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[Cheater‽]

Unless he hasn't been online since then because he's been busy playing every single freeware game of 08 to find the very best ones.

You mean he's stuck on IWBTG?

[Derek]

We could put one together ourselves.  After a really quick run through TIGdb and my (very limited) memory, here are some possible nominees:

Best Action Game: Pro Killer Man, Destructivator, Samurai Railroad Mansion

Best Platformer: Iji, Rescue the Beagles

Best Shoot 'em Up: Ad Nauseum 2, Everyone Loves Active 2

Best RPG: Barkley, Shut up and Jam: Gaiden, Iffermoon

Best Adventure Game: Ben There, Dan That!, Little Girl in Underland, Nanobots

Best Strategy Game: Artifact's House Globe

Best Sim: ?

Best Fighting Game: Action DooM 2: Urban Brawl

Best FPS: Action DooM 2: Urban Brawl, 8bit Killer

Best Puzzle Game: Cursor*10, Fantastic Contraption, Karoshi 2, S.T.A.C.K.E.R.

Best Roguelike: Legerdemain, MageGuild, The Sewer Goblet

Best IF: Gun Mute [I don't know many IF games!]

Best Physics Game: Off-Road Velociraptor Safari

Best Browser Game: Dino Run, GINORMO SWORD, Qwop

Best Multiplayer Game: Cowboyana, Treasure Treasure

Best Remake: Quest for Glory II

Best Art Game: Aether, Execution, The Graveyard, Gravitation, I Wish I Were the Moon

Best Humor Game: Barkley, Shut up and Jam: Gaiden, Shit Game, Twin Hobo Rocket, You Have to Burn the Rope

Most Innovative: Seven Minutes, ROM CHECK FAIL, Colourblind, You Have to Burn the Rope

Most Challenging: Destructivator, FLaiL, Jumper 3, Mighty Jill Off

Best Graphics: ?

Best Audio: ?

Best Writing: ?

Damn, doing that just made me realize how many good indie games got released this year.  I'm sure I left a bunch of great games out, too. 

But yeah, anyway... if we agree on the nominees, we can do a series of polls.

[Paul Eres]

I wouldn't want to see it based just on the db, since that misses a ton of games too. But it's a good start.

[Derek]

Do you have any ideas for other games to nominate?

I'd probably change "Best" to "Favorite" or something, too.  The word "Best" just rankles everybody.

[Paul Eres]

Well, for one thing that list seems to ignore the indiegamer.com / game tunnel games completely -- no fatal hearts, smugglers 4, etc. (And I know fatal hearts is in the db, but it's still weird to see it missing for adventure game favorite.) world of goo is also noticeable in its absence. laxius force, the game everyone attacked to death on this forum until the guy left in frustration, probably should also get at least a mention in the rpg category. it probably could also use a best casual game category (with Saqqarah, Kudos 2, etc.). there's also avernum 5 and geneforge 5 for rpg. and maybe fedora spade 4 for adventure (I don't like to nominate games I worked on, but it was 90% orchard-l's work, I just did the engine).

[Paul Eres]

I also think Democracy 2 came out last year, not this year: http://www.indiegames.com/blog/2007/12/democracy_2.html -- the very end of last year, but technically 2007.

[Derek]

Ooh yeah, those are all great suggestions!  And World of Goo should be added to the db post-haste.  I can't believe I forgot that.

I also realized that it's supposed to be a list of freeware.

I'm going to edit my list a bit.

[Paul Eres]

I also forgot that (about the freeware quality).

[Paul Eres]

Although perhaps we should create a separate list for shareware indie games?

Another thing: should freeware games that make a lot of money through advertisement still be considered spiritually freeware? E.g. desktop tower defense is rumored to have made over $200,000 in advertisements, but it's free to play since it's Flash, so some freeware (typically Flash freeware) has an advantage over other freeware games in that they're very well-funded. Most Flash games are made for money and many make way more than shareware games do.

[Derek]

I define freeware as "free-to-play," personally.

A separate shareware list wouldn't hurt.  Either way, it's kind of a nice exercise to recap what came out this year.

[Paul Eres]

I didn't mean we should change the definition, and they're still free, although but requiring you to sit through ads is also a form of payment, even if it's not a monetary payment. But I see your point.

Anyway, so, we could do 2 lists, collect a bunch of nominations for each, and then have a poll? And maybe a gold panda/silver monocle/copper sword awards or something? :D

[Derek]

Haha, yeah, that sounds pretty good to me!

[Tanner]

add jumper 3 and flail to platformers

[Valter]

Braid definitely should be nominated for art and writing.

Iji isn't really a platformer, it falls into the more obscure category of Run 'n Gun.

Castle Crashers also might deserve a space, although "brawler" isn't a category

I wouldn't put You Have to Burn the Rope in best innovation. It would belong more in Best Audio, since that song at the end was the best part.

[kyn]

Braid definitely should be nominated for art and writing.

Iji isn't really a platformer, it falls into the more obscure category of Run 'n Gun.

Castle Crashers also might deserve a space, although "brawler" isn't a category

I wouldn't put You Have to Burn the Rope in best innovation. It would belong more in Best Audio, since that song at the end was the best part.

Freeware games, dude