We are gonna mix it up a little bit today. Instead of going right down the line I’ve decided to pick out the last match-up to carry us through the weekend. But before we do that, it’s results time!

In our biggest competition thus far we have N coming out ahead of Minecraft in a wide margin of 61% to 39%. It was a valiant effort by both sides, but ultimately only one can go on, and that one is N. Congratulations to Metanet Software!

And now onto today’s contest, the last one of this week:

Up first we have Dwarf Fortress, the game that is known the world around as being a huge addictive time sink. Gamers beware, for while this game can be a little daunting to learn. the sheer amount of stuff to do within is almost unimaginable. Dwarf Fortress is constantly brought up as one of the best games of all time.

Not to be counted out so soon, however, is Trine, Frozenbyte’s imaginative fantasy story platformer that was one of the crown jewels of the PSN last year. Trine was very fun, very inventive, and offered one of the more unique 2D platforming games to have come out in a long, long time.

So which will it be? Cast your vote now!

Check out the Bracket!

Other Match-Ups running right now!

Spelunky vs. 5 Days a Stranger
Braid vs. Runman: Race Around the World
World of Goo vs. Iji
Cave Story vs. Torchlight

The fourth week of Direct2Drive’s spring sale continues with two more well-known indies getting a discount.

Through next Monday morning, you can snag Trine for $4.95 and a bundle of AI War Fleet Command & AI War Zenith Remnant for $9.95.

That’s 75% off Trine and 67% off AI War.

Snag ‘em while you can. Both title are well worth it, discounted or not.

Frozenbyte’s excellent platform puzzle title Trine has been cut down to just $5 through the weekend on Impulse, 75% off the standard tag.

The game recently received a content update that brought the new level “Path to a New Dawn” which is unlocked upon the completion of the game. The patch also added info about experience and secrets to the inventory menu along with a fix for a co-op bug on the Iron Forge level.

The title typically runs $20 but its yours for $5 through Sunday, May 2.

Spring Cleaning Contest!

Did you know we are running a kickass forum contest where you could win a copy of Machinarium, Shattered Horizon, or Aaaaa! A Reckless Disregard for Gravity?

Check it out!

Last week, Mega 64 released a hilarious new sketch, one that really speaks to us here at DIYgamer.com. It was simply titled Indie Films and it was about making full motion pictures films out of various indie games such as: Super Meat Boy, Today I Die, Rocketbirds, etc. While the sketch, itself, was really good, it also got me thinking. Maybe indie games aren’t necessarily going to make great films, but what about cartoons?

While Hollywood is only too happy with finding and securing the rights to the major multi-million dollar titles out there like Call of Duty, Metal Gear Solid, and World of Warcraft (seriously), I feel like there is an untapped market for creating children’s, or even adult (that that kind of adult, pervert), cartoons out of some of the great indie games out there today.

I mean, look at it this way, many popular indie games rely on cartoon-ish graphics already, usually featuring some cutesy character, and are almost always fun to watch/play. I’m telling you, kids would eat these shows up just as much as they do their Saturday morning cereal. Mmmmm Kix.

So here are my top ten games I’d love to see made into some sort of animated cartoon.

10.Cave Story

Now don’t get your knickers in a knot simply because Cave Story is so low on this list, where as with most other indie games lists it’s at the top. Cave Story is still very well suited for a cartoon series, but more than likely a kids show, which is fine (I do enjoy me some Spongebob every once in a while), but ultimately not that exciting.

[Cave Story]

9. La Mulana

This is in a similar vein as Cave Story, but with one added feature, the main character is basically Indiana Jones without actually being Indiana Jones, which immediately makes it infinitely more intriguing to watch. As an added bonus, to make it a hilarious adult cartoon, the show could be literally based on the game where, in every single episode, Lemeza (the main character) would die at the end… because that game is freaking impossible.

Alternative titles: Spelunky.

[La Mulana]

8. World of Goo

I don’t know how, and I don’t know why exactly, but you look at World of Goo and tell me that it’s not already completely adaptable to being made into a cartoon. I mean, come on the goo-blobs are adorable! I suppose the hard part would be actually coming up with a story based on them because, if you’ll remember correctly, the game didn’t really feature one.

[World of Goo]

7. Runman: Race Around the World

Parents, and the government, are always complaining about children who are sitting at home playing video games or watching cartoons on the boobtube. Well, why not speak to the children with something they’ll actually pay attention to? And what better vassal to speak to them through than Runman, the extremely excitable running star that, literally, races all around the world just for the hell of it. Perhaps it’ll get the message through to the children, or make them just want to play the game, whatever.

[Runman: Race Around the World]

6. Trine

Talk about epic, is there a better game to make an epic cartoon out of than Trine? I think not. It also doesn’t hurt that the game ends right where the cartoon can begin. Trine was a beautifully imagined indie game and, provided they use a similar illustration style, the cartoon can be just as amazing. Children’s cartoon or not, I’d watch this.

[Trine]

5. The Misadventures of P.B. Winterbottom

Do I even really need to offer an argument or explanation for this one. This game is about a time manipulating, pie thief! Come on! It practically writes hilarious scripts all by itself. The only reason why I didn’t place it higher is because I’m not exactly sure how well a black and white cartoon would go over with either children or adults. Still though, I’d say it’d at least be an interesting ride.

[Misadventures of P.B. Winterbottom]

4. Ben There, Dan That

I have trouble not smiling about a cartoon comedy based on this game, but only, and I do mean only, if the original creators Ben Ward and Dan Marshall are brought on board to write/direct. Otherwise who knows what it could turn into. Still though, the thought of this time and space traveling duo on Comedy Central, or Adult Swim is incredibly exciting.

[Ben There, Dan That]

3. Plain Sight

Two words: Robot Ninjas. Sure, there’s no story and really no purpose to the game other than scoring points, but if you can successfully translate these guys into a story that still encompasses their robot ninja-ness while at the same time continuing to make them suicidal, well that… that would be just the best thing ever.

[Plain Sight]

2. ‘Splosion Man

You’ve GOT to agree with me on this one. I mean, first, the game looks like it was created by Pixar already. Second, you look at ‘Splosion Man and tell me he’s not just the most creative and memorable character ever imagined. Tie all that into a hilarious cartoon and you have an instant success. Children or adult’s cartoon, I’d watch it.

['Splosion Man]

1. Machinarium

And Machinarium takes another top spot on a list, but in this one it’s only because the story was so well played out and the animations so elaborately done that, for me, Machinarium makes the most sense to turn into an animated cartoon. Sure, it probably wouldn’t attract the largest audience, and children probably wouldn’t enjoy the macabre colors, but if they could create a successful retelling of the game, or even a series on what happens after I’d be completely overjoyed.

[Machinarium]

Honorable Mentions:

Super Meat Boy, Joe Danger,  and Braid. The former two games didn’t make the list because, well, I haven’t played them yet. The latter because the game’s story was far too abstract for even many adults to comprehend. Still, I imagine, with the write direction, each could be fairly entertaining in their own right.

Did I miss a game you thought would make a great cartoon? Let me know in the comments, or rant about it in our forums!

Spring Cleaning Contest!

Did you know we are running a kickass forum contest where you could win a copy of Machinarium, Shattered Horizon, or Aaaaa! A Reckless Disregard for Gravity?

Check it out!

Finnish game devs Frozenbyte have enjoyed a hefty amount of success with Trine, their side-scrolling puzzle-platformer. Just a few days ago, Frozenbyte announced that a brand new level — “Path to New Dawn” — is available on Steam and should be coming to the other PC distributors sometime soon. As part of Patch 1.07, the free DLC comes in addition to a few other upgrades such as visible experience bottle information in the Inventory menu for treasure hunters. And, as is sometimes the case, in order to celebrate the release, Frozenbyte is offering Trine for 75% off (that makes it $5) on Steam thru April 26.

“Path to New Dawn” is deemed a “unique” level with new visuals and challenging platformer gameplay, complete with ten new special items to collect.

“We are extremely happy to release this free level. It is our way of saying thanks to our fans and giving back to everyone who has bought Trine. As a company, we’ve had an interesting journey getting this far. I’m sure the path ahead is also full of dangers and traps but we’ll do our best to avoid them and continue to bring great experiences to gamers. We’ve been delighted that so many players have enjoyed Trine so far, and I hope this free level adds a little bit to that enjoyment!”

- Lauri Hyvärinen, Frozenbyte CEO

You can find Trine through various online distributors, but the 75% off sale (thru April 26) as well as early access to the DLC will be on Steam.

Press Release:

Helsinki, Finland – 19 April 2010 - Finnish game developer Frozenbyte has today released a free DLC level to Trine, its award-winning action-platformer game. The free DLC level, “Path to New Dawn”, is now available on Steam and will be released shortly for other PC distributions. To celebrate the release of the free level, Trine is offered 75% off on Steam for one week (April 19th through April 26th).

Trine official site & game page on Metacritic (PC):
http://www.trine-thegame.com/
http://www.metacritic.com/games/platforms/pc/trine

Trine game page on Steam:
http://store.steampowered.com/app/35700/

[Source: GamesPress]

Frozenbyte’s unique co-op puzzle platformer Trine has been offered up by Impulse for 50% off through this weekend. This brings the price down to a very agreeable $10.

The fantasy action game has players creating and using physics based-objects to solve puzzles and defeat enemies, offering three completely different characters to use at any available time.

Trine is out now for both PC and PS3, with the Impulse sale going through the end of January 31. Check out our review of the title here and our interview with developer Frozenbyte here.

Steam’s holiday bonanza continues. As part of today’s deal, you can snag Trine for just $4.99. That’s 75% off its usual resting point of $19.99.

The overall sale goes through tomorrow, January 3rd, but Trine is only at this price for another sixteen hours and forty-one minutes (as of this posting).

If you haven’t already broken the bank with Steam’s sales of late, this is a great last one to snag.

IGN’s download service Direct2Drive is currently selling Trine for a mere $9.95 as part of their 24 Days of Christmas promotion.

The sale is limited to 24 hours, which leaves roughly 18 hours as of this posting for you to still nab it for that price. It generally sells for $19.95.

The game is a favorite over here at DIYgamer and Geoff wrote a great review back in October.

Trine, everybody’s favorite, platforming/RPG hybrid is now available via GamersGate for half it’s original asking price. Seriously, this game is a steal at $9.95.

I don’t really know how I can express the need for you to buy this game any more. All I can add is if you enjoy platformers, then you will enjoy Trine. The game adds much to the genre and it’s all packed within a delightfully enchanting story. The presentation of Trine, mixed with the solid gameplay and unique story, should be enough to win anybody over. Don’t miss out on the opportunity now that it’s 50% off.

[buy from GamersGate]

Relic Games has released an updated demo for their hit indie dungeon crawler Torchlight, now available for download. The demo offers two hours of play, so the dev saw it fit to give it the same update the full game received.

The patch brings the trial version up to v1.12, adding a seizable list of fixes, tweaks and improvements to the trail version of the game. The download weighs in at 418 MB and is available via GamersHell.

Remember, now’s your last chance to get into our contest to win a copy of Torchlight, Machinarium or Trine, all you have to do is join our communities, but hurry we’re drawing winners tomorrow!