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What's New in Indie |
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Bringing you a singular look at Indie's newest games every month. |
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A game to check out if you have nothing
better to do during lunch |
A game worth
breaking a date to play (and it'll be more fun anyways!) |
Call your boss, close the shades
and turn on a great game! |
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September 2007: |
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Atomaders 2 |
Atomaders 2
($19.95)
by Kraisoft
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Kraisoft's games have always been visually appealing and Atomaders 2
continues the trend with detailed enemies and backgrounds that are
certainly pretty to look at. The game is a yet another Space
Invaders clone (YASIC) with rows and rows of enemies taking players to
task.
The
Verdict:
It
seems like it is the month of the space shooters. With all the
competition I played this month, Atomaders 2 really came up short.
Take space invaders add some standard secondary weapons, leave the primary
weapon as boring as it can possibly be and you have Atomaders 2.
The game packs in more mindless shooting
than any human should be forced to endure. It's just not
all that exciting, and when compared to the incredibly intense and exciting Star
Defender 4, Atomaders 2's better graphics simply don't make up for its inferior play.
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Attack of the Creeps |
Attack of the Creeps
($9.99)
by Galago Games
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An open battlefield is presented to players that allows for guns of
all types to be placed in arrays to modify the path of the on-coming
hordes of enemies who have done no evil other than simply wanting to
cross from one side of the
screen to the other (but we musn't let them precious!).
The
Verdict:
With
a number of really good indie tower defense games available (Master of Defense,
Curator Defense,
Immortal Defense) Attack of the Creeps certainly needed a good
hand to compete, and unfortunately, it seems to be
void of trump. That's not to say that Attack of the Creeps isn't
fun or that it wouldn't quickly suck away hours of your time.
After all, it is a Tower Defense game, and the formula just works.
If you're looking for another defense game, this is one! However, their
are better defense games, like those mentioned
above, which are more deserving of your time.
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Brass Hats |
Brass Hats
($23.95)
by Square Earth Games
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On a battlefield full of hexes, two armies face off. Players
capture cities, use their funds to build new units from the factories,
and engage in full scale war one battle at a time as they try to ward
off the forces of evil. (which apparently are the French in this
game) Brass Hats is a throw-back strategy game that isn't built
to have all the visual mastery of the newest games, but instead is
focused on having 'it' where it counts most. (that would be good game
play)
The
Verdict:
I
have always been a big fan of Military Madness and Advance Wars, so my
hugely positive personal slant towards this type of game probably
bleeds through a little in my opinion of the game. (but only a little
;)
Brass Hats is a great turn-based strategy game that is complex in its
simplicity. It lacks the polish of the somewhat similar
Land of
Legends, but doesn't lack for quality. The use of experience
to improve your units is useful and increases the strategy of play, as
does the inclusion of cards that can be used like the special attacks
in Advance Wars. Brass Hats is well worth checking out...though
a little warning, the demo is a very limited experience that will only
leave you wanting more.
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Deep Quest |
Deep Quest
($19.99)
by Next Gen Studio
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Deep Quest is an underwater RTS game that gives you the chance to kill
Merman (sorry "Merboys") just like you've always wanted. The game
is aimed
directly at the casual market and includes a variety of characters who are a bit more
friendly-looking than the hardened war generals you'll find in Starcraft
(which should only give you more reason to destroy them all!).
Game play proceeds through 10 levels introducing common Warcraft
III-like grouping commands and heroes, as players attempt to
accomplish specific missions and build up their armies with amazing
underwater technological advancements like the Titan Turtle.
The
Verdict:
It's
an alright game to be sure, especially if you are a big fan of all
things aquatic. However, Deep Quest feels shallow compared
to other RTS games.
The game ramps up a bit too slowly for the experienced RTS fan, though
it's
probably too quick for the casual gamer, which makes it hard to
know just who to recommend the game to. If you're looking for a short RTS
game, or just want to kill some mer-people
it's certainly worth your lunch hour, and it is fun enough that you
might find yourself getting back to 'work' just a tad late.
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Depths of Peril |
Depths of Peril
($29.99)
by Soldak Entertainment
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Depths of Peril is a curious mix of strategy and RPG. Taking the
action of Diablo and the politics and trade of
Civilization, it creates a unique 'world' (really just a city and
wilderness) that takes on a life of its own. Players control a faction and compete with
computer controlled factions to both protect and take control of a
barbarian city on the fringe.
The
Verdict:
I
really liked Depths of Peril. There were some obvious flaws, but
they didn't take away from what is a very singularly enjoyable
experience. Working with the computer-controlled guilds while
also trying to beat them was a unique type of computer competition
that really caught my fancy.
To get people to join your party you often are assigned a quest to
prove your worth, which the computer players also try to undertake,
creating the common state of racing against other computer players to
complete a goal. There are bugs and shortcomings in the graphics
that should hamper the experience, but I found myself oblivious to
them due to how entranced I was with the game. Great game!
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Reach |
Reach
($14.99)
by mdickie
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Reach takes the same sports game with added management approach that
you'll find in other MDickie games like
Grass Roots and
Wrestling Empire,
but this time boxing is the sport as you try to become the next
Heavyweight Champ.
The
Verdict:
MDickie
is a one man shop. Doing graphics, programming, sound and music
for all his games is an undertaking beyond what most would try, but he
doesn't stop there. MDickie infuses his games with all sorts of
depth, mayhem, and "character." Which probably explains why we all love
his games despite sometimes wanting to hate them.
Reach is a big step forward in graphics for MDickie. The new
models certainly aren't next gen, or even last gen, but they are a
great improvement over previous games and honestly make the game more
fun to play. (goodbye lego men, we won't miss you!) Reach didn't knock me out,
but there were some highlights including the ability to pummel my
worthless manager in-between pummeling opponents, and a wonderful
amount of depth. The button mashing training was tiring and tedious
and the hard lock crash that ended my second career didn't leave me
wanting to step back into the ring. At least not for a couple of
days.
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Ricochet Infinity |
Ricochet Infinity
($19.99)
by Reflexive Entertainment
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Ricochet Infinity is a breakout game. It's worth mentioning up
front, but in no way should take away from the game. Ricochet
Infinity is a re-imagining of breakout with a heavy focus on in-game
downloadable levels and non-stop ball control. A host of new weapons,
including a lightening and blossom ball are added to old standbys,
like the fireball and lasers and the fun ability to stack individual
power-ups to make them more powerful (ever seen a breakout paddle
firing 5 lasers at the same time? mmm, happiness is a warm gun)
The
Verdict:
So
first the disclosure, I work at Reflexive where this game was made.
However, I've also been more than open about my
frustrations with the Ricochet series in the past. So when I
say Ricochet Infinity is amazing, you can take it to mean whatever you
choose, but for my part it is simply an honest appraisal.
BreakQuest
is probably the first game that dabbled with changing the trajectory
of the ball with the right mouse button. It was a great addition
(one of MANY in BreakQuest) and Ricochet Infinity is smart enough to
take the same concept and improve on it. Ricochet Infinity
allows constant use of the right-button, which pays big dividends.
No longer do you have to sit and wait for the ball to slowly make its
way back to your paddle or 'just barely' miss a brick...again...and
again. The increased control over what is going on in front of you speeds
up the game and makes for quicker, more enjoyable levels that you feel
skillful completing. Tens of thousands of downloadable levels make the
game very worthy of its name.
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Space Strike |
Space Strike
($19.99)
by Divo Games
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Air
Strike was one of the first games that GameTunnel reviewed.
With wonderful visuals, co-op play and cool weapons the game was a hit
in the indie scene and placed well in our
game of the
year awards. Since Air Strike's release 2 sequels have been
released, but neither has captured the original fury. Space
Strike takes its overhead shump stylings to battle on alien planets with a variety of aircraft
and weapons.
The
Verdict:
Space Strike looks alright, but
is slowed down by bland gameplay. The weapons seem rather
uninspired, with the main weapon power-ups few and far in-between,
making the game feel slow and tedious as your weak ship slowly
progresses.
The game feels like it wants to be
Astro
Avenger, but it falls painfully short. Worth a look, but not
a long one. I'd recommend going back to the Air Strike games
before checking this one out.
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Star Defender 4 |
Star Defender 4
($19.99)
by Awem
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Star Defender 4 is not afraid of being a Space Invaders/Galaga clone.
Of course that's because it's the fourth game in a series that has
become celebrated for being exactly what it is. Over the years, Star
Defender has added a host of new power-ups and abilities that make the
game anything but ordinary.
The
Verdict:
Star
Defender 3 sold really well, but I never understood why and personally
preferred
Astro Fury's great variety of super-cool mega-power-ups. However, with the release of
Star Defender 4, my opinion did a 540-degree turn!
This is easily the best
space shooter since
Titan
Attacks, and for pure fun, it even tops that game.
Lots of really innovative secondary weapons, like the parasite bomb
that attaches to enemies and is then carried back to
rows and columns to eliminate their friends, make for a fantastic experience that
continually and satisfyingly rewards players for their efforts. A great
time-waster!
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Überpong |
Überpong
($19.99)
by Nibbo Studios
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Uberpong is a re-envisioning of pong with two player versus play on a
variety of different tables. The game is built around physics
with each table having its own feel and pitfalls.
The
Verdict:
It's
hard to recommend even a lunch break on Uberpong as it falls short in
many ways. The physics break down often with the ball taking
random bounces and seeming to disappear and then reappear, often in places that don't seem to make
any sense (not that the ball disappearing makes any sense).
The game play is very difficult with either the keyboard or
joystick, and it makes one wonder why you can't play the game with the
mouse. It is crying out for the precision that only the mouse,
and sometimes the Wii, can bring to gaming. I expect Uberpong
will follow PlasmaPong's removal from the internet due to the usage of
the word 'pong' in the title, but unlike the disappearance of
PlasmaPong, the loss of Uberpong in its current state will not be
mourned.
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By: Russell Carroll Posted: Thursday September 27, 2007
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