A cause for applause! Welcome to the show, dearest guests. Please be seated. To close the year we thought we'd try something a little different - it's an alternative game awards show! We polled some members of the community and collated our own thoughts on the past year ‘n change, and who’da thunk it - we’ve got plenty to share. So join us in this celebration of everything that is, was, and could be. It’ll be a night to remember!

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Categories and Nominees:

Game of the Year (2024): UFO 50, Astro Bot, Yellow Taxi Goes Vroom, Arzette: The Jewel of Faramore, Tiny Terry’s Turbo Trip, Judero, Thank Goodness You’re Here
Backlog Nominee (2025): Pizza Tower, Pokémon Legends Arceus, Metal Gear Solid, Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door, Super Mario RPG (2023), Halo: The Master Chief Collection, Resident Evil
Best in Wallet: Steam Deck OLED, Celeste, Atari 50: The Anniversary Collection, The Lego Humble Bundle
Best in Imagination: a Wario Land sequel, a “back to basics” Lego game, a Tomodachi Life/Nintendogs/Seaman spiritual successor, another revival for TimeSplitters 4
Most “Interesting”: The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker, P-Racing, Penny’s Big Breakaway, The Plucky Squire, Doctor Who: The Adventure Games, Flower, Journey
The David Foundation’s “Best in LEGO”: LEGO Star Wars: The Complete Saga, LEGO Batman, LEGO Marvel Superheroes, LEGO City Undercover, LEGO 2K Drive
Episode of the Year (2024): Casino Royale with Cheese, Toast of Hollywood, The Hunt for Content, Death by Chocolate, A Brief History of Time and Space, and others
Game of the Era (Year One): Donut Dodo, Root Bear, Jusant, FIFA Street (2005), Ape Escape, Football Manager 2024, Downwell, Virtual Boy Wario Land

Honourable Mentions:

Week in Gaming: Call of Duty: Modern Warfare, Electroplankton, Project Rub (Feel the Magic: XY/XX), Webfishing
Game of the Year: The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom, Persona 3 Reload, Crow Country
Backlog Nominee: Viewtiful Joe, Professor Layton vs. Phoenix Wright, The Great Ace Attorney
Best in Wallet: Stardew Valley, Cities: Skylines, Anbernic RG35XXSP
Best in Imagination: a Gravity Rush sequel, a Billy Hatcher and the Giant Egg sequel, a new F-Zero, a new Style Savvy, a new game from the former CiNG development staff
Most “Interesting”: Flower, Sun & Rain (DS), Amber Isle, Yakuza: Dead Souls, Fashion Dreamer, Kevin (1997-2077)
Game of the Era: F-Zero GX, Cavern of Dreams, Open RCT2, Dragon Quest VIII, Y School Heroes: Bustlin’ School Life

Music used:

Gala Premiere - Laurie Johnson
Pingolf - Gameplay [from “UFO 50”] - Eirik Suhrke
Astro [from “Astro Bot”] - Kenneth C M Young
Downhill [from “Thank Goodness You’re Here”] - James Carbutt, Joe Rodwell, Fraser Perry
Karakara Defense [from “The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom”] - Maasa Miyoshi, Manaka Kataoka, Masato Ohashi, Tsukasa Usui
UFO 50 - Eirik Suhrke
Clair de Lune [from “Flower, Sun & Rain”] - Masafumi Takada, Claude Debussy
Everybody Votes Channel - Toshiyuki Sudo
Doctor Who Confidential Theme - Murray Gold
Staff Roll [from “Arzette: The Jewel of Faramore”] - Jake “Button Masher” Silverman