Seems like nobody has picked this up since. I started on the list and was wondering what people think. I did a couple different styles: History style and review style. History discusses the voting process and mentions the other contenders. Review style focuses on the run itself. Personally I prefer history style, but I'd like to hear other opinions. Also, I realize I'm probably not the best person to write these up. I just wanted a starting ground.
Here's my sample:
2007 Awards
TASer of 2007
History: There were a great group of TASers on the list. All of them had a large body of work and are considered TAS all-stars today. However, adelikat pulled ahead as the clear winner of this competition. Not only did he have a large group of runs this year, but also had the most breadth of anyone. Adelikat TASed in multiple systems covering many different styles of gameplay. Highlights from adelikat in 2007:
[1013] NES River City Ransom "playaround" by adelikat & JXQ in 12:55.38,
[878] SNES Super Punch-Out!! by adelikat in 15:59.88,
[797] NES Contra (Japan) "2 players" by adelikat in 08:57.98
Rookie TASer of 2007
History: Pretty much everyone on the nomination list went on later to distinguish themselves within the community. However, the true winner was Cardboard for having the most runs, the highests quality runs, and not sticking to one system. Highlights for Cardboard in 2007:
[996] GBA Castlevania: Circle of the Moon "warp glitch" by Cardboard in 05:21.93,
[979] GB Metroid II: Return of Samus "100%" by Cardboard in 49:22.82,
[852] NES Bionic Commando by Cardboard & JXQ in 13:58.98
NES TASer of 2007
History: This was universally agreed to be the hardest category. The votes had a mini competition between adelikat and Randil, with Baxter in a close third. Adelikat for his multiple quality runs and Randil for his large quantity, including many runs which were way overdue for an obsoletion. In the end, adelikat won the category for his
TAS of 2007
History: After the rewards for each system were given, the winners of those categories were put into a new category for TAs of the year. When everything had finished, we came out with not one, but two winners. Super Metroid gained the nod for its commitment to being as entertaining as possible. Super Mario 64 won for succeeding at a task that had stumped TASers for quite a while: beating the game without collecting any stars. This was huge news at the time.
Review Super Metroid: This run is a must see, and very worthy of the title for best TAS of 2007. Not only does JXQ destroy the game Super Metroid, collecting every item as he does, he does it with style. Highlights include the messages and animation put into the input (he had five controllers running specifically for this purpose) and antics before and after boss fights.
Funny TAS of 2007
History: 2007 had some very funny fighting games, with Splatterhouse 2, Altered Beast, Mortal Kombat and River City Ransom all up for the spot. Rounding out the list were two platformers: Journey to Silius and Chip 'n Dale. River City Ransom and Altered Beast were the runs to pull ahead for the category. Altered Beast had its antics and bears simulating improper acts during the run. River City Ransom was a run dedicated to playing with the game, completely ignoring speed as an objective. Journey to Silius also got a lot of support from the people explaining their votes, though it didn't do that well in the final standings. River City Ransom won this category for the sheer insanity of its antics.
Review: Instead of going for speed, adelikat and JXQ decide to play with the game as much as possible; juggling weapons, opponents and each other; performing a variety of sketch comedy; generally glitching out the game; and even stopping for a quick round of baseball. The result is a run that is very high on entertainment value.
