State of independanceAnd so we come to the last part of this month's roundup of new indie releases. Actually, five more have just turned up, just to spite me no doubt.
I'm not sure there is any simple answer as to why there is such great variety in quality across the indie channel, but there ain't 'alf some tosh on here. But even within just the fifteen games seen in these three features there is also an eclectic mix of genres and presentations. Platformers and top-down shooters are probably most common, but perhaps the best indie devs are reliving the gaming past, showing their love for the "out of date" and now unfashionable genres of yesteryear. It isn't a heritage I can lay claim to (being rather more concerned with learning times tables at the time), but when older, wiser gamers are complaining of the desaturated plague of gunmetal greys and shell-hole browns that they claim ruin modern gaming, perhaps a prescription from the indie channel can cure their FPS induced malaise?
Continuing to stretch a metaphor, let me be the guinea pig for items found in this vast gaming dispensary. In single doses, applied liberally for ten minute trials, free at the point of delivery. Or, if you haven't read the previous articles: I play each demo for these games and make recommendations for you to try for yourselves. Feel free to mock my poverty for not being able to afford to buy any of these games in the comments by the way.
First out of the medicine chest this time around is
Alien Pyramid Challenge, a game that pulls no punches when it comes to appropriate titles: you play an alien, inside a pyramid who is challenged to make his way out. APC is a side on platformer that sees you moving blocks around, often in a very specific order, to make it to the exit. A notable feature is the inclusion of a state-save button on the left shoulder bumper. It's really handy for preventing the frustration that results from finding yourself stuck down a pit with no way out -assuming you remember to save frequently. However, unlike Braid, your time reversing power will do you no good if you fall onto a spike trap, making it of questionable use for the most part. If hauling limestone blocks around is your idea of a good time there is probably some puzzle-platform fun to be had here for the eighty points, but only if you've already seen the better offerings from the channel.
D-Cypher is an 'homage' to
Mastermind, a board game that looks suspiciously like the sort of thing that nerdy kid from primary school who was obsessed maths might like. Which is, unhappily, exactly the sort of thing that I am unable to get anywhere at all with. The logical deduction by reduction required by this game induced serious mental anguish on my part. Being not nearly Alan Turing enough (I mean in a code-breaking sense, not a persecuted homosexual one) to get why anyone would do this for fun, I wouldn't recommend this download to anyone. However, I'm assured that the Mastermind board game was quite popular, so someone must like this sort of thing and for eighty points you might too. I guess this version may be of interest as it has a single player and doesn't involve your little brother throwing a hissy-fit and scattering all the pieces on the carpet when you beat him. Assuming the board game is like every other one I've played with family and friends.
Spider Evader is another game that is best explained with a link. The link in this case is to a popular flash
helicopter game that is much better than Spider Evader is. Playing as a fly in a spider's web, this game's entire raison de etre is to convince a friend to play up to level three when, about halfway through a 'horrifying scare' is unleashed on the unsuspecting victim. I wouldn't know what the scare is, as it isn't available in the trial version, but I suspect the real trick here is that you conned them into playing three levels of a crappy 'avoid the walls game'. And that you spent eighty points for the privilege. You idiot.
XCross is another game that makes my job easier by being based on an existing puzzle
game. Not unlike a sudoku puzzle, you are given a grid with numbers at the edges and told to fill squares in. However, unlike a sudoku puzzle, you fill squares in with blocks and the numbers merely tell you how many blocks are in that row and in what groupings. Pictures emerge. Horribly difficult to explain in text alone -a place where X Cross's supplied tutorial falters slightly- it is relatively easy to pick up with enough experimentation. The sedate nature of methodically filling in blocks doesn't lend itself to brief bursts of play (or intense ten minute trial reviews), but I'd wager X Cross is the perfect lazy Sunday activity to keep your brain ticking over whilst waiting for dinner to cook. There is a hint system included, as well as a selection of musical tracks of varying quality. Overall, the presentation is clinical but pleasant, even if there is no logical reason for your avatar to be stood at the edge of the screen gurning away. If you're in the market for a puzzle game that you can take all day over, I'd suspect X cross might be for you. Two hundred and forty of your finest Microsoft points for this one.
If you are dismayed by the lack of titles that look a bit like Nintendo sixty-four games, then your prays are sort of answered by the arrival of
Rail Gun Charlie. It is an astonishingly confusing game with a rather simple concept at its core: you pilot a little gun turret thing along the surface of planets with spheres on it which aliens are trying to steal. So you zoom around shooting them before they get back to their mothership. The planets themselves are quite small, leading to some disorientating moments where everything disappears over the horizon. I had very little idea what was going on most of the time. There's bright colours and klaxons galore, but they don't disguise the fact that the underlying shooting mechanics are not actually all that fun. By no means a terrible game, RGC is just too rough around the edges to recommend at its two forty price point.
Ok, that's it for indie title round ups for the moment. Please direct all hate to the comment box below and come back in a couple of days if it hasn't cleared up.
Bungie vows never to follow the Activision route and charge extra for online multiplayer
(1) (30/07) 
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#1 - Trip SkyWay - on 12/10/2009 at 14:00 wrote:
"I'm not sure there is any simple answer as to why there is such great variance in quality across the indie channel, but there ain't 'alf some tosh on here."
It's because peer review only checks for crashes, and prohibited content. If the game runs without breeching MS's rules you can put it up there. Indie games is a better name but comunity games was probably more acurate.
#2 - peej - on 12/10/2009 at 14:05 wrote:
These articles are ace though, certainly downloaded some stuff I'd never thought to have a look at before.
#3 - HairyArse - on 12/10/2009 at 14:37 wrote:
:(
#4 - Duckocide - on 12/10/2009 at 20:43 wrote:
#5 - Metalfish - on 12/10/2009 at 21:28 wrote:
I didn't Mean to give your game a kicking, I hope people are bearing in mind that I spent very little time with the games. If you can provide us with a youtube video maybe people could see the effort they've put in (it certainly is a very pretty game indeed) and hopefully make their own minds up.
Also, I doubt you'd be up for it after my negativity, but I'm thinking of rounding up a few indie devs for some interview questions about their experiences with the service and indie development and was wondering if you'd like to chime in at all?
#6 - HairyArse - on 13/10/2009 at 18:08 wrote:
:)
#7 - Duckocide - on 13/10/2009 at 19:32 wrote:
No problem. I tried to get something as manic and fast paced as Defender in 3D on XNA. I think it's pretty pacey :) For people after a video (including a complete dev progress diary), check out authors commentary on the game microsite...
http://duckocide.squarespace.com/rail-gun-charlie/#author
Shows my progress towards its Dream Build Play 2009 submission this year.
ps. Happy to chime in :)
#8 - Duckocide - on 13/10/2009 at 19:40 wrote:
#9 - peej - on 14/10/2009 at 08:43 wrote:
Good to have you aboard! FWIW most games journalists (or pretend ones like me) are deeply envious of anyone who can slap code together. The only game I've ever made was a rubbish Arkanoid clone in Flash and that was tough enough, no idea how I'd even begin to tackle a 3D homage to Defender (which is one of the best arcade games ever made).
Come for the veal, stay for the pithy and funny stuff :)