2007 Special Awards

Though Game Tunnel has a very extensive set of awards, there are always some games that deserve special recognition, but don't fit into any of our categories.

For those games we have the special awards! Highlighting specific achievements and the people's choice, the 2007 Special awards gives you a little bit of everything.

Game of the Year: Innovation - Determinance

Developer: Mode 7	Players: 1-8
System Requirements: Windows 98+, 700 mhz, 256 mb RAM
Website

Mode 7 hoped to create a unique feeling with their game Determinance, and they have succeeded with flying colors.

The game's key feature is how it is played. Players are given full control over their sword, so they can rotate it to any angle and to make just about any move that you can imagine. While it sounds like every player's dream for the Wii, the dream is already a reality on the PC, and Determinance does it well.

After a quick tutorial, the mouse control over the full range of motion of the sword becomes intuitive. After a couple of matches you'll see how to move and slash to create the most amazing sword-fighting ever played. I mentioned moving, and yes you do move. In fact the players all fly, giving you full maneuverability through space and creating some awesome sequences as you engage enemies and send them flying through the air when you connect with a particularly strong attack.

Determinance is original and innovative, reaching for things that seem impossible and succeeding in creating a game experience like no other.

Multiplayer Game of the Year - ThreadSpace: Hyperbol

Developer: Iocaine Studios	Players: 1-16
System Requirements: Windows 2000+, 1.0 ghz, 256 mb RAM, DirectX 9.0c+
Website

While the description above states that you can play this game with one person, it's really a misnomer. There is a single player part of the game, it's what we call a tutorial. And it is long. A couple of hours long in fact, but a necessary part of the journey to get you ready for the main event: online play.

ThreadSpace: Hyperbol has been in development for FIVE years and it really shows. The graphics are flat-out spectacular, and the game play has been unbelievably fine-tuned. It's a strategy game at heart, though with a lot of action built into the play. Controlling a main ship, you deploy different buildings called modules that impact the abilities of your ship. The play is somewhat simple, but the complexity of the options and strategies available makes the game quite overwhelming to the new-comer. That very depth, so amazingly balanced, is what makes the game so fascinating.

The large matches of up to 16 people are amazing affairs full of action and quick strategy, as results impact not only player standings, but also the state of the persistent universe map. The combination of the action and strategy in the game make for one of the most engaging multiplayer experiences you'll find anywhere. If you dig multiplayer action, ThreadSpace: Hyperbol is a game that you definitely should not miss, and the winner of our 2007 Multiplayer Game of the Year Award.

Best Homage - Hap Hazard

Developer: Raptisoft	Players: 1
System Requirements: Windows 95+, 600 mhz, 128 mb RAM, DirectX 7+
Website	Download

Hap Hazard is a Jumpman-inspired game, so it should come as no surprise that it is really hard. Actually, maybe that does come as a surprise since most of you out there are probably too young to remember the 1983 classic Jumpman. The original game was inspired by Donkey Kong, and Hap Hazard takes everything that made the original great and beautifies it into the 21st century, improving every aspect of the game along the way.

The game's general premise is that you need to defuse bombs. Each level has bombs that are placed all over, and getting to the bombs is a big part of the challenge. As is the case of many other games from the era, much of the challenge comes in avoiding hazards, such as darts that fly in from off the screen and speed up as they target you. The challenge is certainly there in Hap Hazard as the clock ticks down with the goal of the game being to play as far as you can and then restart to see if you can't get further. The smooth graphics of sliding down ropes and climbing up chains are aided by lots of little touches that make the game a fantastic tribute to a wonderful game.

Kid's Game of the Year - The Tuttles Madcap Misadventures

Developer: Legacy Games	Players: 1
System Requirements: Windows 98+, 600 mhz, 128 mb RAM, DirectX 8.1+
Website

The Tuttles proves one of life's great truths. If you ever have the opportunity to use William Shatner's voice in your game, you should absolutely do it.

Featuring the celebrity talents of Bob Saget, Jamie Lee Curtis, William Shatner, Ashley Tisdale, and Dominic Scott Kay, the Tuttles is full of fully-voiced cut scenes that are absolutely hilarious. Oh, and the kids will like it too.

The game has pretty standard platforming game play that is very forgiving, which will let youngsters feel successful as they try to get the family back on course after they crash their flying minivan. Each member of the family gets into the action in the different stages. The stages are very colorful and varied, making it as fun a treat to see as it is to listen to. Well, almost.

The game has been made for Starlight Starbright Children�s Foundation and 75% of the purchase price is going to Starlight to help "brighten the lives of seriously ill children and their families." It's a fun game for kids and adults and buying it helps kids and adults. Putting those things together with William Shatner's voice made it an easy pick for our Kid's Game of the Year.

Game of the Year: Player's Choice - Wonderland Adventures

Developer: Midnight Synergy	Players: 1
System Requirements: Windows 98+, 800 mhz, 64 mb RAM
Website	Download

The Player's Choice award goes to the game that has the most votes from the community. Each year the number of people casting votes, as well as the number of quality games, has increased and the award has become a bit harder to win.

Wonderland Adventures has mobilized their way to a great victory for this very addictive adventure/puzzle game.

For anyone who loves logic puzzles, like those found in the dungeons of Zelda, Wonderland is your game. Filled with unique locations and a fun adventure storyline, Wonderland Adventures puts a variety of challenges before players as they work to save the kingdom. The graphics have been up-scaled significantly over previous Wonderland games, but the heart of the game remains true to the fun puzzle-action that is enjoyable by every age group. So enjoyable, in fact, that it has parlayed its immense popularity into the 2007 Player's Choice award.

Game of the Year: Graphics & Sound - Aquaria

Developer: Bit Blot	Players: 1
System Requirements: Windows 98+, 1.6 Ghz, 256 MB RAM
Website

The awards for sound and graphics are actually separate awards, but this year, for the first time ever, they are both being given to the same game.

Aquaria is a beautiful game in many regards. The underwater world is more than just visually stunning, it is inspiring. The different areas have been carefully drawn with attention to color and palette, making the whole game feel something like a painting in motion. Though you'll find yourself getting beat up by many of the bosses, it's hard not to stop and marvel at their beauty as they destroy you.

As good as the graphics are at bringing the world of Aquaria to life, the sound may be even better. Most of the music is light and airy, giving much of the underwater world a haunting sort of feeling. That feeling is further impressed upon you as Naija's story is related to you in the first person in a way that burns the character's essence into your psyche. All of this is broken up by the harsh encounters that will swing the game into combat mode complete with music and sound that convey the changes. The range of emotions fostered by the game is quite dynamic, and it's largely due to the sound and music in the game that the player is so completely carried away into the underwater artistry of Aquaria.

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By: Russell Carroll
Posted: Friday December 28, 2007