Kotaku Awards: The Best Indie Game of 2010

Over the last couple of weeks we’ve been collecting nominations and taking your votes on the best games of 2010. This week we’re announcing the winners. First up, your favourite Indie game of 2010. And the winner is…[rustles imaginary envelope]

Minecraft.

The indie game vote was by far the most one-sided, with over 50% of you voting for the phenomenon that is Minecraft. Technically Minecraft is still in beta, and technically it was released at the tail end of 2009, but we felt that it was a movement that couldn’t be ignored, hence its inclusion on the list. Congratulations to Notch, for creating something truly innovative and, at times, spectacular.

Editor’s Choice: Limbo
Now it’s my turn!

When it came to Indie titles this year, there were a number of incredible contenders. I spent an insane amount of time playing Super Meat Boy, but when it came to a cohesive experience that really stretched gaming’s ability to tell an engaging story through the mechanics, not in spite of them, Limbo was head and shoulders above the rest.

Limbo was dark, obviously, and it had its flaws (mostly around a handful of poorly sign-posted puzzles) but for the most part it walked that perfect line between challenge and reward. On a number of levels Limbo was a game that truly made you feel smart.

It was a game that refused to thrust its pretensions upon you like Braid did – it was never convoluted and remained concise. Limbo was a game about rescuing your sister in a strange world, and anything above and beyond that was open to interpretation.

But best of all, the narrative (or meta-narrative) never encroached on what was an incredibly rewarding experience. That is why Limbo is my personal Indie game of the year.

Comments


4 responses to “Kotaku Awards: The Best Indie Game of 2010”

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *