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| 30 JUN 2011 at 12:57pm | |
FnordSchattenjger  Posts : 2752 Joined: 15 SEP 2008 Location: SE, Stockholm Status : Offline | During the last couple of years, indie games have managed to step into the spotlight. It is not a new concept, companies like Spiderweb software has been around for a while. Now look at the price tag for creating a new game, like Crysis 2, and compare it to a game like Braid. Which one is cheaper? Which one offers more innovative and fun ideas? I'm not saying that the industry is out of ideas (just look at Portal, that game had plenty of fresh ideas, combined with good writing and a great antagonist) I do understand why companies don't want to risk a copious amount of money on innovative games though, because while great innovation might bring some extra sales, people have time and time again shown that they are afraid of new ideas in gaming. If a game differs too much from the norm, then there is a large chance that people won't buy it (just look at the amazing game Outcast. Reviewers loved it, but people did not buy it. That game was quite different from common games at the time, and I guess that scared people. The same holds true for Sacrifice, Messiah, Call of cthulhu: Dark corners of the earth, Fahrenheit, games that reviewers loved/really liked, but people refused to buy). Indie games don't have the same problem as regular games, they are cheaper to make, and thus the people/companies that makes them can afford to take some risks. The results are of course mixed, some indie games are horrible, while others are great. But indie games don't have to become as "casual friendly" as most larger games, their CRPGs don't have to be dumbed down to work on consoles and can be challenging. So in honor of all these great indie games, here are some that I think that you should check out: Trine: A physics based 2d platformer/puzzle game. Relaxing, nice looking and fun. Braid: Another 2d platformer/puzzle game, this time the puzzles are time based (you can manipulate time in different ways in this game). Minecraft: Minecraft is a phenomena, no question about it. This isa creative game, for all of us who enjoyed Lego. The game is amazing(ly time consuming) and addictive. Delve deeper: is a 2d turnbased strategy game, where you compete with other groups of dwarves in an attempt to collect as much money/artifacts in a set amount of turns. You will also have to combat different kinds of monsters while digging deeper. Amnesia: The dark descent is another phenomena. It makes Silent Hill seem about as scary as wolfenstein 3d. Penumbra by the same company, not as scary, but still scarier than almost every other horror game out there. Fun puzzles. Anything by spiderweb software: This is a company that specializes in making deep CRPGs with good writing. Ugly, but fun. Osmos might not look like much, but it manages to both be relaxing and challenging at the same time. A fun little diversion overall. Steel storm might not be the most innovative game of all time, but it is a fun and challenging free roaming top down shooter, with nice graphics.
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| 30 JUN 2011 at 3:00pm | |
markornikovJourneyman .jpg) Posts : 1303 Joined: 28 OCT 2011 Location: BE, Antwerp Status : Offline | In the end profits are all that matters. There's such a massive amount of games that are released per year and combined with regular sales, it's very hard for indie developers to earn a profit. There are only a few indie games that turn out be a hit game. I find most indie games dumbed down ripoff versions of other big hit games. I won't say that there aren't any good indie games (like the ones you listed), but overall the genre doesn't appeal to me :-/
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| 30 JUN 2011 at 3:36pm | |
FnordSchattenjgerPosts : 2752 Joined: 15 SEP 2008 Location: SE, Stockholm Status : Offline | There is of course a lot of ripoffs and low budget versions of more popular games on the indie market. Games like Shadowgrounds or Revenge of the titans (two games that i got with bundles a while back) adds nothing new to the field, and many indie games are simply games that attempts to play on peoples nostalgia, with NES or SNES-like gameplay & graphics, but there also seem to be more risk taking & innovation among the indie games than among the larger games. And many indie game developers make games as a side project, something that they do mainly for fun. Indie games don't earn the developers a whole lot of money, unless they get really popular, it is not something most people can do for a living.
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| 30 JUN 2011 at 3:47pm | |
tincup2Journeyman Posts : 822 Joined: 8 MAR 2011 Location: US, NYC Status : Offline | |
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| 30 JUN 2011 at 3:57pm | |
DonaJourneyman Posts : 801 Joined: 19 MAR 2005 Status : Offline | |
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| 30 JUN 2011 at 4:43pm | |
Mr Innocent.Journeyman Posts : 1317 Joined: 15 JAN 2008 Location: GR Status : Offline | Originally Posted By Fnord (30 JUN 2011 12:57pm) I found Osmos way, way too challenging and frustrating after the first few levels per zone to be called a "fun little diversion" :-/. There were actually quite a few people going as far as to claim that the demo that included the first couple of really relaxing levels, was misleading and not representative of the punishingly difficult full game. To which the developers answered, "but it says that the full game is challenging in the sales pitch right after the demo ends", which doesn't fully address the issue as far as I am concerned, the difficulty spike in the levels after the ones included in the demo is just too steep. Interesting you should say that about Revenge of the Titans, a game I do not yet have, and as I understand it vaguely fits in the tower defense genre I usually really like. Most reviews have been glowing, chief among them one by a reviewer I more or less trust at Eurogamer, calling it a very innovative and refreshing take in a genre usually extremely constrained in terms of design, the exact opposite of your opinion... Now I have to try it for myself. http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2011-04-05-revenge-of-the-titans-review
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| 30 JUN 2011 at 5:03pm | |
FnordSchattenjgerPosts : 2752 Joined: 15 SEP 2008 Location: SE, Stockholm Status : Offline | I have do admit that I have only played 3 tower defense games in my life (one being a Starcraft map), so my post about revenge of the titans might not be fair at all, but it did remind me of another tower defense game that I played before Revenge of the titans. Overall, it is a genre that I have not had a whole lot of fun with, but from my understanding, it is quite popular, in particular on cellphones. As for Osmos, I got it in a bundle a while back, and I knew absolutely nothing about it before I had a chance to play it, so again, my view on it might not be the same as that of others. I enjoy playing it though, in particular when I have only ~15min to kill.
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| 30 JUN 2011 at 6:54pm | |
StilerJourneyman Posts : 1464 Joined: 27 SEP 2004 Location: US, TN Status : Offline | |
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| 1 JUL 2011 at 5:25pm | |
FnordSchattenjgerPosts : 2752 Joined: 15 SEP 2008 Location: SE, Stockholm Status : Offline | Oh, I forgot about that game. While it has moved away from its indie game roots, Mount & blade really shows what can be done, if you put your mind to it.
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| 4 JUL 2011 at 2:10pm | |
FnordSchattenjgerPosts : 2752 Joined: 15 SEP 2008 Location: SE, Stockholm Status : Offline | For those interested, Tale of tales games are now on sale on Steam. http://store.steampowered.com/sub/6900/ Fatale, The path & The Graveyard for 4˝€.
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| 12 JUL 2011 at 8:20pm | |
FnordSchattenjgerPosts : 2752 Joined: 15 SEP 2008 Location: SE, Stockholm Status : Offline | I wrote this on another forum, as a short of mini-review of the games that I got on the recent steam sale & a indie game sale. Delve deeper Delve deeper is a game about gathering money for a greedy dwarf king. You compete with up to 3 other teams of dwarfs, who are also trying to gather as much money as possible. The game is a rather lighthearted turnbased strategy game, where you move your dwarfs through the mines, let them mine gold/gems/mithril, gather chests (which can contain valuable artifacts, which can give you money or improve your dwarf a little, or sometimes contain nasty surprises), kill monsters or try to take gold from the other teams by clobbering their dwarfs. Overall the game was lighthearted and very fun. Eternity's child At 1€ I really did not risk much by buying this game. The artistic style looked great when I looked at the screenshots, and the bullet points also bragged about its soundtrack. Plus, I like 2d platformers, so whats not to like? Not everything turned out to well thought. The soundtrack was indeed good, but the animations were odd and the characters looked a bit out of place, as if you tried to photoshop a bright thing into a dark image, and the animations looked incomplete. Enemies could take far too much damage, but were no real threat, all they did was make sure that you had to stop all the time in order to take care of them. The jumping controls were nearly broken, the main character did not move naturally, everything felt a bit "floaty" and on top of that the collision detection with platforms was poor. The level design felt like it was good in theory, but in practice, it did not work. Overall, the game was not very fun. The graveyard This is interactive art, not a game. You walk across a graveyard, sit on a bench, and then some things happens. After that you walk back. It was beautiful though, and so cheap that it might as well have been free. Guardians of graxia I'm still playing this one. This is another turnbased strategy game, that works like a boar game (apparently a boardgame of the same name was released at the same time. I suspect that the boardgame works slightly better). You place a hero, then you draw cards representing different creatures and abilities. You spend mana to use these cards, and you get more mana by taking regions on the map. This might sound like magic the gathering, and while there are some slight similarities, this game does its own thing. Two rather major issues with this game are the facts that everything moves very slowly on the map (as in slow animations), and the computers turns takes far too long. If it were not for these issues, this would have been a really nice game. I still find it enjoyable though, well worth the 1˝€ I spent on it. Guns of Icarus You are the only person on a zeppelin, which gets attacked by pirates. Your job is to shoot them down with your guns (which can be placed on 6 different locations) and to repair your zeppelin when it takes damage. The game is a 3rd person game (apart from when you use your turrets, then you play in a first person mode), and you need to run between each location on foot. The game is all about knowing what to prioritize. A fun little diversion, with a nice steampunk style. Mount & Blade: With fire & Sword Another entry in the mount & blade family, this time with guns, and a real world setting. If you have played the earlier entries in the series, you know what it is all about. This one has a slightly stronger narrative side, and I thought that the gunpowder weapons made the game better. Overall, a fun game, but I suspect that most people who are interested in these kinds of games have tried another part of the series, so I won't have to explain what you do in it. The path Another artsy game, by the same company that made The graveyard. This game is slightly more complete, form a game point of view. You play as a young girl who is sent to visit her grandmother. Your orders is to stay on the path. If you do, you will reach your grandmother, and the game will end. This game is more about exploration, and the creepy atmosphere though. Unsure if this can really be called a game, or if it counts as interactive art. Steel storm: Burning retribution A free roaming top down shooter (well, free roaming might not be exactly what it is, but it plays a bit like some older free roaming top down shooters, but in a maze, unlike most top down shooters which are auto scrolling, like Ikaruga, Touhou or Raiden). For an indie game, this game looks really nice, the sound effects are good and the action is fast paced and rather satisfying. A simple game, but for what it is, it is quite good. Fatale Another short Tale of tales game (The path & The graveyard). This is, again, more art than game. It is a short story based on the bible. I don't think it can be properly explained with words, it has to be experienced.
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| 22 JUL 2011 at 9:41pm | |
Child Of DunwichPrivate Detective  Posts : 480 Joined: 25 MAY 2011 Status : Offline | |
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| 23 JUL 2011 at 9:30am | |
TravellerGuild Master  Posts : 4040 Joined: 3 JUL 2010 Location: US Status : Offline | |
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| 23 JUL 2011 at 12:10pm | |
FnordSchattenjgerPosts : 2752 Joined: 15 SEP 2008 Location: SE, Stockholm Status : Offline | I have only played one more since, and that is a game that I mentioned in the "What are you playing besides AG's?" thread. Namely: Dungeons of Dredmor A rogue like made to be accessible to people who don't normally play rogue likes. This is a far lighter rogue like than most others, and far less forgiving for beginners. That does not mean that it is easy though, the game will still try to kill you. You can either play with permadeath (to get the full rogue like experience) or without. The game is rather humorous, with jokes that reminds me of the early versions of Munchkin (and there is even a Dwarf Fortress joke in there ). Overall the game is really nice, and quite funny at times, and if you are looking for a good entry level rogue like, this game should suit you well.
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| 26 JUL 2011 at 5:51pm | |
TravellerGuild MasterPosts : 4040 Joined: 3 JUL 2010 Location: US Status : Offline | |
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| 26 JUL 2011 at 5:56pm | |
Child Of DunwichPrivate DetectivePosts : 480 Joined: 25 MAY 2011 Status : Offline | |
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| 28 JUL 2011 at 12:24am | |
tincup2JourneymanPosts : 822 Joined: 8 MAR 2011 Location: US, NYC Status : Offline | |
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| 28 JUL 2011 at 11:12am | |
FnordSchattenjgerPosts : 2752 Joined: 15 SEP 2008 Location: SE, Stockholm Status : Offline | Humble indie bundle 3 is out. It is a pay what you want/money goes to charity kind of thing, so yes, you can in theory get 5 games for 1€ (but don't be so cheap!). Games can be activated on steam or desura, but you don't have to do that. The games this time around are: VVVVVV And yet it moves Cogs Crayon physics deluxe Hammerfight I've been addicted to VVVVVV since I got it, the game looks incredibly simple, yet its gameplay is really good and the music is very catchy.
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| 28 JUL 2011 at 5:16pm | |
FnordSchattenjgerPosts : 2752 Joined: 15 SEP 2008 Location: SE, Stockholm Status : Offline | And by the way, for anyone who bought the second humble bundle, check your download link, you got the first humble bundle as a bonus, added afterwards. I just noticed (I was adding my previous humble bundles to Desura as well, just in case steam goes down or something like that) and found an email that I had missed, telling me that I do in fact also have the first humble bundle. And here I was feeling sad because I missed it the first time around. The frozen byte humble bundle does not have any extras though (but the value of that one was still very good).
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| 3 AUG 2011 at 12:45pm | |
FnordSchattenjgerPosts : 2752 Joined: 15 SEP 2008 Location: SE, Stockholm Status : Offline | Aquaria Aquaria is in indie game that came out just before or at the very start of the wave of indie games that we have seen during the last couple of years. It is also one of the more ambitious indie games out there. The game reminds me quite a bit of Metroid or the later 2d Castlevania games, but unlike those, you are not bound to the ground. You navigate an almost maze-like underwater environment, solve puzzles and gather objects that enhances your characters strength (this might be in the form of permanent health powerups, new abilities or items that gives you a temporary buff). Much like in the metroid games past past the second one a lot of work has been put into the bosses, that are challenging and well though out, which each boss requiring an entirely different strategy. And the bosses are not easy, most of them will probably take the average person more than one attempt. The graphics is beautiful and varied, which each region having a different style, that still works well with the game as a whole. The music is also fitting for each region, and very well made. If there is one thing that I could complain about it is the very start of the game. The first hour was not very fun, it felt like I was just aimlessly swimming around, trying to figure out where to go next. But after the first boss, the game got a lot better. Much like in Super Metroid the game feels open ended, but is in fact rather linear. There is an order that you are supposed to do things in, and it is often quite obvious where you are supposed to go next, but somehow the game gives you a sense of freedom. It was also quite lengthy. While a new 2d metroid or castlevania will take me roughly 3-4h from start to finish, this one was just over 12h long (14h total time according to steam, but that includes time where I started the game, and then left the computer to do other things). Overall I do recommend this game to anyone who enjoys 2d game with a focus on exploration.
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| 28 SEP 2011 at 10:20pm | |
FnordSchattenjgerPosts : 2752 Joined: 15 SEP 2008 Location: SE, Stockholm Status : Offline | A new humble bundle is out! http://www.humblebundle.com/ The main game this time around is Frozen synapse, but you also get the old Frozenbyte bundle, which contains the excellent Trine, the two shadowgrounds games (which costs $10 each on gog, I don't really understand why they are there though, they are not old), one pre-order and another game/prototype of a game which I have yet to play.
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| 29 SEP 2011 at 7:39pm | |
FnordSchattenjgerPosts : 2752 Joined: 15 SEP 2008 Location: SE, Stockholm Status : Offline | I'm bumping this, because you really should not miss out on this game. It reminds me a tad bit of the old Combat mission games, where you set up orders for your squads (the opponent does this at the same time), and then you let the game run for ˝min, at which point you can watch your squads advance, fire at your opponents and so on, and then you are given another ˝min to give order for. This is a must for anyone who likes turnbased strategy/tactical games.
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| 30 SEP 2011 at 7:02pm | |
TravellerGuild MasterPosts : 4040 Joined: 3 JUL 2010 Location: US Status : Offline | |
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| 30 SEP 2011 at 7:07pm | |
FnordSchattenjgerPosts : 2752 Joined: 15 SEP 2008 Location: SE, Stockholm Status : Offline | I'm really spamming this thread They now added the adventure game Truma to the bundle. And to add something more of value to this thread: Bit trip runner This is another indie game that seem to have gotten a lot of attention. It is a side scrolling game where you avoid incoming dangers by pressing certain keys at the right time. You have no control over your characters speed, it will always run from left to right at a constant speed, and your job is to press the jump/duck/kick/springboard key at the right time. There are also things that you can pick up along the way in order to get more points. I guess a large draw of this game is the music, which apparently was composed by a famous chiptunes group. This game is not for the easily frustrated though, as it is quite challenging at times, and I guess some people might feel inclined to turn off the game after failing at the same obstacle for the 5th time in a row. Not a bad game, but I don't really understand why it became so famous. Judging by the steam achievements, only 15% of all people who have played it have managed to get past the first world (out of 3). VVVVVV This is more of a real modern retro game (bit trip runner wants to look retro but in 3d, but no game actually looked like that, as far as I can tell). Graphics & sound are at the same level as that of a C64 game (but the soundtrack is incredibly catchy). This game is both incredibly unforgiving and incredibly forgiving at the same time, because while you will easily die if you make a single mistake, respawn points are plentiful, you will often find them before and after any challenge, and sometimes also in the middle of them. You can't jump in this game, but you can flip gravity, which is how you avoid all obstacles. Overall this was a surprisingly good game, if a bit short (about 2h long for me, but it has a decent level of replay value). *edit 2* By the way, this game does not require you to have any nostalgic connection to the old C64. I was talking to a friends 15 year old daughter about this game (she is a bit of a gamer), and she liked it as much as I do. *edit* Originally Posted By placeholder (30 SEP 2011 7:01pm) Nice! I personally hope to find more time for Frozen synapse when I'm done with Arcanum, because the parts that I have played showed a potential for an incredible amount of tactical depth.
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| 1 OCT 2011 at 7:07pm | |
FnordSchattenjgerPosts : 2752 Joined: 15 SEP 2008 Location: SE, Stockholm Status : Offline | Avadon: The black fortress is 50% off on steam today. If you like deep & complex storybased CRPGs with well written dialogue and turnbased combat then you can not go wrong with this game.
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