This week has been an exceptional one for indie with all of the indie game announcements for PS4, showing where indie may be heading on next-gen console platforms. In this edition, we’ll be talking a look at a new horror game, still in the early alpha stage, called the Middle of Nowhere, as well as discuss the second indie game jam inspired the parody account of Peter Molyneux (@petermolydeux). This has been quite the interesting week.

Molyjam Deux, which is the second 48 hour game jam inspired by tweets from @petermolydeux, will run from July 5th to the July 7th. The trailer above actively mocks E3 and argues that Molyjam Deux is the next stage of next-gen with highly thought provoking ideas, which are quite funny to be totally honest. You can host part of the jam from your own home, a specified location or wherever you have access to a workspace, wireless internet, parking or public transport access, nearby access to food establishments, large TV or projector and webcams. If you feel up to it you could also sponsor the game jam. Last year, on March 30th 2012, the jam was held in 32 cities worldwide and now the hope is to increase this number. The whole idea of the game jam is to develop a game in 48 hours based upon one of the ludicrous ideas spouted forth on the @petermolydeux parody account. If you are an interested developer, you can use this Google doc to indicate that you are interested, and from there can play your meetup for the game jam accordingly.

The Middle of Nowhere is a a new indie horror game currently in development by indie developer Aaron Wilde who is hoping to bring something fresh to the horror genre, whilst maintaining ties to horror influences such as classic era Silent Hill games and the like. The game will be immensely story-driven and will require puzzle solving along the way. This is what the game basically entails:

Middle of Nowhere is an exciting new, original first person survival/horror game which centers around waking up from a car crash in a place you don’t know and not being able to remember a thing. The game is mostly set in an open-area full of caves, shanty-like shacks and other things planned in future development. You have the option to explore while following the story as-well.
The story is well thought out, as you progress, you find out fragments about your past and why you are in the middle of nowhere. Use various items to remove blockades, heal yourself or top up your flashlight. Climb different levels of caves, solve puzzles. Encounter monsters, choose to stand and fight or run away.

The Middle of Nowhere will feature an all original soundtrack and sound design by Wilde. The game is currently still in the early phases of development, with Wilde seeking funding through Kickstarter. The game has many different features which are explained in-depth on the website linked above. The Middle of Nowhere looks highly intriguing and definitely has that mysterious factor that many horror games miss out on.

Well that’s it for this week, remember to check back next week for more indie news and updates.

Early on Tuesday morning, here in South Africa, we caught the final glimpses of Sony’s E3 press conference in which they declared used games to be on the table. We heard gamers cheering and the crowd went ballistic in a wave of excitement. This was one of the moments at E3 that will be remembered well into the future. Sony showed off their hand of cards and it was in benefit of the consumer, rather than introducing policies which benefit the publisher in the larger scheme of things. But what games am I interested in?

I really must say that Titanfall caught my eye with its Halo-esque FPS combat with jetpacks and amazing mecha bouts, and looks quite different from the mainstream FPS experience many of us have become accustomed to. Sunset Overdrive, for Xbox One, was another game which stood out for me from the current line-up at E3 with nuclear-powered shotguns and superhuman parkour action. The announcement of Kingdom Hearts III made me cry with jubilation, as I saw my dreams being realised on stage (please, don’t mock me).

The teaser for what I assume to be Halo 5 was also great to see, and Master Chief dressed up as a Jedi was confusing as hell. 343 Industries are doing so well with the franchise that I have no worries about where the franchise is heading. It looks all good to me. The announcement of a new Star Wars Battlefront by EA was a another winner at E3 and even with the short teaser made many gamers nerdgasm across the world in unison at the promise of this new game.

Final Fantasy XIII: Versus, now renamed Final Fantasy XV, was amazing to see on screen with actual gameplay and despite this appearing to be a more action-oriented title, the game still looks quite fresh and the visual fidelity of what was shown is undeniably beautiful, and well executed. It looks like a game that many next-gen gamers will want to own. With both the announcement of Kingdom Hearts III and Final Fantasy XV, I was besotted and ultimately pleased by Square Enix’s direction, which was very promising and optimistic at the end of it all. Finally, plant-based third-person shooter Plants vs. Zombies: Garden Warfare took the proverbial cake for me with fresh cartoon graphics, interesting takes on the characters from Plants vs. Zombies as soldier classes and with fun gameplay to boot. I was immensely sold on the game from the first showing alone.

With so many games it’s quite difficult to decide what I thought was the best on show. But what I can say is that I was immensely impressed with the games on show, and that E3 has given us many possible gems for the future, which is shaping up to be a bright one.

Sony at this year’s E3 has confirmed a range of timed indie exclusives for PS4. The indie games included are: Secret Ponchos, Don’t Starve, Ray’s The Dead, Octodad: Deadlest Catch, Outlast, Mercenary Kings, Abe’s Oddysee and Galak-Z. All of these will have their first console debut on PS4.

This is a major move on Sony’s part and is indicative of their plan of being an open platform for self-publishing indie developers. The future of indie games on next-gen consoles is looking very promising for PS4. As it stands, PS4 might be the next-gen console for small indie developers who are trying to make their way in the games industry. Furthermore, Sony says that they have long term plans for indie games.

At Sony’s conference, Tetsuya Nomura greeted us with exciting news that Final Fantasy Versus XIII was alive and well, but that it was to be renamed Final Fantasy XV. Final Fantasy XV seems to be a huge departure from previous Final Fantasy games with a more action-oriented approach, instead of the typical turn-based combat systems that have come to characterise the franchise. The game was given no specific release date.

That was not the only announcement from Square Enix, with Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn being confirmed as heading to PS4. The game has been heavily worked upon from its previous iteration and will be re-released in this new form for not only PS4, but also for PS3 and PC. A Realm Reborn will be heading to PC and PS3 on August 27, and will be available on PS4 at a later date.

It was a glorious day for Sony with the E3 announcement that Kingdoms Heart III is currently in development for PS4. The news came shortly after the annoucement that Final Fantasy Versus XIII is coming to PS4, under the new name of Final Fantasy XV. This will be the final game in the current storyline.

The first game aptly named Kingdom Hearts launched on the PS2 in 2002. The game series focuses on the journey of a boy named Sora, his friends and cast of Disney, and Final Fantasy, characters. All of the spin-off games and the first two games will interweave into this final game.

Square Enix has access to Disney, Studio Ghibli, Marvel Entertainment and Lucasfilm properties which could mean endless possibilities for Kingdom Hearts III. This is an exciting announcement and we look forward to see what the game has to offer.

The Mighty Quest For Epic Loot closed beta was announced today at Ubisoft’s E3 press conference. In the game, players are tasked with building a fortress and filling it with creatures. Following this, players will have to defend their fortress from enemies seeking treasures.

In essence, The Mighty Quest For Epic Loot is a game where you’ll have to loot from enemies’ fortresses but maintain defensive measures at your own fortress. It’s all about maintaining your loot stockpile whilst stealing loot from your enemies. You can read up more details about the game on their website. The game will be a PC-only release for Windows, and will be free-to-play. As of yet, there is no set release date for The Mighty Quest For Epic Loot.

Ubisoft has announced two new Trials games with Trials Fusion and Frontier. The first game Trials Fusion will be released for Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Xbox 360, and PC. The game is a high adrenaline pumping continuation of Trials Evolution. In the trailer, we see a motorcyclist ascending through the clouds of a Sci-Fi metropolis, only to plummet back to earth into the chaos of the Trials track, where there is danger after every jump.

The second game Trials Frontier will be a mobile-only release and features a more cartoony style than Trials Fusion. Both games will be interconnected with visible leaderboards from both games. Trials Fusion and Frontier will both be available in 2014.

Today DICE, at EA’s E3 conference, announced that Commander Mode, from Battlefield 2, would be returning in Battlefield 4. In the live demonstration, DICE showed off a 64 player multiplayer session, where Commander Mode was used to directly influence the ongoing battle in real-time. This direct influence over battles is achieved through the usage of most likely an iOS or Android-powered device. In Battlefield 4, maps are much larger with a huge assortment of destructible terrain, such as skyscrapers.

In Commander Mode, you’ll be able to aid your squad with missile launches and can inform them of impending assaults, and threats they may encounter. As the commander, you can instruct your team on what points to capture on the map and where to go in order to clear a pending objective. Battlefield 4 will be available for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Xbox 360 and Xbox One.

Today at Microsoft’s E3 conference, Press Play revealed their latest Xbox 360 game Max: The Curse of Brotherhood which is the spiritual successor to Max & the Magic Marker. The game is at its heart a platformer with physics-based puzzles which are designed around Max’s Magic Marker which gains incredible powers throughout the game. Here is the basic story premise of the game:

When Max wishes for his annoying little brother, Felix, to be whisked away by unknown evil forces, he gets more than he bargained for. Armed only with an marker and a hope of undoing what he has just done, he sets out on a perilous journey across deserts, eerie lantern-lit bogs, ancient temples and lush green forests to get his younger sibling back. Along the way Max gains the powers to manipulate his environment and overcome seemingly impossible obstacles.

From launch the game will be available for 1200 Microsoft Points, and will be available later this year. You should definitely watch out for this one.

Below is a new rogue-like game from the developers, Capybara Games, of Sword and Sworcery and Super Time Force. The game was showcased on the Xbox One with a brand new teaser. The teaser welcomes us to a mysterious world which is mysteriously connected. The game features a top-down perspective where you navigate a small character through a foggy landscape into long forgotten ruins.

Music for the game is composed by Jim Guthrie, who has scored Sword and Sworcery and Indie Game: The Movie. The game is a sight to behold and it’s great to see an indie studio receiving the spotlight on the Xbox One.

At Microsoft’s E3 conference, a new Halo game was announced with the Master Chief in all his glory. The game is being developed by Halo 4 veterans 343 Industries and boasts a new engine, with silky smooth 60 FPS gameplay and dedicated server support.

The teaser gave us a sneak peek of Master Chief journeying through a desert clad in a cloak, until he comes across an unusual mechanical entity in the desert. Presently the game is tentatively titled ‘Halo’, which will most likely change in the future.

The game will be coming to Xbox One in 2014.

Today during Microsoft’s E3 conference Respawn Entertainment revealed exclusive gameplay footage of their new game Titanfall. Titanfall will be published by Electronic Arts for the Xbox One, Xbox 360 and Microsoft Windows. The game showcases a war torn battlefield with mechs and technologically advanced soldiers pitted against one another. In Titanfall, as a solider you’ll be able to use a jetpack to fly across the battlefield and can perform parkour moves to propel yourself along walls and other objects.

The game will be a diverse multiplayer experience and will encapsulate a new way of approaching multiplayer bouts with huge battles happening between soliders, mechs and a vast array of weaponry. The gameplay video shown consisted of fast paced first-person shooting with explosions and general chaos all around the map. You can also take out mechs by foot, which is quite the added bonus. The game was built in Source engine and use Xbox One’s cloud computing capabilities for multiplayer, physics, and A.I. . Titanfall is definitely shaping up to be promising.

Through the annals of history, there have been many E3 press conferences that have stood the test of time as bastions of quality, humour and downright weirdness. Some E3 moments typify a generation of gamers, led to the creation of internet memes and have left gamers in a sense of wonderment and disbelief. Today we remember those moments from E3s of yesteryear that made us chuckle, gave us hope and made us merry gamers.

Most Hilarious: Konami E3 2010

The press conference was in general a hilarious experience with outbursts of Engrish characterising the whole event, which was not to be out done by the general awkwardness of the Silent Hill developers who appeared to have some underlying issues. Tak “Extreme” Fujii, a producer at Konami Digital Entertainmnet, was the star of the show, and constantly exclaimed that everything in Ninety-Nine Nights II was “extreme” and that the game had nearly “one million troops” for you to battle. Naoki Maeda, another producer from Konami Digital Entertainment, was hilarious too, and participated in one of the most embarrassing dance routines. However, one cannot forget the hilarity and absurdity of Mexican wrestlers (Luchadores) fighting out a mock-fight in the middle of the stage, during the press conference. All of this made Konami’s E3 2010 press conference one of the most hilarious sights at E3. At least it was far more entertaining than Microsoft’s Xbox One reveal.

Most Internet Worthy: Nintendo E3 2007

When Reggie Fils-Aime, the president and chief operating officer of Nintendo of America, uttered the all important “My body is ready” a generation of gamers became enlightened and achieved a perfect state of “lulzy” nirvana. It was during the introduction of the Wii Balance Board that both Reggie and Shigeru Miyamoto competed against one another in Wii Fit soccer, that the infamous internet meme was born. Prior to starting the soccer game, both Miyamoto and Reggie were required to do a “body check” with the Wii Balance Board to obtain their BMI (Body Mass Index). At that moment, Reggie uttered the memorable line, “My body is ready” and it has become a staple of internet meme culture ever since.

Most Memorable Personality: Sony E3 2010

Kevin Bulter, portrayed by actor Jerry Lambert, was a fictional Vice President of Sony’s PlayStation division, and a major part of Sony’s marketing plans until 2011. Following which, in 2012, Jerry Lambert was sued for contravening his contract with Sony in an advert for Firestone. Kevin Butler was employed in many PS3 adverts and reached mass popularity in no short time. He performed a speech at Sony’s 2010 E3 press conference in which he delivered an amazing, and often humorous speech, that spoke about gamers’ passion for gaming. It would be an amazing feat if Kevin Butler could return to Sony’s press conference. We can only hope and pray.

Most Memorable Game: Ubisoft E3 2007

For many of us at eGamer, the moment in Ubisoft’s 2007 E3 conference that stood out was when producer Jade Raymond and director Patrice Désilets introduced Assassin’s Creed to the world. Many gamers hold the first game of the series in high regard, with perhaps the second entry in the series being slightly more revered. Watching both Raymond and Désilets play the game and introduce us to the universe of the Creed and the Templars was striking, and ushered in the current-gen experience as something both new and fresh. Assassin’s Creed will always be remembered with great fondness.

 
In conclusion, this was our pick of memorable moments from E3 that we remember with much fondness. We hope that this year’s E3 lives up to gamers’ expectations and blows them away. If not, at least there will be some amazingly awkward moments because as we all know the number of polygons in a character model increases the number of emotions we experience in a game. So let us hope for higher polygon counts in this year’s E3 press conferences.

In the latest edition of This Week In Indie, the focus will be on Amazon opening up a new indie store and Mojang’s next game entitled Scrolls.

Mojang’s latest game simply called Scrolls is now up for pre-order and if fans follow suit they gain access to the open beta, which is by no means feature complete. Scrolls is a digital collectable card game where players battle in a fantasy world. Players try to destroy their opponent’s idols. If you lose three idols your game is effectively over. Players make use of resources, much like in Magic: The Gathering, in order to utilise “scrolls” (cards). The cards come in many varieties such as creatures, spells, structures and enhancements for the army you put into battle. Mojang has promised to add in new “scrolls” on a continual basis. The game has a built-in deck builder that allows players to construct a deck of their own choosing. The pre-order package for the game is priced at £12.95, €14.95 and $20.95. With the open beta, upon purchase, you’ll gain access to the store, the deck builder, trading, trials, quick matches, challenge matches, ranked matches and your own customisable profile.

The next piece of news is that Amazon has now opened a new indie store, celebrating the opening with huge sales and discounts. This new store front to Amazon’s ever expanding digital content store is a great surprise. The store will provide PC, Mac and browser-based games to consumers. There are various bundles on sale and over 200 indie games are available with a 75% discount. If you purchase a game, you also receive three additional games at no extra cost. 100% of the earnings made on sales go straight back to the developers. Amazon is embracing indie developers, and will be featuring indie developers on the new online store in their promotion known as “Indie Spotlight” and will allow gamers to vote for their favourite games. There are no direct details available, as of yet, describing the exact process of publishing with Amazon, but it is clear that Amazon is taking a bold step into the indie scene with great support from indie developers.

With that this edition comes to a close, and remember to check back next week for more news and updates. If you have any interesting indie-related news to share don’t hesitate to email, or contact us through the necessary channels.

Today we return back to the same formula for this week’s edition of This Week In Indie. We’ll be taking a look at two indie games, a tactical stealth shooter called Gunpoint which now has a demo out, and an isometric adventure game called Fleish And Cherry In Crazy Hotel.

After much teasing, the tactical stealth shooter Gunpoint has finally received a confirmed release date which is June 3rd, and the game is now open for pre-orders. Simply put, and according to the game’s Steam page, this is what the game involves:

Gunpoint is a stealth puzzle game that lets you rewire its levels to trick people. You play a freelance spy who takes jobs from his clients to break into high security buildings and steal sensitive data.

To get past security, you’ll need to make creative use of your main gadget: the Crosslink. It lets you see how all the security devices in a level are wired up, and then you can just click and drag with the mouse to wire them differently. So you can connect a lightswitch to a trapdoor, then flick it when a guard walks across to make him fall through.

Gunpoint comes in three packages, starting out with standard edition which is comprised of a DRM-free copy of Gunpoint and a Steam key for the game. The more specialised options are as follows:

Special Edition
Includes the game, soundtrack, and special in-game developer commentary for every mission (optional).

Exclusive Edition
Includes the game, the soundtrack, in-game developer commentary, Making Of Gunpoint video feature, exclusive tracks by Gunpoint’s composers, and the Prototype Pack: 9 playable versions of the game from each stage of its development.

Gunpoint is a game we, at eGamer, are greatly looking forward to. It has all the makings of an amazing stealth shooter, something which the indie scene is sorely lacking at the moment.

Fleish And Cherry In Crazy Hotel is an isometric adventure game that takes great influence from 1930s black and white cartoons, combining that with gameplay inspiration from Zelda, Monkey Island, and the Professor Layton series. The developers are currently seeking funding through their indiegogo page. The story of the game is as follows:

During the golden era of Toonville, Fleish the Fox is the star of all the shorts recorded in this black and white cartoon world. His arch-nemesis, Mr Mintz, always tries to ruin his adventures by capturing his girlfriend Cherry, but despite his evil machinations, Fleish continuously manages to get his happy ending with her. But things are going to take an unexpected turn…

Fleish & Cherry in Crazy Hotel is a game set in the 30s, the sunset of the black and white era. The visual elements, the sound and especially the gameplay itself, will make the player feel like being another toon.

In terms of gameplay, Fleish & Cherry in Crazy Hotel promises to follow in the steps of traditional adventure games, with a few twists to keep everything fresh whilst you play. According to the developers, this is how the game will play:

Throughout the story, the player will have to tie up the information obtained on the world, its objects and characters. He must find the right combination of items and abilities to use depending on the situations that arise. You won’t only be transported to this cartoon universe, but you will also have to act and think like a toon in order to progress in the game.

With obvious ties to old school Disney, this game is indeed fresh and is far more interesting then many of the adventure games that dominate the indie scene at present. We cannot wait to see what happens with this game. If you want to support the game even further, do check out their Steam Greenlight page as well.

Remember to check back next week for new news and updates about what’s happening in the indie scene.

Welcome to my playthrough of Teslagrad! Teslagrad is a 2D puzzle platformer with action elements, where magnetism and other electromagnetic powers are the key to go throughout the game, and thereby discover the secrets kept in the long abandoned Tesla Tower.

Please click the like button if you enjoyed the video, it means a lot!

Website: http://rain-games.com/
Steam Greenlight: http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=144846288

Subscribe for more videos and fun times: http://tinyurl.com/bqqehvq
Like eGamer on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/eGamerZA
Follow eGamer on Twitter: https://twitter.com/eGamerZA

Follow me on Twitter: https://twitter.com/AdamFullMetalZA

Whilst the last week and half has been characterised by a general bashing of the Xbox One reveal by the core gamer community, I thought that I would take today as a sign to write about something that we all deal with on some level. This beast is simply known as the backlog. I’ve written before about the insurmountable gaming backlog that many gamers have sleepless nights about. This is a daunting reality that many gamers must face with fearsome reserve if they are ever to overcome this spectre, this demon of their gaming’s past life. You have to be honest about admitting the problem first, and spit out the truth like it’s toxic as if your very life depends on the admittance that you’re suffering through the backlog blues. If you feel like a hoarder then it’s time to change. Joking aside, the backlog is one of many gamers’ woes. The question you’re probably wondering is: how I am overcoming the challenge that is the backlog?

The first step was coming to the realisation that I did indeed have a backlog and that it was quite vast. Time did not permit that games could be completed simultaneously, as I had intended with previous purchases, as reality and life are a hard mistress that is unforgiving when it comes to life commitments. The approach I’ve adopted in retrospect of this epiphany was to deal with my backlog by platform, and move forward from there. In my first attempt of challenging the backlog, I tried playing an open world game on my PS3, only to be faced with the mundane sameness that comes with the grind of repetitive errand-based quests that are the staple of open world games.

I adapted and made my next move, choosing to complete games I was currently playing on my Xbox 360. This has taken me quite awhile, but after completely finishing a couple of games from my Xbox 360 library I felt ecstatic. Currently this leaves around roughly five Xbox 360 games to finish within my backlog. Fighting the impulse to purchase new games has been the greatest hardship of coming to terms with my backlog. At present, I have now decided to complete a slew of PS3 exclusives that I have coveted for so long, and now have the chance to play. This time around I made a concerted effort to pursue linear games before diving into time consuming open world games and RPGs. Funnily enough, I had one PS3 game that I hadn’t fully completed, which was an open world game nonetheless, namely inFamous, and I’m currently finishing my playthrough of the game, and am thoroughly enjoying it. After finishing inFamous, I plan to play through a host of linear titles and after tackling enough games I will pursue my collection of open world games with the utmost resolve.

When your backlog grows, you may become more anxious than usual. I certainly did and felt that I had outdone myself by purchasing game after game. I soon came to terms with the idea that I may not enjoy every game that I have bought, and that it was within reason to not be smitten with a game that others swoon over as if the holy grail of videogames. As a gamer, you have your own tastes and you should play games that you’re highly interested in. This is a factor which I feel is of central importance when demolishing a backlog of games.

If you don’t enjoy a game, persuading yourself that it’s your own problem and that the game is actually a godsend, but you can’t grasp it, is both a waste of time and an excuse to procrastinate by mulling over a game. Wasting time is counter-effective and new games are being released continuously, in contrast to those ruminating over how much they hate a particular game. If you for some reason do not have the spirit and motivation to play a game, try another game and attempt a different playthrough. I am certain that you’ll be surprised and find other games worthy of your precious time.

Now I feel a greater surge of motivation than before and my backlog which once seemed insurmountable, and a shackle, to myself as a gamer, is now a collection that I look forward to. When you change your outlook on your backlog, it is not as scary as it first seemed. However, I do recommend not adding more games to your backlog, as you might find yourself among chaos once more.

Welcome to a special edition of This Week In Indie. In this edition, news revolving around the Xbox One and Xbox Live are analysed in regards to indie developers, and indie self-publishing. The way in which next-gen consoles incorporate indie games into their marketing schemes is an important one. Whilst Sony, Valve and Nintendo are moving forward with their approach to indie, Microsoft appears to be stuck in the past.

The success of indie games on the Xbox Live (XBL) Marketplace has always been a mixed bag, and some indie games have been relegated to the bottom of rankings in the marketplace to face an uncertain future. Most of the popular indie games on XBL only make profitable sales if they are featured on Xbox Live Arcade (XBLA). Indie games like FEZ, Braid, Limbo and Super Meat Boy have all been popular because they were featured on XBLA and were not published without the help of a publishing deal. Indie games which are self-published on the XBL Marketplace, are featured in the indie section of the marketplace and don’t receive the attention, and number of sales, that an XBLA featured game does.

This is a very different case on other digital platforms such as Steam and Desura where indie games can be self-published, and freedom is abundant. Developers who develop games for distribution on Steam can change release windows for their games and price their games however they see fit. This is the beauty of indie and Microsoft’s archaic method of publishing, and managing, indie games has left much to be desired. One of the biggest problems with publishing indie games on XBL has been the high price of updating a game as an indie developer. Microsoft is known to charge huge sums of money for critical updates, and this has been evidenced by many indie developers including Phil Fish, the mind behind Fez, who was vocal with distaste at the cost of implementing a critical update for Fez. This is an experience shared by many indie developers who have had to deal with Microsoft. This is an entirely different story on other platforms. Digital distribution services like Steam and Desura have become all the more attractive to indie developers, as they work in favour of the interests and gains of the indie developer, instead of purely in the interests of the digital publisher.

You would think that Microsoft would learn something in the way of adapting to the market and encouraging indie developers to find a home with their newly announced console the Xbox One? Simply put, Microsoft would prefer to stick to an archaic method of publishing indie games and deepen their control of the publishing rights of indie games released on their consoles. Much like the current Xbox 360, the Xbox One will not be embracing an open self-publishing model for indie games and will instead stick to its old rusted guns. When Matt Booty, general manager of Redmond Game Studios and Platforms, was asked if indie developers will be required to have a publisher to release their game on the Xbox Live Marketplace he had this to say:

As of right now, yes. We intend to continue to court developers in the ways that we have.

Booty further added:

I would also expect that for this new generation, that we’re going to continue to explore new business models and new ways of surfacing content. But Microsoft Studios is a publisher that works with a wide range of partners, as do a lot of other people, to bring digital content to the box.

This development in Microsoft’s philosophy of not promoting and supporting indie games as other platforms would was made more apparent by further news that Xbox Live’s Marketplace would no longer have XBLA, or an Indie Games channel to speak of. Phil Harrison, one of Microsoft’s Corporate Vice Presidents, had this to say in regards to the closure of XBLA and the Indie Games channel:

Right, so let me take that, because I think there’s a very important point to make here. In the past we had retail games which came on disc, we had Xbox Live Arcade and we had Indie Games, and they had their own discrete channels or discrete silos. With Xbox One and the new marketplace, they’re games. We don’t make a distinction between whether a game is a 50-hour RPG epic or whether it is a puzzle game or whether it is something that fits halfway between the two–

Harrison’s argument is that games on Xbox One should not be differentiated and that you will “discover the games you want to play” and also for some reason the “challenges that independent developers face” will be diminished because by some mysterious power particular indie games will “magically” be purchased by some unidentified audience. The whole point of the Indie Games channel and XBLA was to bring indie games to prominence on the Xbox 360, and many of the indie games featured on XBLA have delivered good sales. To integrate both indie games and AAA titles into one marketplace with no discerning categories will make it harder for indie fans to find the games they want, and the console indie audience that Microsoft is magically seeking will be further dissuaded by such a move. This audience will be playing their indie games through open platforms like Steam and Desura.

The point is that indie is more strongly supported and priced more effectively on efficient platforms such as Steam, where indie games are squarely at the forefront of Steam’s marketing and sales. The audience for indie games is far more varied than the audience who primarily play AAA games. Finding ways to make the indie audience’s lives easier is a great way of making money and logical sense in a games market that is gaining market momentum. Understanding the staying power of the indie scene is something that Microsoft is lacking when it comes to their approach to indie games for next-gen. Ironically, this is something that both Sony and Nintendo understand and now with the PS4 Sony are encouraging an open console platform, that will be behind supporting indie self-publishing in a great way, whilst Microsoft seems to be less concerned with the market potential that the indie scene has to offer.

If you are an indie gamer, it might be the right time to consider moving to PC and getting yourself a Steam and Desura account. If consoles appeal to you as a gamer, then the PS4 may be the answer. Jonathan Blow, the creator of Braid, sure does think so. Information about next-gen plans for indie will become clearer once E3 hits. It is just a waiting game then.

Remember to check back next week for more indie news and topical discussions.

Welcome to my playthrough of Chasm! Chasm is a 2D Fantasy Action RPG Platformer hybrid with Metroidvania styled gameplay and procedurally generated dungeons, all wrapped in amazing pixel art.

Please click the like button if you enjoyed the video, it means a lot!

Link to download: http://www.chasmgame.com/

Subscribe for more videos and fun times: http://tinyurl.com/bqqehvq
Like eGamer on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/eGamerZA
Follow eGamer on Twitter: https://twitter.com/eGamerZA

Follow me on Twitter: https://twitter.com/AdamFullMetalZA

Here are some new unveil videos for the Xbox One. More information about the Xbox One gaming experience is revealed.

The first video is all about:

Introducing Xbox One, the all-in-one entertainment system. This is the unveil video for the Xbox One, showcasing the console, the new Kinect sensor and the new Xbox One controller, as well as the new experiences that will be coming with Xbox One, including the personal homescreen, cinematic gaming, Live TV and Skype. Welcome to a new generation of games and entertainment.

The second video includes:

Xbox executives discuss how Xbox built the all-in-one games and entertainment system for today and the decade ahead — Xbox One. Xbox executives Yusuf Mehdi, Phil Spencer, and Marc Whitten discuss how Xbox One puts you at the center of all your games, TV, movies, music, sports and Skype.

All the new features for the Xbox One look very promising and we will find out more with E3 around the corner.

The next-gen Xbox console is now a reality with the Xbox One. The specifications have finally been released and we now have some clarity of how all the specifications will work as an integrated solution in the Xbox One.

The Xbox One will include: an 8-core CPU, 8GB of system memory, a 500GB hard drive. The console uses a single system-on-a-chip (SoC). The will be comprised of a 40 nanometer process that combines the GPU, CPU, memory, and other components into one single chip.

For interests sake, the Xbox 360 was powered by an IBM PowerPC tri-core processor, running at 3.2 GHz and an ATI Xenos GPU running at 500 MHz. The two chips were built using a 90 nanometer process

Other specifications included in the console will be:

USB 3.0
802.11n wireless with Wi-Fi Direct
Blu-ray
HDMI in/out

Microsoft’s Marc Whitten and Wired had this to say about the Xbox One:

“Variable power” states ensure a “practically silent” operation. The console is engineered to last “well into the future.”

“A new 500-GB hard drive was designed in-house, likewise a custom-built Blu-ray-capable optical drive. A single 40-nanometer chip contains both the CPU and GPU rather than the two dedicated 90-nm chips needed in the 360,” Wired reports.

“In fact, a custom SOC (system on a chip) module made by AMD contains the CPU/GPU chip, the memory, the controller logic, the DRAM, and the audio processors, and connects directly to the heat sink via a phase-change interface material.”

The new Xbox One will be released later this year.

Welcome to another edition of This Week In Indie, there’s not much in the way of news this week largely due to a shortage of actual newsworthy topics. However, this week marks the release of Sanctum 2, the sequel to the original Sanctum which was quite the indie hit, and we have more news on TBT: The Black Tower, which now has some battle gameplay footage to show off in the newest trailer.

TBT: The Black Tower is an RPG, in development by Simon Mesnard and his small team, that we are dearly looking forward to as it revisits the long forgotten PS1 era of JRPGs, in great style and now in gameplay mechanics. The newest trailer above shows in-game footage showing off new locations in the game, CG movies and a bigger glimpse of the actual classical turn-based combat system. Yet Mesnard, in his latest response, discloses that the combat system will be very traditional in regards to turn-based combat but will probably feature more advanced options such as being able to place your hero as an attacker, or a support character, mid-battle. All of which could mean that the battle system has quite a bit of depth than one would initially expect.

Other additions to the combat system include a fury option which will allow heroes in your party to perform very powerful combo moves, after filling up a power gauge in a support role. Another interesting addition will be in the Black Cube which has the power to grant you various skills and techniques, which you can learn (the Black Cube can be seen in the introduction of the trailer). Finally, Spirits will be the summoning system for TBT: The Black Tower and is very reminiscent of the summoning system found in the PS1 era Final Fantasy games.

Coffee Stains’ FPS Tower Defense hybrid Sanctum returns with a sequel in Sanctum 2. This sequel has a more exciting campaign, with four different characters, 15 different maps to tackle, aggressive enemies, and you have many new weapons and towers at your disposal. This is what the game is about, according to the Steam page:

Sanctum 2 is the sequel to the world’s first Tower Defense/FPS hybrid game. Pick from four unique character classes and embark on a mission to protect the oxygen-producing Cores from hordes of deadly aliens who are threatened by their existence. Outfit your character exactly the way you want through the new and extensive customization system. Choose your own loadout of towers, weapons and perks, but choose wisely because you are humanity’s last defense against the unrelenting hordes set out to destroy it.

Sanctum 2 is a new game completely rebuilt from the ground up using community feedback and innovative design to really push the bar of what an independent studio can do.

The first link above takes you to the Steam version, but if you are looking for the XBLA version, you can follow this link. The game itself looks great, and if you are interested do check those links out.

The week comes to a close, and so too does another edition of This Week In Indie. Remember to check back next week for news and updates, and if you have any feedback don’t hesitate to comment or drop us a line through email.

After reading up on US Vice President Joe Biden’s recent remarks, regarding statements he made that violent games should have some form of sin tax, I was a tad flabbergasted. For this purpose, I wanted to bring to the fore the idea that games, even violent ones, can be a catalyst for positive change in people’s outlooks rather than violent de-sensitising media for the masses. The hard truth is that games are an easy victim of the violence debate. This is because of their content and the misconstrued priorities of politicians and public figures who demonise games as a scapegoat tactic for facing the larger issues at hand, like actually dealing with gun control in the US.

There are so many games with violent content, like BioShock Infinite and Spec Ops: The Line as two diverse examples, that use violence as a means to examining the human condition. Yes, I will agree that it is unavoidable to not say that there are games which glorify violence, but every major medium does this to some extreme. However, in every major medium, like TV and film, violent content can be used to frame a narrative which explores greatly expansive themes and emotional dilemmas. In turn, violence can be a catalyst for change in the mindset of the viewer, or gamer if you are playing a game.

The most recent example, I can use from my own experience, would have to be BioShock Infinite. The game is not shy with violence and after a few moments of world building in the game, Booker engages in an ever rising escalation of violence that caters to the FPS-driven nature of game, and the adrenaline fuelled action. But the violence serves another purpose as a narrative counterpoint later on and is used to make sense of Booker as a character, and a definable person. Violence is a great way to demonstrate human flaws, vulnerability and weakness. It is something so entrenched in the human psyche and culture in general, that it is inseparable from what makes us human. When games can tap into the human psyche through violence, strong statements about society can be made to great effect.

This is not to say that there aren’t games which glorify violence. Many military FPS games do glorify violence, but from my perspective violence in these types of games always feels ‘unreal’. I think this has a whole lot to do with being able to tell the difference between the extreme representation of violence that many military shooters embrace that involves an arcade influenced sensibility in the depiction of violence, and the usage of violence in other games as means for exploration of the human psyche. I am not denying that violent games can be hard hitting and gruesome in many instances. This is unavoidable, as there is no true standard for violence across the board.

But I feel it comes to down to people playing games and their perception of reality. Where school massacres and school shootings are concerned, mental instability in the shooters themselves has far great implications than actual violent videogames, and freely available access to guns is the bigger issue at hand here. Games use violence in a more direct and interactive way than any other medium and can tackle violence in interesting ways, and can help us to talk about bigger issues. Whether violent games should be taxed in some way is trivial, and baseless at best.

Recently, we, here at eGamer, managed to sit down with Nico Bihary and Alyssa Finley from 2K Marin, and interviewed them about the studio’s upcoming game The Bureau: XCOM Declassified. To give you an overview, The Bureau: XCOM Declassified (formerly known as XCOM) is 2K Marin’s take on an XCOM origin story. Unlike other XCOM games which are set in the near future, The Bureau is set in the 1960s at the height of the Cold War, where paranoia in the US was really high. In response, JFK sets up an agency to investigate possible threats and conspiracies on American soil, such as the plotting of a Soviet invasion. Following the investigation, the agency discovers that the threat is not of Soviet origin, but rather of alien origin. From that point on, the game tells the story of how this agency evolved into the early incarnation of XCOM, which is the precursor of the organisation in XCOM: Enemy Unknown.

At its heart, The Bureau is a third-person tactical squad-based game, where the key of the game is playing as special agent William Carter. As the player, you lead a field team who has to deal with this alien menace, by using strategies and manipulating battle plans in real time. To overcome the alien hordes, you will have to use your team’s special abilities and research weaponry, and equipment, from your alien foes.

William Carter, the main character in The Bureau, is an ex-CIA agent who has fallen down the ranks due to his personal grievances and now works as special agent for the FBI. He uses his own ingenuity and skills to deal with the alien threat, and is forced to take additional agents with him into the field. Agents that support William Carter in battle will consist of: a commando class, a support class, a recon class and an engineer. You can level them all up accordingly. This is very much a tactical game in every sense of the word and is not something that you engage with casually. According to 2K Marin, the game is about understanding the immediate threat and dealing with it effectively. With this in mind, here are some of the some answers from 2K Marin, in regards to our most pressing questions.

Here is the interview in all of its glory:

eGamer: What was the inspiration for the game, and why were the 1960s chosen as the historical backdrop?

2K: The inspiration for the game was how the XCOM organisation would have been in the past. We wanted to imagine how could an agency like that come to exist, and what would the origin story have been. We put the game in the 1960s, as we had to imagine a time not in the near future, before aliens had come to the earth and before anyone knew what to do when an alien had shown up. We were really harking back to a time before Google and before cellphones, where it was plausible that a story like this could be told and then covered up. It’s set in the Cold War period because that was a time for America where maintaining a facade of the strongest country ever was important, and no one could know what was happening in 1962. It seems like the time to tell this kind of story.

eGamer: What can we expect from the aliens in XCOM in terms of variety, threat and design?

2K: We’ve got familiarity from what you know in XCOM: Enemy Unknown and we also break it up a little bit, with a fairly new alien race in the “Lujari”. This new alien race keeps the familiar aliens from Enemy Unknown under their control, through a form of slavery. We liked the design of Enemy Unknown and how it worked in a tactical space because they’re humanoid and react well when taking cover. There will be some new faces, but also new cast mates that you’ll see along the way.

eGamer: The new title distances the game from the XCOM brand somewhat, is this because you’re looking to craft something entirely different, or will fans recognise a fair amount of the source material in this game?

2K: The thing that has to come through is that this is an XCOM game, and there are some clear parallels to Enemy Unknown. We include some of the familiar aliens from Enemy Unknown like the Sectoids and such. We use a similar UI to Enemy Unknown and the way cover is displayed in the battlefield is very similar. We use blue shields and red shields to give you an idea of where fighting is occurring and where you are in danger, this allows you the information on the battlefield to make good tactical decisions and plans. So things like that are two lines between the games, but also the core idea of the XCOM franchise, and things which I think our game has tried to embrace like tactics, tools, teams and tension.

Unlike Enemy Unknown, where you are essentially the commander, or the coach of the soccer team, telling everyone what to do, and not participating in the action yourself. In our game, you’re in the field and your abilities come into play every bit as much as your team’s abilities, and the decisions you make as the leader on the battlefield have the ability to shape the direction of the entire war. If you take one of your agents on to the battlefield, there exists the possibility that they may die, and they are gone forever. That is one of the core differences with XCOM: Enemy Unknown and we’re embracing that as well. We think bringing that flavour of combat to a tactical third-person shooter is an interesting way to open up the franchise to potential new members of the audience who think they don’t, or don’t, enjoy turn-based games. But they can play this game and think, “Oh wow, I kind of like what XCOM is about maybe I’ll check out these other entries in the franchise”.

eGamer: What sort of features will be unique to The Bureau and set it apart from other shooters in a saturated genre?

2K: I think the big thing is the introduction of perma-death which I think is something you don’t see in a lot of these tactical third-person shooters, which really has an influence in how the player plays but also how we design the levels. We have to be very weary of the constraints the player has and we have to take our level design seriously. When you introduce perma-death, you have to be very fair and you can’t just let the player die from stupid design mistakes. If a player dies, it has to be because the player didn’t respect the battlefield and didn’t utilise their agents in an intelligent manner.

I think the other part of that equation is Battle Focus Mode which gives the commander, William Carter, not just control of his team but tactical plans in real-time, which can be fairly complicated and multi-step plans. You can be like I want this agent to take out that guy on the high ground, and I want him to target that guy and fire on him, and I’m going to take this agent and place him at flanking position and have him use one of his abilities, maybe an ability to use pulse waves that pushes enemies back out of cover and leaves them off-balance. So then once those targets are out of position, you and your agents can catch them in the crossfire and use tactical planing, and small squads, to basically out-gun when you are outnumbered on the battlefield. We feel like that is a real key feature for us. We refer to Battle Focus Mode as the “combat quarterback” where you sort of identify the alien threat and make decisions on the battlefield. You’re operating offensively, then you’re making some defensive moves all on-the-fly using Battle Focus.

eGamer: When the game was first revealed as a shooter, it received a fair bit of negative feedback from XCOM fans around the world. Was this a primary reason for shifting the focus of the title, or were initial ideas just not working in the way you expected?

2K: We felt that the first-person perspective wasn’t really capturing the team aspect of XCOM enough to live up to the XCOM franchise. Over the course of development, we went from a first-person perspective to a first-person perspective with an over-the-shoulder view mix where you could pull into a third-person view in battle, and take a look at your team to position them more tactically. It felt as if the spatial and tactical awareness wasn’t as much as it needed to be for an XCOM game, until we brought it into the third-person perspective. It has been an ongoing evolution of trying to achieve that goal, and we feel now that we’ve done a good job of giving that feeling of being in control of the battlefield whilst having troops on the ground.

eGamer: The Bureau is said to bring some deep tactical command based gameplay to the third-person shooter genre. Is it as simple as players commanding squad mates to take cover and such, or does it go far deeper than that?

2K: Once you get your eyes on Battle Focus, you’ll understand that it’s a pretty easy user interface and it’s easy to use under duress to quickly control your agents and combine their abilities, and take tactical advantage of the field. It’s something where the interface itself isn’t difficult to understand, but there is some depth to it for advanced players to understand the opportunities that this gaming space provides them. Your agents and your own character, William Carter, do gain their own abilities as you progress through the game. So it isn’t like you’re going to have everything from the beginning of the game and already know how to use it. You learn about things as you get them, and I think that gives you more advantages in the field and to use things against the alien threat.

eGamer: XCOM: Enemy Unknown blended strategy elements with some nice resource management when you returned to base. Can we expect to see something a bit similar, with players having to deal with growing alien conspiracies when they’re not shooting the damn things?

2K: Our game is more about agent and battlefield management, than about base management. The base is going to equip your army with alien technology, to navigate through the story and provide context. Besides, it’s just a really cool space to interact with in a third-person perspective, which is kind of a different experience. The base definitely has a critical part for us in driving the story, but we’re not evolving the base versus managing your agents. You’re not going to be forced to shop in the base, as you have a crack team of NASA scientists. You’re out on the field collecting information, collecting data, and the scientists are constructing weapons to equip you better for action out on the field, in an organic fashion.

eGamer: What lessons have been learnt from previous games, such as BioShock 2?

2K: I think there are three key lessons, I can pull from the top of my head. One, to take the multiplayer point, this is a singleplayer game and we’re trying to provide the player with the best narrative experience possible, and so there is no multiplayer or co-op. We’re putting all our effort and time into making sure it’s a great singleplayer experience, and I think that’s a lesson. I’ll also say two things that are important to the 2K Marin team are to have customisation of their experience in the battlefield and some choices that are material to the story, in the narrative of the story.

We decided to bring both of those things to play in The Bureau as well, in terms of customisation and agents have perk trees which give you abilities, to make choices about how exactly you want to customise your character. These are choices that will reflect in the tactical abilities you bring to the battlefield, for you and your team, and having the ability to customise that and choose the team you want to play with, and bring them out there. We think that kind of player choice is important. As for narrative, over the course of the story decisions the player makes affects the story and we think that games are more fun, if you can change the way they go.

eGamer: Following the release of The Bureau: XCOM Declassified, what does the future hold for 2K Marin?

2K: Our current focus right now is getting the game polished up, and wrapping up this game up on our current line of consoles.

This concludes our interview with the team at 2K Marin. We hope that you are excited for The Bureau: XCOM Declassified’s release date which is the 20th of August. We, here at eGamer, would like to thank both Nico Bihary and Alyssa Finley from 2K Marin for their valuable time, and Devon Stanton from Megarom for making this interview possible. We can’t wait to review The Bureau when it is released in August.

This week, two interesting, and very different, games were announced to be in development mainly GUN_MONKEYS and The Stomping Land. In one you can play a time-travelling monkey deathmatch experience, and in the other you play a game very similar to DayZ, except that you’re surviving among dinosaurs this time. This is all pretty exciting.

Funding for a new Kickstarter game has recently popped out of the blue, and this time around it is for a game called The Stomping Land. The game will task the player with surviving, through multiplayer co-op, in a prehistoric setting where all sorts of dinosaurs run rampant. You will have to avoid being eaten by carnivores, kill small dinosaurs for sustenance, and defend and supply your “tribe” with all the necessaries. The Stomping Land is being creatively lead by Alex Fundora, who has worked on games such as Skyrim and Dungeon Defenders. With two other artists joining Fundora’s team for this project, this will be Fundora’s first outing into indie territory. Of particular interest is the co-operative nature of The Stomping Land, which Fundora explains as such:

Cooperation is highly rewarded since the process of hunting becomes drastically easier. Groups of hunters will have the ability to build campsites, which can be used to store meat. Large quantities of stored meat will enable abilities for that group.

The more meat that is being stored by players, the fewer huntable dinosaurs will be present on the map. This will cause other tribes to seek down and destroy your campsites. Becoming the dominant tribe on the island is the ultimate goal.

A Kickstarter campaign is currently running for the game with some awesome stretch goals which includes full Occulus Rift support, if $200 000 is reached. There are some really broad goals for this game, and The Stomping Land is one promising game. We hope to hear much more from the creative team behind this project in the future.

GUN_MONKEYS is a funny little project from award winning indie developer Dan Marshall. The game is essentially a remake of Marshall’s first game called Gibbage. The new game is a result of some very significant tweaks. This is the premise of the game, according to his website:

In GUN_MONKEYS, players take charge of a modern-day power company. In the distant future, a catastrophic experiment into Perpetual Energy obliterates all human life, leaving the world choc-full of free-for-the-taking energy. Your job is to send a legion of pleasingly-expendable monkeys forwards in time to collect Power Cubes and return them to present-day, all from the comfort of your PC.

Sadly, it looks like one or two other entrepreneurs have had the exact same idea.

The game is being taglined as “a devastatingly-indie, Procedurally–Generated, Physics-based, Online Deathmatch platform game” and looks to be franticly fast paced with some great deathmatch moments. We, here at eGamer, are very interested to see how this game shapes up, and we are very hopeful. The game will be made available for PC, Mac and Linux.

That brings us to the end of another edition of This Week In Indie. Both The Stomping Land and GUN_MONKEYS are two great games to look forward to. Remember to check back next time for more news and indie scene updates.

In this edition of This Week In Indie, we take a look a the new Metroidvania (a gameplay combination of Metroid and Castlevania) inspired ARPG, with awesome hack-and-slash elements, called Chasm. We also explore the offerings in the new Indie Jam bundle. These are two great offerings and its always interesting to see different types of games and bundles come to the fore, in the indie scene.

Chasm is a 2D Fantasy Action RPG Platformer hybrid with Metroidvania styled gameplay and procedurally generated dungeons, all wrapped in amazing pixel art. The game is in development for Mac, Windows and Linux, and takes inspiration from dungeon crawlers like the Diablo series and Metroidvania-style platformers. Games like Castlevania: Symphony of the Night and The Legend of Zelda have been pivotal in the development of this game. So what exactly is the game about?

In Chasm, players take up the role of a soldier passing through a remote mining town on their journey home from a long war. The town’s miners have recently disappeared after breaching a long-forgotten temple far below the town, and reawakened an ancient slumbering evil. Now trapped in the town by supernatural forces, you’re left with no option but to explore the mines below, battle enemies and bosses, and increase your abilities in hopes of finally escaping and returning home.

Essentially the game aims to immerse you in a 2D fantasy world of loot, challenging enemies and many secrets. You’ll be able to fight with a variety of weapons, shields and spellbooks. You’ll have to avoid traps and hazardous platforming challenges, and don’t forget the massive bosses and mini-bosses. Discord Games, the developers of Chasm, currently have a demo out, which can be downloaded via their Kickstarter page. If you like the game, do try and support it via Kickstarter. I’ll be recording a Let’s Play of the Chasm demo by next week. So do look out for that on our YouTube channel.

The final piece of news that we’ll be discussing involves the latest Indie Jam 2 bundle from Bundle Stars. For R46 you can unlock a plethora of games which includes: Shattered Horizon, Nuclear Dawn, Two Worlds II – Castle Defense, Planets Under Attack, Iron Grip: Warlord, Holy Avatar vs. Maidens of the Dead, Ion Assault, X-Blades and Two Worlds II. All of the games are available for Steam and Desura, and are playable on both Windows and Mac OS.

When you support bundles like Indie Jam 2, you are supporting both the developers of the games and charity. In this case the charity is Special Effect who help disabled children and adults to enjoy videogames. This is a really great cause. There are 19 days left before this bundle expires, so if you are interested please do buy the bundle and show your support.

That’s it for this week, remember to check back next week for more news and updates. If you come across any interesting news about indie games feel free to email us.

Somewhere along the way, the videogames industry has been bitten, gnawed and zombified into a complete balls-up travesty where gamers are left in a state of horror. Recently, Star Trek, the latest movie tie-in game, was released with critical revile and public dismay not too far behind its tumultuous start. The PC version of the game, marketed as a co-op experience, could not fully function out of the box. Co-op was irrevocably broken, with a supposed fix only surfacing much later after the initial release. However, issues plagued the singleplayer component of the game as well, leading to a dismal reception by both fans and critics, and a social media onslaught came not too soon afterwards. This is dishonest business practice on the part of Namco Bandai and Digital Extremes, and is another case of the Gearbox Effect with Aliens: Colonial Marines as a prime example of the running trend. This is an act of deception at its finest.

Releasing a game in an unfinished state, and to be truthful one that is a broken state, is bad for business at the end of the day. I think publishers are only starting to get the memo that gamers will not buy a game based solely on the basis of name. Not all games are Call of Duty with an expansive and dedicated fanbase. When you’re trying to earn profits from a new game release, from an unestablished series, and the game is undeniably broken something is awry. With Star Trek, the developer and publisher are unwilling to acknowledge that something is severely wrong with the game. PR representatives for the game are trying to persuade gamers from the actual truth, that the game is broken, through Twitter, Facebook and the Steam forums. Digital Extremes, the developers of Star Trek, are out of their depth and deserve the bashing they are receiving from the press.

This has pretty much been the case all along with games like Aliens: Colonial Marines, and Star Trek follows in those footsteps. Star Trek was marketed as a co-op Star Trek experience, and Digital Extremes blamed the co-op problems on Steam servers when its obvious that the game is broken and that quality control was non-existent. This is more ridiculous considering that the game was delayed, and such issues should have been ironed out in the process. It purely is another instance of a rushed and unfinished product where no real care was taken and it’s really sad. The game could have been memorable and feasible, but all it has been met with is criticism and a bashing by fans who pre-ordered the game out of blind faith.

The truth is that at times we forget that games, much like any type of media, are consumer products. Developers and publishers want to turn over a profit, and caring about the consumer in the games industry of late plays second fiddle to predicted profit margins. Success for games has become unrealistically measured and companies like Square Enix have proved that setting unrealistically high goals in regards to sale figures effectively leads to shooting yourself in the foot. The same can be said of Namco Bandai Games who helped publish this mess of a game. They may have made a certain amount of profit from the pre-orders for Star Trek, but the sales figures following its initial release will probably tell a different story altogether.

Yet ultimately gamers have been royally screwed over by such a move and this game, even on PC, should have worked as advertised with many of the problems and bugs ironed out. The reality is that this is becoming commonplace and the high occurrence of this kind of bad business is more frequent than before. We need to be more aware because blind faith in a developer and publisher is expensive, and we can easily be taken for a ride.

This week has flown by fast and some great news has surfaced. A game called TBT: The Black Tower, an indie RPG, returns to the roots of PS1 JRPGs in great fashion. This is something original in the midst of all the 16-bit and 8-bit influenced indie RPGs. The other game we’ll be discussing is called Lost Spirits of Kael and is a 2D RPG with a strong focus on mystery and horror. These two games both have different takes on the current trends they find themselves in, by looking to oft forgotten sources for inspiration.

TBT: The Black Tower is the current project of French indie developer Simon Mesnard, now joined by a team of developers, after finishing his solo indie game ASA: A Space Adventure. The story of TBT runs parallel to that of ASA: A Space Adventure with many connections. The story follows as such:

TBT is about saving a planet. The world of Terra is in decline, but no one really cares. In the middle of the chaos, Yan wants to have a peaceful life in the forest, but there are more and more wild beasts. As a forest ranger, he has to fight them to try and restore an equilibrium. On top of that, some wood pirates, the Palak’us, are destroying the trees for an unknown reason. Yan will meet various characters who will defy him or help him, like his master Jacob or the boss of the Pirates, Orma. But what will change his destiny is the encounter with Ellana, who falls from the sky in a mysterious cloud of Yellow Particles. This is not going to be a story about love, it’s not a romance, even if the feelings of the heroes will have their place. In fact, the link between Yan and Ellana will come from a mysterious artefact, a black die with great powers, that reminds us of a Cube found by Yan’s father 20 years earlier…

TBT is a game which will be developed with a budget in mind, and Mesnard wants to incorporate pre-rendered backgrounds and fixed camera angles, including a traditional turn-based battle system, which were all traits of many PS1 JRPGs. As stated above, this will be a team effort and will bring Mesnard together with many developers, in order to fully realise the potential of TBT. The prototype of the game shown in the video above does suffer from some animation problems, graphical glitches and lacklustre music; however, Mesnard assures us that this is only temporary. Otherwise, the game follows a particular style and trend of JRPGs, which is refreshing.

Lost Spirits of Kael is an action RPG with a focus on ambiance. In Lost Spirits of Kael, you assume the role of young painter bereft of inspiration seeking a muse in the Forest of Kael, which he has visited once before. He faces more trouble than simply finding a new source of inspiration in the Forest of Kael. The forest is magical and within the forest he discovers a mysterious harpist who allows mist to descend on the forest. In the game, you will encounter ghosts and have to find out the truth about what exactly is going on.

The game will be difficult much in the tradition of games like Zelda III and Final Fantasy VI. The difficulty of the game is comparable to that of Dark Souls. Combat will be quite intense and will require you to strategically flee battles with ghosts. But if you can defeat a ghost you’ll be richly rewarded. Lost Spirits of Kael is shaping up to be something quite spectacular.

Well that’s it for this week. With all this great news, things are truly becoming impressive this year for indie. Check back next week for more news and updates on what’s going on in the indie scene.

The year is 2013, indie games are reaching new heights of unseen popularity. One weekly article is here to show you the way. Welcome to This Week In Indie, where we show you what’s going down. This week, we’ll be looking at how crime pays in the indie gem Monaco and what it really means to be an animal surviving in the game Shelter.

Monaco is a game from developers Pocketwatch games, headed by Andy Schatz. Monaco is a singeplayer or co-op heist game, where you’ll assemble a crack team of thieves, case the place you want to steal from, and then pull off the heist perfectly. Here is a list of thieves that your crew can be constructed from:

The Locksmith: Blue-collar infiltration expert
The Lookout: She can see and hear everything… a natural leader
The Pickpocket: A hobo with a monkey and a penchant for crime
The Cleaner: A silent psychopath… John Wayne Gacy in pink
The Mole: Big and dumb… likes to tunnel
The Gentleman: He doesn’t always wear a disguise, but when he does, he looks fantastic
The Hacker: Armies of viruses shut down security… a modern day warlock
The Redhead: Manipulative and murderous… a lady always gets what she wants

Besides crew selection, in Monaco you can play with up to four people online, or on the same screen. You can also compete with other players via daily leaderboards on Steam. There is great potential and promise in Monaco. It is offering something quite different from the other experiences you can have in the indie scene. It could be a shining example of how to change-up the multiplayer co-op experience with such an intriguing scenario, by playing with friends through an actual heist.

Another game, which is currently going through Steam Greenlight, is Shelter. Shelter comes from the brilliant minds behind Pid, a platforming adventure with puzzle elements. Now the development team, Might and Delight, turn their gaze to the production of their newest venture called Shelter. Shelter is a third-person singleplayer adventure game where the player takes on the role of a badger mother who needs to protect her cubs from the dangers that exist in nature. The game promises to take you on an emotional journey. Shelter will focus heavily on creating an emotional attachment between yourself and the badger family. This is what the description for the game reads:

As the mother of a litter of cubs you are forced out from familiar and safe surroundings to find new shelter in a beautiful, but dangerous world. The harsh reality of nature plays a pivotal role in the game whilst at the same time Shelter aims to pay a homage to the great outdoors and all its imposing beauty.

The concept for Shelter is top notch stuff and the art style is reminiscent of games like Proteus in its abstract style and choice of colour palette. However, it feels more rustic than Proteus. I can’t wait to hear more about this game.

Well, that’s it for this week. We have come to the end of another week in the indie scene. There is so many indie games to explore that we never have enough space to discuss everything. So if you have any games you’d like to be featured on This Week In Indie, don’t hesitate to drop us a line in the comments section, or email us.

For awhile, I was missing straight and honest Cyberpunk from my gaming diet. The last game that I can recall playing the Cyberpunk card, with explicit purpose, was Deus Ex: Human Revolution, which reminded me so much of William Gibson’s Neuromancer, and Blade Runner to a larger extent. I’ve always loved Cyberpunk but rarely understood what it was truly about, until reading Neuromancer in college and coming to grips with the genre as a whole. With the upcoming release of Remember Me, and Cyberpunk 2077 around the corner in a year or two, I am once again entranced by the sprawl of Cyberpunk revival in the air. Of course, Cyberpunk came back to the fore with the Matrix and its trilogy, and the Japanese are still producing Cyberpunk-centric anime and manga throughout the years, but gaming is the perfect place for Cyberpunk to find a glorious home of endless possibility.

Cyberpunk works are typically characterised by elements of hard boiled detective noir set in an uncertain future where cybernetics and artificial intelligence are the bane of existence. Mega-corporations control much of society and rogue elements of society are found in hackers and information agents, who are in conflict with a degenerate and dystopian society. Society itself exists within cyberspace and the allure of virtual reality makes the individual into an addict. Many of these elements have made their way into countless works of fiction, and it is interesting to see the genre come back into its own during a rise in post-apocalyptic fiction. We have examples of the post-apocalyptic trend in TV shows like Revolution and The Walking Dead, and in videogames like The Last of Us.

The are an excessive amount of examples to add to the list, and game developers are using the genre in a variety of ways, and are committing to interesting takes on the whole genre within the scope of games development. Case in point, Remember Me takes the setting prevalent in Cyberpunk fiction to its logical extreme, where society has become indivisibly integrated into advanced social networking and the whole of Neo-Paris (the city and setting in Remember Me) is under constant high-tech surveillance. Society, in Remember Me, is run on the power and trade in memories, and this essential data is the basis for the dystopian society within the game world. Nilin, an elite memory hunter, fulfils the pre-requisite of the ‘hacker’ role so prevalent in Cyberpunk fiction, as she hacks peoples minds to obtain memories, to complete mission objectives in the game.

Remember Me has been called a Total Recall rip-off by some, which was originally adapted from a short story by Philip K. Dick, who is one of the most famous and important figures in Science Fiction. People often forget that Total Recall is not wholly original and draws on the work of Philip K. Dick, who has influenced the Cyberpunk genre from its inception, and whose undeniable influence, and body of work, made films like Blade Runner and Minority Report a reality. Blade Runner is the most famous example because of how it directly embodies all of the necessary elements that characterise Cyberpunk. However, the point is that in Science Fiction everything is derivative.

But of late, we have rarely seen any films dare to explore the same sort of territory that previous films have attempted to. Even the remake of Total Recall, in 2012, didn’t fully explore the implications of a memory wipe in the way that Remember Me proposes to. There is a difference in depth, and games can provide a place for Cyberpunk where the depth of the genre can flourish without constraints. This is the beauty of game development and with Remember Me coming to us in June things are looking up for Cyberpunk.

I’ve met many anime fans, and otaku (hardcore anime and manga fans), who found their love of anime through long running Shonen (anime shows targeted at young male teens and adults) anime like Naruto, Dragon Ball Z, Bleach, One Piece and Fairy Tail. There is no problem with that. But many people who want to start watching anime can find these recommendations overwhelming, because of the ongoing and lengthy nature of these series.

The time investment for watching a long running Shonen show can put some potential fans off anime entirely. It is for these reasons that I decided to write about a few select anime that can perhaps ease eager fans into anime, through less intensive options. I have picked five anime series for any fan seeking an introduction into anime. Nearly all these series do not exceed the limit of 64 episodes which is where an anime begins tipping into “long running anime” territory.

Studio: Gainax
Genre: Sci-Fi, Mecha
Year: 1995

Plot Summary:

At the age of 14 Shinji Ikari is summoned by his father to the city of Neo Tokyo-3 after several years of separation. There he unwillingly accepts the task of becoming the pilot of a giant robot by the name EVA01 and protect the world from the enigmatic invaders known as “angels.” Even though he repeatedly questions why he has accepted this mission from his estranged and cold father, his doing so helps him to gradually accept himself. However, why exactly are the angels attacking and what are his father’s true intentions are yet to be unraveled.

Fully titled Neon Genesis Evangelion, Evangelion was one of the first anime that I watched during my high school years. It is an anime which is both critically acclaimed and well received by the general public. It is often regarded as one of the most prominent anime to popularise the medium during the 1990s, and rightly so. Prior to Evangelion’s release, most Mecha (giant robot) anime had strong male protagonists and a cast of characters who felt alright with killing enemy after enemy, without any psychological repercussions. Evangelion’s cast was as dysfunctional and psychologically troubled as a Freudian nightmare could ever possibly be. The Mecha designs were unique and vastly more organic than the blocky looking Mecha designs of previous anime, such as the famous Gundam series that was popular at the time. Evangelion is an interesting entry in the Mecha and Sci-Fi genre, and if you want your head to explode with pyschological torment then you should give this one a go. It is highly recommended.

Studio: Bones
Genre: Adventure, Fantasy
Year: 2003/2009

Plot Summary:

After losing their mother, Alphonse and Edward Elric attempt to bring her back using the forbidden science of human alchemy. However, alchemy operates on the theory of equivalent trade, and breaking the human alchemy taboo carries a heavy price. Ed loses his leg, and Al loses his body. Ed is able to seal Al’s soul inside of a huge suit of armor, at the cost of his arm. Years later, Ed (now with two mechanical limbs) and Al (still trapped in the armor) leave their childhood home, each brother concerned with the other’s happiness. Ed, who has a natural talent and skill for alchemy, becomes nationally certified and is soon known everywhere as the “Fullmetal Alchemist.” Their true objective is to search for any information on the fabled Philosopher’s Stone, hoping it will allow them to regain their old bodies. All of their hopes rest with this mythical stone, which may not even exist at all. However, the brothers soon learn that they are not the only ones after the powerful stone.

Fullmetal Alchemist is a worthy anime of any fan, and if you don’t give it a try you are sorely missing out. The anime has an amazing and endearing cast of characters, and follows two brothers in their journey for redemption. This show has everything from drama, to riveting battles between all kinds of magically powered alchemists, all wrapped up in a classic fantasy setting. The characters in Fullmetal Alchemist have motivation and depth, and this makes the anime stand out from the rest of the crowd. Another version of the anime, more in line with the manga (comic book) source, was eventually aired in 2009, and was titled Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood. It explored much of the same territory as the original anime, but had an ending more in line with that of the manga. Brotherhood was produced in HD, and may be a much better choice if visual quality is of concern.

Studio: Kyoto Animation
Genre: Comedy, Sci-Fi
Year: 2006

Plot Summary:

On the first day of high school a beautiful girl named Haruhi Suzumiya introduces herself as having “no interest in ordinary humans”. She asks for any aliens, time travelers, sliders or espers to join her. Watching her weird behaviour is Kyon who sits in front of Haruhi and is the only person who talks to her. When Kyon comments about Haruhi’s joining every club in school and then quitting he unwittingly gives Haruhi an idea to start her own after school club. Thereafter Kyon and several others find themselves dragged, literally, into the Save our world by Overloading it with fun Suzumiya Haruhi’s Brigade (the S.O.S. Brigade for short).

The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya is a unique anime. Right off the bat, the anime takes your assumptions of what the show is about, and proves you wrong at every turn. This uniqueness comes down to the main female character, Haruhi Suzimiya, and her antics with the male lead Kyon. There is time travel, aliens, espers and a whole host of Sci-Fi happenings that occur in their world. It is a fun and light hearted series that doesn’t take itself seriously all the time, and has great dramatic moments interspersed between the more funny ones. It is a great formula that works well for the anime and makes it a very pleasant watch. The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya does so much right, and little wrong.

Studio: Sunrise
Genre: Western, Sci-Fi
Year: 1998

Plot Summary:

Spike Spiegel, a bounty Hunter with a dark past, lives on bounty to bounty, barely making it each time, or not making it at all. His partners Jet Black, Faye Valentine, Ed and Ein the dog all help him in his adventures from planet to planet.

Cowboy Bebop is iconic in every sense of the word. It is the Half-Life of anime and resonates with so many fans from across the globe. If there was one anime I would recommend above all else, it would be Cowboy Bebop. The anime is considered by many to be a masterpiece with all of its elements being worthy of praise, and the show still lives on today with a strong legacy and cult following. I remember watching this show and not enjoying it the first time around. I put it down to a matter of taste. But I was very much mistaken. I attempted to watch the show one more time and was instantly hooked. The action set pieces were well choreographed and the music score was audio bliss. I can’t praise this anime enough. You should be watching Cowboy Bebop right now.

Studio: Madhouse
Genre: Supernatural, Thriller
Year: 2006

Plot Summary:

Yagami Light is an ace student with great prospects, who’s bored out of his mind. One day he finds the “Death Note”: a notebook from the realm of the Death Gods, with the power to kill people in any way he desires. With the Death Note in hand, Light decides to create his perfect world, without crime or criminals. However, when criminals start dropping dead one by one, the authorites send the legendary detective L to track down the killer, and a battle of wits, deception and logic ensues…

Death Note is a highly popular anime and manga franchise. It has been the subject of many adaptations including a live action film series. There is undoubtedly something enthralling when it comes to watching Death Note, and this is specifically due to the interaction between the main characters which drives the plot of the series into deeper and darker territory than many anime dare to. Personally, Death Note is not one of my favourites. Yet regardless, it deserves a mention as the world and characters are immaculate in design and conception. It has murder, suspense and thriller elements all neatly tied up together in a cacophony of violence, deceit and betrayal. Death Note will have you questioning what is “good” and what is “evil” through the most extraordinary of tales. If you want to be taken for an incredibly thrilling ride Death Note may be what you want.

These five anime series are from a diverse set of genres and themes. For any potential fan, the hope is that this article has helped to introduce you to some noteworthy anime out there. Of course, I cannot promise that all of the series will fit into your tastes. But I do recommend watching a few episodes of each, at least. This could give you a broader sense of what types of anime may appeal to you. From that point, you could explore a whole range of different anime and find where your tastes may lie within the giant anime landscape. There is definitely an anime out there for you.

In this edition of This Week In Indie, we decided to take a look at the one weekly sale promotion from Humble Bundle with Blendo Games, and the Catnip Bundle from Bundle Stars. The promotion and bundle are quite interesting and offer a host of games, to the avid indie fan.

The Humble Weekly Sale with Blendo Games is a pay-what-you-want bundle consisting of three games if you pay $1 or more, and paying $3.70, and over, can unlock one more game. You can unlock three soundtracks in total if you pay the average of $3.70 or more. The whole idea of this Humble Weekly Sale is that every Tuesday there will be a new deal. All of the games included in the bundle are DRM-free and can be downloaded through Steam. The soundtracks are available in MP3 and FLAC formats. As usual, you’ll be supporting an indie studio and two charities with Electronic Frontier Education and Child’s Play Charity. Here is a breakdown of the games you can purchase in the bundle:

Flotilla:

You’ll run into baby yetis, toucan stowaways, and penguin bandits on your adventure through the galaxy in the bizarre simultaneous strategy space shooter Flotilla. In this 3-D environment, maneuver your ships, take aim at the enemy’s weak spots, then watch as the action plays out in slow-motion. If you’re not feeling up for an adventure, there’s also a skirmish mode where you can go head-to-head with the computer or another player.

Flotilla received Honorable Mentions in the 2011 Independent Games Festival Excellence in Design and Excellence in Visual Art categories.

Atom Zombie Smasher:

Save the city of Nuevos Aires from a zombie epidemic in the real-time strategy game Atom Zombie Smasher. Rescue civilians and wipe out zombies with a supply of landmines and bombs, plus an army of snipers and infantry. Capture territories for mankind to put an end to the zombie infection. And if you’re tired of fighting zombies alone, you can play with up to 2 other people in the co-op mode.

Atom Zombie Smasher was an Independent Games Festival Excellence in Design 2011 finalist and Indie Game Challenge 2012 finalist.

Air Forte:

Air Forte is an educational children’s game that will also delight adults with its easy gameplay, cute graphics, and adorable storyline. Test your math, vocabulary, and geography skills as you soar through the skies. When you think you’ve got your piloting skills mastered, challenge up to 3 friends in the multiplayer mode.

Thirty Flights of Loving:

This first-person interactive short story will have you hooked from beginning to end and leave you wondering what just happened. Driven by a strong narrative and dizzying action, Thirty Flights of Loving (the sequel to Gravity Bone) will require you to piece together the story of a heist. However, we don’t want to give away too much, so you’ll just have to figure out the story yourself!

Thirty Flights of Loving was nominated for the 2013 Independent Games Festival Excellence in Narrative and received Honorable Mentions for the Nuovo Award and the Seumas McNally Grand Prize.

The bundle will expire in roughly four days, so if you’re interested in it you should take a look now. There are some great games in this bundle.

From Bundle Stars comes the new bundle called the Catnip Bundle. In this bundle, upon purchasing you can unlock an average of 9 games including a mystery game, if you pay at least R45 for the whole bundle. As this is a pay-what-you-want bundle, you can also just pay R11 to unlock the first two games, or you can pay any amount in between if you’re feeling charitable. Games included in the bundle are: Pushcat, Metal Drift, Wasteland Angel, Obulis, Nikopol: Secrets of the Immortals, Chains, Post Mortem, Avencast: Rise of the Mage, Scratches and a mystery title still to be unlocked. Nearly all of the games can redeemed through Steam, except for Pushcat which is only available through Desura. All in all, this is quite the bundle and you should definitely browse through some of the games. The bundle expires in 14 days. Much like Humble Bundle’s promotion, this bundle will help to support charity and the developers of the games.

That’s it for this week, and remember to check This Week In Indie every week for fresh news and updates. There is always something interesting happening in the indie scene.

Remember Me is the first big release from Dontnod Entertainment and is an Action Adventure title with elements of stealth and platforming. The game boasts a unique fighting and combat system, on top of which exists the unique ability of the main character, Nilin, to manipulate and “remix” peoples’ memories. Remember Me looks like a game from the mind of Ridley Scott influenced by the Cyberpunk underpinnings of a William Gibson world, and has a style all too reminiscent of Deus Ex: Human Revolution. There is great potential here. The game itself has garnered untoward attention for its choice of a female lead, but is this all that defines the game?

Name: Remember Me
Genre: Action Adventure
Players: 1
Multiplayer: N/A
Platforms: PS3, Xbox 360, PC
Developers: Dontnod Entertainment
Publishers: Capcom
Release Date: 7 June 2013 
Price: R559 (PS3, Xbox 360), R379 (PC)

In the year 2084, a person’s memories can be digitised, bought and sold like any form of currency. The word “privacy” is no longer commonplace and society has become entrenched in high-tech surveillance and extreme social networking integration. The very economy of society is run on the power and trade of memories. In Remember Me, you play as Nilin, a former elite memory hunter, whose mind has been wiped clean of all traces of her past life. The consequences of which means she is left with no recollection of who she is, and so Nilin sets out to reclaim her lost identity. During her journey, she will face the grim reality of a dystopian society, that of Neo-Paris, and will come face-to-face with the very authority that runs Neo-Paris.

General gameplay in Remember Me features exploration and action adventure elements in the tradition of the Uncharted series. This is enhanced by added stealth elements which are useful in the acquisition of memories from enemies. These are needed in order to progress in missions. Everything in Remember Me is influenced by memories and are needed to obtain Nilin’s former memories, and identity. In the game, you will have to combat a number of threatening enemies and this will require you to be alert at all times. You will have to run away from vehicles pursuing Nilin through the streets and Cyberpunk sprawl that is Neo-Paris, and when required you’ll have to be as stealthy as Agent 47 to download memories from unsuspecting enemy soldiers when necessary. The game will have a varied pace with both platforming and combat sequences interweaving, but this fluidity may work in Remember Me’s favour. However, the central mechanic of ‘memory remixing’ is where the game seems to have the greatest potential for doing something unique.

Memory remixing allows Nilin to manipulate the memory of the prime target of a mission. She can replay a target’s memory and change the outcome of an event, as represented in the target’s memory. Nilin can rearrange the target’s memories to suit her own agenda and clear mission objectives. However, there are parameters to memory remixing and you’ll need to experiment to find solutions to problems you may encounter when actively remixing a target’s memory. This comes down to trial and error, and you may have to replay a memory numerous times depending on the difficulty of the mission objective. Yet the combat and combo system in Remember Me is quite interesting too.

Dontnod Entertainment refers to the combo system in Remember Me as the Combo Lab. In order to initiate combos, you’ll need to open up the Combo Lab menu. The Combo Lab represents Nilin’s fighting memory. As you make your way through the game, Nilin will remember and unlock her forgotten fighting moves, and more combos will become accessible. These forgotten fighting moves are called Pressens. You can have up to four Active Combos and can use them to adapt your tactics to any combat situation. To do this, you’re going to use four types of Pressens which are: Regeneration, Power, Cooldown and Chain. The development team says that there are around 50 000 possible combos available. To create combos, you pick out different Presens and slot them into one of the Active Combo slots, which is made up of a number of nodes, where you can place your Pressens of choice.

For instance, if you insert Regeneration Pressens into one of your Active Combo slots then your combo will regenerate your health, but this will be at the cost of inflicting low damage and enemies will be more difficult to deal with. In comparison, if you insert Power Pressens into one of the Active Combo slots Nilin will deal greater amounts of damage and have a chance of killing off enemies by triggering one of her finishing moves, where Nilin will overload the memory of her enemies. In some situations, combos are ineffective as enemies can have excessive shielding. This is where the S-Pressens, unique Pressens that are super-powered moves, are useful.

Using S-Pressens consumes a chunk of your Focus gauge, which is the power gauge for S-Pressens. You gain Focus, your power source, by successfully hitting enemies with combos and from taking damage. S-Pressens include unique moves such as the Logic Bomb that can shatter enemies’ shielding and Rust in Pieces which turns mechanised enemies into allies. Eventually your S-Pressens need to cooldown and using the Cooldown Pressens can remedy the situation. Putting Cooldown Pressens into one of your Active Combo slots means you can reduce the cooldown period of the S-Pressens. You can combine Pressens together in an Active Combo slot with Chain Pressens, which double and duplicate the effect of the Pressens connected. You can link a number of Chain Pressens to your Pressens of choice and create devastating combo attacks. During combat, when Nilin’s health is dangerously low actual glitches will flare up across the screen indicating her low health status. Carefully choosing the right Pressens and S-Pressens in battle will be vital to making it out alive and unscathed, because Nilin will have to combat many different enemy types.

The art direction and audio design are distinctive and fluid in Remember Me. The score for Remember is particularly noteworthy with a strong orchestral sound tinged with an electronic vibe. The setting of Neo-Paris feels alive and bustling within the dystopian reality of a society under constant surveillance and a memory trade, where peoples’ memories are currency. Nilin has to traverse this complex landscape in search of her memories, and ultimately her identity. She is a unique female lead and provides a very different dynamic to the constant domination of the Sci-Fi genre by male leads. It is refreshing to see this type of choice. Where the game will be heading story-wise can either go swimmingly well, or horribly wrong. This all depends on the execution of story and character elements in Remember Me, and we will only know if the game has been successful once it is released and up for review. Remember Me has loads of potential and the game will need to execute all of it elements well enough to prove successful.

Suspected Selling Points

• An engaging female lead and inescapably beautiful world that draws you in.
• Hits all the right notes for Sci-Fi and Cyberpunk fans.
• The game has a strong Action Adventure pull.
• Remember Me offers unique mechanics with its combo and memory “remix” systems.

Potential Pitfalls

• The game may be taking on too many gameplay and genre specifics for its own good.
• Remember Me seems to be rehashing overused Sci-Fi tropes.
• This is being published by Capcom, enough said.

Remember Me is a promising game. However, it looks like it will need to balance all of its parts equally to make a success of it all. That is not to say that the game doesn’t have the right ingredients. It certainly does and from what we can see in the gameplay videos Remember Me has all the right stuff to sell well, and make a good impression with gamers. The Sci-Fi genre is overflowing with possibilities, and if Remember Me can hit all the right notes; it could be something special. The game has a unique combo system and a unique gameplay mechanic in memory remixing, which are attractive prospects for many gamers. Remember Me is a game we should keep an eye out for closer to its release.

This week has been amazing for the indie scene with the release of the Android-powered console called the Ouya. On top of this, there is also glorious news that Dust: An Elysian Tail will now be coming to Steam, for its PC debut. This is all great news and means more indie goodness for everyone.

This has been the biggest piece of indie news to appear this week, as many backers of the Ouya received the Founding Backer edition of the console. Early reviews make light of the lack of exclusive games for the console, a few faults with the controller and a somewhat difficult set-up process. However, in all honesty, these types of problems are to be expected for a newly launching console.

It will be interesting to see what games are exclusive to the Ouya. At the moment, you can download many games available for Android and iOS platforms, and they apparently play quite well. However, it must be stressed that the retail version of the Ouya only launches in roughly two months, on the 4th of June. So a great deal of optimisation and updates could be implemented to sort out any software issues that may hinder the Ouya’s retail launch. The future is looking great for the Ouya and it is a very promising console.

Last year indie fans had the pleasure of playing Dean Dodrill’s indie masterpiece Dust: An Elysian Tail which had a fantastic gameplay design and immensely captivating visuals. The game will now be making its way to Steam where it will have PC-friendly controls, the inclusion of graphical options and user-interface adjustments for the platform. Dust: An Elysian Tail is a 2D action-platforming RPG where you:

Immerse yourself in a gorgeous hand-painted world on a search for your true identity. As the mysterious warrior, Dust, your action-packed journey will take you from peaceful glades to snowy mountaintops and beyond. At your disposal is the mythical Blade of Ahrah, capable of turning its wielder it into an unstoppable force of nature, and the blade’s diminutive guardian, Fidget. Battle dozens of enemies at once with an easy-to-learn, difficult-to-master combat system, take on a variety of quests from friendly villagers, discover ancient secrets and powerful upgrades hidden throughout the massive, open world, and uncover the story of an ancient civilization on the brink of extinction as you fight to uncover your own past.

This is great news for Steam indie fans because now they will have no reason not to play Dust: An Elysian Tail. It is a really great game and it’s amazing to see the game receive a Steam release. The estimated release date for this version of the game is expected to fall either in April, or May if the game faces any delays.

We have reached the end of another week of indie goodness. Now that indie fans have a new console, with the Ouya, things are looking up for the indie scene. Indie games are becoming more intricate and developers are experimenting. This is definitely the place to be. Remember to check back next week for fresh indie news and updates.

South Africa is a pretty weird place. I was born at the end of 1980s and grew up with videogames from a very young age. My first introduction to the wonderful world of gaming was through a console known as the Golden China. To my knowledge, I didn’t know that I was playing 8-bit games on an illegally cloned Nintendo Entertainment System (or NES for short). The Golden China was one of the very first console clones of the highly popular NES, which came into prominence during the early 1990s.

Nintendo did not officially release the NES into the South African market and since then there have been many NES console clones made available. They are known by many names in South Africa such as TV Games, Golden China and PolyStation. At present, many clones have made their way into the South African market, with console clones of both the NES and Sega Mega Drive (or Genesis) still being sold. Cloned consoles can be easily found at stores across the country. Ironically, this is quite funny as Nintendo now has such a strong presence in South Africa, following the rise in popularity of the Wii and Nintendo DS platforms.

Following the NES clone that I played for much of the early 1990s, I moved on to the Sega Mega Drive which was my first 16-bit console. This was one of the first consoles that I vividly remember in the greatest detail. I played games like the Lion King, Aladdin, Sonic The Hedgehog, Sonic The Hedgehog 2, Mortal Kombat 2 and many more. Some of these games were pirated games. Sega’s presence in South Africa was very limited at the time, and as a result piracy was running rampant.

As a kid, I didn’t realise that many of the Sega games I owned were pirated. Only later on, when I was much older, did I realise that memories of my childhood gaming nostalgia had been instilled through pirated games. It was a horrifying thought. But there was not much to be done. During the 1990s in South Africa, both Sega and Nintendo were not concerned with piracy in the country. We were, and still are, a third world country and actual console hardware piracy isn’t strictly targeted in the country. Only very recently is piracy of videogames being dealt with in South Africa. But the responses to piracy by the authorities are very limited, if non-existent at all.

I now legally buy all of my games. However, I cannot forget that my core gaming experience was founded on pirated games, and consoles, manufactured in China. Nearly all South African gamers have had their childhood gaming years forged in the fake plastic of Golden Chinas, PolyStations and TV Game consoles. This is how many South Africans had their 8-bit and 16-bit fixes back in the day. There were similar situations, like the one in South Africa, in many countries.

I’m not proud of my pirated past. Nevertheless, I am glad that I had those experiences. They were a gateway to numerous fulfilling gaming experiences that I have now enjoyed, in a legally sound manner of course. At least now my gaming habits don’t contravene a number of Nintendo patents and copyrights. During my childhood, gaming was very simple, much like the console wars between Sega and Nintendo were. Cloned NES and Sega Mega Drive consoles are still being sold across South Africa. The pirated past is very much alive in South Africa.

A week has passed us by at hyper speed, and your weekly dose of indie news is here. In this edition of This Week In Indie, we take a look at two games with Pulse and Aztez. These two unique indie games are promising and take very different directions with their design ethics. As we always do, let us get to discussing the actual games.

The first game up for an overview is called Pulse which started out as a student project and has progressed into a full fledged game, being developed by Team Pixel Pi. The game uses a first person perspective and has a unique gameplay mechanic, in that you interact and explore the game world through a form of echolocation. Team Pixel Pi elaborates upon this, by saying:

Pulse is a first-person experiential journey in which you are blind. Using a process similar to echolocation, you use sounds in the environment to create a mental reconstruction of the world around you. The character has not been blind since birth, and is therefore able to pull memories from their childhood to “see” the environment.

Throughout your journey, you will encounter creatures called Mokos whose sole desire is to help you. By using the noise these creatures make, they provide additional “vision” when in need. They also provide superfluous amounts of cuteness. In contrast, there are also terrifying creatures who seek to devour you. Listen carefully and avoid these beasts at all costs.

In this synesthesia-like experience, your world will shift and become clearer based on the information provided by your senses. There is often a distinct difference between what you “see” versus what is actually there. Let your senses guide you.

Pulse appears to definitely be something special, that we should all be looking forward to. It’s unique and different from many indie games in the scene, at the moment. This is the way an indie game should innovate.

The other game will be taking a look at is called Aztez. The visual style of the game is greatly reminiscent of Madworld, and has loads of violence wrapped up in sidescrolling turn-based strategy and combat. The developers, Team Colorblind, had much to say about the game:

In Aztez, you are responsible for expanding and maintaining the Aztec empire with turn-based strategy gameplay, and managing violent outbreaks in real-time beat ‘em up gameplay segments. But your actions in one gameplay type directly affect the other! A game of Aztez doesn’t take to long to play, but it is designed to be hugely replayable, as every game of exciting empire management is different from the last; different events will occur, different challenges will emerge, and different spoils will be taken every time you play. Inspired by the timeless surprise gameplay of Weird Worlds: Return To Infinite Space and the deeply and expressive action gameplay of Bayonetta, Aztez is like no other game you’ve ever played.

The game we will be released during 2014 and will feature 4 complete weapon sets, finely tuned enemies, a customisable avatar and 30+ combat environments based on real Aztec cities. The game looks like it’ll be a must when it arrives. We suggest that you be on the look out for it.

Well, that’s it for this week. Remember to check back next week, for more updates and news.

BioShock Infinite is a unique game. Not for the reasons you may think and presume. But for the simplicity in which it takes the medium of the videogame far beyond what our perceptions are. There is an obvious sense of nostalgia when first playing the game. The original BioShock came to us in late 2007, and was both a critical and financial success. Spearheaded once again by Ken Levine, at the helm, BioShock Infinite takes a more prominent step into complex narrative structure and storytelling than its predecessor. The genius is that it all makes sense. There is both shock and awe in the realisation that you are playing a game which is further ahead in storytelling, characterisation and emotional investment than recent games.

The narrative of BioShock Infinite mirrors the first BioShock in immense detail. You board a boat which takes you to a lighthouse, and from there your journey begins. But this time, instead of plummeting into the watery depths of Rapture; you ascend into the fantastical utopia of Columbia. In BioShock Infinite, the year is 1912 and you play as Booker DeWitt who is tasked with the mission to save a girl named Elizabeth from the confines of her towering prison in Columbia. Booker DeWitt is a former Pinkerton agent and has a history of violence, and now a debt which he wishes to pay back. The debt can only be paid by rescuing Elizabeth.

The only problem is that the flying-city is under the control of the religious zealot and “Prophet” Zachary Hale Comstock, who leads the Founders of Columbia, and seeks to protect Elizabeth from Booker. Booker is thought to be the “False Shepherd” who will lead Elizabeth astray. Standing in your way is not only Comstock, but also the mysterious bird-like mechanical creature known as Songbird whose sole duty is to keep Elizabeth locked away. That is not the only problem, there is a civil war happening between the Founders and the Vox Populi who fight the Founders for the right of the common man. The Vox Populi hardly fit into the idealised vision of Comstock’s Columbia. You are brought into the fray of this whole situation. However, the whole of Columbia is further endangered by the presence of tears in the fabric of space-time, which are all the result of Elizabeth’s power. She becomes essential to the fight and with your help you can make reality changing decisions with the aid of her powers, for better or worse. There is a strong narrative structure in BioShock Infinite, and the setting of the game is just as important.

As you take your first steps into the floating city of Columbia, it is immediately apparent that this is indeed a BioShock game. The atmosphere of the floating wondrous utopia is invigorating and is a breath of fresh air from the brown colourless reality modern games favour. The city is epic in its proportions and is lively with an immense colour palette that written words can’t really do justice to. The first character you truly meet in BioShock Infinite is the setting of the game. It is a city which consists of floating spires, hot air balloon blimps, Sky-Line rollercoaster rails and beautiful vistas. The floating city is populated by quintessential 1912 Americans, architecture from the period, music and a general atmosphere which speaks with great volume of the past. It represents American Exceptionalism at its peak, with iconic statues, mirroring the Statue of Liberty, appearing throughout the whole game. This reiterates the whole notion of American grandeur and exceptionalism that 1912 America epitomised. This in itself is a drastic change from the underwater setting of Rapture, which was inspired by the writings of Ayn Rand. Additionally, the expanded history, and the story behind events, of Columbia can be accessed through Voxophones (in-game recordings), film projectors and Kinetoscopes (early film watching devices).

However, BioShock Infinite does maintain some of the dark dystopian undercurrent from the original BioShock. As you progress through the game, there is a subversion of the idealised nature of the utopian qualities Columbia represents. The first layer is present in the game’s visual and sound designs which are fluid throughout BioShock Infinite. Locations throughout the game show the effects of the space-time tears, and the fall of a utopia into dystopian chaos, as you progress in the story. Using an idealised version of 1912 America and imbuing Columbia with this quality means that when the dystopian atmosphere is focussed, the darkness of the world is made more real.

The atmosphere which is present in the game comes down to the thematic choices made by Irrational Games which create a deeper subtext in the game. The Founders, with Comstock and his followers, represent the ruling class of supposed “Pure Blood” Americans with a belief in the given right to live in Columbia. The government in Columbia is one that implements religious hatred, racial segregation, jingoism, Nazism and xenophobia as policy, and by religious order of Comstock. This clearly shows the subversion of religion into totalitarian and theocratic rule which affects the lives of the people who make up the Vox Populi. They consist of black people, Irish people and all minorities of non-European descent from within the walls of the flying city.

This opposition is presented through propaganda posters, graffiti and other forms of hatred littered across Columbia. People involving themselves in unsanctioned relationships with other minorities are immediately chastised as heretics by Comstock and his followers. It is for this, and many reasons, that the Vox Populi fights an endless war against Comstock’s forces. But the Vox Populi are blinded by hatred and so the lines between good and evil become increasingly hard to define, as you progress in the game. What is apparent in BioShock Infinite, is that there is a stronger commentary on racism and the influence of religion than in the original BioShock. This is all tied up in the quantum physics conundrum of Elizabeth’s power. At the core of BioShock Infinite’s experience, is the relationship between Booker and Elizabeth and this defines much of the game.

Booker is a veteran with wartime experience, and a past full of violence. Elizabeth is a counterpoint to this, starting out the game with youthful naivety and slowly maturing throughout the game. They both come together for different reasons. Elizabeth wants to escape the confines of her cage and leave Columbia. Booker wants to pay back his debt to an unknown contractor. During the game, he faces an emotional crisis over the atrocities he committed as a Pinkerton agent and soldier. At the core, both characters help each other to come to terms with the “reality” of their situations. Booker wants to help Elizabeth, and Elizabeth wants to help Booker deal with who he is. The game focuses on the central idea that the choices you make can have adverse effects on everything, and the possibilities and outcomes are in no way finite. The outcomes are endless with Elizabeth’s power. Elizabeth is vital as the driving force of their relationship, and in propelling the narrative of the game forward as a whole. With this dynamic, the experience for each player playing BioShock Infinite may be varied. Nonetheless, it is a central element of BioShock Infinite’s design.

In terms of gameplay mechanics, BioShock Infinite has a solid design which is enjoyable and has depth, with a RPG influence. This is where the game differs from the original BioShock. Booker is able to move around Columbia and its various locations by means of the Sky-Line rail system which makes up part of Columbia’s transport system. Booker is equipped with a grappling hook device, called the Sky-Hook, which he can use to slide along the Sky-Line at breakneck speeds, and make his way speedily through various levels of a location. This new addition allows Booker to take advantage of enemies in an environment, to attack, counter and dodge enemy attacks. Enemies can use the Sky-Line as well. Consequently, you have to be aware of this all the time and be careful when flying along the Sky-Lines at speed.

There is the return of a huge variety of weapons to tickle your fancy with a selection of shotguns, grenade launchers, RPGs, carbine rifles, pistols, handguns and various other weapons. All of the guns handle satisfactorily, and each weapon is suited to different combat scenarios. So you will find yourself chopping and changing it up as you play the game, as you are limited to holding two weapons. Weapons can be upgraded by purchasing enhancements from one of the robotised kiosks scattered around Columbia.

Instead of plasmids, you have vigors in BioShock Infinite which grant Booker the ability to manipulate electricity, fire, wind, crows and many more abilities. They are useful in conjunction with environmental factors within a given level. Vigors require the use of a magic energy called Salt, which replaces EVE from the original game. There are two functions to each of the vigors. The first function of a vigor is the ranged attack of the power that incurs less damage than the second function, but can be dispensed at enemies at a faster pace and greater distance. The second function requires you to power up a vigor and release the power, which will cause a more potent version of the vigor to be released in the form of a trap. You could be fighting a crowd of enemies and choose to use the shock-powered vigor. If you power up the shock-powered vigor, you can release shock traps that explode on contact with a group of enemies. This becomes very useful in crowd control combat situations. All of the vigors can be upgraded by purchasing vigor power upgrades from a robotised kiosk, much like the ones used for weapons. Yet once an upgrade is bought, it is permanent and you can’t change your upgrade path at a later stage. The same applies to weapon upgrades. This gives greater finality to the decisions you make.

The inclusion of passive gear that you can equip Booker with, is a welcome addition. Gear can be found by picking locks, which Elizabeth is adept at, and this becomes an incentive to explore levels to the fullest extent. You can gather resources like ammo and money easily by exploring a level. As a result, optional missions have greater incentive. You can collect various hats, shirts, pants and such which have stat effects that vary from setting enemies alight through a melee attack, to regenerating health by killing enemies. This is all indispensable in the heat of battle when you’re under pressure from enemy attacks.

You’ll find yourself under continual pressure during many enemy encounters. As such, it is very helpful that Elizabeth plays such a prominent role in combat, as she can use her ability to make tears in space-time to great effect. Elizabeth can interact with tears within an environment, and can pull in objects such as rocket turrets, air assault vehicles, cover, medical supplies, weapons and ammunition to your aid. She also scouts across the environment in search of vials of Salt to replenish your Salt gauge, and health packs to restore your health when needed. She is active throughout combat and doesn’t hinder you in any way, like other A.I. companions may have in other games.

The enemy classes in BioShock Infinite are nothing to scoff at. You will come face-to-face with enemies from both the Founders and the Vox Populi. Enemy classes include basic foot soldiers that are easy to dismiss with basic gunplay. In more difficult situations, you battle enemies who are imbued with a certain vigor like the ability to shoot crows at you. These enemies are much harder to kill and make up much of the hordes you face in BioShock Infinite.

Some of the enemies have airships from which they can board certain environments, and can assault you with rockets and grenades from these vantage points. In such circumstances, you have to be adept at using the Sky-Lines to their fullest potential and take out these enemies in record time. You do have defensive capabilities such as a shield, which can be upgraded by collecting vials from across Columbia. But these have to be dedicated to either health, your shield or your Salt gauge. Your decisions, in regards to what stats should be increased, depends solely on your play-style.

Excluding the basic enemy types, there are more specialised ones you have to fight during the course of the game. Most notably, there are the larger enemies created by the Founders, known as “Heavy Hitters”. These include Handymen which are huge half-man robotic monsters, equipped with human heads and hearts encased in metal bodies with large hands. Handymen can jump great distances and impart great damage. They take a large deal of damage before they fall at your hands. The other type of enemy are Motorized Patriots who like Handymen are huge in scale, but are fully robotic and fashioned in the image of George Washington. They have large machine guns and take much damage to be rid of. Other enemies included are the Boys of Silence that act as a security system in Columbia, and Sirens who can resurrect defeated foes as their own forces. But these enemy types only feature much later in the game. Dealing with these more difficult enemies requires strategy and makes the game challenging. Overall, the gameplay design is well implemented and everything fits perfectly together.

In the visuals department, BioShock Infinite is a sight to behold. This is especially evident in the stylised design of the world and characters, and the palette choice is evocative and draws you into the world. Everything in Columbia is well detailed and there is a sense of a wonder as you make your way through the various levels in the floating city. All the elements have a place in Columbia’s design and nothing feels wasted. Architecture is grand and is of the period that the game is sent in. The grandiose nature of Columbia and what it represents is captured incredibly well by the team at Irrational Games. BioShock Infinite is a visual delight of note.

In terms of audio design, BioShock Infinite is impressive. There is music everywhere in Columbia from the common store to an ordinary house you may be looting for weapons and ammunition. The music never stops and is appropriately chosen, and makes you feels as if you are there in person. The voice acting is immensely believable, particularly in the case of the two main characters, in Booker and Elizabeth. The voice actors convey the emotional volatility of the disaster that Booker and Elizabeth find themselves in. You feel their pain, and you connect to them as humans. Booker breaks away from the shackles of the trope of the silent protagonist that has become so commonplace in first person shooters. Elizabeth breathes fresh air into the role as a companion to Booker on their journey through Columbia. This of itself is the mark of tremendous game, one which connects to you as a human and makes you feel for the characters, and their plight. This is game design at its finest. There were no noticeable flaws, besides one or two odd bugs in the game. No game is immune to this. This is proof enough of the rigorous efforts by the team at Irrational Games to develop a quality game.

BioShock Infinite is an achievement. It is an ode to what can be done with videogames as a medium. When playing the game, you feel connected to the characters, their story, their reasons for what they do and the consequences of their actions. There is never a dull moment to be had. The game is gripping from start to finish. At the heart of the game is the relationship between Booker and Elizabeth, surrounded by the subtext of the perils of an idealised utopia and religious zealousness. BioShock Infinite is a quality game and is worthy of the price asked. This is a once in a lifetime experience and you’d be doing yourself a disservice by not playing it.

Here we are at the end of another week, and there has been much in the way of indie news. This week we have the Steam Indie Spring Summer Sale, a new game called King Voxel and an indie platformer called Schein. This is all exciting news and the Steam sale is just the icing on top of the cake.

The first game we’ll be taking a look at today is called Schein and is an up-and-coming indie platformer. It has been compared my many indie fans to both Limbo and Braid, and is currently aiming for an Indiegogo campaign by the 5th of May, this year. This is what the developers had to say about the game:

Set in the middle of a glum and murky swamp, Schein takes you on the perilous journey of a desperate father, who is grieving for his lost son. Wandering aimlessly through the swamp, he keeps reaching dead ends and hope is slowly fading. Just as the darkness threatens to swallow him completely, a glimmer of hope appears in the form of a ghost light named “Irrlicht”. As the Irrlicht’s glow touches their surroundings, the world slowly begins to change, transforming it into an altogether different place. Through this beautiful metamorphosis, the man can now follow paths that had not been visible before.

Step into the young man’s soggy shoes, entrust your life to the witty little Irrlicht and discover the dangerous secrets of the swamp. Learn to solve puzzles and trigger mechanisms, to overcome obstacles and continue your perilous journey through the darkness. Shed the Irrlicht’s light on your surroundings to uncover new realities and find hidden paths, which lead you deeper and deeper into the swamp. But beware, numerous ancient spirits guard the spluttering muds and make your chance of survival dreadfully slim!

Whilst Schein may be similar in some ways to both Limbo and Braid, it does incorporate some classic platforming elements. This is definitely an indie game to be on the look out for.

The next game up on the agenda is called King Voxel. Developed by Phillip Meyer, the game is a PC Zelda inspired rogue-like game, where randomisation of the map levels, dungeons and such is key to the experience. Every time you play King Voxel, the map is generated in a uniquely new way, and so the experience is always fresh. This is what Meyer had to say about the game:

King Voxel is an exciting new action adventure game that is deep into development. It was inspired by the best action adventure games of the past like “Adventure” on the Atari 2600, and “The Legend of Zelda” on the NES. The key innovations of this game are the unique cell shaded voxel graphics and random quest generation allowing for essentially infinite replay value! The focus of this game is on gameplay. Combat and exploration are the key components of this game.

Meyer is currently running a Indiegogo campaign for King Voxel. If you follow the link above, you can donate some money towards the game’s development. We’ll keep you updated about any further developments for King Voxel.

The final piece of news for this week is concerning the Steam Indie Summer Sale. The indie sale will be running from the 21st of March until to the 29th of March. As shown in the image above, there are few games on sale, with some really good deals. So be sure to check it out.

Anyway, that’s it for this week. We will keep you updated on any more news as it comes in. Remember to check back next week, as always.

In Runner 2, you once again resume the adventures of interstellar hero Commander Video, who appears as black visored figure with Sonic-like running shoes. He is joined by a host of playable allies, such as a female version of Commander Video and a humanoid pickle. All of which adds to the tremendous humour of the game. This time Commander Video has been sucked into a blackhole of sorts and finds himself in another dimension, and has to find a way home. A simple enough story for a platformer, and with Charles Martinet (known famously as the voice of Mario) narrating the whole affair, the game requires no more exposition than this.

The story isn’t the focus of Runner 2. Gameplay is at the core of Runner 2′s experience, and as any good platformer does it excels at just that. The first big change you will notice with Runner 2 is the change from the 2D retro style of the first Runner game, to a more zany and colourful 3D visual design. This lends itself quite nicely to all the changes and additions to the gameplay design. The central focus of Runner 2 is to collect gold bars, power-up bonuses (which are score multipliers), and additionally keys and chests in each of the levels, and obtain a high score. This all has to be achieved without hitting any of the obstacles you encounter throughout the level, or falling to your death.

Your chosen character automically runs for you, and you have to perform a number of actions such as jumping over enemies, kicking through shields, sliding through obstacles, hanging from and riding rails, reflecting projectiles with a shield and slide-kicking your way through enemy obstacles. These actions all require impeccable timing to the rhythm of the soundtrack at play, and depending on how many power-up bonuses you collect you can go anywhere from hyper speed to extra speed in the game. The different speed modes increase the tempo of the music and the pace at which you move through the level. So you must be ready to react quickly as the challenges and obstacles you face can drastically change in a level, especially in later levels. It is advisable to play the game with a controller, as a keyboard will prove itself insufficient for the speed at which the game paces itself.

The game is split into five worlds, with a variety of levels and bosses. Each world is visually and musically differentiated from the next and adds new enemies, and challenges to the mix. At the end of every level, if you obtain a perfect score you have the opportunity to score some bonus points, by shooting your character through a cannon at a huge target. If you are skilled enough at the game you can unlock a key vault for each world, which allows you to collect keys from previously played levels, and unlock chests with extras. Extras include alternative constumes and characters for you to play as. Once all the levels have been successfully completed in a world, you can face the boss. The boss battles are quite difficult and the challenge incorporates all of the skills you have acquired throughout the levels in the world, and tests whether you have perfected your skills to the point that you can overcome the boss, and move forward to the next world.

Central to Runner 2′s appeal is its gameplay design which as mentioned before is fun, yet challenging. It is challenging to the point of being infuriatingly difficult at times, because of the implementation of multiple obstacles and enemies, and having to change up your strategy throughout a given level. This is where the hardcore nature of the game is truly noticeable. The game encourages perfection and challenges you to push through the most insane level designs. The inclusion of leaderboards adds to this, as naturally people want to best their score as much as humanly possible. This is definitely the addictive element of this game. The game pushes you to accomplish more, and that is something to applaud it for. When a platformer rewards you with a feeling of accomplishment that is a good sign that the gameplay design is solid. However, this hardcore element in the game’s design may not appeal to everyone’s tastes. For the casual gamer, it may be possible to play the game on the easiest difficulty. But the challenge and difficulty of the game is where its rewards lie.

Visually, the game can be a bit jarring for those who are visually impaired. The game world is beautifully detailed with a zany cast of characters and a bright colour palette. But it can have the same effect that watching a 3D film may have for some people, where your eyes begin to fatigue from trying to focus on the image on-screen. This is largely due to the moving backgrounds which can be disorienting. Otherwise, if played in a few shorter sessions the game’s visuals are bearable and beautiful to behold. This is one of the only real major gripes to be had with the game. On a more positive note, the soundtrack for Runner 2 is audio bliss and is integral to the gameplay design being as effective as it is. Charles Martinet, who lends his voice talents as the narrator, is a charming addition to the game and is perfectly cast for this retro inspired platformer. This is the icing on top of the cake.

Runner 2 is a platformer that is challenging and fun. It is a quality game which justifies its price tag and offers loads of value to the prospective player. It has a unique gameplay element with its rhythm-based platforming which enhances the general experience of the game, and sets it apart from other games in the genre. It is also visually stunning, but its fast paced nature and moving backgrounds may be troubling for visually impaired players. The game has a stunning soundtrack and voicework by Charles Martinent which enhaces an already promising package. Runner 2 is a brilliant game with few flaws, and is definitely a game to consider if you’re into challenging platformers with a unique twist.

Of late, gamers are bombarded with rumour after rumour concerning the PS4, and now the Xbox 720 (code named Durango). There are countless comment threads on articles concerning the two next-gen platforms and gamers lap it up, like it’s factual debate. I even consider articles centred around the statement made by one Nvidia head attacking the PS4′s graphical capabilities, just because AMD is under contractual obligation to Sony, to be distasteful, speculative and down right immature, lacking any regard for professionalism. We actually haven’t seen the final consoles in action, so such speculative debate is just as stupid as the rumours surrounding the possibility of the next Xbox being always online.

People seem to forget that with past console generations rumours have often been disproved, or ultimately shown to be quite stupid owing to the nature of the assumption at hand. Whilst many of the rumours regarding specifications for the next-gen consoles may have been confirmed with the PS4, with the exception of the memory being more than initially speculated. This may be a very different case for the next-gen Xbox, whatever it may be called. Microsoft has not released any formal press release regarding next-gen platforms, and so constantly speculating and gorging ourselves on gossip filled rumour after gossip fuelled rumour does nothing but demonstrate insolence on the readers’ part. The fact is that gamers are following un-sourced, and in many ways unreliable articles which all look oddly alike, spouting the same unproven nonsense.

When I read one of the rumour-laden articles, it doesn’t come across as quality writing about the industry. It is different from predictions made by industry specialists who are educated in the way an industry works, like an economist or political analyst. Gaming may have a few industry veterans, but many gamers would rather read and debate unproven next-gen console rumours written by people with no true industry perspective. They have no track record of writing legitimately sourced articles, and providing quality predictions for industry changes, so why do gamers prefer to believe unproven rumours?

What it comes down to is the reality that even gamers enjoy gossiping about next-gen consoles, in the same way that people love debating what strange name Kim Kardashian’s baby will have. It’s all speculative and unfounded. However, people want to voice their opinions about unproven information, and go to town whoring out their perspective, and start up a flame war. Because consoles rumours are “serious business” on the internet, and are regarded as the highest form of gaming journalism revolving around the industry.

Recently, the ‘articles’ related to next-gen console rumours are just as much to blame for the status of gaming journalism as gossip central, as are the people commenting on said articles. We’re consistently seeing duplicate articles everywhere, and they are for all intents and purposes stating the exact same thing. Some articles choose to spin rumours in a negative light, or connect some patent to a console as the be it and end all of a next-gen platform. But there is no factual basis for these connections. It is all speculation based on rumours everyone takes as truth, and to be factual. This is not objective writing, and fair assessment, but is spin doctoring of a whole other level.

This is the sad truth about where ‘gaming journalism’ is heading, and especially in the online context. These rumour specific articles receive so much press, and steal traffic away from more legitimate articles. It’s an easy way to get views for a gaming site, but when the article is not impartial and states information about the rumour like its fact, then that’s a disservice. Few people are taking these rumours with a pinch of a salt, and so we become another cog in the gaming rumour machine. This is of no benefit to gamers, but rather to console manufacturers who receive endless hype and marketing through next-gen rumour articles. But the rumours continue and persist, and we are stuck in an endless cycle. This is the sad reality, and doesn’t change the fact that next-gen console rumours are stupid.

This week has been one with a greater number of game releases on the horizion. There is a large amount of promising indie news revolving around games than the previous week, which is a great sign for more game releases in the near future. This week we take a look at DieCrypter, Low Light Combat and the upcoming Steam release of the indie gem Retro/Grade.

The first game we’ll be taking a look at this week is called DieCrypter. DieCrypter is a top-down tactical stealth action game set in a virtual reality dystopian future. Gameplay is reminiscent of both Frozen Synapse and Metal Gear Solid in many ways. This is what the developers had to say about the game:

In the year 2025, a global epidemic occurred, a deadly virus was spread across the Human Race. This virus has cut the average lifespan of the Human race to just 25 years. This meant the population was stunted severely. However, scientists came up with a way to preserve the body of Humans to allow them to continue living indefinitely inside NEKUR (virtual reality). Essentially, this meant humans were allowed to continue living their lives in a virtual world peacefully, without any risk from the deadly virus that was threatening them before. Each Human was given their own Avatar upon access to NEKUR. You take on the role of a Human Being, who has been preserved in NEKUR like everyone else and given their own Avatar… The Avatar this user was given, has became glitched for an unknown reason, whether it was on purpose or not is not known. This glitch, has somehow altered the Humans psyche and as a result, has caused him to go berserk. [Data Sector Corrupted]

DieCrypter is currently on Steam Greenlight where you can vote for the game. It is definitely an interesting take on the stealth action genre, and the VR Matrix-like world and characters are brilliantly designed. This is indeed one promising game.

The next game we’ll be talking about is called Low Light Combat. During the Mojam 2 charity drive developers Wolfire created a first person shooter called Low Light Combat. They were given the choice theme of “endless nuclear war” and had to make a game pertaining to that theme. What they made was a multiplayer deathmatch FPS. This is what the developers, Wolfire, had to say about the game:

Low Light Combat is a multiplayer stealth shooter for Mac, Windows, and Linux, created for the Mojam 2 charity drive. The game is about nuclear-powered cyberninjas who decide world issues for the Illuminati via proxy battles, after traveling to a deserted ice cave in a submarine. Each ninja only has enough power to survive sixty seconds, so they can only survive by stealing power from one another, or fighting for control of a central nuclear charging station.

By purchasing a copy of Low Light Combat through Wolfire’s site you can support Camphill Communities California who help and support people with developmental disabilities, or your proceeds can go to supporting the development of free and open source 3D modelling software. Besides this, the game itself is great to look at, and the gameplay is fun to boot. Definitely consider giving this game a purchase.

The final game we’ll be telling you about is called Retro/Grade which was originally a PSN indie game, and is now coming to Steam by the 20th of March. It combines the shoot-em-up genre with the rhythm game genre immensely well. You have to catch enemy fire in response to the timing of the amazing soundtrack. The game allows the player to use either a wireless controller or guitar controller to control the flow of time. The game has 130 challenges and 6 difficulties which provides tons of longevity. This is what the developers, 24 Caret Games, had to say about the game:

Play a classic Shoot ‘Em Up… in reverse! Navigate deadly enemy waves and un-fire attacks in Retro/Grade, a mind-bending rhythm game by 24 Caret Games. Pick up a gamepad or a guitar controller and help Rick Rocket restore the continuity of space-time, before a temporal anomaly rips the universe a new time-hole!

If you are into rhythm games and have a spare Guitar Hero guitar lying around, then this might be the title for you. It is definitely an interesting take on both genres, and seems to be hitting all the right notes. We suggest keeping an eye out for Retro/Grade when it is released for Steam.

Well, that’s it for this week. Indie news was pretty interesting this week, and we hope that next week bodes just as well. Remember to check back every week, for more indie news and developments.

This week has been an uneventful one in terms of indie game news. Although, what we have this week is two big bundles for you to purchase if you’re in search of games at a good price point. Otherwise, this week has been deadly quiet with a few developers finally receiving their dev units of the Ouya and posting about how wonderful they are. The Ouya, by the way, is indeed wonderful. I badly want one. But I digress, and we should get on with discussing the bundles for the week.

The first bundle I’d like to talk about is called The Fire and Ice Bundle, and is being marketed as the pay-what-you-want bundle by Bundle Stars. All the games in the bundle are available for Steam and Desura. There is a diverse range of games in this bundle, and range from many different genres. There are so far 10 games available in the bundle, with the last two still hidden, and in the process of being revealed, shown as Mystery Titles. For the minimum of $1.25 (R11) you can have two Steam games, which includes Tiny Troopers. So if you pay more than the average you can unlock the 6 additional games. The money you use to purchase the bundle will go to the game developers and to help charity. You essentially save 95% off the official retail price of all the games included. There are 25 days left before this bundle expires. The games included in the bundle are:

1. Tiny Troopers is a Mac- and PC-compatible action strategy game that puts you in charge of a team of small soldiers. Guide your tiny troopers through 30 deadly missions as you save hostages and eliminate enemies.

2. Airport Control Simulator is a flight simulation game that places you in the role of an Air Traffic Controller. Control the planes by changing their speed, altitude and direction across multiple airports.

3. Adam’s Venture is the first game in the exciting adventure series. Take control of young explorer Adam Venture as he begins his quest to find the long lost Garden of Eden.

4. Adam’s Venture 2 is the second installment in the adventure game series. Take control of Adam and his crew as they become entangled in a plot featuring a ruthless dig for the ancient King Solomon’s treasure.

5. Armada 2526 is a sci-fi strategy game in the space opera tradition. Take charge of a galactic empire, explore the galaxy, expand your territory and destroy rival empires.

6. Darkness Within: In Pursuit of Loath Nolder is a horror adventure game inspired by the work of H. P. Lovecraft. Attempt to solve the murder of Clark Field by uncovering secrets in the haunting darkness.

7. Darkness Within 2: The Dark Lineage is the second in the Lovecraft-inspired horror adventure game series. Take the role of police detective Howard Loreid as the saga comes to its unsettling conclusion.

8. Real Heroes: Firefighter is a first-person fire-fighting simulation game. Enjoy an adrenaline pumping shooter experience as you battle flames and rescue victims across 9 unique levels.

Plus two mystery titles.

Finally, the new Humble Bundle with Android 5 has arrived from Humble Bundle. You can pay what you want for Beat Hazard Ultra, Dynamite Jack, Solar 2, and NightSky HD. But if you pay more than the average of $6.65 you can unlock Dungeon Defenders (with all the DLC) and Super Hexagon. All six games are available for Android, Windows, Mac and Linux. There are also amazing soundtracks included in the bundle, in both FLAC and MP3.

As is the norm, all the games in the bundle are DRM-free and will work on nearly any platform. By purchasing this bundle, you’ll be supporting not only the developers of the games, but will also be giving to charity in the process. This is a great bundle to purchase, and Humble Bundle offers great value as always. This is definitely a bundle worth your time, and there are 11 days left before the bundle expires.

Well that’s it for this week. There was not much in the way of indie game news this week, but at least there are some awesome bundles to bide your time with. Remember to check back next week, and keep up-to-date with your indie news.

Foreword: This blog by Wolfire Games was very helpful in providing the information necessary for fleshing out this article. A thanks must also be given to Krillbite Studio and Compulsion Games for their input.

At eGamer we have been debating the definition of what exactly is and is not an indie game. It’s a die hard process where we’ve come to some very promising conclusions in detailing what exactly constitutes something to be “indie”. One needs to understand that defining indie games involves an endless gradient of grey area, where differentiation is quite difficult. As the developers from Among the Sleep, Krillbite Studio, argue:

Ultimately, I don’t think it’s important to exclude many shades from the “indie” umbrella. Every developer has to find the approach that works best for them, which makes it challenging to draw a hard line in the endless gradient.

With this in mind, we at eGamer are proposing guidelines for what we consider to be indie. We have also consulted indie developers on their perceptions of the genre. All of this is done in the hopes of achieving a greater understanding of what we mean when we refer to a game as an “indie” game.

Traditionally, and as defined by Wikipedia, indie games can be understood as:

Video games created by individuals or small teams generally without video game publisher financial support.

However, many gamers and journalists alike argue that there is an “indie spirit” which permeates the nature of indie development, and can be seen in indie games themselves. In the Independent Games Festival (IGF) rules this is more so evident, as the rules stipulate requirements for being an entrant such as:

1. Independently Created: The Nominating Committee must be confident that the submitted game was created in the ‘indie spirit’ by an independent game developer, fulfilling the question asked on the entry form. The Nominating Committee reserves the right to refuse any game at its sole discretion.

2. Use of Third Party Technology: Games that make use of third party game engines, middleware, or other software or technology are only eligible if the Entrant has all necessary rights to commercially publish the game. For instance, if an Entrant does not have full legal rights to commercially release a game using the Source engine, that game is not eligible for the Contest.

It comes down to the vague distinguishing factor of a developer developing a game in the “indie spirit”–which is in no way strictly defined. There is the other factor of which is legal ownership of the commercial publishing rights of your own game, which can be pretty confusing when many indie developers employ the usage of third party engines. Wolfire Games provided their own unique characteristics for distinguishing indie games from other games, and this incorporates some of the elements of previous definitions which are:

1.Motivated by passion, not money

Money is always a factor, but for indie developers it’s an incidental logistical concern (i.e. the project can’t continue if we starve to death), not the primary goal.

2.Designed from the trenches

The developers in charge of the project’s direction are also the ones doing the grunt work, such as programming and creating artwork.

Yet, there is a need for some explanation and elaboration upon the other factors that affect indie games and how they are defined. Such as the relationship between the indie developer and the publisher. Although the above definition does tell us that money is not the pursuit of the indie developer, but rather the indie developer is motivated by their passion for making their personal project into a full fledged game. It is also understood, and we agree with the definition provided, that the developers are in control and in charge of their game’s direction.

It is important and vital to note that this is where the “spirit of indie” emanates from, and that relinquishing creative control to the pull of a publisher on any terms means that the label of “indie” is inapplicable. We feel that in such a case the indie spirit of the developer is compromised and their game is no longer an “indie game”. So what does this mean? There is a third characteristic, or factor, that can be used to separate indie games from other games, which is the issue of dependency (or level of autonomy) on a publisher which undermines or adversely effects the creative control of the game by the indie developer. However, we feel that if an indie game has been developed without the aid of a publisher until completion, and following this the developers receive a publishing deal, without comprising the indie developers’ creative control of the final product, then a game can still be indie. Let’s break this down.

 
1. Passion
When an indie game is developed, its development is motivated by passion. Money is not the strongest concern. Rather developing a game of which the developers have creative freedom and can freely express themselves in the pursuit of their own personal project. Essentially, what they want from their own game is king. Financial worries are secondary.

 
2. Work
Indie developers work on their respective game with a singular focus of partaking in all the tasks of game design and game development, and fulfilling many roles which would otherwise be taken up by many people in a bigger AAA studio. In essence, indie developers are jacks of all different kinds of trades and have a Do-It-Yourself mentality that permeates a game’s development. They therefore assume major creative control over the development of a game.

 
3. Autonomy
There is no dependency of the indie developer on a publisher in the process of completing their original game. ‘Dependency’ in the case of indie games means the influence of the publisher over the developer due to the financial support that the publisher may provide. In order to be indie, an indie developer’s creative vision must in no way be hampered by the goals and prospects of a publisher. Funding can be provided at a later stage when a game is in need of distribution channels such as XBLA, Steam and PSN. Therefore indie game development is characterised by a lack of financial support from a publisher, and we agree with this. If the publisher in any way compromises the integrity of an indie game or influences its development directly, and affects the developer’s vision for the game, then the game can no longer be considered an indie game. Freedom of control is needed in order for a game to be indie. This vital element is referred to as “autonomy”. The developers for the game Contrast, known as Compulsion Games, had this to say about autonomy:

Indie spirit, financial control, etc, it all comes down to the degree of autonomy you have. Now, in a sense, you never really have complete autonomy – there are always constraints. They may be financial (you might not have the cash to create the type of game you want to create), time based (if you take too long, your game may lose relevance as the industry develops), technology based (you want to build something, but can’t, eg due to a limitation in an engine) or, as you have said, control based (being under the thumb of someone else).

These are our guidelines for what we consider an indie game to be, and by extension games which may not fit neatly within the indie label. It is a really difficult line to tread, because so many games may embrace an indie spirit, but can be influenced in their creative development directly by a publisher. This may compromise the singular vision of a game’s creation. Yes, there are teams which self-identify as “indie”, but at what point can they still be considered “indie”?

It is also important to understand what labelling a game “indie” involves, and what the consequences and assumptions are. However, there are technicalities which need to be brought to the surface and discussed. This is what this article and our guidelines for indie games attempts to do. There is no true definitive definition for what constitutes an indie game. What we offer are some guidelines which include various perceptions about indie games, and what we feel they appear to be. The indie landscape is a forever changing one, and there are always exciting developments around every corner.

As Compulsion Games said, “I wonder whether it is helpful to have a “definition” of indie at all. Indie spirit is also about inclusiveness and enthusiasm – who is to say who is indie and who isn’t? Acknowledging that it is human nature to categorise/create taxonomy, I feel like we’d be acting like dicks if we started excluding teams that self-identify as indie, even though they have some publisher funding.”

These are the guidelines we will use to categorise games as indie. As time goes by, we will most probably update this article with new developments and progressions.

Note: Thanks must be given to both Caveshen and Azhar whose articles helped me flesh out this column significantly. I have linked their articles where applicable.

During 2012, Mass Effect 3 graced our consoles and PCs. We were brimming with excitement at the finale to Bioware’s magnum opus, and one which was deftly seen by many hardcore “fans” as a falsehood which didn’t live up to Bioware’s promises and hype. This incident led to a huge backlash and a significant amount of DLC was added to the game to quieten the clamouring of hardcore Mass Effect fans, who felt betrayed by the overzealousness of the promises made by Bioware.

The keyword in the whole fiasco was “promise”. Speed up to 2013 and we’ve already had another major scandal involving Gearbox with their publically and critically reviled game Aliens: Colonial Marines. Gearbox has been accused of releasing a sub-par and unfinished product to fans with full knowledge that the game itself was unfinished. This was further confounded by the fact that some sketchy financial activity had occurred between Sega and Gearbox, where funding was being appropriated for development of other IPs (most likely Borderlands 2), rather than the Aliens franchise as per the agreement between Sega and Gearbox. All of which can be read up on in my previous column.

Gamers were upset by the betrayal in the trust they had placed in Gearbox and that many had wasted money on pre-orders, without reassurance of what the quality of the game was. They had not realised that developers don’t make solid promises. Gamers have slowly come to the realisation that even the most trustworthy of developers don’t keep the promises they make because it is the business of developers and publishers to excessively market their own product. They over-hype games so people pre-order a game in droves and sell the “promise” of an idea by backing it up with mere words. Like Caveshen said in the column linked, we should take everything related to a game with a pinch of salt. We can only know the true reality of game once we have actual gameplay right before our eyes, or alternatively we are actually playing the game of interest. Because even live demonstrations at E3, where tech demos are shown to the public, can be false. Much like what happened with the Aliens: Colonial Marines tech demo.

The sad reality is that over-promising and over-hyping games has become not only a standard marketing ploy by publishers and developers for their games, but is fully ingrained within gaming culture itself. It is now a natural occurrence for games to not meet the promises set out by developers. There are a few developers, and they are rare indeed, who live up to expectations. However, in some scenario, those developers could be swayed by the attraction of over-hyping their games and making as much profit as quickly as possible. That is what the whole pre-order culture for games is about, and we are at a stage now that games which have no real gameplay footage to speak of are up for pre-order.

An example of this is Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag which is up for pre-order as of this week, and we only recently came to know of its existence. In the case of a game like Aliens: Colonial Marines, Gearbox relied on pre-orders to make up much of their initial profits for the game, and this seemed to be the strategy from the start, despite the unfinished nature of the product shipped to consumers. Gamers were misguided by a clever campaign of over-hyping and misinformation on the part of Gearbox. This is a worst case scenario, but it is still so relevant as this has the potential to become the norm for AAA games. This is far worse than the hype and promises of Peter Molyneux, David Cage’s equation of emotion in games with the polygon count of character models and even day one DLC.

Developers who follow such a process lose the trust of gamers, the trust of the consumers of their products. Gamers will vote with their wallets and 2013 will be an interesting year for this movement. The Gearbox Effect has now become fully realised and many fans are being critical of the latest games like DmC, Deadspace 3 and Aliens: Colonial Marines. Yet the Gearbox Effect does not only affect games. It is evident throughout the whole games industry itself. The PS4 reveal showcased all the promised features for the next-gen console, without solid proof of these promises. What the PS4 has to offer is just as valid as the promises that a AAA game may be marketed with. You can already pre-order the PS4, without even knowing what the console physically looks like and what the final state of the product will be like. Hopefully we’ll know more about the console from this coming E3.

Ultimately, gaming is a promise culture, and those who deliver on those promises are deemed trustworthy by gamers. But once you don’t live up to the promises and expectations you set, your trustworthiness is in jeopardy. Conversely, if you are Valve this is all irrelevant, because of the Valve Effect. Still the promise of Half-Life 3 is ever present, I just hope that Valve doesn’t pull a Gearbox on all of us.

This week we cover a whole host of indie games from Hybris, to Edmund McMillen’s new game called Mew-Genics, to The Button Fair. Indie games have never been as diverse, and it’s enlightening to see such variety from indie developers. This is definitely a good start to 2013. But now on to actually discussing what these games are about, and where you can find out more about each respective game.

Mew-Genics is a cross between The Sims, Pokemon and Animal Crossing, with a dash of Tamagotchi.

One of the biggest pieces of news posted this week involved Edmund McMillen, of Super Meat Boy fame, revealing news of his new game called Mew-Genics. A few screenshots are out and they give us a sign of what the game will look like. Besides that matter, this is what McMillen describes the game as:

Mew-Genics revolves around Cats, obviously. We knew tending to these cats in a simulated “cat lady” environment would be the foundation of our design, but the core of what we are trying to do is make a game that feels alive, a game that creates stories as you play where consequences actually mean something…

You can read McMillen’s blog to understand exactly how complex the game can become. Mew-Genics definitely feels like it will be a compelling and an addictive game to play. The game is now in beta, and there is no release date as of yet.

Hyrbis is a psychological puzzle thriller that is shaping up as something amazing.

So do you enjoy psychological puzzle thrillers? Well, then Hybris is right up your indie street. Simply put, Hybris is a psychological puzzle/platform thriller about a boy trying to survive after entering a forest to escape his parents fighting. This is how the developers, called Monsters, describe the game:

The world of Hybris is dangerous, claustrophobic and frightening. You will play the most important night of Kevin’s life and discover how far you would go to survive; and that some truths should remain hidden. Hybris is the first chapter of the trilogy, a psychological puzzle/platform thriller like nothing you have seen before. Drawing inspiration from classic adventure games and fusing some of their best parts with modern gameplay techniques, we have created a gripping experience that will challenge and thrill you.

Grammy nominated Austin Wintory, known for his work on Journey, is producing music for the game. The game itself is very promising and with a great story, and some talented staff behind it, the game could be a huge success. There is no definitive date scheduled, but expect the game some time this year.

An indie game which has released this week, called The Button Affair, has an entertaining concept. It is a very reminiscent of The Pink Panther, except this time around you play as the jewel thief. This is what the developers had to say about the game:

The Button Affair is the story of the infamous Enzo Gabriel on his quest to steal the priceless Button Diamond. Feel the Latin Music vibe, experience the Vintage Jet-Set Poster Art style and be challenged by the ‘just one more go!’ gameplay. The makers believe in the arts, respecting players time and that games are for everyone. By bridging the arts to find brand new experiences the button affair is about trying to find rich seams of entertainment. The game is a side on running, jump and roll adventure. The full game will include three levels with a fiendishly addictive difficulty curve. As with the makers first game, The Cat that Got the Milk. The Button Affair continues with the philosophy of 15 minutes of quality entertainment. No more. No less.

The Button Affair draws inspiration from Another World and Flashback. This game is trying to push the bar high, in terms of quality. The game itself is freely available for download from their site. So do give the game a go, and tell us what you think about it.

Another week of indie goodness has passed. Hybris, Mew-Genics and The Button Affair are all promising games that you should look out for. Remember to check out This Week In Indie regularly, for more updates and information about what’s going on in the indie scene.

BioShock Infinite aims to redefine how we think and feel about the first-person shooter genre, much like the original BioShock did. Set in 1912, and based in the sky high city of Columbia, BioShock Infinite is shaping up to be quite unique. Many gamers are looking forward to the follow-up of the critically acclaimed and hugely successful BioShock which released in August of 2007. To date, we have seen many videos, trailers and images about the upcoming game, and that left us with many questions.

We thought long and hard about what to ask, as BioShock Infinite is a game with high expectations that are far beyond any upcoming AAA game at the moment. Here are some answers from Irrational Games, in regards to our most pressing questions.

Without further ado, here’s the interview.

 
eGamer: Can you briefly explain what BioShock Infinite is about, and what is the biggest reason to play the game?

IG: At its heart, it’s the story of two people, Booker and Elizabeth as they try to escape from the incredible city of Columbia. While on the surface, this may sound like a very simple story, from the moment you first set foot in Columbia, it immediately becomes clear that your objective is anything but simple.

As the stars of the show, Booker and Elizabeth will hopefully stick with players long after they’ve played through the game’s story the first time. We view our mission at Irrational with each game as making the player a more active participant in the narrative.

BioShock Infinite showcases incredibly beautiful vistas.

 
eGamer: In BioShock Infinite, the setting went from the bottom of the ocean to the skies. The antagonist went from a capitalistic atheist to a much more dedicated religious zealot. The main characters went from a silent and lonesome protagonist to a talkative hero with a fully fleshed-out companion. The levels are much larger and travelling has been complimented drastically by the implementation of Sky-Lines. It still feels fresh with some dashes of familiarity. When you approached this project, did you go the complete opposite direction in most of these cases on purpose?

IG: While it’s true that there are incredibly stark contrasts between Columbia and Rapture, the intent was never to just do the opposite. We felt that it was really important for a BioShock game to create a setting that allows us to tap into that same sense of awe you felt when you first stepped foot in Rapture. Columbia poses an entirely new set of mysteries and gave us the opportunity to create an entirely new, fully-realized world.

As for the gameplay reasons, with Columbia, the amount of variety is pretty broad. You’ll go from tight, Rapture-like interiors to enormous city squares. This allows for a more diverse toolset and exotic enemies. We’re no longer constricted to combats with a maximum of 4 enemies. The combat space is also not all on the same vertical plane either.

 
eGamer: What inspired tears and the use of dimensional rifts in the story? Where did that idea spring from and how has it been moulded to the experience, apart from the gameplay videos already shown?

IG: I can’t speak for Ken on exactly where the inspiration to incorporate Tears into Infinite’s story since I don’t recall him ever saying exactly where it came from.

The flying city of Columbia is dramatic and extremely detailed.

 
eGamer: According to the achievements list revealed the other day; there’s a total of 8 Vigors in the game. “Murder of Crows” and “Bucking Bronco” have been seen on posters, and the effects could be seen in gameplay footage. Could you perhaps tell us about some of the other Vigors?

IG: Each of the Vigors also has several upgrades. Well, I do like to leave Vigors for the players to discover in the game for themselves. There’s something special about picking up a Vigor, drinking it and then trying it out for the first time.

That said, I can talk a little about Possession, a Vigor that turns foe to friend. By hitting an enemy with this Vigor, they’ll temporarily become transfixed with you and will defend you to the death. The power starts off only working on mechanical enemies, but with Vigor upgrades, you can use it on humans as well. My favorite part of using this Vigor is watching what happens to your target after the effect wears off. Let’s just say that your enemy can’t live without you.

 
eGamer: Audio logs gave BioShock a daunting and wonderful atmosphere. BioShock Infinite’s achievement list revealed the game to have Voxophones. Are these only from the perspective of the Vox Populi?

IG: Voxophones. are a widely used device in Columbia. And, just like in Rapture, they’re a great way to get information on the world and insight into the perspective of the citizens of Columbia. They’re too important to limit to just one faction!

Elizabeth’s character has evolved and changed throughout the development of the game.

 
eGamer: How has Elizabeth’s character changed (including her clothes), and where did the inspiration for her character come from?

IG: Her inspirations are too vast and too varied to list here. We looked to film, books, history – you name it! As a player you’ll quickly find that as she evolves as a human being, Elizabeth ain’t no Disney princess. She’s an incredibly powerful and strong-willed woman. In fact, just about any story starring a strong female lead was probably closely studied at one point or another.

Her clothes didn’t change, the “new” outfit you see is actually just her earlier in the game.

 
eGamer: Does the Songbird receive a lot of screen-time, or will he remain more ominous, while watching from the background?

IG: He’s certainly ominous. The people of Columbia have turned him into the stuff of legend. The children sing songs about him and there are propaganda films about him. But all the mystery that surrounds him is part of what makes him so enigmatic.

Heavy Hitters are just one of the many enemies you’ll encounter in Columbia.

 
eGamer: With the inclusion of the Heavy Hitter enemies; gameplay seems to provide a lot of different challenges throughout. Did the Heavy Hitters enter the fray from the very start of development or later on?

IG: The goal was in fact to diversify the types of challenges you’d face. We’d always felt that a lot of the combat experience in Rapture became a little too familiar too quickly. In fact, one of the first things we discussed was how to really expand our combat experience. We wanted much more variety in things like engagement distances, the number of enemies and their behaviors. Before we knew it, we had this notion of these game-changing enemies who would radically alter your combat experience as soon as they entered the fray.

When a Handyman shows up and starts hurling people at you, everything shifts – you need to think differently about your tools, your priorities and your environment. The Heavy Hitters create opportunities for the player to craft some amazing war stories. When you’re able to fight them for yourself and see how they play off the world, the other enemies and your tools, I think you’ll see just how much they change up your challenges.

Gritty themes are part of the overall experience in BioShock Infinite.

 
eGamer: BioShock had some interesting and controversial themes throughout the game. BioShock Infinite doesn’t shy away from that at all. When writing about these racial and religious themes and how they impact the city of Columbia, was it a very conscious decision from the start or did they accompany the rest of the ideas later on during the development process?

IG: Every time we show the game, journalists and gamers react to what we’ve shown and develop a theory about what the game is about. The first time we showed it, the prevailing theory was that the game was about right wing politics in America. The next time we showed the game, people began to dig into the notion of multiple realities. And with the hands on first couple of hours of the game, people began to tune into the aspects of religious fundamentalism and racial bias that exist in Columbia. What I’m looking forward to is the conversation that will occur when people finish the game, and what they take away as the real themes. My sense is people haven’t picked up on it yet. There’s lots of hints in what we’ve shown, but to really understand what’s going on this world, you really have to play the game to the end.

 
This concludes our interview with the team at Irrational Games. We hope that you are excited for BioShock Infinite’s upcoming release, on the 26th of March. We, here at eGamer, would like to thank both Irrational Games and Megarom for making this interview possible. Look out for the full review of BioShock Infinite when the game lands on South African shores. Until then, read our preview.

Here we are with another edition of This Week In Indie. This week the biggest indie news event happened at Sony’s reveal for the PS4, where Jonathan Blow revealed that his game The Witness would be released on the PS4, in the game’s launch window. You can read up about this in the PS4 reveal article. Therefore the indie news for this week is less than would be expected. However, with the exception of The Witness being announced for PS4; there were some interesting developments.

A retro-looking Megaman styled indie game has been released on XBL and it is selling for a mere 80 Microsoft Points. The game is called Rad Raygun and was developed by TRU FUN Entertainment. The game is obviously visually styled after the monochromatic visual design of the original Game Boy games, and has retro chiptune music to accompany it. The game makes fun of the Cold War, where you play as Rad Raygun a lone American hero who is fighting off Communist robots. This is what the description of the game is on the XBL Marketplace:

It is the year 198X. Big hair is hot, and the war with the Soviets is colder than a refreshing glass of New Coke. RAD RAYGUN must travel the world fighting communist robots, and save the 1980′s by shooting his way through 5 decade spanning levels. Ultra sharp 144p resolution graphics and 4 unique shades of monochrome off-green bring Rad Raygun to life, as only 80′s mobile technology can.

The game looks like great fun, and is selling at a very affordable price point. This is definitely a game that XBL indie fans should be looking out for.

Finally, another interesting piece of news has to be the kickstarter for the moddable first person shooter Haxel. Haxel is being developed by Dreamwagon Games. It is an online multiplayer FPS where players can create maps cooperatively, and compete against one another in many different modes.

Basically, Haxel comes across as a Minecraft FPS with its jagged pixel inspired graphics and very low system requirements. Therefore, there are endless world building possibilities for the prospective player. The map building itself seems very advanced, and can be read up on extensively in their Kickstarter page. This is what Dreamwagon Games had to say about that game:

Haxel is an online multiplayer first person shooter with cooperative map building. Haxel will be playable offline, on peer hosted servers, or the Haxel network for public match making, and ranked games. Haxel provides many gameplay modes, has destructible maps, and is designed to be highly moddable, allowing endless possibilities. Haxel will be shipped with a next generation voxel editor capable of rendering many different shapes and other customizations.

If you are at all interested in Haxel, I recommend taking a gander at the linked kickstarter page and seeing what the fuss is about for yourself. It is definitely an indie game we should be looking out for in future.

Anyway, that’s it for this week. It’s great to see that The Witness is receiving some high profile attention and that the PS4 will be catering to the indie crowd from the outset. Remember to keep it real and indie, and have a great weekend.

Braid developer Jonathan Blow presented his lastest artistic game The Witness at Sony’s show. The game is a puzzle adventure set on an island with a bright and colourful palette, and very interesting puzzles to get your mind around.

The puzzles themselves will be clear and simple, and will not only exist for the purposes of being a challenge, but also progressing the story. The Witness, according to Blow, will be a compact open world, with dense details and experiences. All the puzzles in the game will tie in meaningfully to the overall experience in the game.

Apparently, nothing will be redundant in the game and all the elements in the game will be utilised to their full potential. You’ll be able to explore three or four destinations wherever you’re standing in the game. In the game, you’ll discover new and interesting things around every corner in the game world. The Witness will feature twenty five hours of gameplay and puzzles. Finally, Blow revealed that The Witness would be exclusive to the PS4 in its launch window.

Destiny is being toted by Bungie as the first “Shared World Shooter”. The game will be available on both PS3 and the PS4, and marks a departure from Bungie’s origins in the Halo franchise. Both versions of the game will launch simultaneously, and the video footage gives us some idea about what the game will look like. But this is still alpha footage.

There will be exclusive content for the PS3 and PS4 versions. The game looks to be very promising and has a great sci-fi setting with an expansive world. The experience will be shared across all of your mobile devices, like your PSVita, tablet and perhaps even your mobile phone. With Destiny, Bungie helps to redefine what the FPS is, and where it is heading in the future.

With the game being promoted as the first shared world shooter, gamers will be able access the game and content through the cloud that is central to the PS4′s new design philosophy. Speculation suggests that Destiny will be released some time in 2014.

At the beginning of Sony’s show, gamers were given a showcase of the first game to be released for the PS4 which is Knack. The game was introduced by Mark Cerny, one of the architects behind the development of the PS4.

Mark Cerny is the lead creator behind the development of Knack and the game shows off the particle physics that the PS4 is able to power. The game follows the adventures of a robot constructed out of pieces of junk and can adapt to any environment and situation, to fight goblins who are cast as the enemies in this new game.

The main character Knack seems to have a ‘magnetised’ body that can shed, shrink and grow its form through amazing particle growth. A fair amount of fighting was shown in Knack and it is cartoon-fuelled brawling that is refreshing to see on a next-gen console like the PS4. The game has no set release date as of yet and we eagerly await its arrival.