Brian “Psychochild” Green on Storybricks
May 16.12 / Mac Downloadable, PC Downloadable, Screenshots, Trailers, developer spotlight, interview / by omejia
Massively Multiplayer Online (MMO) games have gradually filled the gaming marketplace in recent years. While many have drawn initial interest, even the biggest names in the genre have begun to see dwindling subscriber/player numbers.
Pinning down a single reason for this decline is difficult, but Brian “Psychochild” Green hopes to bring a new sense of interest back to MMO’s with Storybricks, which brings a newfound emphasis on customized storytelling.
Drunken Robot Pornography: Hands-on Impressions
May 15.12 / Impressions, Mac Downloadable, PC Downloadable, Screenshots, Trailers / by omejia
Dejobaan Games is not short on memorable game titles. Only the developer that released AaaaaAAaaaAAAaaAAAAaAAAAA!!! – A Reckless Disregard for Gravity and 1…2…3…KICK IT! (Drop That Beat Like an Ugly Baby) could come up with the outrageous (and outrageously awesome!) name Drunken Robot Pornography.
After playing through the build they showed off at this year’s PAX East, I’m also convinced that Dejobaan is also not short on cool game ideas.
Geeta Games on Lilly Looking Through
May 15.12 / Linux Downloadable, Mac Downloadable, PC Downloadable, Trailers, demo, developer spotlight, interview / by omejia
Narrative-based adventures are becoming more commonplace in the indie gaming world. The best ones are not only engaging from a gameplay standpoint, but also feel like they’re pulled straight out of a film. Thus, it’s not surprising to see an increasing number of independent game designers with a background in film, animation, and television.
Among them are a couple in Michigan named Steve and Jessica Hoogendyk. Together, they’ve formed Geeta Games and are preparing to release their first adventure, Lilly Looking Through.
Review: ORION: Dino Beatdown by Spiral Game Studios
May 14.12 / Mac Downloadable, PC Downloadable, Review, Screenshots, Trailers / by omejia
Spiral Game Studios has an ambitious plan to shake up shooters with their debut effort, ORION: Dino Beatdown. Take futuristic weaponry and, rather than aim at each other, turn them towards large, ferocious dinosaurs.
It sounds like an idea that can’t miss, like a cross between Halo and Jurassic Park. Sadly, a number of glitches and a lack of variety take all the bite out of this FPS.
Review: Brainsss by Lonely Few
May 11.12 / Review, Screenshots, Trailers, iOS, iPad, iPhone, iPod touch / by omejia
A world infested by zombies is starting to feel more like an inevitability with each passing day. Sure, humanity can pick up some pistols and shotguns and try and beat back the tidal wave of the undead, but how long could a human resistance possibly last? Sometimes, it feels like it would be easier to simply accept our new undead overlords and help them spread their incurable disease.
Brainsss, an iOS puzzle game from Lonely Few, isn’t about resisting zombies, but rather is about giving them a helping hand.
Review: Ski Safari by Defiant Development
May 10.12 / Review, Screenshots, Trailers, iOS, iPad, iPhone, iPod touch / by omejia
If there’s an avalanche chasing after you, there probably isn’t much hope for your survival. Even on a pair of skis, you likely won’t outrun an avalanche for very long.
Ski Safari, from Defiant Development (Rocket Bunnies), operates on this same principle, but if you’re going to go out, at least you can go out in style.
Crankshaft Games’ Daniel Menard on Party of Sin
May 10.12 / PC Downloadable, Screenshots, Trailers, developer spotlight, interview / by omejia
Crankshaft Games, like many indie studios, had a humble beginning. Daniel Menard started Crankshaft as a mod team for Half-Life 2, creating Eternal Silence. Five years later, Eternal Silence has been left in the capable hands of a community development team and Menard has branched Crankshaft off towards a new endeavor.
Things are about to get biblical, as Crankshaft inches towards completion on Party of Sin.
Quality Time-Killer: Lililput
May 09.12 / Flash, Quality-Time-Killer / by omejia
Anyone that has surfed the internet for more than a day has likely come across a treasure trove of misspellings and typos. Comments sections and forums can be a spelling stickler’s worst nightmare. So leave it to the two-man crew at Incredible Ape (Pew Pew Pew Pew Pew Pew Pew Pew Pew) to take a classic formula and give it a modern “teh internetz” twist.
Incredible Ape’s contribution to Ludum Dare 23 is Lililput, a game where spelling bee champions need not apply.
Lililput reimagines the old typing tutorial formula. Similar to other games of this genre, the object is to fend off oncoming waves of enemies by typing words that appear on-screen. While this game is all about typing and rewards speedy keyboard strokes, it’s far from educational. That’s because all of the words that appear are scrambled. The knee-jerk reaction is often to type out words as you remember them, but Lililput asks you to intentionally scramble your brain and quickly spell out words exactly as they appear.
Lililput is a clever concept and is only hindered by the brevity of every game. Even the most proficient of typists (certainly not the most proficient of spellers) will find their games lasting no more than a couple of minutes. That’s a shame given how much I was enjoy the chiptune Bach tune from composer Spamtron. I had hoped the game would exercise more of a wave system and separate waves into their own individual levels. Instead, enemies only get faster and more intense, meaning your game will likely end as fast as it began.
Despite each session lasting less than a few minutes, Lililput is an enjoyable time-killer and offers an unconventional twist on an old formula. It’s another example of Incredible Ape making the most out of a simple concept, making me even more eager to see what they come up with for their next full-scale effort. Lililput is currently free to play on Kongregate or directly from their Ludum Dare entry page.
Mike Bithell talks Thomas Was Alone and Danny Wallace’s narration
May 09.12 / Mac Downloadable, PC Downloadable, Screenshots, Trailers, developer spotlight, interview / by omejia
London-native Mike Bithell has been working as a professional game designer for five years, having designed games for the PS2 and onwards. He has since moved on to work at Bossa Studios, a studio aimed at making social games across all platforms, as a game design lead.
Bithell also has an independent side project that he’s working diligently to complete — a debut solo title called Thomas Was Alone.
Noodlecake Studios on the Game A Week Project, porting from iOS to Android
May 08.12 / Android, Screenshots, developer spotlight, iOS, iPad, iPhone, iPod touch, interview / by omejia
As mobile devices become more advanced, independent game developers actively seek to tap into their full potential. Many of these developers have veered towards the iOS platform, citing amongst other reasons, the simplicity of the iOS programming code. Once a game is already on iOS, developers rarely port their creations to Android devices. Those that do attempt this often come across complications and headaches.
Noodlecake Studios, co-founded by Jordan Schidlowsky and Ty Bader, is an experienced Android developer, having previously made Super Stickman Golf and Lunar Racer. They now look to make fellow developers’ lives a little easier by launching the Game A Week Project.
