VGAs Blend Awards, Announcements and Live Painted Pigs

Spike TV’s Video Game Awards don’t get a lot of respect from gamers. Maybe that’s partly to be expected – it’s the People’s Choice Awards for video games, basically, so it’s a bit of a popularity contest. But so what? Any show that starts with Neil Patrick Harris gunning down a troupe of white-coated singer-dancers can’t be all bad.

It’s never been all about the awards anyway. The VGAs are also a chance to debut new titles, like “Resistance 3, “Batman: Arkham City, “Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim” and “Mass Effect 3.” And the teaser for the massively anticipated “Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception” didn’t disappoint, either.

Other highlights and … not so highlights from Saturday night’s show:

Live-action “Angry Birds,” with NPH attempting to sling-shot a live bird toward three painted pigs on stage, before being interrupted by the show’s director, citing concerns from PETA.

Skateboarding legend Tony Hawk took the stage to introduce a buggy new wireless peripheral that … oh whoops, no, he was actually introducing “Prototype 2,” a sequel to a so-so game that isn’t scheduled to be released until 2012. So … thanks?

A hilarious and super-sweary Guillermo del Toro revealed the much-rumored game he’s been working on with THQ: “inSane,” “an unprecedented descent into madness.”

A TMZ story session with Harvey and the gang discussing all the latest gaming gossip, like Ezio from “Assassin’s Creed II” caught decapitating a photog outside Teddy’s in Hollywood, and PAC-MAN leaving a Mel Gibson-eqsue voice mail rant during his contentious divorce from Ms. PAC-MAN.

How can you make snowboarding more dangerous? How about dropping in from a helicopter into a blizzard on a mountain while being shot at? “SSX: Deadly Descents” sounds so bizarre it might actually be an awesome addition to the series. Just pretend it’s a really long version of the “Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2” snow level, because it seems like that’s what EA’s going for anyway. But will it be as good as SSX 3? Is such a thing even possible?

NPH was fantastic as he solemnly and straight-facedly sang Sarah McClachlan’s “Angel” at a white piano during an In Memoriam segment lamenting departed video game characters.

Wrapping up some of the wins:

Best Xbox 360 Game

Mass Effect 2 (Electronic Arts / BioWare)

Best PS3 Game

God of War III (Sony Computer Entertainment / SCE Studios Santa Monica)

Best Wii Game

Super Mario Galaxy 2 (Nintendo / Nintendo)

Best PC Game

StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty (Blizzard Entertainment / Blizzard Entertainment)

Best Shooter

Call of Duty: Black Ops (Activision / Treyarch)

Best Action/Adventure Game

Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood (Ubisoft / Ubisoft Montreal)

Best Role Playing Game

Mass Effect 2 (Electronic Arts / BioWare)

Best Graphics

God of War III (Sony Computer Entertainment / SCE Studios Santa Monica)

Best Independent Game

Limbo (PlayDead)

Rock Star’s epic and awesome “Red Dead Redemption” deservedly took home the prize for Game of the Year, as well as Best Original Score and Best Downloadable Content (for its zombified Undead Nightmare pack). The VGAs also honored José González’ “Far Away” with a Best Song win, which provided the classiest and coolest moment of the evening, as González played his haunting song on stage, with a montage from the game on screen behind him.