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It isn't two-player, but it's almost like it is one of the greatest games that came out for the NES that you haven't heard of (even though it's a PC game).

Cave Story/Dokutsu Monogatari

This is a link to the website of one of the guys who made the english translation of it. It also has links to the website of the game's creator (Pixel) and the free download. It's very much worth playing, it's a very great action/platform type game sort of like the new style Metroid and Castlevania titles. It has a great retro vibe too, as well as having an interesting story and even several endings (you haven't seen some of the most awesome stuff in the game if you haven't gotten the 'good' ending).

Cave Story ( doukutsu monogatari) is a great ride and it's cross-platform. You download an executable, though.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cave_Story
http://agtp.romhack.net/doukutsu.html
http://www.sharpproductions.com/jamsoft/incognito/filechute/Doukutsu.dmg

Soem one mod the guy up.

Cave Story is an AMAZING game, and should be played by all people.

any one how does nto enjoy it must be shuned as not a real gamer!

(ok, so it is a good game, and I am beign silly atm, but yah, the game is wonderful)

IMHO 3D or 2D doesnt matter, the thing thats valuable is FUN... http://agtp.romhack.net/doukutsu.html A very old school freeware platformer, but fun nevertheless...

He is absolutely right in saying that there is a major conflict of interest between the content providers and the technology companies. Both are led by large corporations, and both serve "the public" to different extents (content producers and consumers). He is also right in pointing out that fair use is necessary for all, acknowledging that "so much of what we create is built on the art that came before".

He also makes a couple of interesting points: first, that downloading is illegal and immoral (the opposite view being an "extremist position"); and second that the new fair use will stop artists from producing content because there would be no economic advantage. And IMHO both of these points are flawed and misleading.

For the first one, there is no mention of what makes it an extremist view (other than his obvious agenda), and the opposite view is just as extreme. Downloading is not illegal everywhere, and it certainly is not immoral - there is no morality on the reordering of a bunch of 0 and 1s on magnetic storage. Nothing was lost on the other side.

But the second one is more interesting. It is simply not true that artists will stop producing content if people are free to use the technology as they see fit. This is already happening, and the attempts to outlaw it is a proof of that. But the impact won't necessarily be worse than today if allowed to happen.

I think that these are hiding another, deeper, threat for content companies: the fact that technology companies serve both consumers and content creators, and it scares the crap out of them because of the implications.

In other words, technology massively lowers the barriers of entry for new artists. Massive distribution technologies allow users to bypass the traditional and oligarchic "means of production". Cheaper equipment means more talented people can reach the eyes and ears of listeners, which will cause money to be distributed more broadly, and more fairly - at the expense of the traditional players of the content industry. An example of this is how, given a specific content, some illegal copies manage to release something of a better quality (no ads, multiple subtitles in different languages, better size/quality ratio, etc).

Content industries have a history of perverting technology for their own economic ends. DVD zoning is an example of this. I can understand the marketing drives to do it - artificial market segmentation, and so on. But in a increasingly global world they become as annoying as they are obsolete.

So yes, the technology companies have a lot to profit from this. But guess what - their best economic interest is to allow the people (artist and consumers) to be able to do more with their gear, not less. So if I have to choose my side, I'll go with the technology companies, not with the people who would like to "license" things to a given item of hardware and still charge as much as possible.

Some people are getting it... these guys are trying to offer a free HD TV show on the net. In other areas such as gaming, there are many examples of freely available software, which are free yet fun to play. This is the future, IMHO, and is arriving sooner or later. Yes, in part, I like it because I get a free ride, but that's because I'm given one by people who have the means of doing so. And those means are given by technology.

I have a few gigabytes of games that offer quick gameplay and aren't available on the Mac. From an old list I compiled for an earlier thread:

Cho Ren Sha 68k (shmup)
Kenta Cho's games (mostly shmups)
Destruction Desire (fighting game)
Mind Arms (fighting game)
Galax (Shmup)
Doukutsu Monogatari (platformer)
Every Extend (kamikaze'em up)
Glace (platformer)
Frontline (sidescrolling shooter)
Minebot (... Action?)

Get a console to play games!

"Pixel" is his handle--now here is a completely unknown japanese guy who definitely deserves some acclaim. He single-handedly created Cave Story over the course of five years, and it's often described as being a "perfect" game. Think Castlevania, Metroid, and Yoshi's Island, among others--some great old-fashioned platforming gameplay to be found here. It has some amazing 8-bit era graphics and chiptunes, charming characters and plot, really fun boss battles; it appeals greatly to any nostalgic gamer out there. And it's freeware to boot. Check it out.

Game English Patch

A decent platformer, free too! Oldschool style and translated to English.
And it's weird you mentioned SotN and forgot all about the latest game in the series, Dawn Of Sorrow.

About Darwinia, they said it'll be availabe for purchase/download at Valve's Steam. I wish them the best of luck, and hope this will open the flood gates for cheap downloadable indie games.

Hey. Some people even LIKE the old school graphics.

Really, when I play an old game on an emulator, what sometimes annoys me, is not the graphics or sound, it's the controls which are sometimes limited (no turning in the air in many platformers, impossible run and shoot in the same time in some others).

People even make NEW games with oldschool graphics and sound. For example Cave Story. 2D platformer with oldschool visuals and audio, released in 2004. Great game, great story, great controls and the audio/video is great if you like the oldschool style.

Here's a game I discovered this summer: Doukutsu Monogatari. Very fun, similar in style, graphics, sound and gameplay to good old NES platform shooters like Metroid. While most of the game isn't really tremendously hard, it was challenging, and the final boss (which you won't meet if you choose a particular ending) is very, very difficult. Still haven't beaten it myself.

A friend of mine clued me in on this gem. It plays like metroid, looks like old platform amiga games, and has a fun involved deep storyline! See here: http://agtp.romhack.net/doukutsu.html

By the way, read this:
http://www.gamasutra.com/features/20050815/sheffie ld_01.shtml
And play this:
http://agtp.romhack.net/doukutsu.html

: Star Fox 2 for SNES

Then I must assume you would appreciate the Star Fox 2 ROM to play with your SNES emulator of choice? (and no, it's not the beta, it's the full version, completed and translated by AGTP )

Small, indy games exist and are a lot of fun...
For example the games here (free):
Aba games
Hizoka Chi's games
Or Cave Story, japanese indy game translated by fans.

Or various other indy games such as Ballance or Chronic Logic's games, or CrimsonLand.

Ofcourse, hardly anyone ever heard about these games, but it doesn't mean they don't rock. Just download the demos and see for yourself. None of these games are "GTA, Halo or Everquest clones", but rather truly original ideas (playing a ball??) or fun ideas that somewhere disappeared (shooters, platformers)...

How can any list of the best independant games of the year not include Doukutsu Monogatari? It's not only one of the well-written and emotional games I've ever played, it's also one of the best side-scrollers, period.

I should keep the list somewhere...

Cho Ren Sha 68k (shmup)
Kenta Cho's games (mostly shmups)
Destruction Desire (fighting game)
Mind Arms (fighting game)
Galax (Shmup)
Frequon Invaders (weird)
Doukutsu Monogatari (platformer)
Every Extend (kamikaze'em up)
Glace (platformer)
Frontline (sidescrolling shooter)
Minebot (... Action?)
N (Platformer)

For any gamers looking for a fresh (freeware) 2D platformer with an old-school feel, look no further than Cave Story. It's an amazingly designed game by Studio Pixel, which is actually just one guy with a lot of talent. The game plays a lot like Metroid or Mega Man, but it has a unique weapon system. The graphics are very reminiscent of an SNES or DOS-based game, but the pixel art is spectacular and the story is very engrossing. I highly recommend it to anyone, as it's easily the best freeware game I've ever played.

I just played it a bit and I have to say I'm not impressed. It's nice to see people making games for free but there just really isn't very much to this game. Don't be fooled by the graphics and sound, this plays nothing like a Mario game, basically it's a Jetpac clone with ripped off graphics and sound from Mario. The gameplay is very repetitive and though fun for a few games it quickly loses its charm. There are plenty of better freeware games that don't get slashdotted because they use original ideas. For an example of a very fun original freeware platform game that involves a jetpack check out Cave Story: http://agtp.romhack.net/doukutsu.html

I just played it a bit and I have to say I'm not impressed. It's nice to see people making games for free but there just really isn't very much to this game. Don't be fooled by the graphics and sound, this plays nothing like a Mario game, basically it's a Jetpac clone with ripped off graphics and sound from Mario. The gameplay is very repetitive and though fun for a few games it quickly loses its charm. There are plenty of better freeware games that don't get slashdotted because they use original ideas. For an example of a very fun original freeware platform game that involves a jetpack check out Cave Story: http://agtp.romhack.net/doukutsu.html

Um, the game of the year is still Cave Story, despite everyone else's multi-million dollar budgets...

Let EA, et al spend all the money they want, good for them.

I think Commander Keen deserves an honorable mention, but for my money, Super Mario World for the SNES is the defining platformer. Every single level introduced some new idea or challenge. Although, something has to be said about my new favorite platformer of all time, Doukutsu Monogatari (Cave Story), a freeware Japanese game that fans liked enough to make an English Language translation patch for it. Like Zelda crossed with Megaman or something.

Far be it from me to judge a book by its cover but judge I will. The graphics are not all bad, some of it seems really good, but is this really a "platformer"? Some of it looks like an RPG with lists of items you have and occasional reminders of the Zelda series on the NES/Famicom.

Anyone play it yet? Is it too RPGish or are we looking at a regular "fun" platformer without tedious RPG elements?

Far be it from me to judge a book by its cover but judge I will. The graphics are not all bad, some of it seems really good, but is this really a "platformer"? Some of it looks like an RPG with lists of items you have and occasional reminders of the Zelda series on the NES/Famicom.

Anyone play it yet? Is it too RPGish or are we looking at a regular "fun" platformer without tedious RPG elements?

Far be it from me to judge a book by its cover but judge I will. The graphics are not all bad, some of it seems really good, but is this really a "platformer"? Some of it looks like an RPG with lists of items you have and occasional reminders of the Zelda series on the NES/Famicom.

Anyone play it yet? Is it too RPGish or are we looking at a regular "fun" platformer without tedious RPG elements?