2006 ArcadeTown Game Awards "Oohhh so shiny... why can't I have one?!"

2006 brought huge improvements to Casual Games over those of 2005. Why? A few reasons... compared to 2005 where we saw an explosion of new Casual Game developers, in 2006 we saw an absolute landslide of new developers. Budgets and quality levels saw huge increases. It was claimed Travelouge 360 cost $300k to develop and an upcoming game cost $700k. That's getting close with retail level games! Our prediction, 2007 and beyond will dwarf those figures.

As predicted we also saw more 3D accelerated games such as WW2 Pacific Heroes, Devastation Zone Troopers, and Master of Defense for example. We also had more variety with numerous Arcade, Sim/Strategy, Adventure, and RPG games.

Online web gamers also had many reasons to cheer as more developers provided great web versions of their games including Treasure Pyramid, Rage of Magic 2, Jurassic Realm, Teddy Factory, many of the games below, and lots more.

Top 10 Games For 2006

1: Cake Mania : Arcade Game Cake Mania features great game play with a super clean family friendly Disney like feel. Users responded making it dominate many 2006 top 10 charts across the web. It's still our #3 seller over 6 months later!

2: Virtual Villagers : Board Game Stranded on a desert island after their home is destroyed, teach your Virtual Villagers to survive. A landmark game forcing this industry to realize users want great sim style games. Westward comes on it's heels and we predict many more to come.

3: Star Defender 3 : Shooting Games The scenery is absolutely amazing and the action is superb. Star Defender 3 is a personal favorite of this reviewer and took the Star Defender series to a whole new level of quality.

4: Mystery Case Files Prime Suspects : Puzzle Game Solve the crime and the mystery of the stolen Queen’s Hope Diamond. The second of the MCF series. Our bet, we'll bring you even more to come given how well this series is doing.

5: Cute Knight : RPG Game Probably the biggest sleeper hit of 2006, Cute Knight hit the scene slowly and eventually hit many top 10 sales charts. We predict more great RPG games as this and Aveyond demonstrated casual RPGs can sell.

6: Westward : Strategy Game There's a new sheriff in town! A very solid strategy game featuring excellent graphics plus a casual RTS feel ala Virtual Villagers.

7: Fish Tycoon : Strategy Game "I didn't play for 7 days and now all my fish are dead". Come on people, don't you ever read? :) These are your fish, and like real fish, you need to care for them.

8: Gold Miner Vegas : Board Game Help our bearded friend hit the modern-day mother lode in Las Vegas. Hot tub in Vegas, yeah baby! Speaking of which it's time for this reviewer to hit their hot tub here in Vegas.

9: Jewel of Atlantis : Puzzle Game Explore the fabled under water lost continent in search of valuable treasures and relics. Why do we like this game so much? It does such an excellent job showing you the user all the great features you get in the full version, and users have definitely responded with their wallets.

10: Hidden Expedition Titanic : Puzzle Game Explore the wreckage of this once-majestic RMS Titanic and collect antique artifacts for the Titanic Museum. Featuring great Mystery Case Files style play.

More Great 2006 Games
FizzBall - Great breakout fun with a farmland twist.
Empires and Dungeons - Raise an army with smart strategy.
Aveyond - Excellent RPG with hordes of amazing treasure.
Democracy - Great policital sim with you as president or perhaps even dictator?
Snowy Lunch Rush - Serve hungry diners with uber cute graphics.
Tropix - Relax on the beach with great mini games.
Titan Attacks - The titan of space invaders fun.
Mighty Rodent - Blast pesky invaders Mr. Fluffy!
Hyperspace Invaders - 3D space blasting fun.
Shattera - Interesting twist on breakout fun.

See also the...
2005 Game Awards
2004 Game Awards