Indie Spotlight: Extra-Life, Puppeteer and Slenderman!
Welcome to the Indie Spotlight, bringing the latest in news, trailers and new releases in the Indie Video Game area.
Castle Crashers – http://www.castlecrashers.com/
Onlive – http://www.onlive.com/
Extra-Life – http://www.extra-life.org/index.cfm?
The Messiah – http://www.rpgames.ca/
K.C. Entertainment Studios Extra-Life Page
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Dead Island Review (OnLive)
Review by: Ady Carter
I’m not a big fan of Holidays, perhaps I’m just incapable of relaxing or perhaps it’s because I always worry that something terrible is likely to happen when I’m miles away from home in a strange location. As if to prove my fears Dead Island presents the scenario of a bunch of people enjoying a holiday on the fictional island of Banoi only to wake up after a “few” drinks and discover themselves in the middle of a Zombie filled nightmare. Perhaps best described as a melee-heavy first person survival horror game, Dead Island is a distant cousin of Resident Evil and really not as similar (more…)
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Master Blud’s Top 10 Indie Games of 2011
Article by: Master Blud
It’s been quite a year for indie games, and not just for Xbox indie games. Seems to me that the interest for such games from brilliant independent minds has gained quite the follow. It doesn’t take one, but many achieved either a fan base or a love for a certain genre of indie game. Indie games use to be considered the bottom of the barrel of games, kind of feeling like the old software from your Windows 95 OS. It didn’t take too long for them to gain quality and quantity over the year of 2011, I wonder if most of these titles were hiding from us for years until the right time to spring a chance at exposure, and they did, they succeeded. What I would like to present to you is a list of games that I found myself playing more than just a few play sessions, and some that just left the right impression on me. Now for your summary of reading, here is my Top 10 Indie Games of 2011.
10. Jamestown: Legend of the Lost Colony (PC)
I recently got into to this gorgeous shooter because of the Humble Indie Bundle 4, I immediately fell in love with Retro Arcade Shmup vibe. This game had me on my toes, more than a few runs. The soundtrack was absolutely epic, and the visuals just the same. I can say that this game will stay with me forever.
9. Hypership Out of Control (iOS)
I originally got hooked on this title when it came to Xbox Live Indie Games. Then the game had released on iOS Devices, feeling clean, fast, and playable. The game is possibly too fast for my own good. There really is no stopping a ship that has lost its brakes. I recommend this retro dodgemup/shmup for even the most modern gamer.
8. Trailer Park King (XBLIG)
Yes, I love the occasional bewbs in games, but this one just had me all googly-eyed and laughing. The humor, storyline, and the voice acting was able to keep my attention for as long as I thought it could. I hear Trailer Park King 2 is coming very soon, so keep an eye out on the Xbox Indie Game Marketplace.
7. Volchaos (XBLIG)
This retro platformer had my interest for the longest time. I proceeded to keep an eye out on the developer on updates on the game. The game is tough, uses a retro feeling control scheme that some might not be comfortable with. I had an absolute blast with this game, I also can say you will too.
6. DLC Quest (XBLIG)
Everything in the game is DLC, from moving left, character animation, jumping, and even horse armor. One thing that sets this game apart from any other games on the service, is that it is complete satire and not to be taken seriously, it presents itself in its own way. The game pokes fun at the use of DLC in other major titles, kinda like the season passes and map packs.
5. Take Arms (XBLIG)
This 2D side scrolling shooter will not replace your love for CoD franchise. Since I do not play CoD anymore, this game was a nice change of pace. The visuals are outstanding, and the gameplay is pretty addicting. I felt so powerful playing this title on Xbox Live, that I even had playdates with Take Arms and just had a hell of a time teabagging my opponent in 2D.
4. Crayon Physics Deluxe (PC)
I first saw this title and facepalmed immediately. I thought it was just some game with Crayon art. Don’t let the looks of a game make your final judgement, go ahead and explore the game. I found Crayon Physics Deluxe the most enchanting physics games I have ever played, the ability to draw crayon and make shapes ( Yes I made dirty shapes).
3. Blocks That Matter (PC&XBLIG)
This charming little platform has the mix of many titles, using the key references to minecraft, and tetris. You play as a little drill robot that must save his creators, who look a lot like these 2 famous game developers. You must solve mind bending puzzles in order to reach your goal. This title is beautiful, charming and certainly something you must experience.
2. Trine (PC)
This game was pretty difficult when I had first booted it up. With a deep storyline, memorable characters, and visuals that just have you dropping your jaw. I liked the way each character had his/her own ability to guide you through the levels safely, if it were own character, this game would fall short of my list and I probably wouldn’t play it again.
1. Bastion (PC&XBLA)
By now, you probably either heard of this game or just seen some screenshots. I can assure you Bastion will have you hypnotized in its beautiful soundtrack, impeccable narrator,and insane visuals that will give you goosepimples. The title has a great replay value, even without the add ons.
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Orcs Must Die – Review
RELEASE DATE: 10/5/2011
DEVELOPER: Robot Entertainment
GENRE: Action & Adventure, Strategy & Simulation
OnLive Marketlink – Here
Xbox Arcade Marketlink – Here
Rating: 5 shattered orc skulls out of 5
Review by: Robstein
So, the whole reason Orcs Must Die! exists (plot-wise) is because of these magical “rifts” that attract the attention of a bunch of unsavory fantasy creatures. The rifts are under constant watch and protection by mages, who fight the hordes off incessantly in a never-ending game up tug-of-war. Anyway, the game begins with the death of one of the most powerful mages in The Order as he slips on a pool of Kobold blood and cracks his head against some stairs. An epic end if ever there was one. With him gone, the burden of protecting the rifts falls on his exceedingly dimwitted apprentice. Things are not looking good, no sir. Luckily this buffoon isn’t calling the shots, the player is. He just kind of spouts out moronic (and quite funny) lines along the way.
The best way I can think to describe this game to the unfamiliar is as a kind of action-tower defense affair. Players control the apprentice in real-time; attacking, casting spells and setting up traps in order to protect the rifts from numerous orc assaults. What’s great is just how well everything works together. Each trap and guardian has its usefulness, and many of the levels are laid out in a manner as to allow for all manner of various loadouts. Some are more suited to an environment than others (such as the ceiling traps that are only effective in areas with low ceilings), but overall players can find a combination they like and stick with it. After a certain point The Weavers, sisters that grant special ability bonuses for a price, become available and add an even deeper element of strategy to the proceedings. Each new level grants access to a new tool, and by game’s end I had far more items to pick and choose from than I had open inventory slots. This made a dry-run (a.k.a learning the layout before the attacks began) essential as there are a number of ways to exploit a level’s structure.
The “playing” is where Orcs Must Die! truly shines. In other words, it’s unbelievably fun and hard to put down. Even after completion. An aspect that some AAA games tend to miss these days. The ever-present draw of seeing what new trap or artifact (for spells) I’d earn next was overpowering, and being able to replay past stages to earn more skulls (up to five per level, used for upgrading traps) kept me coming back for more. Similarly, the enemies do a great job of keeping players on their toes. Some, like Ogres, aren’t affected by physics-based traps such as spring-loaded floor panels. Others can move past barricades as though they weren’t there and utterly decimate archers. Each one poses an on-the-fly problem that must be solved quickly, or else it’s certain room (or at least a restart). More than anything, though, it’s the satisfaction of setting up a series of traps so insidious that the player doesn’t actually need to do anything. There’s nothing like sitting idly back and watching orcs and ogres alike wade through a gauntlet of death and never reach the end.
I cannot sing the praises of Orcs Must Die! enough. I’m not entirely sure that I’ve ever played a defense-based game like this that’s so well-balanced as to remain challenging but still completely fair, or that encourages so much strategic variety. The best part is, even after the main campaign is beaten upside-down and sideways there’s still the Nightmare difficulty. It can earn more skulls for even more upgrades, but it also tosses players face-first into each stage with no time for a planning phase and much more difficult enemy waves. Yessir, this is a Must Play for people who like to play video games. No matter the preferred genre.
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Deus Ex: Human Revolution OnLive Review
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Review By: Robstein
I know I’m going to catch hell for this, but I gave up on the original Deus Ex by roughly the halfway point. I loved the idea, I loved the world and I enjoyed the story, but there were so many gameplay issues that completely destroyed my will to keep playing. Granted I was also quite young at the time and had the attention span of a hummingbird on speed, but I’d also beaten Final Fantasy 3 (which is actually 6) several times over by then so it’s really no excuse. Yet even with my less than completely euphoric memories of the PC classic, I was incredi (more…)
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OnLive Review
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Written by: Master Blud
I had seen this so-called OnLive system being constantly talked about, I also noticed when I purchased 2 of the Humble Indie Bundles that some of the games were supported on the platform. I ignored this platform for the longest time and did not think anything of it. It just kept passing me by, over and over again. It really felt like it was haunting me to just give it a try. Since we cover Indie Games here at VVGtv, I thought it would be appropriate to bring you into the world of Cloud Gaming. I still have my love for my Xbox Indie Games, seeing as a lot of dev (more…)
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The Humble Indie Bundle #3
Article by: Underwood Lynch
Having generated over $300,000 so far at time of writing this time round, the ever-popular Humble Indie Bundle has returned to delight both fans of Indie gaming and the choice to pay what you want for video games. This incarnation, the H (more…)
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