Top Picks
Essentials
2008 Aggie Awards
Best Gameplay: Sam & Max: Season Two
After the delightful rebirth of the Sam & Max franchise with Season One, it was difficult to imagine how another full season of episodes only one year later could avoid resulting in a bit of a letdown. All doubts were put completely to rest, however, when Sam & Max: Season Two delivered episode after episode of pure adventure enjoyment once again. The episodes balance the same simplistic gameplay design that is wonderfully nostalgic to veteran adventurers and perfectly accessible to rookie gamers, but surpasses the first season by significantly improving the difficulty (or lack thereof) that was a common complaint of the original episodes.
Not content to merely be outside-the-box, the new season's challenges frequently fall outside the space-time continuum altogether, even passing from life to death and back again. The puzzles are consistently imaginative--particularly in the spectacular Chariots of the Dogs--at a level that was never attained in the first season. The minigames feel fresh and new, exploring is always amply rewarded with hilarious commentary, and the overall creativity quotient (read: insanity factor) has been ratcheted up significantly. It seemed too good to be true that Telltale could outdo themselves with Season Two but they did so, creating a gameplay experience that is without peer in modern adventure gaming for that one element all too often forgotten: fun.
Runners-Up: Penumbra: Black Plague, Professor Layton and the Curious Village
Readers’ Choice: A Vampyre Story
Sam & Max may have conquered one vampire in 2008, but they proved no match for A Vampyre Story's Mona and her bat pal Froderick. The game's wacky inventory puzzles and stunning degree of optional interactivity withstood a fierce fight from the dog and rabbit and the more casual competition of... brace for it, traditionalists: Mystery Case Files: Return to Ravenhearst.
Next up: Best Concept... the envelope, please.
Time Hollow
Platform(s): DS
Sam & Max: Season Two
Platform(s): PC, PlayStation 3, Wii, Xbox 360
Also known as Sam & Max Beyond Time and Space
Overclocked: A History of Violence
Platform(s): PC
The Experiment
Platform(s): PC
Also known as Experience112
The Lost Crown: A Ghost-hunting Adventure
Platform(s): PC
A Vampyre Story
Platform(s): PC
The Immortals of Terra: A Perry Rhodan Adventure
Platform(s): PC
Also known as Rhodan: Myth of the Illochim
Strong Bad’s Cool Game for Attractive People
Platform(s): Mac, PC, Wii
Lost: Via Domus
Platform(s): PC, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360
Quest for Glory II VGA remake
Platform(s): PC
Casebook: Episode I - Kidnapped
Platform(s): PC
Professor Layton and the Curious Village
Platform(s): DS
Dracula 3: The Path of the Dragon
Platform(s): iPad, iPhone/iPod Touch, Mac, PC
Also known as Dracula Series: Parts 1-3
Yay!!! At least “The Lost Crown” got honorble mentions. 
It HAS to win “Best Sound”, though!!!
Tragic.
That last one of day one will not do anything to stem the tide of mind-numbing inanity taking over as a “concept” appreciated by adventure gamers.
It’s not true, developers! Please, disregard! Heed not the death knell!
Jonathan Boakes! Matthew Clark! Arberth! Save Us!
Heh… apparently I’m a “traditionalist” because I share your sentiment.
I take back everything I said about being able to predict the Award results. It now seems to me (and of course I may be way off) that the people who voted are not the same crowd populating the forums… for instance, Overclocked was severely criticised on the adventure forum.
Actually, Overclocked is the only game I’m happy about that it won.
Funny. My votes and all the awards are a perfect match so far. The jury has a good taste. 
Fienepien. I wouldn’t go so far as to say that people who voted are not the same crowd populating the forums. By that crowd you probably meant the active members of the forums. But then again there are a lot of “lurkers” like me, who read the forum very often but participate rarely. And yet I feel that I’m part of the AG community and part of the forum population. One more thing.
Overclocked was criticized but that’s no surprise. People give negative feedback much more often than positive one. IMO a game has to be of a superb quality before you start to see a lot of positive feedback.
Ascovel, I’m also happy Overclocked got an Award, I thought it was a great game. Correct me if I’m wrong, I still feel that the game was received much better in Germany.
Askobar, yes, I meant the active members. Btw, I do remember your nickname from the forums. Of course silent lurkers are also part of the AG community, so did we just hear them vote for the Awards in large numbers or did the active forum members change their minds?
Bear in mind this wasn’t simply a forum poll. Whether silent or active, forum members represent only a small part of AG’s overall reader-base, so these poll results include plenty of other people out there we don’t generally hear from. Not everyone who casts a ballot attends the rallies. 
Critised by some, praised by others. Yey Overclocked! 
Way to go! *screams O-V-E-R-C-L-O-C-K-E-D with the funny stuff cheerleaders have in their hands*
I was surprised “The Lost Crown” didn’t win the Best Sound design, which Jonathan Boakes’ is known for. But Iw as so ecstatic that “The Lost Crown” won the best setting!! I thought it had it and it did!!!
The most obvious question presents itself: how many PC adventure gamers own DS-es?
I´ve got to say I´m quite satisfied with the results. Not all the games I voted for got to the list, some aren´t even runner-ups, but all in all, I believe the results are fair, from the overall point of view.
Hey, AG staff and readers,
now that the the final results are in, I’d like to take the opportunity and say ‘Thank You’ to the staffers and readers who voted for (and awarded) Overclocked. The team here at the HoT WHQ is happy that the game was amongst the nominees in four categories, and recieved recognition.
Personally, I’d like to thank you all for the ‘Best Writing - Drama’ Award. It’s a meaningful thing to a writer to see work recognised and appreciated (by both staff and readers). I’m pleased that some of what I’ve tried to put into this difficult project has found its way to you, our audience.
Congratulations to all winners!
MG - I thank you and whole production team for the opportunity to play a game I thoroughly enjoyed, despite some minor drawbacks. For me, Overclocked was one of the most enjoyable experiences (in AGs) in 2008.
Ok - you’ve done it Adventure Gamers! Aside from waiting for Momento Mori and Sill Life 2, I’m going to buy Overclocked tonight (Oh god, thank you, a download from your site, no blasted DVD to find and install) and Time Hollow. I can play Time Hollow on the plane when I go visit my parents. I can play Overclocked at my parents.
I like the whole award thing - clever and informative. Nicely done. It gives me ideas.
Great feature!
I missed though:
1) The best puzzle
2) The coolest easter egg
Enjoy both Time Hollow and Overclocked mszv, they are truly little adventure gems
Best puzzle would be awesome!!! And best easter egg, except I would be thinking a game from the past.
Best puzzle was in the original set of awards, but the nominators didn’t come to a consensus on those to put up for a vote after all the nominations were tallied, so it got scrapped. We thought of it, though!
Some fantastic games. Wonderful write-ups, too. Games I hadn’t heard of before sounded utterly brilliant. It gives a guy some small hope that things aren’t as bad as they’ve seemed lately.
Thanks to the AG Staff for all of the time and work that went into this presentation. And I like the clever use of the name ‘Aggie’ for the award. Fantastic picture, too.
