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Bounce red ball. Hit targets. Earn points
Red Ball is as simple as Flash games get. On the left side are numbered targets, separated from your throwing zone by a dotted line. The goal is to toss the red ball and hit the targets in numerical order. That's it.Do it right, progress through the stages, and you earn points. Blind luck and l33t skillz are both acceptable methods (bending space and time is not). You can thank the game's author Anton Granik for stealing away the next half hour of your life.[Via digg]
Indie developers refuse to turn the other cheek
Analogies are a great way to convey information, especially if they involve naughty bits of the human anatomy. Today's Independent Games Summit brought a panel of indie game developers together to discuss the future of the industry. Early on, Greg Costikyan of Manifesto Games referred to the indie scene as a "pimple on the game industry's ass." Whether that's a good thing or a bad depends on how much you like pimples, but Bit Blot co-founder Derek Yu didn't think it was a fitting analogy. Independent games are one cheek, Yu said, while the mainstream is the other. It's hard to walk with just one cheek.That may be true, but the problem is that most people aren't aware of the flabby left cheek, and indie game developers don't have the financial muscle to make it stand out. Ironically, shovelware is a major issue in independent gaming, just like in the mainstream. Anyone with a computer and free time can make a game -- and the results are usually frightening. Your average gamer doesn't know where to find and download the "Good Games®." Game Tunnel and Game Trove, two of the better-known indie information portals, do a fair amount of sorting but are far from comprehensive. Would a little business oomph threaten the charm of the independent gaming scene?
Indian mythology inspires new game
Canadian-based studio Syncere Arts is working on an action-adventure game based on the Mahabharata, an epic tale in Indian mythology. Mahabharata: The Dawn of Kaliyuga aims to let players feel as powerful as the ancient gods while still providing a good challenge. You play the role of warrior prince Arjuna (try not to think the Prince of Persia) whose destiny is, obviously, to save the world. The game will let players choose between various schools of combat, and nearly 100 weapons and Vedic powers. Syncere hopes to publish Mahabharata in April 2008 and plans to release both PC and Xbox 360 versions.Greek and Norse mythologies have long been sources for video game material in the west, so it's great to see Syncere stirring some fresh Indian-inspired content into the pot. The non-violent first person Hindu shooter project was another promising effort in the same vein, though unfortunately it never came to fruition. With gaming gaining popularity in India, this certainly won't be the last we'll see of Arjuna.[Via Good News]
Japanese homebrew shmups deciphered
Japanese homebrew shooters, or doujin shmups, form a subculture of developers and dedicated players in the indie gaming scene. It's a massively confusing (but not-so-multiplayer) world of strange games, websites with squiggly characters, and obscure names that have become the subject of fanboy worship. If you've played Warning Forever, Clean Asia, or even Cave Story creator Pixel's new project Guxt (a work-in-progress demo) you're off to a good start. The Independent Gaming Source has published a quick guide to the world of doujin shmups. Everything is divided into digestible bits of information that actually makes sense to the doujin n00b. And once you know who Kenta Cho is and why you should put him in your will, an entire universe of free indie shooters is at your disposal.
Indie developers drop the 'i-bomb'
Monday afternoon brought a pack of indie gaming stars out of their dark workspaces and into the spotlight of the Independent Games Summit. Kyle Gabler (Tower of Goo), Jenova Chen (flOw), Jonathan Blow, and several others were on hand to discuss the role innovation plays in independent game development. The overused "i" word has become a cliché in recent years with commercial developers using it to mask the ugly symptoms of sequelitis. But with smaller dev teams and less emphasis on making money, indie developers actually can focus on creating interesting content and stretching the boundaries of gaming conventions.As Gabler points out, computing power will continue to progress over the next several decades and exceed our ability to use it. Instead of inventing new gimmicks to distract us, games must focus on the one thing that doesn't change: human emotion. That's the reason Final Fantasy VII will make you cry (if you're a wimp), Beyond Good and Evil will make you hate Big Brother, and Tetris will lead to the development of an odd proclivity for stacking objects.
Tower of Goo evolves into World of Goo, 2D Boy is born
The Experimental Gameplay Project has produced a number of crazy, unique, and surreal games, such as On a Rainy Day, Attack of the Killer Swarm, and probably the most famous, Tower of Goo. Recently project founder Kyle Gabler stepped up with buddy Ron Carmel to start a brand new indie game studio, 2D Boy. The bubbly had barely been popped when they announced their first project, World of Goo.What is World of Goo? According to the 2D Boy website, "it is extremely mysterious." Let's go out on a limb and say it will be a lot like Tower of Goo but inflated to full-game proportions.[Via Independent Gaming]
LEGO MMO in the works by indie dev NetDevil
Independent game developer NetDevil (Auto Assault) announced today a partnership with The LEGO Group to develop a MMOG based on the colorful little building blocks. Few details apart from the brief announcement were given, but a representative from LEGO told Gamasutra the game would merge social interaction with physical play. A virtual community where you can build things with LEGO blocks? Yes, please.The game will likely be aimed at children, but that won't stop us kids who have jobs from giving it a try. After all, everybody loves LEGOs.[Thanks, Phillip]
Dream-Build-Play offers prizes for original XBLA games
After opening Xbox Live Arcade to developers and releasing the XNA Framework, Microsoft is continuing its efforts to seek out and publish unique casual games. The company today announced the Dream-Build-Play competition aimed at attracting new talent via independent game developers. Twenty prizes are up for grabs, including a grand prize of $10,000 and an XBLA publishing deal. The contest is open to anyone using XNA Game Studio Express and ends on July 2. Winners will be announced in August at Microsoft's Gamefest. Full details including the fine print everyone's just itching to read can be found at the official Dream-Build-Play website.We've heard promises of more unique games on XBLA before, but according to the Games Portfolio Planner David Edery, Microsoft has firm plans to deliver the goods this year. Dream-Build-Play is an excellent start and, with the recent announcement of GameTap's Indies program, we could see quite an upsurge of unique independent games this year.
Student Postmortem with DigiPen's Toblo
Walking the fine line between simple and just plain boring gameplay is a delicate issue, especially with independent game makers. How do you make a game appealing without stripping it of the elements that keep players coming back for more? GameCareerGuide's postmortem with the Toblo design answers just those questions, discussing the high and low points in the development process. "Light-hearted" and "easy to play" were two key phrases in the design of Toblo, a simple capture the flag game created by a group of DigiPen students. Played in a world of colored blocks, your only goal is to capture the other team's flag. Your weapons are the very blocks that surround you, simply walk up to anything and tear it down to load up on ammo, then dash into the enemy's fort and let 'em fly. Although Toblo isn't a full-fledged game, it's proof that a concept doesn't need to be elaborate to be interesting.
iTunes creates new venue for Indy distribution
Variety reports that independent video producers can now sell through iTunes. The first indy video production, a 40-minute snowboarding feature, represents the first iTunes content outside the studio system. This opens doors for small business videographers to market their content and I suspect that video tutorials may be a big growth area for content. Let me point out that the video that debuted (it's called "That") is by no means an amateur production. It creates a new venue for distribution previously unavailable through video podcasting.
'GameTap Indies' launches lil' guys into cyberspace
GameTap has launched its 'Indies' program, an initiative to market and distribute independent games through its subscription-based service. While GameTap Indies will supposedly "take effect immediately," there's no sign of it today. A representative confirmed with us that launch titles won't be announced until GDC, when, during the Independent Games Festival, GameTap will present its first ever 'GameTap Indie Award' to three "hand-picked" recipients.The trio will have their games showcased on GameTap, assumingly headlining a selection of less-heralded indie titles. One recipient will receive a $10,000 advance for signing a 5-year distribution deal with the GameTap Indies label; two others will receive $5,000 for signing away similar distribution rights.It's a strong play from GameTap -- still seeking a firm identity -- and will hopefully encourage similar services to support independent development more aggressively. Will 'Indies' help to negate the stigma that GameTap is a bloated client with little original content to offer? Mr. Turner and company certainly hope so -- Sam & Max and Myst Online can't do it alone much longer.
Wii dev kits in short supply, indies left waiting
Over on Water Cooler Games, indie developer Ian Bogost addresses the frustration that he and his peers continue to face as Nintendo has again postponed the Wii Independent Developer Program. "In other words, Nintendo doesn't have enough [development] kits to cover the demand for all those crappy licensed games, let alone more original work," writes a dejected Bogost.Nintendo had previously planned to begin reviewing independent developer applications last month, but the latest update from NOA suggests the initiative is "on hold." Nintendo's nonchalant approach to indie support has led to doubts. "Is Nintendo's story about mass-appeal just marketing rhetoric?" wonders Bogost. How can Wii appeal to the so-called "non-gamer" if there are no consoles in stock, and no dev kits for adventurous designers to create original games with?"At the rate we're going, independent games of any kind won't be a reality until 2008 at least, and we still don't know how likely Nintendo is to license unusual games for the system," concludes Bogost.[Thanks, Jonah]
Wii to get original downloadable titles, 'Game Channel' possible
Remarks made by Hudson Entertainment director of marketing John Lee, during an interview with Game Informer, have sparked rumor that a 'Game Channel,' dealing in original downloadable titles, could be headed to Wii. Lee didn't make any specific implications, but did cleverly acknowledge that Nintendo had plans to distribute original downloadable games. When asked if Hudson had plans to do so, Lee claimed, "No," but added, "However, in the future, you should rephrase that question to: Are there any plans to launch original content on some downloadable service on the Wii, and you might get a different answer."CVG brought the issue up with Nintendo, which responded, "We cannot confirm at this time in what format the new content will be delivered, but in the future there will be original games available for download through the Wii Shop." While still unconfirmed, it's likely that Nintendo could launch a new Channel to further separate original games, once purchased from Wii Shop Channel, from Virtual Console fare. We also suspect that most of these new offerings will utilize the Wiimote (and Nunchuk) instead of the Classic Controller.
Slamdance trots out new Super Columbine excuse
When Slamdance first announced they were pulling Super Columbine Massacre RPG from consideration in their independent game competition, Slamdance president Peter Baxter cited both advertiser impact and moral considerations as the reasons. Now, a new official statement on the Slamdance site has come up with a new excuse for the removal -- potential legal fees. Take it away slamdance.com/games: "Specifically with the subject matter of Super Columbine Massacre Role Playing Game Slamdance does not have the resources to defend any drawn out civil action that our legal council has stated can easily arise from publicly showing it." The statement doesn't cite any specific legal threats made against the game or the competition, but we can easily foresee some frivolous Jack-Thompson-esque lawsuit that would indeed cost Slamdance a pretty penny to defend.But wait. The site also mentions that "the organization annually takes on legal matters in support of the independent artists." Indeed, in 2001, Slamdance stood up to legal threats from Artisan Entertainment and hosted a surprise showing of controversial documentary "Brooklyn Babylon." We find it hard that Slamdance had the resources to stand up to a distinct, stated legal threat from a major independent movie studio like Artisan but doesn't have the resources to handle vague, potential legal threat over Super Columbine Massacre RPG.Besides subject matter concerns, a Business Week article cites Baxter as saying that "organizers were reluctant to expose Slamdance to possible legal issues over music in the game." As far as we can tell, the SNES-style, bleep-and-bloop MIDI versions of popular songs from Nirvana, Marilyn Manson and other early-'90s favorites in the game are all well within the bounds of fair use. If Slamdance has to worry about legal culpability for giving exposure to these songs, sites like MIDI Database should be quaking in their boots.It seems to us that Baxter is just trying to come up with a convenient excuse for a hypocritical decision to duck away from defending a controversial game in the same way he would defend a controversial movie. But, as we all know, games are just kid's stuff, so really, who can blame him?[Via Kotaku]
Super Columbine supporters shun Slamdance
When the Slamdance Guerrilla Game Maker Competition announced it was withdrawing Super Columbine Massacre RPG from finalist consideration, the decision drew some harsh words. But now those words have led to concrete action as the makers of Slamdance finalists fl0w, Braid, Toblo, Once Upon a Time and Everyday Shooter have pulled their games from the competition in a show of solidarity for the controversial RPG. The game's makers acknowledge that it wasn't an easy decision. Braid creator Jonathan Blow probably put it best, saying he appreciates what the festival has done for independent games but that "the expulsion of the Columbine game sets a precedent in the wrong direction" and pulling his game is "the strongest protest I have the power to make." Whether or not any of the remaining finalists will follow suit is unclear, but an open letter to the Slamdance organizers on Grand Text Auto is signed by the creators of four of the eight remaining finalists, as well as the creators of three of the games withdrawn so far. Losing over a third of the 14 original finalists to a protest is surely a stinging rebuke to the prestigious competition, but losing more than two-thirds would be a blow nearly impossible to ignore. Stay strong. [Via Too Much Media Too Little Time, thanks photendoist and Tom]
Independent Games Festival finalists announced
The finalists for the 9th annual Independent Games Festival have been announced, with Bit Blot's Aquaria taking the lead with four nominations, including the Seumas McNally Grand Prize. Interesting note: Aquaria co-creator Derek Yu's other games include the popular Metroidvania platformer Eternal Daughter and the Jack Thompson-provoking I'm OK!.Other finalists include the beautiful browser game Samorost 2 (play it now!), Xbox Live Arcade titles like RoboBlitz and Castle Crashers, episodic early-birds like Bone: The Great Cow Race (that's episode 2), student projects like DigiPen's Toblo, and more! The winners in each category will be announced at the IGF awards ceremony Wednesday, March 7th at the 2007 Game Developers Conference in San Fransisco.As a judge in this year's Festival, the only game in my allotted roster was Samorost 2 which (perhaps unsurprisingly) was the only game that I had previously played. Check out the full list of finalists (congratulations everyone!) after the break.
Independent Games Summit line-up
Independent game developers, it's that time again. CMP media has posted a preliminary version of the Independent Games Summit (IGS) schedule on the Game Developers Conference (GDC) site. The IGS takes place March 5 - 6, 2007, the two days prior to the three day GDC at the Moscone Center in San Francisco.The summit is also tied in with the 2007 Independent Games Festival, which will feature the year's best independent games. Those nominations will be announced this Saturday on IGF.com. The winners will be announced March 7, the first night of GDC at the IGF Awards.The one simple request we have is that independent developers who end up being nominated for awards please, please, PLEASE have a speech ready when you win. Also, practice what you are going to say in a mirror a few times before you get up in front of thousands of people and just blow it. Trust us, it will help you in the long-term with your career.[Via GameSetWatch]
XNA Game Studio Express Beta 2 released [update 1]
Microsoft XNA Game Studio Express Beta 2 is now available to the wannabe-developer masses. Download it if you have the talent and the will to create the next homebrew masterpiece. Just make sure to include Vision cam support and 10,000 available GamerScore points. Xboxic has a screen shot.Update: We have already posted a story on the release of this software. Click here for our original post. We apologize for the error.
Manifesto Games web site sighting
Longtime game developer and general roustabout Greg Costikyan sent a jolt through the industry when he announced Manifesto Games, a company dedicated to rewarding original, independent game ideas and getting around the narrow retail channels that keep them from gamers. After a months-long gestation process, the company is now well on its way with a beta web site highlighting and selling some of the brightest independent games on the market.The site is still a little rough around the edges, but in return for registering and helping to troubleshoot, Manifesto is offering a free download of Plasmaworm, a game they appropriately describe as "Snake on acid." Here's wishing them the best in their mission to stir things up.
Sensory Sweep Studios join the ranks
According to a job posting on their official site, independent development team Sensory Sweep Studios is looking for talent to aid in the development of an action title for the Wii. Looking for junior and senior game designers to help in level and character design for this title, Sensory Sweep's most recent releases include Need For Speed: Most Wanted and Tiger Woods PGA Tour on the DS.While we can't be all that enthused about this development considering the only major titles of note from the company were on a handheld, the more support for Nintendo's newest console the better. [Via Codename Revolution]
