5th Place

Demonstar: SM1 [by Mountain King]

Our Review

With pounding action game play, Demonstar: SM1 is the perfect game for co-operative play.  In this game you'll be wishing you had a wingman if you play alone.  The game makes playing in two-player mode easy, as you can set controls in the options screen, and both can use the joystick, which is probably the easiest and best way to play the game. 

The key to most shooters are the power-ups, and Demonstar: SM1 delivers with great-looking weapons.  The graphics are also top notch, and the presentation of the whole game is as professional as possible, high above many independent offerings.  For those who miss the age of the shooters, and games like Strikers 1945 in the arcades, Demonstar: SM1 will definitely deliver and fill that void in your life.

Score:  3.33

3rD Place -tie-

3D Airstrike: Operation W.A.T. [by Divogames]

Our Review

Combining wonderful 3D graphics and brilliant special effects, 3D Airstrike was one of the first major Independent releases of the year and it turned out to be the force to be reckoned with that we thought it would be when we first reviewed it back in March.

3D Airstrike added even more features after that review, with 2-Player Simultaneous play.  Upon seeing that a 2-player co-operative mode had been added I wondered if the game had just become an invincible game that would walk through the end-of-year awards taking each and every award.  Unfortunately for 3D Airstrike, the multi-player mode suffers from a fatal flaw.  One player uses the joystick, and the other uses the keyboard.  As control over the copter had been questionable with just the joystick, adding the keyboard to the mix, only made things more difficult.  Still the game scored quite high, and with a reverse of a couple of votes would have won.  That is a testament to a truly great game that already won the award for Best Graphics in an Independent Game.

Score:  3.0

3rd Place -tie-

Demonstar: SM2 [by Mountain King]

Our Review

Demonstar: SM2 is a very similar game to SM1.  In fact that may have hurt the game overall in the judges eyes.  However, if you haven't played this game, you definitely need to give it a run.  This is a game that was built for two people to play it, just like the first version was.  The game has great graphics and will certainly please those looking for a cool top-scrolling shooter.

The weapons in the game are identical to SM1, and so is the game play, with the same need for co-operative play in order to progress very far into the game.  The main thing that this game offers over the other one, is in my opinion, better, more interesting looking levels, and a much better sound track. (which is saying a lot, as the first soundtrack wasn't bad).  A great non-stop action game for those looking for a fun way to spend an afternoon with a friend.

Score:  3.0

2ND Place

Crimsonland [by 10Tons]

Review Coming?

Crimsonland was one of the run-away hit independent games of 2003.  The reason why isn't clear to see just by seeing the screenshots, but playing the game it becomes fairly clear.  This is an all-out action fest, with many interesting weapons, and cool effects as you fire them.  This seems the perfect game to have a two-player mode on, based on the small size of the characters on the screen, and the multiple enemies.  It plays much like Smash TV, but is even a bit more violent than that game.  In fact Crimsonland came every so close to winning the GOTY for multiplayer this year, but fell just short.  The reason?  Despite how wonderful the game is as a one player, the best way to play is with keyboard and mouse, and both players cannot play with that control.  That leaves one player dominating and the other trying to get by with their somewhat awkward and certainly less useful control sets.  A wonderful game none-the-less as it nearly won over the judges despite its two-player difficulties.  Certainly one worth checking out, especially if you are a Robotron/Smash TV/Mutant Storm Fan.

Score:  2.5

1st Place

Mage Bros. [by JJ Soft]

Our Review

Winning with the narrowest of margins is a game that is wonderful on all accounts.  Mage Bros. takes place in an adventure land with well-rendered graphics, large kid-friendly creatures, and levels that must be played in the proper fashion in order to pass them. 

For any who played the Super Mario Series, you'll feel right at home while playing Mage Bros.  This game pulls over some of the great aspects of that one; encouraging players not to just blast along, but also to check their surroundings for special extras, and to consider the route that they are taking through any one level. 

To top things off, there is a truly wonderful two-player mode that is easy to play with two joysticks.  You can team up, hitting enemies at various heights by standing on top of each other or help each other out by clearing out enemies in an area so that your partner can enter.

One of the problem that many of the multiple player games had this year was a feeling that the 2-player mode was an add-on instead of being a main feature of the game.  Many game developers for some reason think that you can have one player play with a joystick, and the other play with a keyboard, and have both be able to play at the same level.  This is rarely the case, as typically either the keyboard or the joystick control is very easy for the game, and the other type of control works very poorly.  Mage Bros.  ignores that problem entirely by creating a game from the ground up that plays best with joystick support and has support for both joysticks, making it easy for all gamers to play, much like last years winner Mutant Storm. 

Mage Bros. is a great game to buy, and a lot of fun to play together, and for such a cheap price, you've got no reason to pass it by.  Especially now that is the Game Tunnel Non-Networked Multiplayer of the year!

Score:  2.33