IGM Game Of The Year Awards 2011: Editor’s Choice

It’s great to have readers/fans help us decide on the best independent games of the year in our IGM awards, but our editors have their own opinion.  Our Editor’s Choice awards is a time for us to pick out our favorite games or highlight indie gems that were overlooked in the year that was 2011.

PSN Editor’s Choice

Rochard

Valiant miner John Rochard filled a hole on PSN by bringing a classy puzzle platforming experience to the console. Inventive gadgets and an impressive manipulation of the Unity engine ensured that Rochard was as technically impressive as it was rich with humor. The puzzles, which were based around bending gravity to your will, were impressive, and the game soundtrack pulsed with a friendly, southern rock personality.

XBLA Editor’s Choice

Insanely Twisted Shadow Planet

I was shocked to find that ITSP came in 3rd and only received 9% of the vote, but perhaps it has more to do with sales figures and its brevity than anything else.  Bastion is a great game, but I found ITSP more of an embodiment of what indie games are all about: Games as art.  Insanely Twisted Shadow Planet is an excellent indie game that was meticulously crafted over 4 years.  It’s a work of art and is the best indie game I played all year on my Xbox 360.

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