Thats right! I’m doing my own show now! Every Caturday, I mean Saturday.

Today I talk about Voxatron in general and guest Burk’d a popular video game streamer on Twitch.tv joins me to talk about video streaming and video streaming tools in general.

This is the first episode so things may change in later episodes.
Show length topic types and graphics are due to change as it is a work in progress.
Please leave positive and negative criticism below we will be reading them.

We hope you enjoy the awfully random show.

Length 1hr 2mins

First half: Voxatron talk. Both a good game and a good tool for making voxel models.

Second half: Burk’d talks about video streaming on Twitch.tv and about recording tools. We also go on about how much we love OBS the open broadcasting system program.

Thanks to:
BoneyardAudio for the Bit Loaders jingle
OBS Open Broadcasting System devs for making a great recorder
Craft Studio which was used to make the intro

and

Burk’d for showing up as a guest on today’s show.
Burk’s twitch page
Burk’s youtube page
Burk’s twitter
Burk’d on Facebook

But is it all what people expected?

Some of the recent reviews previews (OUYA has said the system is in a ‘Beta’ phase of sorts) of the system have received less-than-steller reports, citing issues with the interface, the distinct lack of games and how complicated it can be for people to work with it and that it felt more like a prototype still, not a saleable product. Essentially it needed more time in development, before its release.

To rub some salt in the wound, in a recent benchmark performance test looking at 258 Android devices, Futuremark found that the OUYA sat at number 95 in the list. Sure it’s well into the top 50%, but that also means that 94 Android phones are better performing.

Now this test isn’t the ‘be all and end all’ of everything – the OUYA was never released to be a competitor with the Xbox, Playstation or Wii brands – but it does indicate that, as plenty new phone models are released every year with better performance, the OUYA could be left behind very quickly.

Speaking from someone who owns an iPhone 3GS and can’t play modern iOS games, because of its limitations, I know how irritating it can be to not be able to play games designed for the more powerful iPhone 4GS and iPhone 5, or any game that needs a forward-facing camera. Is this something that might happen with the OUYA too?

When a game is released for one of the major consoles you expect the game to play without any issues. A year down the road from now, developers are going to looking to make games for top-end Android devices and the OUYA won’t be in that list.

The OUYA has only been out a couple of months and it has nearly 100 devices outperforming it. Yes, (I’ll reiterate) the current OUYA device isn’t the main retail one, but let’s not forget, those devices outperforming it are portable and have many, many more functions. So OUYA had better step up its game come the official retail release this May.

Pretty much every preview I’ve read on the OUYA has spoken about the device’s potential – I just don’t see gamers getting a chance fully experience that potential before the OUYA feels outdated. Which is a shame.

What do you think? Are you one of the OUYA backers? Are you planning on developing for it? Maybe you’ve seen the true potential are excited for what’s to come. Let us know.

[Source: Futuremark, via GameIndustry.biz]

Less than 24 hours before the IndieGameStand Voxatron deal expires! Don’t miss it.

Why miss it though when you can get a copy for free?

Head over to our Twitter page then retweet and follow to enter.

I’ll award the winner sometime tomorrow so act fast!

Lexaloffle website

IndieGameStand

Note: Comments below will count as entries if you include an email for me to send the prize to.

Voxatron has to be one of my favorite indie games since voxels got popular. It plays much like Robotron with many enemies and weapons to choose from but has destructible erm, EVERYTHING and it all explodes in a wonderful batch of voxels.

The game is currently still in alpha but already has many features and a decent starter campaign. However the best part is the creation tools available. Allowing anyone to make their own playable character, objects, terrain and even enemies to fight off. All with a little bit of programing some impressive and creative setups can be made. Just look at the BBS section there are a ton of fan made levels to play with.

The game might not be finished yet but it is totally worth checking out. It is one of my favorites and its worth buying at least twice. OR once is fine too I guess.

The minimum is 25 cents but if you want any possible Steam, Desura or GoG keys you’ll need to pay at least a dollar. Beating the average gets you some of Lexaloffle’s previous games. I believe all of these can be redeemed via game key on the Lexaloffle website as well as downloadable from IndieGameStand. No word on Steam or Desura keys but I’m sure we’ll hear more when the game is finished.

So what you waiting for, buy a couple and play some classic shoot em up with tasty tasty voxles! Did I mention part of the proceeds help charity too? No excuses, get it on the cheap and have some fun!

Lexaloffle website

IndieGameStand

Made by a team off three and programed in the Unreal engine this in progress game has been having me drooling over it for the last year or two. Cut scene sequences and thought out level layouts make it seem like the arcade games I’ve been missing all these years.

Instead of gushing over the game all crazy like I should speak of the new trailer. Maybe I’m easy but there is now a transforming mecha mechanic thrown in of which is activated by a cassette tape of all things. In the video you can see the shop transform a quick preview of it in action and a nice close up of the cassette tape “key” complete with headphone jack and LED display. If that was an MP3 player I could buy in real life I’d buy two. It just screams awesome.

I am really really psyched for this game and can’t wait to get my hands on it.

If none of that excites you check out their last trailer.

Release date is set for sometime this year and I hope to cover more of the as it nears completion. Else I might end up going insane and reviewing my own paper cutout version in the corner of my room…..

Be sure to check out the game at http://zanrai.com/heavenvariant/ and for the love of all that is gaming vote for it on Steam Green Light RIGHT NOW! GO… stop looking at this and go, do it! You know you have to!

So you want to know how to get involved? Here’s the word.

How to Enter

1.     Log-in to the OnLive Game Service and add “WRC3 Contest” to your friends list.

2.     Launch WRC3 as a demo or from the PlayPack.  Once in the game menus, navigate to ‘WRC Experience” and to “Single Stage”  Select the car you’d like to race with.  We recommend selecting one of the WRC group of cars.

3.     Race the Qualifier Stage (Neste Oil Rally Finland: Evo) and take a Brag Clip of your finish of your best run.  Be sure to capture the final standings board in the BragClip after you cross the finish line.

4.     Share your Brag Clip with “WRC3 Contest” of your best time on that stage before the submission deadline of April 17, 2013 at 12:00PM PST. Only one submission per player, per round, will be accepted.

5.     Check the OnLive WRC3 Tournament standings on April 19, 2013, to see if you qualified.

Don’t have an OnLive account? Sign up here for free!

Instructions for Qualified Tournament Racers

Each week, qualified racers in the competition will be racing against another OnLive member to achieve the best time on a given Stage. Every Friday, for the duration of the tournament, we will be updating the OnLive WRC3 Tournament standings and revealing the next Stage for the competition. Be sure to check back each week to see if you’re still in the race and who you’re up against!

Brag Clip Submission Steps

1.     Verify that you are in this round of the competition and who you are facing by vising the OnLive WRC3 Tournament website.

2.     Race the specified Stage for that round of the tournament.

3.     Capture a Brag Clip of your race completion time on the specified Stage.

4.     Share the Brag Clip with “WRC3 Contest” before the Brag Clip submission deadline.

Prizes

First Place

OnLive Game System and Universal OnLive Wireless Controller

Second Place

Universal OnLive Wireless Controller and 3 months of PlayPack

Runners-up (2)

3 months of PlayPack

Stages

So there you have it. It’s go time. Well, on April 17th that is. As the tournament happens, Bit Loaders will be sure to keep you updated with the progress, standings, and overall winners. We will make sure they get a little bit of spotlight. So get your fire suit on. It’s time to race. I’ll see you there.

Full terms and conditions can be viewed on the official tournament website. http://games.onlive.com/wrc3contest

We have to say, the game is looking fantastic, and we’re actually playing the latest build as we speak! This game is brutally hard but incredibly fun. Look for Kris or Taron to be on The Bit Loaders Show next week to give us the latest on Volgarr!

The original pack of Mobile only games consisting of Contre Jour, Anomaly Korea, Plants vs. Zombies, Gun Slinger. With Metal Slug 3 and The Room as unlocks when paying over the average. Now Funky Smugglers, Raiden Legacy and Another World join the ranks.

For the minimum price of $5.60 for everything it really isn’t a bad pack for the price. Unlike the past Android bundles this one does not include any Steam or Desura keys and is strictly Android only. Though Metal Slug 3, Raiden Legacy and The Room are totally worth it on their own. Plants vs. Zombies is still a popular title and Anomaly Korea is a good sequel to Anomaly. I’d give a look at Bladeslinger as well it pretty much looks like a console hack and slash though I can’t say I enjoy the controls too much.

Well, back to mastering Metal Slug 3 again.
Do check them out its worth a grab if you need some shmups on your phone. Or theres always the new weekly deals if you need some games on Steam.

Check out the Humble Mobile Bundle here

If I am correct, you are on our site because you want to hear about some of the great indie games I’ve come across. Well there were plenty. The first one I ran into on day 3 was called Concerned Joe. The reason he is concerned is because he is going to die. Plain and simple. The player is tricked by the game’s narrative into becoming infected with a poison. Now the problem for Joe and what leads to his concern is that if he stops moving, he will die. Plain and simple.

Concerned Joe is a game meant to anger you. It is meant to make you want to break your controller in two. The game does this in 3 ways. First off, it forces you to always be on the move. If you stand still you explode. I believe the longest  you can stand is about 6 seconds. Then the life bar runs out and Joe’s concern is realized. Second, the stages are pretty tough due to the games main mechanic of constantly moving. The developers are pretty mean about it. Some puzzles require you to stand in one place and wait for a switch to fill up before movement. There are floor surfaces that don’t recharge Joe’s health. This basically means on the move Joe will still die. Third, the narrator will taunt you in every way possible. Another way to keep your steam level rising.

All in all, this is a great game. It’s witty, frustrating, and enjoyable all at the same time. Be sure to look for it later this year. There will also be an interview with the guys who made it in the next couple weeks. There is a playable flash version on their site. http://concerned-joe.com/

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YToDUHdwHQ4

Next up is a game you may have heard me mention a few times. It was developed by a group of students from Digipen and their development team is known as Widdershins. You might remember Digipen from other titles like Nitronic Rush. It is a game development school that usually gets some amazing talent up and on their way to game development in various forms.

The games mechanics are pretty interesting and a blast to play around with. Basically, you are a 2D character moving through a set of 3D corridors to finish a particular puzzle. The gameplay has 3 different levels to it. First you have the side scrolling aspect of the game. That is where you are moving the character along the platforms to ultimately get to the portal that ends the level. Next you that the 1st person perspective which moves you in 3D space. The third is the coolest part of the game and what it is built around. You have two different sets of platforms. Blue and Orange. The blue is the safe platform. You can walk on this and nothing will harm you. If you touch the orange you die instantly. The puzzle element comes when you are trying to get from A to B. You can’t walk on anything other than the blue but you have to walk around the walls of the corridors to get to the end. This is where the title comes into play. You scale and rotate the room to get disconnected pieces of blue space back together again so you can walk across and continue your path. An example of this is how Echochrome works.

I’ve just come to realize explaining this game is way more complicated than it should be. So I will leave you with a video of this awesome game and let you give it a shot. It has been already released and can be downloaded for free. Check it out. You won’t be disappointed. http://www.seewithperspective.com/

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SS4r9Fq3beU

The final game of this article is one that has been out for quite a while. Most people heard of it but never bought it for the same reason I didn’t. No one knew what it was truly about. Even with the help of an early access period some didn’t understand exactly what it was. Unfortunately, a certain small company that no one has ever heard of didn’t quit handle the marketing correctly and the game’s potential wasn’t fully realized. That small company was Sony. Unfortunately, the word didn’t quite spread the way it should have. It left the developer of this amazing game having to do it themselves for the most work. The title is a music sort of game/production/visualizer called PixelJunk 4AM. You may have heard of this title as recently as this week since Sony put it on sale for 4.99 in the Playstation Store.

The developing group is called Q Games. You might remember all of the other awesome PixelJunk games that have come out on the PS3 and Vita over the last few years. Titles such as PixelJunk Monsters, PixelJunk Eden, and PixelJunk Sidescroller. They were all well received and at least one title sits in just about every PSN users library.

PixelJunk 4AM is used in combination with the Playstation Move. You use the wand and create music. There is an invisible 3D space all around you and you grab the music from around you. By pressing the different buttons, you get different instrument sounds. If you hold the move button, you can grab the music from around you and throw it to the screen and move it all around. You can fade the tracks, make your own, or even make that dubstep song you have always wanted to using the tracks they offer you. Every different movement of the wrist does something different. To really enjoy this one, I would recommend using headphones or a surround system to get the full effect. You don’t have to, but it really drives you into the music.

Again, this is a game that is tough to define and tough to describe. I would say drop the 4.99, or 9.99 after the sale ends, and experience this. It might not be a shooter or platformer but awesome none the less. One thing I forgot to mention is that you can actually broadcast your music for others to hear. Sharing is a bit bonus to this game. http://pixeljunk.jp/

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MGTTVo_6S8M

That’s all for now guys. I hope you enjoyed this article and continue to enjoy the next few I will be writing about GDC. Lots to talk about. Until then, be good.

HarmoKnight first impressions from the demo I’d have to say its alright. Its all about running to the right jumping and signing a big music note. Matching the music as you run to the end. There are also boss stages which feature strong 3D cut scenes and a simon says style hear and match mini game sorta setup. Overall I’d say its alright and seems to have a strong amount of content for the price. Plus if you are a big Pokemon fan the Pokemon music stages will be rather pleasing. Try the demo for yourself though.

Oh and Legend of The River King a river fishing RPG for the Gameboy Color also hits the Virtual Console on the 3DS.

HarmoKnight $14.99

Sonic and All-Stars Racing Transformed $29.99

Resident Evil Revelations $19.99

Legend of the River King $4.99