xblig
Latest
CastleMiner Z cracks one million, still fastest-selling XBLIG
DigitalDNA Games is popping corks right now, having surpassed the one million download mark for its Xbox Live Indie Games offering, CastleMiner Z. The self-described "voxel/sandbox zombie survival game" became the first XBLIG game to sell one million copies, DigitalDNA Games says, in little over 10 months.CastleMiner Z, the sequel to CastleMiner, surpassed 900.000 copies sold just last month. CastleMiner Z is currently available on Xbox Live Indie Games for 80 MS Points ($1).
PSA: Indie Games Uprising 3 goes live today
The third Indie Games Uprising begins today, running through September 20 on the Xbox Live Indie Games channel. The Uprising offers a promotion blast for nine new XBLIG games, beginning with "arcade documentary" qrth-phyl from Cornish developer Hermitgames, which is out today.The third lineup also includes (in order of their release days) Sententia, Diehard Dungeon, Gateways, Smooth Operators, Entropy, City Tuesday, Xenominer and Pixel. Think of the Uprising as a 10-day indie cleanse to prepare yourself for the triple-A drop coming in the holiday season.
Indie Games Uprising 3 costs you $11, max
The Indie Games Summer Uprising is almost upon us: the coordinated rollout and promotion of high-profile (for XBLIG) games will begin on September 10 with the "arcade/documentary" Snake game, qrth-phyl. Find the full schedule for the two-week promotion after the break.The Uprising has a much lower barrier to entry than something like Summer of Arcade. Even if you decide to buy absolutely everything in the Uprising, you're out just $11, less than the cost of most single XBLA releases.
CastleMiner Z crests 900,000 sales, becomes fastest-selling XBLIG
As of August 15, Xbox Live Indie Game CastleMiner Z, which is priced at 80 MS Points ($1), has exceeded sales of 900,000 – making it the most successful XBLIG to date, developer DigitalDNA Games claims."Based on the positions in the daily best selling lists it may very well be the best selling XBLIG of all time, but I won't feel fully comfortable saying that until we have reached the top of the xbox.com best selling list, which I project should happen when we round out 1M units sales in the next 4-6 weeks, becoming the first XBLIG to do so," DigitalDNA Games' Thomas Steinke told Joystiq. Still, CastleMiner Z has been at the top of Major Nelson's XBLIG list since launching back in November. And CastleMiner Z is always at the top of the daily best-selling area of xbox.com.Steinke only had nice things to say about Microsoft, saying that creating XBLIG games has been "an unbelievable and life changing experience," though he does wish they paid more attention to the XBLIG channel. "We have really wanted to make an XBLA title for a long time, you would think when you have a developer that has moved millions of units on XBLIG that it would get some attention from them, however that hasn't been the case for us."Joystiq has contacted Microsoft to confirm DigitalDNA's claims; however, the company typically does not disclose XBLIG sales data to the public.
Indie Games Uprising 3 highlights new Xbox Live Indie Games in September
The "Indie Games Uprising" is back to remind people of the Xbox Live Indie Games Service's existence, and to promote a series of upcoming games. From September 10 through September 20, nine new games will be released as part of the grassroots "Indie Games Uprising III" promotion.Those games include puzzle-platformer Gateways by Uprising vet Smudged Cat Games and qrth-phyl, an "arcade documentary of classic maze/snake mechanics" by hermitgames. Entries by new developers include Michael Hicks' Sententia, "a game that explores the challenges we face to keep our imagination and creative spirits alive as we grow;" Chris Zukowski's City Tuesday, about a man reliving five minutes before a terrorist attack; tricktale's Roguelike Diehard Dungeon; Gristmill Studios' Xenominer, a "block-building sandbox game;" Autotivity's puzzle game Entropy; the first-person Pixel by Ratchet Game Studios; and a call center strategy game (!) by Andreas Heydeck called Smooth Operators.
Indie Games Summer Uprising community vote crests soon [Update]
The Indie Games Summer Uprising promotes the ten hottest (Get it?) games in Xbox Live's Indie Games collection – eight of those titles are chosen by developers and the XBLIG team, but two of them are up for a fan vote. This year, community voting will be possible via a link on the Indie Games Summer Uprising Facebook page.There is no word yet on the titles in the promotion or up for debate, but the Uprising Twitter account says a "very promising lineup" will be revealed soon. Winning titles will be announced on the same Twitter account after voting ends, using the hashtag "#IGSU."Update: The Indie Games Summer Uprising website is still under construction for the new year, and the dates we had previously are old. Specifics are coming soon, moderators promise us.
Penny Arcade's XBLIG game delayed on the precipice of release
The release window for Penny Arcade's On the Rain-Slick Precipice 3 has been tricky to nail down. First, it was due on July 10 on PC and Xbox Live Indie Games, and then PA boldly moved the date forward to June 25, with mobile versions to follow.Now, due to the late discovery of a bug (the game crashes if you remove a memory unit from an old Xbox while saving to it), the XBLIG release has been delayed. "We can't resubmit for another seven days, so we (and you, if you want to play it on there) are in kind of a holding pattern," Penny Arcade's Jerry Holkins said.The PC version will still be released on June 25.[Thanks, Tim.]
Penny Arcade's On the Rain-Slick Precipice of Darkness 3 lands July 10
Zeboyd's pixelated refresh of the Penny Arcade RPG series will arrive on Steam and XBLIG on July 10. Penny Arcade's On the Rain-Slick Precipice of Darkness 3 (phew) will cost $5 on either platform, the developer reports, though the XBLIG version is obviously sold in Microsoft's imaginary fun money. The PC version will support SteamPlay cross-platform compatibility with the future Mac version, so if you buy it on PC you get Mac as well.Zeboyd promises mobile versions as well, but more details on those are forthcoming. As in, don't expect to buy this on your phone in July.%Gallery-156693%
FortressCraft reaches 750K downloads
Xbox Live Indie Game FortressCraft – better known as "that game that looks an awful lot like Minecraft" – has sold 750,000 units. Word of the achievement comes from developer Adam Sawkins' Twitter.As Eurogamer points out, the game has taken heat for being a Minecraft clone. "You can spend ages creating amazing things in it, but Minecraft's never been about the creative aspect, any more than [Grand Theft Auto] is about making sculptures out of buses," Sawkins told the site. "FortressCraft, on the other hand, has focused almost entirely on the creative aspect."Sawkins revealed last August that FortressCraft had earned over a million dollars. The question is if FortressCraft can hit that million-unit mark in the face of competition from daddy Minecraft, which hits Xbox Live Arcade on May 9.
Cast Of The Seven Godsends brings retro running, gunning to XBLIG and Windows 7
Cast Of The Seven Godsends is a Ghosts 'n Goblins-inspired action game from Raven Travel Studios, a relatively new indie development house out of Italy. Launching sometime "soon" this year on Windows 7 and XBLIG, Cast Of The Seven Godsends drops you into an 80s-esque side-scrolling fantasy world filled with monsters, Castlevania-like projectile weapons and magic.During the adventure, you collect "Godsends," which can be used to augment a weapon's properties and imbue it with magic. Each of the seven Godsends' magical effects are different depending on which of the game's five weapons they're applied to, which translates to 40 different weapon configurations and 35 different magical abilities.%Gallery-152672%
XBLIG Companion app available now for Windows Phone
The Xbox Live Indie Games Companion app we first reported earlier this month is now available on Windows Phone. The app allows for easy browsing of Xbox Live Indie Games, including information, screens and links for each game. The app will even point users to Xbox Live Marketplace, where XBLIG demos or even full games can be purchased directly from their phone. Honestly, the XBLIG Companion looks like a much easier way of finding indie games than on Xbox Live Marketplace itself.Windows Phone users can nab the app now for the reasonable price of no dollars. Developer Eat Studios notes that iOS and Android versions of the app "should be available in the near future."
Indie devs launching XBLIG app for WP7 because MS hasn't
The Indie Games section of Xbox Live has been a point of contention for indie developers since its launch, in part because the app was hard to find and confusing to navigate. Microsoft has since made improvements -- with the most recent dashboard update, even -- but a group of indie devs and industry enthusiasts are speeding up the process with a new app for Windows Phone, tentatively called the XBLIG Companion.The XBLIG Companion scrapes the RSS feeds of XboxIndies.com and gathers the XML and CSV data for every applicable game, updating the app's listings as the games are updated themselves. XBLIG Companion will offer easy browsing of Xbox Indie Games' selection and will allow users to purchase games for their consoles directly from their phones.Created by Casey Young and organized by Dave Voyles, XBLIG Companion is currently in beta testing -- anyone with a Windows Phone 7 can check out the prototype now by contacting Dave [at] ArmlessOctopus [dot] com, and leaving feedback right here. Now that wasn't so difficult, was it, Microsoft?
Activision OK's XBLIG; you probably haven't heard of it, it's pretty underground [Update]
After accruing millions of fans and billions of dollars through mainstream blockbusters such as the Call of Duty franchise, Activision is going indie. Dark Reign: Redux is a modern, fan-made remake of the 1997 title, Dark Reign: The Future of War, which was developed by Auran and published by Activision. The revamp is available on XBLIG and was developed by Magnetar (no, that's not a Pokemon) Games to include updated resolution, widescreen, and PC, console and mobile capability.Dark Reign: Redux is $5 (400 MS Points) on XBLIG now, and buying it supports the indie and mega-huge gaming industry in one blow.Update: Activision isn't the direct publisher of Dark Reign: Redux, but it did OK the title in a licensing agreement with Magnetar Games, who self-published it.
Xbox Live Indie Games get increased file size, reduced minimum prices
It's been something of a rocky road for Xbox Live Indie Game developers, often confronted with less than ideal exposure and competing with not only huge retail games, but also incredibly cheap titles on mobile platforms like iOS. Microsoft has today addressed a handful of concerns that XBLIG devs face, notably the issues of game size and pricing. First, the size of projects has been greatly increased, from 150 megabytes to the new maximum of 500 megabytes. Second, and perhaps most important, Microsoft has removed one of the major restrictions on price. Before, all games that exceeded 50MB in size we required to be priced at either $3 or $5, making them hard to position against both XBLA titles and mobile titles on other platforms. The minimum price has now been reduced to $1 (80 MS Points), making XBL Indies more competitive and (potentially) more lucrative. Finally, Microsoft has raised the cap on the number of titles any developer is allowed to host on the Indie Games service. Previously topping out at 10, developers may now have a total of 20 games available at any given time. Of course, you know what this means: Moar Gaems with Z0mb1ES in Th3m and a larger assortment of choice weapons.
Mommy's Best responds to new Dash gripes with new shmup Game Type
When Serious Sam: Double D and Weapon of Choice developer Mommy's Best Games saw the latest Xbox 360 Dashboard, a few concerns came to mind. Rather than posting an analytical blog post, MBG spent seven days creating a playable commentary -- with parkour kick laser-beam attacks.
New Xbox Dashboard features leave Indie Games in the lurch
Now that the new Xbox 360 Dashboard is out there, many are finding the new features don't extend to Indie Games. Sure, Indies haven't supported Achievements for a while, and there's always been a price ceiling, but it looks like Beacons don't work with them, cloud storage isn't supported, and new releases don't appear under, well, new releases. It's all in the video above, provided by GameMarx. Even that new Xbox iOS app doesn't list Indies. Why is nobody thinking of the little guys?
Stardock sends Elfsquad7 down the Xbox Live Indie Games chimney
Michigan-based developer Stardock may be better known for strategy titles like Galactic Civilization and Sins of a Solar Empire – not to mention its one-time ownership of PC gaming service Impulse – but what would you say if we told you Stardock made "a festive retro co-op adventure side-scroller" available now on Xbox Live Indie Games for the festive price of $1? We hope you're saying "we believe you" because it's totally true. Elfsquad7 is Stardock's first time off the PC gaming reservation, and it goes a little something like this: "Join up with friends and family members in a frantic four-player co-op as you demolish freakish "un-toys", wrap presents and help Santa pack for his one-night journey delivering gifts to children around the world." This game plus a surfeit of fire log simulators truly makes Xbox Live Indie Games the most festive of all out-of-the-way digital storefronts.
Goat try out Escape Goat on XBLIG
I'm not entirely sure why developer MagicalTimeBean singled me out by name in an email to Joystiq introducing its new game Escape Goat, about a goat and his mouse friend working to escape from a labyrinth of ever-shifting rooms. I'd like to think it's because I have a reputation for enjoying retro-style games, and platformers in particular; this one certainly has that kind of appeal. It's probably because I wrote about GoatUp, though. So now I'm the goat game guy at Joystiq. Which is fine, if it means stuff like this is going to be directed at me. Escape Goat is on the Xbox Live Marketplace now for 240 Microsoft Points.
Portabliss: The Impossible Game (PSP Minis)
Did you know that you can download handheld games now? That's amazingly convenient! The only inconvenient part of it is finding the right games to buy -- and that's where we come in, with our Portabliss column. In each installment, we'll tell you about a downloadable game on the iPhone, iPad, Android device, DSi, 3DS, PSP, etc. Today: The Impossible Game. The Impossible Game might actually be impossible -- just really, really damn difficult. That difficulty is belied by a total visual and mechanical simplicity. And yet, despite my persistent lack of success, I keep trying, fascinated by the simple gameplay. Essentially, it's an even more streamlined, more rhythmic version of my beloved Bit.Trip Runner, albeit without all the variety. As ... a square, you jump to hit platforms and avoid obstacles in auto-scrolling levels, moving very quickly and with a very limited view. Make one mistake and you have to start over. These levels are all timed to the tune of accompanying music, so your jumps occur on beat. That's it. But understanding how to play isn't the same as being able to play! The stages move so quickly, and the obstacles require split-second timing and precise jumps, or you start over. And, I'm afraid to say, the game keeps a running count of your attempts, in big print on the top of the screen. Yes, The Impossible Game is intensely frustrating, which makes it ideal for portable play. You play for a few minutes until you get angry, then put it aside. The fact that it's designed for just a few minutes is the "ideal" bit, by the way. I'm not saying it's important to be angry while you're traveling. The Impossible Game is available from the PlayStation Store for $2.99. It's also available on Xbox Live Indie Games, iOS, Android, Windows Phone, and even the Nokia Ovi Store. We're always looking for new distractions. Want to submit your game for Portabliss consideration? You can reach us at portabliss aat joystiq dawt com.
Xbox Live Indie Gems: Annecto
Crowded as it is with farting massage simulators, it can be hard to find worthwhile titles on Xbox Live Indie Games. That's why we sift through all that rough to unearth a few gems. That way, you get the skinny on quality games and we get to indulge our secret passion for fart machines. This week, we try out Annecto, a puzzle game from oh-four-hundred. With the Xbox Live Indie Games Summer Uprising underway, there's already a glut of high quality games arriving. We've got one more to add that isn't part of the promotion. Say hello to Annecto, a unique puzzle game about building shapes and fending off curses. See it for yourself in the latest episode of Xbox Live Indie Gems. Want to try out Annecto? You can queue the trial version for download here on Xbox.com! The full version is 240 MS Points ($3). If you've discovered (or created) an outstanding Xbox Live Indie Game and think it deserves some more visibility, email Richard aat joystiq dawt com, subject line "Xbox Live Indie Gems." Want to find more indie gems? Check out the archive.
