Xbox Indie Games Summer Uprising 2011: "The Next Evolution in Gaming"

Recently I've gotten into the business of reviewing XBLIG (Xbox Live Indie Games), and XBLA (Xbox Live Arcade Games). I was previously working for various review sites on the web, but I wanted to start my own site. The availability of XBLIG, and XBLA games made this dream possible for me. During the development of my own site I've been following many indie game developers' works, and I've had the privilege to get to know some of them. After starting my game review blog I noticed a steady increase in the the interest of Xbox 360 indie games which was definitely good. It made the Xbox 360 a more attractive venue for indie game developers.

Reviewers, and developers are quickly picking up on the fact that XBLIG titles are one of the hottest new things in Xbox 360's gaming library. Like some of the XBLIG, and XBLA reviewers out there I have been bringing up to date reviews of the latest titles available in the Xbox Live game library. My goal is to get the games the recognition they deserve, just like the Summer Uprising coordinators are trying to do. With the IGSU (Indie Game Summer Uprising) at hand I truly believe this will soon become a mainstream thing. I have a gut feeling that Xbox indie games, and indie games for other consoles will pick up very fast. If you you haven't noticed the attention it's receiving yet, you will soon enough.

XBLA IMPRESSIONS: "Deadliest Warrior Legends"

I'm a history buff, and I absolutely love shows about world history. I'm no stranger to the Deadliest Warrior television show. I love their accurate, and scientific portrayal of the imagined duels between various world warriors. When I owned my PS3 I actually tried out the first Deadliest Warrior game, and I wasn't too impressed. The combat system was a bit lacking, but the concept was very intriguing. A couple of days ago 'Deadliest Warriors Legends' was released as an XBLA title, and I was anxious to see how the developer had improved the game.

Lootfest (XBLIG): "A Pixelated RPG Adventure"

During my quest to acquire game codes for review I came across a cool little RPG called 'Lootfest'. After I had watched the trailer on youtube I sent vikingfabian (gamefarm), the developer of Lootfest a review code inquiry (message) in hopes of securing a full game code. I actually prefer doing reviews on the finished product, because it allows me to give accurate details about the game. When I recieved a reply back from vikingfabian telling me he had a code for me I was anxious to start the game, and see what it was all about.

Decimation X (XBLIG): "A True Shmup Tribute"

Today I found another awesome developer who actually cares about his audience. Matthew Doucette of Xona Games was kind enough to give me a code of his hit Xbox Live Indie Game 'Decimation X' in exchange for my promise to play his new game 'Decimation X3'. At this point I'm extremely glad to have made the transition over to the Xbox 360. It has opened up awesome opportunities for me, and has allowed me to meet some very cool developers. I consider myself both lucky, and privileged to be a part of the Xbox 360 gaming community. I hope that my reviews have helped all of my readers to find those hidden XBLIG gems out there that you might have passed up otherwise. I also hope to continue to provide quality reviews for all the XBLIG/XBLA fans out there.

XBLIG IMPRESSIONS: "Score Rush"

Recently I was contacted by Matthew Doucette, one of the developers of Xona Games about a review code inquiry I had sent. I had pretty much given up on hearing back from any of the developers, but it was nice of him to send me a reply. The game I was inquiring about was a new shmup shooter titled "Duality ZF" that's scheduled to be released soon. I had a handful of reasons why I wanted to review the game, and one of them was that the developers behind Xona Games realize what shmups (shoot 'em ups) are all about. They seem to value a good shmup just as I do, and they also know that shmups have a long lasting quality. After reading the email Matthew D. sent me I decided the least I could do is review one of their games. I watched trailers to all of them, but the one that really caught my eye was 'Score Rush'.

XBLIG IMPRESSIONS: "BEYOND"

I find myself once more trying out a new puzzle game. I might actually get back into the genre if games like Vizati, and this game keep being released. BEYOND is a unique puzzle game that was developed by mitabo. The game features 10 level rounds that are categorized by letters of the alphabet. You begin at 'D'. I assume the game continues until you get to 'A', but I can't be for certain since I was only able to play the trial version.