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Independent Games Festival 2010 finalists announced
The contenders for the 12th Annual Independent Games Festival awards have been announced today -- you can find the full list of finalists after the jump. In addition to the Seamus McNally Grand Prize (nominees for which include Joe Danger and Super Meat Boy), there are specialized categories recognizing excellence in art, design, audio, and technical achievement. There's also the Nuovo Award, which honors "abstract, shortform, and unconventional game development." Previous winners of the Nuovo include N+ co-creator Mare Sheppard and Passage developer Jason Rohrer. We find ourselves particularly invested in this year's awards show, as -- deep breath now -- AaaaaAAaaaAAAaaAAAAaAAAAA!!! -- A Reckless Disregard For Gravity was nominated for Excellence in Design. We've got, like, a million jokes we still want to make about that game title, but we're running out of opportunities to do so.
Independent Games Festival 2010 competitors announced
Each year, indie developers from around the world submit their creations to the Independent Games Festival Main Challenge in hopes of becoming the next cola-to-Cristal success. This year, the IGF has received a whopping 306 entries (last year: 224) competing for the top prize of $20,000. Last year's winner, Erik Svedang's Blueberry Garden, was picked up for distribution on Steam.Screens, videos and details on all 306 entries can be perused on the IGF website, while many of the games are either downloadable or directly playable from their developer's homepages. Finalists will be picked in January, with the winners in various categories -- including art, design, audio, and innovation -- set to be announced during GDC 2010, which runs March 9–13, 2010.[Via Eurogamer]
N+ dev announces 'Office Yeti,' Robotology 'nowhere near complete'
We're pretty big fans of indie developer Metanet Software's first offering, N+. That may explain why we were so excited for the announcement of a second currently-in-development title on the company's blog -- Office Yeti. Another explanation could be that the game is about a freakin' yeti in an office. The game is still early in development and was only being worked on "part-time" until recently. Metanet teases Rampage and Skool Daze-inspired gameplay, calling it: "A single-player action/puzzle/simulation game in which players assume control of a yeti who works in an office." Magical! Unfortunately, it appears that we won't be seeing anything new on Robotology in the near future, as the developer is still working hard on having a playable entry for the IGF deadline this November. "Despite months and months of work, it's still nowhere near complete, but at the same time we've managed to get most of the vital parts figured out," Metanet says. Aside from the teasing of possible screenshots coming soon, it looks like we're not going to get anything new this year to play. Sometimes a taste of honey is worse than none at all. Source 1 - Metanet Source 2 - Metanet [Via Offworld]
2010 Independent Games Festival accepting submissions
If you're ready to unleash your totally deviant, totally original and totally counter-cultural Tetris remake upon the world, your best chance to do so has arrived. The Independent Games Festival is now accepting entries into its Main and Student Showcase categories. You've got until November to get your submissions in, and finalists in the Main Competitions will be announced January 4.If you're looking for reasons to enter your humble project, the festival's organizers have about 20,000 good ones, and by "ones" we mean dollars, by which we mean $20,000 is the grand prize for the competition. In addition, finalists will have their games exhibited on the GDC show floor, where they can be played, admired and possibly exalted by the gaming press -- a treatment received by titles such as World of Goo and Castle Crashers in the past. If your game is of that caliber, we highly suggest throwing your hat into the ring.
iPhone apps stats revealed, games dominate list
With game applications taking up nearly half the list (12 of 25), the rankings for iPhone apps released this week by internet information company comScore may be aimed at advertisers, but tells us a ton about the newest gaming platform. For instance, of the 15 million iPhone users in the US, 32 percent (nearly one in every three) have installed Tap Tap Revenge, making it the most popular application by an ice cold five percent. Furthermore, of the 12 game applications listed, 75 percent of them were developed by small startup companies or, in one case, a single individual. Actually, aside from Pac-Man, Hangman, Sudoku, and a version of Solitaire, all the games are original IP, with number one title Tap Tap Revenge serving as the prime example. We're starting to understand why the iPhone dominated the IGF this year and will likely continue to do so for years to come.
Mega64 punches people, makes out at IGF Awards
If you thoroughly enjoyed Mega64's video shenanigans at last year's Independent Games Festival Awards show, brace yourselves for round two. This year's IGF Awards featured a pair of clips from the comedic quartet, both of which you can find posted after the jump.The first video is aptly titled IF YOU'RE NOT INDIE, F**K YOU, and features a bunch of people getting punched in the face, except The Behemoth co-founder Dan Paladin, who is, as legend tells us, unpunchable. The second video, Topher Great Payens: "The GDC" (an homage to the equally unsettling Shine on Me by renowned musician Chris Dane Owens) is, well, extremely bizarre. Or extremely arousing. We haven't decided yet.
Mega64 and special guest use CQC on Metal Gear Solid 4
No matter how many times the Mega64 guys dress as beloved video game characters and go into public, we never fail to be entertained. But their take on Metal Gear Solid 4, which debuted at the GDCAs last week, takes a turn towards the surreal and becomes something far more epic than simple spoof.We want to tell you more, but, frankly, we've said too much already. You should probably just watch the whole thing for yourself right after the break.
Overheard@GDC09: Tim makes a good point
"No one's ever made a bong in the shape of a game designer." -Tim Schafer We could give you some more context here, but we're pretty sure it speaks for itself.
GDC09: Joystiq live at the IGF and GDCA awards
We're live at the IGF slash GDCA awards, from the very same Moscone Center room that housed this morning's Nintendo keynote. Andy Schatz from Pocket Watch reprises his role as IGF host, with Tim "Freaking" Schafer taking host duties for the Game Developer Conference Awards. Check out the whole liveblog, updating from bottom to top, after the break.
GDC09: IGF showcases 'the next great mobile game' concepts
Before the Independent Games Festival organizers handed out today's awards for best mobile titles, they welcomed several indie devs on stage to pitch their ideas for the "next great mobile game." It was an interactive affair; after the presentations, the audience got to "vote" for the best of the bunch via the most scientific of methods: how loud we clapped.We honestly wanted everything we saw to win; there are clearly some very bright designers working on some very cool "games" that can only be done on mobile platforms. The first we saw, Depict, is an iPhone title from VillaVanilla -- although we could easily see it on DSi -- that challenges a group of online players to take photos that match a "target image" as closely as possible. In the demo we saw, everyday household items and even people were used to compose the shots, which were then scored by the app. The closest to the target won. Depict was just the first of several intriguing concepts which we'll tell you more about after the break.
GDC09: IGF Mobile Award winners announced
Several games took home honors at this morning's Independent Games Festival's Mobile awards ceremony, but the event's true winner was apparent: the iPhone. While the awards were geared towards -- and open to -- titles for all wireless / mobile devices, every game that won is available exclusively on Apple's telephonic wunderkind (and, of course, the iPod touch). Subatomic Studios' tower defense favorite, Fieldrunners, won for Best Art and Best Mobile Game (overall). Sergei Gourski and Jamie Gotch (above), the two developers responsible for the game, have been viewed as rising stars in the indie mobile gaming scene since Fieldrunners' release; today's wins cemented their star status. We spoke with the duo about their award-winning creation -- look for the full interview soon on the 'Stiq.Two awards also went to Secret Exit for its sublime Zen Bound. The part game, part relaxation exercise was named Best iPhone Game and earned a Mobile Audio Achievement award. The Best Innovation award went to the simplistic, yet infinitely replayable 4x4 space strategy title, Galcon. The only unreleased game to win was Firemint's Real Racing, which earned Best Technical honors. We'll have a hands-on with the impressive looking (hey, it won the tech award for a reason) racer soon.
Independent Games Festival audience award polls now open
Were you completely enraptured by a number of 2008's independent gaming offerings? Perhaps you were infatuated with Q-Games' PixelJunk Eden, or bowled over by the bizarre meiosis exhibited in Coil, or, much like us, you were strangely obsessed with the brilliantly minimalistic You Have to Burn the Rope. If you want to show that appreciation in a worthwhile manner, you might want to cast your vote in the recently opened polls of the Audience Award category for the 2009 Independent Games Festival, which will be held in conjunction with the Game Developers Conference later this month.Even if your favorite independent titles didn't make the list (or if your gaming habits stuck explicitly to big-budget blockbusters), most of the 15 finalists in the category are accompanied by their download links. Come for the exercise in democracy, stay for the free games!
Indie PSP game, Rhythm of War, nominated for IGF award
Here's a game you haven't played before -- and it's already nominated for an award! The IGF Mobile Award nominees were revealed and the sole PSP candidate is this game: Rhythm of War. This "rhythm action strategy game" has players traveling through different time epochs to fight against aliens. Battles take place on four tracks, and players must follow the musical rhythm of each track in order to come out victorious.Alexey Menshikov (the game producer) told us that this game couldn't find a publisher due to rather lackluster support for the PSP platform However, with the PlayStation Store on PSP, there's new hope that the team will be able to find a publisher and distribute the game to the masses.We're big fans of music games, especially when they're created by indie teams. Hopefully, this newfound attention will give Rhythm of War the chance at life it deserves.[Thanks, David B.!]
iPhone dominates list of IGF Mobile 2009 finalists
Whereas last year's entries seemed more diverse (with a heavy Java slant), the 2009 Independent Games Festival Mobile finalists are almost entirely composed of iPhone / iPod touch games -- 11 of the 14 contestants, to be exact. The remaining three entries are represented by a Nintendo DS, Java and Flash game. A trio of games lead the pack with three nominations apiece: Wardive, Edge and Fieldrunners (pictured). We're not anywhere close to calling it "the future of gameplay," but the iPhone's App Store -- not to mention massive install base -- has proven to be a viable and tempting business model for aspiring developers.
PixelJunk Eden nominated for three Independent Game Awards
Nominations for the Independent Games Festival Awards 2009 have been announced today and one of our favorite PSN titles, PixelJunk Eden, has been nominated for three categories. The categories are: Excellence in Visual Art, Excellence in Audio and Technical Excellence. Eden is one of few console games to be nominated in this year's awards, and the only PlayStation Network title to get recognition.The winners will be revealed at the Independent Games Festival which takes place in San Francisco between March 23rd and 27th. If you want to learn more about all the games on the list be sure to check out Joystiq's IGF nominee run-down. Good luck to PixelJunk Eden, there's some strong competition there.
Independent Games Festival announces 2009 award nominees
Click me to see this year's IGF nominees. With consoles opening their doors to digital distribution, indie gaming has exploded in recent years. One look at 2008's IGF winners shows a number of highly recognizable, widely available titles: Crayon Physics Deluxe, World of Goo, Audiosurf, and Desktop Tower Defense. Publishers are always on the lookout for the "next big thing." They'll be keeping an eye out on this year's IGF nominees.There are many categories to compete in, but only one game can be crowned with the ultimate prize -- the Seumas McNally Grand Prize. Find out more about the candidates here.
Audiosurf becomes Steam's top seller for February
Indie title Audiosurf had a very good February, indeed. After getting released on Valve's Steam distribution system, and winning the Independent Games Festival Award for best audio, the procedurally-generated music racing game has just been announced as the top-selling title on Steam for the month of February.Though no sales numbers have been given, a press release from Valve reveals the results of February's Steam sales, with Audiosurf beating out titles like Portal, Team Fortress 2, and Counter-Strike. Not bad for a one-man, indie operation. If you have yet to experience Audiosurf's transcendental gameplay, it's only $9.95 USD; go get it already. A video of David Bowie's "Space Oddity" in Audiosurf after the break.
Game Developers Choice Awards on G4 tonight
In case our live coverage of the Game Developer Choice Awards and Independent Games Festival Awards wasn't enough to sate your appetite for GDC's prestigious ceremony, G4TV will be showing coverage of the event tonight.A 30-minute recap of the two-hour event will air tonight at 8:00 PM EST (5:00 PM PST), as part of a special episode of G4's X-Play program. If you miss it, the episode will re-air several times on Saturday, March 1, Sunday, March 2 and Monday, March 3. Check out the episode guide for the full list of times.For those with a distaste for digests, the award shows' organizers will be hosting full-length streaming video coverage of both events on their respective websites sometime in the next week. We'll keep an eye out for when those streams become available.
GDC08 Highlights: Baldur, Big Daddy and cake
Playing (and being) Too Human Elsewhere that day, Silicon Knights' boastful Denis Dyack held a press conference showing off the latest build of Too Human (photos) and, lo and behold, the framerate was consistent and the game looked much improved from previous demonstrations. Our hands-on impressions were decidedly mixed, however; as one commenter aptly put it, "the controls hindered Baldur's gait." Besides Microsoft, the other keynote of the conference was futurist Ray Kurzweil who, among other mind-blowing points, confirmed that by 2023 we will be injecting ourselves with plasmids. Speaking of which ... BioShockTacular! One of the Big Daddies of the conference (yes folks, plenty more puns to come!) was BioShock, with total rock star Ken Levine drawing quite a crowd. Levine et al. showed off early footage of the game, advised to keep story simple, talked Steamworks and even sent a splicer to check up on us. GDCA and IGF Awards BioShock was a major winner at the Game Developers Choice Awards (GDCA), walking away with honors for audio, visuals and writing (Ayn Rand woke from the dead to claim the writing award). Also announced that night were the Independent Games Festival awards, with World of Goo winning three nods and Crayon Physics Deluxe earning the Seamus McNally award. Cheer up, World of Goo fans, they already have a distribution deal for the Nintendo Wii. The best part of the award presentations were probably Mega64 and Zero Punctuation's hilarious videos. Despite three accolades, BioShock didn't win Best Game. That award went to Portal along with design and innovation nods. Portal: This was a Triumph Remember last year when Portal was just a bullet point during the Experimental Games session? A lot has changed since GDC 2007, with almost everyone singing the game's praises. The night of their GDCA win, Valve revealed that Jonathan Coulton's Portal song "Still Alive" would be featured in Rock Band. Though we missed that performance (Coulton only hit 95% on vocals), we did happen to catch his concert on Friday where he, along with Leo LaPorte and Mahalo Daily's Veronica Belmont, managed to fail the song live on stage (video). As one of the last sessions of the conference, designer Kim Swift and writer Erik Wolpaw delivered a Portal post-mortem (photos) for an overpacked crowd (did you see the line to get in?). Among other little details, the duo talked about the origins of the Weighted Companion Cube and the various final levels they tested. Next: Spore, Street Fighter and Nintendo
See Mega64's IGF videos
Just because you may not have heard of most indie game developers doesn't mean they don't have the same rights as more mainstream devs. One of those inalienable rights? Getting made fun of by the Mega64 guys, which they got a hot, steamy helping of during the IGF Awards during GDC.Our personal favorite? Watching a grown man appear to hump a keyboard. We're sure there was more context to it than that, but damned if we can tell you what it is. Hey, you go for all of GDC week without sleep, see how sharp you are. We've got two more after the jump, check them totally out.
