GT - Help - Player's Choice Nominees

[cyrus_zuo]

Hey all!

Another thread in the chat section reminded me that I'd been thinking about doing a "Player's Choice" award again this year. Nothing amazing (in terms of how the votes will be tabulated) this year (sorry) just a poll in the forums...but...

I think the list should have no more than 25 games (maybe closer to 20?)
So far the games I think might should be included are the following (50+!):
So I'd love a little feedback, what games should be taken off the list? What should be added? Why? (I already have my thoughts on what 25 should be used, but since this is player's choice I want to make sure I'm not skipping something that should definitely be included)

The award is for the best game, so games that are certainly deserving but wouldn't be classified as the best are the ones that are targeted to be taken off of the list.

Thanks!!!

Absolute Blue
After the End
Airstrike 2: Gulf Thunder
Alien Abduction
Anime Bowling Babes
Astral Masters
AstroAvenger
Battalion
Big Kahuna Reef
Bricks of Atlantis
Cellblock Squadrons
Chuzzle
Clash'N'Slash
Curator Defense
Dark Horizons: Lore
Darwinia
Deadhunt
Democracy
Desperate Space
Dream Match Tennis Online
DROD: Journey to Rooted Hold
Evil Invasion
Evochron
Façade
Flatspace II: The Rise of the Scarrid
Geneforge 3
Glow Worm
Heavy Weapon
Lands of Lore
Little Gods
Mexican Motor Mafia
Mythic Blades
New Star Soccer 3
Oasis
Paperball
Professor Fizzwizzle
Q'Bicles
Sea Wolves
Supremacy
The Black Knight
The Magic Blackboard
Thomas and the Magical Words
Titan Assault
Trash
Tribal Trouble
Ultratron
Water Bugs
Weird Worlds: Return To Infinite Space
Wild West Wendy
Wildlife Tycoon: Venture Africa
WildSnake™ Arcade: ZombieBall
WildSnake™ Pinball: INVASION 2
Wonderland Secret Worlds
Zombie Smashers X2
Zzed

[DrWilloughby]

What about Ocular Ink? I remember thinking that was pretty cool.

Edit: Ah, it's freeware. But Facade is freeware too, right?

[Bmc]

these ones are keepers

Big Kahuna Reef
Bricks of Atlantis
Chuzzle
Clash'N'Slash
Heavy Weapon
Oasis
Paperball
Professor Fizzwizzle
Wild West Wendy

[DrWilloughby]

My picks from that list -- I'd prefer to reward the ones who took some risks :)
Darwinia
Democracy
DROD: Journey to Rooted Hold
Mexican Motor Mafia
Oasis
Professor Fizzwizzle
Weird Worlds: Return To Infinite Space
Wildlife Tycoon: Venture Africa

[Vorax]

My top 5 picks:

Tribal Trouble
Professor Fizzwizzle
Weird Worlds: Return to Infinite Space
Absolute Blue
Darwinia

[Hamumu]

I too do not want to single out any of them for REMOVAL, but I'll give you some that should stay!

Chuzzle
Clash'N'Slash
Curator Defense
Darwinia (note that I didn't actually like this game, but I admit it belongs on a list since people are nuts about it somehow)
Democracy
Desperate Space
DROD: Journey to Rooted Hold
Evil Invasion
Lands of Lore
Mexican Motor Mafia
Oasis
Professor Fizzwizzle
Thomas and the Magical Words
Titan Assault
Ultratron
Water Bugs
Weird Worlds: Return To Infinite Space
Wildlife Tycoon: Venture Africa
Zombie Smashers X2

That's quite a few!

[GBGames]

What about Ocular Ink? I remember thinking that was pretty cool.

Edit: Ah, it's freeware. But Facade is freeware too, right?

I don't see any reason to remove freeware. Crimsonland is freeware, too. Was it indie? That's the only criteria on Game Tunnel, unless something changed recently.

I'm going back to playing Weird Worlds when I get home from work.

[DrWilloughby]

I don't see any reason to remove freeware. Crimsonland is freeware, too. Was it indie? That's the only criteria on Game Tunnel, unless something changed recently.
Actually, Crimsonland isn't freeware, or at least it didn't used to be. My buddy paid for it.

But on the submission page on GameTunnel:
**freware games are not usually considered
(Spelliong rror is GT's)

I don't have anything against freeware either, although it is nice of GT to primarily support those who are trying to make a living or at least an extra salary on their indie games.

[Hiro_Antagonist]

Re: "Lands of Lore," is the ~1993 Westwood title really up for consideration? =)

-Hiro_Antagonist

[terin]

Its sad that when I go through this list I have played MOST of them... almost every one. I wont say what should go, but here is my keeper list:

Absolute Blue
Battalion
Big Kahuna Reef
Chuzzle
Clash'N'Slash
Dark Horizons: Lore
Darwinia
Democracy
Façade
Flatspace II: The Rise of the Scarrid
Geneforge 3
Lands of LEGEND (Poor Hiro)
New Star Soccer 3
Oasis
Professor Fizzwizzle
The Black Knight
Trash
Weird Worlds: Return To Infinite Space
Wild West Wendy
Wildlife Tycoon: Venture Africa

Exactly 20.

-Joe

[princec]

Yay! A vote for me!

I vote for Tribal Trouble :)

Cas :)

[cyrus_zuo]

We typically look at one freeware game a month, but my feeling is that there are plenty of freeware sites out there so I don't dedicate much bandwidth to it.

Hmmm...is looking like 35 games (ish)
I'll probably post a list in the forums on GT with the 'official' poll Saturday morning...will keep considering games to add until then. Ocular Ink looks interesting (one of the few I haven't tried yet, but it is on my desktop at home). I still debate whether or not the game is done...it's so troublesome to review a game and list it in the game of the year awards only to have it redone and made better then next year...but then released under the same name.

[Gnatinator]

Only games released this year are eligible, correct? I see a few 2004 games in there...

There are a few games like Jets'n'Guns, Big Kahuna Reef etc. Which were released in 2004, but reviewed in 2005 at Game Tunnel. What is the verdict on these?

[cyrus_zuo]

Only games released this year are eligible, correct? I see a few 2004 games in there...

There are a few games like Jets'n'Guns, Big Kahuna Reef etc. Which were released in 2004, but reviewed in 2005 at Game Tunnel. What is the verdict on these?

December 2004 games would be considered...typically December games are ignored (but it depends on how much time was available to play the game...and that really applies to the main awards).

I'm curious, what games are from 2004 on the list in your mind?

[Gnatinator]

It's not like there are tons of them but Big Kahuna Reef and Zzed were both late 2004 releases iirc.

[cyrus_zuo]

It's not like there are tons of them but Big Kahuna Reef and Zzed were both late 2004 releases iirc.
Yeah, just want to make sure I don't do any MAJOR blunders, each year I've missed a game (or under-rated it) [see Jets'n'guns last year and Rocknor's Donut Factory the year before]

[adrian]

I would vote for Hexalot. I thought that was a terrific game.

[Hiro_Antagonist]

Lands of LEGEND (Poor Hiro)
Actually, it's "Land of Legends", but you win the prize for being the closest. =P

-Hiro_Antagonist

[DayDream]

Even if it didn't rate to well with the critics...
HeliAttack3 would be a nice addition...
[ 142mio plays in 90 days can't be all wrong ]

[Dan MacDonald]

I will entirely unbiasedly vote for HA3 as well!

[cyrus_zuo]

There are a few games that blur on the line of indie/non-indie (which always harkens back to the 'what is indie?' discussion. For the most part I see it as not having to answer to someone while making the game (i.e. someone else isn't calling the shots...) I had left Fate out based on that definition and a few other games, but that doesn't mean it's the only way to go about things :).

[DrWilloughby]

I had left Fate out
Fate's out? *phew* One less person in front of me in line ;) Now if someone would just pull a Tonya Harding on Weird Worlds and catch Oasis taking steroids, I might just have a shot at this thing.

[papillon]

Of course, if Fate were around, we might actually get an RPG category, which would be handy for all of us RPG people!

<looks around>

.... somebody else must make RPGs, right? anybody? :)

[DrWilloughby]

I agree with you Papillion... no offense to the arkanoid folks out there, but isn't it a bit silly to have an ENTIRE category for Arkanoid games? Why not a Match 3 category? I cant imagine the Arkanoid category will stay as populated as it is forever.

[Savant]

I cant imagine the Arkanoid category will stay as populated as it is forever.
Oh man, that was good. Keep 'em coming, I'm still wiping tears from my eyes...

[papillon]

Oh, there will always be tons of arkanoid games - the question is whether there will be enough *amazingly good* arkanoid games to warrant them having their own category instead of being counted as part of... um, action or something. :)

[Jack Norton]

I agree that Arkanoid category is too much "precise".
It can be included within Arcade or Action if you want.
I would include in this category also Platformer and Shoot'em up.

.... somebody else must make RPGs, right? anybody?
Well don't know if Magic Stone can be considered a RPG... but well we would have 4 titles! (Geneforge 3, Fate, my Magic Stones and Cute Knight of papillon).

Since is so crowded, maybe I could even get my game to 3rd place! :D

[cyrus_zuo]

I only counted two other RPG games this year, and I was straining at one of them...

Anyway, who knows the future?
Last year there weren't enough Strategy games to do a strategy category...this year we could do two! [Darwinia, Curator Defense, Battalion, Land of Legends, Supremacy, Oasis, Trash, Tribal Trouble...and the list could go on, each these games is solid!] I wouldn't be surprised if the categories next year are slightly different based on what is available.

I expand and contract as is available. Between Paperball, Little Gods, Magic Blackboard, Sunny Ball, Invadazoid and Bricks of Atlantis I figured we had a pretty decent set of Arkanoid games, and there are others out there...though notably last year's crop was better the ones this year might be selling better... Araknoid games sell amazingly well, and since there are more of them, and they are more distinctly a set than many types of games (and MUCH more interesting than match 3s) I think they well deserve their own category! Of course they are a guilty pleasure of mine :)

[Rainer Deyke]

.... somebody else must make RPGs, right? anybody? :)

*raises hand*

I would nominate Feyna's Quest v2, except that it is technically just an update of an older game, so it probably doesn't qualify.

[DrWilloughby]

Araknoid games... are MUCH more interesting than match 3s
Beg to differ on this one ;)

Just wondering, what does your "casual" category encapsulate?

Seems like Mah Johngg, Tetris, Lumines, Luxor, Collapse, Bejeweled, Minesweeper, Snood, Circulate, and Chuzzle all live in the same world of game design. To me, they are all "match 3" games of some sort. Even word games fit a similar gameplay dynamic. Is that what you mean by casual? Or do you include other types in that as well?

[James C. Smith]

I cant imagine the Arkanoid category will stay as populated as it is forever.

Normally I would tell you that you are crazy and you just don't understand the Arkanoid clone industry well enough to realize that it can support dozens of new games per year. But since this is cyrus_zuo's topic, I am going to agree with you. There is no longer a need for an Arkanoid category on Game Tunnel because cyrus_zuo said that "after Break Quest, no one needs to make another breakout game. If you took all the best feature of every Arkanoid game ever made combined times 10 it still wouldn't be as good a break quest." (I am quoting from memory here so the exact wording could be slightly wrong but I know it is very close to what he said)
:D

[Andy]

There is no longer a need for an Arkanoid category on Game Tunnel because cyrus_zuo said that "after Break Quest, no one needs to make another breakout game. :D

Hint-hint Russel! Reflexive don't need the Arkanoid category anymore. They haven't published any new this year. :D

Speaking about DrWilloughby. Well. After he is ready to unite all the games except his own into one big category may be this is really has sense to have two categories this year:

1. DrWilloughby's Game
2. Another BS

Is it what are you trying to say all the time DrWilloughby? ;)

Again since this is cyrus_zuo's topic I'm not expecting any fair judgement to our games. But let we all agree that amount of good games was published this year even if after we exclude ours. And this is not fair to build the categories based upon the wish on two guys who wants to push their own games.

[papillon]

I agree that Arkanoid category is too much "precise".
It can be included within Arcade or Action if you want.
I would include in this category also Platformer and Shoot'em up.


Well don't know if Magic Stone can be considered a RPG... but well we would have 4 titles! (Geneforge 3, Fate, my Magic Stones and Cute Knight of papillon).

Since is so crowded, maybe I could even get my game to 3rd place! :D

And Morning's Wrath, who I should have remembered faster since I have linkswaps with them. :) (One of these days I have to actually sit down and PLAY it though...)

[cliffski]

was cute knight released this year? that was a great game, great enough that I bought it. And I'm a cheapskate.

[cyrus_zuo]

Beg to differ on this one ;)

Just wondering, what does your "casual" category encapsulate?

Seems like Mah Johngg, Tetris, Lumines, Luxor, Collapse, Bejeweled, Minesweeper, Snood, Circulate, and Chuzzle all live in the same world of game design. To me, they are all "match 3" games of some sort. Even word games fit a similar gameplay dynamic. Is that what you mean by casual? Or do you include other types in that as well?

Last year this was the puzzle category...I've renamed it to include games like Water Bugs, and other simple games that are at best borderline puzzle in my mind. Perhaps we'll split this into more categories next year, but I have a hard time getting excited about it...(in fact I brodened the category just so I could get excited about it!)

[cyrus_zuo]

Here is the poll posted...
Thanks for all the help in choosing the games to be listed!
I know it is difficult to ever come up with a list that everyone agrees with, but with the help this forum provided I'm sure it's much closer to that point than it would have been. :)

http://gametunnel.com/phpBB/viewtopic.php?t=512

[DrWilloughby]

*must resist instinct to engage in Andy Vs. Andy flame war*

[cyrus_zuo]

:eek:

:)

Oh and btw, since this is the player's choice awards it is the time to shamelessly tell the people who play your games (fans!) to come and vote :)

Enjoy!

[Andy]

*must resist instinct to engage in Andy Vs. Andy flame war*

For the login Andy? :)

Common! Everything would be OK with your game one day. I just ask you not to attack the results of efforts of another guys in favor to this your wish.
This is not so easy to develop good and selling match-3. Some times much harder than crappy strategy (nothing personal about your title!!! I haven't tried it really). Look at their competition.
And of course Mahjongs or arkanoids has no any connection to match-3 or word games. They are a little bit different really. If you have not noticed yet. ;)
That's ONLY what I was trying to say. OK?

And No-No to any flame war.

[soniCron]

I'm rather surprised at the unorthodox voting system you're using. We have to pick one game from a list of 25? I don't know why you didn't separate them into categories. Then we could vote on the best of each genre, and then best overall could be calculated by the most votes. How you expect me to choose between DROD and Big Kahuna Reef, I'll never know. ;)

[cyrus_zuo]

I'm rather surprised at the unorthodox voting system you're using. We have to pick one game from a list of 25? I don't know why you didn't separate them into categories. Then we could vote on the best of each genre, and then best overall could be calculated by the most votes. How you expect me to choose between DROD and Big Kahuna Reef, I'll never know. ;)

Yeah, it's pretty simplistic. The full awards will be broken into genres and technical categories, the Player's Choice award is intended to be one single award that will appear in the 'Special' awards piece.

Perhaps next year we'll expand on it? :)