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Inside Gaming Awards 2011: Best Indie Game, Most Original Game

By Lawrence Sonntag | 30 November 2011 | Features | | 22 Comments   

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The Inside Gaming Awards Cometh, and we have the stab wounds, dislocated joints, and bruised egos to prove it. After hours of heated discussion, we’ve all agreed (some grudgingly) on the winners. However, that doesn’t mean that we’re all pulling for one game or another. Here’s where we get a chance to voice our individual opinions on the matter, so at least we can claim we didn’t vote for a game when a dedicated fan of a snubbed game sends us a mailbomb.

Today we’re discussing the Best Indie Game and Most Original Game categories.

BEST INDIE GAME

Landon R: Bastion is nominated for quite a number of categories, and rightfully so, for quite a number of good reasons. Mix simple, but fun combat with great animation and pepper in a light, but nonetheless compelling story, and you have Bastion. Also, the concept of a narrator condemning or praising your every move is, in my mind, a stroke of genius. Speaking of sound, the music is astonishingly perfect for each world and situation that the game presents you with, be it melancholy or adrenaline filled.

It’s not just a great indie title, it’s a stand-out game that I still recommend to every gamer I know. Bastion. Is. Awesome.

Shibs: As you might expect from the dude that brought you the art style of Super Meat Boy, The Binding of Isaac is weird and twisted in the best way possible. You play a young boy, escaping from his mother into their basement (where you’ll encounter, among other things, piles of poo and unborn fetus monsters). The game borrows many elements from the Legend of Zelda and incorporates them into a rouge-like-like structure. The dungeon layouts and item drops are all randomly generated meaning each play through (or attempted playthrough as death is permanent and the game is hard as balls) is a totally different experience. So needless to say the game is almost infinitely replayable. It’s not for everyone but isn’t that kind of the point of indie games?

MOST ORIGINAL GAME

Justin F: Rock of Ages. Seriously. It’s tower defense meets Marble Madness meets Monty Python. I can’t think of a more original concept for a game this decade, let alone one that’s executed so well. ACE Team is awesome. Go check it out.

Landon R: Justin hit several of the points that I wanted to make for Rock of Ages. The game is fun, easy to pick up, and humorous. While I could argue that L.A. Noire is the best detective game ever made, Bastion is an awesome execution of an even better concept, and Catherine is downright quirky, Rock of Ages simply offered an original idea, and it worked well.

Brian R: I didn’t have a chance to play all of the games in this category, but I can say this–L.A. Noire gives the appearance of being an original  game, but in so many ways, it fails to live up to its hype. When I saw the preview, I thought I was in for an action-packed detective-adventure game, and what I got was a point-and-click boredom-and-frustration generator with some janky action controls. At the end of the day, I think L.A. Noire fooled a bunch of people into thinking it was great because it had that kid from Mad Men yelling a lot. As for what was the most original, I’ll have to give it to Bastion–mainly because that’s the only other one I’ve tried and it offered a great new twist on a genre that’s been done to death. Also: it’s the only other one I’ve played. Come at me, bro.

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READ SOMETHING ELSE WHY DON'T YOU:

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  3. Machinima.com Announces Nominees for Inside Gaming Awards 2011

22 Comments

  1. Posted by lEmilyl on 30 November 11 at 5:19pm

    bastion for indie game and Catherine for original game… next!

    • Posted by gold3n on 02 December 11 at 12:01pm

      bastion and L.A.NOIRE

  2. Posted by JGByron on 30 November 11 at 5:49pm

    From Dust for most original game and Bastion for best indie game.

    • Posted by Ian on 03 December 11 at 5:33pm

      From dust was not very original at all if you look up the game from the late 80′s called Populace it will be clear that they derived the game from there.

      From Dust should be removed from the list because honestly it has the exact same idea and simaler game play as Populous

  3. Posted by Nexusblitz on 30 November 11 at 6:32pm

    Binding of Issac for indie game and L.A. Noire For Original

  4. Posted by Pieking123 on 30 November 11 at 7:33pm

    I personally enjoyed the binding of isaac for best indie game, nonstop hours of replay value i still havent even beaten it yet, lol. Although LA Noire was indeed a great games as well not so much original as is in a lower rated crappy cimesolving game, basic jist of it it, solve the crime so not so much original as the main main MAIN idea so dont hold me against that. Personally from my opinion ill go with Bastion not so much for indie but original, even though those few people made a great game and Bastion had a great story, gameplay, and the only other one i played in the originality category.

  5. Posted by SilentStrike254 on 30 November 11 at 7:58pm

    Best Indie Game – SuperBrothers: Sword and Sorcery EP
    Most Original – Catherine

  6. Posted by Wafflez on 30 November 11 at 9:12pm

    Catherine for most original game.

  7. Posted by huntingdog on 30 November 11 at 10:18pm

    Last Bastion shall win for best indie game of 2011 and the most original videogame of 2011 is L.A. NOIRE.

  8. Posted by huntingdog on 30 November 11 at 10:24pm

    Though best upcoming indie game is Overgrowth by Wolfire studios.

  9. Posted by Demilung on 30 November 11 at 11:59pm

    Personaly, best indie game – Bastion and only Bastion. For original it’s Rock of Ages – that game is unike, fun and awesome.

  10. Posted by LuL wAffel on 01 December 11 at 6:24am

    Indie – the binding of Issac
    Original – Cathrine

  11. Posted by Ilian on 01 December 11 at 8:18am

    from dust best original game

    bastion for best indie game

  12. Posted by Philip on 01 December 11 at 9:15am

    Best Indie Game – SuperBrothers: Sword And Sorcery EP
    Most Original – Rock Of Ages

    Boooom!!

  13. Posted by CITYGOBLIN on 01 December 11 at 8:47pm

    best Indie game bastion.

    most original Cathrine.

  14. Posted by Ithenos on 03 December 11 at 1:52am

    Best Indie Game – Bastion
    Most Original Game – Catherine

  15. Posted by Bubblefish4 on 04 December 11 at 4:33pm

    Best indie game Bastion

  16. Posted by Bubblefish4 on 04 December 11 at 4:37pm

    Best indie game Bastion
    Most original rock of ages

  17. Posted by Chile: Machinima reconoce a Rock of Ages como Juego más Original del 2011 - Niubie on 12 December 11 at 8:15am

    [...] Inside Gaming Awards 2011: Best Indie Game, Most Original Game. (Inside Gaming [...]

  18. Posted by Cosme on 12 December 11 at 8:49am

    What’s original on caterine? its like a japanese dating game… only new: it was launched on USA.

    RockOfAges great for original game.

  19. Posted by Chile: Machinima reconoce a Rock of Ages como Juego más Original del 2011 - Sopaipleto » Sopaipleto on 12 December 11 at 9:47am

    [...] Inside Gaming Awards 2011: Best Indie Game, Most Original Game. (Inside Gaming [...]

  20. Posted by Bye Bye, Twenty’leven | Funkytacky.com on 18 December 11 at 10:27pm

    [...] reality, we found a convenient escape in the form of video games.  The Insider Gaming Awards named the most original games of the year.  It’s not too late to find something here to distract you in [...]

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