Friday, October 7, 2011

There Will Be Brains (XBLIG): "Barricades, Zombies & A Wide Variety Of Weapons"

Sometimes I really look forward to a release of certain XBLIG titles, and 'There Will Be Brains' just so happened to be one of those games. The game takes a simple concept, and delivers it in a very artistic manner. As the gamer you will take control of Jackie, redheaded girl who has found herself in the middle of a zombie apocalypse. To begin with you are given a gun, and a barricade of furniture to hide behind. With these tools, and weapons that you buy (from a merchant) you must stand your ground against wave after wave of the living dead. The game is mission based, and you must defeat zombies while gathering the right amount of gasoline in order to progess through different points/missions on the map. In a sort of 'Resident Evil 4' fashion the game provides the opportunity to purchase more/better weapons from a traveling merchant with the money that you loot from the undead denizens. If you survive long enough, and purchase the best protection you might just come out of this situation alive.

Thursday, October 6, 2011

SteamSunk (XBLIG): "A Top-Down War Boat Shmup"

Whenever I watch a trailer of an indie game I usually have a pretty good idea of what it's about. If my memory serves me well 'SteamSunk' had a 3D look to it in the trailer. I have been known to be wrong on occassion though ... Whatever the case was I found myself a bit surprised when I realized that the game was a top-down shmup that took place on a massive lake. It was definitely a very pleasant surprise though. Snape, the developer behind this rather unique steamboat style shooter made the game very user friendly. Not only can you access a detailed control layout via the inside of the ship, but you can also access all of the other menu options in the ships bay window as well. SteamSunk features 4 difficulty settings (Easy, Normal, Hard, Godlike) with significant differences (more/harder enemies/bosses). These difficulty settings make the game easily accessible for both those who are new to the shmup genre, as well as veteran players.

Wednesday, October 5, 2011

Dark Delve (XBLIG): "A Dungeon Crawler/Turn Based RPG"

Dark Delve is one of those games that kind of reinvents a genre. In this case that game genre happens to be RPGs. Checkmark Games, the developer behind this one of a kind RPG brings their game to life in a very artistic manner. Aside from the core turn based RPG gameplay, 'Dark Delve' features hand drawn characters/creatures, and photographic scenery that is showcased throughout the game's entirety. The game begins with an epic, and somewhat poetic tale of a queen who has turned against her people. Generations after being sealed away, a team of heroes (mages, warriors, rogues) must go on a quest to mercifully end the queens life before she does any further harm to her kingdom. As the player you take on the role of 4 customizable characters with different skills (mages, warriors, rogues). You get to choose the look of each character from various drawings. You can even name your band of heroes as you see fit. Once you have your team ready you will be set to go on your way.

Convict Minigames (XBLIG): "A 5 Title Minigame Compilation"

Convict Interactive recently released a compilation of 5 indie minigames. The game's title was appropriately called 'Convict Minigames' since it was Convict Interactive that developed them. The games featured in this set include 'Bop!', 'High Hopes', 'Jurassic Bar', 'Cave In', and 'Triangle Man (which made me think of that 80's song with Triangle Man lyrics ^.^). For the most part the games end really quickly, except for 'Triangle Man' which features more involved gameplay. All of the games can be played alone (single player), or with up to 4 players. Each game features an impressive soundtrack that accents the games rather nicely.

Pixelosity (XBLIG): "A Simple Shmup With Great Replay Value"

Pixelosity is the simplest indie game/shmup that I have ever played. Being the in-depth reviewer that I am it kind of presented a problem, and as a result this will likely be the shortest review I will do ...

Pixelostiy is a simple 1, or 2 player sidescrolling shmup that was developed by 'GLHF Games'. You pilot a ship (that is constructed of simple pixel blocks) as it flys along with a rainbow trailing behind it (kind of like Nyan Cat ^.^). Your goal is to try to shoot down other ships, and get the highest score in the process of doing so. You can accumulate chains (multiple enemies killed without getting hit) that add to your ever-growing score. As you fly through the game your score will gradually rise along with the additional points that you get for destroying ships in your path. Like any shmup you can find power-ups from the fallen enemies/ships that will aid you in your progress. I've actually only found a few of them though. The power-ups I did find included bullet overdrive (rapid fire), double bullets (shoots a wide spray of shots), and a bomb (clears the screen of enemy ships). You have a limited amount of lives in 'Pixelosity', so using power-ups to your advantage will definitely help out.