Posted by Derek Yu
Fri, 01 Sep 2006 12:11:00 GMT
GAME. TUNNEL. MAGAZINE. That’s right, ladies and gentlemen, we’re now about two steps away from a Game Tunnel movie, Game Tunnel video games, Dan MacDonald bobbleheads, a Russell Carroll centerfold in Playboy… you name it. And you know what I have to say to that?
Good on them! No really, I think it’s a great idea and a big step towards maybe someday having a “legitimate” (i.e. non-web) small-press game rag on the store shelves. And that rag will be called TIGSource Magazine. (I kid, I kid.)
GRAPHICS: The design is amateurish – I’ve never seen rounded boxes and primary colors abused like that. However, more importantly, it’s very clean and there are lots of pretty pictures.
SOUND: It’s a magazine, dumbass. There’s no sound!
GAMEPLAY: I hate reading PDF’s on my monitor, but that’s no fault of Game Tunnel. The layout is simple and effective as such!
CONCEPT: Great idea! They should diversify the staff, though. Because I’m pretty sure more people play indie games than white males with glasses in their 20s and 30s… I could be wrong. The two-page reviews are too damn long, also. Put in some more editorials and features. Maybe from some developers?
FUN: Yes! Fun! I love fun!
VALUE: Well, it’s fucking free, ain’t it?
OVERALL: Game Tunnel holds up better as a magazine than a website, especially since reviews and columns (the meat of their content) tend to roll out pretty slowly. It’s a fun and informative read and I think it’s a great boon to the community. This is a nice start, guys!
VERDICT: ALWAYS, ALWAYS try before you buy. Especially if it’s free.
Posted in Community | 12 comments
Posted by Eos
Fri, 01 Sep 2006 00:47:00 GMT
Speaking of competitions, SHMUP-DEV has just announced their AutoFire 2007 Shooter Competition. There’s a nice booty for the winner – tons of free games, and of course , the $250 prize money.
There’s only one basic rule for the contest – you guessed it – “The game must have an autofire feature. It can be the primary and only weapon, a powerup, or another weapon in the game.”
There’re already 5 titles in the registered entries section. So make sure you register and post before the deadline of January 1st if you’re interested.
Posted in Competitions, Community, Shoot-em-ups | 1 comment
Posted by Shabadage
Thu, 31 Aug 2006 23:21:00 GMT
Well, another Retro Remakes Competition has ended (kinda). While the final judging results won’t be avaliable for some time (December according to the site); the entries are all up for download.
The magic number sits at 73, yes, 73 entries into this year’s compo. That’s 73 more reasons to visit The Retro Remakes Homepage than usual.
Or you lazy people can just hit this link to get a look at all the wonderfully juicy, deleciously sweet, and oh so much fun remakes.
I apologize for the lack of a picture with this news post; but it’s rather late, and I don’t have the brainpower to muck about with pictures at the moment. Just use your imagination. [I added one for you! -Derek]
Posted in Competitions, Remakes, Community | 4 comments
Posted by Derek Yu
Thu, 31 Aug 2006 18:25:00 GMT
Digital Eel is offering the full version of their trippy Snake-esque game Plasmaworm for free as part of a promotional deal with Manifesto Games. You have to register as a user at Manifesto by September 15th before you can download the game. You must also name your firstborn Greg Costikyan. As in, “Greg Costikyan” would be your child’s first name. Yeah, two words. That’s right. Like, I was going to name my daughter Bruce, after Bruce Lee, but now her name is Greg Costikyan Yu.
Posted in Community, Windows, Action / Arcade | 7 comments
Posted by Derek Yu
Wed, 30 Aug 2006 16:06:00 GMT
Microsoft’s XNA Game Studio Express (beta) has been released today! As mentioned earlier, XNA Game Studio is a set of tools targeted at students and hobbyists who want to develop games for Windows and XBox 360.
With Express you can develop commercial titles for Windows only. In order to distribute your XBox games, both you and the person playing will need a “Creator’s Club” subscription ($99 for a year, $49 for four months). Next spring Microsoft will release the Professional edition which will allow you to sell your XBox games.
Hmmm, is XNA supposed to be like DNA, except, you know… X-treme? Like if you made a man out of pure Mountain Dew.
(Source: Joystiq)
Posted in Xbox 360, Community, Developers | 7 comments
Posted by Eos
Wed, 30 Aug 2006 11:05:00 GMT
Have a ‘gander’ at Bang!Howdy from the creators of Puzzle Pirates. This is a real dream come true for anyone who’s ever wanted to play an online real-time strategy game set in the “Wild West!”
You may find the beta version, released earlier this summer, a tad frustrating after playing the same scenarios with the same people several times. But if that puts a dampener on the game for you, then the jolly little cowboy jig is sure to set your feet a-stomping gaily (or shoot yourself in the feet, depending on what kind of person you are).
Posted in Strategy, Multiplayer | 7 comments
Posted by Derek Yu
Wed, 30 Aug 2006 02:26:00 GMT
“My legendary clothesmaker just threw a tantrum because his masterwork giant cave spider silk pants were stolen by invisible goblins. Which I guess I can understand, they probably were really nice pants. The thing I don’t understand is why he decided to mangle the limbs of one of my legendary craftdwarves and break the legs of my legendary carpenter.” -bloodyfool, Dwarf Fortress player, from the forums
I need to stop talking about this game, because it’s annoying my friends and keeping me from my work. It’s a Roguelike that let’s you build and run a… well, dwarf fortress. (I love saying “dwarf fortress.”) There’s so much detail in this game that it’s almost too complex to play. I just like revelling in the possibilities.
EDIT: Also, here’s a link to a beginner’s guide (Penny Arcade forums) and the Dwarf Fortress wiki. The game’s hard to get into without either.
Posted in Windows, Freeware, Roguelikes, Highly Recommended | Tags TarnAdams | 20 comments
Posted by Eos
Sun, 27 Aug 2006 22:56:00 GMT
Hi there, I’m one of the slew of new writers here. Derek, desperate to establish a female narrative in the male-centred world of gaming, knew that he must find another authentic “girl gamer” to fulfill this task, grovelled and begged until I agreed to write for TIGSource.
The first order of business would be this game I found while reading IGDA’s Sex & Games news source. It’s
called VirtualHottie2 (NSFW). I had some trouble categorizing this one, as I am new (any constructive criticisms or comments for the newbie would be appreciated!). Anyway, I just could not figure out whether it belongs in “Adventure” or “Shooters?”
So this piece really is not just another reaffirmation of how well sex sells, it will revolutionize the way beer-guzzling is animated. You can enjoy the “stunning detail and 3d animation” here.
Also, Clickable Culture gives a stellar example of their stunning artwork.
I read somewhere that these types of games don’t usually succeed because gamers condemn the terrible gameplay and apparently everyone else is too shocked at the content to buy such a game. But the first game must have been extraordinarily orgasmic for them to make a sequel.
Posted in Previews, Adventure, Community | 10 comments
Posted by Tim
Sat, 26 Aug 2006 18:54:00 GMT
The first Game Design Competition organized by JayisGames went pretty well with twenty-three entries of high pedigree to salivate over. First eight are already up and playable from JIG’s web site.
Two efforts from Tonypa, one from Mateusz Skutnik and a host of others complete this batch.
Submachine Zero seems to be a clear favorite in the first round judging by the comments. Gear Puzzle by David Durham is pretty fun as well.
Update: Gateway from the second collection of entries is rather impressive, and could possibly go head to head with Mateusz’s latest adventure.
Much thanks to Jay for the corrections!
Posted in Competitions, Browser Games | 3 comments
Posted by Tim
Sat, 26 Aug 2006 18:38:00 GMT
As kindly mentioned by Derek, The Independent Games Festival submission deadline is less than two weeks away. Please submit your entries before the 8th of September, ladies and gentlemen.
If you’re a developer with an excellent game in hand then don’t miss the chance to showcase your creation to the world, as these guys are the best at what they do.
Here’s the deal. Entry fee is $95 for the main competition, but if you’re a student then just send it in. No charges whatsoever! You can refer to this page for submission rules.
Finalists are announced on December 4th. Mark these two dates on your calendar, and good luck to all the participants!
Posted in Competitions, IGF / GDC | 1 comment
