We've just finished the judging on YoYo's latest competition, and overall I think it was a great one. Some of the entries were outstanding, some were innovative, and some pretty, some were amazingly well presented, and yes...some were poor. But as this was the 1st competition I've helped judge here I was keen to look at every entry, and it was hard going at times. We had so many games just to get through, never mind trying to narrow down the number to an acceptable level.
However, we finally came up with the winners and most notable selections. However, it's worth saying that there were a good 60+ more that were notable, and even some that never got past the 1st round were still pretty good, but I knew there simply weren't going to progress past round 2, so there was no point in adding them to the list. On the whole, I think there were around 100-150 games which were extremely well done, with the rest being on average; pretty good. Very few were actually bad. For a community like this, that's staggering. Almost 500 games that were at LEAST okay.
We particularly loved some of the retro or simple styles, and while the winners were of a more standard fair, there were many games like Switch which displayed a simple, clean style, but great gameplay.
I don't want to go on about the list we posted which was a group decision, and one were we all agreed on, but I did want to give a shout to some of the others that I personally enjoyed... (not in any particular order)
The Scribbling - A pretty game, nice style and with a little more work, could spawn a few imitators. Although gameplay was a little clunky, it has a lot of promise.
Extinction 3D - This was quite impressive and looked very pretty as well, however it was lacking a certain "something", it felt a little repetitive and that meant it didn't have the longevity that other games could have. But another one which shows promise.
Ninja Penguin - I loved this, great little story and very well presented. I particularly loved the way it had a split story! Brilliant! Initial battles were a little too tricky though, but with a little T.L.C., it could be a real winner.
Sonneillon - This game surprised me with its presentation, and in-depth gameplay. It's amazing that there was such a variety of games types, and that they were so well done. I enjoyed playing this one, and it looked fabulous, but it was a little too slow (as many RPGs are) to really capture your attention. I think if the story was refocused a little at the start, so that it was a little more engaging, it could also do well.
Western Shootout - Great little "fun" game. Nothing more... nothing less. A great quicky, and I'm all for them.
Ne Touchez Pas IV - Unusual game, but I really enjoyed the way you could select a different vehicle, and then have the whole feel of the level change; very interesting indeed. I think it was a little too simple looking overall and would benefit from a stronger art style; perhaps even the old Star Wars vector arcade machine style.
two-sides-of-a-one-square - Great art style here... rough but consistent. Holds together well. Another one that needs a little love in terms of gameplay, but one to watch.
The Core - Another game which has great style, amazingly well presented. Game was okay too, but being a simple breakout style game (really..), it was only going to get so far in a contest which has such a depth of gameplay from other entries.
Pinball Panda Ultimate Toybox - I'm just listing this one because I love these games. Great fun, fits the format well. :)
Fate Elaments Intro - Nice little effect. I'm a big fan of "2D" platforms with a little depth, I think they look great. Gameplay on this one was a little flaky, but has some nice possibilities.
Now... again these are just a few that stand out from a crowd of great games, there are many more in there that I enjoyed that for one reason or another, just never made the cut. I think the whole community should be pretty proud of itself and the overall level of quality they managed to achieve.
For those that didn't make it, well there's another competition coming soon, so you've another chance to show us what you can do. One thing I will say; while stunning graphics and sound aren't everything, presentation, handling and a good difficulty curve is, so you should take a little time to try and make these are slick as possible. After all, you can always replace graphics and sound, but if you replace gameplay... then it's a different game altogether.
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