BangHowdy
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Joystiq not-so-live coverage of the IGF and GDCA awards
6:20 p.m.: The Joystiq crew walks the red carpet, because we're just that important.6:33 p.m.: Gnarls Barkley's cover of the Violent Femmes' "Gone Daddy Gone" is blasting as we find seats in the press section. Cushy seats with recline-able chairs.6:42 pm: Sam and Max introduce the start for the independent games festival. The mention of projectile vomiting is disturbing, but welcoming somehow. 6:43 pm: Jamil Moledina and Simon Carless march onto stage, noting that the show is being broadcast to the entire world. We sense somewhat sinister undertones.
Gears of War takes best game at GDCA, Aquaria wins IGF best game prize
At tonight's Game Developers Choice Awards, Epic Games' Gears of War took home three awards: best technology, visual arts, and the coveted Game of the Year award. On the independent side of things, Bit Blot's Aquaria won the Seumas McNally Grand Prize from the Independent Games Festival.Okami picked up a win in one of the four categories it was nominated in (take that, AIAS). Unfortunately, Loco Roco did not pick up any awards despite two nominations (character design and audio). Independent game Everyday Shooter won two awards and a distribution deal from GameTap.View the full list winners and nominees from both events below.
Bang! Howdy now in open beta
Those on the lookout for an online game that doesn't involve orcs, elves or magic may find Bang! Howdy refreshing. From Three Rings, the makers of Puzzle Pirates, Bang! Howdy is a western-themed online strategy game.Although we featured it in our MMO roundup, it's not the same sort of MMO as Puzzle Pirates -- it features small-scale multiplayer strategy matches rather than a large persistent world. It's a Java-based game, meaning it runs on PC, Mac and Linux happily, and today it entered open beta. The game itself will be free, but with micropayments for various in-game features.
