Difficult as it may be to measure, innovation is nonetheless an essential part to any industry’s growth, and gaming has becoming synonymous with bringing it out on a near constant basis. Breaking new ground in interactive storytelling or game design is a key facet to the evolution of the medium, all the while maintaining consumer interest and investment potential as a product. While it’s hard to put into words exactly what constitutes any one video game innovative, we all certainly know it when we see it.
Nominees
Borderlands (Gearbox Software, 2K Games)
Flower (ThatGameCompany, Sony Computer Entertainment)
Fat Princess (Titan Studioes, Sony Computer Entertainment)
FATALE (Tale of Tales, Tale of Tales)
Scribblenauts (5th Cell, Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment)
Winner: Flower
While most of the nominees brought something new to the existing table, Flower breathed new life into what we can call a video game as a whole. With only a hint of story and barely any conflict of dramatic note, Flower nonetheless entranced us with its zen visuals and effortless controls. Integrating music-lined color as a tool for level progression brought with it an indelible charm. Blossoming from simplicity, Flower somehow managed to pack a shattering punch into a gentle breeze. It’s an experience that’s hard to forget.
Call me kooky, but I never saw Borderlands as being that innovative. Maybe I didn’t play it enough but from the few hours I did, it seemed like a run of the mill FPS/RPG hybrid.
To be honest, I can’t think of any other co-op FPS / RPG hybrids on the market with random weapon stat drops.
I would throw Demon Souls a bone for how they incorperated online multiplayer.
That would definitely be a good reason to nominate it.