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2011 Aggie Awards

Written by AG Staff
It will take you 38 minutes to read this feature.


It’s time, ladies and gentlemen. After a year’s worth a of games and a week’s worth of suspense since the announcement of our nominee finalists, the 2012 Aggie Awards presentation is upon us! We don’t have any big name celebs on board, but on the plus side, there are no agonizing acceptance speeches to sit through either. Just a bunch of great games from the past year to celebrate.

You’d think after just deciding on the top 100 adventures of all-time that picking winners for a single year would be a snap, right? Wrong! It wasn’t so hard to narrow down the candidates, but choosing only ONE for each award wasn’t all fun and games... or, well, it was all games, but it wasn’t always fun.

Perhaps more than any other year to date (in this, the fourth annual Aggie Awards), there was intense competition in each and every field. From triple-A blockbusters to beloved film franchise adaptations to brilliant small-team indies emerging from nowhere, there was no shortage of games that blew us away. Sure, in a field of 67 games there were clunkers in the mix, but 2011 was a feast for the crème de la crème of adventure games.

While that means there are some eminently deserving winners, it also means that some oh-so-close-to-being-almost-as-deserving titles were left behind. Most categories came down to photo finishes, but remember, as always, there are no losers here, only runners-up. Fortunately, every game got TWO chances to win, as we’ve once again tallied up the votes from our public poll and presented the Readers’ Choice Aggie winners as well.

The awards presentation will run daily from Wednesday through Friday, so check back each day to find out which games took home the coveted golden statuettes.

And now, let the Aggies begin!
 

 

Table of Contents

 

Page 1: You are here

Page 2: Best Story

Page 3: Best Writing - Comedy

Page 4: Best Writing - Drama

Page 5: Best Character

Page 6: Best Gameplay

Page 7: Best Concept

Page 8: Best Setting

Page 9: Best Graphic Design

Page 10: Best Animation

Page 11: Best Music

Page 12: Best Voice Acting

Page 13: Best Sound Effects

Page 14: Honorary Aggies

Page 15: Best Independent Adventure

Page 16: Best Console/Handheld Adventure (Exclusive)

Page 17: Best Non-Traditional Adventure

Page 18: Best Traditional Adventure

Page 19: Best Adventure of 2011

Page 20: Final Notes


First up: Best Story... the envelope, please!

Best Story: Gemini Rue

 

 

The futuristic neo-noir tale told by Joshua Nuernberger's Gemini Rue is deceptive in its initial simplicity. It introduces the characters of Azriel Odin, a rogue police officer with a dark past who searches the dreary, rain-drenched streets of Pittsburg for a close friend who has disappeared; and Delta-Six, an amnesiac resident of the mysterious Center 7 rehabilitation facility on a far distant planet. The two stories have no connection at first blush, but they gradually wind into each other, only ever hinting and teasing at a history that somehow relates them. Eventually they collide in dramatic fashion in the game's brilliant third act, setting the stage for an incredible climax that is both surprising and extremely uplifting.

This is anything but a feel-good story, however, as Gemini Rue is a relentlessly bleak and sinister tale of two tortured souls in desperate circumstances. A renowned assassin in a run-down city crippled by drug addiction and mafia control, Azriel has little moral compass beyond his singular goal, while Delta 6 has had his mind deliberately wiped and must now attempt to discover his own identity and the truth behind his incarceration. There is no good vs. evil here, no right and wrong; only murky gray areas in between as both characters are forced to fight, deceive, and at times uncomfortably trust others as a means to an end. The dual storylines proceed without bloated dialogue or unnecessary subplots, and together they represent the best type of science fiction, blending in a genuinely sincere human element. For making us feel truly invested invested in the fates of its troubled protagonists, this impressive independent adventure earns the distinction as the Best Story of 2011.

Runners-Up: To the Moon, L.A. Noire, Ghost Trick: Phantom Detective, A New Beginning

 


Readers’ Choice: Gray Matter

 

 

So Jane Jensen can write pretty good stories. Huh! Who knew? Okay, maybe we had an inkling, but could she replicate her success after more than a decade away from the genre? Not only did we discover she can, but you readers declared that she did, as her latest literary offering won the popular vote in a tight race over Joshua Nuernberger's gritty sci-fi thriller.

Runners-Up: Gemini Rue, The Book of Unwritten Tales, Black Mirror III, L.A. Noire

 


Next up: Best Writing – Comedy... the envelope, please!

Best Writing – Comedy: Portal 2

 

 

When you first think of the Portal series, laughing out loud may not figure highly on the list of possible reactions. Certainly a game about psychotic machines and deadly human test environments developed by the makers of Half-Life doesn't exactly scream “hilarity”, and yet, not happy with simply creating the most innovative adventure franchise in a long time, Valve also managed to develop some of the funniest games ever released. If you’d played the original Portal, you may have thought you knew what you were getting yourself into with the sequel, only to find both the stakes and the rewards upped substantially. Those first entering the world of GLaDOS and Aperture Science for the first time could be forgiven for expecting some serious sci-fi, but what they found was something far more amusing, with biting sarcasm and tongue-in-cheek humour by the bucketload.

Often an intriguing juxtaposition with the otherwise grim dystopian setting, the humour comes from the game's ragtag mob of ramshackle computers voiced by an excellent cast of actors working from a superbly crafted script. GLaDOS, the returning star of the show, once again proves a triumph of passive aggression, spouting acerbic lines at the player in an attempt to break your spirit. Wheatley, a new computerized foil to the maniacal rogue A.I., is a delightfully neurotic buffoon, and the two of them bring contrasting but sharp comic relief to the apocalyptic squalor. These may be the only two characters you ever “meet”, but the thigh-slapping fun doesn't stop with them, as Aperture founder Cave Johnson’s pre-recorded announcements add even more comedy gold to the proceedings with his utter deadpan disdain for anyone and everything in his employ. Even the company propaganda littered around the complex conceals visual gags. The game itself shamelessly parodies sci-fi tropes and does it with such razor-sharp execution that Portal 2 is not only a deserving Aggie winner for best comedy writing, but one of the most consistently funny games in recent memory.

Runners-Up: The Book of Unwritten Tales, Edna & Harvey: The Breakout, Hector: Badge of Carnage – Episodes 2 and 3, Metal Dead

 


Readers’ Choice: The Book of Unwritten Tales

 

 

What do Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter, Star Wars, and World of WarCraft have in common? They’re just a few of the many pop culture phenomena playfully spoofed in KING Art’s tongue-in-cheek fantasy homage. Add in some bizarre characters, delightfully whimsical scenarios, and an often-hilarious script, and the result is a comfortable reader win for best comedy writing.

Runners-Up: Portal 2, Hector: Badge of Carnage – Episodes 2 and 3, The Next BIG Thing, Ghost Trick: Phantom Detective

 


Next up: Best Writing – Drama... the envelope, please!

Best Writing - Drama: Gray Matter

 

 

There's a reason Jane Jensen is considered one of the finest authors ever to grace the adventure genre. From King’s Quest VI to the Gabriel Knight trilogy, her trademarks have been tight-knit, spellbinding plots; multi-faceted and compelling characters; thought-provoking, often mature themes and superb dialogue. But she’d been away from the genre a long time prior to her most recent endeavour, Gray Matter, a game marred by troublesome development delays that cast plenty of doubt on the success of the project. And while the game was indeed marred by some underwhelming production and design issues, the master storyteller proved she hadn’t lost her touch, as Jensen's deep, often touching, always sharp writing shone brightest among last year’s serious adventures.

The script’s most impressive achievement is its suspenseful ambiguity. Something strange is happening in Dread Hill House, home to the reclusive but brilliant Dr. David Styles, but players are left hanging until the very end between a rational, scientific explanation and a supernatural, metaphysical one. This cognitive uncertainty blends well with the game’s themes, like the difference between reality and illusion, and the power of the mind to influence the physical world. And then there are the characters, including street magician Samantha Everett as the other protagonist and the reluctant members of the Lambs' Club, each and every one of them richly detailed and skillfully crafted with distinctive personalities and interesting backgrounds to explore. And of course the dialogues are always believable and filled with references from Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland to Harry Houdini, from Homer to Harry Potter. Overall, Gray Matter may not have been the masterpiece Jensen’s fans were ardently waiting for, but it is a marvellous accomplishment where it really counts, and is fully deserving of this year's Aggie for best dramatic writing.

Runners-Up: Gemini Rue, L.A. Noire, To the Moon, A New Beginning

 


Readers’ Choice: Gray Matter

 

 

Even without that Gabriel guy, once again Jane Jensen delivered a taut, riveting tale that walks the fine line between mystery and myth, as a rebellious young street magician helps a tormented neurobiologist in his potentially dangerous psychic experiments. The success of this haunting, emotionally-charged story is due largely to its compelling script, which you agree was the finest example of best dramatic writing last year.

Runners-Up: Gemini Rue, Black Mirror III, L.A. Noire, To the Moon

 


Next up: Best Character... the envelope, please!

Best Character: GLaDOS and Wheatley (tie), Portal 2

 

 

It’s rare to be honouring two characters for this Aggie award in tandem. It’s similarly rare to be recognizing two characters that aren’t even alive, at least in the traditional sense. Welcome to the world of Portal 2 and the stars of its demented show, GLaDOS and Wheatley. The former was the stand-out star of the original game, whose scathingly funny taunts and insults return for an even more impressive encore in the sequel. We’re used to megalomaniacal evil-doers with nefarious plans of domination, but what makes GLaDOS such a different take on the archetypical villain is that she can do just as much damage with one lash of her barbed, computerized tongue. Conspicuously absent at the beginning of the game, she later takes center stage to lay down another healthy dose of backhanded cruelty, and we loved every sadistic minute of it. And yet GLaDOS also shows a very “human” side, even as her appearance devolves from towering mechanized robot to a… well, you’d just have to see it to believe it.

This time around, proving every bit her equal is Wheatley, the bumbling companion who accompanies you on some of your travels through Aperture Science. A round metal ball, he’s the first character you meet and sets the tone for the game beautifully, innocently declaring that “you’re proof that brain damaged people are the real heroes.” To call him merely a sidekick would be doing Wheatley a disservice, though at first he follows you through the crumbling structural mazes, sometimes aiding and other times hindering your progress. Before long he becomes much more than that, however, setting the wheels in motion for a game-spanning battle of wills with Aperture’s reigning A.I. From that point on it’s GLaDOS vs. Wheatley, Wheatley vs. GLaDOS, with us caught in the middle, right to the bitter end of a final confrontation. Sort of like this Aggie award. The difference is, we never could decide which of the two came out on top. Though not voted in as a pair, there’s just so little separating them that the two finished in a dead heat, fated to go down in history as the first co-winners of our Best Character category.

Runners-Up: Wilbur Weathervane (The Book of Unwritten Tales), Doc Brown (Back to the Future), Critter (The Book of Unwritten Tales), Harvey (Edna & Harvey: The Breakout)

 


Readers’ Choice: Wilbur Weathervane, The Book of Unwritten Tales

 

 

How can you not love a shy, adorable little Welsh-accented gnome who bravely confronts his fears with the fate of the world resting in his hands? You readers were certainly fond of Wilbur Weathervane, voting him the top character of the year in an extraordinarily competitive race that settled lots of in-game debates along the way (Wheatley over GLaDOS; Sam over Styles; Doc over Marty; Harvey over Edna; Joey over Rosa; and Missile over Sissel).

Runners-Up: Hector (Hector: Badge of Carnage), Wheatley (Portal 2), GLaDOS (Portal 2), Samantha Everett (Gray Matter)

 


Next up: Best Gameplay... the envelope, please!

Best Gameplay: Portal 2

 

 

It’s no secret that our classification of Portal 2 as an adventure game has garnered some controversy: some consider it “merely” a puzzle game or believe that the portal “shooting” mechanics and a few timed jumps preclude the game from being considered anything but an action game. Certainly it doesn’t fit neatly into previously defined categories, but we believe its focus on space-bending, brain-teasing gameplay perfectly integrated into an extraordinary game world to explore more than qualifies it for inclusion in our hallowed halls. No matter what genre you think it is, there’s one thing that few dispute: it’s really, really, really good. One of the best games ever made good, in no small part thanks to its innovative, utterly immersive approach to puzzle-solving, which is more than enough to earn it this year’s Best Gameplay Aggie.

For a title that really only includes two ways to interact with the environment (pushing buttons and shooting portals), Portal 2 has a remarkable depth of gameplay. That’s because you’ll use those portals for everything from teleporting yourself to transporting crates through tractor beams to destroying turrets to splattering gels that help you slap the laws of physics right in the kisser. Test chambers may be simple in their grey and white tiled appearance, but each one is packed with scintillating possibilities and challenges, and as you branch out into the massive, crumbling ruins of Aperture Science, Valve managed to add exponentially to the formula without breaking the sublime, almost magical balance and pacing. At first your brain my ache as you try to work out a solution to the latest environmental obstacle, but before long things that seemed physically impossible become second nature as you adapt to the game’s bizarre but comprehensible internal logic. And then the impressive co-op mode adds still another layer of complexity as you and a buddy fling each other across gaps and through walls to reach the end together. All told, even if you don’t consider it an “adventure game”, its brilliant gameplay ensures that Portal 2 is a thoroughly unforgettable adventure, period.

Runners-Up: The Book of Unwritten Tales, Stacking, L.A. Noire, Ghost Trick: Phantom Detective

 


Readers’ Choice: Portal 2

 

 

So we’re agreed then. No more inventory and logic puzzles! Okay, no, we all love the genre’s tried-and-true conventions, but for a welcome change of pace, there was no topping the ability to defy gravity in a series of mind-bending, physics-altering puzzles set amidst the colossal mechanical maze that is Aperture Science, caught like a lab rat between duelling computer A.I.’s. An old-school epic fantasy adventure sure gave it a run for its money, though, in a close finish for the readers' best gameplay selection.

Runners-Up: The Book of Unwritten Tales, Ghost Trick: Phantom Detective, L.A. Noire, Gray Matter

 


Next up: Best Concept... the envelope, please!

Best Concept: Stacking

 

 

Most new concepts in adventure gaming tend to be minor advances in user interface and presentation, with most of the gameplay remaining largely the same as it has been for decades. The nature of the key changes from one inventory item to another, as does the appearance of the door, but you know when you use the former on the latter, you will solve the puzzle and advance the story. Double Fine's Stacking turns that notion upside down – or perhaps inside out – by taking a single gameplay mechanic and building an entire adventure around it. Instead of acquiring items to solve puzzles, here you become the solution, as the characters that inhabit this unique world are the collectable objects themselves: Russian stacking dolls to be precise, each with its own unique ability. It's a simple idea, but a bold and brilliant one that turns problem-solving from a question of how into who, earning Stacking this year’s Aggie Award for Best Concept.

As Charlie Blackmore, the smallest matryoshka in the world, you set out to save your chimney-sweeping family from a corrupt industrialist bent on exploiting the common man in the 1930s. While the boy's diminutive stature has its advantages when it comes to accessing small places, Charlie is still quite limited in what he can do in the world at large. Fortunately, everybody is a Russian doll and every doll has a special talent, from spilling soup to passing noxious gas to entrancing lecherous men. While Charlie lacks any obvious skill, he perhaps has the most useful one of all: he can jump into the bodies of larger dolls and use their abilities as his own. Along the way, he will occupy opera singers, maids, guards, and even rats and birds, sometimes only for non-essential fun. Often he has to jump into multiple dolls, creating a stack, and then use the appropriate abilities in proper succession in order to overcome the current obstacle. It’s a concept so fresh and unique that the game feels like nothing else on the market, and it makes Stacking a joy to play from start to finish.

Runners-Up: Ghost Trick: Phantom Detective, L.A. Noire, To the Moon, Portal 2

 


Readers’ Choice: L.A. Noire

 

 

Like a good poker player, being able to read people is essential for detectives. Team Bondi obviously impressed you with its brilliant (e)motion-capture technology that let Cole Phelps spot subtle body language “tells” to indicate when people were lying. At least, we’re assuming that’s the concept you voted for in numbers, as some people’s hearts may not be able to withstand the thought of more games with car chases and gunfights, if that’s what you meant.

Runners-Up: Portal 2 and Ghost Trick: Phantom Detective (tie), Gemini Rue, Gray Matter

 


Next up: Best Setting... the envelope, please!

Best Setting: L.A. Noire

 

The main character of Rockstar’s L.A. Noire may be Detective Cole Phelps, but the real star of the game is 1940s Los Angeles, meticulously recreated to look authentic in every way and produce a vibrant, convincing game world. Unlike in most adventures, the City of Angels is a living, breathing city that’s teeming with period automobiles, cable cars, and pedestrians all going about their business independent of your actions. You could spend hours simply driving around seeking the many famous landmarks of the time, from Union Station to the RKO Theater to Chinatown. But the post-war era was also an important time for a city riddled with criminal elements and police corruption, creating an ideal atmosphere for the violence that pervades the gameplay.

Not only did Team Bondi convincingly rebuild the historical cityscape, they also reimagined the events of the time. Many of the cases were directly inspired by actual files from the LAPD, and several famous figures of the time are referenced for further real-life authenticity. Radio broadcasts and newspapers contribute to the larger picture of life in 1940s Los Angeles, as does fashion, with distinctive styles of various socio-economic classes on display. Even the little details that most games skimp on, such as product advertisements, shop window displays and interior furnishings, have all been carefully researched, so there’s never an aspect that feels overlooked. The immense budget behind this game may have created an uneven playing field, but the designers took full advantage of the opportunity, as L.A. Noire’s incredible scope and attention to detail is virtually unrivalled in the genre, making it a thoroughly deserving Aggie winner for Best Setting of 2011.

Runners-Up: Black Mirror III, Portal 2, Back to the Future: The Game, Stacking

 


Readers’ Choice: Gemini Rue

 

 

You sure wouldn’t want to live amidst the homeless drug addicts on the drizzly streets of a purple-skied Barracus, or be a prisoner in the sterile, oppressive Center 7 mind rehabilitation facility, but they sure were fun places to visit. For many of you, at least, as the dual environments in this gritty neo-noir thriller combined to earn the title of best setting in a very close race among all finalists.

Runners-Up: Black Mirror III, Gray Matter, The Book of Unwritten Tales, L.A. Noire

 


Next up: Best Graphic Design... the envelope, please!

Best Graphic Design: A New Beginning

 

 

In an industry dominated by cutting-edge 3D graphics, hand-drawn 2D adventures are generally considered quaint and antiquated, at best given backhanded compliments like “classically styled”. Undeterred, Daedalic Entertainment designed A New Beginning the old-fashioned way, and did so with such impeccable artistry that it managed to edge out the fiercest of competition. The vividly coloured, skillfully illustrated screens of this thought-provoking eco-thriller are as distinctive as its premise of desperate time travellers trying to stem an impending environmental catastrophe. Each setting is individually captivating, whether the verdant, idyllic Scandinavian forests of today; a climate conference set against an ominous purple haze caused by smoke-spewing power plants; a dusty, devastated San Francisco drowned by an overflowing Pacific in 2050; or the alien, treeless world of 2500 about to be annihilated by a solar flare. The larger picture for mankind isn’t always pretty, but the artwork displaying it surely is.

Unusual viewing perspectives add to the game’s visual distinctiveness, while the clever interplay of light and shadow to go with day and night transitions add fascinating realism to the backdrops. The cast of characters are just as well-drawn as their world, and emote credibly despite being two-dimensional and outlined in black ink. Cinematics are made of stylishly sketched and dramatically animated panels, which play out sequentially to create comic book-style pages. Coloured clips are often juxtaposed with black-and-white or silhouetted ones to enhance their impact, both in terms of design and as a storytelling device. The flourishes even carry over to utilities like the main menu and saved game archive, creating a cohesive visual experience throughout. For proving with great élan that hand-drawn craftsmanship is not a lost art form, A New Beginning wins the coveted title of Best Graphic Design for 2011.

Runners-Up: Stacking, Drawn: Trail of Shadows, Ghost Trick: Phantom Detective, L.A. Noire

 


Readers’ Choice: The Book of Unwritten Tales

 

 

From the top of a Mount Doom-like tower against a blood red sky to the burbling acidic gullet of a monstrous creature; from the hazy green swamps of Death’s pirate ship abode to the sweltering volcanic home of a dragon, the scenery in The Book of Unwritten Tales is fantastic in every sense of the word, with lush, detailed backdrops in vivid colour that made them a joy to explore. So much so, it’s your winner for the year’s best graphic design, decided by a gnome’s whisker in a rousing competition.

Runners-Up: L.A. Noire, Gray Matter, Black Mirror III, Portal 2

 


Next up: Best Animation... the envelope, please!

Best Animation: L.A. Noire

 

 

From the time it was first announced, much of the pre-release buzz surrounding Team Bondi's 1940s Hollywood detective yarn, L.A. Noire, related to its revolutionary motion capture technology. One of the title's central gameplay systems – the ability to detect lies from reading body language – hinged significantly on the success of this technology, so the game's facial animations needed to not only be technically impressive but emotionally believable as well. With a budget behind it that most adventures can only dream of, thankfully the animations on display in the finished product exceeded their promise. While the dreaded Uncanny Valley wasn't completely avoided, the level of facial animation allowed for details such as subtle eye twitches and the setting and unsetting of jaws to come across in a way they never had before.

But there’s so much more to L.A. Noire’s impressive animation than just nervous blinking and awkward glances. There are many, many moving parts througout the historically recreated Los Angeles backdrop. The streets are filled with cars going about their daily business, while pedestrians roam the sidewalks, the nosiest clambering to catch a glimpse of the latest crime scene investigation. It’s a joy to simply to drive around the city soaking in all the sights, though it gets a little treacherous when the bright sunny days give way to pelting rainy nights. As a game with a moderate action element, there are car chases, shootouts and fistfights, and these too are convincingly orchestrated, if requiring some getting used to at first. In a genre that is all too often guilty of static screens and empty environments, L.A. Noire is almost the antithesis of what we’re used to. The combination of phenomenal performances from a seasoned cast and a living, breathing post-war world helped create an experience unlike any that came before, allowing the game to easily walk (or perhaps run or drive) away with our Best Animation award.

Runners-Up: Portal 2, Professor Layton and the Last Specter/Spectre’s Call, The Next BIG Thing, The Book of Unwritten Tales

 


Readers’ Choice: L.A. Noire

 

 

The top animation award this year was really a no-brainer (or maybe an all-brainer, since we both got it right!). Team Bondi’s incredible mocap technology took facial animation to unprecedented heights, and 1940s Los Angeles felt truly alive all around you, like a city really should and yet so infrequently does in a genre that rarely has the budget to effectively animate. Let’s enjoy it while we can.

Runners-Up: The Book of Unwritten Tales, Ghost Trick: Phantom Detective, The Next BIG Thing, Portal 2

 


Next up: Best Music... the envelope, please!

Best Music: Back to the Future: The Game

 

 

When we consider the best composers for soundtracks, we usually think of movie greats like John Williams or game music virtuosos like Nobuo Uematsu and Michael Land; those who created iconic scores from scratch. Certainly Alan Silvestri’s original scores for the Back to the Future film trilogy are as memorable as they come. But it takes another kind of skill to take someone else’s work and expand on it while keeping true to the original spirit of the music, and that’s exactly what Jared Emerson-Johnson has done with Back to the Future: The Game. We’ll admit, we were hooked right from the familiar opening piano notes that giddily sent us straight back to 1985, but it takes more than that to carry a five-episode game series, and we were never disappointed right to the wonderful closing melody.

Silvestri’s original score triumphed because of its careful balance of whimsy, danger, melancholy, and awe. Rather than simply recycling the exact same tunes, Emerson-Johnson built on those popular themes over the course of each episode, taking them in new directions like the rigid, militaristic tones of Episode 3: Citizen Brown, while playing off just the right amount of nostalgia. This successful blend is a shared effort between the two composers, but of course it just wouldn’t be Back to the Future without some Huey Lewis and the News as well! Granted, our Best Music award for 2011 will resonate far more with existing fans of the franchise, but the superb soundtrack went a long way in making the game a worthy addition to the beloved series.

Runners-Up: L.A. Noire, Stacking, Portal 2, Gray Matter

 


Readers’ Choice: Gray Matter

 

 

Sure hope there’s still room on Jane Jensen’s mantel, because hubby Robert Holmes is largely responsible for the reader award for best music in 2011, just barely edging out all four of the other finalists. The composer’s atmospheric soundtrack includes a wonderful mix of brooding instrumentals with haunting vocals by The Scarlet Furies, a band in which both Holmes and his daughter play.

Runners-Up: L.A. Noire, The Book of Unwritten Tales, Portal 2, To the Moon

 


Next up: Best Voice Acting... the envelope, please!

Best Voice Acting: Portal 2

 

 

Quality over quantity would be a fitting description for the winner of our Best Voice Acting award for 2011. There may only be three notable voiced characters throughout the game, but there is absolutely no denying that each one left an indelible mark in their wake. We’re speaking, of course, of Portal 2. Returning is GLaDOS, the rogue A.I. from the original game who is once again voiced by Ellen McLain. With her computerized, pitch-modulated and yet strangely melodious voice, GLaDOS is instantly familiar as the vindictive villain at the start, but the sequel soon imbues her with more of a defensive and humane role than before, making her even more amusing and likeable for the transformation. And once again, players who see the game through to the end are treated to an entertaining musical number by the mechanical songstress (McLain is a trained opera singer, after all) herself.

But this time around, GLaDOS is not alone. Stealing (or at least sharing) her spotlight is a newcomer named Wheatley, one of her own personality cores voiced by Stephen Merchant (The Ricky Gervais Show). His witty dialogue delivered with strong Bristol British accent and stammering idiocy perfectly counterbalances GLaDOS’s cool-minded seriousness. Last but by no means least is the gruff Cave Johnson, performed superbly by the always-wonderful character actor J.K. Simmons, whose dozens of movie and television credits are too numerous to list. Encountered only in pre-recorded messages, Johnson’s impact is every bit the equal of his mechanized counterparts as the sarcastic, sociopathic founder of Aperture Science with no regard for the welfare of his employees. What makes each role even more impressive is that they are “pure” vocal performances, with virtually no distinguishing physical features or animation to support them. It’s remarkable how well this trio delivered such emotionally engaging and strangely believable characters in the least likely of places, beating out some impressive Aggie competition in the process.

Runners-Up: Back to the Future: The Game, L.A. Noire, The Book of Unwritten Tales, The Next BIG Thing

 


Readers’ Choice: L.A. Noire

 

 

What a year for quality voice acting. In a genre known for horrible localizations, it was a treat to hear Mad Men’s Aaron Staton anchoring a diverse and thoroughly rock solid cast of Hollywood (where else?) talent in Team Bondi’s historical mystery adventure. Other challengers had plenty to say about this selection, but no one made the case quite so convincingly as L.A. Noire.

Runners-Up: Portal 2, The Book of Unwritten Tales, Gray Matter, Back to the Future: The Game

 


Next up: Best Sound Effects... the envelope, please!

Best Sound Effects: Jurassic Park: The Game

 

 

None of us know what a dinosaur really sounded like, but thanks to Jurassic Park, most of us feel like we do. Steven Spielberg’s 1993 movie introduced us to the rattling neck frill of the Dilophosaurus, the groans of a sick Triceratops, and the strategic pack calls of the stalking Velociraptor, not to mention the terrifying roar and impact tremor-inducing footfall of a rampaging Tyrannosaurus. So when Telltale Games took over the franchise for a new gaming installment this past year, it was imperative to create an authentic ambient backdrop for the return trip to Isla Nublar.

Fortunately, they did just that, as exploring the island’s wilds is a lavish audio experience. As you creep through the forest floor, wild creature sounds and environmental effects all sound realistic, adding to the immersive feeling of danger surrounding you on all sides. Indoors, the clanging of non-human footsteps on metallic grates and the whirring of malfunctioning machinery remind you that nowhere is truly safe. The result is a continually compelling atmosphere and a truly terrifying auditory experience. The original film was an Academy Award winner for best sound editing, and this game does a good job of carrying on that tradition as the deserving winner of our Best Sound Effects Aggie for 2011.

Runners-Up: L.A. Noire, Portal 2, The Book of Unwritten Tales, Back to the Future: The Game

 


Readers’ Choice: Portal 2

 

 

You’re alone so much of the time in the cavernous Aperture Science, it was imperative to create a convincing aural experience, and Valve did just that. With a steady stream of light industrial sounds from conveyor belts, grinding metal, whirring machinery, and splooshing tube gels, not to mention the hilarious pitch-modulated turret voices (which is sort of voice acting, but sort of not), the convincing soundscape earned Portal 2 the popular vote for best sound effects.

Runners-Up: L.A. Noire, Black Mirror III, The Book of Unwritten Tales, Gray Matter

 


Next up: The Honorary Aggies...


Honorary Aggies

 

The games taking home our golden Aggie statuettes are the true stars of the show, but that doesn’t mean they’re the only adventures worth taking some time to acknowledge. Each year there are other titles that surprised and impressed us, though they fell just short of Aggie consideration for one reason or another. So once again we want to stop and recognize a handful of games that didn’t claim a regular award but still deserve attention for their noteworthy accomplishments.

 

Black Mirror III

 

 

In a worthy capper to the dark, haunting Black Mirror series, Cranberry Production brought forth a solid “final chapter” in Black Mirror III. Solid… but unspectacular, earning the game plenty of consideration for an Aggie Award, and yet never excelling enough in any one area to win one. After the cliffhanger ending of its predecessor; the series finale resolves all of the Gordon family storylines in a disturbingly satisfying way, going back to the cult-hit original game for much of its inspiration. The ongoing saga of erstwhile American Darren Michaels featured a grim but richly detailed landscape to explore in and around the secluded English town of Willow Creek, with gorgeous art and eerie sounds providing a haunting backdrop to the dark storyline of a young man’s attempt to come to grips with his troubling identity and destiny. This reflection of tortured souls and ancient family curses may not have been able to been able to beat out its competitors, but it put up a bloody good fight, earning it 2011’s “Best of the Rest” honorary nod.

To The Moon

 

 

It’s not unusual for indie games to break a few rules, but Kan Gao’s To the Moon breaks more than most. It doesn’t look like a point-and-click adventure game, but rather a 16-bit RPG. It’s a time travel story that gives you the massive responsibility of changing a dying man’s fate, but there’s almost no gameplay. The story is told backward. The highly emotional tale is punctuated with frequent laugh-out-loud moments. Dialogue trees are sparse, and although you can look in your inventory, you never make use of it. Clearly it is not an adventure game like we’re used to, and that’s probably why so many players have passed it by, but it is nevertheless one of the most impressive releases of 2011. Its story is so captivating that you’ll hardly notice the lack of puzzles, and even without voice acting, the incredible piano soundtrack skillfully carries the mood from sad to bittersweet to suspenseful and back again. And the touching last fifteen minutes may well be the most fulfilling finale in years. It may only have won the dubious honour of this year’s “Best Game No One Has Played,” but for those of you who haven’t, it’s never too late to rectify the mistakes of your past.

Drawn: Trail of Shadows

 

 

It almost isn’t fair. Amidst a sea of derivative hidden object adventures emerged a third installment to Big Fish Games’ sublimely beautiful and inventive casual series that towers above the rest. In Drawn: Trail Of Shadows, players were invited to enter a new set of gorgeous but somewhat sinister worlds filled with impressive art and fantasy puzzles. This time around, a young boy with the power to bring paintings to life has been captured by an evil wizard intent on using this talent to re-imagine the world as a dark, desolate place. The pursuit of the boy propels a fun-filled exploration through lands of wonder and imagination filled with creative obstacles that require both wits and painterly skills to overcome. Despite its brevity, it’s a lovely game that raises casual adventures to new artistic heights and feels quite unlike any other game available (except its own predecessors). In the process, it wiped out all other competition for our “Best Casual Game” distinction in one bold stroke.

Metal Dead

 

 

We’d never even heard of Walk Thru Walls' Metal Dead when it suddenly clawed to life like a zombie in a graveyard late last year, but the unheralded indie adventure spins a wild and funny (and unapologetically gory) tale of music, friendship, and desperation in the face of a sudden invasion of the undead. With no prior gamee-making experience, the developers got just about every element right on the first try, from puzzle design to the user interface, whimsical character models and fluid animation. And the writing is some of the best and funniest in recent years. The game boasts a variety of locations, a memorable cast of quirky characters, epic set pieces, and one of the strangest and funniest “boss” encounters around. Even from a veteran studio, Metal Dead would be an impressive game. The fact that it was done by just two guys with a dream makes it doubly so, and the winner of our “Most Unexpected Surprise” honour.

Blackwell Deception

 

 

Load up Wadjet Eye’s Blackwell Deception and you might think you’re back in adventure gaming’s “golden age” due to its low-res graphics and earnest desire to tell a good story with gameplay to match. Putting new spins on old conventions with dialogue, inventory, and research puzzles just as clever as the ones that stumped us back then (but far less frustrating!), the fourth Blackwell adventure has already made it farther than most modern franchises, and the feeling of meeting up with old friends mimics the bygone tradition of digging into the latest Quest game. And much like those bygone classics, the series is getting better with age, with Deception’s design, interface, and storytelling benefiting from lessons designer Dave Gilbert has learned from the previous installments. Its ghost and spirit medium protagonists have an entirely unique partnership and its New York setting is grounded in the here-and-now, but playing Blackwell Deception feels just like the good old days, making it this year’s pick for “Most Nostalgic Adventure”.
 


Next up: Best Independent Adventure... the envelope, please!

Best Independent Adventure: Gemini Rue

 

 

Joshua Nuernberger’s Gemini Rue was such a resounding success, drawing well-earned parallels to past classics like Beneath a Steel Sky and Blade Runner, that it’s easy to forget that the entire project is largely the work of one young man with a vision. The UCLA student has become a celebrated story of DIY game design, but there was no funding or acclaim initially. For two years, Nuernberger laboured over all aspects of the game himself, including art, writing, and design, with no promise that he would ever see a commercial release. Then, a prominent win at the 2010 Independent Games Festival put this game on course for a spectacularly successful release, and we can all be thankful it did.

Gemini Rue may be light on challenging gameplay, but this focus wisely shines the spotlight on its brilliant sci-fi tale. Yet although it plays like an interactive page-turner, there is much more to the game than just that. Its lo-res backdrops are perfectly suited to its bleak, dreary environments of rain-soaked, drug-addled Pittsburg and the sterile, sinister hallways of the Center 7 rehabilitation facility. The music, though sparse, is excellent, the voice acting of the lead characters is solid, and there’s plenty of impressive animation, adding the sort of polish that’s lacking from most small-team endeavours. It’s titles like this that remind us that independent development never has to mean a compromise in quality, and for that it’s a deserving winner of our Best Independent Adventure award for 2011.

Runners-Up: To the Moon, Blackwell Deception, Metal Dead, Alpha Polaris

 


Readers’ Choice: Gemini Rue

 

 

Some adventures are praised as good games “for an indie”, like a consolation prize for something that can’t compete with the heavy hitters. Some games are just great, period, and even more remarkable that they’re the work of a small team with a small budget and a big dream that goes a long way. Gemini Rue is one of those games, so no arguments here that Joshua Nuernberger’s sci-fi tale is the runaway winner of best independent adventure of the year.

Runners-Up: Blackwell Deception, To the Moon, Alpha Polaris, Last Half of Darkness: Society of the Serpent Moon

 


Next up: Best Console/Handheld Adventure... the envelope, please!

Best Console/Handheld Adventure (Exclusive): Ghost Trick: Phantom Detective

 

 

When Ghost Trick: Phantom Detective released in early 2011, adventure fans may have initially objected(!) to a new game from Phoenix Wright creator Shu Takumi that didn’t take place in the courtroom, but the unusual puzzler quickly made an impression with its quirky anime graphics, unique premise, and creative gameplay. Playing as Sissel, a spikey-haired man in a bold red suit who has just met his untimely demise, players have only one night to figure out how he met with his fate before his soul ceases to exist. Since he’s dead, the only tools at his disposal are his “ghost tricks”: the ability to possess and manipulate inanimate objects, to communicate with recently dead souls, and most importantly, to briefly turn back time so he can rescue others destined for an early grave. As the hours tick by, Sissel learns more about the convoluted path that led him to this point and the people whose lives are entangled with his own, finally homing in on the answers he’s been seeking – but not without some major shockers along the way.

Most of Ghost Trick’s gameplay involves setting up chain reactions among inanimate objects, Rube Goldberg-style, so Sissel can interact with the living world, glean information about his death, and protect others in imminent danger. Easily played with the Nintendo DS’s touch screen and stylus, for the most part these sequences are practices in logic and patience, though some precise timing is also required. With stylish manga-inspired graphics and memorable characters that boast robust animations, the game makes very good use of the handheld’s relatively low specs. The well-paced story unfolds over 18 bite-sized chapters – perfect for playing in short bursts – but it’s a lengthy game overall, taking many surprising twists and an unexpectedly poignant turn near the end. Unique in many ways and thoroughly enjoyable to experience, Ghost Trick is one of the most innovative games the genre has seen in quite some time, and it needed to be to fend off some tough competition for this year’s “Best Console/Handheld Adventure” award.

Runners-Up: Stacking, Professor Layton and the Last Specter/Spectre’s Call, The Secret of Chateau de Moreau, Red Johnson’s Chronicles

 


Readers’ Choice: Ghost Trick: Phantom Detective

 

 

The clear winner of the reader poll was really “no answer”, proving once again that adventure gamers are an overwhelmingly PC-centric lot. But among those who have branched out into other platforms, the unique new adventure by Shu Takumi proved just as popular as its Ace Attorney predecessors in taking home the best console or handheld adventure award, handily topping an impressive pair of challengers in 2011.

Runners-Up: Stacking, Professor Layton and the Last Specter/Spectre’s Call, 1112: Episode 3, NCIS 3D

 


Next up: Best Non-Traditional Adventure... the envelope, please!

Best Non-Traditional Adventure: Portal 2

 

Is it, or isn't it? The argument will rage on about whether Portal 2 is really an “adventure game” until we're all past caring (if we aren’t already), but by Adventure Gamers’ own longstanding definition it most certainly is. It just happens to be one that’s utterly unlike anything we’ve ever seen before (besides its own predecessor), or may ever see again. What most adventure gamers truly value most is a decent story with memorable characters, rewarding exploration and challenging puzzles, and Portal 2 delivers all of these in a thoroughly engrossing, imaginative way. And yet none of it feels like the sort of adventure we’ve all come to know and love: there’s no people (except you), no inventory, no pixel hunting, no dialogue trees, no point-and-click look/use/pick-up verb options that have been around since the dawn of time. Instead there’s a gun(!), bouncy shoes, goo balls, and light bridges. Just what the heck kind of adventure is this??

A brilliant one, that’s what kind. Without ever emerging from the cavernous confines of Aperture Science, the story takes some delicious twists and turns, and its memorable supporting cast of two – although entirely mechanical – show more human personality and actual character development than most other adventures combined through their insightful, often hilarious dialogue. The puzzles, meanwhile, never feel like they’re there just for the sake of it, always integrated in a totally natural way as you make your way through the ruined remains of a former industry giant. And the pacing is darn near perfect. Just when you feel you’re getting the hang of the current tools at your disposal, along come a new set of obstacles and clever means to overcome them. There’s even a whole co-op segment to go with the single player campaign for even more devious challenges to solve with a friend. So no, it isn’t Monkey Island and it isn’t Myst. Instead, Portal 2 is the Aggie Award-winning best of an exceptional lot of non-traditional adventures in a year of truly innovative offerings.

Runners-Up: L.A. Noire, Stacking, Ghost Trick, To the Moon

 


Readers’ Choice: Portal 2

 

 

In an extraordinary year of creative adventures, one game shot straight to the top of the list (probably by shooting a portal above the rest). It was a fierce battle among all the top competitors, but ultimately Valve’s genre-defying story-driven, first-person, physics-based platforming puzzle shooter – or as we like to call it, an adventure game that focuses on puzzle solving within a narrative framework – took the cake for staff and readers alike.

Runners-Up: L.A. Noire, Ghost Trick: Phantom Detective, To the Moon, Stacking

 


Next up: Best Traditional Adventure... the envelope, please!

Best Traditional Adventure: The Book of Unwritten Tales

 

 

Enthusiasts of classic adventures were generously rewarded for their patience in 2011 with the long-awaited release of the English version of KING Art's The Book of Unwritten Tales. This lovingly crafted, tongue-in-cheek fantasy homage not only lived up to its advanced hype, it shot straight onto our Top 100 All-Time Adventure Games list. This tale recounts the epic journey of four unlikely heroes – elf, gnome, human and critter – as they strive to save their realm from the clutches of a megalomaniac witch, all the while returning adventure gaming to its idealistic, irreverent, inventory-laden heydays in the process. Filled with affectionate tributes to pop culture icons, the game ribs the genre and laughs at itself, but is all business in treating players to a lengthy, substantial gameplay experience.

Though it won no awards in any single field, the game’s consistently excellent production values create an exquisitely rich fantasy world enlivened by ample animation, accompanied by a charming soundtrack and quality voice acting. The eclectic supporting cast complements the charismatic leads and adds significant emotional depth to the story, while the deceptively sophisticated script is both straightforward and wickedly clever. Though the mismatched swashbucklers are immersed in a grand, all-encompassing mission in the eternal battle of good versus evil, the game focuses on tracing their wobbly, uncertain steps outside of their comfort zones, discovering strengths of character they never imagined they had along the way. In doing so, The Book of Unwritten Tales reveals a great heart of its own, and on the strength of its impressive performance overall, the game overwhelmingly earns the crown of our Best Traditional Adventure of 2011.

Runners-Up: Gemini Rue, Gray Matter, A New Beginning, Black Mirror III

 


Readers’ Choice: The Book of Unwritten Tales

 

 

Thank goodness for KING Art’s perseverance in seeing their epic fantasy adventure through two publisher bankruptcies and nail-biting delays to its long-overdue Engish release, as we both agree that The Book of Unwritten Tales was not only well worth the wait, but a runaway winner of the best traditional adventure of the year.

Runners-Up: Gray Matter, Gemini Rue, Black Mirror III, Hector: Badge of Carnage – Episodes 2 and 3

 


Next up: The moment you’ve all been waiting for – Best Adventure of 2011... the envelope, please!

Best Adventure of 2011: Portal 2

 

 

It may not have an inventory or slider puzzles on locked doors, but there’s no doubt in our minds that Portal 2 is not only a true (if entirely unprecedented) adventure game, it’s one of the best ever made. It values exploration and critical thinking, features hysterical writing, memorable characters and mind-bending puzzles, and despite holding a gun, the only things you shoot down are the very laws of physics. As adventure gamers we adore experiences that tickle our brains and our funny bones at the same time, and it’s hard to think of any game in recent memory that has done both quite so well. Every part of the game is polished to near perfection, and this year nothing can touch Portal 2 for sheer, unadulterated greatness.

The original Portal paved the way in 2007, catching nearly everyone off-guard with its brilliant design and pacing, but the sequel expands on the success of its predecessor in every way. It’s funnier, lengthier, and significantly more complex. New characters add even more rich personalities and unforgettable lines, while old characters are taken in surprising new directions. The story expands on the simple escape premise in the first game, fleshing out the equal-parts hilarious and mysterious lore of Aperture Science. The addition of tractor beams, refracting lasers, and gels that change the properties of surfaces exponentially increases the number of puzzle possibilities without ever feeling overwhelming. And the cooperative mode sends two players into an entirely new set of test chambers for some of the most mind-bending and ultimately satisfying puzzles in years. There were some truly impressive games to consider this year, but none as special as Portal 2, earning it this year’s ultimate Aggie Award as our Best Adventure of 2011.

Runners-Up: L.A. Noire, The Book of Unwritten Tales, Ghost Trick: Phantom Detective, Stacking

 


Readers’ Choice: The Book of Unwritten Tales

 

 

Long live the old-school adventure! In the face of fierce opposition from two AAA titles with budgets that must surely make KING Art weep, The Book of Unwritten Tales still became the narrow reader choice for best adventure of 2011, with Jane Jensen’s Gray Matter nipping at its heels. Diversity is a beautiful thing, and this result shows that both tradition and innovation are equally treasured in our adventures.

Runners-Up: Gray Matter, L.A. Noire, Portal 2, Ghost Trick: Phantom Detective

 


That concludes the 2011 Aggie Awards! Still to come, a few administrative notes and a complete eligible game list, along with other assorted fine print. Think we got our choices right or wrong? Agree or disagree with your fellow gamers? Feedback is always welcome in the comments below! Thanks for reading and voting, and we’ll see you all again next year.


The Adventure Gamers staff would like to offer our sincere congratulations to the developers (and publishers) of all games that won awards, and our thanks to the many readers who participated in our public voting poll.
 


Aggie Awards rules and regulations

 

All staff nominations were submitted privately, seen and verified only by two awards administrators.

To be eligible, a game must have been launched through digital distribution, self-published online, or commercially released in either North America or the United Kingdom in the calendar year 2011.

For the sake of administrative simplicity, Back to the Future, episodes 2 and 3 of Hector: Badge of Carnage, and Stacking (with expansion) have been listed as a single entity.
 


Complete list of eligible games

 

PC Adventures (includes multi-platform releases)

 

Adam's Venture: Episode 2 - Solomon's Secret
Age of Enigma
Alpha Polaris
AR-K: Episode 1 - Sex, Lies and Class Work
Aspectus: Rinascimento Chronicles
Azada: In Libro
Back to the Future: The Game
Baron Wittard: Nemesis of Ragnarok
Black Mirror III
Blackwell Deception
Blue Madonna - A Carol Reed Mystery
The Book of Unwritten Tales
Cardboard Castle
City of Secrets
Conspiracies II: Lethal Networks
The Count of Monte Cristo
Dead Mountaineer's Hotel
Doctor Who: The Gunpowder Plot
Drawn: Trail of Shadows
Dream Chronicles: The Book of Water
The Dream Machine: Episode 3
Edna & Harvey: The Breakout
Eko: Strange New World - Episode 1
The Fall Trilogy: Chapter 3 - Revelation
Four Badges
Gemini Rue
Girl with a Heart of
Goin' Downtown
Gray Matter
Hector: Badge of Carnage — Episode 2 and Episode 3
The Jolly Gang's Misadventures in Africa
Jurassic Park: The Game
L.A. Noire
Last Half of Darkness: Society of the Serpent Moon
Metal Dead
Miskatonic: Part 1 - The Inhuman Stain
Nancy Drew: Alibi in Ashes
Nancy Drew: The Captive Curse
NCIS
A New Beginning
The Next BIG Thing
Odissea - An Almost True Story
Pahelika: Revelations
Portal 2
Puzzle Agent 2
Red Crow Mysteries: Legion
Relics: Dark Hours
The Rockin' Dead
Sinbad: In Search of Magic Ginger
Space Madness
A Stroke of Fate: Operation Valkyrie
Tales from the Dragon Mountain: The Strix
The Tiny Bang Story
To the Moon
Trauma

Console/Handheld Exclusives

 

1112: Episode 3 (iOS)
999: Nine Hours, Nine Persons, Nine Doors (DS)
Doctor Lautrec and the Forgotten Knights (3DS)
Emily the Strange: Strangerous (DS)
Ghost Trick (DS)
James Noir's Hollywood Crimes (3DS)
May's Mysteries: The Secret of Dragonville (DS)
NCIS 3D (3DS)
Professor Layton and the Last Specter/Spectre's Call (DS)
Red Johnson's Chronicles (PlayStation 3)
The Secret of Chateau de Moreau (iOS)
The Spell Breaker Quest (iOS)
Stacking (and The Lost Hobo King expansion) (Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3)
 


Notes

 

Although released late in 2010, 999: Nine Hours, Nine Persons, Nine Doors was carried over to the 2011 Aggies, as no AG staff played the game in time for last year’s awards.

Complete season of Law & Order: Legacies held over to 2012.
 


Contributors to the writing of this article include: Jack Allin, Nate Berens, Jason L Blair, Evan Dickens, Rob Franklin, Emily Morganti, Merlina McGovern, Andrea Morstabilini, Robin Parker, Shuva Raha, Reece Warrender

The Aggie Award was designed by Bill Tiller.

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