Belated Weekly Report #3

By: Paul Eres

On: October 1st, 2010

1. Gigadeep. By Peposoft (Houkai Mura). Some resemblance to Mega Man X, but overall an amazing game. Japanese-only, but playable even if you don’t know the language. A bit of a lengthy download though (over 200 MB). [Windows]

2. Space Funeral. By thecatamites (Paul Moose in Space World, Ghost Voyage). A very different setting from most RPGs, with a unique style. Even if you hate jRPG-style games you should give this one a chance, it’s not a world I’d have liked to miss out on. It’s about two hours long, a manageable length. [Windows]

3. Sombreros. By Dustin Gunn (who runs the Indie Game Bingo site). Created for MrPodunkian’s Action52 OWNS contest (which yes is still ongoing). One of the better games made for it so far. The game is almost impossibly challenging when played straight up, but is made possible with the addition of the ability to stop time, target individual opponents, and then hit them all in very quick succession when time speeds up again. The boss battles are also fun & creative. [Windows]

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The Weekly Report #2

By: Paul Eres

On: September 15th, 2010

1. Hikuri. By Lief. Danmaku (bullet hell) game, where the main goal is to avoid bullets, but not Japanese (sorry, Ashford Pride and Anarkex). The movement’s radial, you can only shoot when within a circle (and it’s automatic inside it). I found it very fun, and it’s still early in development so I’m looking forward to seeing what it’s like when complete, although the only things I think it really lacks are music and a variety of bosses. 29113 is my high score.

2. FRENZY DEFENSE. By JW, who has made dozens of other games like Coptra, 10800 Zombies, The Gutter, and Gregg the Egg. It’s a simplified tower defense game where clicking places a tower; the type placed depends only on how much money you have. Although somewhat random rather than strategic the frenzy makes up for it. My current high score is 109.

3. Probe L. By Tadeon. Mouse-controlled game, hard to describe but easy to understand once you see how it works. The challenge ramps up quickly, and is usually of the “I know what I have to do but it’s very hard to do it” sort, rather than being a puzzle. The movement system is what really makes this game unique, it’d be interesting to see this system used in an action game.

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The Weekly Report #1

By: Paul Eres

On: September 6th, 2010

This is a new feature where I’ll be covering ten notable releases and newly posted games in production of the past week. A couple of people suggested I call this “The Eres Report” but it’s really just as much Ortoslon, who suggested most of the games here. These are all good games so try them all out, the numbering is just in the order of my preference. I’ll also include a weekly classic (2+ years old) game that was never covered in TIGSource.

#1 – Shoot 3. By Erik Leppen (ByteAlity). Like many of Erik’s games, this one has superb controls and particle effects, and despite lo-fi graphics like the ship sprite feels very solid and polished. One of the best shmups I’ve played this year, although, like the other games in his Shoot series, it intentionally starts off slow and builds up, with a gradual increase in frenzy. [Windows]

#2 – Hubris. A platformer by shushgame. The game doesn’t look like much from the screenshot, but it is. 30 levels, most invisible. The platforming itself is standard, this game just tests how well you can do it despite various visual impairments. It also uses the “narrator taunts the player and keep secrets from the player” motif that some other games have used, like Loved, Seven Minutes, and Portal. Also has a ‘skip level’ feature, although using it may have an effect on the ending. [Windows/Mac]

#3 – Seasons with Thomas. By Vectorpark. Graphics and style are similar to their other games (such as Feed the Head and Windosill) so if you enjoyed those you’d probably enjoy this. This game has even less of a puzzle element than those games, with nothing getting in the way of your progress through the seasons of the year at all. Very nice effects and environmental interactions. If you’ve never played a Vectorpark game before this would be a good start. [Flash]

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