Bytten Ernies 2006

It's that time of year again, a time when we at Bytten look back over a year of reviews and choose those games that had some particular appeal for us. These are the second Bytten Ernies and I'm pleased to say that the quality has anything but dipped since our first outing.

I'll do much the same as last year and announce categories and winners, but this year I'm no longer nominating a runner-up. Choosing one great game is hard enough - picking a second is even tougher. I will however give mention to all those games that were in my thoughts at the time.

Most Involved Plot
Shadow Stars by Spellcaster Studios

The clear winner here was "Shadow Stars: The Ventrui Belt", a bold attempt at a 3D space shooter that saw you taking the surviving fighter of a Warfyr attack fleet, cruelly tricked into exiting hyperspace bang on top of a minefield, against hordes of Tarwyne spacecraft. We don't see many 3D combat games at Bytten, a genre more commonly found in the commercial sector.

Runners up in this category included "Finlay's Fathoms", in which a brave magical dolphin fights toxic waste, fishing boats and insane sealife; and the frankly bizarre Zombie Smashers, which defies plot summarising.

Most Unusual Idea
Battles of Norghan by Mitorah Games

This was a rather difficult category to fill this year, with many original yet sensible ideas. After some thought it became obvious - "Battles of Norghan" is an unusual yet highly effective cross between a dungeon hack'n'slash and a football management sim. Having kept this reviewer entertained both during and after the review, it well deserves praise. More like this, please!

Most Ambitious Game
Gumshoe Online by Hiding Buffalo
Professor Fizzwizzle by Grubby Games

Perhaps the most difficult category to fill of them all, we've had a number of high quality games this year and I've been unable to choose a clear winner. I have therefore gone with a joint award to two games that both impressed me a great deal.

First up, I have to mention "Gumshoe Online". This atmospheric online adventure saw me hunting for clues and cracking cases, and was quite compulsive. It is nominated for this award due to the sheer number of locations, clues and red herrings that go into each case.

My other offering here is "Professor Fizzwizzle", a platform puzzler that's a winner with children and adults alike. A wealth of objects and interactions led to over a hundred puzzles, a number that ever increases with the inclusion of a level editor. While not obviously ambitious in terms of graphics, sound or size it is clear that nothing but the best would do for Grubby Games in every area of the game.

Most Addictive Game
Zombie Smashers by Ska Software
Battles of Norghan by Mitorah Games
Professor Fizzwizzle by Grubby Games

Here I again have a tie - between three games! My qualifier for this award is that a game brings me back over and over, even past the publication of the review, and these three games all did that to me.

The first of these, "Zombie Smashers", features some double-dragon style combat with RPG elements against a variety of nasties and a series of missions that ranged from the bizarre to the downright bonkers. I played this one through to the end - the very end!

Otherwise we have two familiar entries - "Battles of Norghan" reappears with my long-running efforts to win the entire league (eventually successful), and "Professor Fizzwizzle" gets an extra mention. I've created a number of my own levels for the benefit of my (normally) non-games playing partner.

Strangest Game Experience
50 Castles by Rusty Axe Games

This was rather difficult to judge but I eventually settled for "50 Castles". While the game itself was a fairly normal puzzle game, involving fitting parts into a castle, there is a certain level of oddity within. Few games involve you shooting snakes with your cannon in order to stop them eating your chickens.

Rivals to this title included "Zombie Smashers", which was bonkers but clever about it, and "Laser Dolphin", summed up by the title - however, "50 Castles" outweirded the pair of them.

Special Award
Magic Match by Codeminion Dev Studios

This year's special award goes to "Magic Match", a game that never quite fitted any of the other categories and yet deserves a mention for all-round excellence. Mad songs, a rather sweet helper imp and chaining rather than simply lining up matching items all enhanced the smooth look and feel of a solid game. Well done Codeminion!

And that's it for another year. Here's to the next, and to all the great games we hope to experience over the coming twelve months!