The XBLIG Companion App Lets You Browse Indies On the Go


Windows Phone users will soon have a flashy new way to browse and purchase Xbox Live Indie Games on Read more

Snapshot Coming to Steam Shortly, PS3 This Summer


Retro Affect's long-in-development Snapshot will be released on Steam "very soon," according to lead programmer David Carrigg. In a Read more

Warp Review: E.T. Warp Home


With his adorable peanut-shaped body and wacky tube-man appendages, it’s easy to imagine a plushy of Warp’s alien protagonist Read more

How to Market Your Game XBLIG Style Part 3: Writing a Press Release


It’s been some time since I last wrote a feature on marketing, but I figured it was about time Read more

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XBLA Previews

PAX Prime: Tribes Ascend Hands-on Preview

Posted on September 9, 2011 by Dave Voyles in PC Previews, Previews, XBLA Previews | Leave a comment

As far as FPS titles on the PC go, the landscape over the last decade has shifted greatly from what gamers of the 90s knew. Call of Duty and Battlefield titles dominate the market now, as well as consoles, where the crown was previously held by arena-style franchises including Quake, Unreal Tournament, and Tribes. After a nearly 10-year hiatus, however, Tribes is looking to take back that crown and rejuvenate the arena-shooter market. What separates the Tribes franchise from others are two key features: jetpacks and skiing. Although jetpacks have been implemented many times in newer popular titles, most notably in Halo: Reach, they haven’t been done in unison with Tribes’ s smooth skiing mechanic. For those of you unfamiliar with skiing in Tribes, it is exactly what it sounds like: graceful movements utilizing your character’s moment to propel oneself across a vast and open map. Read more

Shoot Many Robots Preview: More Than One Way to Shoot a Robot

Posted on August 30, 2011 by Taylor Bliss in PC Previews, Previews, PSN Previews, XBLA Previews | 2 Comments

We had a meaty preview for Shoot Many Robots back during PAX East 2011. Now, a few months later and another PAX attended, the guys from Demiurge Studios had a whole new mode to show off and lots of new details surrounding the game’s release. I had a chance to get my hands on the new Survival Mode at PAX Prime, and once again walked away impressed with this cooperative run ‘n gun shooter.

The Survival Mode will be of the now often-used ‘Horde’ style, pitting you against waves of increasingly difficult robots that must be destroyed. The mode will be integral in moving up in the RPG elements of the game. Your robot slaughter will facilitate loot and nut drops that will get you set up with more powerful gear, as well as currency that will let you buy anything else you might be missing from your arsenal.

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Fuelcell Games shares details about Insanely Twisted Shadow Planet DLC

Posted on August 26, 2011 by Taylor Bliss in Previews, XBLA, XBLA Previews | Leave a comment

one of the game's gorgeous bosses

In a pre-PAX meeting with Joe Olson and ‘Scrapper’ of Fuelcell Games, the indie devs spilled some of the beans to Armless Octopus about the upcoming DLC for its beautiful adventure, Insanely Twisted Shadow Planet. The expansion is going to take what the game did with the Lantern Run multiplayer and expand on it, significantly. Olson said the DLC will arrive “before Gears of War 3,” which is a twisted way of saying we’ll have our hands on it sometime in September.

Following the elimination of the shadow plague from the infected planet, you and your alien compatriots are going on the offensive to find and eliminate the dark threat. The dark plague has taken refuge in a belt of asteroids located near the planet, and in the DLC, you and up to three other shadow-fighting compatriots will take to the belt to find and drive back your mysterious adversary.

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Xona Games shows off Duality ZF, has their sights set on XBLA

Posted on July 9, 2011 by Taylor Bliss in News, XBLA, XBLA Previews | Leave a comment

Last shown off back at this year’s GDC, Xona Games‘ upcoming title, Duality ZF, has a new trailer out. After watching the whole thing, calling Duality ZF a ‘bullet hell shooter’ might not be doing it justice. The game’s touting 6 different game modes, 4-player multiplayer, 8 different stages and several other features too numerous to be listed. If you’re craving more information, a full list of the details can be found on the game’s page, here.

The developer is looking to have the game published on XBLA and Steam, though based on the information from the website, it’s currently unclear whether or not such backing has already been secured or not. Since the title’s end goal isn’t on the indie marketplace, don’t expect to see it popping up in discussions about the upcoming Summer Uprising, but since the game is being developed on the XNA platform, it could still make an appearance in Microsoft’s Dream. Build. Play.

Orcs Must Die! trailer reveals a true alternative to the Hadouken

Posted on May 18, 2011 by Dave Voyles in News, PC, PC News, PC Previews, PSN, XBLA, XBLA News, XBLA Previews | Leave a comment

The great debate over whether the force push was a viable alternative to Ryu’s Hadouken can finally be settled thanks to the latest trailer for Robot Entertainment’s Orcs Must Die! As our nameless hero sports his Wind Belt, he is imbued with a combination of both powers, allowing him to vault orcs across the castle with a blast from his hands. It also grants the ability to carry large objects, useful for explosive barrels or sending a helpless orc flying toward his green-skinned buddies in a game of catch. A lava bath works as well, although we can’t take responsibility for what it does to your skin.

If you’d like to know more, take a peek at our Orcs Must Die! hands-on from PAX East, and look for it on the PC and consoles this year.

Retro City Rampage preview: This is your father’s GTA

Posted on April 7, 2011 by Dave Voyles in Previews, XBLA, XBLA Previews | Leave a comment

so 8-bit! As I perused my way through the streets, I couldn’t help but wonder what it would be like to have that hot sports car stopped at the traffic light ahead. Instead of wondering, I just jacked the driver from his seat and called it my own. I know what you’re thinking,”I’ve been doing this for years in the Grand Theft Auto series.” Not like this you haven’t.

In my new automobile I passed somewhat familiar places, including a pub I’m sure I must have stopped at some point In my GTA adventures. That’s not what caught my eye: it was the glowing Jimmy and Bimmy’s sign hanging above the next bar, a nod to the poor translation of early Nintendo titles like Double Dragon. It’s the charm like this scattered throughout my experience that kept me thoroughly engaged. Whipping around the next corner, all the while carelessly trampling unsuspecting civilians, another sign glimmered in the corner of my eye: “Fabi-o’s” in the fashion of a cereal box but with the handsome hunk best known for his flowing locks. In my distracted gaze I failed to pay attention and struck another pedestrian, sandwiching him between my vehicle and a narrow brick structure. Whoops. Read more

Orcs Must Die! preview: Tower defense with a twist

Posted on April 2, 2011 by Dave Voyles in PC, PC Previews, Previews, PSN, XBLA, XBLA Previews | 1 Comment


Even weeks later, all the PAX news still hasn’t come forward. We got the chance for another hands on with another title that was playable there. Orcs Must Die! Is a dungeon/tower defense game currently in development by Robot Entertainment. Comprised largely of former Ensemble Studios employees, older gamers will remember them for their well received RTS Age of Empires which was popular on the PC in the late 90s. Most recently, their last title before being disbanded was Xbox’s Halo Wars. I had the opportunity to catch up with designer Dave Leary, who walked me through their upcoming title, and here’s what I had to say.

As I started up Orcs Must Die! I was already planning my strategy based on what I had seen of the player in front of me. I was brought to a menu screen where I could select a number of weapons and defenses to best defend the siege upon my castle. I chose to go with the approach of utilizing the best stationary defenses I could muster, while simply providing supporting powers with little in terms of direct damage. The individual before me took a far different stance – he favored direct damage performed by his character, and only brought a handful of stationary defenses with him into battle.

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The Dishwasher: Vampire Smile preview: Double the bloody fun

Posted on March 18, 2011 by Mike Wall in Previews, XBLA, XBLA Previews | Leave a comment

beheaded! As our ED-209-esque cybernetic foe crumbled to the ground, we stormed into the adjacent room, dashed up to the dapperly dressed man, grabbed him by the scruff of the neck and brutally bashed his face into the floor, bathing his enormous self-portrait in his own crimson blood. The ironic part of this whole bloody mess? The dude was just about to pull the trigger of the gun rested against his temple to blow his own brains out. It was excessive, it was grizzly, and it was pretty freaking awesome.

Let me go ahead and muddle my credentials right off the bat: I didn’t finish the original Dishwasher game. I got about halfway through it before I was distracted by some shiny new thing (probably something for review) and for whatever reason I never returned. So while I’m not exactly an expert in the game’s intricacies, I’m familiar with it enough to say that if you liked the original game, you’re really going to love this one. The Dishwasher: Vampire Smile feels super snappy, it’s super gory, and the carnage that unfolds on screen is absolutely gorgeous.

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Battleblock Theater preview: Labyrinthine fun

Posted on March 17, 2011 by Dylan Martin in Previews, PSN Previews, XBLA, XBLA Previews | Leave a comment

yup, it's that weird

A recent trend in game design shows that not only can dying be fun, but it should. Games like Super Meat Boy encourage us to take on intense challenges through failure and frustration because of that succulent little splat and the short time it takes to get there again. An upcoming 2D platformer by the name of Battleblock Theater continues this trend and adds the opportunity to off your friends—over and over again—while cooperating in order to reach a common goal.

In a nutshell, Battleblock Theater is a series of races set in multiple labyrinths decorated with triggers and traps, a combination likely to bring kinetic thrills and sudden death—but we like that, right? With cooperative and competitive modes, expect the same multiplayer madness you get from games like New Super Mario Bros. Wii and The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords Adventure. Do you help your friend up the ledge, or do you knock him off? Even in two-player co-op, which I tried at PAX East, the game was gushing with equal amounts of fun and insanity. It was undeniably a Behemoth game.

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Shoot Many Robots preview: Scraping off the rust

Posted on March 17, 2011 by Dave Voyles in PC, PC Previews, Previews, PSN, PSN Previews, XBLA, XBLA Previews | 2 Comments

Growing up, I was always a huge fan of the Metal Slug series. The cooperative elements paired with cartoon-like demeanor offered a fresh quality to the run-and-gun shooter. Despite the number of sequels it spawned, it unfortunately never caught on well with Western audiences. Fortunately, developer Demiurge Studios has taken that formula and placed their own influence on it.

Shoot Many Robots opened with my character, P. Water Tugnut, dressed in eccentric outfit and stationed in a mobile home while waiting out the eventual robot apocalypse.  I could almost smell the stench of my RV as I lingered over a filthy toilet which served as a storage container as well, allowing me to change a number of items on my character, including head gear, clothing and armament. The comedic influence shined through as I selected a pair of tight leather chaps that allowed me to dash across the floor quickly and a football helmet which displayed the description “Makes you run faster. Why? We’re not quite sure.”   Read more

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