Xbox Indies News and Reviews

Bub Block: Family Fun

XBLA & XBLIG Ratings — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 07:02:36 GMT

Bub Block is a fun, simple, easy game for all ages! I would recommend this game to anybody who just wants to sit down with some friends and have a friendly competition trying to survive and trap one-another.

Day 451: CEPINAS

Writings of Mass Deduction — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 05:57:42 GMT

Now this is interesting. “CEPINAS” has you simultaneously trying to conquer planets while defending conquered planets from enemies trying to take them away from you. The controls take a few liberties with newtonian physics for the sake of playability, but you do have momentum whenever you let off the thrusters so it’s forgiveable. The planets [...]

L.A.R.A: Lost In Space meets Doom.

XBLA & XBLIG Ratings — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 02:21:20 GMT

The FPS isn’t what it once was. You can’t find a single row of any rack in a game section that doesn’t have an FPS nestled somewhere amongst its sorted-by-system brethren. I’d argue the only more common bullet point on a box would be the inclusion of zombies, but that’s an argument best waged on another forum. I’ll save you the trolling though- I win. Throw a rock and you’d hit a zombie (who’d moan extendedly and accordingly) well before it hit the ground. And since you’d be viewing that throw in the first-person, you just killed and / or re-killed the two most popular genre-birds with one stone (wow, that’s one hell of an intended pun).

Indies at First Sight: Octopede and Growing Pains, Games worth your time

Vintage Video Games TV — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 00:43:01 GMT

Click each BoxArt to be brought to MarketLink Octopede Most of you know me for my love of Retro Games, and Millipede is one of those retro games I enjoy. Octopede takes snake to a whole new level, with its very addicting gameplay, very upbeat soundtrack and memorable visuals. Controlling your Octopede may not be [...]

The Fall of Gods: Excellent

XBLA & XBLIG Ratings — Sat, 04 Feb 2012 17:35:58 GMT

Wow this game is a good surprise. I used to love a Link to the past, and the great is a great homage.

The mapping is really good, the music is really amazing, and the world is vast with apparently many side-quests :)

Doom & Destiny: poor rpg

XBLA & XBLIG Ratings — Sat, 04 Feb 2012 17:28:40 GMT

I don't quite understand the high rate, Honestly. There are tons of game like that from RPG Maker community, and some really better than that.

The mapping is really poor and not consistent, the musics already heard, and the english is awfull

Brand (XBLIG): "A Game With A Mythology All It's Own"

OtakuDante's Gaming Inferno — Sat, 04 Feb 2012 10:27:00 GMT

There are many mythologies in the world of gaming. You'll find epic games that revolve around various science fiction universes, and games that are based on fantasy realms. As a gamer I've seen many of these mythologies come, and go throughout the years. Some of them have even lasted through many different genres of consoles. It's always nice to see new realities/mythologies being born from the imaginations of gaming developers. Being able to experience these mythology based games provides an escape from everyday life for many video game enthusiasts such as myself. I often feel as if I'm a part of the world's, and mythologies that game developers create and enjoy the artistic trip that ensues. Recently I got the opportunity to play, and review an indie game that had it's own "Brand" of mythology. Nine Dots Studio, the developer behind the indie game "Brand" has brought their own mythology of sorts to the XBLIG library in an entirely new way. The game revolves around a quest to make a sword that's worthy for a king by completing side quests that involve ancient creatures called Troglodytes.

L.A.R.A

Gear Fish — Sat, 04 Feb 2012 10:02:08 GMT

Lost In Space meets Doom. Green light, Will Robinson!

Day 450: The Sugar Killerz

Writings of Mass Deduction — Sat, 04 Feb 2012 02:55:55 GMT

“The Sugar Killerz” is an enjoyable game that again raises the question of value. Is 400 Microsoft Points a great price versus comparable 800+ MSP XBLA titles, or a bad price versus some fantastic 80 Microsoft Point? I tend to fall into the former camp, I’ve paid 400 points for indie games that blow anyway [...]

Block Zombies!: Dont Block me in!

XBLA & XBLIG Ratings — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 23:44:49 GMT

You know the old saying, zombies zombies everywhere but not a drop to drink?

Well OK that's not quite how it goes, I’ve "adapted" it a bit to relate it a little more to this. Anyway the point is the one thing that zombies and zombie games have in relation is, there's always lots of them.

Night of the Fred Out In October, Gets A Reveal Trailer

Trendy Gamers — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 21:34:16 GMT

Sticky DPad announced today that their upcoming Indie game, Night of the Fred, will be released this October on PC and Xbox Live Indie Games. Night of the Fred is described as an action RPG set in a post apocalyptic future and like most Xbox Live Indie games, there are zombies!

Brand: A sword perhaps best left in the stone (for now)

Armless Octopus — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 18:52:12 GMT

The waiting game is often a tricky one. Sometimes an extended wait can lead to having some of your wildest expectations fulfilled, and then some. On the other end of that spectrum, however, lies disappointment. That doesn’t necessarily mean that what you had finally received was poor by any means, but it simply didn’t live up to what you were hoping for. Brand is one such title which unfortunately suffers the fate of the latter. When we first got wind …

Soul Calibur V - "The Lowdown On The Beatdown"

OtakuDante's Gaming Inferno — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 15:34:00 GMT

I'm a gamer who takes things seriously when it comes to fighting games. I have actually spent most of my gaming career playing fighting games. I've enjoyed everything from 2D fighters to the latest 3D oriented fighting games. To cut straight to the point though, I have noticed a bad trend going on with next-gen fighting games and "Soul Calibur V" is sadly no exception to that. The following article is going to be about my experience with the latest installment of the Soul Calibur series, Soul Calibur V. I have a lot of things I feel I need to address about the game, and some things gamers need to be aware of if they are thinking about buying this game ...

Cell:emergence Emerging on PC and Xbox on February 9

Armless Octopus — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 15:08:59 GMT

New Life Interactive’s cancer-curing, voxel-based game, Cell: emergence finally has a release date. The “action surgery game” will be released on February 9 on Xbox Live Indie Games for $5 (400 MS Points). Cell: emergence HD will also be released for PC for GamersGate, Gamestop PC Downloads, Green Man Gaming, Playism, and Desura for $8.95. The extra four bucks nabs you almost twice as many cells to destroy, along with improved sound. You might remember Cell: emergence as that trippy-looking …

VVGtv Exclusive: Freds Fridays #4, Our Visual Journey Begins!

Vintage Video Games TV — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 14:00:47 GMT

Alright you creeps, it’s Freds Fridays. We know you love seeing the exclusive stuff here on VVGtv. Make sure to share with anyone you please, even linking in to past Freds Fridays as well. This week we are treated to a teaser trailer to Night of the Fred by Sticky DPad Games, and boy oh [...]

Day 449: CTG

Writings of Mass Deduction — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 02:50:57 GMT

Some games have obvious acronyms, often inspired by previous games in the series, or unofficial ones used in marketing materials (“GTA”, for example) while still having an official, fully spelled-out title. Then there’s “CTG”. My best guess is that it stands for “combo the grandmothers,” as that does describe the game (believe it or not) [...]

BRAND! Available Now on Xbox Indie Games

Vintage Video Games TV — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 21:51:35 GMT

ClickBanner to be brought to marketlink Brand is now available from Nine Dots Studios on the Xbox Live Indie Games. Below is details on the game and the release trailer for the Brand. Brand is currently available for 80 Microsoft points. Excerpt from older post: Xbox Indie Games Getting a Well Deserved Brand Assets and Description [...]

Escape Goat Drops To 80 MSP

Trendy Gamers — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 21:09:27 GMT

Magical Time Bean announced today that their Xbox Live Indie Game, Escape Goat, has now dropped in price from 240 MSP ($3) to just 80 MSP ($1).

Since the recent changes to the Xbox Indie restrictions, a ton of good Xbox Live Indie games have had their prices reduced to the new low price of 80 MSP so it is definitely worth finding the Indie section on your dashboard to see some good, cheap games.

Little Racers STREET Review: Size Does Not Matter

Armless Octopus — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 19:37:50 GMT

EDIT: Developer Milkstone Studios informs us that an update is coming next week, which will include multiplayer mode The XBLIG Marketplace is notorious for its often campy FMV games (sadly, no Night Trap port yet), Avatar-laden gimmick titles, and games that bear strikingly low production values. On occasion, a gem will find its way between the otherwise generic rocks of games and spark a glimmer of hope into XBLIG again. One such title is Little Racers STREET, the 15th title …

Co-Optimus Founder Developing an Indie Game

Armless Octopus — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 18:49:46 GMT

Whenever someone disagrees with a critic, their first reaction always seems to be “I’d like to see you do it better.” Well, Nick Puleo is going to try and do just that. The founder and managing editor of Co-Optimus has teamed up with longtime friend Dave Paul to form Brian Shape Games, and their first release, SCHAR: Blue Shield Alliance, is due out later this year for Xbox Live Indie Games and PC. As you might imagine, SCHAR is a …

Rotor’scope Now Just $1

XBLA & XBLIG Ratings — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 16:19:39 GMT

The Spanish videogame “Rotor’scope: the secret of the endless energy”, developed by the young members of the Nivel21 Entertainment team, is lowering its price in the Xbox Live Indie Games marketplace. So now, all the Microsoft console players can get the game for a price of 80 Microsoft Points.

Brand Released on XBLIG

XBLA & XBLIG Ratings — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 16:15:43 GMT

Nine Dots Studio is proud to announce the launch of its first project, Brand, now available on Xbox Live Indie Games. For the next three months, the game will be available at a discount for the very low price of 80 Microsoft Points. It will start selling at its full price of 240 points on March 3. Brand is a labor of love; it has been in development for ten months by a team of five developers working full time with no salary. The game revolves around a simple sword handed out to the player so that he may upgrade it until it is worthy of a King. There are many ways to increase its power and it is up to the player to choose what abilities he needs. Some powers even combine together to create new effects, granting even more play styles to explore.

Day 448: Satellite

Writings of Mass Deduction — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 04:19:32 GMT

Borrowing from hardcore ’90s simulation titles, “Satellite” tasks you with operating and building out an orbital space station. Like classic games of old, you’re building up your energy production capacity, increasing your economic development (including housing and greenhouse modules for the people that come along with that), taking on side missions, and defending yourself against [...]

XBLIG New Release Roundup For the Week of January 22

Armless Octopus — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 22:38:26 GMT

The past few weeks have been pretty light on the new releases, so of course that means it was time for developers to release 3 quality racing games in the same week, right? There’s also a compilation of comic bookshelves from the 90s, a remake of an old PC RTS, and the weekly dose of balloon boobs. Armless Octopus Bloody Tentacle Award of the Week Little Racers STREET – Dave This is the best value on XBLIG this year. It’s …

Cell: Emergence Out On February 9th

Trendy Gamers — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 21:59:25 GMT

New Life Interactive announced today that Cell: Emergence will be out on February 9th for PC and Xbox Live Indie Games, with a demo releasing on February 7th. You’ll be able to download the PC version through GamersGate, GameStop PC Downloads (formerly Impulse), Green Man Gaming, Playism, and Desura.

Got a submission for Indiecade 2012? The doors are open

Extra Guy — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 21:03:20 GMT

Do you have an indie title ready for contest submission? Well, you may want to look into getting involved with Indiecade 2012. Entries can be submitted at the Indiecade website. Previous finalists include Bit.Trip FLUX, FEZ, PEWPEWPEWPEWPEWPEWPEWPEWPEW...

Community Replay: Playstation Demo Disc

Vintage Video Games TV — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 19:57:35 GMT

By: Daizoren Season 2 of Community Replay kicks off with a look back at one of the Playstation demo discs. Staff member Tim Weaver and Replay veteran Jordan White join me as we tread through the demos of our youth and see why we got hyped over games that were coming out. You can check [...]

Team2Bit Dragon Punches Their Way Onto IGN Reality Show

Armless Octopus — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 18:24:37 GMT

Reality TV shows are all the rage. I mean who doesn’t want to watch short-tempered wealthy housewives duke it out in their own little worlds? There isn’t much for us gamers though. Sure, Sony has The Tester, but that’s more absurd challenges as people make their way toward simply testing games. But what about seeing the process of developing a full game, from inception to completion, along with a few kinks in the chain? Fortunately, IGN has concocted such a …

SCHAR: Blue Shield Alliance Announced

XBLA & XBLIG Ratings — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 17:20:36 GMT

Brain Shape Games is proud to announce their first official title for Xbox Live Indie Games and PC, SCHAR: Blue Shield Alliance. Set in one possible future, SCHAR: Blue Shield Alliance is a sci-fi top-down shooter that blends elements of strategy and RPG games into a four player co-op experience. SCHAR’s gameplay requires quick reflexes as much as careful tactics. Players take on the role of a pilot in the space based Alliance, controlling one of four unique and upgradable ships to save humanity’s many interstellar colonies from an enemy known only as the Constituents of Nothing (CoNs).

Cell: emergence Release Details Announced

XBLA & XBLIG Ratings — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 17:08:30 GMT

The action surgery game "Cell: emergence" will be released Thursday, February 9th on Xbox LIVE Indie Games, GamersGate, GameStop PC Downloads (formerly Impulse), Green Man Gaming, Playism, and Desura. A free demo will be released on Tuesday, February 7th.

Magic Racing GP 2 (XBLIG): " A Highly Customizable & Realistic Indie Racing Game"

OtakuDante's Gaming Inferno — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 13:49:00 GMT

I absolutely love games that have a lot of customization options. Such details allow the gamer to make the experience of a video game more personal. In "Magic Studio's" latest release of "Magic Racing GP 2" they not only give the gamer a lot of customization options but deliver them in a fashion that makes the overall game experience more realistic than most mainstream racing games available today. In fact the developer's attention to details in the game are so impressive that I tweeted them a message complimenting them on a job well done. In the following review I hope to cover as many details as possible with out overdoing it. Sometimes a reviewer such as myself can lose his audiences' attention with too many details, and I don't want to do that. The fact of the matter is I could go on for many paragraphs about the details of the game since it has so much to offer, but I'll try to narrow it down without leaving out significant info on the game.

Day 447: Mute Crimson

Writings of Mass Deduction — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 04:12:13 GMT

Remember my “Null Divide” review way back on Day 370? I mentioned off-handedly that it was by Apoxxle, the same developer behind “Mute Crimson”, and that I’d review Mute Crimson some day. That day is today. Despite the graphical aesthetic, this game is not as hard as Super Meat Boy, nor is it as challenging [...]

Brand Making its Mark on Xbox on February 2

Armless Octopus — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 21:13:27 GMT

Brand has finally recovered from that nasty bug that delayed its release back in November, which means you’ll get a chance to slice up some manticores on February 2. Nine Dots Studio spent some of the extra time polishing up menus and adding in Avatar support, but we’re more excited to start shooting flame walls out of that upgradable sword. In the meantime, take another gander at that spiffy trailer. Source: Nine Dots Studio

Day 446: ZombieGeddon

Writings of Mass Deduction — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 02:20:14 GMT

What do you get if you take a game with poor out-of-game presentation (unless you love cheesy B-movie style intros and box art, in which case you might think the presentation is awesome), but pair it up with excellent in-game audio and visuals that revisits a genre I’ve been itching to try again? You’d get [...]

Day 425 re-review: “U Want Cookie?”

Writings of Mass Deduction — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 01:36:59 GMT

I originally reviewed “U Want Cookie?” several weeks ago, but it “didn’t get the review it deserved”. It’s a true hidden gem of the indie games catalogue, and deserves better. Here’s better. The game has you (and up to three friends in local multiplayer) challenging yourselves to make it through levels hell-bent on killing you [...]

Community Replay returns on Wednesday!

Vintage Video Games TV — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 22:28:38 GMT

By: Daizoren Last year we had a semi-long running series of videos (Inspired by the guys over at Gameinformer) called “Community Replay” where we would take a look at a past generation game and see how well it holds up to the test of time. Season 2 is on the brink of release! This Wednesday [...]

Gateways Coming To The Xbox 360 And PC

Trendy Gamers — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 21:03:59 GMT

Smudged Cat Games announced today that Gateways, a 2D platformer, will be releasing soon on the Xbox 360 and PC.

Although they only specify ‘soon’ as the release date for the game, expect that to be within the next month or two. Also, while it wasn’t mentioned, the game is more than likely headed to the Xbox Live Indie Section on your Xbox 360 so be prepared to dig through many menu screens to find it.

Brand releasing on XBLIG in early February

Extra Guy — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 17:01:57 GMT

The long-awaited Xbox Live Indie game Brand from Nine Dots Studios is finally ready to release. As in, it passed peer review and has a finalized date. Expect to see this one on the marketplace starting on...

Gateways — a new mind-melting platformer from Smudged Cat

Extra Guy — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 15:41:35 GMT

Creative takes on platforming are nothing new to Smudged Cat (see Growing Pains and Adventures of Shuggy) but Gateways appears to be in a league of its own, judging by the trailer. Gateways appears to be like...

Diamond Digger (XBLIG): "A Truly Challenging & Entertaining Puzzle Game"

OtakuDante's Gaming Inferno — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 13:57:00 GMT

In early 2011 I got the chance to review "The Cannon" by "Elemental Focus (The Developer)". It was a game that used shmup style gameplay in a new, and innovative way. As a reviewer, and gamer I loved their approach to game design. It's always nice to see a game developer who goes out of their way to make something new that gamers like myself haven't seen before. I'm definitely glad to see this developer return once again with a game that's equally as unique as their first. The game I'm speaking of is a puzzle game called "Diamond Digger" that utilizes a greater than, and less than gameplay mechanics. It features a puzzle solving system comparable to "Ro-Sham-Bo", or as you may be more familiar with, "Rock-Paper-Scissors". By basing their game on this basic theme the developer created a game that goes beyond what traditional puzzle based video games such as "Tetris" offer. Their brilliantly designed levels make the player actually think about their objective instead of blindly rushing forward through the game. It's a game that's definitely geared towards the more intellectual gamers out there, but that can be enjoyed by any gamer who wishes to challenge themselves.

Burger Jack: Rootbeer Tapper with a Twist

XBLA & XBLIG Ratings — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 07:40:10 GMT

Burger Jack takes the original Rootbeer Tapper formula and updates it by adding a criteria for each customer coming at you. This new found complexity adds a lot more chaos and differentiation on the old formula, but ultimately it hurts the product. Serving multiple people different orders is difficult enough, but the fact that the items they are ordering are so small on the screen absolutely kills this title.

Day 445: Cuckoo Crack

Writings of Mass Deduction — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 02:33:56 GMT

“Cuckoo Crack” plays a bit like a bombing game, but sort of in reverse. Unlike a bomber trying to deploy ordinance to destroy, you’re trying to land eggs in empty nests. It solves the problem with games like Techno Kitty Adventure and others, which I have all but entirely chosen not to review, as they [...]

CastleMiner Z: why

XBLA & XBLIG Ratings — Sun, 29 Jan 2012 23:18:26 GMT

seriously 98% of the people who bought this game has fun playing it, but after a day or two its boring. but then glitches came out and made the game extremely fun again. and those kids told others about it and they bought your game. this game is one of the most bought games and you keep patching the reasons people buy it. its a 3 dollar game not a 60. just because the community is having fun building city's and fighting off zombies while doing doesnt mean its cheating. theres no ranking system in the game and theres no benefit besides having fun. so please game creators give us our fun back. sincerley the thousands of people who dont have fun with your game anymore

Octopede Review

Trendy Gamers — Sun, 29 Jan 2012 19:19:53 GMT

Long, long ago, in the ancient times before smart phones, one animal reigned supreme over mobile gaming. No, it was not a brightly colored bird angrily flinging itself at a pig’s shoddy fortress. No, it was not an adorable baby dragon flying about hills and valleys while being pursued by its mother. Rather, it was the snake that held dominance over gaming on cell phones, and EVERYONE was playing. Preloaded onto most cell phones of the time, Snake was originally a 1970′s arcade game. It was a simple game to play yet took ages to master, making it accessible and addictive. Players would move their snake around a small screen, picking up pixelated food and avoiding their most dangerous enemy – their own ever-growing tail. It was a game that taught us the dangers of consumerism and greed. The more the snake ate, the longer its tail would grow. Seeing as how the game ended when the snake’s head eventually and inevitably collided with either the wall or with its own tail, the game became more and more difficult and deadly with each passing bite of score-laden food. As cell phones and their respective games evolved, Snake began to fade into obscurity, leaving nostalgia freaks like myself to sit here and wax philosophical about the game’s deeper meaning. It had begun to appear as though the game’s tried and true design was all but gone forever…until now!

Little Racers STREET (XBLIG): "Micro Street Racing At It's Finest!"

OtakuDante's Gaming Inferno — Sun, 29 Jan 2012 16:33:00 GMT

There are only a handful of highly recognizable indie game developers on the Xbox LIVE marketplace, and "Milkstone Studios" just happens to be one of those developers. In the past year I've had the privelage of reviewing some of their extremely noteworthy games. They have yet to let me down with any of there releases, and "Little Racers STREET" is no exception to that. This latest top-down racing title has all of the bells, and whistles (features) that you'd expect from an XBLA game, and will possibly have more features added as more purchases of the game are made. I did a thorough playthrough of the game today, and experimented with all of it's features so I could give you (my readers) the lowdown on what the game is all about.

Day 444: Bird Assassin

Writings of Mass Deduction — Sun, 29 Jan 2012 03:04:01 GMT

This game deserves a longer review than it’s getting right now (my cold is giving me coughing fits, so I’m going to go to bed), but the game is surprisingly good by nailing the can’t miss stuff (tight controls, for example). My goal is to get lengthier reviews of this and “I Want Cookie” tomorrow, [...]

Activision-owned game published to Xbox Live Indie Games channel (Dark Reign Redux)

Writings of Mass Deduction — Sat, 28 Jan 2012 19:14:02 GMT

Go back several hundred days of reviews, and I was in the thick of it. I was active on Twitter with developers, I was interviewing them here, and doing news stories about XBLIG topics, all in addition to the daily stream of reviews. I do have a day job too, though, so that trailed off. [...]

Activision Clandestinely Releases Dark Reign Redux on Xbox Live Indie Games [Updated]

Armless Octopus — Sat, 28 Jan 2012 05:54:15 GMT

Activision might be about as indie as Metallica these days, but that hasn’t stopped the goliath of a publisher from releasing Dark Reign Redux on Xbox Live Indie Games for $5. The remake of the 1997 PC RTS popped up on the Marketplace yesterday with nary a press release or hint of marketing to support it. At least Activision got that part of the indie formula correct. The port was handled by Magnetar Games, and there is also a browser-based …

Day 443: High Gravity Wells

Writings of Mass Deduction — Sat, 28 Jan 2012 04:54:37 GMT

There aren’t enough great games in the strategy and simulation sub-category of Xbox Live Indie Games, so it was a pleasure to discover “High Gravity Wells”. The game has you guiding spaceships to space stations through progressively more challenging and dangerous routes by using the four face buttons to activate gravity wells that modify the [...]

VVGtv Exclusive: Freds Fridays #3

Vintage Video Games TV — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 21:24:38 GMT

Tis another week of Freds Fridays from Sticky DPad Games. You can also follow them on twitter at @StickyDPadGames I am sorry to inform you that I have nothing much to write, so the exclusive part is the screenshot below. That’s right, below me! Enjoy the Zombie Carnage! Filed under: Events, Previews, The Voice of [...]