#xbox indies

[t1red-gastr0p0d]

So i was thumbing thru the Nintendo switch online library of recently released games.

I can't *tell* you how many times I saw the word "hentai" tacked onto another word while scrolling.

Like. Hentai Golf, Hentai Date, Hentai Girls, Hentai World, Hentai Fixing Your Estranged Father's Broken Refrigerator.

Etc. Etc. Ad nauseum.

Not to mention all the shovelware. Like yeah, I'm gonna buy the """"game"""" that tells me how to grout my tiles in my bathroom. Sure.

And the AI slop! God. Like. You can tell. You can just tell by how everything has that weird AI sheen on it? And the "art" is just too clean and oversaturated? Also the "backgrounds" are both overdetailed and nondescript at the same time??? AND EVERYONE LOOKS LIKE EVERYONE ELSE WITH THAT VACANT GLASSY SMILE/STARE???

...kinda ranting here.

Uh.

The point im trying to make is this.

It reminded me of the old Xbox360 Indie Arcade Games.

Like. 99.9% we pure slop. But it was kind of endearing? You could tell it had a human touch.

Yeah, it varied from "barely any effort/shat out in a day" to "incredibly indescribably horny what is wrong with you" and also "gross" was a category...

But some of them. That itty bitty .1%. Was pure gold.

Maybe not high art. But they were good. Fun even!

And hell, even some of the sloppy ones were just funny to turn on and laugh at.

Point is, they had a human touch. Even if it was barely a touch at all.

I want those kinds of slop in my marketplaces.

Not generic ai generated waifu hentai.

Not soulless ai garbage "made" "for kidz"

I want all natural, humanely created, digital garbage.

[blazehedgehog]

On the subject of Xbox Live Indie games, this Twin Tiger Shark game? Actually legitimately awesome! It's sort of a 1942 sort of game. Really fun, really polished. I actually looked it up to make sure this wasn't a port of a real arcade game (it's not).

The screenshots on the actual game page itself are so tiny you might be put off, but trust me, it's really great! And only a dollar!

[blazehedgehog]

Day by day, more of these are piling up on Xbox Indies.

[blazehedgehog]

its fair to say, "let's wait and see" about the new consoles, but I think it will be the exclusive games that decides it. With both Ps4 and X720 being of x86 architecture, every multiplatform should theoretically have no problems getting a PC release

This is very true, and again, if rumors are to be believed, Microsoft is trying really hard to lock down the Xbox 720 as much as possible in exclusivity contracts. While this could be a benefit for them, it sounds like it is more of the same kind of stuff that made Xbox Live Arcade such a headache to deal with. While Sony and even the notoriously closed-platform Nintendo are out there courting indie developers, Microsoft is actually doing the opposite and shutting down their indie game platform.

That alone is enough to be cautious about, I think. For as sad and awful as the Xbox Indies section typically is, there are a lot of fun games on there that wouldn’t have ever gotten a chance to shine otherwise (Penny Arcade Episode 3 says hi). I actually have a list in the works hoping to highlight some of them.

Microsoft closing that system down means that when we get the next huge Minecraft-esque independent success, it could show up on the Playstation 4, Wii U, and PC, but more than likely not the Xbox 720. And that’s a problem.

[galaxynextdoor]

On Another Level With Chelsea: Rad Raygun Review

Developer: TRU FUN Publisher: TRU FUN Entertainment Platforms: Xbox 360 [Indies]

Rad Raygun is a complete blast from the past and I mean that in the most literal way possible. The whole concept of the game stems from the oldest Gameboy graphics in different shades of grayish green that we all fondly remember. Same goes for our robotic hero Rad, who is designed to look similar to the 'ancient gaming brick' handheld with a d-pad and two buttons [A+B button respectively] embellishing the protagonists suit. Raygun is a 2D platformer hyped up on energy drinks, with many favoritable mentions from other reviewers who sing their praises.

Rad Raygun features five addictive levels and Rad deploys a variety of attacks and mechanics to get him through each level and end level bosses. The enemies you encounter throughout the levels all require a certain strategy to each, you can't just stand there and blast them all away. Raygun pays homage to old games like Megaman and plays similarly so. You'll also be constantly reminded about all those old games you used to play when you were younger and it's brilliant. The music is absolutely addictive and I found myself constantly humming along, even when I was done playing the game. The music alone is worth trying the game out for, I guarantee it.

The game is extremely enjoyable and fun to play with others, taking turns at deaths and/or new levels. The cutscenes between levels are humorous and fun to read out loud with friends, enjoying a beer or two while playing. It's recently released on the XBOX Live Indie Game and judging by others, aside from myself who have played through it... it's well worth the money spent to support this game.

Chelsea's Verdict: 9/10

Personal Blog: chelseaheckagaming.tumblr.com

Twitter: @ChelseaHeckaBad

[blazehedgehog]

I tried to post about this on Tumblr before I started but I was in a hurry and couldn't figure out how to get Tumblr to accept a livestream embed from Twitch.tv. I spent a good 3 and half hours going through around 35 Xbox Indie games. There were some laughably terrible ones*, and some hidden gems.

I've set it up so the archive of that stream will go up, split in to 30 minute chunks, every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday from now until Feb. 4th, on the Let's Play channel me and my cousin run. I do apologize for the archives only being in 240p - I can stream in 480i, but it looks absolutely awful combined with Flash Media Encoder's default deinterlacing routine, because the way my capture card interlaces video is all wrong. If I ever get a better way to capture video, I'll rectify that (cue complaints about not being able to get the information I want about monetizing my Youtube channel). 

Regardless, 240p looks okay enough, I think. The video doesn't break up too often, it just looks kind of blurry. There are a couple games later on that have basically unreadable text, but it's not a problem with this first video.

If you want links to any of the games being featured, I've included links to them all in the video descriptions for each episode. Definitely found a couple games here that are actually worth buying.

* Make sure you watch this first archive video all the way, there's a really comically awful game at the 22 minute mark that really needs to be seen.