As the author of the long-running (almost decade and a half) Top Indie PC Games of the Year awards article series, I am inaugurating a new, parallel awards feature for games for the iPad. My rationale is simple: the explosion of game releases on the iPad makes the platform unique in that, unlike consoles, the Macintosh, and non-Apple mobile devices, the quantity and quality of iPad games are now comparable to those on the personal computer. Indeed, the 2012 release of the iPad retina display has stimulated an outpouring of games with improvements in graphics and gameplay.

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Despite the proliferation of games designed for mobile platforms, the indie computer games market continues to flourish. The personal computer—because of its openness and ubiquitous presence—remains a primary development platform. So, while many other game sites still focus their attention exclusively on conventional big-budget AAA retail offerings, or alternatively concentrate their coverage on games from a variety of hardware platforms other than the PC, for your playing pleasure I unearth the very best hidden computer treasures that indie gaming has to offer. This represents the latest in a series of annual awards articles that now has continued for almost a decade and a half, by far the longest consecutive indie games award series anywhere.

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Despite the proliferation of games designed for mobile platforms, the casual computer games market continues to flourish. The personal computer, because of its openness and ubiquitous presence, remains a primary development platform. So, while many other game sites still focus their attention exclusively on conventional big-budget AAA retail offerings, for your playing pleasure I have unearthed the very best hidden PC treasures that casual gaming has to offer. This represents the latest in a series of annual awards articles that now has continued for well over a decade, by far the longest consecutive casual-games award series anywhere.

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Although the proliferation of games designed for new mobile platforms is rapidly accelerating, the casual computer games market continues to flourish. The personal computer (because it is so open and virtually everyone owns one) remains a primary development platform. While many other game sites focus their attention exclusively on conventional retail offerings, I unearth for your playing pleasure the very best hidden computer treasures that casual gaming has to offer. Selecting the dozen 2010 award winners was extremely difficult. There was a highly competitive range of contenders for this latest in a series of annual awards articles that has lasted for over a decade and become the longest consecutive casual games award series anywhere! I spent many hours playing all the way through hundreds of full, registered versions to discern their overall value. Of the twelve winners, the worldwide scope of great game programmers is noteworthy, as only two were developed within the United States. Because of increasingly intrusive and annoying copy-protection schemes, and the presence in many casual gamer homes of multiple computers (some of which lack online access), I tested only offerings where I received a version from the developer or publisher in which it is possible to register and play the single-player mode on a non-Internet-connected machine.

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Publisher: Tripwire Interactive
Developer: Teotl Studios
System requirements: Windows XP SP2/Vista/Win 7, 2 GHz or faster CPU (dual core recommended), 1 GB RAM, graphics card with Shader Model 3 support, DirectX 9-compatible sound card, DirectX 9, 1.5 GB hard-drive space
Genre: First-person action-puzzle
ESRB rating: Mature
Release date: Available now

Sometimes small developers can provide the only avenue to deviate from dominant gaming fads, even in their very first release. First-person shooters have fallen into a rut of late on the personal computer, what with an emphasis on ultra-realistic simulation of real-life human-to-human combat. In that context, Teotl Studios—a small Swedish game developer—has released an innovative twist on the genre. Reminiscent of two Valve games—Half-Life 2 and Portal—this new release with the unusual name The Ball attempts to provide us with a decidedly different set of fun challenges.

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Publisher: Frictional Games
Developer: Frictional Games
System requirements: Windows XP/Vista/Win 7/Linux/Mac, 1.5 GHz Intel Pentium 4 or equivalent CPU, 2 GB RAM, 128 MB Graphics Card, 3 GB hard-drive space
Genre: Survival horror/adventure
ESRB rating: Not rated at press time
Release date: Available now

Going all the way back to the classic Alone in the Dark, PC game developers have made many attempts to capture and re-create a sense of chilling fear to cause players to jump from their seats and scream in terror. Most of these efforts have fallen flat, resulting in laughably clumsy scenes that have no emotional impact or—even worse—backfire. Now Frictional Games, the creators of the well-regarded Penumbra franchise, have released a new first-person foray into this challenging niche—Amnesia: The Dark Descent. Can this game succeed where others have failed?

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Publisher: Disney Interactive Studios
Developer: Black Rock Studio
System requirements: 3.0 Ghz Pentium Processor; 2.5 GB RAM; 6.5 GB hard drive space; nVidia GeForce 7600 or ATI Radeon X1600; Windows 7/Vista SP2/XP SP3
Genre: Arcade racer
ESRB rating: Everyone 10+
Release date: Available now

In recent years, across genre realistic simulation has been the rage in computer games, with everyone trumpeting how you cannot differentiate what you see on the screen from reality. The racing niche has been no exception, with accurate physics of motion, tracks replicating actual courses, and branded vehicles sporting all the handling features of their real-world counterparts. However, Black Rock Studio’s recent release Split/Second breaks this trend, going back in a retro way to the pure hormonal rush of arcade racing. Does it deserve to be mentioned in the company of such old PC classics as Wipeout, Burnout, POD, and Dethkarz?

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Although every year many computer gamers complacently think that their hardware accessories are more than adequate, technology marches on and superior peripherals are emerging that would make their lives easier or provide crucial features they lack. Many gamers regularly shell out lots of money for new graphics boards, but are relative skinflints when it comes to such basic necessities such as better keyboards, mice or headphones. This article identifies in a nontechnical way my personal preferences about some of the very best new gaming accessories out there, without regard to price. The selections are certainly not inexpensive, but in my mind they represent the best products available. While the descriptions here are relatively short, in each case I have evaluated numerous other offerings in each competitive category to reach these conclusions. Without doubt, because of insatiable gamer demand for top performance, much more innovation is likely to appear and mature in the future—including 3D monitors and solid-state hard drives—but in the meantime, opportunity beckons.

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Publisher: Headup Games
Developer: DnS Development
System requirements: Windows XP SP3 or Vista SP2, Pentium IV 2.4 GHz CPU or better, 1 GB RAM, ATI Radeon 9600/nVidia Geforce 6600 or better graphics card, 8 GB hard-drive space, DirectX 9.0c-compatible sound card
Genre: Action/Puzzle
Release date: Available now

Tired of mindless shoot-em-ups that require no strategic thinking? Frictional Games’ Penumbra series and Valve’s Portal introduced a different type of gaming challenge, in which physics-based interaction within a full 3D environment—not shooting—is the key to overcoming obstacles. German DnS Development’s Twin Sector continues this tradition, trapping you in locational predicaments from which you have to emerge unscathed. Completely devoid of human interaction, you’d better keep your thinking cap on and your hand-eye coordination sharp.

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Despite the explosion of blockbuster AAA retail releases this holiday season, the casual computer games market continues to flourish. Although more temptations than ever seduce game developers away from the PC platform, what with Xbox Live Arcade and the iPhone becoming primary casual-game outlets, the personal computer—because it is so open and everyone owns one—remains a primary development platform. So while many other game sites focus their attention on conventional retail offerings, I unearth for your playing pleasure the very best hidden computer treasures that casual gaming has to offer. To select the dozen 2009 award winners from an increasingly competitive field, I spent many hours scouring hundreds of full, registered versions developed all over the world to discern their overall value. Because of increasingly intrusive and annoying copy-protection schemes and the presence in many homes of multiple computers, some of which lack online access, I tested only the single-player modes of offerings that can be registered and played on a non-Internet-connected machine.

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Many diehard PC gamers I know are obsessed with the “next big thing” coming down the pike and couldn’t care less about the past. The moment these folks finish playing a game to the end, they uninstall it permanently from their computers; they consider even last year’s releases “ancient history.” But others, including myself, form deep emotional bonds with PC games we love and want to keep them around for future replay possibility. Given the increasing speed of computers, the changing operating systems, the continuing need to upgrade one’s gaming rig and annoying machine-specific copy protection schemes, it has become quite difficult to keep favorite PC offerings available and running successfully for long periods of time.

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Publisher: Frozenbyte
Developer: Frozenbyte
System Requirements: 2.0 GHz CPU; 512 MB RAM (1 GB for Vista); Graphics Card Radeon X800 or GeForce 6800; 1 GB hard-drive space; Windows XP; Windows Vista or Windows 7
Genre: Action/Platform/Puzzle
Release date: Available now

Side-scrolling games incorporating a lot of platform action are considered a bit retro on the PC, so it’s refreshing when a new release comes along with the goal of breathing new life into the genre. Created by Finnish developer Frozenbyte, renowned for the excellent third-person action shooter Shadowgrounds, Trine is an innovative game that combines physics-based action with physical puzzle solving in a variety of lush medieval settings.

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Publishers: 1C Publishing; Aspyr Media
Developer: The Farm 51
System requirements: Pentium IV 2.4 GHz CPU; 1 GB RAM (1.5 GB for Vista); 256 MB graphics card with DirectX 9 pixel shader 3.0 support; DirectX 9.0c-compliant sound card; 8 GB hard-drive space; Windows XP SP2/Vista
Genre: First Person Shooter
Release date: Available now

Want some mindless virtual carnage? The developers of the popular Painkiller franchise have released NecroVisioN, a quirky, underpublicized first-person shooter. It combines earthly combat action against human soldiers with supernatural battles with zombies and monsters of all varieties. It breaks with many of the conventions of modern FPS releases, charting its own special course in challenging your ability to handle challenges. The game’s most reminiscent of the Serious Sam series, although it contains the highly unusual combination of dark and gory action with occasional lighthearted humor.

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Publisher: 1C Publishing
Developer: Aspyr
Minimum requirements: Windows XP/Vista; Intel Pentium 4/AMD Athlon XP; 1 GB RAM; nVidia GeForce 7800/ATI Radeon x1800; 6 GB hard disk space
Genre: FPS
Release date: Available now

For months I have been looking forward to the release of Cryostasis, from Russian developer Aspyr and publisher 1C. Clearly deviating sharply from the standard characteristics of modern shooters, Cryostasis is a horror-oriented FPS in many ways reminiscent of Frictional Games’ Penumbra series in terms of its overall tone and its combination of puzzle-solving and shooting action. It also has been highly publicized as a state-of-the-art implementation of nVidia’s PhysX physics engine’s capabilities.

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Publisher: Encore
Developer: White Birds Productions
System: PC
Minimum requirements: Pentium III 1.5 Ghz; 512 MB RAM; Windows XP SP2/Vista; 3D Video Card
Genre: Adventure
Release date: Available now
Review by: Bob Mandel

Benoit Sokal is a renowned French game developer most famous for the Syberia franchise, an emotionally touching set of two games that stunned the adventure-gaming community with their stories, innovation, polish and intrigue. What followed was another PC release, Paradise, which did not match the success achieved by the Syberia series. Now, White Birds Productions has returned with Sinking Island, a new adventure that combines the traditional play dynamics of the adventure genre with those of a classic murder mystery. What with the popularity of “hidden object” games among casual gamers, on the surface it would seem that this combination could provide a winning formula.

The story of Sinking Island is not one of its stronger aspects. Police inspector Jack Norm is asked to investigate the death of powerful and ego-centric magnate Walter Jones, who has fallen off a steep cliff in his wheelchair. Norm flies by helicopter to the scene of the crime—the island of Sangorah in the Indian Ocean—and has three days to identify the killer before the island sinks beneath the waves. Jones was disliked by many people, so there is no shortage of suspects, but as the plot unfolds, there is nothing particularly distinctive or surprising about it, making the sequence of events somewhat predictable and uninvolving.

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