The other ones either didn't work(*cough*Mega*cough*), or I didn't think they were worthy of the prizes.

*cough cough*

*COUGH*

These are my top five picks:

1. Dungeonmen: Men of Dungeons

This is without a doubt my favorite game in the entire contest, but it's also the only entry that's a full-fledged RPG. I could praise the artwork which consists of soft colors and designs which remind me of the classic European CRPG style, or even the gameplay that is both non-linear and yet wholly structured around a persistent goal of beating themed generals that protect the overlord, but what stands tall above all other great qualities is the writing. Yes, the writing in this game is on the level of the best fiction literature I've read, and if you don't at least take advantage of the "Look" command in the game, you're sorely missing out on the best feature any RPG has seen in years. Dungeonmen also has a rockin' soundtrack that fits the colorful pastel grit of the game world.

2. Kevin Rudd Farming Generations

This title, known as KRUDD for short, achieves a remarkably surreal atmosphere that stays addictive. I particularly enjoy how the authors crafted a consistently bizarre world that never breaks character, even when explaining game mechanics to the player. The writing is also amusing and covers a surprisingly decent amount of detail players could miss if they don't investigate everything. The pop-up maps and visuals are delightful as well. Design-wise, comparisons can be made to Earthbound, but I think KRUDD is far more off-center with a slightly disturbed narrative that is entirely its own.

3. Exile

I can see a lot of promise with this one. It's not the most profound entry, but it heeds an era of forgotten RPGS like Ultima Underworld, Arx Fatalis, or even by a certain stretch King's Field. I would love to see this game improved upon with a more substantial gameplay system which could perhaps include some of the features pioneered by Ultima Underword, but currently it's thoroughly enjoyable as a light and breezy first-person dungeon romp.

4. Pixel RPG

I found it difficult to play this game because the controls are obtuse, but once you get past the cumbersome server list and figure out that you have to hit a key to bring up the menu at the title screen, the game becomes a fairly pleasant, if not entirely inspiring, clone of Wonderboy or perhaps MapleStory. The premise seems built on finding items and trading them with other players, but since it's a contest entry I fail to understand how the promise of online multiplayer gameplay is supposed to be realized given the circumstances. Because of that, it's more of a threadbare singleplayer game at the moment. Even still, it's better than most games in the contest and is at least functionally true to the rules.

5. Tower of Doom

All anybody needs to know about this game is that right after executing the game file, the first thing you see is the default RPG Maker VX title screen. However, it's worth mentioning what happens directly afterwards as a statement of design quality. The start of the game puts you into the home of the hero, all of which is done entirely with the generic engine tilesets, and the hero is like "MY FAMILY IS MISSING, THEY WERE TAKEN AWAY TO… THE TOWER OF DOOM :("

"I MUST SAVE THEM, BUT FIRST… I NEED TO GRAB MY SWORD AND SHIELD"

Right behind him, literally right behind him, is one of the template graphics for a sword rack on the wall. But of course you can't interact with that. Rather, the developer intends you to go to the store with 50gp or something else insipid and buy one, so I quit. That's just philistine game design. However, since the Tower of Doom is an actual RPG, I have to give it fifth place for adhering to the premise of the contest, which is more than what I can say for many other titles.