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
Posted by dessgeega
Sat, 26 Aug 2006 15:52:00 GMT
toribash is an ancient game of ragdoll physics-based combat.
rather than using a keyframe-based system like most 2D fighting games, the fighters in toribash are constructed of lots of joints that can all be tweaked individually. for example, to deliver a kick you need to contract your knee, extend your ankle, contract your hip, and then finally re-extend your knee to deliver the blow.
it’s rather complicated! but that’s why it’s turn-based. and the complex physics means a good player can do things like this. it can take a while for new players to learn, though—a good starting point is the tutorial movies on the game’s homepage. the official forums, too, are full of replays to study.
when you’ve mastered landing on your feet, you’ll probably want to attempt online play. the main servers are pretty high-traffic, but fun-motion (who reviewed the game recently) has set up a few more servers, with and without disqualification (when the fighter’s body touches the floor).
alternate title for this post was “the real rag-doll kung fu”.
Posted in Highly Recommended, Freeware, Fighters, Unique / Bizarre, Physics, Windows, Linux | Tags Hampa | 3 comments
Posted by Max
Sat, 26 Aug 2006 12:37:00 GMT
File this one under “you heard it here second,” but Penny Arcade has teamed up with Hothead Games to develop their first title, an episodic little ditty called Penny Arcade Adventures: On the Rain-Slick Precipice of Darkness.
No word yet on how exactly it will be distributed, beyond some sort of episodic “digital download,” target for initial release on Windows, Mac OS X, and Linux.
As Hothead claims to be an independent developer, it would appear that the boys behind PA have succesfully managed to avoid selling out.
In the meantime: Dear god, what has been wrought?
Press Release,
Gamasutra Coverage,
Kotaku Coverage
Posted in Linux, Community, Macintosh, Windows, Previews | 8 comments
Posted by ARelativelyHotGirl
Fri, 25 Aug 2006 20:32:00 GMT
Cory Doctorow took a break from whacking off to Disneyland to post “Manifesto went live today, filled with amazing-looking games, the likes of which I’ve never seen. Congrats, Greg!” on BoingBoing.
An excerpt from Man! Festo Games’ motto: “The machinery of gaming has run amok. Instead of serving creative vision, it suppresses it. Instead of encouraging innovation, it represses it.”
Hyperbole/repetition/mindless chest-thumping aside, ManifestoGames DOES offer some VERY innovative titles. Take for instance, the top featured $20 game Mudcraft. It apparently stars people made of poo. I think that World of Warcraft game stole its name or something. “At least download the demo, for chrissakes.”
Also featured is Aveyond, “a game you wouldn’t be surprised to find on your SNES or Genesis.” It’s very innovative. I think Squaresoft stole the idea of Final Fantasy VI from these guys via a time machine or something.
Welcome to the future of indie gaming. “Who doesn’t like playing in the mud?”
raises hand :’(
Posted in Community | Tags ManifestoGames | 24 comments
