Once again, we would like to say thanks to all the developers who submitted games to the contest. We're happy that so many people participated, and that we had the chance to experience their creations.

We really want to stress this: there were so many great games; more than we had prizes for. We'll adding more prizes for the next competition, so we can further acknowledge all of the hard work that went into each and every game.

The following games got very far in the competition. They were the contenders that did not make the finals, though in no category was there an easy choice as to who the finalist would be.

In the category for Best Art:

• Alpha Squad - Alpha Squad is filled with expertly drawn character portraits, hand drawn environments, and detailed particle effects, making the game a visual feast.


• Ancient Trader - The artwork within Ancient Trader gives the world depth: the shifting fog, detailed monsters, and hand crafted menu make you feel like you're sailing a trade ship on dangerous seas.


• Attack of the Gluubs - This game had lively 3D visuals: bouncy characters, well-placed colorful billboards, and a hilarious mo-cap dancer in the title screen that we couldn't stop watching.


• The Oil Blue - This game has exceptionally detailed art. As an oil drilling simulation, a lot of effort went into making all the machinery and control panels look complex but not intimidating.

In the category for Best Audio:

• Cadet 227 - Part 1 - Cadet 227 is a game for the blind: there are barely any visuals; the whole experience is by sound. The voice and writing leave us eagerly waiting for chapter 2, wanting to see where developer Alex Shen takes us.


• Capsized - The soundtrack has a big presence in Capsized: it sets the mysterious, dangerous tone of the game. The sound effects draw us into the game's satisfying combat.


• Record Tripping - Record Tripping uses audio in an innovative way: it explores a musical instrument (the turntable) and finds different ways to generate gameplay out of the instrument's playing mechanics.


• Tower of Heaven - The lovely chiptunes by flashygoodness consummates Tower of Heaven aesthetic style; it brings back memories of the days of the original Game Boy.

In the category for Best Design:

• Blocks: The Devilish Delivery Game - Blocks is challenging and addicting. As you try to balance the box on the fragile platform, people will gather around you, watching over your shoulder and in Jenga-fashion, vocalize a crescendo chant, "ahhh... ahhhhhhhhhhh... awwwwww!!!" as you fumble and drop the box.


• Hero Mages - A mix of Magic: The Gathering, and Dungeons and Dragons, Hero Mages pits the player in an online strategic free-for-all. The combat is quite deep: there are very many choices and paths, yet it is simple and elegant enough for anyone familiar with this style of strategy game.


• LUXI - Luxi is a game about obscuring dynamic lights to darken a safe path. Not only is this mechanic intriguing, it's appropriately framed by a high-contrast visual style.


• rComplex - rComplex is compelling: you are thrust into the middle of a chase, not knowing what is going on and where you are going. Thoughts audibly race through your head, alluding to recent but unfamiliar events. The gameplay is tight and elegant, tying the visual design to the interface.

In the category for Technical Excellence:

• Creo - Creo is a physics sandbox with goals. we were impressed with the robustness of the physics engine, which allows for some complex physical interactions, such as fairly complicated engines and water-vehicles. Lastly, the game is enhanced by a very intuitive interface.


• Room Without A Window - Room Without a Window simulates a soft arm and hand, allowing for fairly detailed actions, such as sticking out fingers, rotating the wrist, and making a fist. By framing this in a mysterious setting, an intriuging experience is created.


• Sand Castle - Prelude: The Faded Memories - The fluidity of the sand spraying physics in Sand Castle is impressive. Each grain of sand seems to be individually modeled, allowing the player to discover some complex interactions.


• Duality ZF - All of the detail involved in building a 4-player shmup (with two simultaneous fighters per person) introduces a lot of technical challenges. Duality ZF does this smoothly, and manages to stay fun and easy-to-play even with the millions-of-bullets covering up the screen.

Staff Pick:

• Commander - Commander is a tower defense game that has an ever shifting map and a unique pixel art style. It includes classical piano pieces in the background for a truly unique ambiance.


• Echo's Murder - In Echo's Murder, you control a bird named Echo who get's a clone of himself whenever he is injured. The wonderful visual style and animations in this prototype really builds a strong style for itself.


• Mech Rex In Zombeh Town - It's fun, well-made, and visually appealing. But all you need to know is that you are a cowboy defending townsfolk from zombies from atop a mechanical T-Rex. What else can be said?


• Zuwaka - Imagine giving Sonic the Hedgehog a grappling hook. That's what you get with Zuwaka, a crazy time trial challenge game. The cute simplicity of it really brings out the fast-paced gameplay.

Honorable Mentions:

• Dream Trip - Dream Trip has very interesting mechanics that remind us of Tag: The Power of Paint, and Portal. We'd like to see it refined and built out more!


• Microbiotics Beta - Microbiotics is a frantic 4-player 'shooter' that has surprisingly deep gameplay. The polish of the game allows the players to really focus on the battle at hand. It's fun, crazy, and competitive.


• Skid Mk - Skid MK is a fully featured racing game that mixed fun go-kart style racing into an interesting visual environment. Compete for the cup, time attack, shop around, or spend hours trying to master that one devilish turn.


• Splotches - This color wheel based puzzle game will have you combine colors to paint your way to victory. The puzzles can get quite complex, and the level editor really extends the life of the game. Plus, what other game has the word 'brownsplosion' in it?


• Stranded II - Just like the title, you're stranded on an island. You need to survive by harvesting and combining different things. Good luck! Oh, and branch + stone = hammer. You'll need that. (Note from Terence: be careful, this game is addicting: ifo got carried away playing hours of this!)