2006 Game of the Year: Innovation
Independent
games have become known for their innovation. Each year independent game
developers create some of the most interesting ideas to grace computer screens
and this year was no different.
This
year's independent games show once again that no matter how hard you try you can't box
independent developers in.
5th Place - Gumboy Crazy Adventures
| Developer: Cinemax | Players: 1 | ||
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| System Requirements: Windows 2000/XP, DirectX 8.0+, 1 GHz CPU, 256 MB RAM, 32 MB Video Card | |||
Gumboy
is a ball, and he's smooshy and resilient like a ball of gum, but is drawn so
it looks as if he has a scaled and armored top. Suffice it to say, he's unique.
The gamer rolls Gumboy around each level using the arrow keys or gamepad and
uses momentum and the angles of the level to propel Gumboy through various
obstacles. There is the occasional power-up to help move things along, but the
basic principle is the use of speed and the environment to propel the action.
Gumboy isn't always a ball of gum, though. In some levels (and with some
power-ups), he can begin as a square or a star, changing the way he moves
through the environment. In each of these forms Gumboy can also become an air
or a water version of himself. With each variant, Gumboy moves through those
spaces as well as he used to do along the ground, but he must now avoid sharp
outcroppings, lest he be popped.
The variety of what can be done with a physics-based character, enhanced by the
artistic and strange minds of the developers of Gumboy, lead to many adventures
and tasks through bizarrely beautiful otherworld environments. It's an
innovative adventure no platform lover should miss.
4th Place - Sky Puppy
Sky
Puppy almost feels like an experiment in gameplay. What would happen if
all the interface was stripped away and all you were left with was one big
button?
In Sky Puppy the answer is that you'd press that button...a lot. Of course
having an idea to make the interface as simple as possible is only part of being
innovative, the next part is making it interesting. After all, how much
can a player do if they can only press one button.
Starquail answers that question with their game Sky Puppy. In the game,
players press the spacebar to flap Sky Puppy's ears. Flapping his ears
will cause Sky Puppy to fly upwards. Of course you can't go too far up
without running into something and Starquail has resolved that issue by adding
arrows to the levels that will push Sky Puppy to the left or to the right.
It doesn't always work, as is often the case with experiments in game play, but
when it does, players get the feeling of doing something weird and strangely
unique.
3rd Place - Orbit Master
If
you've ever wondered what it might be like to slingshot yourself across space,
Orbit Master has you covered.
At its core, Orbit Master is something of a space simulator. You destroy
baddies, get items from point A to point B and accomplish other sometimes odd
tasks while helping your side win the galactic war.
The game gives players a ship without any real abilities outside of a laser
grapple. The grapple can be used to grab comets which provide momentum to
the ship. Carefully planned moves will literally swing the ship around the
galaxy.
Though the game is a little rough around the edges, it is an engaging and
original take on the universe that will definitely leave players impressed by
how different the game feels.
2nd Place - Toribash
| Developer: SXP | Players: 1-2 | ||
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| System Requirements: Windows -or- OSX -or- Linux, 1ghz CPU, OpenGL | |||
Toribash
is a totally freeform fighting game. This isn’t a fighting game the way you’re
used to thinking of it (insert, “This isn’t your older brother’s fighting game,�
tagline here). In Toribash, you control, in essence, a faceless rag doll with
joints. By clicking on the many joints in your ragdoll’s body, you give it form
and movement and hence, fighting.
The bodies of the fighters are composed of the basics of human anatomy. There
are limbs and joints that respond when prompted. Clicking each joint
multiple times will scroll, in succession, through the options each joint can be
set to. Joints start out in the single player mode (more on this later) as
relaxed. Clicking on, say, the knee joint will set it to “Extending�, clicking
again will set it to “Contracting�, clicking again will set it to “Holding�, and
then a fourth time sets is back to “Relaxing�. This can be done to all joints,
though some have additional options such as “Lowering� and “Raising� and
rotating to the left or the right. This system, applied to about 20 joints
across your fighter’s body, allows for a great freedom of movement.
However, Toribash is physics-based... sort of. The game is based on complete
ragdoll physics. If you set your fighter’s joints to relax, he crumples
completely to the ground. If you punch your opponent, you sail backwards through space with no way to correct yourself,
like an astronaut going independent.
So, working within this unique physical space takes a great deal of work as
actions don’t have reactions like their real-life counterparts. Along these
lines, limbs can be broken and pulled clean off an opponent’s body for big
points, and a large part of the game is learning what kind of attacks and
leverages will bring this about. Practice and experimentation is essential to
success.
All in all, it's a refreshing take on the fighting genre. For those gamers with
the dedication to learn how to play Toribash, it’s great fun. There are little
to no restrictions on what the gamer can do, and that’s always a good thing.
2006 Game of the Year: Innovation - The Odyssey: Winds of Athena
| Developer: Liquid Dragon Studios | Players: 1 | ||
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Website |
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| System Requirements: Windows 98/Me/2000/XP, 500 MHz, 64MB RAM, DirectX 7.0+ | |||
Winds
of Athena is based, as one would expect, on Homer's classic Greek epic (The
Odyssey) detailing the journey of Odysseus who, conveniently named, is
attempting to return home after the legendary Trojan War (which his crafty mind
brought an end to). Gone at war for a decade, Odysseus' only wish is to return
home to his wife Penelope and his son Telemachus. Poseidon, however, is less
than pleased with Odysseus and engineers one hell of a road-trip for our
beleaguered hero. If you're going to borrow a story, there is possibly no richer
tale in history to take from than the Odyssey. The tale is filled with nearly
endless adventure and imagination.
But what kind of a game is Winds of Athena? It's an arcade-puzzler, essentially.
Each level consists of attempting to get a requisite number of Odysseus' ships
and men from Point A to Point B. Along the way are many obstacles and enemies
that attempt to stop the men from returning home. Sounds pretty normal, right?
Well, so far, it is. The real magic of Winds of Athena comes in the way the game
is controlled.
You, the gamer, are a God with a top-down omniscient view of the seas that the
men sail upon. You also have the power of a God to influence the world below...
but you can only influence. By clicking and dragging through the water you can
create swirling ocean currents that force the ship in particular directions. By
clicking the mouse inside your wind circle on the screen and rotating in a
clockwise motion you can call forth great winds that push boats directly
towards their goal. Each of these central movement mechanics have their dangers,
though. Currents react in a surprisingly realistic and capricious manner. They
don't merely form a straight line as the gamer draws it. They begin straight,
but begin to fade out in swirling vortexes that might send your ships whipping
back in the complete opposite direction. Much care must be taken in forming
currents. Winds, too, fade over time and must be maintained to be of any use at
all.
The
mesh of game and game-world in
Winds of Athena is nearly flawless. There's no
clunky clicking of arrows or WASD to move ships around and control the action.
There's no drop-down magic menu to select. There's the wind, the sea and the
hands of the Gods. It's simple and wickedly challenging at the same time. Gamers
frequently take movement for granted. Press left, move left. Press jump, then
jump. Winds of Athena forces the gamer to take care and plan not just their
movements, but the way in which they make those movements. Too much wind and you
might beach your boats on a shoreline. Carelessness with currents could swirl
your ships directly into a deadly reef. And this is to say nothing of the
enemies. The need to continually abandon navigation efforts to do battle with
the forces that face the ships leads to some truly manic and awesome gameplay.
The
mechanic is very original, giving players a rare game where they don't directly
control the characters, but instead interact with the game's environment and
enemies through a variety of actions that each require skill, timing, and a
solid strategy. From creating currents through the water to guide the
ships, to whipping up the wind to blow them forward, Winds of Athena provides a
unique experience that we are happy to award the 2006 Game of the Year Award for
Innovation.
Innovation Game of the Year Award History
History:
2006 - The Odyssey: Winds of Athena
2005 - Façade
2003 - Train Tracking
By: Russell Carroll
Posted: Sunday December 24, 2006
Action
Adventure
Arkanoid
Fighting
Platform
Puzzle & Casual
Hidden Object
RPG
Shooter
Simulation
Sports
Strategy
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