Hogwarts Online

By Fiddlecub

Hogwarts Online is a story-driven massively multiplayer online role-playing game set in the Harry Potter universe. Players enter the transcendent, living world of their magical imaginations, along with new concepts and gameplay elements to freshen up and streamline the genre. Ride a hippogriff. Conjure a patronus. Mix the polyjuice potion. Chase the golden snitch. Grab a portkey and join the adventure!

The first thing I thought to myself when the words "Harry Potter MMO" were put to me was "What? How the hell could that possibly work?" It does, thanks to the writer's excellently detailed doc. The unique leveling and character-class systems make perfect sense in the context of this document, and the writer is totally correct--the Harry Potter lore and universe would be a perfect fit for this type of game. My only concern is what would be left to do for high-level players once they've reached the cap? But hey, that's an issue with all MMOs. I hate, hate, hate, hate, HATE Harry Potter, but I would totally check this game out.

The world of Harry Potter might seem like a natural setting for an MMO full of would-be witches and wizards, but it's your care in planning that turns this proposal into something that could actually work. From the equipment and modifiers to your use of instanced content, the mechanics here sound like a great starting point. I also particularly like how you granted each House its own distinct special abilities to ensure that 90 percent of the players don't pour themselves into Gryffindor. The system of progression makes sense, and even the minigame-type activities seem like they'd be fun to jump into. I'd definitely give this game a shot.

This one starts with a brilliantly obvious concept and runs with it far and wide, within a well-researched and well-organized document filled with plausible examples. From a gameplay standpoint, culling from World of Warcraft and Guild Wars seems like a no-brainer for any future MMO, but this idea for Hogwarts Online sounds like much more than just a clone of the stuff that's already out there. Some interesting original ideas are carefully introduced, and the whole experience seems to fit with the theme of J.K. Rowling's novels very well. Honestly I'm not much of a fan of the source material, having never read the novels but enjoyed a couple of the movies; but this sounds like a game that could genuinely appeal to fans of massively multiplayer games and not just Harry Potter. Reading this document reminded me that I really need to catch up with everybody else and check out those books.

First Runner-Up

Unseen

By Mad_Scientist

Unseen is an adventure game for the DS focusing on two distinct worlds. Shawn, a man gifted with the rare ability to see the ethereal Other Place, must use his unique skills to discover the truth behind a corruption that is spreading in both worlds.

I had a tough time picking a winner between this and Hogwarts Online, but what it ultimately came down to was which of these games, precisely as they're described in the design docs, would I rather find myself playing? Unseen was the answer. For me, this document is the perfect balance of story exposition and gameplay description, and each is detailed as such that I was able to totally grasp onto both. I love that people are totally down to try things with the DS hardware, and while some of the more adventure-ish games that have been released on the system thus far have been OK at best, this one seems like it could be awesome. I love the characters, I love the concept of the Other Place and the way the two universes are displayed, and I just love the idea of how it plays. The whole time-flow thing seems cool, and the way you use the Other Place as a gameplay mechanic is--dare I say it--masterful. Cheers on this one.

The Nintendo DS makes a great home for unique adventure games, and Unseen sounds very well suited to the particular strengths of the platform. Your document is extremely easy to read, the design is well thought out (in particular, the touch screen), and all the detail makes the game sound viable and appealing. Unseen is a game I'd absolutely want to play. Testing out the various pathways and endings while working out all the mysteries sounds like a lot of fun. I get a strong Indigo Prophecy vibe from this game, and that's a very good thing.

I like the premise of this creepy, supernatural-themed adventure game. For that matter, I like that this is an open-ended adventure game for the Nintendo DS, designed to use its two-screen display to suit an interesting concept. The document could use more focus up front, clearly highlighting some of the game's distinguishing features. But the concept and the story nevertheless seem compelling. I like the idea that the main character seems to exist in two places at once, one of which is sort of this spirit world occupied by strange monsters. And allowing players to make meaningful decisions in the context of the story is always a noble goal for a game. This one gave me flashbacks of Deus Ex now and again, so it's the type of game I'd definitely be interested to play.

Second Runner-Up

Duke Nukem: When It's Done

By Jobano

Set shortly after the conclusion of Duke it out in DC, When It's Done is an FPS that doesn't have time for long-winded narratives or plotlines that make sense. Action is the name of the game and When It's Done features plenty of it. Hail to the King, baby!

Congratulations, you're officially further ahead in the design process of your Duke Nukem game than George Broussard is in his. The thing I like most about this document is that it's a fun read. There's nothing really groundbreaking in this design, but the writer clearly has a ton of enthusiasm for the source material and isn't afraid to work with an existing license for his own purposes. And at the same time, this doesn't degenerate into Duke Nukem fan fiction. There's a potentially fun game here. Hey, give 3D Realms a call. Maybe after reading this, it will be willing to scrap its umpteenth game and start anew with yours!

Poor ol' Duke--if only he had someone like you looking out for his interests! While this design probably wouldn't rock the shooter genre on its heels, you've captured the humor and spirit of what Duke Nukem can and should be. It was very fun to read. It's a pity that we probably have a few more years yet before we see Duke's grinning mug grace a system of any sort. He won't be merrily planting the American flag through someone's torso anytime soon. I wonder which engine the "real" game is up to now...

The image of Duke Nukem impaling ugly aliens with the flagpole of an American flag was enough to sell me on this one. The author clearly understands the qualities that made the original Duke Nukem 3D such a great game, and spells out--in great detail--how those qualities could be applied to a next-generation first-person shooter. The document could have been a lot more succinct, and I would have liked to see some more reference to the core shooting action and how the level of challenge is balanced--issues that I think are very important to a good FPS. But this author sounds like he knows a great FPS when he sees one, and a lot of those ideas do come across here. I'd play this game.

Mafia Man

By Special_K411

Mafia Man, an action game that thrusts players into the world of lies that make up organized crime, features a variety of weapons and vehicles as well as an intriguing story. It is underneath the surface of the game, however, where the biggest lie of all can be found.

I had one of those Keanu Reeves "whoa" moments when I got to the twist in this document. Kudos on that. I love this game conceptually, and I give you serious clever points for coming up with it. I'm also unconvinced that this could actually work as a game. Trying to actually create one compelling game is hard enough as it is; creating two with one working within the other sounds like a monumental task. There are also some things about the Mafia portion of the game I would have liked to have seen fleshed out a bit more. Even if it is incidental to the subversive concept, it needs exposition if that's what players are going to be spending the bulk of their time doing. Again, great idea, though.

OK, aside from the fact that there's no way this game would actually fly--and a "fake" publisher at the very least would be sniffed out by Tor Thorsen faster than you could say "Rumor Control"--it's actually a pretty neat concept. What with viral marketing and the state of in-game advertisements nowadays, could such an insidious plot ever come to fruition? If you thought "Hot Coffee" was bad, just wait for the headlines when some congressman accuses you of pushing cigarettes on "minors." Prepare to be sued!

Wow, what a concept. The author had me, hook, line, and sinker with the first couple of pages. I read through this document more eagerly than any other, fascinated by the "metagame" concept. The author admits it's been done to a certain extent by games like Metal Gear Solid 2, but I really like the underlying premise of this game. It's an alternate-reality game (ARG) combined with a "normal" game. I honestly do thing the straight-GTA-clone underpinnings of Mafia Man undercut the real creativity behind it, though. Some sort of obvious distinguishing feature would help differentiate it from all the other GTA clones out there. For example, how about making the main character a skilled arsonist? Realistically setting buildings, people, and vehicles on fire would be a compelling feature to sickos like me, and would fit in nicely with the theme. At any rate, there's not enough straight gameplay detail in here for me to be able to say "I'd love to play this," but I can say I'd love to get hit in the side of the head again by a game of this sort.

Hellkite: Beyond Heaven's Reach

By Atrus

Hellkite: Beyond Heaven's Reach is a mature squad-based first-person shooter, incorporating elements from real-time and turn-based strategy games to make a new next-generation gameplay experience. Taking place in a dystopian future, this epic war drama follows the events of a war on an earth already teetering on ruin.

This is another doc that I think gets a little too bogged down by minute details and overly elaborate plot descriptions, though once the gameplay was explained, I became more enamored with it. It just took way too long to get there. You've got a very intriguing backstory here and have clearly put quite a bit of thought into the stories for each individual character, as well as the world surrounding them. It's just a bit much all in one shot like that, and the fact that this is based on the middle chapter of a trilogy that exists currently in your brain alone is a little tough to swallow. This also sounds like a fairly complicated project--the kind that could be overreaching for the technology it's aimed for. But if nothing else, it sounds like much, much more than your average first-person shooter, and a game I'd like to see in action.

Backstory ahoy! You've certainly plotted out a pretty deep universe and history for your game and your characters. I also appreciate the fact that this game is actually in the chronological middle of a trilogy. But this document also shows how a series proposal can be a harder sell than a stand-alone game--it's harder to get a sense of the individual installment if you have to couch it in three games' worth of plot developments. That said, a lot of the concepts here sound neat, including the "refugees as resources" and the idea of a busy, but constantly streaming, battlefield.

The author is meticulous in spelling out a grim, near-future science fiction world that reminds me a bit of Neon Genesis Evangelion, though the game itself is a squad shooter with real-time strategy elements. I really like the setting and the attention paid to the story and characters; the storytelling of a game like this could make it more than just a fun and intense shooter. The gameplay itself sounds like a cross between Freedom Fighters and Mercenaries--two excellent sources of inspiration, and the author seems to have thought through a lot of the squad mechanics and persistent world elements. This is an ambitious idea, but I'd really like to play something like it. As for the document, the author's enthusiasm for the material clearly shines through, though I'd recommend focusing on the gameplay up front and finishing with the details about the story and setting, rather than the other way around.