games

Posted by dessgeega Sat, 30 Sep 2006 08:42:00 GMT

defcon and dot fighters are both out. go play.

update: mirrors for dot fighters on the independent gaming forums.

Posted in Strategy, Fighters | 24 comments

Custom Wars

Posted by Albert Lai Fri, 29 Sep 2006 16:51:00 GMT

What do we have here? Why, another attempt to fan-make a sequel (whether spiritual or otherwise) of Advance Wars! It’s named Custom Wars by the way. I couldn’t fit the previous statement without causing the sentence to lose its impact.

So far it has done something that nintey percent of internet projects have not done – make an alpha version! To be true, the interface is a bit ugly, but new units and new COs are already playable – and made in Java, to boot.

Lots of creative talent has gone into the making of Custom Wars (via a anyone-can-contribute-style of submissions. It could be you!), and it’ll be awesome for fans of one of the most enjoyable and addictive TBS games— if it makes it all the way to the final version without being Cease and Desisted.

Oh hell! Knock on wood!

Posted in Remakes, Strategy, Freeware | 9 comments

Casual Invaders

Posted by Tim Thu, 28 Sep 2006 15:44:00 GMT

I use an online dictionary to spell-check often, so it was quite a surprise to find that the Merriam-Webster web site is encouraging users to download and play classic word games to improve their linguistic capabilities.

Perhaps advertisement on these sites for games like, say… Dungeon Scroll or Text Twist is not that far behind?

Posted in Community | 1 comment

The End of the World

Posted by Tim Thu, 28 Sep 2006 15:25:00 GMT

Introversion’s version of Armageddon on a disc is ready to ship. I could post another in-game screenshot from Defcon, but we’ve all seen it a million times before so let’s try something new.

Launches today, not sure if they meant the nukes or the game.

Strangely, Introversion isn’t participating in this year’s IGF. (a snub?) Well, more awards for Aquaria I suppose.

Posted in Strategy, Windows | Tags Introversion | 8 comments

vertical & rrrrrpg

Posted by dessgeega Mon, 25 Sep 2006 06:26:00 GMT

always up to no good, alan gordon (who you may remember as the author of zi) has just released a pair of old projects onto the internets.

vertical is technically unfinished – there are no enemies or encounters. what remains is the architecture of the game, a randomly-generated tower of infinite height that the player scales with wall-jumps and a grappling hook which bears comparison to umihara kawase or turrican, depending on your background. once one becomes comfortable with the controls, the game becomes a meditative experience.

rrrrrpg, on the other hand, is a complete game. unofficially standing for “really really really random role-playing game”, but officially for nothing, rrrrrpg is a jrpg without content. all that’s left is a trio of abstract shapes roaming the countryside, fighting enemies for experience and money, and wandering back to town to buy better weapons and armor. it is the purest distillation of the jrpg.

check professor gordon’s blog for information on the upcoming zombie city survivors, as well as the zombie city games it is based on (now available for mac).

update: vertical now has a speedrun mode, accessible by pressing R.

Posted in RPG, Platformers, Freeware | 9 comments

Shmup-Dev's New Showcase Features

Posted by Tim Mon, 25 Sep 2006 01:47:00 GMT

To all shmup developers, if you’re encountering difficulties finding a site to host your game then this is the perfect solution. Shmup-Dev has revamped their Showcase Section which allows entry modifications, ratings and even a nice little download counter.

There’s more than a dozen freeware shmups to grab off the same page as well.

Don’t forget to participate in the Autofire 2007 Shooter Competition if you’re a developer, artist or musician. Three months left!

Posted in Shoot-em-ups, Community, Competitions | 2 comments

Shubun no hi Feature!

Posted by Eos Sat, 23 Sep 2006 22:09:00 GMT

Yes, it’s that time of the year again – Shubun no hi, the Japanese Autumnal equinox Day. To celebrate this special occasion, I’m going to feature a game. A game “of the month”, if you will. And I use this phrase very loosely because it’s not so much an “award” as it is brownie points. Well, it’s more like pats on the head or giving a gold star to a well-deserved child or a three-dollar martini.

So without further ado, I’d like to present this three-dollar martini to Fren-ze, a vertical shooter with vivid, vibrant colours. It’s probably a bit too dazzling because my poor little blue fighter can’t seem to last 5 minutes. I blame my genetic code that lacks the SHMUP DNA that would otherwise let me do this.

Posted in Community, Shoot-em-ups, Windows | 3 comments

Acter World

Posted by Shabadage Sat, 23 Sep 2006 09:44:00 GMT

Why helllloooo, it’s your favorite sleep deprived, freeware game finding, TIGSource posting madman. And guess what? I’m here to share some more freeware gaming goodness with you. The game up today goes by the name of Acter World; and it’s a puzzle/action/platforming game, similar in feel to Bubble Bobble (Not Puzzle Bobble).

The game is about Lina, the games heroine, trying to rid the floating royal palace of an evil wizard and his goons. Armed only with a magical bubble ring, she sets off through 32 levels of solid, old school fun.

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On a personal note; the show that MC Chris did up in Fort Collins, CO last night was awesome! If you get a chance to see this guy in concert; then DO IT! Best $12 I’ve spent in the last year or so.

Posted in Action / Arcade, Platformers, Freeware, Windows | 7 comments

Game Tunnel

Posted by Tim Sat, 23 Sep 2006 00:59:00 GMT

Every month we struggle to come up with a proper description for this post, and always end up falling flat on our faces (well, just me).

It’s difficult to fill up an entire paragraph with anything witty unless my first name’s Derek. If only my next shareware game is Aquaria, and I’m planning to release it in Spring 2007.. then I could have mustered something funny to say in this sentence.

Oh, right. Back to the topic at hand. Game Tunnel’s Review Round-Up for the month of September is out. Mighty interesting read as usual.

This month’s pick is Gumboy Crazy Adventures, a game which I wasn’t too impressed with either. But that’s just my humble opinion..

Posted in Community | 20 comments

The Arcade Wire: Airport Security

Posted by BMcC Wed, 20 Sep 2006 11:56:00 GMT

Perhaps we need a new category for “newsgames.”

Ian Bogost of Persuasive Games has announced Airport Security, the first in a series of satirical Flash games commissioned by Shockwave.com and Addicting Games called The Arcade Wire.

The game has you managing (of course) an airport security line, removing prohibited items from potential passengers and their luggage, while keeping up with the constantly-changing security regulations.

Hooray for games with a message! According to Persuasive Games’ site, it’s their bread and butter:

“Persuasive Games is the natural choice of leading advocacy groups and lifestyle brands who want to communicate effectively through electronic games.”

On one hand, it’s exciting to see games that move beyond mere amusement, that have a message and real-world impact. On the other hand, as Ian himself admits, the vast majority of topical games are no more than passing novelties.

What do you, the loyal TIGSource readers, think? Play the game and judge for yourselves!

(Source: GameSetWatch)

Posted in Freeware, Browser Games, Social Impact | 8 comments