OtakuDante's Top 10 XBLA & XBLIG of 2011

This year has likely been the best year of my life. It's the year I started my own Xbox 360 review blog, and the year that I gained great respect from the online gaming community. While the year did start off rough for me with the PS3 hacking incident that ended my life as a Sony gamer, it still finished on a good note. I found something special when I took my leap of faith, and invested in a new Xbox 360 console. It was a hard decision for me, but one that I'm glad I made. As months passed by in 2011 I managed to complete over 140 reviews on my newly made review blog, "OtakuDante's Gaming Inferno". My blog currently has over 17,000 page views which I would have never dreamed possible in my career as a freelance reviewer. I took a chance, and made it big. Without my friends, readers and review code contributions from developers I would have failed miserably. As I mentioned in my "Special Thanks" section I'm a man who is thankful for the blessings I receive, and I'd like to thank all of you who made this dream come true for me. Thank you so much! Without further adieu I give you my "Top 10 of 2011". It's a list that will shed light on those 10 special game gems I have found through my reviews in 2011 ...

Homeless (XBLIG): "A Story Driven Street Life Sim"

It seems that everywhere you look these days there are signs of bad things going on. The world economy is dangling by a thread, the stock market plummets and rises, and unemployment has become a steadily growing occurrence all over the planet. While 'Homeless' doesn't directly discuss these happenings, it does give you a glimpse into how hard it can be having to live on the streets. This topic has hit home for so many people, and for so many reasons. I think 'Silver Dollar Games (the developer)' did an awesome thing by releasing this game to the public. It's the sort of game that sheds light on a very serious problem. I think the developer (Silver Dollar Games) said it best in their game description which simply stated "Be thankful for what you have".

Game Type (XBLIG): "The Xbox 360 Dashboard Through The Eyes Of An Indie Developer"

If you are an active part of the Xbox 360 indie game community as I am, then you'll have a good idea what the new dashboard has done for the XBLIG genre. By now all Xbox 360 gamers have updated their consoles with the newest version of Xbox's dashboard. You have probably found yourself lost among the menus in search for new content, and games as well. You are definitely not alone in this matter. It seems Microsoft has decided to go the unfriendly route, and make a mess of things for indie developers. At first I found myself hopelessly lost among the game marketplace sections wondering how much it was going to complicate my search for games to review.

Colonies: NeoCiv (XBLIG): "A Beautifully Rendered 3D Science Fiction Indie"

I had the opportunity earlier this year to review one of 'Guy Galer/Twist-ed Games' XBLIG titles "Bureau Agent Kendall". If I remember correctly Guy Galer was one of the first indie developers I contacted for review purposes. He was a pleasant guy who was willing to give me a shot at reviewing his visually, and mechanically impressive game. At that time I had found the trailer to "Bureau Agent Kendall" on Youtube, and was truly impressed at how amazing the graphics appeared. I knew at that time that Guy Galer was a very experienced developer who knew how to deliver quality games even if they were just indie titles. Recently during my search for new XBLIG titles to review I stumbled upon Guy Galer's latest creation, "Colonies: NeoCiv". I immediately went to Youtube in search for some gameplay footage, and after watching some I knew I had to get this game for review.

FireFly Vegas (XBLIG): "A Visually Brilliant Arena Based Shmup"

There a variety of game types within the shmup genre including side-scrollers, bullet hell, and arena based games. RockMint, the developer behind "FireFlyVegas" created their game with graphics that truly suited the title. The game is an enclosed arena based shmup full of brilliantly lit neon shaped enemies that are constantly attacking, and filling the playing field. FireFly Vegas features two different game types (Retro & Dynamic) along with two modes of play (Clock & Survival) in each one. Retro mode takes the classic arena formula, and applies some soothing music with fast paced shmup action. Dynamic is an expert mode that allows the player to rotate the arena 360 degrees while fending of approaching enemies. As with most shmups there are power-ups, point multipliers, and various weapon types that can be obtained/used. This is a dual thumbstick shmup that also utilizes the shoulder buttons for shooting, thrusting, and even jumping. While the game is similar to other shmups it is still it's own game.