Castle Crashers is XBLA game of the year

By Tom Bramwell Published 24 March, 2009

HD Remix also celebrated, but no GeoWars!

Castle Crashers has been crowned game of the year by Xbox Live Arcade users, Microsoft announced overnight, after 185,000 people cast their votes in a recent service poll.

The Behemoth's tasty hackandslash also collected Best Original Game and Best Co-op Mode gongs (assuming there are gongs, and also assuming Microsoft doesn't keep 40 per cent of said gongs).

Super Street Fighter II Turbo HD Remix was the other major beneficiary of your support, no doubt after Capcom's shameless promotion on its blog (good work). HD Remix picked up Best Versus Mode, Best Remake and Best Graphics awards.

All of which means that one of our favourites, the lovely Braid, was limited to Best Innovation, whatever that means. Check out the full list below, and just a quick thing: no Geometry Wars: Retro Evolved 2? Seriously?

  • Game of the Year: Castle Crashers
  • Best Versus Mode: Super Street Fighter II Turbo HD Remix
  • Best Single-Player Game: Portal: Still Alive
  • Best Remake: Super Street Fighter II Turbo HD Remix
  • Best Original Game: Castle Crashers
  • Best Innovation: Braid
  • Best Graphics: Super Street Fighter II Turbo HD Remix
  • Best Family Game: A Kingdom for Keflings
  • Best Co-op Mode: Castle Crashers
Picture of Tom.

About Tom Bramwell

Tom is Operations director of Eurogamer Network and Editor-at-Large of Eurogamer.net. He joined the company in February 2000.

Read more articles from Tom by visiting the Tom Bramwell archive page.

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Comments (21) Latest comment 3 years ago

Comments threads automatically close after 30 days, but please feel free to continue chatting on the forum!

  • bad09 #1 3 years ago

    FIX!

  • menage #2 3 years ago

    Pff, Braid pooped all over it. CC was fun for the couple of nights it lasted. Braid will stick with me for a long time.
    Edited by 2 at 24/03/09 @ 08:36

  • DFawkes #3 3 years ago

    I've never saw the attraction of Geometry Wars: Retro Evolved 2, I don't think it's that good. Certainly not better than any of the winners, but that is just my opinion.

    Nice to see Braid get at least one nod, as well as Portal.

  • espadachin #4 3 years ago

    good, loved castle crashers, voted for it.

  • LazyDan #5 3 years ago

    Tough call, but overall I agree with those results. I disagree with menage, although Braid was one of the best games I've ever played - once it was done, it was done. Castle Crashers remains excellent multiplayer hilarity to this day.

    For me, XBLA was the platform of choice last year by a mile.
    Edited by 1 at 24/03/09 @ 09:02

  • metalangel #6 3 years ago

    Braid wins "most pretentious load of twaddle" forever. "Game that really should have used avatars" goes to Funtown Mahjong, which also won the "worst tutorial" gong. "Terrible yet compelling" goes to The Collector, while "biggest variety of grunty jump noises" goes to Miner Dig Deep.

  • DFawkes #7 3 years ago

    Those sound like the words of someone who didn't quite get the time stuff in Braid, metalangel :p

    Though I do agree about the Mahjong, it really should've used avatars and had a tutorial of some better description than a few pages of Pungs and Chows.

  • berelain #8 3 years ago

    I'd probably agree with most of those.

    Don't get the Geometry Wars Retro Evolved 2, either. I mean, its just like the first Geometry Wars, only a bit more flashy. Seriously, it was not a contender when up against some of the other awesome releases on XBLA this last year.

  • metalangel #9 3 years ago

    @DFawkes: I "got" the time stuff all right, and very clever some of it was too. But honestly, when you see all the hidden deeper meanings and symbolism that's been crammed in for its own sake, your stomach churns. That the press fawned over Blow and gave him a new soapbox every other day to talk about how great he/his game was didn't help matters. As for Mahjong, you need only look at the rendition of Koi Koi in 42 All Time Classics to see how to teach people to play a very complex, foreign game.

  • Murbal #10 3 years ago

    Tried Castle Crashers last night - it was alright. Braid and GWRE2 are awesome though... The absence of the latter has me totally bemused.

  • Darkedge #11 3 years ago

    REZ HD PISSED ON SFIIHD.
    Just goes to show marketing budgets get gongs not quality.

  • MattyD #12 3 years ago

    Bionic Commando? ANYONE? No? well sod you all then.

  • kinky_mong #13 3 years ago

    REZ HD PISSED ON SFIIHD.

    I concur. Absolutely fantastic update. I fired it up again recently to play Level 5 on my new HD TV and speakers and it was mindblowing.

  • Eraysor #14 3 years ago

    How did Braid not win best game?!

  • RedSparrows #15 3 years ago

    I voted for Geo Wars and Braid in most things.

  • Hurleybird #16 3 years ago

    I'm frankly amazed that GeoWars didn't feature. For me:

    Game of the Year: Braid
    Best Versus Mode: Super Street Fighter II Turbo HD Remix
    Best Single-Player Game: Portal: Still Alive
    Best Remake: Super Street Fighter II Turbo HD Remix
    Best Original Game: Braid
    Best Innovation: Braid
    Best Graphics: Braid
    Best Family Game: Geometry Wars 2 (my kids love it - simple and addictive)
    Best Co-op Mode: Geometry Wars 2

  • LazyDan #17 3 years ago

    'Game which your family can play' is not what they mean by 'family game.' The BBFC 'U' certification is for that. By family game they inevitably mean soft, cuddly and childish.

  • optimusprym8 #18 3 years ago

    Best Co-op Mode!? WTF I *still* can't get a 4 player co-op game to work with three other people off my friends list, same with Catan.

  • Tomo #19 3 years ago

    I still haven't got Braid :s

    Or Castle Crashers :s

  • MisterCraig #20 3 years ago

    Braid was my pick almost every time. Bionic Commando was an absolute beast though.

    Sho-Ryu-Ken
    Edited by 1 at 24/03/09 @ 14:22

  • Climhazzard #21 3 years ago

    no geometry wars??? everyones mental.