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Inertia, Limbo win Indie Game Challenge

Tom Magrino
By Tom Magrino

DICE 2011: Team Hermes 2D platformer wins non-professional Grand Prize at AIAS event, also picking up Achievement in Gameplay, Technical Achievement, Gamers' Choice; Playdead title gets professional top honor.

LAS VEGAS--Mass Effect 2 walked away from last night's 14th Annual Interactive Achievement Awards as the big winner at the 2011 DICE Summit, picking up a number of trophies that included Game of the Year. Tonight, the spotlight turned to the smaller shops, as this year's DICE Summit concluded with the Indie Game Challenge.

Limbo picked up the top professional prize.

Limbo picked up the top professional prize.

This year's Indie Game Challenge, the second of its kind, was broken up into two categories, one for the professional studios and another for non-professional game creators. To qualify in the professional category, the team or individual must have had at least two years of professional game-development experience at a professional studio, or have been credited on a published game. Those who didn't meet those requirements could be nominated for the non-professional category.

As for winners, the top honoree of the evening was Inertia, from Team Hermes. A 2D platformer with momentum-based, zero-G gameplay, Inertia walked away with the non-professional Grand Prize. Team Hermes also picked up the Achievement in Gameplay and the Technical Achievement awards, as well as the Gamers' Choice award.

Limbo also added a handful of awards to its IAA Adventure Game of the Year award from last night. The Playdead-developed atmospheric side-scrolling platformer, which has garnered a solid critical response, took home the professional category Grand Prize as well as the Achievement in Art Direction award.

The Grand Prize winner in both the professional and non-professional category walked away from the event with $100,000. Grand prize winners also receive a DesignMetrics title assessment from EEDAR--a $30,000 value. As for category awards, the Technical Achievement, Achievement in Art Direction, and Achievement in Gameplay awards all come with a $2,500 purse. The kitty for the Gamers' Choice award, which encompasses both the professional and non-professional categories, is $10,000.

Professional Grand Prize
Limbo--Playdead

Non-Professional Grand Prize
Inertia--Team Hermes

Achievement in Gameplay
Inertia--Team Hermes

Technical Achievement
Inertia--Team Hermes

Achievement in Art Direction
Limbo--Playdead

Kongregate Award
Symon--ZZZ Games

Gamers' Choice
Inertia--Team Hermes

Professional category nominees
Confetti Carnival--SpikySnail Games
Fortix 2--Nemesys Games
Limbo--Playdead
Monaco: What’s Yours Is Mine--Pocketwatch Games
Spirits--Spaces of Play
Vanessa Saint-Pierre Delacroix and Her Nightmare

Non-professional category nominees
Hazard: The Journey of Life--Alexander Bruce
Inertia--Team Hermes
Q.U.B.E.--Toxic Games
Solace--One Man Down
Subsonic--Team Height Advantage
Symon--ZZZ Games

Tom Magrino
By Tom Magrino

Tom Magrino has covered the games industry since 2006. He's been compared to Steve Martin by Ozzy Osbourne and Daniel Craig by Tim Schafer. His voice, heard largely on GameSpot's podcast, recalls that of Kermit the Frog. It ain't easy bein' Magreen.

24 comments
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flawedenigma
flawedenigma

I'm surprised that Amnesia: Dark Descent didn't get nominated. Was one of the best atmospheric survival horror games I've ever played.

sleepnsurf
sleepnsurf

I am sick and tired of all these wishes. Oh they should do this oh they should do that. If you want a game you have to have the console that it is on. Quit your complaining and s*** or get off the pot already!

jinilthedon
jinilthedon

@Shani boy Just buy an xbox 360,problem solved,not that expensive and now the XBLA games are awesome,getting better each day!!

shani_boy101
shani_boy101

I really wish that they would release Limbo on PS3, or at the very least PC.

pizzamuncher
pizzamuncher

Never played Limbo or Inertia unfortunately, but I loved VVVVVV and Super Meat Boy. My indie choices.

RockmasteR-_-
RockmasteR-_-

shame that Limbo did not come up on PC! it's a great loss! the game is amazing!

RonTorque
RonTorque

I enjoyed every single bit of Limbo.One of the best if not even the best independent game i have ever played.

Warlord_Irochi
Warlord_Irochi

Fully agree with Limbo choosen as a winner. Nice one Playdead :)

SociopathicBox
SociopathicBox

Limbo fully deserved this award, the most atmospheric and immersive games of last year.

Mugen76
Mugen76

I'm not saying Limbo is bad or anything, but I have not heard of anything else in the professional category. It leads me to believe that maybe Limbo had some kind of unfair advantage with regard to exposure?

Master_Turismo
Master_Turismo

Limbo does deserve it. Hopefully a sequel comes out soon.

thenephariouson
thenephariouson

@Miroku_of_Nite1, Another World by 'Delphine' is one of my favourite games of ALL TIME, if there was any game i could have remade, it would be that, truly imaginative, with brilliant puzzles. The pistol/shield gun was superb, and that Teleport device was truly unique, never seen anything like it since. Simply Brilliant!

Grovilis
Grovilis

Glad to hear. Limbo is in my top 5 list for game of the year.

Jimmygee123
Jimmygee123

@Miroku_of_Nite1 Oh man I remember when that came out, Lord I feel so old lol

eyerok
eyerok

Sweet! some of those havent been released yet. Good thing GS posted this, I'm on my Indie mode these days...

Miroku_of_Nite1
Miroku_of_Nite1

Limbo reminded me a lot of Another World/Out of This World. Maybe that's why I liked it so much.

IceJester45
IceJester45

Yep, no surprise. Limbo was one of the best games I played last year. It was better than the vast majority for full-priced releases I played.

Toysoldier34
Toysoldier34

Well deserved. Great games. Their originality makes them great and timeless. The games we go back and play 10 years later are the games that really offer something unique that even all those years later we still crave.

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