It’s here in all of its official glory, the Winter Indie Uprising is upon us and kicking it off with a trailer jam packed with footage from all the games. Pull up a seat and feast your eyes once you’re done head on over to the uprising’s webpage for more details. I’m busting my Microsoft Point piggy bank open as we speak.
There are only a couple names that come up when someone asks a question like “Who is the most successful XBLIG developer?” The first one to even get muttered is likely to be James Silva’s Ska Studios who warmed our delicious hearts with the break out hit “I MAED A GAM3 W1TH Z0MB1ES 1NIT!!!1″ Ska Studios is also quite prolific having already released four games on the Xbox platform (one XBLA and thee XBLIG) with three more titles in the pipe. So it is fairly easy to see why his ZP2K9 sequel, ZP2KX, is to be included in the Winter Uprising.
Now as of today, we have a brand freaking new game trailer for ZP2KX and I usually spend some time talking about what looks interesting in these sorts of games, but to be honest I think I can sum it all up with “cat gun.” See, I didn’t even have to tell you about the zombies or the pterodactyls who are very likely coming together in the same work for the first time in the history of history.
In a dystopian future where humans love guns and zombies just want to be left alone, thepterodactyls have seen to it that everyone has to be miserable together. Take your jetpack online and splatter some fools with blades, guns, grenades, and otherinstruments of mayhem. Earn XP, level up, unlock features, clothes, and skills! Build awesome classes! It’s ZP2KX and it’s coming to the Xbox LIVE Indie Games channel this December for only 80 Microsoft points.
So far we’ve spotlit a few games for the first ever Winter Uprising, but all of them have been developers on their second or third title. This time around we’re casting some light onto the first game from the three person team of Tribetoy. There isn’t a tremendous amount of details available on the team and their upcoming game, but one thing is for certain, Chu’s Dynasty is easily one of the most visually interesting games in the line up. There is currently no information regarding pricing or release date available, but it’s a pretty safe bet to expect in the first week in December for between 80 and 400 Microsoft Points.
Update: We just heard from Tribetoy and got a little more information about the developer as well as some nice screenshots for you to feast your eyes on. Tribetoy was founded 2 years ago by the trio: Matt Hoesterey, Tara Rueping, and Camille Chu. The studio formed as a “sandbox” for them to stuff all that extra creativity they had built up outside of work and Chu’s Dynasty is indeed the very first fruit of their labor.
The three oldest immortals, Heta, Noah, and Viotale must band together to find a solution to heal the dying world, but old grudges and marred pasts keep the three at war. As tensions rise the mysterious Dr. Chu appears and attempts to bring the three immortals together and is caught up in the conflict as time slips away…
Chu’s Dynasty combines the strategic fighting of Street Fighter with the multi-tiered 4 player fighting mayhem of Super Smash Brothers. Chu’s then adds a new twist to the genre with time manipulation. Fight through four campaigns and learn how the goods where born. Fight with up to 4 players in free for all and team modes. Control time and space with each of the characters unique time powers.
Created by the core team of three: Matt Hoesterey, Tara Rueping, and Camille Chu, and with the help of many friends, ChusDynasty is a great single player and party game all in one!
He’s been kicking around here for well over a year. His first XBLIG title, Nasty, was one of the first games we ever reviewed here on Two Fedoras and will always be remembered as the game with the accountant ghosts. Self described as being “more fun than a pointy stick” Abduction Action! tickled players’ funny bones with its peculiar interpretation of human-alien relations. And the latest notch in his belt is the critically acclaimed Hypership Out of Control, which has thrust him into the spotlight by landing him a slot on the coveted IGN top picks list on the XBox Indie Games marketplace.
At this point it should be abundantly clear that we’re talking about Kris Steele of Fun Infused Games. He is, in my opinion, one of the most identifiable people in the XBLIG community so it is really no surprise that he is taking part in the Winter Uprising. Hypership Out of Control, which we reviewed here, will be his entry for the uprising. The game will be receiving a sizable patch that will considerably increase the amount of game you get for your 80 Microsoft Points.
Space is a dangerous placed for even the most seasoned starship pilot, full of asteroids, multicolored floating blocks, and space mines. It’s even more dangerous when you your accelerator is stuck to the floor and your brakes are out. Can you survive long enough to get that elusive high score or are you destined to add a new crater to the face of an unsuspecting asteroid? Find out in this retro gaming tour de force featuring 10 Waves (forward and backwards), 5 game modes, 1 to 4 player co-op, and online high scores.
New Features
- Reverse modes for all waves
- Brand new music track
- New scoreboards for all reversed modes
- Other tweaks and updates
Vertical scrolling, side scrolling, weapon variety and ranks, speed boosts, shields, completely destructible environments, and a score board to rub your friends nose in it? Yeah I think that’s a good way to begin describing Zombie Monkey‘s Winter Uprising game Break Limit. But who are these Zombie Monkey cats anyways? Well first of all, you mean “cat” because this is the one man show of Mr. Christopher Hill who is also known by is screen name as Xalterax.
Zombie Monkey’s previous title, Chaos Node, underperformed at a user rating of two-and-some-change star rating. The major contributing factor to this was likely Chaos Node’s intimidating initial learning curve but was otherwise very well built. Learning from past projects it seems Xalterax has a potential winner on his hands with Break Limit. The game looks like it will be a blast to play from the get go and provide a considerable challenge to master!
Prepare to go mind-numbingly fast as you Blast, Smash and Break Limit through every one and thing in your way! Featuring classic arcade style play – will you survive to be the champion of our online scoreboard, or will you end up a grease spot on the first asteroid you see?
- Ranked Weaponry
- Online Scoreboard
- Multiple Difficulty Settings
- Destructible Environments
- Music by HyperDuck
Ian Stocker, aka Mr. MagicalTimeBean, creator of the unquestionably brilliant tower defending dungeon crawling action adventuring mashup Soulcaster will be participating in the soon to be upon us Winter Indie Uprising. As Ian’s aptly titled new game Soulcaster II is the first game listed on the list, it has earned the distinct and highly coveted honor of being the first to bask in the glow of our Winter Uprising Spotlight.
The original Soulcaster released on March 1st of this year and was launched into the lime light shortly thereafter when the game got a tip of the hat from Mr. Jerry Holkins of Penny Arcade. The game went on to be one of the most recognizable titles of the XBox LIVE Indie Games Marketplace and still takes up residence on the list of top rated games with an average rating of over four stars.
So what will the sequel be offering up that can top the orignal? How about a list right from the horse’s blog:
Equal parts dungeon crawler, strategy and adventure, MagicalTimeBean’s follow-up to the critically-acclaimed Soulcaster features an all-new set of worlds to explore and a soundtrack glossed in late-80′s redbook audio excess. Also: exploding skeletons.
What’s new in Soulcaster II?
- Upgraded graphics engine
- Four new tilesets
- 30 new levels
- All new soundtrack (including a new Merchant theme)
- Four new monster types (including an exploding skeleton)
- Exclusive upgrades for each of the three summons (which appear when you max out all other upgrades for that summon)
- Better enemy AI
- Improved performance, game can handle over 150 monsters on-screen now
- New level mechanics, enabling new puzzles and level progressions
Soulcaster II will run you 240 Microsoft Points and should be available the first week of December, but if you haven’t played the first one you can pick it up now for the same scant $3 price tag.
I wasn’t aware SpikeTV was still in business, but apparently the world is still plagued by their tired antics. Of course that means we are in store for another round of “Awards” seemingly brought to you by a board comprised of Senior Vice Presidents of Marketing. While most of the nominations this year are head scratchers, the Independent Game nominations are surprisingly solid.
Personally I would have probably got Minecraft or VVVVVV in there somewhere, but what ever. You can view the list as well as all the other stuff over at the dog and pony shows official website.
P.S.
Go Team Meat.
Is that an indie uprising in your pocket, or are you just happy to see me? Oh, it’s the Indie Games Winter Uprising and it’s going to be a full week jam packed with some of the best games ever released on the XBox Indie Games marketplace? Not only that but prices on some titles will be as low as one American dollar and I can find out all this and more on the just launched official “Indie Games Winter Uprising” website? Wow, well thanks a lot.
This is just an update on our recent post regarding the eBay auction to benefit Child’s Play. The VVVVVV socks are about to crack the $7000.00 dollar mark — yes, thousand. I know right? Check out the auction and all the other auctions for some double digit alternatives!
The vast majority of my reviews these days are of games I want to play. I usually browse the XBLIG and look for what tickles my fancy. Every now and then a game just has an aethstetic that jumps out at me and demands I investigate further. That is exactly the case with Rob Louie‘s platformer “Cutouts!”
There is substantial common ground between Cutouts and most games within the platformer genre. For example, the character can run, jump, dispatch enemies by landing on them, and collect 100 items for an extra life. So far so good. This is definitely safe territory when it comes to platformers.
The jump physics of “Cutouts!” is pretty lenient as it ditches the harsh realities of inertia and gives you a great deal of aerial motility. This lets you stop moving forward or backward on a dime while in the air making the more precarious platforms a much more reasonable challenge. There is also the added flare of landing on enemies while holding the jump button for additional jump height. This becomes one of the most important tools in your arsenal and adds a good deal of fun to the experience.
As far as enemies go there seems to be an adequate amount of diversity. What is really noteworthy here is one hangup I had with enemies that pursue the player. After an enemy is off the screen a certain distance, they appear to simply stop their regularly scheduled movement. This creates situations where enemies that have been specifically spaced for purposes of chain kills and platforming can become awkwardly positioned adding considerably to difficulty.
Speaking of difficulty, there was a surprising amount to be had in Cutouts. The source of much of the games difficulty are its limited lives and lack of a true continuation system. I say a “true” continuation system because what it does have is a volatile system that allows you to restart at the beginning of each of the three worlds. However, if you exit the game and return you must restart from the first level. While playing it sometimes was a source of frustration, but also added a healthy sense of risk to the game. So in retrospect, I do think it contributes in a positive way to the gameplay.
From a gameplay perspective Cutouts doesn’t do much of anything to really innovate, but that doesn’t mean it disappoints. The game functions well, has an appropriate level of polish on it, and I appreciate its elegant design. This all adds up to a pretty enjoyable, yet occasionally frustrating, experience.
If I had to use just one word to describe “Cutouts!” I would have to say: charming. The game is just fun to look at. It has a unique aesthetic that just teleports you back the arts and crafts days of your child hood where anything became a resource for artistic expression. In this case Rob Louie has used fabric and buttons and thread visuals for absolutely every part of the game’s visuals. The backgrounds are worthy of special note. I on more than one occasion found myself staring off into the multilayered parallaxed distance as the scenes scrolled by at varying speeds across the screen. Just plain delightful, it made the game.
The music and sound effects are all good. The music in particular suits the game quite well and does more than simply break the silence. All the aspects of the audio enhances the experience, but does not define the experience.
There are a couple flaws, but nothing that discourages me from recommending the game to platformer fans. The visuals of the game were the driving force behind my initial purchase, but their stylized nature may make them a matter of personal preference. Rest assured though, if you are uninspired by the visuals, there still is a very well built game to be had here as well. As far as playtime it seemed to clock in between three and four hours. The game is 80 Microsoft Points is easy for me to slap the “buy” rating on.