We laughed. We cried. We laughed until we cried. But at
the end of the show, we were all in agreement that Stupid Invaders
(developed by Xilam and to be distributed by Ubi Soft) was without
a doubt the best adventure game at the show. When you consider that
this was an E3 that boasted Myst 3, Escape from Monkey Island,
and Dracula Resurrection, then winning this award is indeed
no small feat.

Sebastien Hamon, the Director of Development for Xilam, proudly informed
us that his goal was to produce the most stupid game ever made. From what
we saw, he has admirably succeeded. Sebastien also promised over ninety
minutes of animated cutscenes that will have absolutely no bearing on
the game. Again, he seems to have attained his goal. If this all sounds
ludicrous, believe me, it is, but it works.

Sebastien Hamon accepts the award–funny, he looks so normal

Rare is the game that can make me laugh out loud–not only did Stupid
Invaders have me roaring, but every time I passed the demo it was
surrounded by chuckling E3 attendees who were probably not even aware
it was an adventure game.

Probably the most telling aspect of the humor and cleverness contained
in Stupid Invaders occurred after one particularity sick incident
involving a vampire and a key. I turned to Sebastien, looked him square
in the eye and said, “You know, there is something wrong with you.”
His response, “Yes, but you seem to be enjoying this so there must
be something wrong with you also.” Here’s hoping Stupid Invaders
is the cure for what ails us all.

Well, that’s it for this year. Join us again next year
as we tabulate the Academy’s vote and present the results in
a huge televised extravaganza … never mind, that’s something else altogether.