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The GameTunnel Independent Game of the Year awards have been established to honor ingenuity, innovation and excellence in Independent Games. This year’s awards began December 6th with the Sports Game of the Year award and have continued through 3 weeks and 13 categories finishing with the Top 10 Independent Games of the Year and World of Goo taking the top spot.

“World of Goo is one of those games that really shows what Indie is all about,” said Russell Carroll, editor-In-Chief at GameTunnel. “It was created on a shoestring, fueled by the passion of two people who did whatever it took to make their game. Their passion is evident throughout the game. It’s a fantastic game to play and it has been tremendous to see World of Goo getting so much mainstream awareness. It was an easy pick as our Independent Game of the Year winner this year.”

While World of Goo was the winner, it was only one of 40 different games that were included in the 2008 awards.

“In covering something as unique as Indie games, it’s always been our pleasure to highlight a large number of games in our awards. The fact is that many of these games are not as fortunate as World of Goo and are completely unknown to the gaming public. There are hundreds of Indie games released each year, and we’re happy to be able to do these awards to make the public aware of a few gems that they might have otherwise missed.”

An article of the Top 10 games that also provides reviews and links to all the award winners can be found at: http://www.gametunnel.com/article-705.htm. The list of all award categories and winners is as follows:

Independent Game of the Year - World of Goo

Genre Winners:
Action Game of the Year - Everyday Shooter
Puzzle Game of the Year - World of Goo
Adventure Game of the Year - Dangerous High School Girls in Trouble!
RPG Game of the Year - The Spirit Engine 2
Sim Game of the Year - Democracy 2
Sports Game of the Year - New Star Soccer 4
Strategy Game of the Year - Battle of Tiles

Technical Categories:
Game of the Year: Graphics - World of Goo
Game of the Year: Sound - Everyday Shooter
Game of the Year: Innovation - Dangerous High School Girls in Trouble!
Game of the Year: Multiplayer - Multiwinia

Special Award:
Arthouse Game of the Year - Gravitybone

About GameTunnel
GameTunnel (www.gametunnel.com) was created in 2002 as a news and reviews website covering the Independent Gaming scene. Since its launch Game Tunnel has published over 1000 reviews of Independent (or Indie as it is commonly known as) games. Its most popular articles include a review panel of what’s new in indie gaming called the Monthly Round-Up, and the yearly Independent Game of the Year Awards.

Iconic Game Braves the Journey Onto Handsets and Wins Big

NEW YORK, December 15 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ — Gameloft, a leading developer and publisher of video games on mobile, phones and consoles, won “Best Casual Mobile Game of 2008″ for its hit mobile title, The Oregon Trail at Spike TV’s Video Game Awards (VGAs). The awards honor the best mobile, computer and video games of the year. Nominees and winners are chosen by a panel of judges comprised of journalists within the gaming industry. The winners were announced live today at the VGA awards ceremony in Culver City, California.

“We are honored to win this coveted award and pleased that The Oregon Trail game continues to excite new audiences on the mobile platform,” explains Gonzague de Vallois, senior vice president of publishing, Gameloft. “The Oregon Trail is one of our best selling titles and we are proud to see how players are engaged with its nostalgic, fun and casual game play.”

“We’re extremely pleased by this award. Gameloft has done a great job recreating the Oregon Trail experience on mobile platforms,” said David Bass, General Manager of The Learning Company, a division of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing. “The immense popularity of this mobile game confirms our belief that The Oregon Trail continues to be a strong brand with universal appeal, more than 30 years after it was originally conceived.”

The mobile title remains true to the original version of The Oregon Trail, which is still published by The Learning Company(R), while also offering brand new features and gameplay innovations. The game allows players to serve as wagon leader and make strategic decisions to ensure the safety of their party along the perilous trail. The Oregon Trail is available across most US carriers. To check the game’s availability with your carrier, text “WAGON” to 82174 on your mobile phone.

To learn more about the awards visit: http://www.vga.spike.com

Daedalic Entertainment wins twice at German Game Developers Awards

Press Release for December 5, 2008
Edna & Harvey: The Breakout named Best Adventure and Best Youth Game

Hamburg/Germany: December 5, 2008. German games developer and publisher Daedalic Entertainment secured two awards at the 2008 German Game Developers Awards with adventure hit Edna & Harvey: The Breakout. The off-beat cartoon adventure game was able to convince both the jury, who awarded the price as Best Youth Game 2008, as well as the public, who voted Edna & Harvey Best Adventure Game 2008. With two additional nominations in the categories Best Game and Best Story / Game World, Edna & Harvey was one of the nights biggest winners, next to contenders Crysis, Drakensang and Sacred 2.

We are very thankful and proud to receive these awards. We feel that this confirms that our chosen direction and our focus on great storytelling and unique game worlds are right. At the same time, we feel a responsibility to continue to develop great games in the future, commented a jubilant Carsten Fichtelmann, Managing Director at Daedalic Entertainment.

The German Game Developers Awards are awarded every December in Essen, Germany, to outstanding computer and video games from German developers released in the last 12 months. The jury is made up of renowned experts from all parts of the industry: developers, publishers, service providers as well as press.

http://www.deutscher-entwicklerpreis.de

About Edna & Harvey: The Breakout
Edna & Harvey: The Breakout is a point & click adventure game in the vein of the genres classics. Backgrounds and characters are completely 2D and drawn by hand by a real person in the games unique cartoon style. The games characters range from odd to genuinely crazy twisted humor guaranteed! Thanks to challenging puzzles, extensive dialogues and more than 120 screens, gamers can look forward to an extraordinarily long gameplay experience. Edna & Harvey is the surprise adventure hit of the year, garnering rave reviews and an 84.5% average rating upon release in Germany.

http://edna.daedalic.de

WARNER BROS. INTERACTIVE ENTERTAINMENT IS PLEASED TO ANNOUNCE

LEGO Batman scoops Best Videogame at the UK’s Prestigious 2008 Children’s BAFTA Awards

Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment today reveals that LEGO Batman: The Videogame won the prestigious Award for Best Videogame at the Children’s BAFTA Awards this week.

Produced by Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment’s development studio, TT Games, Lego Batman: The Videogame beat off stiff competition from Nintendo’s Mario Kart Wii, Professor Layton and the Curious Village, and its very own sister title, Guinness World Records: The Video Game to seal the BAFTA win.

“We’re absolutely thrilled with this win,” said Jonathan Smith, Head of Production, TT Games. “It crowns a brilliant year for us.”

TT Games was bought by Warner Bros. in 2007 and has since enjoyed a hugely successful 2008 with the releases of, among other titles, LEGO Indiana Jones and LEGO Batman: The Videogame.

VANCOUVER December 3, 2008 – The 3rd Annual ELAN Awards announced the extension of their submission deadline today due to an unprecedented response from the industries they award. Top titles from Video Games, Animation and Visual Effects from all around the world are expected to enter the global award show.

“Given our expansion from what was mostly a Canadian show into a worldwide competition and then adding another entire sector, VFX, the overwhelming response both delighted and deluged us,” smiles Holly Carinci, Founder & Producer of the ELAN Awards. “In order to accommodate submissions coming in from every corner of the earth, we’re giving everyone an extra couple of weeks by extending both the early bird deadline as well as the material deadline to December 19th,” says Carinci.

The ELANS recently put out their call for Judges to the media and industry professionals in their three awarded digital sectors and that too has received phenomenal response. With over 60 Judges already onboard and more to come as the call remains open for a short time longer, the ELANS can deliver on their promise of “Best in the World” status to their winners.

All professionals from within Video Game, Animation and Visual Effects industries including the media who cover these ELAN-awarded industries who wish to preside over the selection of the final nominees and winners of the 3rd Annual ELANS – the awards show that’s become something of a phenom over the past two years with Hosts such as William Shatner and Seth MacFarlane – is invited to apply by going to the Adjudicative Process page on www.theelans.comand fill in the Application to Judge. Judges will be selected, contacted and later announced (not their categories).

“Once we have the submissions in our Judge’s hands, expect to hear some exciting news to come from us,” says Carinci. “We have a few surprises up our sleeves!”
Supporting the ELANS are the Seven Group who’s come onboard as an Event Partner and will oversee the technical setup of the surrounding Galas and After-Party (the ELAN’S after-party invite-only list is already a ‘must get’) as well as the Awards Ceremony itself. Founding Partners Radical Entertainment and Relic Entertainment as well as Associate Partners Blue Arc, Hitachi, sgi, SPINVFX and David Kaye Productions have all gotten behind the 3rd ELAN Awards already with enthusiasm to ensure the show’s growth and to be a part of its global success.

The 3rd Annual ELAN Awards will be held on Saturday, February 28, 2009 at the Centre in Vancouver for the Performing Arts.

6th Annual Celebration To Include Mind-Blowing World Premieres Of God Of War III, Brutal Legend, Fight Night Round 4, Mafia II, Terminator Salvation, Uncharted 2, Watchmen: The End is Nigh, A Special Gears Of War 2 Announcement And Other Surprises

Premieres LIVE Sunday, December 14 At 9:00 PM ET

NEW YORK, Dec. 2 /PRNewswire/ — On Sunday, December 14th, the future is in play when Jack Black, one of the entertainment industry’s most versatile and talented stars, takes viewers on a trip to gamer heaven as host of Spike TV’s 2008 “Video Game Awards.” Recognizing outstanding artistic and technical achievement in the gaming industry, plus premiering first-looks at the hottest games of 2009 and beyond, the 2008 “VGAs” debuts LIVE and in HIGH-DEFINITION on Sunday, December 14 (9:00-11:00 PM, ET/tape delay on west coast) from Sony Picture Studios in Culver City, CA.

(Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20081202/NY49317 )

(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20060322/NYW096LOGO )

In emceeing the night’s festivities, Black will be capping a 2008 which saw him star in two Hollywood blockbusters, “Tropic Thunder” and “Kung Fu Panda” that grossed over $800 million worldwide combined. Also, he will star opposite Michael Cera in director Harold Ramis’ “The Year One.”

“Jack is a huge gamer and a former performer and winner on the ‘VGAs’ having taken home Best Performance By A Human - Male in 2005,” said Casey Patterson, Spike TV’s senior vice president, event production and talent development. “We’re thrilled to have him as our host. With a record 10 world premieres including Brutal Legend starring Jack, it will be a big night and wild ride!”

In addition to the world premiere of Brutal Legend gameplay from designer Tim Schafer (Grim Fandango and Psychonauts) and Double Fine Productions, the 2008 “VGAs” will be stacked with an unprecedented number of wall-to-wall world exclusives. Games scheduled to make their global debut include the first look at the gameplay of the PlayStation 3(TM) exclusive God of War III, Uncharted 2, EA’s Sports Fight Night Round 4, Mafia II, Terminator Salvation, Watchmen: The End is Nigh, a special announcement regarding Gears of War 2 and more blockbuster surprises set to be revealed shortly.

At the show, legendary game designer Will Wright will receive the first-ever Gamer God award for his achievements in the gaming industry. Other industry luminaries set to attend include Game of the Year-nominees Hideo Kojima (designer, Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots), Cliff Bleszinski (designer director, Gears of War 2), Todd Howard (Executive Producer, Fallout 3), Alex Evans (co-founder, Media Molecule, creators of LittleBigPlanet), Rockstar Games and more names soon to be announced.

The official sponsors of Spike TV’s 2008 “Video Game Awards” are Burger King(R), GameStop(TM), Gillette(R), Energizer(R), Mountain Dew, Stride(R) Gum, U.S. Army and Verizon Wireless.

Nominees and winners for Spike TV’s 2008 “Video Game Awards” were determined by the VGA Advisory Council, made up of a group of the top journalists in the industry. Games released between December 2, 2007 and December 1, 2008 were eligible for nomination. The Best Independent Game Fueled by Dew winner will be selected by fans who vote on VGA.Spike.com.

Albie Hecht, Oscar(R)-nominated producer and co-creator of the “Kids’ Choice” and “Video Game Awards,” and Casey Patterson, senior vice president, event production & talent development for Spike TV will serve as executive producers of Spike TV’s 2008 “Video Game Awards.” Greg Sills is supervising producer and Alicia Portugal is executive in charge of production.

Spike TV is available in 97.7 million homes and is a division of MTV Networks. A unit of Viacom (NYSE: VIA, VIA.B), MTV Networks is one of the world’s leading creators of programming and content across all media platforms. Spike TV’s Internet address is www.spike.com

Developer TT Games was snapped up by Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment in 2007 and has since had a hugely successful 2008 seeing the release of LEGO Indiana Jones and LEGO Batman: The Videogame.

TT Games beat stiff competition from Nintendo’s Mario Kart Wii and Professor Layton and the Curious Village to scoop the top prize at the Children’s BAFTA Awards. Only four titles were short-listed for the award two of which were titles developed by TT Games - LEGO Batman: The Videogame and Guinness World Records: The Videogame.

“We’re absolutely delighted; it’s a very special accolade for the whole team” said TT Games head of production Jonathan Smith.

“To get this acknowledgment, here in our home country of the UK, to be acknowledged by the British Academy for the work that everyone’s done on LEGO Batman, was really thrilling.”

Spencer Crossley, head of videogames UK at Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment said, “We extremely happy for everyone at TT Games. They have brought to life two great brands through fantastic game play and lots of humour which works perfectly for children.”

About LEGO Batman: The Videogame
LEGO Batman: The Videogame is the latest game from the award-winning team behind the LEGO Star Wars series of games. With trademark LEGO fun and charm, the game takes you into the world of the ultimate crime-fighting hero. LEGO Batman: The Videogame brings the one-and-only Caped Crusader to life in a completely original storyline. Players will take control of the Dynamic Duo, Batman and Robin, to fight Gotham City’s most notorious criminals including The Joker, The Penguin, Catwoman, Scarecrow, Killer Croc and many more. The criminals have broken out of Arkham Asylum and are set to wreak havoc on the city.

November 12, 2008 (Dallas, TX) – Dallas-based Blockdot won three gold awards and four silver awards at the 2008 Davey Awards competition. The awards recognize Blockdot’s outstanding projects for Taco Bell, Doritos, General Motors, and I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter!®.

Receiving over 4,000 entries, the Davey Awards honors the outstanding creative work from the best interactive agencies, ad agencies, production firms, in-house creative professionals, graphic designers, design firms, and public relations firms. Blockdot went a perfect 7-for-7 at the Davey Awards, as every Blockdot project nominated won either gold or silver honors.

The award-winning Blockdot projects are:

Taco Fu (Gold and Silver Award)
With a push-the-fun/push-the-excitement theme that combines the Wild West and non-stop martial arts action, Taco Fu challenges game players to win battles and advance to higher rounds, where they can score prizes such as an instant message icon or desktop wallpaper. The game is available on Blockdot’s gaming portal www.kewlbox.com andwww.tacobell.com.

Chevycobaltlabs.com (Gold and Silver Award)
Chevycobaltabs.com, which aims to attract first-time auto buyers looking for a hip ride with great gas mileage, has raised the bar for automotive sites. With its fuel-injected fun and street cred image, the site entices users to participate in the Cobalt community for extended periods of time. Take Chevy Cobalt Labs for a spin by visitingwww.chevycobaltlabs.com.

Unlock the Xbox (Gold Award)
Blockdot’s Unlock the Xbox contest for Doritos was the first promotion ever to produce a user-generated console game. Thousands of entries were received; from those entries, five finalists were selected. Over a four week period, Blockdot designed the finalists’ games, loading them with amazing visuals and edge-of-your-seat action. The finalists’ games can be played onwww.unlockxbox.com.

Now You Know Better! $1,000,000 Game Show (Two Silver Awards) 
Created for I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter!®, the Now You Know Better! $1,000,000 Game Show matches contestants in a fast-paced multiplayer trivia battle. Each round of action has multiple-choice questions based on fun facts from six different decades. The game features avatars, real-time chat, in-between round messaging, and a sweepstakes component. Players also had the chance to compete against three different celebrities and communicate with them during the game. To become a contestant, visit http://www.nowyouknowbetter.com/Game-Show.aspx.

Hudson Entertainment’s Unique 10-Sport Game, Exclusive to Nintendo’s Wii, Declared Winner of Prestigious Award

REDWOOD CITY, CA – November 3, 2008 - Hudson Entertainment, the North American publishing arm of Hudson Soft, today announced that its popular title, DECA SPORTS™ for Wii, has officially been named a Gold Award winner at the 2008 National Parenting Publications Awards (NAPPA) Children’s Products competition.

Now in its 18th year, NAPPA is the most comprehensive awards program for Children’s Products and Parenting Resources. More than a seal of approval, NAPPA is a juried competition that helps parents make the best buying choices for their families. Their independent panel of judges are experts in their fields with extensive professional experience working with children and parents. They evaluate hundreds of products to select the most fun, appealing, safe, educational, age-appropriate and enduring products so that parents can make the best purchasing choices for their families.

“It is a tremendous honor for Hudson Entertainment and DECA SPORTS™ to be named Gold Award winners by NAPPA,” said Sabine Duvall, Vice President of Product Development at Hudson Entertainment. “This award signifies that DECA SPORTS™ not only provides great entertainment value for both children and adults, but that is also a family-friendly, nonviolent and enjoyable interactive fitness experience.”

Combining ten sporting events into one game, DECA SPORTS™ players can compete in beach volleyball, snowboard cross, badminton, basketball, curling, figure skating, archery, supercross, soccer and kart racing. DECA SPORTS™ offers an immersive experience for players of any age, motivating them to get off of the couch and up on their feet for hours of entertainment. The game offers a wide variety of sporting events and activities, some rarely seen in a video game. Designed with pick-up-and-play intuitive controls for the Wii Remote™ and in three sports, the Nunchuk™, DECA SPORTS™ also includes advanced controls for power spikes, curls, and mid air tricks for the gamer!

All ten sports support both single and multiplayer modes. Up to 4 players can compete on one system and in several events, co-op on the same team. Single player modes include Open Match, Tournament (one sport competition between eight teams), Deca League (ten sport decathlon between eight teams) and Deca Challenge (time/point based challenge mode). Team and player management is an important aspect of the game as certain players are better at certain sports. In the Deca League mode gamers must maneuver their players through ten sports as well as manage their fatigue levels through the competition. Awards are also a big part of the game, as the Locker Room feature allows players to keep track of their medals and trophies.

DECA SPORTS™ is rated E (Everyone) by the Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB).

For more information please visit
http://www.hudsonentertainment.com/
For more information about NAPPA, visit www.NAPPA.Parenthood.com.

About NAPPA
The National Parenting Publications Awards (NAPPA) competition was created in 1990 to review children’s media. It has since expanded into two divisions:

• Children’s Products—including toys; music; software/video games and Web sites; books and magazines; DVDs; and storytelling/spoken-word recordings.

• Parenting Resources—including books, CDs, DVDs, maternity and baby gear, safety products, Web sites and a wide range of innovative products that make parenting easier.

When parents see the NAPPA seal, they know they can expect a high-quality, safe, useful and expert-approved product. NAPPA is administered by Dominion Parenting Media, a division of Dominion Enterprises. For more information, www.NAPPA.Parenthood.com.