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True. I have recently bought a game, more or less the first time in well over a year. It's an independent title, or at least the publisher isn't a soulless megacorporation. I found the game (the Mac version of Escape Velocity Nova) when my IBM Compatible's system drive went the way of the eight-figure disgnostic code (PowerMax users might know what I'm talking about) and I was stuck with just my iBook for a couple days. Since reinstalling Gentoo Linux involves long periods of waiting I decided to hunt for Mac games to play while waiting for the next unstable package's compilation to unexpectedly fail. The EV Nova demo hooked me with a great plot string (of which there are six and I happened to stumble across the most involving one right away) - I bought the game just to finish that one string. Okay, and for the other ones and for the plugin support, but the Vell-os string alone was worth the thirty US bucks to me.

I don't care much about big titles anymore. Firstly, most are Win-only and booting into Windows isn't really worth the hassle (plus, the Windows Setup CD seems to dislike my hardware)* and secondly, independent games tend to be more interesting - either due to more innovation or just because they don't rush their product out the door to meet that pre-christmas deadline.
Between StepMania (OSS for the win!), EV Nova and the Jets'n'Guns demo (soon to be bought) my iBook has become the gaming machine. The only thing that contests Apple's utter domination of my gaming life is the fact that ePSXe and Dosbox run better on the IBM.


* Yes, I know about Cedega. But still, for some games there isn't much you can do besides booting into Windows.

How the fuck did they not include Jets'n'Guns?

I'm a fan of Jets N Guns ( http://www.rakeingrass.com/ )

Nice horizontal (flying) shooter. Run it off my ipod for play-anywhere action.

One comment on indie games:
You must play Jets n' Guns from Rake in Grass.

A few other good ones, though no URLs:
Mount & Blade
Starscape
Alien Shooter
Lux
Scorch3D

Once you get Jets'n'Guns to start, Pontifex to not crash over sound buffer underruns constantly, Simcity 4 Deluxe to start (note: Not just SC4, the deluxe version), and Tropico to run, I'm sold.

But if you think you can replace Windows with WINE right now, you're deluded. I've got hundreds of PC games going back about 12 years. With programs from before 2000, it's about 50-50 run/won't even start. With more recent stuff, maybe 1 in 4 or 5 will run something resembling correctly. Let's not start about those games that don't like my 'debugger' or have DRM on the CD.

On a more positive note, Outpost 2 runs nicely, as does 1602 AD and Cyberstorm II.

Eh, some of these URLs might not be right since they're from memory, but my recommendations would be:

First, I second Starscape, Gish, and Fate, they're all good.

And some new ones:

Alien Shooter http://www.sigma-team.net/ - The most incredible isometric shooter ever made.
Star Monkey http://www.smallrockets.com/ - A great (though very short) vertical scrolling shooter. Ultra Assualt, from the same company, is also very good, and longer. I just prefer Star Monkey for some reason.
Zombie Smashers X2 http://zsx2.totallyscrewed.net/ - The most incredible side-scrolling beat-em-up ever made.
Lux http://www.sillysoft.com/ - An excellent online or offline Risk game, which allows the Risk ruleset to be applied to user created maps, and also allows for large scale scenarios which would be extremely difficult using a traditional board. Has a good following, and some excellent map makers.
Demonstar: Secret Missions 1 http://www.mking.com/ - The best of the 3 Demonstar games (SM2 is also good). A good vertical scrolling shooter blatantly inspired by the Raiden arcade series. I've been hoping for a modernized sequel (either higher-res sprites or polygonned), but I think Mountain King has sort of stopped making games.

And, the best for last:

Jets n' Guns http://www.rakeingrass.com/ - The greatest shooter of any kind since Tyrian, and arguably better than Tyrian.

If you're interested in some of these, I'd recommend Jets n' Guns first, then Starscape, then Zombie Smashers X2, then Alien Shooter, and definitely Lux if you like Risk.

If you want a good stealth game try either of the Deus Ex games or Thief: Deadly Shadows... you can actually do well in any of those even on an all-out assault if you want. Stealth is an option, not a requirement. The Hitman games are OK, but not great, and the Splinter Cell games are awful.

Racing games seem to completely suck with the possible exception of F-Zero, which is actually fairly cool.

The best game I've played lately, though, is definitely Zombie Smashers X2 (http://www.totallyscrewed.net/). That game is absolutely incredible, though it plays best if you've got a PC gamepad of some sort. Jets n' Guns is pretty good too (http://www.rakeingrass.com/).

With indy games like Gish getting rave reviews, proof that the indy scene is more than tetris, breakout, and R-type clones.

The indy scene really is about the people who are ok plunking down $20 for a game that they can just pick up and play for 20 minutes, isn't overly involving, and can be put back down. People ranging from your Mom playing Zuma, to your kids playing Chuzzle, to Dad playing Jets 'n Guns

I like Indy games, especially for my young daughter, that I know are fun and entertaining, innexpensive, and have replay value - and the $20 price tag on most makes them worth while to me.

It's sooo true that length isn't all we should look at. There is this arcade sidescrolling shooter: Jets'n'Guns. A simple, well balanced game, with really GREAT gameplay. It's around 10h of gameplay, but it's soooo addictive. Once you've gone through, you MUST play again on harder levels. I've checked with friends and they all passed the game at least 3 times in a row. Now, that's a game of great value. It's nothing like doom3, which is costy and, once you've gone through, you don't play again cuz you "know where the monsters are hidden".

I miss the days when games like Command & Conquer were released with their own original soundtracks that weren't the all ambient or orchestral. Sadly it does seem like they just don't make games like that anymore, at least the ones from the big publishers/developers.

Thankfully there is still independent developers out there making games with great soundtracks thankfully. One in particular that comes to mind is Jets'n'Guns. While the game might not be a high budget production with graphics that requires the latest and greatest hardware nor does it have the most deep and involving story ever created but it does have the most important aspect down, its fun, unlike most games released this day and age. Not only is it fun, but it has the best soundtrack I've ever heard in a game. (Even as good if not better than C&C TD/RA which I considered to be the benchmark which to compare all soundtracks to.) The soundtrack is by Machinae Supremacy and you can download it from their discography section and I highly recommend you check it out.