One killer game this year…

It’s the time of year for top ten lists. I’ll spare you the ten and keep it to two games that you should not have missed this year. And one that is not worth your time.

Top of the list is Bastion, an innovative Role Playing Game (RPG) from an upstart Supergiant Games. The RPG space is pretty tired. But the fresh team at Supergiant managed to dream up a few really cool new techniques. Most notable is the audio, dominated by a voiceover that escorts you through out the game. The narrator comments on your amazing feats, and also serves as a quick help system. It’s really hard to get stuck. The rest of the sound design is elegant and well integrated with the gameplay. So even if you are not an RPG fan, you must check out Bastion if only for the audio.

There’s also some very player-friendly combat techniques, so you are constantly challenged without being frustrated. And the visual design of game environment is fresh, building around your avatar like a demolition movie run in reverse. A great concept, very well implemented. All told, this is great example of a creative studio pushing the limits of an existing genre, and finding that the limits didn’t exist at all. Available on Xbox Live Arcade, and PC via Steam, Origin, and the other usual means.

Next week, the other must-see game of the year.

Raptr reveals the most-played games of the year. This shows actual time in-game, so is much more revealing than sales.

Never bet against Microsoft. David Pogue’s review recently heaped praise on Microsoft’s latest release of Windows Phone software. He was tepid as to the long-term prospects of the platform, given the iPhone’s long lead in the market. I don’t think we should be tepid. When Microsoft enters a market and makes a commitment, they usually wind up as a major player.

Think of their early successes. DOS, Windows, Office. These were some of the companies biggest wins with consumers, but in all cases they were not the first to market. They were patient, they innovated, and they came out on top. And they have shown that this persistence in other categories, notably with the Xbox. They were very late to this party. But now with this platform they are the player to beat across games, streaming movies and TV shows, and more. To be sure, they don’t always stay in the game, and they don’t always win. Think Zune. But still, in the major categories they show grinding persistence that often leaves competitors in the dust. Don’t believe me? Talk to the guys who were behind Lotus 1-2-3 and Word Perfect. Poof. Gone.

Apple has sold more than 40 million iPads. Amazing. It’s been looking like Apple will dominate the tablet market. But the most recent quarter’s sales did not meet Apple’s targets. And Apple faces a huge threat from Amazon. Here’s why Amazon has a real shot at winning that battle.

1. Price. The cheapest iPad is $499, more than twice as much as Amazon’s new Kindle Fire. People have snapped up their iPads. But the Kindle’s massive success over the last several years came after Amazon aggressively cut its price. The New York Times recently ran an article arguing that Apple’s strategy lately has been to price aggressively. Amazon understood that long ago, and they are way ahead in developing a product that they can sell for a middle America price. Mass adoption of tablets will follow from mass-market pricing. Apple is behind. As a result, Amazon is forecasting that the Kindle line will outsell the iPad this year.
2. Content. The reason Amazon is willing to sell their new Kindle at such a low price is that they expect to make a ton of money from their massive content library. This is the same strategy that video game console makers like Nintendo and Microsoft have perfected. Create slick hardware at a friendly price, and make money over many years on the content. Amazon has the largest content library around.
3. Merchandising. Amazon knows what you like. Browse or buy something, and it suggests something else. This is a core piece of their intellectual property that they have honed over the years. It works really well. Apple doesn’t do this very well at all, requiring people to browse general categories. Amazon’s long term investment in this technology is likely to payoff in spades against the iPad.

The creative stars over at Smashing Ideas have nailed another piece of work: Bot Garage. This is an iPad application that shows the way forward for publishing. A cool book comes out, and the digital companion comes out at the same time. They go together. It’s not print vs. digital. It’s a happy pairing of both, in their own way.

The Star Wars MMO finally has a date. About time. The launch date just days before Christmas smells like fear to me, though. They MUST get it out asap, but they can’t get it out before 12/20. I’m dying to play the game, but wondering what they are thinking with this date.

Sony! Seriously, a $500 Android tablet? The Nook is doing pretty well at $250, and Amazon is coming on strong too. Better be some pretty nice hardware.

My friends at work have been yammering about this game for weeks. I should have listened. Seth Schiesel review in the New York Times finally got me in the game. It’s a pretty seriously great experience for a free-to-play title.

Lots of good vibes for Windows 8 this week. Will Microsoft finally get a tablet out that people will buy? Will it still be a solid game OS?

Saved from the clutches of obscurity, JibJab is back! They recently released an iPad app that lets you put your kid in a book. Looks promising. Installing now, testing later today.