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2010 IGF Main Competition and Student Nominees

Aaaaa!

A Slow Year

Closure

Cogs

Enviro-Bear 2000

[...]

Just over two months after we began, we bring you now to the conclusion of our 2009 GDC/IGF coverage. Between the original impressions and the post-GDC impressions, we have collected hands-on impressions of all of the 32 IGF games. If you want to know in what directions gaming is growing and expanding, you need look no further than our actually *cough* freshly *cough*updated GDC 2009 hub.

The feedback we have received from the developers looking at our site has been great, and we really appreciate it. One of the great things about independent gaming is that you feel as though you can actually have a dialogue between game makers and game players.

Before we return you to your regularly scheduled reviews (Monday evenings) and news (Wednesdays and Fridays), we’d like to share with your our favorite photos from the hundreds we took at our very first GDC, now available on Flickr.

When we went to the GDC, we already knew that Zeit² was a rewind-able shooter with where the time travel mechanic basically lets you play the game cooperatively with yourself. What we didn’t know was that developer Thomas Bedenk had a human factors engineering background that makes travelling through time silky smooth without sacrificing the game’s challenge.

Times are tough, or so the old RPG cliche goes, and it seems harder and harder to pursue a career in something so frivolous as game development. Nevertheless, the games industry has been characterized by many as remarkably recession resistant. It’s a gleaming beacon of hope to the aspiring nerd, but what’s it really like out in the development trenches?

We asked IGF finalists and student finalists what they thought about developing independent games under the shadow of economic collapse. Not only that, but we asked them for words of wisdom for the aspiring indie developer. Some were flippant and funny while others were concrete and helpful. Read on for their insight.

We never managed to corner one of PixelJunk Eden’s developers, but the game ended up being exactly what it looked like—an organically growing platformer where you learn to jump rather than walk. We did learn some of the rules minutae that make Eden something more than a banal exercise in being pretty, however.

Kid the World Saver turned out to be a constructive twist on the point A to point B retro platformer formula. It’s a game less about action and heroics than the title might suggest, and more about paving the way to Kid’s destiny.

We couldn’t get our hands on a few of the IGF games before the GDC took place, but IGF entry thankfully required the a playable demo for the expo hall. For the next few news posts, we’ll be doing postmortems for the 11 unplayable IGF games to fill in the gaps from the impressions. Today’s game is: Blueberry Garden.

There were a great many games up for the 2009 IGF awards, and they all had something special to offer. Awards were given for excellence in visual art, audio, design, and titles’ technical excellence. Additionally, games were recognized for their innovation, popularity, and for being best in show for both students and professional developers. Of course, we wouldn’t be much of a games criticism site if we didn’t have our own picks for each category (now possible because we’ve had hands-on time with all the games), so we’ll be posting our picks alongside the panel’s. Hit the jump for the winners of each award and our picks.

Zeit²
Developer: Technische Universität Berlin
Nomination: Student Showcase
Platform: Windows, XBox Community Games (trailer available)
Website
Description: Sidescrolling shooter you play with yourself. 2008 Dream Build Play finalist, winner Best Game from Germany.

Winds of Orbis
Developer: Carnegie Mellon – Entertainment Technology Center
Nomination: Student Showcase
Platform: Windows with Wii-mote and floor pad (trailer available)
Website
Description: Step up to the dance pad and take on the role of the hero to save the world and get a good workout.