Independent Games Festival 2010 Finalists Announced

The Independent Games Festival has unveiled the finalists for its 2010 main competition, revealing a selection ranging from retro to modern and abstract to hardcore.

Relatively well-known titles AaaaaAAaaaAAAaaAAAAaAAAAA!!! -- A Reckless Disregard For Gravity and Heroes of Newerth are both up for awards alongside titles you might not know yet but could see a lot more of in the future--previous IGF winners who have found fame include World of Goo, Castle Crashers, Audiosurf, Darwinia, Machinarium and Braid.

Heroes of Newerth and Enviro-Bear 2000.

The IGF reports a record number of entries this year for the main competition as well as its mobile and student contests, whose finalists have yet to be announced.

The winners will be announced on March 11 during this year's Games Developer's Conference, with "nearly $50,000 in prizes" up for grabs. The full list of finalists follows.

Seumas McNally Grand Prize

• Joe Danger (Hello Games)

• Monaco (Pocketwatch Games)

• Rocketbirds: Revolution! (Ratloop Asia) - Demo

• Trauma (Krystian Majewski)

• Super Meat Boy! (Team Meat)

Excellence In Visual Art

• Shank (Klei Entertainment)

• Owlboy (D-Pad Studios)

• Trauma (Krystian Majewski)

• Limbo (Playdead)

• Rocketbirds: Revolution! (Ratloop Asia)

Excellence In Design

• Miegakure (Marc Ten Bosch)

• Star Guard (Sparky) - Full Game

• AaaaaAAaaaAAAaaAAAAaAAAAA!!! -- A Reckless Disregard For Gravity (Dejobaan Games) - Demo

• Monaco (Pocketwatch Games)

• Cogs (Lazy 8 Studios) - Demo

Excellence In Audio

• Super Meat Boy! (Team Meat)

• Shatter (Sidhe)

• Closure (Closure Team)

• Rocketbirds: Revolution! (Ratloop Asia)

• Trauma (Krystian Majewski)

Technical Excellence

• Closure (Closure Team)

• Limbo (Playdead)

• Heroes of Newerth (S2 Games)

• Joe Danger (Hello Games)

• Vessel (Strange Loop Games)

Nuovo Award

• Today I Die (Daniel Benmergui)

• A Slow Year (Ian Bogost)

• Tuning (Cactus)

• Closure (Closure Team)

• Enviro-Bear 2000 (Justin Smith) - Full Game