Kotaku Awards: The Best Mobile/Handheld Game Of The Year

Alright folks, the results for indie game of the year and console game of the year are in – now it’s the turn of Mobile/Handheld games. So which did you vote in as the best of 2010? [Rustles yet another imaginary envelope.]

And the winner is…

Angry Birds

This category was a bit of a blow out, with Angry Birds receiving 29% of the vote. Pokemon HeartGold/SoulSilver came in second with 13%. There were a bunch of stragglers coming in with 8% including Cut the Rope and Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker.

Editor’s Choice

This year has been an interesting one for mobile gaming, with the iPhone overtaking the Nintendo DS as my format of choice when it comes to gaming on the move. Still, I enjoyed a handful of DS games this year, my favourite being Ace Attorney Investigations: Miles Edgeworth. The PSP had a handful of awesome games this year as well – Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker is probably the most accomplished PSP game ever made.

But ultimately, given the amount of time I’ve spent playing on my iPhone, it was inevitable that my mobile/handheld game of the year would be one from the App store. Angry Birds was good, but felt like a game I had played before, Cut the Rope had interesting mechanics, but felt short and a little undercooked.

Game Dev Story, however, was the most compulsive, engaging, hilarious experience I’ve had on a mobile platform this year. It’s a slow burn – the game doesn’t necessarily reward you in the beginning – but once you get a feel for the mechanics and how they entertwine, it’s becomes the most addictive game on the planet. I started playing during one of my good friend’s wedding. I missed the entire ceremony, and ignored all of the speeches during the reception to continue playing. I’m ashamed to say that I only stopped because my iPhone battery went dead.

In a sense, Game Dev Story is nothing more than a glorified poker machine, but the set up, the parody, and the rewarding manner in which you progress makes it my favourite mobile/handheld game of 2010.

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