Games may not be the first, or even the seventh, thing you think of when you hear Edinburgh Festival. But over the last couple of years the Edinburgh Interactive Entertainment Festival (EIEF) has grown into something pretty interesting - and not just because it is more accessible than Leipzig. There is a definite attempt to take a more serious look at gaming, even if the event hasn't quite decided what it wants to be.
The shortlist for the 2006 EIEF Edge Awards were announced today, and may surprise you. Yes, the likes of Killer 7 and Ouendan are exactly what you'd expect from a list that, "rewards neither commercial success, nor necessarily popularity." But it is less obvious to see how Amped 3 and Dragon Quest VIII have, "marked out innovative new paths or achieved new standards of excellence." Good games yes, but what about Colossus or Psychonauts? Both meet the criteria of an Edge magazine review in the last year. Anyway, the full list is below. My money is on Brain Training to win, with perhaps Guitar Hero as an each way bet.
Amped 3 (360, developed by Indie Built, Inc., published by Take Two)
Brain Training (DS, developed and published by Nintendo)
Dragon Quest VIII (PS2, developed by Level 5, published by Square Enix)
Electroplankton (DS, developed by Toshio Iwai, published by Nintendo)
Fahrenheit (PC/PS2/Xbox, developed by Quantic Dream, published by Atari)
Guitar Hero (PS2, developed by Harmonix, published by Red Octane)
Killer 7 (GC/PS2, developed by Grasshopper Inc, published by Capcom)
Ossu! Tatakae! Ouendan! (DS, developed by Inis, published by Nintendo)
