It’s nearing the end of December, and 2008 is coming to a close. Time to put up the Christmas trees and lights, time to start making resolutions for the new year, and time for Spike TV to mangle the VGAs once more. Since 2004, Spike has been striving to make their Video Game Awards show into the industry’s Oscars, but they have tough competition. Other gaming awards may not have flashy shows with celebrities and Ultimate Fighting Championship advertisements, but honors like the Golden Joystick Awards, which have been handed out since 1982, come with much higher esteem in the world of game development.

Alright, alright, to be fair, this year’s show wasn’t nearly as bad as shows past. But Spike still has a long way to go if they want to transform the VGA’s into the "next E3." What follows is a list of what they still got wrong, and why.

Guests and Musical Acts

Wearing a cowboy hat does not mean you’re cool again.

So close, yet so far. This year’s guest list certainly sounded promising: a musical performance by Weezer, the stars of the upcoming Chun Li movie, and Jack Black as the host...how could it possibly go wrong?

Let’s start with the musical acts. The All American Rejects were unnecessary, but then, was anyone really looking forward to them anyway? LL Cool J’s impromptu performance was equally unasked for, and he was one of the many guests who looked more than a little out of place. 50 Cent was a smart choice, considering his game, Blood on the Sand, will be coming out in 2009, but does anyone really still listen to his music? And then there’s Weezer, who closed the show with their single, "The Greatest Man That Ever Lived." In their heyday, Weezer was the epitome of nerd rock. Nowadays, however, the band is more than a little washed up, while their songs refer more to Beverly Hills than geek culture. I would have much preferred to see them play something from their glory days (In the Garage couldn’t be more apropos) than watch frontman Rivers Cuomo suffer through what may be the worst song they’ve ever written.

The guest presenters, meanwhile, ranged wildly from A list to B list, and their level of comfort followed suit. Very few of them seemed to feel at home on that stage, instead projecting a sort of "what am I doing here" kind of vibe. This was especially noticeable by watching the live feed from Spike’s own website. The camera on the website wouldn’t cut away from the presenters when the nominees were being shown, so it was plain as day which of them knew what exactly "Metal Gear Solid 4" was, and which of them were left scratching their heads. Most painful was the introduction of Uncharted 2 by Busta Rhymes, who clearly didn’t even know what a game "in-engine" (in-game engine) WAS, let alone how to say it in-between promoting his new album.

It was also kind of surprising that none of the presenters were ever actual game developers. When you see an awards show like the Oscars, it’s nice to see an actor hand out an award to another actor, as it appears as though one of them is acknowledging the outstanding work of their peers. I would rather see something similar to that than puzzle over why a rapper is giving an award to Cliff Bleszinski... but perhaps I’m the only one?

To end this section on a more positive note, however, Jack Black did a fairly good job, even though it was often marred by poor writing. An inexplicable appearance by Jerry Stiller was also enjoyable, if only for the fact that it’s Mr. Costanza. How could you not be happy to see him?