Anomaly 2 is a sequel to the critically acclaimed Anomaly: Warzone Earth. Maintaining the core elements of the original, Anomaly 2 adds new features to the single-player campaign and puts player’s skills to a test in a completely unique experience: the tower defense vs. tower offense multiplayer mode!
Yesterday Unknown Worlds decided to begin rolling out their latest patch for their popular asymmetrical online FPS Natural Selection 2. The latest patch addresses many of the bigger issues players have had with the game from the maps to the gameplay. Along with fixing a lot of smaller bugs that have reared their ugly heads over the past few months.
The latest patch will update Natural Selection 2 to build 236 and aims to fix many of the issues that have became apparent in the game. Most notable fixes are:
Improving the hit detection on the skulks when wall climbing.
Decreasing the marine flashlights making it easier to see through your teammates beams in dark areas.
Fire rate bug fixed on systems with low FPS.
Docking map has been reworked to improve the game experience.
Natural Selection 2 is the follow-up standalone title from Unknown Worlds who previously created the hugely successful Natural Selection mod. Natural Selection 2 offers much improved graphics and even better gameplay over the original mod, along with a whole host of other content that fleshed the game out into a fully fledged title.
Natural Selection 2 proved an instant hit on Steam reaching the number one slot is the most popular game purchased on the distribution platform back in Halloween. Since the early boom in sales Natural Selection 2 has managed to maintain its place as one of the most popular games currently available on Steam and has a vibrant ever growing community. If you are interested in getting into a new FPS game on the PC Natural Selection 2 may very well be what you are after. Be sure to check out my review of the game to find out what I think of the game.
There are also a huge number of other fixes that have been implemented into Natural Selection 2. For the full list be sure to visit the official site.
Minecraft clones can go jump off a blocky, procedurally generating cliff for all I care. Codehatch Corp’s Starforge, however, is something else. It’s part of a wave of games that looked at the success of Minecraft and said ‘That’s cool and all, but we can do better’. The first alpha builds of the impressive-looking game were a huge hit and drummed up a lot of positive press, but now the game has fallen out of the limelight. After a change of business model from F2P to regular alphafunding (a pre-order price of $15 right now), a new attempt to draw in development funding has just begun for the game. Here’s the pitch video, featuring gigantic guns, huge aliens and aerial chainsaw duels:
As you can see, it’s looking pretty amazing, and there’s some features in there like procedurally generated guns and stress-tracking building systems that you don’t see often. I don’t need to point out that it looks absolutely lovely too, do I? You can play a free demo build on the official site to get a taste for it yourself, or preorder (ideally via the IndieGoGo funding drive) for access to each new version as it is released, along with the first test-build of their endless voxel-based world.
Personally, I think what really sets it apart from everything else is the movement physics. While not quite as thoroughly simulated as A New Zero, all your animations are tied to the forces applied to your character. What does this mean? Well, I managed to climb backwards up a sheer cliff face in the current demo by firing a high-calibre machine gun – the resultant recoil was enough to let my character’s feet find purchase on the surface and walk as if it was the ground. Playing in first-person can be a disorienting experience, but in third-person you get a much better idea of what your characters body is doing in relation to your facing.
The funding drive for the game will last until November 29th, and the devlopers aim to raise a remarkably small $75,000. Given the quality of the game on show already, I really hope they hit several times that target.
Generously large DLC packs are always nice to see. Generously large and completely free DLC is almost unheard of, but that’s just what owners of Smudged Cat’s charming little puzzle-platformer The Adventures Of Shuggy are getting today with the release of Shuggy’s Teleporting Troubles. Another 40 puzzle-heavy singleplayer levels to play, which is an impressive amount when you consider that the original game was 100 stages long.
Perhaps in celebration of Smudged Cat’s newer release, Gateways, the core theme of the Teleporting Troubles expansion is warping space. In this case, by placing teleporter panels on surfaces, and warping to them later. If a block you’ve placed a teleporter on has rotated, then you’ll come out the other end oriented to gravity relative to the new facing of the block… It sounds complex, but makes sense after a few minutes. It also makes for some remarkably complex brainteasers.
Teleporting Troubles is effectively a miniature version of the original campaign. It’s split into 5 worlds, each with their own quirks and themes, and layers new puzzle elements on top of teleportation as you progress. Once you graduate past gravity-related antics, you’ve got elements such as versions of yourself displaced in time as well as space, just in case you haven’t had your recommended daily dose of head-explosion yet.
You can buy Shuggy direct from the developers site for a wallet-friendly $5. As it uses the Humble Store, this means that you get both the DRM-free version (added to your Humble Bundle page, if you have one) and a Steam key, and the developer gets a bigger cut of the profits, too. Everyone wins! Those with the game on Steam should find Teleporting Troubles added to the main menu, while DRM-free folks will have to update the game manually.
It wouldn’t really be Halloween if I didn’t include at least one game with scary weird possesed kids in, would it. Shadow Tag really does like to throw you into a maze (literally) of possessed kids. Armed only with your flashlight you have to find the keys and progressively more items to get the hell out of there.
It really is quite remarkable that the game was created over 48 hours for the Newgrounds Cabin Jam as the end result is so well crafted you would never of known. From the fluid and well designed graphics and animations to the ultra spooky and very awesomely designed audio Shadow Tag really does send a tingle down your spine.
For me even though the graphics are perfect the audio really sold me this game. It is no overdone but being added subtly. You will hear all sorts of ambiance along side creepy kids voices calling to you. It really does an amazing job of setting the scene and to me really sets this game apart from many horror games.
The premise of the game is to find your way around the maze and acquire all your belonging to escape in the car before the children can catch up to you. This can be very difficult as they home in to you continually like little pests unrelenting in their assault.
Even the best prepared person can be quite taken aback by the startling shock you get when the kids finally find you, it is quite… Terrifying.
Average play time – 2 minutes per level
Shadow Tag really does a great job at setting the creepy horror mood via the audio and fantastic visual design. I still find it hard to wrap my head around this game being designed in 48 hours, but the developers must be a very talented bunch. Play Shadow Tag this Halloween on Newgroundshere. Shadow Tag was created by the great bunch at Elvidian.
If you are a developer with A fun indie game that can be played over a coffee break, we want to hear from you! Private message us on twitter @IndieGameMag or shoot us an email at editors@indiegamemag.com with the subject “Indie Intermission” and you could be our indie intermission pick of the day!
Kudos to the sagely Pixel Prospector for spotting this one. If there’s one thing that I’ve learnt over the past decade of gaming, it’s that physics make everything better. From the earliest, wobbliest ragdoll death animations to splooshy fluid dynamics and even just small details like sparks from impacts skittering across the floor. I’ve also learnt that retro mash-ups are rad. Frank Force’s Faster Blaster (formerly known as Mother Lover) is doubleplus extra badical, for these reasons. Take one part Metroid, one part Blaster Master and 9.8g’s of physics, shake (not stir) and serve on the rocks.
There’s no plot to speak of here, but let’s just assume that the miraculous super-tank Sophia The 3rd got lost (should’a taken that left turn at Albuquerque) and ended up on Planet Zebes and decided to explore a little and maybe kill Mother Brain. Also, physics. I don’t really know how to explain the lack of abstract 8-bit movement, but let’s not think too hard about that. Faster Blaster is still officially in development, but the current beta build is largely feature-complete and well worth playing. What you’ve got here is a great big non-linear game-world filled with critters to shoot, platforms to jump on and secrets to find. Metroid, really. But with a tank. And physics.
You’ve also got a lot more to master, controls-wise. Clearing larger jumps is a matter of building up speed and ramping off ledges, and landing needs to be controlled with your brakes or you can end up overshooting the mark. You have semi-limited ammo for your main gun, too. It continually recharges, and the first shot has a little extra kick to it, but every shell launches in an arc affected by your momentum. Later, you get your standard range of Metroid-style upgrades, from basic health extensions to extra weapons. The classic Metroid missile launcher has been upgraded to a manually guided fly-by-wire design, and there’s an even more physics-oriented ‘digger’ gun to excavate your way into new caverns.
The concept is solid for the most part, although controlling your tank takes some time to master, especially given the floaty (jet-assisted?) jumping, and just how easy it is to snag yourself on the corner of a platform and bounce helplessly off. Still, for every moment of frustration there’s one of equal satisfaction. Nailing a fast-moving flying enemy by accelerating your own shot through movement is strangely reminiscent of Starsiege: Tribes. While the game boasts full analogue gamepad support, it’s probably best to use mouse and keyboard. The extra precision with aiming matters when your ammo is semi-limited and that first shot counts more than the rest.
Faster Blaster is available (in beta) now, weighs in at a tiny 8mb download, and should run on just about any PC from the past six years. The engine the game runs on seems smooth and well-optimized, although that shouldn’t be too surprising, given the retro nature of it all.
Now here’s a question for you eagle-brained (and presumably elephant-eyed) folks in the community: Are there any other retro + physics mash-ups that you can think of? Mario-Portal blend MariO springs to mind, but are there any other notable hybrids that we might have missed? Feel free to share, comment, heckle or otherwise make noise in the comments box below.
It would seem that Nyu Media really are the plucky little localization group that could. Despite a partnership with Capcom (giving them a direct line to Valve), they’ve struggled to get each of their translated Japanese indie games onto Steam. Cherry Tree High Comedy Club was originally released back in April, and it seemed like it would stay relegated to the smaller online retailers – a shame, as our Sarah Bishop quite liked it, according to her review here. Thankfully, the winds of fate seem to have changed, and Nyu Media are happily announcing that the game is due to hit Steam on the 8th of November.
Not quite an adventure game and not quite a visual novel, CTHCC falls into that unusual hybrid genre of ‘life sims’. In this case, the adventures of a high-school girl and her quest to establish a successful comedy club at her school, inbetween juggling day to day goals and the general state of her education. It’s whimsical, fluffy easygoing stuff aimed at a more casual market. Not the usual sort of thing you see localized (hardcore arcade shooters seem an easier sell), but it’s nice to see more of this sort of thing making the leap. Here’s the official trailer, too:
The game is for Windows PCs only, and usually retails around the $8 mark, although this re-launch will inevitably come with some kind of small launch discount. While you wait for the Steam release, you can try the demo on the official site here and see what you make of it yourself..
Divine Space is a whole new take on sci-fi games introducing in a huge range of detailed RPG elements to the genre whilst giving it the flexibility to be played on your prefered device. That is right Dodo Games are planning to make Divine Space available on every platform known on this earth.
Dodo Games are a small indie studio from Russia who have only recently launched their Kickstarter project and have in the very short time already gained much traction. Raising over $10 000 in the first few days Dodo Games are still a fair way off their ambitious $100 000 funding goal however.
An ambitious goal maybe, however the scope of this game sounds quite phenomenal. With a fully customizable ship you really are able to play the game anyway you want. Fitting it with a whole host of weapons and items creating quite the individual experience.
The level of customization of the ships alone seems very detailed and really what you would expect from a Sci-Fi RPG. I really like the way Dodo Games are taking this project as they are going to develop a whole galaxy for you to explore.
You will be able to fight, explore and even mine giving you almost a new EVE like game. Holding a conventional story arch it will contain all manner of interesting twists and turns finding you exploring far flung areas of the galaxy and seeing innovative and new worlds.
Divine Space aims to really reach out into cyberspace and begin to redefine the playing field by creating this highly engaging and exciting new title. Divine Space is going to be a free to play multiplayer title working, eventually on all platforms.
If you like what you see about Divine Space I encourage you to head to Dodo Games’Kickstarter page hereand support this extremely ambitious but totally awesome title. The Kickstarter page also contains a great deal of extra information in case you really need more reasons to back it. Also be sure to check out the official site here.
Like ham and cheese or oreo’s and milk, robots and guns are a perfect match made in destructivenessation … that’s a word, right?
Dictionaries aside, this December you can expect plenty of firepower and metal sparks flying in Masthead Studios’ PC based online shooter GUNS And ROBOTS, which wants to give you as much control over your robotic creation and the armoury at your disposal.
As online shooters go, you can expect plenty of action across the board within traditional death match options and capture the flag along with a number of other different modes. Each playable map has differing spawn points and breakable objects, but in the end the aim is simply to beat the tar out of the opposing robots. Thankfully, the amount of weapons and options to do so are rather numerous.
Your chosen warrior can be built from three different classes (light, medium and heavy) which can alter what kind of armour and weapons you can add. The Light class has the biggest advantage in dodging and movement, but can it outrun the power of the heavy class for example?
The weaponry itself has plenty of options surrounding it, a few thousand different combinations in fact. You’ll be able to test all of them during your robot building within the Burn-In Garage (AKA: BIG), an opportunity to fine tune everything before you put your robot to the test within the arena itself.
Also, leaving the best part to last, GUNS And ROBOTS is free to play! Can’t say no to some free destructivenessation!
You’ll be able to get your game on before the end of the year, but while the long wait to December rolls along, why not read up on what to expect from GUNS and ROBOTS via the official website and sign up to be a beta tester while the program is still operational.
Wadjet Eye Games have had a long standing history in creating and developing adventure games, now teamed up with Wormwood StudiosPrimordia is their latest title. Primordia is a retro styled point and click adventure game. The studio have tried to combine the challenge and depth of the more old school adventure titles with the streamlined interface and player-friendly design of more modern titles, to generate a much more engaging game.
Many ages have passed since legendary man walked the planet. In this desolate wastelands beyond the city of Metropol, a solitary robot named Horatio fiercely guards his freedom and independence. Horatio’s converted power source is however stolen, leading him on a perilous journey into the wastes and his own mysterious past.
The story sounds very interesting, set in this dystopian future it paints the picture of an empty world. The art styling for Primordia is fantastic and entirely hand drawn with fifty rooms to explore and dozens of distinctive characters, along with complex machines to interact with. Primordia even has wonderful and highly distinctive cutscenes to really engage the player, enriching the playing experience.
Primordia is a point and click adventure game that encourages logical thinking within its puzzles, compared to many point and clicks that just challenge you with the idea of trial and error. It will no doubt have a fantastic narrative to go along with the puzzles, if the setting is anything to go by.
If the artwork is anything to go by, Primordia looks to be a fantastic new addition to the point and click genre. Primordia is scheduled to be released on PC in December but be sure to check out all the latest from Wormwood Studioshere andWadjet Eye Games can be found here. We are hoping to have a hands on with Primordia later this month, so be sure to check back to The Indie Game Magazine for all the latest indie news as it breaks.
