These mid-range priced games are well within the reach of cash-conscious gamers while still boasting incredible depth and value. From point and click adventures to old school vehicular shoot outs, 2011 was full of promising titles that went toe to toe with the big dogs.
The Nominees
Dungeon Defenders – Dungeon Defenders hasn’t lost momentum since arriving on PC and XBLA this past October, as its community continues to grow and content continues to flow from the chalices of Trendy Entertainment. As Gifford put it: DD is the perfect game for RTS-turtlers to actually be strategically effective, though that doesn’t mean that balls to the wall tank characters aren’t welcome either. There’s something for everyone here and it appears that this game will be around for quite some time.
Gemini Rue – The point and click adventure game hasn’t been in the limelight for quite some time, but that didn’t stop Gemini Rue from shining a spotlight back on the genre with a gritty, futurisitc tale. The gripping story split between two different characters with a mysterious connection makes for an engrossing change of pace from the action fare dominating gaming today.
Bastion – Bastion got attention for its unique approach to story telling, but don’t let that fool you into thinking the game is only about gimmicks. Supergiant Games put together and unbelievable action/RPG that stuns with sweeping musical scores and a unique art style. The Kid is back.
Orcs Must Die – Orcs Must Die! is probably one of the most satisfying games on this list, especially for those of you struggling with orcs in other titles. There’s nothing quite like impaling horrible monsters with spikes and other nasty tools. Orc you glad you set all those traps up?
Renegade Ops – Speaking of action fare, Renegade Ops made a splash by throwing away certain modern day mechanics and going back to an older school style in the vein of Jackal and Desert Strike. The perfect game for those that want to turn off their brains; the explosions alone are worth a bit of your attention.
Awards Categories
- Not Entertained Award
- BFG Award
- Infinite Lives Award
- Queued Up Award
- New Character of the Year
- Soundtrack of the Year
- Story of the Year
- Gamers United Award
- Comeback of the Year
- Steady Sequel of the Year
- Proud to be a Video Game Award
- Competitive Multiplayer Game of the Year
- Co-op Game of the Year
- Indie Developer of the Year
- Mobile Game of the Year
- Downloadable Game of the Year – Bottlecaps Division
- Downloadable Game of the Year – Coins Division
- Game of the Year