Albotas Goes To IndieCade East For the first time ever, the popular IndieCade festival of independent games made its way to East Coast this past weekend. IndieCade has been going on over on the West Coast since 2009 and is considered by many to be the Sundance of video games, so I was pretty pumped to see it for myself. It wasn’t quite the spectacle I was expecting. It was basically an open rec-hall sized room with a bunch of tables with computer monitors and iPads on them. Very few of the games on display were accompanied by anyone attached to the projects, so I started wondering just how badly these indie devs wanted people to know about their games. I also started wondering if I wasted a perfectly good Saturday and $200 in bus/taxi fare. Thankfully, after doing a few laps around the main room and eyeballing computer monitors and TV screens from over people’s shoulders, I discovered a few gems. Below are two videos of developers who were bodacious enough to answer some of my dumb questions and talk about their games. THIRTY FLIGHTS OF LOVING This is definitely a game that should be experienced at least once by anyone who appreciates video games as an art form. Huge thanks to Brendon Chu from Blendo Games for taking the time to speak with us for the vid. Be sure to keep an eye out on his upcoming retro cyberpunk game, Quadrilaterial Cowboy. If the official description doesn’t have you sold, I don’t know what will: When you have a top-of-the-line hacking deck armed with a 56.6k modem and a staggering 256k RAM, it means just one thing: you answer only to the highest bidder. And now for videos that I didn’t take, but trust me, these games are awesome. INTERNATIONAL RACING SQUIRRELS Rob Davis from Playniac was awesome enough to speak with us about his iPad racing sim that’s actually way more about micromanaging your finances and racers than actually racing. At first glance I expected just your standard Mario Kart ripoff. What I got instead was something more akin to Game Dev Story. It would actually be pretty interesting to see this game’s financial system implemented in other genres - RPG’s for example: buy some weapons and armor using your credit card, and if you can’t make your payments on time, your gear gets repo’d mid-battle! Okay nevermind, that actually sounds terrible. GUACAMELEE I fell in love with the PS Vita version of this game when I played it at NYCC last year and was pleasantly surprised to find a PS3 version on display at IndieCade East. This is from Drinkbox Studios, the guys behind one of my favorite Vita titles, Tales from Space: Mutant Blobs Attack!!! It’s a MetroidVania style game that requires a certain finesse in stringing together melee attacks to navigate through levels. You can also bounce between dimension a-la Mighty Flip Champs. Mix that all up with some sweet mariachi chiptunes, amazing character designs, witty dialogue, and multiplayer co-op and you have an instant recipe for me not getting anything done ever. Sadly, no one from Drinkbox was around to talk to while I was there. Bummer. HOKRA This was hands-down the game that drew the biggest (and loudest) crowd. Sleek minimalist multiplayer sports action. The kind of game that makes players yell at each other while onlookers cheer them on. GOROGOA This was the game that stole the show for me. You basically just have to manipulate a puzzle on a 2x2 grid by zooming in & out and interacting with the levels. The artwork, the level design, the intricate precision of thought that went into each puzzle design - it’s brilliant and you should probably just stop whatever you’re doing and go download and play the free demo. TENGAMI This is essentially Super Brothers: Sword & Sworcery EP, but replace the funny with origami. There were a buttload of other cool games on display, but there were a zillion other people crowding around and waiting in line to play them, so I had to squeeze in whatever I could before catching the bus back home. Head on over to the IndieCade site for a full list of games that were on display. Hopefully I’ll be able to stick around for all three days next year as I can definitely see this sort of thing growing over the years. Plus, we really just need more cool geeky shit to indulge in on the East Coast.

Albotas Goes To IndieCade East

For the first time ever, the popular IndieCade festival of independent games made its way to East Coast this past weekend. IndieCade has been going on over on the West Coast since 2009 and is considered by many to be the Sundance of video games, so I was pretty pumped to see it for myself.

It wasn’t quite the spectacle I was expecting. It was basically an open rec-hall sized room with a bunch of tables with computer monitors and iPads on them. Very few of the games on display were accompanied by anyone attached to the projects, so I started wondering just how badly these indie devs wanted people to know about their games. I also started wondering if I wasted a perfectly good Saturday and $200 in bus/taxi fare.

Thankfully, after doing a few laps around the main room and eyeballing computer monitors and TV screens from over people’s shoulders, I discovered a few gems.

Below are two videos of developers who were bodacious enough to answer some of my dumb questions and talk about their games.

THIRTY FLIGHTS OF LOVING

This is definitely a game that should be experienced at least once by anyone who appreciates video games as an art form. Huge thanks to Brendon Chu from Blendo Games for taking the time to speak with us for the vid. Be sure to keep an eye out on his upcoming retro cyberpunk game, Quadrilaterial Cowboy. If the official description doesn’t have you sold, I don’t know what will:

When you have a top-of-the-line hacking deck armed with a 56.6k modem and a staggering 256k RAM, it means just one thing: you answer only to the highest bidder.

And now for videos that I didn’t take, but trust me, these games are awesome.

INTERNATIONAL RACING SQUIRRELS

Rob Davis from Playniac was awesome enough to speak with us about his iPad racing sim that’s actually way more about micromanaging your finances and racers than actually racing. At first glance I expected just your standard Mario Kart ripoff. What I got instead was something more akin to Game Dev Story.

It would actually be pretty interesting to see this game’s financial system implemented in other genres - RPG’s for example: buy some weapons and armor using your credit card, and if you can’t make your payments on time, your gear gets repo’d mid-battle! Okay nevermind, that actually sounds terrible.

GUACAMELEE

I fell in love with the PS Vita version of this game when I played it at NYCC last year and was pleasantly surprised to find a PS3 version on display at IndieCade East. This is from Drinkbox Studios, the guys behind one of my favorite Vita titles, Tales from Space: Mutant Blobs Attack!!! It’s a MetroidVania style game that requires a certain finesse in stringing together melee attacks to navigate through levels. You can also bounce between dimension a-la Mighty Flip Champs. Mix that all up with some sweet mariachi chiptunes, amazing character designs, witty dialogue, and multiplayer co-op and you have an instant recipe for me not getting anything done ever. Sadly, no one from Drinkbox was around to talk to while I was there. Bummer.

HOKRA

This was hands-down the game that drew the biggest (and loudest) crowd. Sleek minimalist multiplayer sports action. The kind of game that makes players yell at each other while onlookers cheer them on.

GOROGOA

This was the game that stole the show for me. You basically just have to manipulate a puzzle on a 2x2 grid by zooming in & out and interacting with the levels. The artwork, the level design, the intricate precision of thought that went into each puzzle design - it’s brilliant and you should probably just stop whatever you’re doing and go download and play the free demo.

TENGAMI

This is essentially Super Brothers: Sword & Sworcery EP, but replace the funny with origami.

There were a buttload of other cool games on display, but there were a zillion other people crowding around and waiting in line to play them, so I had to squeeze in whatever I could before catching the bus back home. Head on over to the IndieCade site for a full list of games that were on display.

Hopefully I’ll be able to stick around for all three days next year as I can definitely see this sort of thing growing over the years. Plus, we really just need more cool geeky shit to indulge in on the East Coast.

Hotline Miami Coming To PS3 & Vita This Spring

Hellz yeah! The ultra-violent, synth-pulsating, schizophrenic PC indie game from two-man team Dennation Games is making it’s way to PlayStation Network this spring.

In case you’re not familiar with Hotline Maimi, prepare to get your balls/ovaries rocked in twain by the live-action trailer below.

Hotline Miami is the Drive of video games, only with less awkward silence and more brutal violence. Get the PC version on Steam or GOG.

(Source: blog.us.playstation.com)

Indie Royale: The Valentines Bundle 2.0 Indie Royale is hosting another one of those name-your-price (with a minimum amount of price-naming) indie game bundles they always host, except this is the special Valentines Bundle edition. And what says Valentines better than Serious Sam? In this game  bundle, simply pay the minimum price (currently at $5.81), and you get six indie games for way less than they would usually cost. The games are: Serious Sam 3: BFE, the ridiculous FPS game from Croteam  Shad’O, a tower-defense game by Okugi Studio Oozi: Earth Adventure, a travelling adventure puzzle by Awesome Game Studio Doc Clock: The Toasted Sandwich of Time, an adventure inventing game by Stickmen Studios Lunnye Devitsy, a mystery puzzle platformer by Boss Baddie Wake, some game with a ship by Boss Baddie Here’s the trailer, if you wanna see some of these games in action. If you want to purchase this bundle, simply head over to Indie Royale’s official website. 

Indie Royale: The Valentines Bundle 2.0

Indie Royale is hosting another one of those name-your-price (with a minimum amount of price-naming) indie game bundles they always host, except this is the special Valentines Bundle edition. And what says Valentines better than Serious Sam?

In this game  bundle, simply pay the minimum price (currently at $5.81), and you get six indie games for way less than they would usually cost. The games are:

Here’s the trailer, if you wanna see some of these games in action.



If you want to purchase this bundle, simply head over to Indie Royale’s official website. 

Amazing Indie Space Sim Kerbal Space Program Gets a New Demo For those of us who would love to explore space and build rockets, we usually are struggling to find something that focuses on that concept with as much intricacies as we want. Sure, there are a ton of great 4X games out there like Endless Space and even great indie hits like FTL, but there isn’t really anything out there that lets us feel like pioneers. Until now. Kerbal Space Program (KSP) is becoming a bit of an indie juggernaut. The game lets you build rockets and planes however you want and launch them into space. If you did a bad job, your rocket will explode or your plane will fall from the sky. However, that is just scratching the surface. Not only can you go from launch-pad to space (with no load times) but you can also pilot your ship across a complete solar system. You can even land on planets and explore them. However, you have to keep fuel and energy in mind. Luckily, you can also launch space stations that can help you refuel your ship. KSP is a game unlike any other. The opportunities for creation are endless and it is a blast toying around with different ideas. The game is as complex or simple as you want it to be. If you have ever wanted to try out KSP, you’re in luck. The devs just released a new demo that features the current version of the game. You can download it on the KSP download page. The game is still in Alpha but it being updated regularly. It is a fantastic game that had me addicted for hours, much like another popular indie sensation… Art from ~MK01. Check It: More Indie Games on AlbotasBuy It: Kerbal Space Program

Amazing Indie Space Sim Kerbal Space Program Gets a New Demo

For those of us who would love to explore space and build rockets, we usually are struggling to find something that focuses on that concept with as much intricacies as we want. Sure, there are a ton of great 4X games out there like Endless Space and even great indie hits like FTL, but there isn’t really anything out there that lets us feel like pioneers. Until now.

Kerbal Space Program (KSP) is becoming a bit of an indie juggernaut. The game lets you build rockets and planes however you want and launch them into space. If you did a bad job, your rocket will explode or your plane will fall from the sky.

However, that is just scratching the surface. Not only can you go from launch-pad to space (with no load times) but you can also pilot your ship across a complete solar system. You can even land on planets and explore them. However, you have to keep fuel and energy in mind. Luckily, you can also launch space stations that can help you refuel your ship.

KSP is a game unlike any other. The opportunities for creation are endless and it is a blast toying around with different ideas. The game is as complex or simple as you want it to be.

If you have ever wanted to try out KSP, you’re in luck. The devs just released a new demo that features the current version of the game. You can download it on the KSP download page. The game is still in Alpha but it being updated regularly. It is a fantastic game that had me addicted for hours, much like another popular indie sensation…

Art from ~MK01.

Check It: More Indie Games on Albotas
Buy It: Kerbal Space Program
INDIE PICKS: TOWER OF THE GORILLION Tower of the Gorillion is a two player game for one (or two!) where you control two characters by either switching between them on the fly or co-opping it up with a friend. Levels are split up into a foreground and a background layer and each character can only stick to their own layer, so you’ll have to work together to make it out alive. What’s also interesting is how the characters control. There’s a thief-y, mage-looking, hooded Jawa dude who has a super high/floaty jump who can only attack by throwing daggers mid jump, then there’s the typical warrior dude who can only attack while on foot by slashing fools. It definitely mixes the combat up and forces you to think about how to approach each enemy - enemies which consist of things like foxes and giraffes. You know, basic bad guys. The music is sweet, the puzzles are super clever, and the graphics give off a heavy Final Fantasy meets Cave Story vibe which is totally a good thing. It also has a pretty deep backstory. Check it: In 199X, a tower appeared on the horizon beyond the edge of the earth, from which a strange howl could be heard in the distance. For centuries, human sacrifices would be cast over the edge of the earth to appease the Gorillion - the beast said to reside in the tower. If sacrifices are not sent, it is said that the demons living in the abyss will climb up to where the humans live and destroy them.One day a wanderer decides to investigate an ancient ruin perched at the which overlooks the solitary tower floating in the clouds below.This is the story of that man who refused the ideology of his time. Philosophical, son! An older version of the game had a monochromatic Game Boy-esque color pallet, but the latest demo has full color graphics. Play the free demo version in your browser here and be sure to support the game on Steam Greenlight and check the devlog over on TIGSource.

INDIE PICKS: TOWER OF THE GORILLION

Tower of the Gorillion is a two player game for one (or two!) where you control two characters by either switching between them on the fly or co-opping it up with a friend. Levels are split up into a foreground and a background layer and each character can only stick to their own layer, so you’ll have to work together to make it out alive.

image
image

What’s also interesting is how the characters control. There’s a thief-y, mage-looking, hooded Jawa dude who has a super high/floaty jump who can only attack by throwing daggers mid jump, then there’s the typical warrior dude who can only attack while on foot by slashing fools. It definitely mixes the combat up and forces you to think about how to approach each enemy - enemies which consist of things like foxes and giraffes. You know, basic bad guys.

The music is sweet, the puzzles are super clever, and the graphics give off a heavy Final Fantasy meets Cave Story vibe which is totally a good thing.

It also has a pretty deep backstory. Check it:

In 199X, a tower appeared on the horizon beyond the edge of the earth, from which a strange howl could be heard in the distance. For centuries, human sacrifices would be cast over the edge of the earth to appease the Gorillion - the beast said to reside in the tower. If sacrifices are not sent, it is said that the demons living in the abyss will climb up to where the humans live and destroy them.

One day a wanderer decides to investigate an ancient ruin perched at the which overlooks the solitary tower floating in the clouds below.

This is the story of that man who refused the ideology of his time.

Philosophical, son!

An older version of the game had a monochromatic Game Boy-esque color pallet, but the latest demo has full color graphics. Play the free demo version in your browser here and be sure to support the game on Steam Greenlight and check the devlog over on TIGSource.

These Cave Story Art Prints Are Adorably Awesome

Artist and designer Baz Pringle pays tribute to one of the most important and iconic indie games of the past decade with two awesome prints featuring Quote, the games robotic hero, and Sue, a member of the bunny-like Mimiga race.

For those not familiar, Cave Story is the epic retro sidescrolling action RPG in the vein as games like Metroid and Castlevania. The whole game - story, art, music, everything - was developed by one man: Daisuke Amaya, more widely known as Pixel.

Originally released as a freeware PC game in 2005, Cave Story was eventually ported to WiiWare, DSi, and Steam with updated music and graphics. There’s also a version for 3DS with enhanced 3D graphics as opposed to the flat 2D look of prior versions.

It takes a special kind of game to float around for free on the internet for a few years before being upgraded, repackaged, and sold all kinds of different ways and STILL have people buy it.

Check it: More Baz Pringle art on Albotas
Buy: Cave Story 3D

The Unfinished Swan For PS3 Looks Kind Of Depressing, But Still Awesome

Sony released this new story trailer for The Unfinished Swan being developed by Giant Sparrow and it’s kind of a bummer. When I first saw this game I immediately knew it’d be right up my alley, but I never once considered the story aspect of it. Turns out, it’s about a little boy who’s mother died and left behind a bunch of unfinished paintings, but the jerks at the orphanage only let him keep one of them. He chose the Unfinished Swan.

Holy sadness. Let’s cheer ourselves up by watching the game’s stylish artsy-fartsy gameplay.

Refreshing ideas like this are the reason we love video games so much. There’s no official release date on this downloadable PSN title yet, but we’ll keep you posted.

(Source: blog.us.playstation.com)

Is There An Award For Best Video Game Trailer? If So, Super TIME Force Just Won It

Capybara Games (Superbrothers: Sword & Sworcery EP, Sound Shapes) just posted the trailer for their upcoming Xbox LIVE Arcade pixelicious action romp Super TIME Force. This trailer has a huge 90’s Saturday morning cartoon vibe, which we’re totally all about.

If your guts are craving more of this righteousness, check out some gameplay in the vid below.

Seriously, it’s like Contra, Metal Slug, and Gunstar Heroes had an orgy in a bathtub full of drugs at a chiptune rave. I think I’m pregnant.

The New Indie Games Uprising Makes Me Care About Video Games Again While “hardcore” gamers are stroking their collective boners over every bit of Black Ops 2 info that leaks, people with good taste in things are left wanting more from an industry that seems to be moving away from the audience that’s supported it for all these years. The only games I personally even give a shit about this year are Resident Evil 6 (please don’t suck!), Pokemon B&W 2, Sleeping Dogs, and SoundShapes (which hit PSN yesterday. Go get that shit.). Note how none of those games are online first person shooters. Thankfully, Microsoft is here to support creativity in gaming with the third annual Indie Games Uprising. Take a look at the games that will be available on XBLA this September 10th-20th in the video below.

The New Indie Games Uprising Makes Me Care About Video Games Again

While “hardcore” gamers are stroking their collective boners over every bit of Black Ops 2 info that leaks, people with good taste in things are left wanting more from an industry that seems to be moving away from the audience that’s supported it for all these years. The only games I personally even give a shit about this year are Resident Evil 6 (please don’t suck!), Pokemon B&W 2, Sleeping Dogs, and SoundShapes (which hit PSN yesterday. Go get that shit.). Note how none of those games are online first person shooters.

Thankfully, Microsoft is here to support creativity in gaming with the third annual Indie Games Uprising. Take a look at the games that will be available on XBLA this September 10th-20th in the video below.

Mercenary Kings - It’s Like Metal Slug with Weapon Crafting. Mercenary Kings is the latest upcoming shootfest from Tribute Games. A lot of the dudes who made the Scott Pilgrim game are involved with this, so you should totally keep it on your radar. Also: Paul Robertson. Check out his rad dog/tank/thing at the end of the reveal trailer below. (via Joystiq)

Mercenary Kings - It’s Like Metal Slug with Weapon Crafting.

Mercenary Kings is the latest upcoming shootfest from Tribute Games. A lot of the dudes who made the Scott Pilgrim game are involved with this, so you should totally keep it on your radar. Also: Paul Robertson. Check out his rad dog/tank/thing at the end of the reveal trailer below.

(via Joystiq)

Late-Ass Review: Fez

When I first saw footage of Fez, I said, “This is going to be the Braid of 2009.” When it wasn’t released a year later, I said, “It’ll be the Braid of 2010.” Yet another year later I said, “Uhh…” So is Fez the Braid of 2012? Pretty much. Fez is a hippocampus-shaking adventure through two and a half dimensions - a Rubick’s Cube molded into a platformer. But it’s not without its problems.

Amazing graphics and sound, very fun gameplay

 Completionist’s nightmare, frustrating navigation

Read More

FINALLY! Fez Is Coming To Xbox LIVE Arcade Friday, April 13th!!! It’s about goddamn time! We’ve only been talking about this freaking game since way back when we were still self-hosting the site and using WordPress. And then my girlfriend (who is now my fiancee) made & sold plushies of Gomez, the main character, and Phil Fish fom Polytron was all like “Tell her not to make a lot because we might make some one day. Also, can I have one?” And then she never made him one because she’s lazy. Set aside 800 MS Points because that’s how much this’ll cost ya’.

FINALLY! Fez Is Coming To Xbox LIVE Arcade Friday, April 13th!!!

It’s about goddamn time! We’ve only been talking about this freaking game since way back when we were still self-hosting the site and using WordPress. And then my girlfriend (who is now my fiancee) made & sold plushies of Gomez, the main character, and Phil Fish fom Polytron was all like “Tell her not to make a lot because we might make some one day. Also, can I have one?” And then she never made him one because she’s lazy.

Set aside 800 MS Points because that’s how much this’ll cost ya’.

A Little Bit on the Antichamber Side: If we’re going to keep borrowing terms like “indie” from the music industry, Antichamber is a psychedelic prog opus. Seemingly borrowing from Portal, Descent, and lysergic acid deithylamide, the game has won no less than nine awards, and it hasn’t even been released yet. It will be available for PC and Macs sometime this year.

(Source: antichamber-game.com)

Fez Is Nigh

I’ve owned a Fez shirt for over two years now. The wait is becoming unbearable and this trailer (with awesome music) isn’t helping much. I don’t think this music was on the Fez EP, so hopefully a full soundtrack comes out at some point.

(Source: twitter.com)

A Little Bit On The Pixelated X-mas Side: Like Christmas? Like retro-style games? Stardock makes the jump from developing PC games and software to their first ever console release with Elfsquad7, which you can snag from the Xbox Live Indie Channel as of today. There’s six different characters to chose from (with an additional two unlockables) as you unleash Christmas-saving havoc in single-player or co-op with up to three friends. Best of all, it’s only 80 Microsoft Points!

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