Posted by Tim
Wed, 10 Jan 2007 11:22:00 GMT
Not exactly the blockbuster (heh) platformer that everyone has been expecting, Mini01 is still a decent short game perfect for that coffee break during work.
Use the arrow keys to move the orange block around. The tail follows your movement, and it will destroy any white block that touches it. An online high score feature has been included, though some of the scores are rather unbelievable.
Shih Tzu mentions that Mini01 is to be the first of a monthly game series, so we can expect more from the developer of Akuji the Demon and Guardian of Paradise very soon.
It was an absolutely brilliant year for freeware platformers in 2006, hopefully we can expect this trend to blossom further this year.
Posted in Windows, Freeware, Action / Arcade, Doujin | 11 comments
Posted by Derek Yu
Wed, 10 Jan 2007 05:53:00 GMT
Following coolly on the heels of some awful Starfox games comes this fan project, titled Starfox: Shadows of Lylat (still in production). Built with the Freespace_Open engine, Starfox: SOL takes place in the time between Star Fox 64 and Star Fox Adventures and will feature space and ground battles like the original. Unlike the original, the action will be free-roaming instead of on a “track.” You will not need Freespace 2 to play the game.
A demo is expected soonish. A cease-and-desist letter from Nintendo’s lawyers is expected sooner.
Screens
Official FAQ
(Source: 4cr)
Posted in Previews | 8 comments
Posted by Max
Tue, 09 Jan 2007 20:29:00 GMT
Hey everybody, allow me to emerge from lurking to plug what kept me from writing as much as I would have liked last semester: student videogames!
Specifically, these were the games made by the USC Interactive Media Division’s Intermediate Design/Programming class last fall, and some of them turned out super great (mine did not, but let’s not talk about that). Innovative mechanics and messages were a theme for the course, and my classmates and I strove to create these things with the highest level of polish we could muster. The game pictured here, Polarity, by Justin Perez and James Miao exemplifies the best of the course: simple, catchy, quirky, and fully polished, and I wish I could say that RagnaRøkk (ambitious, derivative, and ultimately crude, and the best parts of it were due to my partner Mike Brazil, not me) turned out the same. Elementary Disaster by Steven Proust and Joni Cheng is a solid advocacy game in my opinion. Insurgency (Peter van Dyke and John Lund) and Moral Dilemma (Todd Caranto, John Banayan, Sola Aiyegbusi) both managed to tackle issues regarding American foreign policy without becoming strident or shrill in their treatment of the subject matter, something of a rarity (and an entirely too classy one at that) for college students. All of these games were made from scratch using Torque Game Builder and a whole lot of love.
You can find them all here.
Also, to my fellow students, have you done your GDC scholarship application yet? The deadline is tomorrow!
Posted in Freeware, Casual | no comments
Posted by Derek Yu
Tue, 09 Jan 2007 16:24:00 GMT
The popular MMORPG has made its client open-source under GNU GPL. You can read the official announcement at the Linden Labs website.
...wow, it’s already a world where people can launch unsuspecting flying penis attacks, and now they want to give the users MORE power?! Outrageous! How many more penises must start flying before we put our foot down on the metaphorical penis and start thinking about the children?
Okay, I don’t even know what I’m talking about anymore.
Posted in MMOG, Community | 7 comments
Posted by Derek Yu
Sun, 07 Jan 2007 14:48:00 GMT
“Slamdance finalist Super Columbine Massacre RPG has been officially kicked from the festival due to mounting pressure from protesters and the loss of sponsorship, the game’s creator told Kotaku Thursday night.
This is the first time in the Slamdance Festival’s 13-year history that a game or film has been removed from the festival due to criticism or outside pressure.” (Read More)
This rather mediocre (as a game, at least) RPG continues to stir up controversy. I won’t bother to discuss my own opinion of the situation. It’s easy to understand why every side is doing what they’re doing.
Of note is that Braid, the innovative time-altering game from last year’s IGF has dropped out of the competition in protest of Slamdance’s decision.
Update: A bunch more games have bowed out and an official letter of protest has been issued. And other crap you can read about here. (Thanks, Shih Tzu!)
Posted in RPG, Social Impact, Community, Competitions | Tags DannyLedonne | 39 comments
Posted by Tim
Sat, 06 Jan 2007 04:45:00 GMT
In Typhoon 2001, you control the Claw. The Claw sits on the upper end (rim) of a web and can shoot down one of its lanes. A web consists of a number of lanes which are configured either as a closed loop or a open string. The Claw can only move along the rim of a web. Jumping off the rim is possible with a powerup. Your task is to defend your side of a web from the incoming attackers originating from the core. Everything is controlled by the keyboard or the mouse.
Every now and then a powerup will appear if you hit an enemy or an enemy shot. These powerups will give you additional powers and weapons. Sometimes you pick up an “Outta Here!” powerup, this gives you an instant 5000 points and starts the warp to the next level immediately.
New version was recently released with a number of changes, according to the author.
Posted in Remakes, Windows, Freeware | 5 comments
Posted by Tim
Fri, 05 Jan 2007 14:59:00 GMT
Bytten 2.0 relaunched, providing indie game news and reviews since 2003.
Well worth a look, because it’s pretty hard to find anything remotely related to casual games on that site.
Posted in Community | 7 comments
Posted by Tim
Fri, 05 Jan 2007 14:41:00 GMT
You are but a single Darwinian in a city of millions (things have evolved a long way since the virus outbreak of Darwinia). You have to use your hacking skills moving between office buildings in order to prevent a nuclear war. – Montyphy
Right-click here to save video.
(Edit) Chris Matthews said about 17 hours later:
From Introversion’s site:
“Nevertheless, despite our best efforts, some readers or journalists may be tempted to view these screenshots as some kind of visual indication of the final game. Some may even go so far as to infer suggested gameplay from said media. Worst of all, websites that should know better may decide to publish these images as the “first screenshots of Introversion’s new game”.
If you feel any of the above happening to you, please listen very carefully. You are mistaken.”
Tell that to Montyphy.
There’s a short preview article over at GameSetWatch as well.
Posted in Previews | Tags Introversion | 9 comments
Posted by Derek Yu
Fri, 05 Jan 2007 05:52:00 GMT
You’ve probably heard about this remake. Let me just tell you that it’s as awesome as people are saying. This game lets you play as all the characters from all three Genesis Streets of Rage games, through all the levels… and it’s all wrapped up in a brand new adventure.
The game combines graphics from the original games with new artwork and effects (the reflections and shadows are a nice touch), and it fits together quite well. The music consists of tweaked out versions of the original soundtrack. There are also loads of nifty features like co-op with an AI partner, unlockable modes, a movie room, and player profiles.
Just download the damn thing already. And post links to mirrors or torrents in the comments. The game is ~72 megs and the site’s already gone down at least once.
P.S. I love that screenshot. Zan punching a clown, with blood spurting out and the kangaroo hopping around. Only in video games!
Posted in Windows, Freeware, Remakes, Fighters, Highly Recommended | 4 comments
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