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Monsters (Probably) Stole My Princess jumping to Xbox Live Indie Games
If Mediatonic's platform-climbing Mini, Monsters (Probably) Stole My Princess has turned the Xbox fanboy within you positively green with envy, you'll be pleased to learn the title will soon make the leap to the Xbox Live Indie Games storefront. This announcement came in the form of a subtle teaser on the game's official site, which states that it's "coming soon" to the indie-friendly platform. No more specific price or release date info accompanied the update. The Mini has received fairly good remarks from its critics on its native platform -- hopefully it won't lose any of its charm (or, more importantly, its uncertainty) in translation.
Privates trailer features bums, hoohahs, weewees, etc.
So ... Privates is a game about tiny marines invading the human body. More specifically, it's about invading the private parts of the human body. We've seen screens before, but now you can see it in motion thanks to the magic of video. Suffice it to say that the game, much like anatomy itself, looks kind of gross and silly. Frankly, we can see why it might have trouble passing peer review on Xbox Live Indie Games. At least the PC version is still comin... er ... will still be released.
Live out your Neil Peart fantasies with Xbox Live Indie's Drum Studio
We're of two minds when it comes to All Seeing Eye Games' upcoming Xbox Live Indie title, Drum Studio. On one hand, the trailer posted after the jump doesn't inspire much confidence, with immensely terrible visuals and musical accompaniment which takes butt-rock to gruesome new heights. On the other hand, the game allows you to turn four Rock Band or Guitar Hero drum kits into a single, gargantuan rig, with each head assigned to one of Drum Studio's expansive catalog of percussion sound effects. The potential to turn four of these into something legendary Rush drummer Neil Peart would play excites us to no end. We may not be able to stop ourselves from dropping 80 ($1) on this one when it drops sometime this month.
XBLM Deal of the Week: Lazy Raiders, Band of Bugs, more
The Xbox Marketplace Live Deal of the Week is usually reserved for a single piece of DLC or the occasional Xbox Live Arcade game, but this week there are four titles on sale. Three different XBLA games -- puzzle platformer Lazy Raiders, turn-based strategy RPG Band of Bugs and ... spheroid murder sim Madballs in Babo: Invasion -- have all seen their prices reduced from 800 ($10) to 400 ($5) for the next seven days. Additionally, the Xbox Live Indie Game Avatar Wave: Snowball Fight has dropped from 240 ($3) to 80 ($1). As usual, the deals are valid Monday through Sunday and only available to Xbox Live Gold members. You must be signed into Xbox Live to see the sale price. Xbox.com: Add Lazy Raiders to your Xbox 360 download queue ($5) Xbox.com: Add Band of Bugs to your Xbox 360 download queue ($5) Xbox.com: Add Madballs in Babo: Invasion to your Xbox 360 download queue ($5) Xbox.com: Add Avatar Wave: Snowball Fight to your Xbox 360 download queue ($1)
Privates may have trouble passing Xbox Live peer review process
Though we're deeply fascinated with the concept for Zombie Cow's next quirky project, the genital-exploring twin-stick shooter Privates, we hadn't considered the hurdles this type of mature innovation might face. Seattle PI recently posited the question of whether the game would even be allowed to launch on Xbox Live Indie Games, to which a Microsoft representative replied, "we can confirm that if it is consistent with the description we have seen on the Internet, this game would not pass peer review and would not be permitted to be distributed on Xbox Live." Zombie Cow co-founder Dan Marshall (of Ben There, Dan That fame) told Seattle PI, "There was always going to be a risk it won't pass Peer Review, but obviously we'll do whatever we can to get the Xbox version out," later adding, "it'd be a shame if a huge number of teenagers missed out on some quality gaming and vital education because of some abstract, cellular-level innards and pubic hairs." Even if the game's educational nature doesn't win over the Xbox Live peer review process, the game will get a free PC release courtesy of UK's Channel 4. [Via Kotaku]
The Joystiq Indie Pitch: Rotor'scope
Being a giant, beloved video game blog has its downsides. For example, we sometimes neglect to give independent developers our coverage love (or loverage, if you will) as we get caught up in AAA, AAAA or the rare quintuple-A titles. To remedy that, we're giving indies the chance to create their own loverage and sell you, the fans, on their studios and products. This week we talk with Mauricio Garcia, one of the programmers of Nivel21, about how their game Rotor'scope proves that nothing is impossible. How did your company get started? Nivel21 Entertainment was born in 2005. At that time, some of us were working in software development and enterprise consultation. We were lucky to get to know each other some way or another, a group of videogame aficionados sharing the common dream of becoming professional game developers. So we decided to join forces and immediately began working together, trying to establish our own studio, or, at least, learn enough so that we could end up working in some other studio. We never gave up hope to finally get where we are now, and we spent a lot of time and effort to learn just by ourselves everything that there is to know to make videogames. Even though it all started out as a hobby, we're pretty damn serious about it. Since our first "learning" projects, we've tried to work as professionally as we possibly can. After all these years, we finally see our dream come true in Rotor'scope.
The Joystiq Indie Pitch: Olu
Being a giant, beloved video game blog has its downsides. For example, we sometimes neglect to give independent developers our coverage love (or loverage, if you will) as we get caught up in AAA, AAAA or the rare quintuple-A titles. To remedy that, we're giving indies the chance to create their own loverage and sell you, the fans, on their studios and products. This week we talk with Red Button Games boss (and champion Omeganaut) Daniel Frandsen about his new Xbox Live Indie Game, Olu. How did you get started? I've always dabbled in game development, but it really started in a college game development course. After the course was done, a handful of us went on to create an organization for game development. The bug bit me, and I spent most of my time in my last two years of college working on games. Red Button Games came out of my spare time, and some spare money to hire a few freelancers. Why did you want to make games? It's always been the combination of two passions: gaming and design. I remember back when I got my first console (Super NES), I would draw Super Mario Kart tracks and Donkey Kong Country levels on a sheet of paper. It's what first brought me into a desire to learn programming, and it's something I really enjoy doing, even if it's technically work.
Shoot 1UP headed to PSN
Developer Nathan Fouts tells Co-Optimus that his label, Mommy's Best Games, is working to bring Shoot 1UP to PSN. The Xbox Live Indie Game turns the tables on the shoot-'em-up genre by allowing the player to build a mass of ships and basically become a sentient bullet hell, tossing back as many projectiles as enemies are able to dish out. If you think about it, it's not terribly fair that only Xbox gamers have gotten the sweet taste of shmup revenge. After all, Sony fans have been battling through these things since Einhander. When this cosmic injustice is addressed, we're hoping Shoot 1UP can retain its $1 XBLIG price tag.
Charlie Murder now coming to an unannounced platform
Originally announced for a March 2010 release on the Xbox Live Indie Games platform, Charlie Murder, Ska Studios upcoming beat-em-up, is no longer confirmed for release through the Indie Games service. Developer James Silva told Joystiq, "As of now, Charlie Murder is not on any announced platform." According to a Ska Studios representative, the platform details and release date for the upcoming title have not been cemented. During our PAX East demo of Charlie Murder, Silva confirmed the final game code would run on the XNA 4.0 engine, which works across Xbox 360, Windows-based PCs and the Windows Phone 7 Series mobile platform. While it's still possible Charlie will make his way to the Indie Games platform, Ska Studios is keeping a tight lid on the punk rocker's future since first revealing him to the world this past January.
Old Spice advergames arrive on XBL Indie Games
Some brands just seem to go with gaming. We don't know why Mountain Dew, Cheetos and our beloved Blueberry Muffintops match so perfectly with joysticks and thumb pads, but there's no denying that they do. For whatever reason, Old Spice deodorant desperately wants to be in that club (anyone remember the Old Spice Experience Challenge or its bastardized rehash?). Now the Bane of B.O. has returned with three Xbox Live Indie (in name only, we guess) Games designed to keep Old Spice in your brain as well as under your arms: Newton vs The Horde, The Fresh Card Game and Old Spice Racers. (Update: A spokesperson for the company requested that we clarify that these games were not, in fact, made by Old Spice but rather by members of the XNA Creators Club in conjunction with the Dream.Build.Play. competition.) We were going to try to describe each of the games, but we only got as far as "zombie Stinkies" before we were overwhelmed by a crippling wave of depression. Props to Xbox 360 Digest for being made of stronger stuff than us.
The Joystiq Indie Pitch: Morsel
Being a giant, beloved video game blog has its downsides. For example, we sometimes neglect to give independent developers our coverage love (or loverage, if you will) as we get caught up in AAA, AAAA or the rare quintuple-A titles. To remedy that, we're giving indies the chance to create their own loverage and sell you, the fans, on their studios and products. This week we talk with Morsel, a studio that started with little more than three weeks of experience and the burning desire to get totally rich. How did your company get started? Lead programmer Matthew Stenback: Morsel started last summer when my final exams finished up and I was doing everything I possibly could to stay away from a fast food or similar dreadful summer job. I had never programmed much of anything before, and hadn't really considered the intricate mechanics of games. However, I decided that I was going to make an indie game, it was going to make me rich, and this would be the start of an awesome summer. Apparently though, programming a game is pretty complex (who knew right?), and I was ready to bail out more than a few times in the beginning. However, I was lucky to team up with a really talented artist and musician who just so happened to have similar goals. So there was Morsel - programmer, artist, and musician - total combined experience making games: 23 days.
XBL Indie Game cover parodies ICO cover
[Siliconera] Who doesn't like cover art inspired by Giorgio de Chirico and, more directly, Ico? Monsters, that's who. That'd be like saying you don't like playing games that require the combining of three objects in various patterns to earn points, especially when said games use Japanese food items. 'Cause it's those two things that Yaruhara no Omochi meshes on the Japanese Xbox Live Indie Game channel, mesmerizing Siliconera as it does us. As if the idea of playing an XBL Indie Game with the premise of stacking "mochi (sticky rice cakes), fish, and seals" in a match-three-style game weren't enticing enough, it would appear from these screens that the game is gaijin-safe (read: in English). Time to fire up that dusty Japanese Silver account you've got sitting around, eh?
New and improved Clover coming to PC on March 3 (update)
If the Xbox-less among you have been jonesing to try Binary Tweed's independent platform-puzzler Clover, you'll get your chance to play a PC port of the game in the coming weeks. A press release from the studio has revealed the game will be released "via a range of download services" on March 3. No price point for the game was specified, though the 360 version of the game sells for 400, so we're guessing it'll be within spitting distance of five bucks -- just to be safe, we've contacted the developer to find out. As we've mentioned before, the PC version of the game has seen significant improvements over its Indie Games iteration, including tighter controls, English, French and Spanish dialogue tracks, an expanded soundtrack, and in-game text that doesn't make you want to claw out your own eyes. Sounds like this one's the version to get! Update: The game's developer just sent over the game's various international prices -- we're looking at a $9.99 price tag, while other territories will have to shell out £5.99 and €6.99. USD 9.99
Dream-Build-Play puzzler Rotor'scope now on Xbox Live Indie Games
We got to check out Rotor'scope: The Secret of the Endless Energy at PAX last year, and it nearly broke our minds. Of course, our minds were quite fragile at that point, weakened by long nights of tireless writing and frequent coffee binges -- still, the fact remains that Rotor'scope was one of the most original concepts for a puzzle game we'd played in a good long time. Fortunately, we now have the chance to give the game another go -- it was recently added to the Xbox Live Indie Games platform for 400 ($5). Check out the Rotor'scope trailer after the jump to see the game's cog-flipping puzzle mechanics in action and to get a sense of the title's overarching story. With create-a-level modes, hand-drawn graphics and even some Facebook integration, it looks like you'll be getting a lot of bang for your buck. Or five bucks, as the case may be. Shortcut: Add Rotor'scope (trial / full game) to your Xbox 360 download queue [via Xbox.com]
Your Doodles Are Bugged! arrives on XBLA's Indie marketplace
German developer Johannes Huber sent us word that his game, Your Doodles are Bugged!, is out now on Xbox Live's Indie Games Marketplace for the low, low price of 80 (or about a buck). You can see a gameplay trailer over on YouTube right now (which we've placed along with a silly teaser trailer after the break). The game looks a little bit like Lemmings but with custom paths rather than tools -- various doodles drawn by a master doodler are infected with little jumping cartoon bugs, and your job is to draw lines that lead the bugs to various points in the illustrated environment. The game offers "lots of levels," and they seem like complicated affairs, though you can zoom in and out to chart your own path to exodus for the little bugs. There's also unlockable content and both friends and global leaderboards. Both the game and its trial are available on your Xbox right now. Download the trial version of Your Doodles are Bugged! to your Xbox 360
Xbox Live Indie Games 2009 sales compiled, Z0MB1ES on top
When we wrote initially about James Silva's twin-stick Xbox Live Indie Game, I MAED A GAM3 W1TH Z0MB1ES 1NIT!!!1, the words "smash hit" didn't exactly come to mind. However, according to GamerBytes' breakdown of the Indie Games platform's sales over the past year, that's exactly what it was -- it outsold every other game on the service, moving 160,000 units at $1 a pop, which brought in $112,000 in profit for its humble developer, Ska Studios. Check out GamerBytes' full list of sales data for more interesting tidbits about the platform's sales. For instance, it might interest you to know that Rumble Massage was the 6th-highest selling XBL Indie Game of 2009. Oh, sorry, did we say "interest?" We meant "horrify."
Dishwasher dev announces Charlie Murder for Xbox Live Indie Games, coming 'March 2010'
Between Ska Studios' The Dishwasher last year, this year's I MAED A GAM3 W1TH Z0MBIES 1N IT!!!1, and the recent announcement of Charlie Murder for Xbox Live Indie Games, the nascent developer has certainly been establishing a name for itself. The game's Facebook page offers us a first look at the characters and a bit of the gameplay (which seems to be an arcade beat-em' up with punk rockers/zombies), as well as a glimpse into the fictional band's history. The game's announcement tells us that Charlie Murder follows the eponymous punk rock band on a side-scrolling journey to find the lead singer's girlfriend, Skelekitten, murdering everything in its path along the way. Ska Studios will be heading to PAX East and we've been told there's a "good chance" the game will be there, though a release window of "March 2010" means we might even be playing from the comfort of our couches before that. %Gallery-83449%
Microsoft reveals the top Xbox Live games of 2009
Now that the new year is in full swing, Microsoft has decided to take a look back at the top games of 2009. Specifically, Major Nelson has released a breakdown of the most popular games on Xbox Live during 2009. The overall top twenty list seems pretty standard with Halo 3 at the top, followed by Call of Duty 4. What's amazing, though, is that after releasing in November, Modern Warfare 2 managed to snag third place for the entire year. So, pretty popular game, then. On the downloadable front, Battlefield 1943 takes top XBLA honors, followed by Castle Crashers and Trials HD. Indie Games are topped by I MAED A GAM3 W1TH Z0MB1ES!!!1N IT!!!1 (it is just a dollar), followed by Avatar Drop and RC-AirSim. Unsurprisingly, the top original Xbox game is still Halo 2, while Star Wars: Battlefront 2 and the original Fable take second and third place, respectively. Head over to Major Nelson for the full list.
Are you not entertained? Indie game 'Creed Arena' throws gladiators into the future
A new Xbox Live Indie Game from Safari Studios, a dev comprised of two brothers from Australia, placess gladiators in a semi-futuristic arena, vying for the adoration of a bloodthirsty mob. It's like they plucked the design document from our own horrifying dreams. Creed Arena launched on Microsoft's Indie platform on January 1, 2010, after ranking among the Top 20 titles in the 2009 Dream Build Play competition. Looking to bathe in blood in front of millions of virtual fans? Creed Arena is available on the Xbox Live Marketplace for 400 ($5). Make sure to follow Joystiq on Twitter, where we will give away a download code for a free copy of the game later today. Footage of frantic action can be watched after the break. Queue the free trial of Creed Arena on your Xbox 360
Top 20 rated Xbox Live indie games closing '09
Xbox Live Indie Games have had ratings since July of last year and, with the arrival of the new year, let's see how the unwashed masses (who may or may not have actually played the games) rated them. As IndieGames points out, sitting pretty atop the lists for both the US and UK is The Dishwasher: Dead Samurai developer SKA Studios' I made a game with zombies in it. Also known by its clinical title: I MAED A GAM3 W1TH Z0MBIES 1N IT!!!1. Some other good indie fare is included in the list, along with Microsoft's almost instantly forgotten game-creator: Kodu. Yeah, remember that? Well, you can try the demo or download it for 400. Check out the full US list after the break, which could be different by the time this post goes up. The internet is fast.
