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September Indie Game Round-Up

Posted by Soulskill on from the field-of-davids dept.

cyrus_zuo brings us the latest set of reviews for recent independently-produced games. A panel of reviewers takes a look at 10 games, including The Spirit Engine 2, an action RPG which receives high marks, the humorous Strong Bad game, and Eternity's Child, which has earned quite a big of negative press recently. "Despite what some may have said, EC certainly isn't the disaster it is made out to be, not by a long shot. However, it feels like it is brushing up against greatness only to have its wings burned and that makes the short-comings feel all the more painful."

23 comments

  1. Ah, TSE by Starayo · · Score: 2, Interesting

    There's a name I haven't heard in a while. I was surprised at how fun the original game was. Not sure I'd pay USD$18 for it though...

    I'm glad to see it scored highly. The original seemed to have a more involving storyline than other, 'professional' games at times.

    --
    Ezekiel 23:20
    1. Re:Ah, TSE by KDR_11k · · Score: 1

      It sure was interesting but the limited combat system felt problematic at times, especially when I got stuck because I couldn't deal with the enemies I had to fight and there wasn't much opportunity to level at that point.

      --
      Justice is the sheep getting arrested while an impartial judge declares the vote void.
    2. Re:Ah, TSE by basilisk128 · · Score: 1

      In TSE2 it's usually more effective to change your combat strategy than to go level up. That is still quite tricky, especially due to a quirk with targeted abilities and enemies that go somewhere that they can't be targeted. I'd prefer if that would cause your guys to wait until that enemy comes back, but instead the targeted attack simply hops to the next enemy - which can be utterly useless when you're trying to coordinate a particular type of attack on a guy. I ended up getting stuck in the snowy mountain area, but the developer gave me some strategy tips to get through it.

  2. A downside of independent games: multiplayer by tepples · · Score: -1, Troll

    One drawback of independent games is that they run on Windows due to the lockout chip regime on all consoles. One disadvantage of most PCs running Windows is that either the video card either doesn't have a TV output at all or the PC isn't in the same room as a suitable TV. It's difficult for multiple users holding gamepads to fit their bodies around a 17" monitor. So this means many multiplayer indie games are designed for one PC and one copy of the game per player, which can be cost-prohibitive for households with more gamers than PCs.

    1. Re:A downside of independent games: multiplayer by geminidomino · · Score: -1, Offtopic

      Oh for crying out loud.

      You've been posting this crap for 2 years. Never offered a solution, or even what you want to happen? You want to see an unlocked console? A TV capable of taking 4 simultaneous inputs?

      Or do you just like bitching about the same thing over and over and over and over?

    2. Re:A downside of independent games: multiplayer by tepples · · Score: 1

      You want to see an unlocked console?

      Yes.

    3. Re:A downside of independent games: multiplayer by geminidomino · · Score: 1

      Then a laudable goal, but not a likely one. Even if someone makes an unlocked console, the publishers LIKE DRM. So you won't see anyone producing games for it.

      The best you can hope for is something like the GP2X, which had a handful of mediocre commercial releases and a metric fuckton of emulators (before you ask: figuring out how to rip roms is your responsibility). Linux is the easiest OS to work with on that kind of system, but again, the GP2X shows how well that works. So you'd need a windows-based OS, and it would have to run on x86 hardware, in order to at least play PC games.

      Except at that point, you've essentially got a special-purpose PC, a la the original Xbox, but without the power of MS behind it to subsidize the cost, good luck selling any. And most potential newcomers know this. Unless Squeenix decides to make their own console, a la Sega, and make it unlocked, chances are slim.

      If you want it that bad, pretty much your only options are
      1) Build it yourself
      2) Go grey market and mod/flash/exploit whatever console.

    4. Re:A downside of independent games: multiplayer by tepples · · Score: 1

      If you want it that bad, pretty much your only options are
      1) Build it yourself

      I've considered that, in a way. If an indie developer wants to refer its customers to a web page describing how to connect a PC to a TV, which page do you think customers would most easily understand?

    5. Re:A downside of independent games: multiplayer by geminidomino · · Score: 1

      Hell, said indie developer (I'm assuming you) could do up a page in a half-hour to explain it.

      The trick is getting them over that
      "Step 1: Buy a new video card with TV-out" hurdle. I think a lot of them will balk there.

  3. Mount and Blade, anyone? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Interesting

    I'm surprised that such an innovative indie game didn't make the cut. Then again, I guess it obviously would have gotten a 10, so there was no need to review it ;)

    1. Re:Mount and Blade, anyone? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      Wow - this was the first time that I actually had mod points to mod something up I cared about. Every gamer should try it, it has recently gone retail.

      The developers site
      A soon to be released mod that enhances graphics quite a bit
      Buy it online

    2. Re:Mount and Blade, anyone? by Jaqenn · · Score: 1

      You do know that posting a comment negates any mods you do under this story, right?

      --
      You are awash in a sea of fiercely stated opinions. Obvious exits are: 'File->Quit', 'Reply', and 'Page Down'.
    3. Re:Mount and Blade, anyone? by Kagura · · Score: 1

      There are ways to use mod points and also post as AC.

    4. Re:Mount and Blade, anyone? by kalirion · · Score: 1

      Was it released in the last month?

    5. Re:Mount and Blade, anyone? by Maian · · Score: 1

      I was under the impression that Mount & Blade was still in beta.

  4. Linux synopsis by Trelane · · Score: 1
    The following games support Linux:
    • Atomic Worm
    • Martians vs Robots
    • Fullmetal Soccer

    Dizzy and the Other Side claims to come with the source (bottom of the page) but all I can see are the data files. Perhaps if the source is available someone can port it (for learning purposes).

    --

    --
    Given enough personal experience, all stereotypes are shallow.
    1. Re:Linux synopsis by Kjella · · Score: 3, Interesting

      True, but Strong Bad runs great under wine if you install d3dx9_36.dll (or probably the whole thing). Played through the first two eps already, in general Telltale's game are quite Linux-friendly if you get the actual game launched. E.g. on Sam & Max season 2 all works if you set OS version to Vista which disables the whole copy protection crap :).

      --
      Live today, because you never know what tomorrow brings
  5. When are they releasing Emo Warrior? by WillAffleckUW · · Score: 1

    I for one will welcome our Japanese emo-enabled warrior child-men with open arms and a good swift kick in the pants ...

    --
    -- Tigger warning: This post may contain tiggers! --
  6. Forgot one - Multiwinia by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Don't forget Multiwinia - it's a September Indie release too.

    http://www.introversion.co.uk/multiwinia/

    1. Re:Forgot one - Multiwinia by KDR_11k · · Score: 1

      Is turning Darwinia into a multiplayer war really a good idea?

      --
      Justice is the sheep getting arrested while an impartial judge declares the vote void.
  7. I guess different standards apply by KDR_11k · · Score: 1

    The review of Eternity's Child I saw described it as horrible. Unresponsive controls, really annoying battles and graphics that fell apart the moment they started moving. IIRC you were required to jump to platforms you couldn't see at times (i.e. guess if there's something offscreen you can land on or just bottomless pits).

    --
    Justice is the sheep getting arrested while an impartial judge declares the vote void.
  8. touhou 11 by rvalles · · Score: 1
    They apparently didn't notice th11: Subterranean Animism.

    Too bad.

  9. How to set up a PC for local multiplayer by tepples · · Score: 1

    Hell, said indie developer (I'm assuming you) could do up a page in a half-hour to explain it.

    I started one a couple days ago. But at this point, I'd almost replace "buy a new video card" with "buy an HDTV" or "buy a $100 scan converter". As I see it, the median home user is more likely to splurge on a new TV than to open a PC's case, especially with the United States' analog broadcast switchoff less than half a year away.