Steam Greenlight: October 16th Batch
Steam Greenlight: October 29th Batch
Steam games are coming out so fast you can't count them all! I just know that Steam Winter Sales is going to be killer on my wallet this year. The support behind Steam Greenlight is extraordinary as some games that has just been recently posted already got greenlit. I guess I shouldn't be surprised that games such as Ikaruga got greenlit so quickly.
Source: Youtube Channel TREASURE Channel
I am surprised that Vanguard Princess got greenlit just as fast though as most people might not have heard of the game. I've known about the game for quite a while now and have played the Japanese version and thought it was a pretty fun game. With the English Version making a push to be put on Steam, I immediately upvoted it in hopes of supporting it when it releases.
Source: Youtube Channel Throneful
I'm also happy to see Eryi's Action FINALLY get greenlit after a year of waiting. I mentioned the game over a year ago in August.
Source: Youtube Channel NyuMedia
Although I mention a bunch of Japanese developed games, there are definitely a lot of non-Japanese indie games worth checking out such as Ravensword: Shadowlands.
Source: Youtube Channel josh presseisen
Steam always has great sales for the games on their platform, so money isn't so much an issue right now. Finding the time to play all these great games is what's really difficult to manage.
Source:
-Kotaku - 130+ Games In Two Weeks? Time to Slow Down, Steam
Showing posts with label Indie Games. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Indie Games. Show all posts
Wednesday, October 30, 2013
Wednesday, October 2, 2013
NewNews - October 2, 2013
There is a LOT of news today to share and I pretty much saw them all on Joystiq.
Source: Youtube Channel The Hamster Alliance
[Tom Clancy passes away at 66]
First and foremost, unexpected news that Tom Clancy has passed away at 66 just last night in a Baltimore hospital. Cause of death is not known yet, but it is still sad. He was only 66! He has established himself as a best-selling author, is a well known name in the Videogame industry for starting up Red Storm and for working with the industry on creating various military and espionage games such as the Ghost Recon and Splinter Cell series. Condolences to his family and may he rest in peace.
[Next batch of Steam Greenlit games]
So here are the next 31 games to be greenlit on Steam. Games like the first-person, Rogue-like, Action game "Eldritch" and open-world Action-Adventure RPG "Vox" are among the games greenlit. I see a few MMOs in there as well such Age of Wushu and Cabal Online.
[Not on Steam Sale - Kinda like Indie Game Stand]
Similar to Indie Game Stand, Not on Steam Sale has a bunch of indie developed games that are available but not on Steam yet. Not only are they selling the games for a discount, they are also raising awareness of these games and asking for support on Steam Greenlight. Near the bottom, you'll see one game for $.99 and one that's free. If you want to be ahead of Steam Greenlight and play these indie games, you can get it now for these awesome discounts.
[Audiosurf 2 on Steam Early Access]
Audiosurf was a fun game, but I was wondering what the developer could possibly do to make a sequel different besides making it look nicer. Well if you watch the video up top, you can see that it's pretty crazy. From what I understand, the game is pretty much playable now. What the developer wants to work and focus on is user-created content and finer details of the game such as more modes.
[Mighty No. 9 Kickstarter campaign ends with over $4 Million]
Wow, now that's what I call a successful campaign! It's clear that fans of the Megaman series, or of Keiji Inafune, or of Videogames in general want to see this concept materialize. I'm very happy to see this level of support for a project such as this one. I'm just kind of sad that we won't get to play the game until 2015...But it'll be incredible when it finally comes out.
Source Joystiq:
-Steam Greenlights 31 games: Race the Sun, Mousecraft, Eldritch, Vox
-Not on Steam Sale: 35 indie games that aren't on Steam, are on sale
-Tom Clancy passes away at 66
-Audiosurf 2 glides onto Steam Early Access today
-Mighty No. 9 concludes funding with over $4 million
Source: Youtube Channel The Hamster Alliance
[Tom Clancy passes away at 66]
First and foremost, unexpected news that Tom Clancy has passed away at 66 just last night in a Baltimore hospital. Cause of death is not known yet, but it is still sad. He was only 66! He has established himself as a best-selling author, is a well known name in the Videogame industry for starting up Red Storm and for working with the industry on creating various military and espionage games such as the Ghost Recon and Splinter Cell series. Condolences to his family and may he rest in peace.
[Next batch of Steam Greenlit games]
So here are the next 31 games to be greenlit on Steam. Games like the first-person, Rogue-like, Action game "Eldritch" and open-world Action-Adventure RPG "Vox" are among the games greenlit. I see a few MMOs in there as well such Age of Wushu and Cabal Online.
[Not on Steam Sale - Kinda like Indie Game Stand]
Similar to Indie Game Stand, Not on Steam Sale has a bunch of indie developed games that are available but not on Steam yet. Not only are they selling the games for a discount, they are also raising awareness of these games and asking for support on Steam Greenlight. Near the bottom, you'll see one game for $.99 and one that's free. If you want to be ahead of Steam Greenlight and play these indie games, you can get it now for these awesome discounts.
[Audiosurf 2 on Steam Early Access]
Audiosurf was a fun game, but I was wondering what the developer could possibly do to make a sequel different besides making it look nicer. Well if you watch the video up top, you can see that it's pretty crazy. From what I understand, the game is pretty much playable now. What the developer wants to work and focus on is user-created content and finer details of the game such as more modes.
[Mighty No. 9 Kickstarter campaign ends with over $4 Million]
Wow, now that's what I call a successful campaign! It's clear that fans of the Megaman series, or of Keiji Inafune, or of Videogames in general want to see this concept materialize. I'm very happy to see this level of support for a project such as this one. I'm just kind of sad that we won't get to play the game until 2015...But it'll be incredible when it finally comes out.
Source Joystiq:
-Steam Greenlights 31 games: Race the Sun, Mousecraft, Eldritch, Vox
-Not on Steam Sale: 35 indie games that aren't on Steam, are on sale
-Tom Clancy passes away at 66
-Audiosurf 2 glides onto Steam Early Access today
-Mighty No. 9 concludes funding with over $4 million
Tuesday, October 1, 2013
GameLight - Terraria 1.2 Update
Official Site: http://www.terraria.org/index2.html
Steam Page: http://store.steampowered.com/app/105600/
Source: Youtube Channel demilogic
After 100+ hours, everything that could be done seemed to have been done. And then a huge update was talked about all year long and people got excited. I wasn't going to be excited until it was downloaded onto my computer and I was already playing it. I would have never guessed how much time I was going to spend playing Terraria or how much fun I was going to have when I first bought it. Along with all the free updates that the developers keep giving to the players, it's perhaps one of the best purchases I have ever made on Steam. With the new 1.2 update launching last night at 12AM EST, many players got to re-experience Terraria in a totally new way. Besides having new weapons, biomes, enemies, items, bosses, etc., there also has been changes in game mechanics and world creation details that improves the game even further. Backgrounds have been redone to look nicer but have been optimized so that it doesn't lag the game anymore. There's seriously a LOT of new changes and improvements. It's no wonder so many people were excited about this. I barely scratched the surface of what has been changed and added from the 3 hours I played last night.
Terraria is an open-world Action-Adventure game that can be played online with friends if someone creates a server for it. There is no particular goal, but there is plenty to explore and a lot to do. It's $9.99 on Steam and a really good deal for what is offered.
Steam Page: http://store.steampowered.com/app/105600/
Source: Youtube Channel demilogic
After 100+ hours, everything that could be done seemed to have been done. And then a huge update was talked about all year long and people got excited. I wasn't going to be excited until it was downloaded onto my computer and I was already playing it. I would have never guessed how much time I was going to spend playing Terraria or how much fun I was going to have when I first bought it. Along with all the free updates that the developers keep giving to the players, it's perhaps one of the best purchases I have ever made on Steam. With the new 1.2 update launching last night at 12AM EST, many players got to re-experience Terraria in a totally new way. Besides having new weapons, biomes, enemies, items, bosses, etc., there also has been changes in game mechanics and world creation details that improves the game even further. Backgrounds have been redone to look nicer but have been optimized so that it doesn't lag the game anymore. There's seriously a LOT of new changes and improvements. It's no wonder so many people were excited about this. I barely scratched the surface of what has been changed and added from the 3 hours I played last night.
Terraria is an open-world Action-Adventure game that can be played online with friends if someone creates a server for it. There is no particular goal, but there is plenty to explore and a lot to do. It's $9.99 on Steam and a really good deal for what is offered.
Tuesday, September 24, 2013
NewNews - Indie Game Stand
Official Site: https://indiegamestand.com/store/
There are a lot of digitally distributed game sites out there, but a lot of them don't always reach their target audience. I didn't know about GreenManGaming until one of my friends told me about it and how he got Borderlands 2 for $36 pre-order. GoG is often mentioned on multiple gaming news media sites. I found out about Desura from the Humble Indie Bundle. Thanks to Joystiq, I now know of one other site that distributes indie games! IndieGameStand has indie games that haven't reached other platforms such as Steam and Desura and are still in Beta or even Alpha stages so that fans of indie games can grab them. Steam keys and Desura keys can be given if available and become available whenever they get officially on a platform. The site also often gets sales and even has a Pay-what-you-want sales in 96 hour durations. Even if you're one of those who wish to wait until the game is readily available on Steam and get it off there directly, you can skim through the site and see what indie games there are that need your support and upvote them on Steam Greenlight as the Steam Greenlight page itself can get quite messy and convoluted. So if you like Indie games, lots of sales/discounts or want to find specific games to support on Steam Greenlight, IndieGameStand is a good site to visit.
Source:
-Joystiq - IndieGameStand launches developer-focused online store
There are a lot of digitally distributed game sites out there, but a lot of them don't always reach their target audience. I didn't know about GreenManGaming until one of my friends told me about it and how he got Borderlands 2 for $36 pre-order. GoG is often mentioned on multiple gaming news media sites. I found out about Desura from the Humble Indie Bundle. Thanks to Joystiq, I now know of one other site that distributes indie games! IndieGameStand has indie games that haven't reached other platforms such as Steam and Desura and are still in Beta or even Alpha stages so that fans of indie games can grab them. Steam keys and Desura keys can be given if available and become available whenever they get officially on a platform. The site also often gets sales and even has a Pay-what-you-want sales in 96 hour durations. Even if you're one of those who wish to wait until the game is readily available on Steam and get it off there directly, you can skim through the site and see what indie games there are that need your support and upvote them on Steam Greenlight as the Steam Greenlight page itself can get quite messy and convoluted. So if you like Indie games, lots of sales/discounts or want to find specific games to support on Steam Greenlight, IndieGameStand is a good site to visit.
Source:
-Joystiq - IndieGameStand launches developer-focused online store
Monday, June 17, 2013
GameLight Review - Bulk Indie Game Review
I've fallen behind on reviews and it's starting to stack up again. I've compiled a list of indie games and my short reviews for them.
[Hotline Miami]
Source: Youtube Channel PlayStation
Recommended: Yes, for mature audiences
Hotline Miami was the most surprising game I played in 2012 and one I wasn't expecting to be so good. The goal is to kill off all the enemies as quickly and efficiently as possible without being killed. It has a bit of a puzzle element in that the player must be careful and plan out each attack while reacting quickly to each situation. The game's graphics and music has a very unique and trippy atmosphere that feels very indie. The sound effects work hand-in-hand with the gameplay as it creates a visceral experience. The game's short, but a lot of fun. It's challenging and totally hilarious.
[Sequence] Source: Youtube Channel gamezplay
Recommended: Maybe, for music rhythm fans
Sequence is another one of those RPG fusion games where it combines gameplay of Music Rhythm games like Dance Dance Revolution with RPG elements similar to those found in Puzzle Quest or Runespell: Overture. There are times where it's really fun and exciting having to switch between 3 panels and being able to land all those key sequences. The problem arises when materials for an item is needed and/or the player needs to gain more levels, then it becomes a grind. Each floor only has 3 enemies and each enemy is associated with a particular song. When you have to play that single song 5-10 times just to get one item, it gets really boring/tiring. Songs are also reused throughout the game. Honestly, the main attraction to the game was the music from Ronald Jenkees. The voice acting can be pretty bad sometimes, but the writing has some pretty good moments. The story is okay, but has a very interesting ending. Once I finished the game though, I didn't want to play it anymore. I was grinding most of the time for items, levels, and skills. So I partially enjoyed it, but did find it boring after a certain point.
[Deadlight]
Source: Youtube Channel machinima
Recommended: Yes, for puzzle platformer fans
Deadlight isn't particularly long or difficult, but it does provide a decent experience and story. There were parts where I was frustrated with the delayed reactions of actions (jumping, climbing, etc.), but other than that it was a pretty fun puzzle platformer with some action elements. It utilizes the Unreal engine really well with 3D graphics in a 2D gameplay environment which makes for an immersive experience. I played on the easiest difficulty level, so I assume the game's much harder on nightmare mode.
[Cherry Tree High Comedy Club]
Source: Youtube Channel NyuMedia
Recommended: Yes, it's not for everyone though, it's a niche game
When I first heard about this game, I could not wait for it to come out. When it finally released, a steam version wasn't ready and I waited an extra six months before it released on Steam. Well it was worth the wait as I somehow accumulated 20 hours on this little game. In CTHCC, the player must convince at least 3 out 6 of the characters to join the Comedy Club. The game is entirely revolved around running around and talking while balancing out homework, rest (fatigue), repertoire (knowledge of topics), money, and time. By chatting with all the characters and NPCs, the player learns everyone's likes and dislikes, find new ways of working for money, and increasing knowledge about a specific topic. I've gone through 2.5 playthroughs and I still find news lines that characters say. For those that enjoy these types of games (visual novel types), it's definitely worth playing. As the name implies, the game is filled with light-hearted humor.
[Fairy Bloom Freesia]
Source: Youtube Channel Throneful
Recommended: Yes, for hardcore beat-em-up fans
The developer "Edelweiss" sure likes making difficult games. From the flowery title and the cute animé protagonist, you would think the game is light-hearted and easy going. In the first few levels, the monsters are slow, weak and non-threatening; however, the game does pick up and get quite challenging as enemies start accumulating at alarming rates and you get juggled into an oblivion. Finding your groove and executing the longest and most effective combos is the only way to survive each day in the game. The game is challenging, fast-paced, and a whole lot of fun as you bash enemies into each other and fight really tough boss battles. The game is deceiving in that it's much more difficult than it lets on, but in turn I enjoyed it that much more because of it. Beat-em-ups are a niche group in its own already, so adding a more challenging difficulty and animé-style graphics make it more for specific fans than most games. But definitely pick it up for those who like challenging games and beat-em-ups that don't mind animé themed graphics.
[Super House of Dead Ninjas]
Source: Youtube Channel requisitosdejogos
Recommended: Yes, for hardcore Action-Platformer fans
With a weird and cheesy name like "Super House of Dead Ninjas", I wasn't expecting anything great. The game apparently started off as a free game on Adult Swim and was then revamped and released on Steam. It's an Action-platformer with Rogue-like elements. Levels are randomly generated with different rooms while the player can earn/pick up new items as they continue to play through the game each time. The player races through the rooms with a count-down timer while killing enemies and getting to the boss. The game is super fast-paced and really tough with surprises and traps each step of the way. Each play though lasts anywhere from 1-10 minutes so it's a great game to play during short breaks. Players can also make their own levels and share them with others on Steam.
[Lone Survivor]
Source: Youtube Channel Jasper Byrne
Recommended: No, It's not a game I can easily recommend
Lone Survivor is a bit difficult to judge as it does some things really well for a horror game, but doesn't play out as smoothly. The goal of the game is to escape from the city while surviving day to day with very limited resources. For 2D pixel-based graphics, the game can be pretty scary. The best immersion into the game is to play in the dark with headphones on. What makes the game work so well in its element is the effective use of sound effects, difficulty in seeing things clearly, and the whole atmosphere it portrays. Seeing one of those slim-man zombie-like things for the first time was scary enough, but having them make this weird and freaky screeching cry when it's after you is scarier than most 3D horror games I've played. The soundtrack is pretty good with an indie-rock, electronic sort of feel to it. The problem is that the game is very confusing because it encompasses a 3rd dimension in 2D form which makes navigation annoying, the controls are clunky (on purpose though, it's a design choice to make action react a bit slower for the desperation effect), the character is always hungry with very little food found throughout the game, and boss-like scenes are long and tedious. The story is really good though, and has quite the ending (though I suspected it from the very beginning as it hints it throughout the game). So in terms of atmosphere and aesthetics, I think the game's amazing in achieving such an experience. But in terms of gameplay, it was frustrating and boring a lot of the times. It's not a game I could recommend, but fans of survival-horror might find it appealing.
[Hotline Miami]
Source: Youtube Channel PlayStation
Recommended: Yes, for mature audiences
Hotline Miami was the most surprising game I played in 2012 and one I wasn't expecting to be so good. The goal is to kill off all the enemies as quickly and efficiently as possible without being killed. It has a bit of a puzzle element in that the player must be careful and plan out each attack while reacting quickly to each situation. The game's graphics and music has a very unique and trippy atmosphere that feels very indie. The sound effects work hand-in-hand with the gameplay as it creates a visceral experience. The game's short, but a lot of fun. It's challenging and totally hilarious.
[Sequence] Source: Youtube Channel gamezplay
Recommended: Maybe, for music rhythm fans
Sequence is another one of those RPG fusion games where it combines gameplay of Music Rhythm games like Dance Dance Revolution with RPG elements similar to those found in Puzzle Quest or Runespell: Overture. There are times where it's really fun and exciting having to switch between 3 panels and being able to land all those key sequences. The problem arises when materials for an item is needed and/or the player needs to gain more levels, then it becomes a grind. Each floor only has 3 enemies and each enemy is associated with a particular song. When you have to play that single song 5-10 times just to get one item, it gets really boring/tiring. Songs are also reused throughout the game. Honestly, the main attraction to the game was the music from Ronald Jenkees. The voice acting can be pretty bad sometimes, but the writing has some pretty good moments. The story is okay, but has a very interesting ending. Once I finished the game though, I didn't want to play it anymore. I was grinding most of the time for items, levels, and skills. So I partially enjoyed it, but did find it boring after a certain point.
[Deadlight]
Source: Youtube Channel machinima
Recommended: Yes, for puzzle platformer fans
Deadlight isn't particularly long or difficult, but it does provide a decent experience and story. There were parts where I was frustrated with the delayed reactions of actions (jumping, climbing, etc.), but other than that it was a pretty fun puzzle platformer with some action elements. It utilizes the Unreal engine really well with 3D graphics in a 2D gameplay environment which makes for an immersive experience. I played on the easiest difficulty level, so I assume the game's much harder on nightmare mode.
[Cherry Tree High Comedy Club]
Source: Youtube Channel NyuMedia
Recommended: Yes, it's not for everyone though, it's a niche game
When I first heard about this game, I could not wait for it to come out. When it finally released, a steam version wasn't ready and I waited an extra six months before it released on Steam. Well it was worth the wait as I somehow accumulated 20 hours on this little game. In CTHCC, the player must convince at least 3 out 6 of the characters to join the Comedy Club. The game is entirely revolved around running around and talking while balancing out homework, rest (fatigue), repertoire (knowledge of topics), money, and time. By chatting with all the characters and NPCs, the player learns everyone's likes and dislikes, find new ways of working for money, and increasing knowledge about a specific topic. I've gone through 2.5 playthroughs and I still find news lines that characters say. For those that enjoy these types of games (visual novel types), it's definitely worth playing. As the name implies, the game is filled with light-hearted humor.
[Fairy Bloom Freesia]
Source: Youtube Channel Throneful
Recommended: Yes, for hardcore beat-em-up fans
The developer "Edelweiss" sure likes making difficult games. From the flowery title and the cute animé protagonist, you would think the game is light-hearted and easy going. In the first few levels, the monsters are slow, weak and non-threatening; however, the game does pick up and get quite challenging as enemies start accumulating at alarming rates and you get juggled into an oblivion. Finding your groove and executing the longest and most effective combos is the only way to survive each day in the game. The game is challenging, fast-paced, and a whole lot of fun as you bash enemies into each other and fight really tough boss battles. The game is deceiving in that it's much more difficult than it lets on, but in turn I enjoyed it that much more because of it. Beat-em-ups are a niche group in its own already, so adding a more challenging difficulty and animé-style graphics make it more for specific fans than most games. But definitely pick it up for those who like challenging games and beat-em-ups that don't mind animé themed graphics.
[Super House of Dead Ninjas]
Source: Youtube Channel requisitosdejogos
Recommended: Yes, for hardcore Action-Platformer fans
With a weird and cheesy name like "Super House of Dead Ninjas", I wasn't expecting anything great. The game apparently started off as a free game on Adult Swim and was then revamped and released on Steam. It's an Action-platformer with Rogue-like elements. Levels are randomly generated with different rooms while the player can earn/pick up new items as they continue to play through the game each time. The player races through the rooms with a count-down timer while killing enemies and getting to the boss. The game is super fast-paced and really tough with surprises and traps each step of the way. Each play though lasts anywhere from 1-10 minutes so it's a great game to play during short breaks. Players can also make their own levels and share them with others on Steam.
[Lone Survivor]
Source: Youtube Channel Jasper Byrne
Recommended: No, It's not a game I can easily recommend
Lone Survivor is a bit difficult to judge as it does some things really well for a horror game, but doesn't play out as smoothly. The goal of the game is to escape from the city while surviving day to day with very limited resources. For 2D pixel-based graphics, the game can be pretty scary. The best immersion into the game is to play in the dark with headphones on. What makes the game work so well in its element is the effective use of sound effects, difficulty in seeing things clearly, and the whole atmosphere it portrays. Seeing one of those slim-man zombie-like things for the first time was scary enough, but having them make this weird and freaky screeching cry when it's after you is scarier than most 3D horror games I've played. The soundtrack is pretty good with an indie-rock, electronic sort of feel to it. The problem is that the game is very confusing because it encompasses a 3rd dimension in 2D form which makes navigation annoying, the controls are clunky (on purpose though, it's a design choice to make action react a bit slower for the desperation effect), the character is always hungry with very little food found throughout the game, and boss-like scenes are long and tedious. The story is really good though, and has quite the ending (though I suspected it from the very beginning as it hints it throughout the game). So in terms of atmosphere and aesthetics, I think the game's amazing in achieving such an experience. But in terms of gameplay, it was frustrating and boring a lot of the times. It's not a game I could recommend, but fans of survival-horror might find it appealing.
Friday, April 5, 2013
VGCulture - Mega64 performing Hotline Miami
Source: Youtube Channel RoccoB64
Mega64 have been doing videogame related videos for years now and have gotten into a lot of trouble in public many times before. They get into all sorts of shenanigans around people unaware that they're shooting a video and often times get the police called on them. So when I heard that they did a video based on the violent retro-styled game "Hotline Miami", I was instantly interested and scared at the same time. The video does justice to the game but does get them in trouble...again. For those interested in playing the game, it's available on Steam for $9.99.
Mega64 have been doing videogame related videos for years now and have gotten into a lot of trouble in public many times before. They get into all sorts of shenanigans around people unaware that they're shooting a video and often times get the police called on them. So when I heard that they did a video based on the violent retro-styled game "Hotline Miami", I was instantly interested and scared at the same time. The video does justice to the game but does get them in trouble...again. For those interested in playing the game, it's available on Steam for $9.99.
Thursday, March 21, 2013
NewNews - Steam Indie Spring Sale
Official Site: http://store.steampowered.com/sale/indie_spring2013
I thought something was up when I saw that the "special" had over 600+ games listed. Steam is having a Indie Spring Sale where you can find hundreds of great (and horrible) indie games to buy and play for cheap. If you don't want to spend too much but want some entertaining games to play this spring when you have a bit of free time, now is a good time to look for some through the indie section of Steam. There's the ultra violent "Hotline Miami", creative sandbox game "Terraria", and strategic "Faster Than Light" are among the games for sale. Seems like a pretty good start for Spring!
I thought something was up when I saw that the "special" had over 600+ games listed. Steam is having a Indie Spring Sale where you can find hundreds of great (and horrible) indie games to buy and play for cheap. If you don't want to spend too much but want some entertaining games to play this spring when you have a bit of free time, now is a good time to look for some through the indie section of Steam. There's the ultra violent "Hotline Miami", creative sandbox game "Terraria", and strategic "Faster Than Light" are among the games for sale. Seems like a pretty good start for Spring!
Monday, March 18, 2013
NewNews - Last day for Humble Bundle with Android 5
Official Site: http://www.humblebundle.com/
Source: Youtube Channel humblebundle
Today's the last day for the Humble Bundle with Android 5 with only 19 hours left. The Humble Bundle is a collection of indie games that's sold at the price of your choosing with the funds going to the developers, charity, and and to those who organized the bundle to pay for bandwidth and hosting.
This bundle includes:
-Beat Hazard Ultra
-Dynamite Jack
-Solar 2
-Nightsky HD
And these additional games are added when paid over the average price:
-Splice
-Super Hexagon
-Dungeon Defenders + All DLCs
-Crayon Physics Deluxe
-Sword & Sworcery EP
The Bundle comes with versions for Windows, Mac, Linux and Android as well as the soundtracks for all of the games. Also, all the games should have a steam key unlock as long as you pay more than $1. The current average price is at $6.93. But ~$7 is an incredible deal for 9 games with each of the versions and their soundtracks.
Source: Youtube Channel humblebundle
Today's the last day for the Humble Bundle with Android 5 with only 19 hours left. The Humble Bundle is a collection of indie games that's sold at the price of your choosing with the funds going to the developers, charity, and and to those who organized the bundle to pay for bandwidth and hosting.
This bundle includes:
-Beat Hazard Ultra
-Dynamite Jack
-Solar 2
-Nightsky HD
And these additional games are added when paid over the average price:
-Splice
-Super Hexagon
-Dungeon Defenders + All DLCs
-Crayon Physics Deluxe
-Sword & Sworcery EP
The Bundle comes with versions for Windows, Mac, Linux and Android as well as the soundtracks for all of the games. Also, all the games should have a steam key unlock as long as you pay more than $1. The current average price is at $6.93. But ~$7 is an incredible deal for 9 games with each of the versions and their soundtracks.
Friday, March 15, 2013
VGCulture - Indie Games Sale at GMG
Official Site: http://www.greenmangaming.com/
Source: Youtube Channel pixelenemy
GreenManGaming is having a huge indie game sale with games like Chivalry: Medieval Warfare, Forge, and Krater as part of the list of discounted games. There's also a huge catalog of EA games on sale but requires an Origin account to download, install and play. Be sure to check all games right below their videos to see if a Steam, Playfire, or Origin account is needed. For those that don't list any of those requires GreenManGaming's very own Capsule program to download, install and play the games bought. In other news of sales, Steam is having a Ubisoft weekend sale right now as well. Happy gaming everyone and have a great weekend.
Source: Youtube Channel pixelenemy
GreenManGaming is having a huge indie game sale with games like Chivalry: Medieval Warfare, Forge, and Krater as part of the list of discounted games. There's also a huge catalog of EA games on sale but requires an Origin account to download, install and play. Be sure to check all games right below their videos to see if a Steam, Playfire, or Origin account is needed. For those that don't list any of those requires GreenManGaming's very own Capsule program to download, install and play the games bought. In other news of sales, Steam is having a Ubisoft weekend sale right now as well. Happy gaming everyone and have a great weekend.
Thursday, November 8, 2012
NewNews - Cherry Tree High Comedy Club finally out on Steam!
Official site: http://cherrytreehigh.com/
Steam Page: http://store.steampowered.com/app/214610/
Finally, Cherry Tree High Comedy Club is available on Steam after 7 months from its official release! I first mentioned this game back in April and have mentioned it again on several different posts relating to Nyu Media and the games they're translating. Cherry Tree High Comedy Club is a sort of Visual Novel/Adventure that requires reading and making decisions. It's meant to be light-hearted and have lasting appeal with an endless mode after you've complete the main part of the game (or so I hear). As excited as I am for this game, I'm going to wait just a little longer as a possible fall sale might be coming up as well as the annual winter sale considering I have a large back log to keep me busy anyways. Chery Tree High Comedy Club is out now for $7.99!
Steam Page: http://store.steampowered.com/app/214610/
Finally, Cherry Tree High Comedy Club is available on Steam after 7 months from its official release! I first mentioned this game back in April and have mentioned it again on several different posts relating to Nyu Media and the games they're translating. Cherry Tree High Comedy Club is a sort of Visual Novel/Adventure that requires reading and making decisions. It's meant to be light-hearted and have lasting appeal with an endless mode after you've complete the main part of the game (or so I hear). As excited as I am for this game, I'm going to wait just a little longer as a possible fall sale might be coming up as well as the annual winter sale considering I have a large back log to keep me busy anyways. Chery Tree High Comedy Club is out now for $7.99!
Wednesday, November 7, 2012
GameLight Review - Hack, Slash, Loot
Official Site: http://hackslashloot.com/
Steam Page: http://store.steampowered.com/app/207430/
Source: Youtube Channel videogamr DE
Developer: David Williamson
Publisher: David Williamson
Platforms: PC
Release Date: Apr 5, 2012
Genre: Rogue-Like RPG
Pros:
+ Cute character sprites
Cons:
- Everything is based on luck: Enemy placement, loot drop, attacking, winning
- Walls block off the view of enemies and items unless highlighted over
- You unlock characters by dying over and over, more incentive to lose
- Classes are mostly a few number and sprite changes
- It isn't very rewarding finishing a quest and getting there wasn't fun either
- The music isn't too bad, but it abruptly comes in and out throughout the game
- This game is infuriating every step of the way
Recommended: Definitely a "no"
Rather than "Hack, Slash, Loot", the game should've been called "Miss, Travel, Die". This iteration on the Rogue-Like RPG genre plays entirely on chance and luck. The player chooses a class and quest they want to take on and traverses the deadly dungeons to find better equipment to finally reach their quest goal. The problem is that you will most likely fail the first time you play and perhaps the next few dozen times. You will sometimes be presented with one door to go through and find that the first room is filled with 14 enemies right from the start and immediately die in the first room you walk through. Maybe you'll find one enemy and fight it but have your character miss every attack while the enemy hits you twice to kill you. Perhaps you did a great job finding equipment that made you stronger, but never found any potions to heal you so your character ends up dying before you could reach your main quest. Everything about the game relied a little too much on statistical luck. Almost all classes start off with about 60% chance to hit. Even with a 3/5 chance of successfully hitting an enemy, your character will probably miss 5 attacks before it lands a successful one. I had one really good game out of the many hours I gave the game a try and it was with the Amazon class which wields a bow that increases accuracy with each kill and recovers a little bit of health. I ended up failing even that one after running into a boss that two-shotted me. The game just isn't worth my time, even as a time waster.
Aesthetics
Art Style: 8-bit Pixel based sprites
+ Cute character sprites
+ The pixel based graphics had a certain charm to them, but they get boring
- Walls and items obstruct the vision of enemies
- None of the quests changes the look of the dungeons
- Music was okay, but played abruptly throughout the game
- The sound effects got annoying after a while
- The graphics feel boring and uninspired playing the game
Aesthetics: 2/10
Buttons
Controller: Mostly mouse and some keyboard
+ Moving around was easy enough
+ The keyboard shortcuts really helped
- The planes aren't very clear and so mouse clicks aren't accurate
- None of the controls are explained in-game
- Not able to play completely on keyboard, requires mouse sometimes
Buttons: 4/10
Concept & Content
Core Concept: Choose a class and a quest. Then fulfill that quest by killing enemies, finding loot, and search for what the quests asks.
+ Simple and straight-forward
- Quests changed some of the level layout, but nothing to the game experience
- Levels are randomly generated, but they all feel about the same
- The goal of the quest isn't even that important after dying so many times
- Even with 32 characters to choose from, the game offers little in variation
- Exploration wasn't fulfilling, combat wasn't fun, and looting wasn't satisfying
Concept and Content: 1/10
Duration
+ There's plenty of replay value for those who can stand this game
- Pacing of the game was very jarring as nothing except dying was expected
- The length of each round can be anywhere from 2-3 hours down to 10 seconds
- You have to die many times over before getting a new character
- It feels like a lot of wasted time whether you're doing well or not
Duration: 2/10
Fun
+ Having an overpowered Amazon that was killing everything in one shot was semi-entertaining, and then she died in 2 hits and I felt cheated
- Having my character miss all their attacks is infuriating
- Dying in the first few rooms over and over was dumb
- There weren't any loot that made me excited when it should
- Combat is a long and tedious chore rather than an exciting experience
- There wasn't an incentive to continue playing the game any longer
Fun: 1/10
Overall
I know rogue-like RPGs are supposed to have a sense of unexpected randomness to it that makes it spontaneous and different each time, but each of those experiences should be entertaining and manageable. The impression I got from the game was that it was all about missing attacks, dying, and starting over again in a vicious cycle to get all the characters. I just couldn't believe how bad of a game it turned out to be. Everything works, there aren't any bugs, but the design of the entire game just wasn't good. It's a game I couldn't recommend anyone to, not even hard-core Rogue-like RPG fans. Overall: 2/10
Steam Page: http://store.steampowered.com/app/207430/
Source: Youtube Channel videogamr DE
Developer: David Williamson
Publisher: David Williamson
Platforms: PC
Release Date: Apr 5, 2012
Genre: Rogue-Like RPG
Pros:
+ Cute character sprites
Cons:
- Everything is based on luck: Enemy placement, loot drop, attacking, winning
- Walls block off the view of enemies and items unless highlighted over
- You unlock characters by dying over and over, more incentive to lose
- Classes are mostly a few number and sprite changes
- It isn't very rewarding finishing a quest and getting there wasn't fun either
- The music isn't too bad, but it abruptly comes in and out throughout the game
- This game is infuriating every step of the way
Recommended: Definitely a "no"
Rather than "Hack, Slash, Loot", the game should've been called "Miss, Travel, Die". This iteration on the Rogue-Like RPG genre plays entirely on chance and luck. The player chooses a class and quest they want to take on and traverses the deadly dungeons to find better equipment to finally reach their quest goal. The problem is that you will most likely fail the first time you play and perhaps the next few dozen times. You will sometimes be presented with one door to go through and find that the first room is filled with 14 enemies right from the start and immediately die in the first room you walk through. Maybe you'll find one enemy and fight it but have your character miss every attack while the enemy hits you twice to kill you. Perhaps you did a great job finding equipment that made you stronger, but never found any potions to heal you so your character ends up dying before you could reach your main quest. Everything about the game relied a little too much on statistical luck. Almost all classes start off with about 60% chance to hit. Even with a 3/5 chance of successfully hitting an enemy, your character will probably miss 5 attacks before it lands a successful one. I had one really good game out of the many hours I gave the game a try and it was with the Amazon class which wields a bow that increases accuracy with each kill and recovers a little bit of health. I ended up failing even that one after running into a boss that two-shotted me. The game just isn't worth my time, even as a time waster.
Aesthetics
Art Style: 8-bit Pixel based sprites
+ Cute character sprites
+ The pixel based graphics had a certain charm to them, but they get boring
- Walls and items obstruct the vision of enemies
- None of the quests changes the look of the dungeons
- Music was okay, but played abruptly throughout the game
- The sound effects got annoying after a while
- The graphics feel boring and uninspired playing the game
Aesthetics: 2/10
Buttons
Controller: Mostly mouse and some keyboard
+ Moving around was easy enough
+ The keyboard shortcuts really helped
- The planes aren't very clear and so mouse clicks aren't accurate
- None of the controls are explained in-game
- Not able to play completely on keyboard, requires mouse sometimes
Buttons: 4/10
Concept & Content
Core Concept: Choose a class and a quest. Then fulfill that quest by killing enemies, finding loot, and search for what the quests asks.
+ Simple and straight-forward
- Quests changed some of the level layout, but nothing to the game experience
- Levels are randomly generated, but they all feel about the same
- The goal of the quest isn't even that important after dying so many times
- Even with 32 characters to choose from, the game offers little in variation
- Exploration wasn't fulfilling, combat wasn't fun, and looting wasn't satisfying
Concept and Content: 1/10
Duration
+ There's plenty of replay value for those who can stand this game
- Pacing of the game was very jarring as nothing except dying was expected
- The length of each round can be anywhere from 2-3 hours down to 10 seconds
- You have to die many times over before getting a new character
- It feels like a lot of wasted time whether you're doing well or not
Duration: 2/10
Fun
+ Having an overpowered Amazon that was killing everything in one shot was semi-entertaining, and then she died in 2 hits and I felt cheated
- Having my character miss all their attacks is infuriating
- Dying in the first few rooms over and over was dumb
- There weren't any loot that made me excited when it should
- Combat is a long and tedious chore rather than an exciting experience
- There wasn't an incentive to continue playing the game any longer
Fun: 1/10
Overall
I know rogue-like RPGs are supposed to have a sense of unexpected randomness to it that makes it spontaneous and different each time, but each of those experiences should be entertaining and manageable. The impression I got from the game was that it was all about missing attacks, dying, and starting over again in a vicious cycle to get all the characters. I just couldn't believe how bad of a game it turned out to be. Everything works, there aren't any bugs, but the design of the entire game just wasn't good. It's a game I couldn't recommend anyone to, not even hard-core Rogue-like RPG fans. Overall: 2/10
Wednesday, September 19, 2012
NewNews - Humble Indie Bundle 6
Official Site: http://www.humblebundle.com/
It's been a while since I bought a Humble Indie Bundle and it's back again. The "pay how much you want" offer returns with 5 indie games:
-Rochard
-Shatter
-Space Pirates and Zombies (S.P.A.Z.)
-Torchlight
-Vessel
And if you beat the average payment, you'll receive and extra game: Dustforce
Source: Youtube Channel hitboxteam
I already had Shatter, SPAZ and Torchlight, but I also wanted the soundtracks to the games which I didn't have. The true prize of the bundle was the addition of Dustforce. It's an Action-Platformer with a whimsical art style, fancy animation and gameplay, and an incredible soundtrack that makes you feel so good.
So when you pay for the bundle, you are helping the developer, donating money to charity for children's hospitals, and giving a tip for the guys organizing these events. Once you pay for the game, they're yours! That doesn't mean "yours to resell and share" so don't take advantage of the DRM free downloads these kind developers have offered us. With the bundle, you get the link to download the games, codes to link to your steam account so you can play it from there, and the soundtracks in FLAC or MP3. HIB 6 ends in 12 days, so don't miss out!
It's been a while since I bought a Humble Indie Bundle and it's back again. The "pay how much you want" offer returns with 5 indie games:
-Rochard
-Shatter
-Space Pirates and Zombies (S.P.A.Z.)
-Torchlight
-Vessel
And if you beat the average payment, you'll receive and extra game: Dustforce
Source: Youtube Channel hitboxteam
I already had Shatter, SPAZ and Torchlight, but I also wanted the soundtracks to the games which I didn't have. The true prize of the bundle was the addition of Dustforce. It's an Action-Platformer with a whimsical art style, fancy animation and gameplay, and an incredible soundtrack that makes you feel so good.
So when you pay for the bundle, you are helping the developer, donating money to charity for children's hospitals, and giving a tip for the guys organizing these events. Once you pay for the game, they're yours! That doesn't mean "yours to resell and share" so don't take advantage of the DRM free downloads these kind developers have offered us. With the bundle, you get the link to download the games, codes to link to your steam account so you can play it from there, and the soundtracks in FLAC or MP3. HIB 6 ends in 12 days, so don't miss out!
Tuesday, September 4, 2012
NewNews - Steam Greenlight Submission Fee
Official Page: http://steamcommunity.com/greenlight/
Source: Youtube Channel SecretsOfGrindea
One of the submissions to Steam Greenlight
Steam had launched its "Greenlight" department of their platform last week which allows the community within steam to vote and view upcoming indie games and help certain ones reach the platform first. I already didn't like the idea from the first I heard of it as I knew the showcasing of the games would be convoluted. Valve already tries their best to push out new indie games to give it a chance in the market among the millions of other indie games out there, and even then many games get over looked. With Greenlight, some indie games will have a much harder time getting onto the platform than they would have before. What's more, when Greenlight launched, a lot of "concepts", games not even in alpha phase, joke submissions, and flash games that have been out for years (possibly submissions by other people other than the original creator).
To stop these shenanigans, Valve has issued a requirement of $100 for each submission which will be donated to Child's Play in order to cut down on the trolls and junk submissions to ensure those serious about placing their game on the platform will be seen. Still, there might be a lot of submissions and not all of them are going to be great. At least there will be less random submissions and Greenlight will be less abused.
Source:
-Joystiq: Steam Greenlight now requires $100 fee, which goes to Child's Play
Source: Youtube Channel SecretsOfGrindea
One of the submissions to Steam Greenlight
Steam had launched its "Greenlight" department of their platform last week which allows the community within steam to vote and view upcoming indie games and help certain ones reach the platform first. I already didn't like the idea from the first I heard of it as I knew the showcasing of the games would be convoluted. Valve already tries their best to push out new indie games to give it a chance in the market among the millions of other indie games out there, and even then many games get over looked. With Greenlight, some indie games will have a much harder time getting onto the platform than they would have before. What's more, when Greenlight launched, a lot of "concepts", games not even in alpha phase, joke submissions, and flash games that have been out for years (possibly submissions by other people other than the original creator).
To stop these shenanigans, Valve has issued a requirement of $100 for each submission which will be donated to Child's Play in order to cut down on the trolls and junk submissions to ensure those serious about placing their game on the platform will be seen. Still, there might be a lot of submissions and not all of them are going to be great. At least there will be less random submissions and Greenlight will be less abused.
Source:
-Joystiq: Steam Greenlight now requires $100 fee, which goes to Child's Play
Thursday, July 19, 2012
GameLight - Krater
Steam Page: http://store.steampowered.com/app/42170/
Source: Youtube Channel MachinimaTrailer
Krater is a self-proclaimed Action-Adventure RPG/RTS Indie game influenced by old-school games such as Syndicate (the original, not the FPS remake) and X-COM (again, the original and not the FPS remake). The way I see it, it's essentially old-school Dungeon Siege with the Fallout theme. That's not necessarily a bad thing as Dungeon Siege had a nice party-based, Action-RPG mechanic down and Fallout had a mystic sort of atmosphere in its post-apocalyptic world. Developed by Fatshark, who has experience in the industry already, Krater turned out to be a really nice looking Action-RPG. It's also worth noting the music to the game as it sets a really nice retro mood to the game. The tunes are catchy, yet subtle. There's a lot of characters to choose from, skill based abilities to cycle through (no resource usage it seems), tons of weapons, a hardcore mode for those who want the most challenge out of their experience with the game, and injury states that affect how the characters will act in battle. I'm passing up the featured sale it has right now since I have a decent amount of top-down Action-RPGs at hand already, but this is definitely one game I'm going to get one day. Currently, it's single-player only; however, an online co-op mode is on its way in August.
Source: Youtube Channel MachinimaTrailer
Krater is a self-proclaimed Action-Adventure RPG/RTS Indie game influenced by old-school games such as Syndicate (the original, not the FPS remake) and X-COM (again, the original and not the FPS remake). The way I see it, it's essentially old-school Dungeon Siege with the Fallout theme. That's not necessarily a bad thing as Dungeon Siege had a nice party-based, Action-RPG mechanic down and Fallout had a mystic sort of atmosphere in its post-apocalyptic world. Developed by Fatshark, who has experience in the industry already, Krater turned out to be a really nice looking Action-RPG. It's also worth noting the music to the game as it sets a really nice retro mood to the game. The tunes are catchy, yet subtle. There's a lot of characters to choose from, skill based abilities to cycle through (no resource usage it seems), tons of weapons, a hardcore mode for those who want the most challenge out of their experience with the game, and injury states that affect how the characters will act in battle. I'm passing up the featured sale it has right now since I have a decent amount of top-down Action-RPGs at hand already, but this is definitely one game I'm going to get one day. Currently, it's single-player only; however, an online co-op mode is on its way in August.
Friday, July 6, 2012
GameLight - Wizorb
Official Page: http://wizorb.com/
Steam Page: http://store.steampowered.com/app/207420/
Source: Youtube Channel TributeGames
The Steam Summer Sales isn't here yet, but one of the games I was looking out for is the Daily Sale for today. Wizorb is a fantasy themed Breakout clone with a retro game feel and incredible sprites animated by famed artist Paul Robertson. The game is reminiscent of RPGs like Final Fantasy, Ys, or Dragon Warrior with aspects similar to The Legend of Zelda series (rooms and shops). The breakout portion of the game has the usual bricks along with special enemies, power-ups, and boss battles. The game has over 60 levels and seems to follow a story with multiple endings. Wizorb is on sale today on Steam for $1.49 or you can get it on Xbox Live Arcade for 240 points.
Steam Page: http://store.steampowered.com/app/207420/
Source: Youtube Channel TributeGames
The Steam Summer Sales isn't here yet, but one of the games I was looking out for is the Daily Sale for today. Wizorb is a fantasy themed Breakout clone with a retro game feel and incredible sprites animated by famed artist Paul Robertson. The game is reminiscent of RPGs like Final Fantasy, Ys, or Dragon Warrior with aspects similar to The Legend of Zelda series (rooms and shops). The breakout portion of the game has the usual bricks along with special enemies, power-ups, and boss battles. The game has over 60 levels and seems to follow a story with multiple endings. Wizorb is on sale today on Steam for $1.49 or you can get it on Xbox Live Arcade for 240 points.
Tuesday, April 24, 2012
GameLight - Cherry Tree High Comedy Club
Official Site: http://cherrytreehigh.com/
Source: Youtube Channel NyuMedia
Indie games have become a more prominent force in the market, but Japan has had indie games for the longest time created by "circles" or sometimes "individuals". A lot of great indie games have been created in Japan for the longest time and only those who know about them has a chance of trying some of them out. Certain indie games require a significant amount of reading but are still great games which leave non-speaking Japanese players out of the loop. Luckily, more translating groups such as Nyu Media are established to give us English speaking gamers a chance to play those awesome Japanese indie games.
Cherry Tree High Comedy Club, although not entirely clarified, is a sort of adventure/visual novel game where much of the gameplay revolves around talking and decision making. The main character is trying to create a comedy club within her school but is required to have at least 5 members to establish it (this should sound familiar to those who've watched Suzumiya Haruhi no Yūutsu). So the player goes around earning money, recruiting members, and building up conversational skills to finally get the club up and going. The game is light hearted with humor, original animé-styled sprites and graphics, laid-back and catchy music, and all sorts of interesting characters. Talking as a main gameplay concept might sound boring, but if you've played any adventure game like the Sam & Max series, visual novel type games like the Phoenix Wright series (I know it's sort of like a mystery and adventure game too), or any of BioWare's RPGs and enjoyed the dialogue parts of the game, there's a good chance that Comedy Club will be a very enjoyable game to play. I've never heard of this game before (as I do try to keep up with some Japanese doujin/indie games), but I think it has made me that much more excited that Nyu Media/Capcom is surprising me with a game I've never seen. I'm very excited about Cherry Tree High Comedy Club and thank Nyu Media for bringing it over to the Western market to give us a chance to play it.
Cherry Tree High Comedy Club releases on April 27th, 2012 on Steam, GamersGate, GameTap, GameFly, Impulse and the Capcom Store as well as their own site up on the top link for $7.99.
Source: Youtube Channel NyuMedia
Indie games have become a more prominent force in the market, but Japan has had indie games for the longest time created by "circles" or sometimes "individuals". A lot of great indie games have been created in Japan for the longest time and only those who know about them has a chance of trying some of them out. Certain indie games require a significant amount of reading but are still great games which leave non-speaking Japanese players out of the loop. Luckily, more translating groups such as Nyu Media are established to give us English speaking gamers a chance to play those awesome Japanese indie games.
Cherry Tree High Comedy Club, although not entirely clarified, is a sort of adventure/visual novel game where much of the gameplay revolves around talking and decision making. The main character is trying to create a comedy club within her school but is required to have at least 5 members to establish it (this should sound familiar to those who've watched Suzumiya Haruhi no Yūutsu). So the player goes around earning money, recruiting members, and building up conversational skills to finally get the club up and going. The game is light hearted with humor, original animé-styled sprites and graphics, laid-back and catchy music, and all sorts of interesting characters. Talking as a main gameplay concept might sound boring, but if you've played any adventure game like the Sam & Max series, visual novel type games like the Phoenix Wright series (I know it's sort of like a mystery and adventure game too), or any of BioWare's RPGs and enjoyed the dialogue parts of the game, there's a good chance that Comedy Club will be a very enjoyable game to play. I've never heard of this game before (as I do try to keep up with some Japanese doujin/indie games), but I think it has made me that much more excited that Nyu Media/Capcom is surprising me with a game I've never seen. I'm very excited about Cherry Tree High Comedy Club and thank Nyu Media for bringing it over to the Western market to give us a chance to play it.
Cherry Tree High Comedy Club releases on April 27th, 2012 on Steam, GamersGate, GameTap, GameFly, Impulse and the Capcom Store as well as their own site up on the top link for $7.99.
Wednesday, January 25, 2012
VGCulture - Short Rant about Indie Games
I watched one of Dorkly Bits newest videos yesterday and find it to be one of the best ones they've made:
The indie game community, for the most part, is alright. There's lots of laid-back, innovative individuals who like to experiment and find something new and fresh to make or play. But there still are those, like many indie music fans, who find the indie scene to be above and beyond the main stream because it's considered different. I think that's the joke that they're going for here in this video. Saying that indie games are "original" compared to main stream isn't very accurate as most genres, concepts and tropes have been firmly established. Much like art, indie games rely a lot on innovation rather than trying to be "original". From the three indie games referenced in the video (Braid, LIMBO, and Super Meat Boy), what made them so fun was that it fell back to the concepts that made games like Super Mario Bros. fun = simple, but great design. All three games involve jumping a whole lot, but the way they establish the concept with level designs, core gameplay aspects and how they're utilized is what makes them so fun. Indie game developers (at least most I've heard of) know that their game will be referenced upon other games, but they also know that accepting that fact will help them establish a more well thought out game. I feel like indie gamers would argue the former more than developers would, but I've luckily haven't met a pretentious indie gamer who finds himself and indie games king among the "garbage of the world". I have met a lot of people who hate Call of Duty just for being too main stream, mainly because Call of Duty was "sorta" indie-ish in its own way when it had its humble start on the PC and is considered "complete garbage" when it hit main stream audiences with Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare. I think Indie games are becoming more main-stream with digital distribution becoming a norm in everyday gaming. Indie games are available on Steam, Desura, PSN, XBLA, WiiWare, DSiWare, and 3DSware. Anyways, if you want to check out the games referenced, they're all available on Steam (albeit Super Mario Bros.):
-Braid: A Puzzle-Platformer manipulating time and alternate realities
-LIMBO: Simple platformer with challenging level designs
-Super Meat Boy: Fast-paced, hardcore platformer with wall jumping
-Super Mario Bros.: C'mon now...anyone who hasn't heard of this game needs to play it right now
The indie game community, for the most part, is alright. There's lots of laid-back, innovative individuals who like to experiment and find something new and fresh to make or play. But there still are those, like many indie music fans, who find the indie scene to be above and beyond the main stream because it's considered different. I think that's the joke that they're going for here in this video. Saying that indie games are "original" compared to main stream isn't very accurate as most genres, concepts and tropes have been firmly established. Much like art, indie games rely a lot on innovation rather than trying to be "original". From the three indie games referenced in the video (Braid, LIMBO, and Super Meat Boy), what made them so fun was that it fell back to the concepts that made games like Super Mario Bros. fun = simple, but great design. All three games involve jumping a whole lot, but the way they establish the concept with level designs, core gameplay aspects and how they're utilized is what makes them so fun. Indie game developers (at least most I've heard of) know that their game will be referenced upon other games, but they also know that accepting that fact will help them establish a more well thought out game. I feel like indie gamers would argue the former more than developers would, but I've luckily haven't met a pretentious indie gamer who finds himself and indie games king among the "garbage of the world". I have met a lot of people who hate Call of Duty just for being too main stream, mainly because Call of Duty was "sorta" indie-ish in its own way when it had its humble start on the PC and is considered "complete garbage" when it hit main stream audiences with Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare. I think Indie games are becoming more main-stream with digital distribution becoming a norm in everyday gaming. Indie games are available on Steam, Desura, PSN, XBLA, WiiWare, DSiWare, and 3DSware. Anyways, if you want to check out the games referenced, they're all available on Steam (albeit Super Mario Bros.):
-Braid: A Puzzle-Platformer manipulating time and alternate realities
-LIMBO: Simple platformer with challenging level designs
-Super Meat Boy: Fast-paced, hardcore platformer with wall jumping
-Super Mario Bros.: C'mon now...anyone who hasn't heard of this game needs to play it right now
Monday, January 9, 2012
GameLight - Rokko Chan
Official Site: http://king-soukutu.com/flash/rokko.html
Source: Youtube Channel Coffeemancer
Happy 2012 New Year! Sometime last month, a Japanese indie developer shared with the world Rokko Chan: A Mega Man game in the form of a female. The game is very true to the Megaman world with the concept, level designs, art style, 8-bit catchy tunes, and challenging gameplay. It's played in Flash in your browser using the arrow keys, ZXC keys, shift, ctrl, and spacebar to jump, shoot, dash, switch weapons and bring up the menu. For those who have not played any Megaman games at all, it is essentially an action platformer where you go through various levels to fight off the boss at the end of the stage. The player then acquires abilities from each defeated boss to fight the main boss in the game. Rokko Chan is every bit as challenging as Megaman and could've probably been a smash hit back in the NES days. The video above shows Owata Mode which is practically playing on Contra difficulty = You get hit you die right away. You don't get that mode until you complete the game though.
Source: Youtube Channel Coffeemancer
Happy 2012 New Year! Sometime last month, a Japanese indie developer shared with the world Rokko Chan: A Mega Man game in the form of a female. The game is very true to the Megaman world with the concept, level designs, art style, 8-bit catchy tunes, and challenging gameplay. It's played in Flash in your browser using the arrow keys, ZXC keys, shift, ctrl, and spacebar to jump, shoot, dash, switch weapons and bring up the menu. For those who have not played any Megaman games at all, it is essentially an action platformer where you go through various levels to fight off the boss at the end of the stage. The player then acquires abilities from each defeated boss to fight the main boss in the game. Rokko Chan is every bit as challenging as Megaman and could've probably been a smash hit back in the NES days. The video above shows Owata Mode which is practically playing on Contra difficulty = You get hit you die right away. You don't get that mode until you complete the game though.
Friday, December 16, 2011
NewNews - Music with your Games
If you bought the Humble Indie Bundle 4 that I mentioned on Tuesday, then all of you get the soundtracks for each of the games from the bundle. All of you that didn't buy it still can and get the soundtracks! Just the soundtracks from Super Meat Boy, Cave Story+ and Jamestown are worth buying the bundle!
Source: Youtube Channel NotVaati
Source: Youtube Channel NotVaati
Tuesday, December 13, 2011
VGCulture - Humble Indie Bundle 4
Official Site: http://www.humblebundle.com/
Source: Youtube Channel WolfireGames
There's another Humble Indie Bundle out with 7 great games!!!
-Gratuitous Space Battles (If you pay above the average)
-Cave Story+ (If you pay above the average)
-Jamestown
-Bit Trip Runner
-Super Meat Boy
-Shank
-Nightsky HD
These are 7 incredible indie games for the price "of your choice!" (albeit the 2 you have to pay above average which is only $5.15 right now). Remember that part of your payment can/will go to charity. Click on the link above, click purchase, choose your price and the division of payments, and either download them or redeem them on Steam (all of them are available on steam this time thankfully).
Source: Youtube Channel WolfireGames
There's another Humble Indie Bundle out with 7 great games!!!
-Gratuitous Space Battles (If you pay above the average)
-Cave Story+ (If you pay above the average)
-Jamestown
-Bit Trip Runner
-Super Meat Boy
-Shank
-Nightsky HD
These are 7 incredible indie games for the price "of your choice!" (albeit the 2 you have to pay above average which is only $5.15 right now). Remember that part of your payment can/will go to charity. Click on the link above, click purchase, choose your price and the division of payments, and either download them or redeem them on Steam (all of them are available on steam this time thankfully).
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