If your a fan of the beautiful game you have plenty of choices to get your soccer fix in the world of video games. FIFA 10 and ProEvo 2010 immediately spring to mind. But what if you don’t care for all the glitz and glamor and would rather just play a quick game of footie for as cheap as possible? Well then I’ve got some good news for you…

SFG Soccer was recently released to the Xbox Live Indie Games platform. While some may look at it’s cartoony graphics and be immediately put off by it, others who just want to play a quick game here and there with a friend will probably find what they are looking for in SFG Soccer. Plus there are a number of immediate advantages to SFG over the big games like the fact that it’s only $5 as opposed to $60 for FIFA. Also the game is an arcade game, which means not everything is so detail oriented which can be a huge turn off for those who just want to play the game.

Bottom line, this game is pretty fun and footie fans could do a lot worse if they are looking for something of this caliber. I’ve been playing it for the better part of a week now and find it a refreshing breather in between my bouts of FIFA 10.

Trailer after the break!

Ever felt like those fucking traffic lights are just working against you? Well, the people of London and Birmingham feel the same way and need your help in Carcophony, indie developer GLPeas’ addition to the XBOX Live Indie Games channel. The concept is actually very fresh and appealing: you control traffic lights and work your best to ensure that the panic of England’s people has been swayed. With 12 challenges and five maps, this XBOX Live Indie seems breathtakingly refreshing.

For only 400 Microsoft Points ($5) the game could be brilliant. As a matter of fact, after watching the trailer, my interest grew exponentially. It’s only fair that I let you watch it too, but before I do I have to note a concern. Seeing as how the game’s location is in the UK, does this mean that the game will be uncomfortable for those of us in the US who drive on the opposite side of the road? Anyhow, here’s that trailer!

Stir Fry Games sports arcade title SFG Soccer has arrived via Xbox Live Indie Games and is now available on the Marketplace for purchase and download. As opposed to a standard soccer sim, SFG brings over-the-top arcade action, think NFL Blitz except on the pitch.

The title offers an RPG-style leveling system for the multiple-season Career Mode and also includes four player co-op. SFG Soccer runs 400 MS Points ($5) and also provides a demo to try.

Microsoft is still going strong with its Indie Games medium, as today sees the release of another indie game for only 80 points ($1) and, to be honest, it is looking pretty damn fun! At first I thought, I just played Chromodyne, I’m not about to undertake another match-3, but let’s be true to ourselves: match-3 puzzles are so addictive it doesn’t matter how many of them you’re currently playing; combined with the fact that this game contains “imagery influenced by former Soviet Union communist propaganda”–I am itchin’ to play through Link Attack.

With 6 game modes in total, Link Attack includes competitive play (PvP) as well as a few single-player modes. Your avatar is present throughout much of the game, so the sense of your involvement in this puzzle-verse is not absent. If you like what you see in the video after the break, be sure to support Suspect Software and all their indiedom by purchasing the game for a dollar.

Xbox Live Indie Games was the first major initiative from any sort of distributor to give indie gamers a real place to call their own. Sure, services like Steam and Direct2Drive each have their own indie channels, but the Xbox 360 channel means so much more symbolically. It’s a dedicated section on the world’s second largest console (by unit numbers) where downloading games has already begun to make serious in roads.

Anyways while perusing the section I came across some interesting statistics that I’ve worked out for you guys… complete with graphs and everything!

Late last year, Microsoft announced a new program that was designed to give indie developers a spotlight in the world of console development. It was an area that didn’t require extensive certifications or ratings requirements. I am, of course, speaking about Xbox Live Indie Games. While the service has put out a few non-games (you can read our take on there here) it has overwhelmingly been a positive force in the world of indie gaming. No longer were indie games tied to the PC and all of the negative side effects that come with it. Unfortunately, neither Sony nor Nintendo have been quick to follow suit and both’s primary consoles are without any strong indie presence.

Now I’m not saying that the Wii and Playstation 3 don’t have any indie games. In fact, both systems have more than a few on their respective download services. However, both have hefty certification processes and ratings systems one must contend with that makes it still pale in comparison to what the Xbox 360 offers.

It’s a funny thing; when you release a digital marketplace in this day and age and provide little restrictions as to just what can be uploaded you get content that may not have been originally intended for the platform. Case and point: Xbox Live Indie Games (XBLIG).

Microsoft launched XBLIG as Xbox Live Community Games in late 2008 and was designed as a way to give small-time indie developers a true digital distribution channel without having to go through the horrors that are ESRB rating and certification. Basically, Microsoft let loose a free XNA development platform and left the review process up to the community to decide what should stay and what should go.