Posted by Derek Yu
Tue, 06 Mar 2007 05:06:00 GMT
GDC is goin’ on and Progrium, Alec, and I attended part one of the Independent Games Summit today… but we’ll discuss that once we’ve had a chance to fully recover. For now, I want to introduce to you a new feature that I’ve been cooking up behind the scenes with Postman from Shoot the Core, William Swaney from the2bears, and our very own Tim W. (Independent Gaming):
An Introduction to Doujin Shmups.
Essentially it’s a beginner’s guide to getting into the rather daunting Japanese indie shoot ‘em up scene that we hope will get new players into the genre. Despite the relative simplicity of these types of games, I was surprised by the amount of variation in even a single subcategory of shoot ‘em ups. And it’s definitely a genre that keeps growing, as is evidenced by Clean Asia and, more recently, Guxt.
Hope you enjoy!
Posted in Features, Shoot-em-ups, Doujin | 9 comments
Posted by BMcC
Mon, 26 Feb 2007 17:17:00 GMT
After months of woe and questions of whether or not it will ever see the light of day, Pixel has released a work-in-progress demo version of his upcoming shooter. And it’s rad!
Some notes from Pixel, as translated by the one and only Shih Tzu and paraphrased by me:
- The game is not yet complete.
- There are five stages in the demo.
- Arrow keys to move and Ctrl to fire.
- There is gamepad support.
The game also automatically stores play records for Pixel’s analysis (if you email them to him). And you can change the controls if you’d like.
Download here. It’s kinda tough… but what great shooter isn’t?
Thanks BenH!
Also: If you drag and drop your play records on to the open game, it plays them back for you! (Thanks, Jimbob!)
Update: Here’s a direct download link via selectbutton. -Derek
Posted in Shoot-em-ups, Windows, Freeware, Doujin | Tags Pixel | 18 comments
Posted by Tim
Thu, 08 Feb 2007 23:51:00 GMT
That’s right. Derek and The Arsecast Host absolutely adore Pixel. Wait, they’re not celebrities.
“On the official Radiohead blog, guitarist Jonny Greenwood shows a screenshot of Doukutsu and provides download links, calling the game a ‘work of art’.” – Doukutsu Live Journal
Posted in Community, Doujin | Tags Pixel | 29 comments
Posted by Derek Yu
Sat, 27 Jan 2007 16:11:00 GMT
La Mulana, the sprawling platformer that bears a resemblence to the old MSX game Maze of Galious, finally has an English translation thanks to Aeon Genesis:
“The game is huge, with many different areas to explore and dozens of items and weapons to find. Each area has a large variety of puzzles and traps (many of them quite fiendish) and you need to solve the puzzles in each area to discover the Ankhs and Ankh Jewels, which allow you to fight the eight Guardians of the ruins. To solve the puzzles you’ll need to be able to read the tablets scattered throughout the ruins, which will require a Hand Scanner and translation software for the portable MSX that Lemeza has brought along on the adventure. Your Hand Scanner will also allow you to find items and search the bones of less fortunate adventurers.”
The game and the patch can be downloaded together from the AGTP site.
EDIT: FYI, the patch also translates the manual, included with the game!
Posted in Platformers, Highly Recommended, Metroidvanias, Windows, Freeware, Doujin | Tags NIGORO | 42 comments
Posted by Tim
Tue, 23 Jan 2007 18:21:00 GMT
Right, I was a little ambiguous when composing that last article – so here it is again. A collection of screenshots from Pixel’s shooter, which would normally disappear forever when it’s taken down from his desktop page. If I’m not mistaken, the collage above previews four out of the five stages to be found in his upcoming release.
Gives a good idea of what he’s been working on. Details about where to download the soundtrack to this shooter can be acquired from the other post.
And while we’re on the subject of games which uses very little colors…
Posted in Shoot-em-ups, Windows, Freeware, Previews, Doujin | Tags Pixel | 12 comments
Posted by Tim
Fri, 19 Jan 2007 20:14:00 GMT
You can download Rider here.
Quoting dess:
it’s a motorcycle sim where you try to get your package to its destination on time without breaking any traffic laws (when cops are watching). reminds me of tokyo bus guide, but better since it involves motorcycles (and you don’t have to observe crazy bus codes). it’s a pretty nice chillout game. videogame sunsets!
There are some crazy rides to unlock if you play long enough.
EDIT: Options on the main menu, from left to right, are: records (for this playthrough), options, play and quit.
Posted in Unique / Bizarre, Highly Recommended, Windows, Sim, Freeware, Doujin | 9 comments
Posted by Tim
Wed, 10 Jan 2007 11:22:00 GMT
Not exactly the blockbuster (heh) platformer that everyone has been expecting, Mini01 is still a decent short game perfect for that coffee break during work.
Use the arrow keys to move the orange block around. The tail follows your movement, and it will destroy any white block that touches it. An online high score feature has been included, though some of the scores are rather unbelievable.
Shih Tzu mentions that Mini01 is to be the first of a monthly game series, so we can expect more from the developer of Akuji the Demon and Guardian of Paradise very soon.
It was an absolutely brilliant year for freeware platformers in 2006, hopefully we can expect this trend to blossom further this year.
Posted in Windows, Action / Arcade, Freeware, Doujin | 11 comments
Posted by Derek Yu
Wed, 20 Dec 2006 09:19:00 GMT
Kento Cho was interviewed by MTV and here’s a YouTube vid of it. If you want to read a transcription, you know Tim’s got you covered. His English is quite good. And I hear he benches 300. Is there nothing this man cannot do?!
He’s got that crazy Miyamoto smile!
Posted in Shoot-em-ups, Videos, Interviews, Doujin | Tags KentaCho | 7 comments
Posted by Derek Yu
Tue, 28 Nov 2006 17:48:00 GMT
This is a game where you… wait a second, I’m getting a phone call. Sorry, what was I saying? Oh yeah, this is a flash game where you try and (hmmm, I should probably do my laundry soon) collect fruit while… hold on, I have to take a dump. Hold that thought, I’ll be right back, okay?
(Never returns.)
EDIT: Haha, I actually got so distracted trying to write my lame post that I forgot to add a link to the damn game.
Posted in Unique / Bizarre, Browser Games, Action / Arcade, Doujin | 5 comments
Posted by BMcC
Wed, 15 Nov 2006 15:19:00 GMT
Not so much!
But here’s a shooting game Pixel helped create, along with some other Japanese guy who goes by “BA2.”
The game is called Die Die Galaxy and is actually quite fun! (Click the cat head at the bottom of the page to download.)
It’s kinda like Space Invaders, but instead of shooting aliens with lasers, you shoot alien cat heads with rockets. The game ends when you run out of rockets.
Left/right arrow keys to move, space bar to shoot and select.
My high score’s 61. It’s pretty challenging! Also, I suck.
BONUS NEWS! I mentioned this in a comment earlier, but Pixel’s last journal entry for October read, “My goal for November: finish the shooting game.”
Posted in Shoot-em-ups, Windows, Freeware, Doujin | Tags Pixel | 3 comments
