Bytten Ernie Awards 2008

Special Award - The Blackwell Legacy by Wadjet Eye

And finally, as always, I give out one Ernie Award to a game that doesn't fit any other category but which I feel deserves special mention. Many of the games I have reviewed during the last year are worthy of such mention, and I had some difficulty deciding on what criteria the award should go out.

After much thought, the Special Ernie Award goes to The Blackwell Legacy, attempting a genre now pretty much ignored by the mainstream commercial industry and too involved for most of the independents. I miss those graphic adventure games of my younger days, such as Monkey Island and Beneath A Steel Sky, and so I was delighted to review this bold stab at the market. Though understandably quite short, The Blackwell Legacy offered a promising setting and some wonderful characters that I hope we will be meeting again at Bytten in the not too distant future.

Best Overall Game 2008 - Depths of Peril by Soldak Entertainment

This is one of those rare gaming experiences that only come up once in a blue moon for me. Although the appeal of Depths may not have been as universal as some of the other games I have reviewed this year, I must say that it's just about everything that I need in an action/RPG.

The jewel in the crown is the persistent and dynamic game world where every action has a consequence. But intelligent randomisation, huge boss fights, massive amounts of loot and collectibles, ease of modding, customisation of just about everything in the game, awesome in-game fiction - the list just goes on and on. Pure geek mana from heaven.