2007 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 feature shooters, shooters and more shooters. Great-looking, great-playing, and a whole lot of fun.

5th Place - Star Defender 4

"Come here little bug, I've got a treat for you." I said it out loud, though there is no-one who can hear my voice. But the bug obliges, and as it zooms past I fire a little magnetic package at its hull. "You can take that bomb back to your base and give them something to remember me by." Oblivious to my maneuvering, and presumptuously assuming I had simply avoided its attack without a counter attack, the enemy ship flies back into formation. "3...2...1. Nice knowing you."

The Star Defender series seems to only get better with every new version. The weapons are second to none, with inventive secondary weapons that you'll use continually as your primary means of destroying enemy soldiers and bosses. Simple explosive fun.

4th Place - Jets'n'Guns Gold

The President is implicated, Zombies have become involved, Machinae Supremacy is doing the sound track, lots of guns, bullets and explosions, it can only mean one thing. Jets'n'Guns is back.

Following up on the original with new ships, new levels, lowered difficulty, higher resolution and additional new soundtracks, Gold feels something like an expansion pack to the excellent Jets'n'Guns. However, the developers went so far as to revamp the entire storyline, so that even when you are playing a level from the original, it feels like something new. It is, like its predecessor, some of the best side-scrolling shooting action you'll ever encounter.

3rd Place - Chromadrome 2

Silver Chromates are everywhere. They block my path and slow my progress. I should be happy. After all, every second my speed is accelerating. Having it slow for a moment should bring some comfort. But I find none. Time is of the essence, the clock is ticking down. Blasting away with my star gun I clear my path. The hammer comes down.

The original Chromadrome offers perhaps the best sensation of speed in any indie game ever. The sequel, Chromadrome 2, takes all that speed and builds on it with with background graphics that visualize to your own MP3s, and a whole new batch of tracks that twist your mind to the rhythm. Though the screenshots have difficulty conveying the pure excitement of the experience, Chromadrome 2 is a game that converts players through playing. The mixture of fun with psychedelic tendencies is a treat to behold.

2nd Place - Scavenger

I probably should have left the generator intact. With all the turrets in this sector, knocking out the power seemed like a good idea. The dark tunnel in front of me reeks of danger. My ship's lights reach into the darkness, feeling through the black for signs of life. Slipping into a new room the air grows stale. I stare carefully at my surroundings. The walls in front of me seem to be organic. The truth strikes me just before the creature does. Suddenly those turrets don't seem quite so dangerous.

Scavenger is one of those games that you can tell is going to be great from the moment you start the first level. It's the kind of game that really shows what indie gaming can produce. It has all the feeling (and difficulty!) of a great space shooter mixed with the creep and explore-adventure of some of the best FPS games, taking the player from carefully moving down the hall to a frantic firefight in a matter of seconds. With multiple difficulty levels that give the player completely different game play experiences, Scavenger is brilliant fun that shouldn't be missed.

2007 Action Game of the Year - Darkside

The planet rotates beneath me. Though small, this outpost is valuable, valuable enough for at least one person to protect it. Today that someone is me. Rounding the planet on a simple patrol I blast off the space debris and look for enemies. Two cruisers today is all the action I've seen. I wonder if a larger attack is coming. Then on my next pass I see it: high in the air on long legs, walking across the planet's surface and flanked by abduction craft. My craft trembles as I open a full volley of laser fire.

Flying around spherical planets seems to be in style this year. From Mario Galaxy to Super Stardust HD, we've been offered some great planetary romps. Darkside, while a bit different in its approach, is no different in its quality. It's a spectacular game full of those qualities that make gaming great. Though it doesn't have a deep story or some of the nuances that make some of the critics happy, she's got it where it counts. The gameplay is simply fantastic, offering up fast-paced shooting action that is exciting, rewarding and relentless. The graphics are amazingly good, belying the games 15mb size. The range of enemies and weapons complete the game as a tour de force that was an easy pick as our 2007 Action Game of the Year.

Action Game of the Year Award History

History:
2007 - Darkside
2006 - Titan Attacks
2005 - Zombie Smashers X2
2004 - Hamsterball
2003 - Alien Shooter

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By: Russell Carroll
Posted: Monday December 17, 2007