TIGSource

Aether

Derek Yu — Mon, 08 Sep 2008 05:41:00 +0000

It’s really late, but I’m comforted by the fact that I will soon be dreaming about Aether, a very personal and revelatory new game by Edmund McMillen. In it, you play a child who explores outer space on the back of a strange beast.

Thematically, Aether touches on both the anxiety and loneliness of being a child, as well as the exhilaration of the freedom of imagination. It’s hard not to compare the game to the classic French children’s book, Le Petit Prince, with which the game shares some fundamental ideas and imagery. I adore that book, and Aether was immediately compelling to me as something similarly honest and fanciful.

I could get way lost in this game if it were a little longer and fleshed out. And the controls, which sometimes felt brilliant, at other times felt unresponsive and awkward. Edmund has stated that this is just the prelude to a larger experience he has planned (yes!). If he can fix up the controls, too, it could be something better than great, for sure.

You can download the standalone executable here, for Mac or PC. And there’s an interesting discussion of the game already going on on the forums here.

Mission Extreme

Derek Yu — Fri, 05 Sep 2008 16:19:00 +0000

Mission Extreme is a pretty excellent little run n’ gun from Deadheat Interactive. Love them chunky pixels.

But why is ‘X’ jump and ‘Z’ shoot?!

(Thanks, cactus!)

TIGdb: Entry for Mission Extreme

Preview: Owlboy

Derek Yu — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 16:30:00 +0000

How could I not post about a game that’s called Owlboy? Especially when it’s by the Project Rhapsody team (now called D-pad Studio). Described by the game’s artist, Snake, as “a free-roaming flying game with dungeons,” Owlboy is heading to this year’s IGF as a PC and Xbox 360 Community Games title. That’s the plan, at least!

Holy hell this game looks good. Like, finger-lickin’ good.

Drink Responsibly

Derek Yu — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 13:14:00 +0000

I lol’ed!

(Thanks, Golds!)

Jonathan Blow Interview: "No Compromises"

Derek Yu — Wed, 03 Sep 2008 17:17:00 +0000

Matthew Boyd (Three Panel Soul), who interviewed Tarn Adams for Kwanzoo.com about a month ago, just did another, shorter, interview with Jonathan Blow, where they discuss Braid, Microsoft, and the nature of being an independent developer.

I feel like there is enough compromise in the game industry. Everyone compromises on everything all the time. If I want to make something different, that really stands out, then a good way to do that is to not compromise. Plus, compromise does not suit my personality very well. It tastes bad.

In the past, I’ve noticed that before Braid was released, some people have took issue with Jon being vocal about his opinions regarding the games industry and the development process. Has that changed at all for you guys?

In any case, I’m digging these interviews. Keep ‘em up, Matt!

Machinarium Preview

Derek Yu — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 17:56:00 +0000

I’m so excited for this game. By the creators of Samorost. (TIGdb Entry)

Iji

Derek Yu — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 05:31:00 +0000

Daniel Remar’s Iji is undoubtedly his most ambitious game. It’s also his best by far. No small feat from the guy who brought us Castle of Elite!

In the game you play the titular heroine – a human-turned-cyborg equipped with alien nanotechnology. Waking in a space station in the midst of an alien invasion, she must use her new-found powers to save what’s left of mankind. Somewhere else in the station is her brother, Dan, who guides her via the speaker system.

Iji is broken up into a number of very large sectors, most of which have multiple paths. Depending on what weapons and upgrades you have, you can brute force your way through each sector, or take a more pacifist approach by sneaking around and cracking systems (via a simple minigame). Or anything in between! These choices have the potential to alter the game’s narrative and affect new outcomes.

Combat is visceral and feels good, especially with the game’s excellent soundtrack pumped up. Once again, you have a variety of attacks at your disposal – you can, of course, take on enemies head-on, blasting them with your Nanogun or kicking them to death (if your Strength stat is high enough). Alternately, you can crack an opponent’s defense systems and sabotage their weapons, or perhaps defeat them in other, even less direct ways.

Overall, I’m just really impressed with how much there is to do in this game, and how much choice the player has in each situation. It’s a testament to Daniel’s strength as a designer that very little of it feels forced. And considering that there are also four different difficulty levels and a wealth of unlockable bonus features (some hidden in remote areas of the game), you can bet that you’ll be (happily) spending some quality time with this one. It’s destined to be a classic of some sort.

TIGdb: Entry for Iji

Action DooM 2: Urban Brawl

Derek Yu — Mon, 01 Sep 2008 15:43:00 +0000

Scuba Steve’s Action DooM is still somewhat of a rarity amongst Doom mods – a full-featured total conversion that genuinely tries some new things. With AD, Scuba and his team not only tried to emulate the linear gameplay of classic 2d shooters like Contra, they promoted it as a real retail product that you might buy when the genre was at the height of its popularity. Though as far as Contra-style FPS’s go, 8bit killer is a superior game, Action DooM gets credit for being the first. And for displaying the lasting potential of the Doom engine.

Four years later, Action DooM 2 is here! Whereas the original AD mixed Contra with Doom, AD2 is obviously inspired by beat ‘em up games like Final Fight. Even though there are guns available in the game, they are scarce – for the most part you’ll be using your fists, along with a slew of hand-to-hand weapons like knives, 2×4s, and chains. These items break quickly with use, but are strewn around each level fairly liberally.

The idea of picking up new weapons constantly is a good one, although combat is kind of hit-or-miss (pun intended). For the most part, there’s little strategy to beating up your opponents – just move in, hit, and then move away. It gets slightly repetitive, and I would have loved to have been able to throw weapons, or perhaps use different types of attacks. Throws? Combos? Chokes?

But overall, it’s hard to complain – Action DooM 2 is obviously a labor of love and there’s lots to like, from the awesome graphics (hand-pixelled by Steve) to the wonderfully overdone Sin City/Max Payne-style noir cutscenes (complete with voiceovers!). There’s also a really impressive amount of variety to the enemies and the environments. I enjoyed the various in-jokes (no way!) that can be found on the walls in the form of advertisements and graffiti.

AD2 (which can be played with or without Doom 2), definitely sets the bar high for creative Doom mods, and was a treat to play through. The full game is available for download, but if you really enjoy it, you can also buy a boxed version for $9.99 that comes with bonus maps.

TIGdb: Entry for Action DooM 2: Urban Brawl

(Thanks, JimmyBignuts!)

Karoshi Factory

Derek Yu — Fri, 29 Aug 2008 18:37:00 +0000

Jesse Venbrux is at it again! Karoshi Factory, his latest release, is the third installment in his popular series of “kill yourself” puzzle games. This time, however, the theme is “group suicide!” Using the spacebar to switch between characters, you have to make sure everyone dies in the end – woe be to the last guy standing with no way to expire!

(FOX News Headline: “Dutch Teen Develops Video Game to Promote Suicide Pacts: Are Your Children at Risk?”)

Karoshi Factory feels like a natural progression for the series, and I’m happy to see Jesse take it into a new direction with the group game mechanics. 18 levels in (out of 25), I noticed there’s less “mind fucking” in this one, which is fine with me, because, in my opinion, Karoshi 2 pretty much did all it could in that area. KF’s puzzles are certainly devious, and more than a few levels require quick wits and reflexes both.

And this isn’t all Jesse’s been up to of late. Between Deaths, the last of his games we covered, and Karoshi Factory, he’s released a few others, including Torque, an awesome abstract arena shoot ‘em up, and You Made It, a bizarre platform game where the graphics never refresh. They’re definitely all worth checking out.

TIGdb: Entry for Karoshi Factory

Yahtzee on Braid

Derek Yu — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 18:14:00 +0000

I’ve got a backlog of new indie games I want to tell you about, but ‘til I find the time you’ll have to hear our friend Yahtzee yap about an “old” one (so totally not old). Does anyone else wonder whether he’s wearing clothes while he records these? No? Uh, me neither!