typing with your thumb. Hit the jump for the full list of award categories.

“X-PLAY” PRESENTS “G-PHORIA 2008,” WHERE VIEWERS TAKE CONTROL OF G4’S ANNUAL VIDEOGAME AWARDS SHOW

“G-Phoria,” the only videogame award show that puts the voting controllers in the hands of real gamers, returns to G4 with interactive features that make it the most engaging awards show on TV. Once again, G4’s experts put their personal opinions aside and allow the game-playing public to decide the winners in a wide variety of categories ranging from Best Party Game to Best New Character, with the ultimate victor being named Game of the Year.

“G-Phoria” gives gamers interactive voting options which include G4tv.com and Verizon Wireless phones. It’s television’s only awards show where real gamers choose the games they like best. The public’s choices for the year’s best games will be announced during the special “X-Play” presentation of “G-Phoria 2008” which premieres TONIGHT at 8 p.m. ET/PT, only on G4.

Winners in each “G-Phoria 2008” category, including Game of the Year, are determined by votes submitted online and via text message. “X-Play” hosts Adam Sessler and Morgan Webb are your hosts for this annual gaming celebration.

“G-Phoria 2008” award categories include:

Best Party Game

Best New Character

Best Shooter

Best Strategy Game

Best Sports Game

Best Action Game

Best Racing Game

Best Role-Playing Game

Best Handheld Game

Most Original Game

Best Multiplayer Game

Best Downloadable Content

Best Voiceover

Best Graphics

Best Soundtrack

Longest Lasting Game

Game Most Deserving of an Uwe Boll Movie Adaptation

Game of the Year

A complete listing of the 90 nominees in 18 categories, along with additional “X-Play” information, is available online at http://www.g4tv.com/xplay. Visitors can learn more about “G-Phoria 2008” and how to cast their votes, and can also find reviews of the latest games, participate in the show’s online forums and engage in some of the interactive features that make every episode of “X-Play” completely unique.