Cataloging the Detritus of my Life
Two years ago I wrote an article for Gamestooge.com on the assassination of Lord British in Ultima On-line way back in pre-historic past of MMOs: 1997.It’s a fascinating little tidbit of videogame history. Today, Cracked.com linked to the story in one of their own stories: The 7 Biggest Dick Moves in the History of On-line Gaming (Lord British’s assassination is #3 on the list). Gamestooge.com’s Editor-in-Chief, Jonah Falcon, informs me that the article is getting a bunch of traffic. So, go me?
“Indie” games seem to be popular right now. Or were they popular a few years ago and now are just another thing? I have a hard time keeping up with what is cool and trendy in the video game world these days. With services like PSN, XBox Live, and STEAM these indie games are becoming readily available. I don’t know if one can earn enough money making them for a living… Eh, before they were “indie” games they were just games you found on the internet and shared with your friends. I like to think of them as the shareware of the “00” without having to mail in a check to get the rest of the episodes…
Anyway, there is a lot of these games out there now. Some of which you’ll have heard of (Spelunky, Cave Story, Knytt) and some you haven’t (Hero Core, Lyle in Cube Sector, Strange Adventures in Infinite Space.) Because I had no life in college (and today know people who are still in college or play videogames for a semi-living) I can help you wade through all the dross and find the ones worth playing.
Here they are in the order they occured/recommended to me:
Spelunky – Is a procedurally generated platformer wherein you play an Indiana Jones like character delving through mines and caves looking for treasures. This game was so popular that a publisher noticed it and decided to throw money at the developer to port it to Xbox Live Arcade. This doesn’t happen very often though, so if you’re thinking of going into the business… Anyway, what makes Spelunky great is the fact that its random and you can get your little guy into all sorts of absurd situations. Watch some videos on Youtube to get an idea (I recommend the adventures of Iowa Jack)
Viriax – I reviewed this game when it came out earlier this year. Viriax is a simple shmup-like (is that a word/genre? It is now I just made it one.) where you control a virus as it infects a host body. I use the term shmup-like because the virus doesn’t shoot anything instead it must swim past enemies and then attack them from behind. I’ll be the first to admit I’m not very good at this game but it is enjoyable and the music is great.
Cave Story – Another game everyone has heard of at this point. What you didn’t know is that the game has been out now for more than 5 years now. I first heard about it at the end of 2005 and poked around with it for a bit before something else distracted me. I picked it back up after hearing that Nintendo was bringing it to Virtual Console… Cave Story is a Metroidvania style game where you control a little robot with amnesia stuck in a cave world. Charming visuals, a good soundtrack, and excellent gameplay can all be found in Cave Story.
Hero Core – The sequel to Hero and another Metroidzania. This is a very “retro” styled game. That black & white pic above? Is from Hero Core. I haven’t played much of this one (who has the time for all these video games?) but it’s intriguing enough to keep me coming back and checking it out some more.
Desktop Dungeons – Some people hate their lives. They hate their lives so much that in their free time they play roguelikes.I do not hate myself and even if I did I’d have better things to do with my free time (like cutting myself) Which is why Desktop Dungeons is nice. This way I get to experience a roguelike without the atrocious ASCII art and opaque design. I know, I know roguelikes have deep, complex gameplay that rewards investing time and effort into the genre. The thing is I don’t want to die 1000s of time before I manage to beat the game. Desktop Dungeon distills all the pain out of roguelikes and leaves a smart, quick, fun game behind.
Lyle in Cube Sector – The creator describes the game as a “block throwing action/adventure game.” I just found it charming and fun to tinker around with.
I Wanna be The Guy – The most infamous “indie” game on the planet. Not my cup of tea (I like myself) but it was made by a friend of mine so I couldn’t not put it here. Super hard, surreal platformer. Let me know if you beat it though. I want to shake your hand.
Strange Adventures in Infinite Space – a quick 4x (explore, expand, exploit, exterminate) game that can be played in 5 to 20 minutes. Explore the galaxy, make friends, kill aliens. Nothing here but love.
That list though is only the beginning, and only what I could think of off the top of my head. I can vouch for all of these but there are 1000s of these games out there. Good thing we have the internet. Good thing some kind hearted soul (Derek Yu, the creator of Spelunkyand two other guys) has already done all the footwork and created a searchable database of independent games: TIGdb. I’ll warn you know though that TIGdb is a rabbithole and I can’t say when if ever you’ll find your way out.
As long as you have fun, I guess it doesn’t matter, huh?
I’m not going to get into the argument over whether video games are art or not (because that argument is dumb; if a human created it than its art…) I just wanted to mention how beautiful Outland is to look at. How I simply like to walk around the levels taking in the environment. This is a beautiful game. The artists have done an excellent job conveying through the visuals how ancient this place is, how much of an outsider your character is, how alone you the player are in this world. It’s evocative.
Watch the video below if you want to get a small idea of the visuals. Sadly, it focuses mostly on the gameplay (it is a game after all) but you might get a small idea of what I’m talking about:
I haven’t played much of the game yet. Like I said I’ve been too preoccupied with just exploring the environments and soaking in all the style the animators and artists put into the game. So maybe the game will be crappy or maybe it’ll be great. It is certainly nice to look at.
PS – click on the still images to see larger pictures, it’ll help you appreciate them more.
I do, now.
I don’t think I’ll be playing Old Republic. I no longer have the excess cash to spend on a monthly subscription or the time to sink into an MMORPG. I just wanted to share the trailer. Star Wars is at its best when it’s true to its pulp adventure roots.