PC Gamer has published its Games of the Year Awards and The Ball rolls in to nab top spot in the Action-Adventure Game of the Year category.
Way to go, guys!
A masterstroke of minimalism, The Ball was the best gaming vignette of the year. There's no dialog, sweeping cinematics or tacked-on multiplayer mode to burden The Ball--just a lightweight, focused, gameplay-driven short story. It benefited from this simplicity by giving us a campaign that felt paced and personal. As you kick the multiton marble around with your ancient Mexican gravity gun, it somehow makes the transition from object to character. You develop this subtle but strong relationship with the object--it doesn't change or communicate, but it takes on the feeling of a pet following you through lava-soaked corridors.
Way to go, guys!