I’m (supposedly) going to have the time to hang around here much more the next month. So I’ve decided to try something that’s probably pretty stupid for several reasons: I’ll be attempting to play 60 different games (some of which have been sitting in my queue for quite a while), and then subsequently write about them as previews, reviews, impressions, etc. here and on my other landings. The catch is I have to have the final game played/article published before we hit 2012. Can I do it? I sincerely doubt it, but I owe a lot of good devs a look at their respective games and can’t think of a better way to go about it than make something both over-glorified and self-initiated I can latch onto when sanity starts to slip.*
I took the first day of this month off to honor the procrastination gods, and because 60 games in 31 nights doesn’t sound right. Below you’ll find my full list (Warning: a small percentage are not or may not be indie!), and you can follow along with my progress (as not all articles will be posted here) on my personal blog. Ah yes before the list, here are some great indie links as well:
Indie Developer PSA: Your Guide to a better IOTY (IndieDB)
“This news post is here to help you prepare for the upcoming Indie of the Year. The event is shaping up to be our biggest yet and our aim is to get as many visitors as possible playing your indie game.”
FLX Devs: Experimenting in and Defining Games (IndieGames.com)
“The pairing of accomplished game designer Sander van der Vegte and game novice Han Hoogerbrugge of Submarine Channel was an experiment to see what would happen if a game designer and an artist worked together to further the idea of a video game. The team created four-player Kinect title FLX, where all players are bound together in reality, and they must sway from side to side to avoid obstacles and lean forwards or backwards to move.”
Australian indie: From ratings systems to a boom of small studios, how AU will survive (Joystiq)
“Australia has one of the most lenient video-game-rating systems in the world. No, really — despite its reputation as an ultra-conservative, mature-rating hating government, “the reality is that many more games that are restricted to 17-year-olds in the U.S. or 18-year-olds in Europe are available without edit for 15-year-olds in Australia,” said Chris Wright, former marketing head for THQ’s two Australian studios, Blue Tongue and Studio Australia. “On balance, Australia is probably the most lenient country in the world for access to mature games.”
Coming up! (Vlambeer)
“We won a Dutch Game Award. It’s the biggest thing you can win in our home-country of the Netherlands and therefore it is quite a humbling thing to get such recognition from the industry around here. Radical Fishing took home the ‘Best Online Game’-award.”
Gratuitous Tank Battles Challenge Browser (Positech Games)
“I’ve been working on the challenge browser for GTB. There is still more to do in terms of making it look pretty but there is a clickable screenshot below. Basically there is a scrollable list of challenges just like in GSB, some of which will be user-made maps, some just armies and deployments on existing maps. Clicking any of them brings up the details window from which you can play attack or defence with that challenge. Unlike the simple username in GSB, GTB shows you the posters emblem, their username, general and regiment name, and the idea is to build up more recognition of especially good map designers and players. You can immediately tell if the map is made by a newcomer, or someone who clocks 500 hours in the game.”
SMB Commentary Video! (Team Meat)
“So a few months back Tommy and i got together to do an awesome SMB commentary track, we tried our best to achieve that and THIS is what came out.”
The Oil Blue Art: Thoughts & Notes (Vertigo Games)
“Sara Gross, lead artist for the Oil Blue, did a great presentation over at the Akron Film/Pixel festival last month on the challenges and designing the Oil Blue’s fantastic looking art. Sadly I wasn’t able to go, nor was the presentation recorded (phooey), but I did send her some notes on designing the game on my end. So, I thought it’d be interesting to share them with yall too.”
The Remaining Early-Access Beta Todo List (SpyParty Devblog)
“Sorry I haven’t updated in a while, but the good news is I’ve been totally cranking on the Early-Access Beta! I really appreciate everybody’s patience, especially since I’m so behind schedule on inviting people,1 but it’s getting close, it really is!”
The List 60 (in no particular order):
- To The Moon
- InMomentum
- The Binding of Isaac
- Wizorb
- Octodad 2
- A.R.E.S.
- Atom Zombie Smasher
- Defense Grid
- Dino D-Day
- Dungeons of Dredmor
- Fate of the World
- Galcon Fusion
- Killing Floor
- Nation Red
- Zombie Driver
- Numen
- Polynomial
- Puzzle Dimensions
- Really Big Sky
- Sanctum
- Scoregasm
- Shatter
- SpaceChem
- Steel Storm: Burning Retribution
- Swords and Soldiers HD
- Time Gentlemen, Please/Ben There Dan, That
- Trine 2 Beta
- Vertex Dispenser
- New VVVVVV Content
- Xotic
- Alpha Protocol
- The Ball
- The Graveyard
- King’s Bounty Series (something from it)
- The Longest Journey
- Nimbus
- The Path
- Puzzle Bots
- Revenge of the Titans
- Runespell: Overture
- Samorost 2
- The Scourge Project
- Windosill
- Zen Bound 2
- Syberia
- Dragonsphere
- Another World
- Broken Sword: Shadow of the Templars
- Bionic Commando Rearmed
- Fort Zombie
- Dark Void Zero
- Pathologic
- Vizati
- Planet Buster
- Proteus
- Smuggle Truck
- Project Zomboid
- Fatale
- Fortis
- Amnesia Custom Stories
*To clear up any misundertandings, I know that the 60 in 30 goal isn’t necessarily the most hardcore thing generally speaking, but I work anywhere from 40-80 hours a week outside of my duties with DIYGamer. On top of that, I’m going back to one of my favorite jobs in December: watching my 18-month old daughter during the days. So try doing it with all that going for you. You’d have to be a bit insane right?
–
DIYGamer Holiday Give Away! For each and every article we post we’re giving away an indie game.
This article’s game is Dungeons of Dredmor for the PC (code is redeemable on Steam), by Gaslamp Games!
Leave a meaningful comment below to enter into the drawing.
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