IGF nominees made official

Mojang's ferociously popular {Minecraft} is one of five nominated games for the Seumas McNally Grand Prize at the Independent Games Festival (IGF). The other nominated games are Frictional Games' horror filled PC adventure {Amnesia: The Dark Descent} (reviewed by Steve back at itsrelease last fall), QCF Designs' Desktop Dungeons, Messhof's Nidhogg and Chris Hecker's {Spy Party}. Both {Amnesia: The Dark Descent} and {Minecraft} received a total of three nominations.

The Independent Games Festival have highlighted some terrific games in the years past, and it's not just about honour as these games are sure to receive a boost in attention as a result. But there is also cash prizes totalling $50,000 to be one with the grand prize winner walking away with a healthy $20,000 cheque.

Here are the nominated (in the recently announced categories)

Seumas McNally Grand Prize

{Amnesia: The Dark Descent} (Frictional Games)
Desktop Dungeons (QCF Design)
{Minecraft} (Mojang)
Nidhogg (Messhof)
SpyParty (Chris Hecker)

Honorable mentions:

Bit.Trip Runner (Gaijin Games); Neptune's Pride (Iron Helmet Games); {Recettear: An Item Shop's Tale} (Carpe Fulgur); {Retro City Rampage} (Vblank Entertainment); Super Crate Box (Vlambeer)

Excellence In Visual Art

{Bastion} (Supergiant Games)
Bit.Trip Runner (Gaijin Games)
{Cave Story} (2010 Edition) (Nicalis)
{The Dream Machine} (Cockroach)
Hohokum (Honeyslug & Richard Hogg)

Honorable mentions:

Cobalt (Oxeye Game Studio); Faraway (Steph Thirion); Flotilla (Blendo Games); Helsing's Fire (Ratloop); {Retro City Rampage} (Vblank Entertainment)

Technical Excellence

{Amnesia: The Dark Descent} (Frictional Games)
Confetti Carnival (SpikySnail Games)
Miegakure (Marc ten Bosch)
{Minecraft} (Mojang)
Neverdaunt:8Bit (Robot Loves Kitty)

Honorable mentions:

Achron (Hazardous Software); Cobalt (Oxeye Game Studio); Hazard: The Journey Of Life (Demruth); Overgrowth (Wolfire Games); {Swimming Under Clouds} (Piece of Pie Studios)

Excellence In Design

Desktop Dungeons (QCF Design)
Faraway (Steph Thirion)
{Minecraft} (Mojang)
Nidhogg (Messhof)
Super Crate Box (Vlambeer)

Honorable mentions:

Bo (Mahdi Bahrami); Brutally Unfair Tactics Totally OK Now [B.U.T.T.O.N.] (Copenhagen Game Collective); Flotilla (Blendo Games); Helsing's Fire (Ratloop); {Recettear: An Item Shop's Tale} (Carpe Fulgur)

Excellence In Audio

{Amnesia: The Dark Descent} (Frictional Games)
{Bastion} (Supergiant Games)
Bit.Trip Beat (Gaijin Games)
Cobalt (Oxeye Game Studio)
{Retro City Rampage} (Vblank Entertainment)

Honorable mentions:

Bit.Trip Runner (Gaijin Games); {Cave Story} (2010 Edition) (Nicalis); Jamestown (Final Form Games); NightSky (Nicalis); Planck (Shadegrown Games)

Best Mobile Game

Colorblind (Nonverbal)
Halcyon (Stfj)
Helsing's Fire (Ratloop)
Shot Shot Shoot (Erik Svedäng)
{Solipskier} (Mikengreg)

Honorable mentions:
Flick Kick Football (PikPok); {Shibuya} (Nevercenter); Spirits (Spaces Of Play); Tentacles (Press Play); Trainyard (Matt Rix)

The prizes will be handed out during Game Developers Conference in San Francisco that kicks off February 28.