2006 Action Game of the Year

Indie action games tend to bring back memories of the old-school (since when did old-school mean 15 years ago?) days of the arcade when everything was about short bursts of extreme excitement and tremendous challenge.

This year's top Action games follow that pattern with stunning results! This is a great set of games that would have sucked away hundreds of quarters in the arcade of yesteryear. Instead they get to suck away many hours (for a lot less money) in front of our comfy computer screens this year.

5th Place - RIP: Strike Back

Developer: White Elephant		Players: 1
Website	Download		Purchase
System Requirements: Windows 98/ME/2000/XP, 500 MHZ, 256 MB RAM, DirectX® 9.0+

Crimsonland has been seen as the father of single screen death match games, and it has long reigned as the best of its kind. However, with the release of RIP: Strike Back, it is time to relinquish the title.

The original RIP had players manning a turret as they destroyed the on-coming hordes of aliens that stormed the screen from every side.

RIP: Strike Back takes players out of the turret and throws them on foot...that is until they choose to climb into one of the many cool vehicles, including tanks and helicopters. The turrets also make another appearance, with additional power-ups to make them even badder than before.

While the vehicles are always fun for a romp, the foot game is perhaps even more fun. Sporting multiple characters, each with their own upgrade paths and special abilities, and a host of cool guns (a personal favorite has got to be holding an Uzi in each hand), RIP: Strike Back is a solid action-filled game that we would endorse even more strongly...if the third part of the trilogy hadn't just come out and been stealing all our free time.

4th Place - Bullet Candy

Developer: Charlie Games		Players: 1
Website
System Requirements: OSX -or- Windows 98/Me/2000/XP, 1ghz processor, 32mb Video Card

Bullet Candy is pretty much exactly what it says it is. It’s a game that knows its walking on ground that has been somewhat traveled before. Arcade style shooters are not new hat, and shooters like Bullet Candy are old school to the core. So, what to add? A bit of panache, that’s what.

Bullet Candy is a shooter that pays homage to games from back in the day, the days of Atari when polygons weren’t a stylistic decision, but the rule. Users got straight lines and they liked them, by gum! More than liking the look of these titles, however, what gamers kept coming back for was solid, fundamentally good gameplay. Bullet Candy takes that principle of good gameplay unfettered by complicated controls and environments and spruces it up for a new era.

The look of Bullet Candy is as frantic as the play. There’s always a lot going on on-screen without a hint of slow-down. At times there can be so much going on that it can be hard to tell what’s happening, but that’s part of the appeal of the title. Anyone who is a fan of old-school shooters will be familiar with this and anyone who is a fan of the punishing Ikaruga will say the same.

The soundtrack for Bullet Candy is awesome. Right from the title screen it pulls players in with a hip blend of techno and jazz. Bullet Candy is an excellent example of how a soundtrack can really complement a gameplay experience. Any fan of old school shooters will love Bullet Candy and for anyone not familiar with the style, Bullet Candy is a worthy introduction to a classic genre.

3rd Place - Devastation Zone Troopers

Developer: CGS Software		Players: 1
Website	Download		Purchase
System Requirements: 1GHz Processor, 256 MB RAM, DirectX® 9.0c+ or OpenGL 1.4 compatible 64MB video card

We really liked Devastation Zone Troopers. The beautifully crafted graphics brings players in, and the ability to literally blow your way through dirt and mud creating your own pathways left us amazed. How amazed? Instead of doing a proper write-up of the game, we thought the following quotes said all you would need to know.

"It plays like a gorgeous 3D Crimsonland."

"Devastation, indeed."

"Pure mindless annihilation."

"This game is very very simple and just does one thing, but does it perfectly."

"The gameplay harkens back to the heyday of the PC, when you loaded up a title not knowing what to expect and ended up really surprised by what you found."

"Cutting a path around a waiting ambush and then spraying them with missiles from behind is very satisfying."

"There were other touches of brilliance like the flying-saw-disc enemy that you see approaching by way of the grass/earth being thrown into the sky as it cuts a path towards you. Or the almost totally transparent traps littering the levels that can only be avoided by careful examination of your surroundings and whose accidental triggering regularly had me jumping out of my seat."

"It's simple. It's primal. It's fun."

2nd Place - Neon Wars

Developer: BlitWise Productions LLC		Players: 1
Website
System Requirements: Windows 2000/XP, 300 MHz processor

Bizarre Creations look out. At a glance Neon Wars looks kinda like Geometry Wars. At a glance a Porsche and a Pinto are both cars. Going beyond the glance one makes the other seem a bit worthless. However, in the case of these two games, it's the lesser known of the two that wins.

Neon Wars starts off with a simple premise. You don't shoot. The entire game is run by auto-fire. So in essence, the only thing you do in this game is dodge. Initially this seems like a bad idea. After all, isn't most of the fun in GW and the host of other Robotron "inspired" shooters the shooting?

While there is certainly something to be said for being able to target your shots while also moving, Neon Wars proves that there is also something to be said for just moving.

Neon Wars builds on the simple shooter concept by adding in a variety of levels and power-ups. The strange thing about the game is the feeling of truly progressing. As the intensity of the surrounding insanity multiples with each passing second, you really do feel as if your gameplay is going somewhere.

Whereas Geometry Wars is really built for a quick battle, Neon Wars is really about the war. In fact, if players start Neon Wars looking for a quick fun experience they will be utterly disappointed. The real fun of the game comes in it being a war. Games can go on for 30, 40, 60 minutes or more if you're good enough. Playing for that long requires a high level of ability and careful use of weapons. Of course, trying someone's stamina in a video game isn't a good idea as a rule.

Perhaps it's when a game is breaking rules and ending up the better for it that you know things are really working well. While Neon Wars breaks many, it does follow some of the tried and true rules of 'game development.' For example, it has absolutely stunning power-ups that are a blast to use and will keep gamers playing just so they can see them in action. The orbs and laser power-ups are quite possibly some of the most fun power-ups ever found in a game. Simple, effective, fun. Much like Neon Wars.

Play it. The demo is really just a taste of a much bigger game waiting for brave souls who are willing to step away from their Geometry Battles to try a real war.

2006 Action Game of the Year - Titan Attacks

Developer: Puppy Games		Players: 1
Website	Download		Purchase
System Requirements: Windows 98/Me/2000/XP, Mac, Linux

Gamers that are introduced to Titan Attacks will naturally assume the game is a Space Invaders clone, because indeed, that is what the game seems to be. A longer look at the game will prove that the title is more than that. It’s an awesome blend of old and new, a fantastic pixel-retro homage to the golden days of the arcade.

Once the gamer progresses far enough into the game things become a kinetic blend of Galaga and Space Invaders with far more depth to it than either of its inspirations can boast.

A bit of that depth comes in the weapon upgrade path. Cash earned through each level can be used to purchase upgrades such as additional shields, more powerful guns, additional bullets, a faster ship, bombs and add-ons for the ship. Managing these upgrades is vital, too. Shields are all-important, as the gamer will only be afforded a single ship for their adventure and will be given no continues. The proper balance of speed, power and protection is very tough to iron out and will likely vary heavily from gamer to gamer.

It’s not just upgrades that make the game a rich experience, either. Every level the gamer manages to avoid being shot boosts a point multiplier for the next level, raising the rewards for every alien ship taken out. Bear in mind however, that the game’s difficulty automatically adjusts to the level of the multiplier. The better you’re doing, the harder the game is. Is it a good plan to get hit every now and then to tone down the difficulty? That all depends on how high you’re aiming on the high score boards and how many shields you can afford to purchase. Beware that the more you’re hit, the easier it is, but the less cash you make to keep yourself alive and the lower you'll score in the online high score list.

During gameplay, certain ships will come crashing to the ground instead of simply exploding into nothingness when hit, causing them to act as another missile to dodge. Other exploded ships will release an alien escapee who will come parachuting to the ground and who can be caught for a cash bonus. Advanced levels feature environmental hazards as well, such as falling asteroids.

These are very simple gameplay tweaks in the overall scheme of things, but their aggregate effect is a shooter that requires thought beyond the requisite thinking process of “left, right, shoot, bomb�.

Titan Attacks is a solid bit of gaming any way you slice it. It’s hard to screw up a classic format like Space Invaders and Galaga and PuppyGames doesn’t just get it right, it makes it better. The look and feel of the game is hip and new and full of style and the gameplay itself is filled with the simplicity that keeps the old classics popular after so many years and through so many technical advances. It's a rare package of neo-retro goodness that every gamer should enjoy.

Action Game of the Year Award History

History:
2006 - Titan Attacks
2005 - Zombie Smashers X2
2004 - Hamsterball
2003 - Alien Shooter

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By: Russell Carroll
Posted: Sunday December 17, 2006