[Guest review by Ken Ellis.]

Trapped in a world of music and battles! Do your fingers have the rhythm to dance the dance of DEATH!?

The original Home Sheep Home was a freely available Flash game that gave players a selection of physics-based puzzles to work their way through in the company of a trio of clever cud-chewers. Here, with Home Sheep Home 2, our fluffy friends are back and once again engaging in escapades far beyond the comprehension of any typical farm animal.

The Indie Fund’s first foray, Q.U.B.E., has been available for purchase for a couple of weeks now from several online outlets. Dominic gave us a quick preview at the time of release but recently – and to coincide with its 6th Jan appearance on Steam – I’ve given myself enough time to play it through for review.

I’m a sucker for games with colorful, vivid artwork, so when I saw LucidDreams’ ‘A Walkabout Journey’, my interest was immediately piqued. Its style is really quite impressive, mixing a dreamlike aesthetic with a somewhat Burton-esque edge.

In the game, you control a rag-tag group of adventurers who must be guided through a variety of the levels. Honestly, I’m not 100% on what they are, and even the app store description calls them ‘mysterious characters’. They look like a bit of an odd cross between scary redheaded children, clowns and those not-at-all-terrifying dolls with button eyes.  While I found the environment beautiful, the characters were more on the off-putting side.

I’m a huge fan of action runner games like Canabalt and Robot Unicorn Attack, where you avoid obstacles as your character runs. It’s so great to run as fast as you can, jumping to avoid doom and getting faster to the point where the you can’t see what’s happening and you start frantically crying as you try to dodge falling debris. Well, the last part is mainly just me I imagine, but I still think running platform games are good fun that most people can enjoy. I don’t get to see enough 3D ones, though. I also don’t get to see enough where you’re a massive mountain of a man who looks a bit like ‘The Thing’s’ less rational cousin and you smash right through rocks and barrels. Definitely a nice touch.

If you’ve ever fantasised about traveling back through time and considered how, in practice, it might actually work then Void is the game for you. It came to my attention a couple of weeks ago via those learned souls over at Rock Paper Shotgun, but only yesterday did I manage to sit down and actually play the bally thing.

Yesterday, Xbox 360 gamers were treated to one of the best PSN indie games released: Joe Danger. For those of you who remember the “good ol’ days” of gaming this newly minted XBLA version should remind you of the time honored classic: ExciteBike, only with more stunts and danger because it’s 2011 not 1984.

If you’re a fan of arena shmups of the twin stick variety, you’ve been spoiled for choice over the last few years. Ever since Bizarre Creation’s (RIP) Geometry Wars was the first mega-hit for XBLA, it seems developers around the world have been on a major retro shooter kick, with everyone wanting to bring their own take on the genre to the table. Up steps Rob Hale, the man behind solo indie outfit, Squid In A Box. Waves is his first release, and it’s his answer to modern twin stick shooter craze, and I’ll let you in on a secret: It’s a bit bloody good.

Vlambeer is building their name upon solid gameplay. Title after title they continue to come up with addictive mechanics that players can dive into again and again without things getting repetitive. It’s kind of their thing. So it was exciting to hear that, along with other notable devs Mommy’s Best Games and Be-Rad Entertainment, the developer would be taking part in a Serious Sam 3 indie games promo. Thus getting a chance to weave their magic into an already enjoyable franchise by creating Serious Sam: The Random Encounter.

Now their effort is out on Steam ($5) for everyone to purchase and play. So how is it? A variety of feelings come to mind after playing through, and (like the game’s familiar enemies) the whole lot happen to slam into me simultaneously.

DLC. I don’t like it. I remember the “good ol’ days” when my game came to me as a completed product. I know, it sounds pretty crazy these days right? But true enough, I could buy a game for ~$50 (back then) and not have to worry about needing this or that “map pack” just to keep playing with the general populace of gamers. Dark times indeed…

On the bright side, at least we get kick ass satirical games like DLC Quest, a Xbox Live Indie Game platformer which takes the meaning of the acronym “DLC” and envisions a world where DLC is no longer an option but a requirement.