(Winner of the "Diamond In The Rough Award" for best game nobody played, speech below)

PlatinumGames has had a rough time these last few years with lackluster releases and Bayo 3 coming out to our collective indifference, so we didn’t expect this strange prequel game to be so appealing.

Cereza and the Lost Demon is a departure from the current fast paced action games Platinum has been known for, bringing us back to the kind of style and atmosphere Clover Studio games used to be famous for, taking what they did to japanese ink paintings in Okami and applying to a Celtic-inspired fairytale aesthetic.

Still on that idea of a slower paced game, it seems like PlatinumGames experiments with two simultaneous characters finally came to fruition here, by slowing down the combat and focusing more on exploration and puzzles.

Cereza and the Lost Demon isn’t just a good Bayonetta game, but a game that is enjoyable for anybody looking for a unique and gorgeous experience.

A fitting book-end to the "current" PlatinumGames, with their change in direction and Kamiya leaving, this might the last chapter for this type of old school style game. Looking forward to the new Platinum; let's hope they never lose their luster.

(Winner of the "1CC Award" for best SHMUP of all time, speech below)

Ikaruga is the "answer" to the "question" that Radiant Silvergun presented. Cutting down Silvergun's wide variety of weapons to only two: a linear shot and a bomb-style homing laser.

It also adds-nigh invulnerability in swapping shot-polarities, and the game makes you use them all to their fullest.

Ikaruga needs none of the RPG-style grinding, power-ups, customization, and so forth seen in other "innovative" shmups.

It is a true S.T.G.at its core, stripped to the bone and refined to its extreme. Drawing power from the earliest classics and inspiring others that came after it, Ikaruga remains a Treasure for the hardcore gamer.

The same hardcore gamer who asked Radiant Silvergun this question: "Even through all of the developer frustration, retailer manipulation, and outsider protestation: Do you love me?" Ikaruga answers: "Yes. I do love you."

(Winner of the "Plot and Backstory Award" for best representation of women, speech below)

Gust keeps cookin' up new ways for us to appreciate the Ryza games. Over this robust video game trilogy, the titular Ryza has shaped up into a well-rounded woman.

All of her assets are on display here: Her extensive knowledge of alchemy, her kindness, her charm... and as we explore her huge tracts of land, we can't help but appreciate how she's grown and how she has captured our... hearts, with her quirky charm.

And what talent she posseses! Civic engineering, economics, fighting off an extradimensional invasion.. all in a day's work for our perky protagonist.

And who could complain about this presumed final entry, with all of her old friends and allies joining in on the fun?

The past three games have been a long and satisfying ride, and while she's already called a cab and left for work, there'd certainly be no complaints if our alluring alchemist had us coming again.